"Wake up. You have to get up."
Emalia felt a grip on her shoulder that stunned her into wakefulness. Whatever Colin wanted, it was urgent. "Wha... what is it?" Emalia pulled herself from the bed, rubbing her eyes. Just hours before, Throm had left and they had spoken little before sleeping once again. She found it strange that already, something else had happened.
"Throm contacted me, he found something," Colin said with a touch of haste.
"He... when? He came back?"
Colin had already rounded the bed. With this question, he gripped her hand and pulled her completely to her feet. "No, he contracted me through the Guardians. Come, we have to go."
Emalia, still waking, found Colin's quick, almost snappish manner strange. She wasn't sick, Colin was. So why - "He left me an item to open a portal to him, in case something happened. I have already activated it, we just have to go." Colin latched his hand around Emalia's and began to pull her toward the corner. There sat a swirling grey vortex - its short, whispy tentrils snaking out, as if searching for a person to step through.
"Wait," Emalia said, fear creeping into her voice. "Just, wait..." Colin had no hesitations. Emalia leaned back, pulling against him, but still he walked to the vortex, practically dragging her behind him. "Colin! Stop this!"
"Emalia, there is no time. You could be in danger."
"I'm not in danger, I'm fine!"
This managed to have Colin stop, but the crushing grip he kept on Emalia's hand still alarmed her. He turned his grey eyes on her, looking almost stern. "No, you're not. Now let's go."
There was no room for Emalia to say anything, try as she might. "Colin, I don't like this... I don't want to go in here..."
"Don't worry, you'll understand soon enough, right now we have to go."
Colin pulled her to the front of the vortex. Just seeing the tendrils of etherial energy snaking around her arm and shoulder made Emalia tremble. The last time this happened, she was asleep. Awake, the portal was terrifying. "Colin!"
"It's just like the last time, don't worry, all will be better soon." Roughly, Colin pulled Emalia to him. "Mmmm... that's nice. Well, in we go." Emalia had no time to ponder the response, or protest. Colin stepped into the grey void, taking Emalia right along with him.
