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Chapter 46: The Umbral Gate: Part 1

My eyes snapped open and I glanced at the clock.

1:50am

I sighed and got out of bed gingerly and looked around the room. I found some suitable clothes on the floor and got dressed. I looked to Ian who was still asleep

"I love you" I whispered to him while walking out the door.

My magic was tingling and I felt chills spreading through my back. Elves were close. I was beginning to be able to distinguish the feelings my magic was having on me. I got my jacket and opened the back door.

I walked out into the night and around the house. I made it to the end of the drive when a car pulled out of the darkness.

"Get in" I heard a voice call

I shielded my eyes from the headlights and saw that it was Casey. I got to the car and climbed into the back seat. It was Clayton and Casey.

"Where's everyone else?" I asked

"They're already there" Casey said "been waiting on your sorry ass"

I grimaced but remained silent as we drove down the road

The trip into Boston didn't seem to take nearly as long this time as it had the last time I had met the Elven Conclave. We pulled into the complex just before three am.

We traveled down to the chamber and as soon as the elevator opened I knew that this meeting was far different. Instantly we were swarmed with hundreds of elves. I had no idea that there was this many of them. I think Casey knew the look I had.

"When you gave the call, they came... this is every last surviving member of our race." He said and I felt many sets of eyes on me and I heard hushed whispers spreading through the entrance chamber.

A path through the crowd opened for us and led us into the chamber I had visited last time. Every elf in the chamber fell to their knees and bowed to the floor. I was then able to see across the chamber to Jackson who was standing at the wall where the high table had stood before and he smiled at me as we walked through the crowd of elves.

"You made it" he smiled at me and I smiled back

"You look human" I said

"For your benefit" he said "I can change it if you want" he said

"It doesn't matter" I said trying to be diplomatic

"I'll keep it then" he said

"So..." I said trying to make conversation "Where is this gate?" I asked

"Right here" Jackson said pointing to the wall of the chamber

"The wall?" I asked

"The gate lies beyond the wall, the wall is the seal we must open with magic" Aldo said stepping up to us

"We just need to break down a wall?" I asked

"Actually it's more like a stone door" Jackson said "put your hand to it and tell me what you feel" he said

Feeling kind of stupid I reached out and placed my hand on the wall and instantly I felt magic flow into my hand and down my arm. It burned with heat and I heard a roar in my head. Whatever was behind this wall was strong.

"What is that?" I asked

"The gate" Jackson said "the magic coming from it is holding the wall shut" he said "we need to force it open"

"How?" I asked

"We're going to combine our magic and use it to push the wall inward and expel the magic out" he said

"Alright" I said

"May I have your attention!" I heard Aldo yell to the crowd.

"Showtime" Jay whispered

Aldo addressed the crowd of elves who were excited and verging on rowdy. I looked at Jackson and for a moment was reminded about how much I cared for him before I found him with Colin.

"Jay" I whispered to him taking a few steps closer to him

He looked up and gave a weak smile

"What?" he whispered back

"I forgive you" I said pausing "for everything..."

A multitude of emotions seemed to cross his face before he was able to form a response

"Thank you" he said closing the remaining space between us and he gave me a hug. I instantly began to feel better about being in a room full of elves. We separated and I looked up at him.

"We ready to do this?" I asked and I looked around the large chamber that was jammed with elves "Shouldn't we clear the room?"

"And hide over a thousand elves where?" Jackson asked "Most have been camped out here for days" he said "We're just going to have to protect them the best we can.

I gulped instantly feeling the pressure

"We're ready for you now" I heard Aldo's voice address me and I looked to Jackson who simply nodded

"Don't worry" he said "I'll lead"

I nodded

"Can you feel my magic?" Jackson asked

I felt a warm tingling feeling spreading over my body

"Yes" I said "I feel it"

"Stand there on either side of the wall and I want you to push your magic out. The idea is to force the door to open." He said "Do not stand in the center, the magical backlash will be too strong"

I nodded

"We're ready" Jackson said to Aldo

"Then you may proceed" he nodded

"On three" he said

"One..."

"Two..."

"Three"

I pushed out with my magic and I saw beams of light beginning to form around my hands as I pushed my magic outwards towards the wall.

"PUSH!" Jackson commanded and I forced my magic into the wall with as much force as I could muster.

The chamber began to tremble and the lights flickered

"HARDER!" he yelled and I forced my magic outward and maintaining it was taking every last bit of self control I had. The light coming from within me made my skin seem almost transparent. Tendrils of light began to form around me and I heard a few elves behind me gasp. The rumbling grew louder and I could hear a sound like waves crashing on rocks as a roar could be heard.

"Merge your magic with mine!" Jackson yelled and I tried sending my magic into him as I felt a spread of warmth flowing into me. Maintaining my magic seemed to be a bit easier. I forced my magic around me to the wall.

"EVERYONE BACK AWAY" Jackson yelled and I could feel the wall begin to give way.

