The news came fast, setting my whole town talking in excitement. Few of those villagers and tradesmen knew what it meant, but I did. Or I thought I did. Years of study and adventure had gained me the tiers to fight off hordes of monsters on my own, yet my own magic, even here in my seat of power, felt a pale imitation in comparison to his. Rather than dwell on my misgivings, I strode from my study towards my love, my life. She was outside, little more than a half-mile away working in her druidic grove with the others of her class. My walk from my study through my grand tower, the fortified courtyard, and the overstuffed village didn’t go unnoticed. Guards and apprentices followed in my wake, while others rushed about carrying out the final tasks needed to prepare. Even the villagers and refugees stopped in their activities to watch. I rarely left, and when I did, I rarely walked with the determination I had today. I met my Natali at the edge of the forest, the head of the trail that led to her grove. More than a dozen other druids draped in tiny strips of fur stood behind her and did their best to appear uninterested in our conversation. Some examined trees or whispered to nearby animals. Another time and place I would have labeled them savages, but here I paid them no heed. In my eyes, the only woman that mattered was standing at their fore. “Lady Natali,” I greeted with a smile as I approached, knowing she hated the title. A gentle ribbing was always on the table between us, after all the years we had been together. She looked as beautiful in her moss-made robe now as she did when we met, or would have if she returned my smile. Natali, though, didn’t return my smile. She knew why I had come and what it meant, and wasn’t about to allow the argument of the past months to lay silent. “We shouldn’t be doing this,” she said with a frown. “We don’t know what’s there or if it will be able to help.” I didn’t grow angry, nor did I dismiss her concerns. They were concerns made of love and care. With a sigh, I took her hand in mine, “My love, if there were another way forward, you don’t think I would be setting my mind to that?” She looked away for a moment, her expression the same one she had when I went off to adventure. Without another word, she turned and began leading us all down the trail into the forest. Behind us, the [Porters], [Guards], and [Mages] all sorted themselves out into lines of people. The druids walked ahead of the two of us. Neither they nor my wife spoke a word as we walked. Even if it was a slow and steady procession, it still left me winded. We passed the hill with the grove of Maple and Birch trees surrounding a pond that made up Natali’s grove. The forest beyond it was even wilder and more untamed, though the druids used their magic to move plants out of the way. Hours later, we arrived. What had once been a quiet Wood Elf village, was now a bustling glade. The birds chirped, and woodland creatures had already made their nests in the vacated hollows of enormous trees that once served as beds and homes for the elves, but they were the normal denizens of the forest. It was my people that stood out of place. To our left, a path led from the glade back towards my tower and town. The field beyond the elves’ trees, a field that should have overgrown with lush and fragrant wildflowers was a trampled pit of mud with thousands of first-tier golems waiting in silence. To the right, a thicker forest of trees heavy with fruit clattered with the refuse of humanity. The Bents had served an important purpose once, that of being the missing key my wife had used to open the door to conversation with the wood elves. Now that the elves were gone, they were once again a tragic example of failures. Not that I intended to remove them from this orchard. In the very center of the village stood a magnificent edifice, the reason why we had come. A sheet of cloudy amber that stood twice as tall as any man and filtered light into the hues of summer dusk across the glade. In front of that doorway, my mages, guards, and golems hustled through and around. Flashes of pale green light shone brightly when someone entered or left it. Stelk, one of my most promising mages from the Arcanum came forward from the doorway as we approached, “Master, the portal remains open and ready.” My wife gripped my hand tighter when he spoke, but didn’t say a word. She left that to me, but I knew what she wanted. “The other side?” I inquired. “We’ve cleared out the beasts and elementals for a quarter-mile. It cost us, master. Sixteen mages and a hundred and a half golems fell in the taking.” The loss in golems I didn’t care about, they were replaceable. The sixteen mages, I would add to the long list that burdened my conscience late at night. Hopefully, this would lead to the path forward. Planar Lord might be the only thing that could save us. I nodded and watched as he turned to shout orders. More golems began marching through the portal as we stood. “Alred, are you sure you want to do this? What if Mirktal attacks while we’re gone?” Natali asked softly. “Now is the best time,” I smiled as I looked down at her. She was only an inch or so shorter than I was, “Didn’t you hear the news?” “What news is that?” she frowned. I grinned and spoke proudly, “Nemon Fargus has entered the war.” I had expected her to be shocked, but she just nodded and said, “Good.” “Good?” She nodded again, “Yes, good. Now I can come with you.” This time, she smiled up to me, and I did my best to hold my fears from showing on my face. From the satisfaction I saw in her eyes, I could tell she saw right through me.