Chapter 14: Portal

In the fifty years since humans reestablished contact with elves living on the continent they called Tel’Silderan, portal travel emerged as the most significant advance in civilization since the reemergence of magic itself.

Journeys that used to take days or weeks were now completed in an instant. What’s more, the explosion in trade all around the world led to a level of prosperity that people had only dreamed about.

The portals were regulated by magicians, who controlled their operation and kept records of who and what went through them. In a city like Llanfyllin, the portal was busy most of the time, and visitors from Tel’Silderan were frequent and familiar.

The apprentices counted on this for their purpose. Before entering the courtyard where the portal stood, Aidan made the trio invisible again with a different spell that was more effective in open spaces filled with people.

They found a group of four elves, a family in appearance, and stood beside them as they waited in line. The magicians held hands so they wouldn’t get separated. Aidan heard them say “Silvanthel” as their destination, and his excitement grew at the prospect of seeing the great elven city for the first time.

They walked through the portal with the elves, and in a moment, the sky went from darkness to late afternoon sunshine. The travel erased Aidan’s spell, and they were visible to everyone. To their surprise, however, no one asked who they were or what they were doing in the city.