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Before Ayda could respond, Wyn and Luvon started shouting for them. Ayda and Hùisdean suddenly remembered that other people were surrounding them, and she nearly tripped a second time, trying to put some distance between them.
“Yes, coming.” Hùisdean straightened out his shirt and turned around, marching where the other elf males stood. “Ah, an excellent spot. This will do nicely.”
Ayda perked up and followed closely behind Hùisdean. “Are you opening the portal?”
“Yes,” Hùisdean smiled, now distracted. He was looking between two trees, evaluating the short distance between them. “The only reason portal magic can work on the island anymore is by combining portal and earth magic.”
“You're kidding,” Ayda gasped, “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
“It's an elven specialty, blending earth magic with other tricks.” Wyn grinned.
Ayda's heart picked up speed. If there were more ways to learn to use earth magic, she’d stay on the Shetland Islands as long as they let her.
Hùisdean knocked on one tree trunk a few times before putting his ear to it and listening intently.
“It'll work,” Wyn grunted. “Stop with the dramatics.”
“How do you know it'll work?” Ayda interrupted, practically bursting at the seams.
“You'll find that Wyn has a way of asking the trees directly,” Luvon crossed his arms over his chest, “and no, he won't teach you how to do it because he won't teach anyone how to do it.”
Ayda's mouth dropped open in a pleasant state of shock, and she turned to Wyn for confirmation. He merely shrugged and gave her a cheeky wink. Ayda was about to start begging him to teach her when a rush of magic rolled through them. She spun on her heel and turned to see Hùisdean standing in front of a perfectly circular portal. It glowed a dark shade of green, so dark it was almost black and was propped between two trees.
Hùisdean turned around, meeting Ayda's gaze with a self-satisfied smile. His grin widened.
“See you on the other side, love.” Hùisdean stepped backward into the portal and disappeared.
Chapter Eight
Ayda still didn’t like portal travel, and the Shetland Islands’ intense wildness put her on edge. She held her breath and closed her eyes, jumping through the portal and praying she wouldn’t feel sick.
There was a burst of bright light all around her, and a warm sensation flooded her veins. The moment Ayda started processing the feelings, they were already fading. She blinked and gasped, her mouth falling open in shock.
She was used to magic. Ayda had grown up around it and had been trained in it. Yet, somehow, nothing prepared her for the elven settlement on the islands. They were surrounded by hills on all sides, covered in dense trees as far as the eye could see. Castles and settlements dotted the landscape on one particularly steep cliff, cutting down to a valley below.
A series of waterfalls poured over the cliff edge into the valley below before joining a massive river that went out to the sea. It was one of the most magical places Ayda had ever seen, a meeting place for the forest and the ocean, of the magic and the material. She could practically feel the air around her pulsating with magic, inundating her with every breath she took. Ayda barely processed the sounds of Wyn and Luvon arriving behind her.
“Welcome to Carenlume, Ayda.” Hùisdean's soft voice was the only thing that cut through Ayda's stupor.
She closed her mouth and shook her head slowly back and forth. “It's unreal. How… How is there so much magic?”
“Great question.” Hùisdean sighed. “The land still has its magic. We can sense it, but everyone is losing their own powers.”
Ayda managed to pull herself back to reality. “It looks like something out of a fantasy novel…”
Hùisdean looked pleased with himself and opened his mouth to speak, but Wyn immediately cut him off.
“Oh, god,” he groaned. “Ayda, do not get him started, or he will talk about this for the next three weeks.”
“Excuse me!” Hùisdean pretended to look offended. “Don't tell me you're ashamed of our heritage, brother?” He tilted his head as he looked at Wyn.
“Fine,” Wyn grunted, waving his hand around dramatically. “Go ahead and tell her then. Don't say that I didn't warn you, Ayda.”
Ayda tried to stifle her giggles, still feeling a little dizzy with the impermeable effects of magic in the air. Their small group started walking towards the largest castle as Hùisdean began to speak.
“I spent some time in Oxford in the ’40s,” he boasted proudly.
“You spent one weekend there!” Luvon was quick to correct him.
