The Cracks in the Universe (ACOTAR/TOG Crossover)

Chapter 4 - Dorian

As soon as their group had noticed the dark power lying deep within Terrasen's forests, Dorian had begun spiralling down into his magic. He could feel Rowan and Aelin doing the same. They prowled through the endless chamber within the mountain, the Queen of Terrasen at the front so as to light the way. Lysandra kept close to Aedion, presumably still wearing her human form due to the strain of already shifting twice in a short space of time, while Lorcan's arm was wrapped around Elide to further support her injury in the uneven terrain of the cave.

"This is wrong," Manon muttered beside him, the two of them bringing up the rear, "Maybe we should send scouts. My Shadows—"

"It would take too long to call them here. Aelin would probably self-combust from impatience before Abraxos even reached them. Besides, doesn't taking risks prevent immortality from becoming too dull?" Dorian murmured back, his partner's behaviour uncharacteristically hesitant.

"Trust me, dangerous situations are my greatest passion," Manon's iron teeth glinted in the dim light as she grinned wickedly, "But this is different. That portal, Wyrdgate, it is not of this world. I don't care what the shifter thinks, whatever is on the other side is not Terrasen. We need to be prepared to find out what is."

Another pulse of pain lanced through Dorian's brow. He winced as he checked over his shoulder to ensure they were safe from behind, raw magic writhing around his fingers. Nothing. The real threat was what lay ahead. He and Rowan maintained a shield of hard wind around the group, but they had no idea whether it would hold against that preternatural entity.

Rounding a corner, Dorian nearly walked into the back of Lorcan as the group halted. His magic roiled as it felt the portal merely a few feet away, and he craned his neck to see over Lorcan's hulking figure.

The passage ended; they were standing in front of the back wall. Except it wasn't made of the same grey-purple rock as the rest of the mountain. It was obsidian black, and terror sliced through Dorian as he realised where he had seen this stone before. It had been around his neck in the form of a collar, the pale mark it had left still visible. The expanse of onyx ahead was Wyrdstone. He could feel the tension heighten as each member of the party came to the same realisation he had.

Stepping around Elide to get a better view, his heart skipped a beat. From the rear of the group, he and Manon had only been able to see the wall of Wyrdstone, but from this position, he could see exactly what Lysandra had been so enthusiastic about. There was a hole in the wall, its edges jagged and cracked. Looking through was like staring through a window: everything was clear and yet the view was warped ever so slightly. And on the other side were evergreens and snowy peaks, much like the surroundings they had just left. But they had descended too deep into the ground for them to have simply come out the other side of the mountain. The star-flecked sky through the portal was another marker since it had only been mid-afternoon when they'd ventured into the cave. No, this was most definitely a Wyrdgate. The headaches and Wyrdstone and power were all too big a coincidence for it to be otherwise.

"I'll go first," Elide announced. Lorcan opened his mouth to protest, but Aedion cut him off. "No, let me go. I can scout the area and signal if it's safe."

"Well, if we're talking about scouting ability then I'm the best option," Rowan argued, "I can shift into my hawk form—"

"We don't even know if magic will work through there. It looks like Terrasen but it may damn well not be."

"Maybe two of us should go through together..." Lysandra suggested.

Dorian barely had enough time to shout before Aelin silently stepped away from the bickering group and walked through the portal, taking the light with her.

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