I pushed the thought of showing that to Miva aside. She brought her punishment upon herself, so she would simply have to deal with it. That still left Meleri. I looked down at my left knuckle at a small circle of red triangles. I channeled some mana into them and focused on Meleri.

  Immediately, one triangle glowed softly and turned into an arrow hovering above my hand, pointing me in her direction. I began walking down the street, and it didn’t take long before I found her. She wasn’t alone, either. Meleri was sitting at a small café table.

  She was slowly petting Winter while talking to Soot and Ivy. Both of which were eating crayfish. Irenji was lying on the ground next to them, gnawing on a bone. His tail was wagging like a small propeller. “Well, you seem to enjoy yourselves.” Ivy looked up from her plate and waved, while Winter opened an eye and gave a lazy hoot.

  Soot finished the Crayfish in his beak, then flew over and landed on my shoulder. I reached up and scratched him under his beak. Melei looked up from where she was sitting. “Is it time to head back already?” I shook my head. “Not yet, but there is a small thing I want to show you. I intended to show Miva as well, but she is grounded for the rest of the evening.” Meleri and winter looked at one another. Winter clicked her beak a few times, but didn’t seem surprised. “So, what did she do now?”

  I took a deep breath. “I’ll explain later. It’s not something I wish to talk about in public. Suffice to say, it’s her usual level of acting before she considers the consequences.” Meleri seemed quite curious, however, seemed content to wait. “Now that aside, as I was saying, there is one thing I would like to show you, sis. Though I won’t pull you away from your meals. So we can wait until they are done.” I bent down and gave Irenji a scratching behind the ears, earning me a delighted growl from the wolf.

  I sat down on the bench and ordered a cup of tea for myself. “So, what do you think so far?” Meleri, who was now sipping her own beverage, remained quiet for a bit. “Still somewhat surreal. If you told me a week ago this would happen, I’d say you were crazy. It’s a bit much, honestly.” I took another sip from my cup. “An understandable reaction. To be honest, I’m amazed you’re holding up as well as you are.” Meleri shrugged. “You know me, always adaptable.”

  Irenji took his bone in his mouth, then hopped up into Meleri’s lap, where he curled up. He looked up at her with an inquisitive growl. I leaned forward onto the table. “Looks like he wants to cheer you up.” As I spoke, Soot returned to his last remaining crayfish and resumed eating. “Well, I think I know what you intend to show Meleri, but, that won’t be possible for another hour, will it?”

  I reached over and scratched Soot’s neck, much to his delight. “True. There’s no rush.” As we relaxed for a bit, the tracking spell on my hand activated. I reached down and touched the glowing triangle. “Welcome back to the realm of the waking, Midnight. I hope the buzz wasn’t too bad.”

  There was a moment of silence before Midnight’s voice could be heard. “I’m fine, Meowstress, though Miva’s annoyed she’s been grounded. She knows why, so I think it’s directed at herself, and not you. That aside, I think I will be staying home for the night. The aftereffects of the catnip drained my energy.” I could hear Midnight stifle a yawn. “Fair enough, Midnight, take care. We will be back in about an hour and a half.”

  There was a mumbled reply before the connection cut off. Well, that wasn’t exactly unexpected. Midnight always lost all energy after being exposed to catnip. It was why I didn’t keep any of it around except for special occasions. And even then, I always gave her the option, instead of just sticking a bushel of catnip into her face. Well, it was neither here nor there. What was done. Besides, Miva was paying for her choices. I pushed the thought aside and decided to just relax until we needed to go.

  Once everyone finished and it was about time. Since the others knew what I was about to show Meleri, they headed back for the night while I led Meleri further into the city. Down the well-lit streets, through an extensive park, and finally, we entered the city’s main square. There were no booths here. Instead, a huge, towering structure dominated the center of the square itself.

  The structure, in difference to the rest of the city, was submerged in water. The structure itself comprised a half dozen circular rings that were stacked on top of each other, each one as large as the one below it. Each ring was big enough that five people could comfortably swim through each ring at once.

  As we approached the ring, we could see several Torgol swim down from below and slowly circle the rings. More and more Torgol arrived and, as their numbers grew, the water sparkled as it was suffused it more and more mana. I slowed us all down. “This is as close as we go, much closer, and the mana saturation will affect us as well.”

  As I spoke, arcs of energy shot from the water and towards several small ornate stone poles that were dotting the ground around the structure. As the energy struck the poles, it traveled along the gemstones embedded into them, and they lit up in all the hues of the rainbow. The energy then made its way to the foot of the structure, and slowly the structure itself began to emit light of every color of the rainbow as it stored the magical energy.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  As this was going on, each of the rings was slowly starting to rotate like giant wheels, powered by the energy fed into it by the gathered Torgol. Soot flew over to Meleri and said something into her ear. What he said was lost to me, as his words were drowned out by the noise from the structure and the arcing energy. I could, however, venture a guess as I saw her lift her arms, ready to shield her eyes. I would need to thank Soot for remembering that tidbit.

