Portal

It was another hot exhausting day on the training grounds of Anatol. The knights had been working overtime in preparation for their first monster raid of the summer season. Ever since Lady Maximilian had left for the World Tower, Lord Calypse had thrown himself into his work, which included more rigorous training sessions.

The knights missed the lady's presence as she would sometimes visit the grounds, often bringing some delicious pastries. This allowed the knights to enjoy a sweet treat and take a much-needed break.

It seemed it would be another normal long day of training, that is until a thin shimmer of light appeared above the ground. It was a thin line of pure energy that hummed and pulsed to a rhythm all its own. The knights were puzzled. What was it? Where did it come from? Surely Ruth, who was currently attending a meeting in the Commander's office, couldn't have cast a spell from so far away? And even if he could, it still didn't explain what its purpose was.

A few moments later the knights had their answer as a small figure with crimson curls fell out of the thin energy field. She screamed, surprised by the fact that she was falling. Elliot sprinted forward and caught her just before she hit the ground. The portal above them slowly faded as it vanished into nothing.

Maximilian looked a bit dazed, slowly getting over the shock of her fall. She looked around to get her bearings and began to recognize the familiar faces that surrounded her.

Elliot put her down once he was sure she could stand on her own. She smiled warmly at the Remdragon Knights, but her smile faltered slightly as she realized the one person she wanted to see most of all was not among them.
Anxiety began to rise from the pit of her stomach. She didn't have much time. They were practicing creating portals, for the beginners they had to draw on a memory of their favorite place as it was easier to create a passage to something familiar and with a strong emotional connection. Maxi had chosen her home, a place she loved and had longed to return to.

The students were instructed to create a portal back to the Tower as soon as they could. She only had 24 hours before the rune embedded in her cloak would signal for help automatically if left inactivated. If he was home, she wanted to spend every second with her husband.

"It's lovely to see you all again," she said kindly. "I'm sorry if I startled you. We've just begun covering the basics of portals. As much as I would love to talk and catch up, I'm afraid I don't have much time. Is Riftan home?"

Garrow smiled at the lady before responding, "He's in his office, meeting- "

She didn't hear the rest of Garrow's reply as she was already running from the training grounds into the castle.

"Oh man, I wish I could see the look on the Commander's face when he sees her!" Yulysion exclaimed.

"He will certainly be at a loss for words I'll bet. A rare sight indeed." Elliot said with an amused chuckle.

———-

Riftan, Hebaron, Uslin, Gabel and Ruth were discussing strategies for the upcoming raid. Discussions had dissolved into arguing as their voices grew louder and louder. They didn't hear the sound of small footsteps rapidly approaching the door.

BAM!

The door was swung open with such force that the hinges nearly tore from their wooden frame. The door slammed against the adjacent wall lined with shelves that shook as a handful of books tumbled to the floor.

The men grew quiet, surprised at the lack of respect the individual had shown by not knocking, surprised by the urgency at which they had opened the door and surprised most of all by the small female who had burst into their meeting unannounced.