“Like a storm coming in,” he murmured.
“That would be apt. I?—”
“Syla?” came Teyla’s concerned call.
Vorik and Syla turned. On the path halfway between the pillar and the laboratory, Teyla and Fel crouched, as if some threat had appeared. They’d faded, though, almost gone fuzzy to Vorik’s eyes. The entire cactus-filled valley had faded, including the rock formation, both dragons now sitting up and gazing around.
Can you hear me, Agrevlari?Vorik expected an answer—he couldseethe dragon, after all. But he didn’t get one.
He took a step back, intending to show them where they’d gone, but he bumped into an invisible wall. The barrier that had allowed them to enter without trouble had turned into something as solid as the rock walls of the canyon.
“Uhm,” Syla said.
Vorik prodded the invisible barrier with his sword. Again, sparks came from the tip, but the invisible wall didn’t give this time. He poked it harder. A great flash of light appeared as an invisible force hurled him backward.
Though startled, he managed to somersault in the air and land on his feet. “It looks like we’re prisoners until we can find another way out.”
“Or a way to turn this shield off.” Syla touched the mark on the back of her hand to the barrier, but nothing happened. At least it didn’t knock her back.
Warier now, Vorik eased back to her side and tried touching his tattoo to the wall. Wouldn’t something with power granted by a dragon be more likely to activate—or deactivate—magical items in this place? After all, their kind had been among the pinnacle of the storm god’s creations.
The barrier didn’t hurl him backward again, but it remained solid.
Vorik looked toward the vertical rock walls, thoughts of climbing out coming to mind. Though sunlight blazed down upon them, now that they were inside, the rims of the canyon were also fuzzy, and motes in the air arching over the laboratory like a ceiling made him think another barrier blocked escape in that direction.
“Don’t come in!” Syla raised a hand.
Teyla and Fel were heading toward them and gave no indication of hearing her.
“Agrevlari also can’t hear me.” Vorik touched his temple to indicate telepathy.
Syla looked toward Wreylith. “She didn’t respond to me either.”
When they arrived, Syla tried to block Fel and Teyla from entering, but the barrier didn’t remain completely flat. It shifted to keep her hands from reaching them. They stepped fully inside before she was able to touch them.
“Damn it,” Syla said.
“That’s not a very polite greeting.” Teyla only looked at her for a second before gazing all around the laboratory, wonder on her face.
“We’re trapped,” Syla said. “And I’ll wager you are now too.”
Fel reached behind him and encountered the invisible barrier, but he only shrugged. “Bodyguards are supposed to be trapped with their charges, not without.”
“Can the dragons get in?” Teyla wondered.
“Since we can’t communicate with them, we’ll have to see if they get concerned about our absence and try,” Syla said.
“Agrevlari should try,” Vorik said. “Now that he’s… less distracted. And presumably sated.”
An embarrassed or maybeaghastexpression crossed Teyla’s face.
“That was so weird,” she whispered, glancing at Fel without looking at his eyes.
Fel reacted with a bleak expression. He’d doubtless been as out-of-control as the rest of them, but it probably disturbed him that the joining wasn’t something Teyla would have chosen of her own volition.
Outside, Wreylith sprang into the air and started flying around the canyon. She soared overhead, her golden-eyed gaze toward the ground, but nothing indicated that she saw them.
“Does she not see the laboratory?” Syla watched the dragon circle the area. “It appeared to us after we pressed our hands to the mark.”
