"I believe we are ready!", Cassandra exclaimed.
Axel and Talia stood up and joined Cassandra next to the rock.
"Is the portal working now?", Talia asked while eyeing the massive rock that was twice her height and as wide as three people standing side-by-side.
Talia imagined that there should be some buzzing and sparks or something like that, magical, but it didn't look different than just a regular, big, smooth rock.
"There is this last piece", Cassandra said and held a palm-size triangle-shaped rock in her hand.
"When I put it in here", Cassandra gestured toward the triangle-shaped groove on the side of the massive rock, "that will be the last piece, and the portal will be functional. Assuming that the other side is not dismantled as well."
Talia didn't consider this option before Cassandra mentioned it. "If the other side is not working, then what? Will we get lost in a void? Or sucked into some random dimension? What if we end up crushed into pulp?"
Cassandra waved her hand at Talia, indicating to her to calm down. "No, no. If the other side is not working, the connection won't be established."
Well, that was better than getting lost or smashed, but... "If the other side is not working, how can we get there?"
Cassandra shrugged. "There was a time when Gods walked the Earth. They could split and merge continents with a wave of their hands, and create other dimensions with a thought while moving across space and time at will. They created these portals for mortals. However..." She looked at Talia meaningfully. "Even if the portal is not working, you should be able to open it. The Moon Goddess is with you."
Talia smiled awkwardly. After telling her some nonsense about Gods splitting Earth, Cassandra had a lot of faith in Talia's non-existent abilities.
Cassandra's eyes moved from Talia to Axel, and she spoke, "Once the portal is open, we might not be able to shut it down. These pieces will become part of the portal and I don't know how easy it will be to take them out. We don't know what's out there. It could be a broken space or a swarm of monsters. Are you sure we are doing this?"
"Do it.", Axel said with finality. "We are already here and we are not going back empty-handed. If the other side has trouble, we will deal with it as it comes."
Talia balled her hands into fists, hoping this will work and it was not another mistake.
Axel's warm hand wrapped around Talia's right fist, making it appear so small and delicate like he could crush her without even trying, and she turned to see him smiling at her.
"It will be alright.", he said, and she felt his encouragement enveloping her, just as his hand wrapped around her fist protectively.
"I won't allow anything to happen to you, Talia.", Axel said with all the seriousness in the world. "We will get your mate back and we will make sure that other members of our pack find their mates as well. Believe in that. Believe in me."
Talia envied his confidence. "How can you be so sure?"
Axel chuckled. "I am an Alpha. My duty is to take care of my people. I can't do that if I doubt myself the moment I face an unknown challenge. It is wise to be cautious, but I won't allow fear to guide me and neither should you."
Talia felt her chest swelling with pride. That was her brother.
She turned toward the portal and looked at it with renewed determination. "Let's do this."
After saying a silent prayer, Cassandra slid the triangle-shaped rock into the opening and took a step back.
One second, two, three… there was nothing.
Talia was not sure how the working portal looks, but the sour expressions of Cassandra and Axel confirmed that this was not the expected outcome.
Cassandra tapped her chin while thinking. "Maybe it needs a jumpstart."
"A what?", Axel asked.
"A jumpstart.", Cassandra responded. "All spells and magical devices need something to get them running. It could be a chant or energy of some sort. Think of it like a spark that will start a fire. We have everything in place but need to figure out how to start it." Cassandra ended with a mumble and moved to look into scribbles she jotted down while Alpha Sophia and Alpha Isaac were talking about portals.
The spark and fire made sense, but how does one jumpstart a rock?
Talia and Axel exchanged glances and then they waited for Cassandra to finish whatever she was doing with the hope that her idea will work.
"The energy of the Moon grants entry to the passage!", Cassandra exclaimed.
"So, we need to wait for the night?", Talia asked dejectedly. That was hours away!
Cassandra nodded in confirmation. "The full moon would be the best."
Axel frowned. "That will take days. Is there another way?"
Cassandra turned to Talia.
Talia didn't get it. "Why are you looking at me like I know the answer?"
"I am looking at you because you are the answer, Alpha Talia.", Cassandra said. "I saw all kinds of abilities, but I never saw anyone light up completely. The power of the Moon Goddess is within you. Use it to open the portal."
'Does this make sense to you?', Talia asked Liseli.
'No. But it can't hurt to try.'
Talia shrugged and got closer to the portal. 'Do your thing, Liseli.'
Talia extended her arms toward the rock so that her palms were facing it.
Her hands shimmered in silver and the energy transferred onto the rock. For a few seconds, nothing unusual happened, but then a faint ripple appeared around the area where light from Talia's hands hit the rock.
"That's it! The portal is reacting which means this is working, and the other side is functional!", Cassandra exclaimed. "We need more power."
Axel stood behind Talia and looked at the rock with curiosity, getting more anxious by the second. It was happening.
Axel wanted to help, but he didn't have any power. Unfortunately, neither did Cassandra so the most they could do was to cheer for Talia to keep going.
Liseli increased the output, and silvery light expanded up Talia's arms, all the way to her elbows and then it slowly spread to reach her shoulders.
Now the whole rock was rippling, every wave bigger than the previous one, like a surface of a lake that was being disturbed at the spot of Talia's energy drilling through it.
"More. We need more…", Cassandra said under her breath.
"She can't do more!", Axel hissed.
He never saw so much power from anyone. Goosebumps rose on his skin everywhere. Talia was impressive and scary at the same time.
"Yes, she can.", Cassandra said with confidence. She clearly remembered when Talia transformed into a silvery Goddess with her hair fluttering without any wind.
Axel gaped as the silvery light spread through Talia's body, turning her hair white with silver streaks in it.
If anyone asked him what the Moon Goddess looked like, this would be it.
Talia's vision was blurring.
'We should stop!', Liseli spoke into her mind.
'No. Keep going. It's almost open. I can feel it.'
'You are running out of energy without the moon rays to replenish you.', Liseli pleaded.
'Give it a few more seconds. This will work.' It has to.
She didn't want to wait a minute longer than necessary.
'Help me Liseli!', Talia demanded. 'This is for Damon. This is for Sapa. We can't give up.'
Liseli agreed. They can't give up.
Talia's senses were getting duller, but her whole body was buzzing like it was turning ethereal. It came with a feeling of being weightless and her instincts told her that she could see the world with a thought.
Talia wished to see Damon, and she saw a big black wolf running through the forest at such a speed that he looked like a blur to normal people, but Talia could see him clearly.
"Damon…", she called, and the wolf stopped in his tracks, looking around while trying to identify from where the sound came.
Talia wanted to tell him that she loves him and that she was doing all she could do to help him remember and that he should wait for her, but the darkness consumed her.
