The Dragon’s Breath was mounted on a pedestal at the top of the ramp where the portal was going to be opened. The World Council and American government had decided to keep the initial reopening somewhat guarded until the stability of the new portal could be properly assessed. The general public had been informed that the bridge would likely be reestablished “soon,” but only official personnel would be allowed through on the first couple of days.
Valar had been meditating for almost an hour, trying to get a clear picture in his mind of what he was going to try and do and how he could convince The Dragon’s Breath to do it. So Eliza and her troops wandered the floor, trying not to look too bored.
Finally, Valar seemed to be satisfied with his mental state.
[[ Eliza, could you come here for a moment? ]]
Eliza rolled her eyes, then turned around and wandered up the ramp. Valar was back in a position of power, and Eliza could only expect him to rub her face in it.
[[ I think I’m ready. I would appreciate it if you would stand by in case the influx of magical energies becomes overwhelming for me. ]]
Eliza was a bit confused. There were a number of other Terrans he could have called on to help manage the power flow if necessary. [[ Why me? ]]
Valar shook his head. [[ Because you are more familiar with the magic of the Living Jewels than anyone else, though you yourself have never wielded one. ]] Surprisingly, his voice softened. [[ Though I acknowledge that you have felt their power in a less . . . controlled fashion. ]] He looked down the ramp and saw assorted diplomats and officials gathering, waiting for the “grand opening.” [[ Eliza, I believe I owe you an apology. ]]
Eliza was more than a bit distrustful of that statement. Valar had never sincerely apologized for anything in his life, at least not as far as she knew. [[ For what? Have a sudden change in heart about lesbians? ]]
[[ Not at all, ]] he replied, averting his gaze for a moment. [[ I don’t agree with your lifestyle or your adaptation of human customs. I didn’t like your decision to ‘mingle’ with a human partner back when you were pure vampire. I certainly don’t approve of your physical attraction to members of your own gender. ]] Eliza started to speak, but he silenced her with a wave of his hand. [[ But you don’t need my approval, ]] he said, looking like he actually meant it. [[ I didn’t get that until our recent conflict. The vampire race, as a general rule, believes in its traditions and cultures. You believe in breaking rules. You don’t think like any vampire I know, and you don’t so much walk your own path as you do blaze your own highway. And our two worlds are about to be recombined because of it. You don’t need me to like you or accept you. You don’t need that from anyone. You do what needs to be done in whatever way you can, generally in ways no one else would think of. And even if that doesn’t earn you friendship, it most certainly warrants you respect. I have never shown you respect, Ms. Eliza Msabdteelfinclor, and for that I apologize. ]] Valar returned to concentrating on the Living Jewel before him, leaving Eliza to be . . . stunned. So stunned in fact that she was almost caught flatfooted when Valar grabbed The Dragon’s Breath and uttered the words, [[ Let my will be done. ]]
It started as The Dragon’s Breath projecting a bright red pinpoint of light at a particular point on the wall. Then the point expanded until it was about the size of the manhole cover, and then kept growing until it was about ten feet in diameter. Valar was beginning to sweat. This was considerably more difficult than simply accessing his home dimension as he had done in his fight with Kertosis Ithslerorvana. It might best be equated to the difference between trying to push a needle through cloth versus trying to slowly push a coffee can through while creating a smooth hole. Then, Eliza could almost see the “bridge” being built, almost as if it were vanishing into a television screen. Its structure was clear in her mind’s eye, but she could tell the three-dimensionality of it was purely illusionary. She saw the other end of the bridge approaching what she assumed was the “wall” for the world of Terra . . . a wall lined with . . . splotches.
[[ Valar, wait! ]] Eliza exclaimed.
[[ This . . . is not . . . a . . . good time! ]] he returned tiredly.
[[ Look at the walls! Aren’t those t-port mines? ]]
[[ Impossible, what would . . . wait, you’re right!?! What are those doing there? ]] he asked, ceasing his push.
[[ Someone . . . trying to prevent the portal from being reopened, maybe? But it couldn’t have been someone from this side of the breach. Kertosis would have been the only one with enough knowledge of teleportation, and he wasn’t there when the Purity used The Heaven’s Eye. They would have had to had been put there right before it was closed, or someone would have noticed them. But why? ]]
Valar was struggling to think while he maintained the tunnel he had already constructed. [[ We may have overlooked a very annoying possibility. We’ve been assuming that the ‘Purity’ movement only existed on the Earth side. ]]
[[ So maybe there’s a similar group on Terra that, as much as it pained them, conspired with a bunch of humans to separate the worlds and keep them separated? It makes some sense. They set up the traps at the appointed time to keep Terrans from using magic to find a way back to Earth, but they didn’t worry about hiding them from viewers on this side . . . ]]
Valar caught where she was going. [[ Because they didn’t know about the Living Jewels. They assumed there would be no way of anyone on THIS side being able to find a way of crossing the barriers. ]] Valar actually felt quite proud of himself. [[ Do you think you can disarm them? ]] he asked.
Eliza looked them over. [[ There’s too many. And if one goes, they might all go. I don’t know how the caster or casters set it up. But we might be able to use that to our advantage. I know this has been a bitch, but do you think you could open the portal again? ]]
[[ After a lot of rest, yes? Why? ]]
She smiled, laying one hand on The Dragon’s Breath and feeling it’s power and feeling the ambient magic from her homeworld of Terra. [[ Because I’m going to toss a stick into a room full of mouse straps and see what goes off. ]]
[[ Why must everything with you end in explosions? ]] he asked. Actually, he was impressed with the idea. He felt her drawing power through the Living Jewel much like he had done the week before, then she sent of a series of telekinetic pulses into the breach. The use of magic near the t-port mines caused many of them to explode at once.
[[ Close the breach! ]] she screamed, and Valar let go of his hold with an almost audible “snap.” The breach closed just as the explosion was trying to escape out the portal.
“What the hell was that?” Veronica yelled as she ran up the ramp.
“T-port mines,” Eliza replied. “Nasty little spells that some succubae sorceresses devised during a Blood War with a vampire nation a number of centuries back. Vampires had been teleporting behind enemy lines for millennia, so these succubae came up with a way of setting up pockets of unstable magic within dimensional fabric. Whenever a vampire tried to teleport through an area with t-port mines, the magic would quickly and explosively try and flow into the ‘dimensional bubble’ created when someone tries to teleport.” She went on to explain to Veronica and a number of other bystanders about the conspiracy theory that she and Valar had proposed. The two of them were fairly confident that they could still safely open the portal, but they needed to clear a path first.
“Crap!” said Veronica at last. “I thought the fighting was over!”
Eliza hung her head a bit. “It is, at least for us. We have no authority on the Terran side, so we’ll have to let them deal with it.” She turned to Valar. [[ You really should rest before trying again. If we didn’t get them all, you’re likely to trigger them again or . . . ]]
[[ Or possible mess up the very fabric of space, ]] he added drolly. [[ I agree. We’ve waited a year. Our people can wait one day more. ]]
Valar and a number of officials began clammering and chattering as they set up a time to try again the next day. Eliza and Veronica made their way down the ramp.
“So,” Veronica began, “up for a little dinner? We haven’t had much besides blood recently, and I’d kind of like some real food. And . . .”
As they got to the bottom of the ramp, they found a couple of familiar faces. It was the succubus Terillia and the troll Tiny.
“What’s up?” Eliza asked. “I didn’t think they were going to let you guys cross for a couple days at least?”
Terillia was gently biting her bottom lip, making the attractive young creature look even cuter. Veronica involuntarily took a step forward, positioning herself between Terillia and Eliza. “No kissing,” she flat out stated.