The wall split in half as if it were a giant door and a beam of magic shot across the chamber and crashed into the back wall blasting away the stone forming a chasm in the wall. I heard screams but couldn't look away.

I felt Jackson losing control and I realized that he had used up his magic and couldn't shield the elves behind us. The magic coming from the wall manifested itself as tendrils of light and like a giant octopus and they burst out of the door. I jumped to the side and I used my magic to push Jackson off the platform and I stood in the center and a surge of magic blasted out straight at me.

"NO!" I commanded and instead of throwing my magic out I pulled the magic in. I used the power from the gate to power my own magic to force the doors open wider. The room was shaking and the air crackled with raw magic power. The beams of raw magic finally retreated and the crack opened wider as the wall pushed inward and open.

Magic was pouring out of the center and I was using all my strength to open the doors, I could feel its power flow into the room. I could feel the wall moving easier now as I continued to push my magic out as hard as I could.

Finally the wall pushed open and the light flooded the room and my eyes adjusted to its brightness.

Basked in white light a room with the whitest stone revealed a stone archway on a dais. The archway which was made of white stones stood nearly twenty feet high and almost ten feet across. The dais was as large as an auditorium. The archway was filled with light. The light was pure magic releasing into the air.

The raw awesome power was immense it took nearly all my strength to hold myself against it. Magic surged through the archway unrestrained and I had never in my entire life even dreamed of anything like it. Even with my limited knowledge I knew that what we were dealing with was far stronger than me.

I couldn't hold on and I felt my magic begin to weaken to the onslaught coming from the open doorway.

"Can you sense it?!" Jackson yelled at me from across the room

My magic tingled and I could feel it.

Life...

I could sense life...

My magic tingled as if experiencing freedom and I felt a power escape from me I had never felt before. Not of Ice or fire or of earth, but of a pure energy I had never felt before and I pushed back against the force holding us away from the arch.

I felt Jackson's magic mixing with mine again as he resumed his position. We held back the tidal forces coming from the arch. And as suddenly as it happened, it was over.

The magic suddenly stopped and we could see into the room much more clearly and the magic around the archway dimmed.

Silence echoed throughout the chamber. The eerie silence dominated the room and I looked around and saw the carnage the magic had caused. I huge crack ran down the back wall and large stones were now embedded into the floor.

"Nobody was hurt" I heard Jackson whisper to me. I hadn't even seen him move to my side.

"Good" I managed to get out

"But it was a close thing, we were lucky... you did a great job" he said and I smiled a little turning and looking back into the white room.

Aldo walked forward into the room towards the arch.

We followed close behind and the crowd of elves followed behind us. I caught a brief glimpse of Clayton and what I presumed was his who family all of them in Elven form.

As we approached the center the light coming from the gate continued to fade and I was able to get a really good look at it. The light seemed to be spiraling around the stones and pouring into the center and from inside the arch I could see trees, snow and I could sense life

"We did it" Jackson said whispering to me

"What happened?" I asked Jay "what was that explosion and all that light before?"

"Magical backlash from the magic being contained for so long" he said "like shaking up a can of soda"

I ignored his simple explanation and looked at the gate; I had to admit that the gate was beautiful. I took a few steps towards it.

"No, don't go near it" Jackson said holding me back

"Why?" I asked

"It was built by Lady Talenna" Jackson said "I have only heard the legends, humans cannot pass, and the magic prevents them. I think there is magic there preventing non elvish creatures including humans from nearing it and I don't want to see you hurt" He said and was interrupted by Aldo

"Tonight we join our brethren!" Aldo said turning towards us "We thank you" he said addressing to me.

"Well I guess this is goodbye then" Clayton said coming up to me

"Yea" I said looking at him in his Elven form. "I'm going to miss all of you terribly" I said

Colin came up and wrapped me in a hug

"Thanks man, like shit that was totally awesome what you just did" he said and I smiled

Crystal came up and hugged me as well

The rest of the family gave me handshakes as well.

"I guess this is where we part ways" Jackson said looking at me and I felt a part of my heart stir. I guess he was right, feelings really never leave us.

"Yea" I said

"I will miss you Raven" he said and wrapped me in a hug "I will never forget you"

"Or I you" I said

"Good" he pulled away from me and turned to face the gate

The procession began and I watched as one by one each elf walked into the gate of light and they disappeared from sight. One by one they left and then finally I watched as Colin and then his whole family disappear and then it was down to Jackson and Aldo.

Jackson waved goodbye and he walked through the gate and my heart fluttered for only a moment and then he was gone.

Aldo looked at me

"You must destroy this once I am through" he said and I nodded

"I will" I said and without another world Aldo walked through the gate

I was then alone in the chamber. It was eerie standing in this magical chamber alone. The gate represented something that was part of me but something I could never be a part of. My home was with Ian and my future was here in this world.

I sighed and fought back the tears.

"They're all gone" I said out loud

The words echoed throughout the chamber reverberating into silence

Then a new but familiar voice cut through the silence. The words chilled my very soul

"Not quite" he said

Thanks for Reading

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Cailen