Multiverse of Magic & Mistakes (Completed)

1.3.28 Chapter 28

The Mages College of Verdyn, Verdyn, October 2019.

Vi was amazed that her crazy plan seemed to have worked. She had opened many portals all at the same time, a feat that was thought to be impossible! And she hadn't even been a Mage for that long!

But where was Rho? He should have been pulled back into Verdyn via the nearest portal as soon as she opened them. But he was still nowhere to be found. And Vi would not rest until she found him.

She tried not to despair, as she rushed around the College campus. After all, she had opened sixty-four portals between Azuhelm and Verdyn, and he could have got pulled out of the void through any of them. Map in hand, and her presence covered by an Anti-Tracking and Anti Detection charm, one cast using the remaining red crystal power which still thrummed in her chest, so strong that she was near invisible, she floated around the College grounds on a borrowed Dryfter board, visiting the location of each portal. With each one, her heart rate rose, the butterflies in the pit of her stomach, the hope that Rho would be there, and then she tried not to despair when he was not.

Each portal she had cast had remained open, a black circular void, about two metres in diameter, outlined by a faint red glow. That was interesting, normally her portals were outlined with her namesake colour.

Vi also wasn't sure why they all remained open; for she no longer felt their drain upon her energy. She dared not try and close them, for what if Rho had not yet found his way out? She spun in the air, heading out into the vineyards where she had opened several portals close together. She could not afford to think like that. She had to desperately hope that Rho had managed to find his way out.

Violet slowed down, hearing voices suddenly in the distance. Shit. Was that Reynold? She didn't want to be caught out here on a Dryfter at night, stolen red crystals in her bag, near to several illegal, seemingly permanent portals that she had created. There were at least fifty rules she was currently breaking.

"Well, Calistan what do you make of this one?" came the familiar low-pitched voice, carrying on the breeze. Shit! Vi came to a halt behind a row of vines, the grapes small and unripe, and hoped the strong Anti-Detection charms she had cast upon herself and the board would be enough to remain hidden.

"It's a stable inter-world portal. As with the others, it is self-supporting and untethered. A remarkable piece of spell work. I don't know how she did it."

Vi's breath caught. Was he referring to her? Did Reynold and Calistan know she had opened all the portals? And they had called them untethered... so did that mean they were permanent?

She dared to hover slightly higher, so she could peer over the top of the tall grapevines. Master Reynold, wearing a long black coat, and black tall boots over his usual burgundy outfit was standing one side of the portal, waving his hands in a complicated manner. Caretaker Calistan, dark blue coat unbuttoned over his matching waistcoat, balanced his cane in the crook of his arm whilst he too waved his pale aged hands in a complicated pattern.

It was time for the Anti-Detection spell to be put to the test. She hovered as low to the ground as she dared, crouching over, and holding her breath as they passed by her row of vines. Thankfully, both Reynold and Calistan appeared solely focused upon checking out the next portal and walked straight past her without a glance. She waited until both were examining the second portal, waving their hands in that complicated twisting way, before she dared to edge closer again.

"Another stable portal, self-sustaining, same as all the others. Yet another remarkable piece of work."

"Location?"