The Aspect of Essence (The Aelfyn Archives, #1)

by Samantha Amstutz

Her legs burned from the never-ending stairs. She experienced a peculiar pulling, like a weight dragging on her chest and couldn’t quite put her finger on the sensation. I’m probably just getting lightheaded. “The prince’s quarters are on the top level. The magus at the traveling grounds reported he’s currently on campus—we’ll see if he’s in his office.” Serenna panted her question in between sucking in air to douse the fire burning in her lungs. “Why don’t we portal and save the trip?” “As you’ll learn from your classes, portaling can be dangerous. We have designated locations where portals are permitted in public areas,” Elashor said, straightening one of the steel plates on his shoulder. “It’s mandated that those are the only places we create gateways. Let’s just say if you create a rift and someone is in the way, they may be a few limbs short by the time you finish opening it.” Serenna shuddered the disturbing image out of her thoughts. “I see.”