Despite the unwelcoming landscape that waited on the other side, the three willingly stepped into the heart of the rift. Once through and standing on the dreary ground of an entirely different existence, Jure asked Holli for guidance.
"What do you want me to do with the portal?"
"I do not wish to offer an open passage for any nearby creatures," Holli insisted, but she also hoped they would be able to return quickly to Dark Spruce. Keeping the portal active offered an avenue for safe retreat. "Can you leave it open, but place a block on the path?"
"I can, but how strong do you want me to make the barrier? The larger creatures might be able to break through a minor spell. A stronger barricade would guarantee protection, but it would eventually become a drain on my energy."
"Not an enviable option," Holli admitted. She did not wish to languish with indecision, and despite the advantage of retaining the portal, she settled upon the safest choice. "We are facing a spell caster capable of abducting an entire camp of elves at once. We may need your power. Close the portal completely. If we need to, either you or I can create a new one back to Uton."
Jure accepted the decision and quickly cast a spell to close the rift. He then looked about the bleak lands.
"We should be very close to the point where the elves were taken. If they were not forced to move a great distance, Ryson should be able…"
The wizard stopped in mid-sentence and gazed over his left shoulder.
"What do you sense?" Holli demanded, as she, too, felt something of enormous magical strength in the distance.
"A strong source of energy, a powerful spell." He nodded in the direction he looked. "Over there. Not far."
There was little the elf could see as a tall bluff blocked their line of sight. Holli turned to Ryson.
"Can you hear or smell anything in that direction?"
Ryson steadied himself. He had tried to constrain his senses once he stepped through the portal. The sounds of the dark realm consisted of groans and whines of pure misery. The scent was of suffocating anguish. Opening himself up to such sensations was a measure of self-torture. Unfortunately, his abilities were needed.
Facing the direction Jure indicated, the delver took an even breath through his nostrils. Instantly, he caught the scent of many elves in the distance. He turned his head slightly and held an ear to the oppressive wind. He could hear them as well.
"He's right. They're close and in that direction. Probably below those razor crows."
Ryson pointed to the gray sky where over a dozen small birds circled in the air.
"Do you note any signs of distress in what you can hear?" Holli asked.
"No. They're not moving, at least not running or fighting. There's nothing that would indicate any kind of conflict."
"The strong magic concerns me," the elf admitted and she turned her attention back to the wizard. "Anything you can sense from the magic? Its purpose?"
"It's constant and powerful. It's also unique in certain properties. It matches the sensations I received from the elf camp."
Holli looked across the barren land. She knew the delver was well suited for the job she had in mind, but based on the circumstances, she believed he would require additional security. She decided Jure's talents were needed again as well.
"Can you place a defensive shield over the delver that would protect him from any magical traps?" she asked of the wizard.
"Traps?" Jure noted with a hint of surprise. The energy aura was so strong that he doubted hidden magical snares were the true danger. Still, he deferred to Holli's tactical plans and offered what he could. "Well, I could place a spell of deflection around him. Any magical energy would be disbursed away from him, but it would only be temporary, a very short duration."
"I believe that is all we will need." Holli turned to Ryson. "I do not want to stumble forward without greater information. I would consider a sight spell, but a sorcerer of great power could potentially distort it. I need something I can depend on. I need you."
"What do you want me to do?" Ryson asked.
"A fast scout. I want you to rely on your speed as well as your senses. Do not try to observe every last detail, but gain an overall view of what is ahead of us."
"I can do that," Ryson agreed. Not out of fear but out of caution, he wanted to understand Holli's concerns. "You think there are magical traps waiting for us? Because if there are, I won't be able to sense them."
"I believe it is doubtful. I think whoever has done this has far too much power to bother with traps, but I would rather take the precaution. Are you ready?"
"Yes."
Holli nodded to Jure.
The wizard conceived a spell of deflection, one that would disburse magic as opposed to absorb it. It was the most efficient way to ensure the delver's safety against any traps. A perfect circle of white magic appeared around Jure's wrists. When he gently pressed his hands toward the delver, the magic spun off his hands and encircled Ryson's body. After but a moment, it disappeared.
"It won't last long," Jure warned, "but it's a fairly solid defense. You will be shielded against any magical attack, but only magic. It won't do any good against arrows and swords, or even claws and teeth."
"Don't worry about it. I don't sense any dark creatures nearby, other than those razor crows, and I'm not really worried about them. All I can sense are the elves, and they're fairly close."
"I know it will be difficult," Holli acknowledged, "but open your senses to everything. Do not try to analyze any of it. Simply obtain what you can. Trust me on that. Run in and run out. That is all we will need."
"This won't take long," Ryson responded.
The delver wasted no further time on words. He turned toward the scent and sound of the elves and dashed toward them in a blur of motion. Trusting completely in Jure's spell, he moved almost without care. He sensed no danger in the form of dark creatures, so he did not have to worry about any physical attack. It was only the magic that could harm him, but not while under the protection of Jure's incantation.
His delver eyes scanned the ground before him, charted the safest path across the rocky terrain. His legs carried him fluidly over the harsh ground, and his perfect balance allowed him to adjust to the uneven land. He raced across a small hill, then leapt over a ravine and finally rushed up to the top of the rocky bluff.
Upon reaching the high ledge, Ryson turned hard to his right. The ground in front of him declined quickly into a much lower clearing that stretched out for a great distance. Though he spotted the elves instantly, he could not see them clearly, and the cause snatched his attention.
The enormous dome that appeared like a translucent, overturned bowl defied Ryson's expectations of reality even as he rushed across the tortured terrain of a nightmare realm. The walls forged a shadowed but transparent curtain that flowed down from the sky. While he could see through the entire barrier, he could not dismiss its overwhelming presence. Its immense size astonished the delver and he could not imagine the force of will necessary to create such a magical fortification.
Taking hold of his senses and forcing any astonishment clear of his intended purpose, Ryson continued to run toward the magical wonder. His eyes scanned the whole of the barrier just as he took several great breaths through his nostrils. He opened his ears to every sound. He did just as Holli asked. He didn't pause to consider what he saw, smelled or heard. He simply took it all in as he raced along the open grounds of the lowland clearing.