  The rings were now spinning so fast, that the lights from the stored energy in them were now blending into a prismatic mess. Then the first ring became fully charged, and with a bright flash and a sound like striking thunder, the space within the ring was rent asunder. Not even a second later, the second ring did the same, then the third, and so on until all twelve rings revealed their purpose. All twelve portals were now active.

  Meleri lowered her arm, and I could see her blink a few times, to deal with the retina burn. “Meleri, you alright?” She nodded, then squinted a bit, before her eyes widened. I couldn’t blame her. Each portal showed a different square, similar to the one in Mellowmere. Though each one was distinct, made from a different material.

  The first portal showed a town that was made from coral, and the Torgol swimming through that portal was far more colorful than the local Torgols, as they lived in a tropical sea. As they swam through, I could see them shudder for a bit, as they got to terms with being in fresh water, rather than saltwater. Once they recovered, they eagerly embraced the other Torgols.

  The portal underneath that one showed a square that was lit by a ghostly pale light and made from some kind of dark rock. In the distance, the orange glow of deep sea volcanic activity could be seen. The Torgols that swam through that portal were pale blue or white on their stomach, inner legs and arms. The rest of their bodies were jet black, with milky white eyes, devoid of pupils. On their foreheads there was a long tin growth, similar to the lantern of an anglerfish. They showed no discomfort at the change in water, likely far more hardy than their tropical counterparts, given their harsh environment. They gave polite handshakes to the local Torgols and reluctantly returned the hugs from their tropical counterparts.

  The third portal opened up to a town covered in mossy stone. There was no water surrounding this city, but a large cavern roof, covered in bioluminescent plants and with large yellow glowing fungi, providing the cavern with a warm, golden light. The Torgol that swam through it was covered in warts and mossy growths. They were also larger than the other Torgols, with large, broad bodies that gave them a more toadlike look. It was as if they were more adapted to a terrestrial life than an aquatic one. That didn’t mean they were poor swimmers by any means, however. They happily returned the greetings of the other Torgol in the same fashion they were offered.

  The fourth portal opened up to reveal a town made of ice. It was on the surface and the night sky showed northern lights. The Torgol here was either all white or pale blue, with black eyes. Despite the cold locale, they didn’t seem overly bothered by the low temperatures. As they swam through the portal to Mellowmere, they seemed didn’t seem overly affected at all.

  The fifth Portal opened up to reveal a town carved into the roots of gigantic mangrove trees, each root so massive it could house dozens of Torgol, and they still wouldn’t even get through the bark of the plants. The Torgol that swam through this portal were all shades of brown and dark green, and seemed a tad more crocodilian an adaptation to their mangrove home, no doubt. Just like their deepwater counterpart, they greeted the other Torgol with handshakes.

  The sixth portal opened up to a city like that of Mellowmere, at a glance, though the difference became apparent as the quartz buildings revealed dunes bathed in the moonlight in the background. The Torgols that swam through the portal were sand brown and beige in coloration, and their skin was far more scaly. These Torgol possessed large flat tails that they used to propel themselves through the water with, rather than webbed feet and hands. They, too, shook hands with the others, as their spiky backs would make hugs dangerous.

  Meleri looked at it all in shock. I patted her shoulder. “As I told you back on the shore, they are not as isolated as you think. The portals lead to the regional capitals of each type of Torgol. The portals are opened up once a week and also during events. Now, because of an event earlier, the portals were temporarily shut down. However, now that it has been resolved, they turned them back on again.”

  Meleri nodded slowly. “It was quite the sight, and I could feel the air crackle with energy.” She could? That was… interesting. That could also mean there would be a few issues going around with me teaching her magic. Well, I’d cross that bridge when I came to it.

  The Torgols from Mellowmere were also entering the portals as well. Meleri looked at them with a curious expression. “Can we enter as well?” I glanced at her. “The portals? You could, but I wouldn’t recommend it. The sheer amount of mana in the water surrounding the portals would have extreme debilitating effects on any non-Torgol. There is no telling what would happen to you if you touched it, but I can tell you one thing, it would not be good. Also, the second, fourth and sixth portals would put you in environments that are so hostile you wouldn’t last long.”

  Meleri looked at those portals. “The deep sea, the arctic, and a scorching desert. Yeah, I can see why I wouldn’t last long in those places. Still, they’re a pretty diverse people, aren’t they?” I nodded. “Their appearance changes depending on where they live, as they adapt to their environment. Apparently, the Forest Torgol, the Torgol that used to live in this region, was much more frog like before they moved into Fae lands. They also lacked the iridescent fins.”

  I stretched a bit before I stifled a yawn. “At any rate, sis, we should be heading back. It’s getting late.” Meleri nodded slowly. Then, with a final look at the portal, she threw an arm over my shoulder, and together we started back towards the house and our beds.