matters to deal with. Mainly—going to Antarctica, entering Chione’s ice palace, and acquiring the Golden Sword.
“Now, I trust that you all are dressed properly, in multiple layers to guard against the cold?” Hypatia asked. “Even though Chris will be able to control the temperature around you, you still must be prepared for anything.”
“Yes,” I said, since last night we’d all looked up what to wear for such extreme temperatures. The others nodded as well. Luckily, since we lived in Massachusetts, we owned enough winter clothes that we were able to layer properly. My wardrobe that I’d had in Georgia would never have been up for the task. It was sweltering inside, and all the clothing made me feel clunky and less nimble, but we would be grateful for the layers once we stepped through the portal.
“Good.” Hypatia nodded. “Since you won’t have cell phone service to let me know when to open the portal for your return, and I can’t go with you since I would be a burden during your fight with the ice nymphs, I’ve devised a plan. I will open the portal in intervals after your arrival. The first interval will be after five minutes. That is your emergency portal back home, in case something goes wrong immediately after your arrival. The second interval is after one hour. If you’re unable to win against the ice nymphs, this is your chance to return. I’ll open it again two hours after that, just in case the fight takes longer. After that, I’ll assume that you’ve won against the ice nymphs and are in Chione’s ice palace, or have found cover in the nearby South Pole station. There’s a witch who works at the South Pole station—his name is Jeffrey Feldman, and he’s the breakfast chef there. He’s been alerted that you might arrive and seek him out. If you end up in the South Pole station, find him and he’ll contact me so I can send a portal to you there.”
“And if we’re in Chione’s ice palace?” I asked.
“Then Chione will be able to create a portal leading back here,” she said. “Now, are you ready?”
We told her that yes, we were.
“Take note of the time when the last person comes through,” she said. “I’ll create the interval portals according to that time.”
With that, she held her hands out and created the swirling portal on the wall of Darius’s living room. Portals were always foggy, making it difficult to see what was on the other side of them. This one was cloudier than usual—as if all that waited on the other side was ice, as far as the eye could see. Which, I supposed, it was.
Chris walked through first, because he would be heating the air for when the rest of us arrived. Kate followed him, and Danielle went after her. Which left only Blake and me.
“Together?” he asked, holding out his hand.
“Together,” I repeated, placing my hand in his. His eyes met mine, he gave my hand a squeeze, and together, we stepped through the portal.
CHAPTER TWELVE
My stomach dropped with the roller coaster sensation that I had every time I walked through a portal. I would never get used to it. Which was saying a lot, because I loved roller coasters. But there was something terrifying about it when you weren’t strapped into anything, and felt like you were free-falling into nothingness.
At least, this time, I had Blake’s hand to hold me steady.
My feet touched solid ground, and icy wind cut into my face. It was freezing—all the way down to my bones. I wanted to get inside and enjoy a steaming mug of hot chocolate. But I opened my eyes, and in front of me, as far as I could see, was a flat, endless expanse of white snow. There were no mountains, no buildings—nothing. It was like a desert, but with snow instead of sand. The sun hung low in the sky, as if preparing to set. But I knew from reading an article last night about Antarctica that the sun wouldn’t set until two weeks from now, on the spring equinox. In Antarctica, the sun rose on the fall
“Now, I trust that you all are dressed properly, in multiple layers to guard against the cold?” Hypatia asked. “Even though Chris will be able to control the temperature around you, you still must be prepared for anything.”
“Yes,” I said, since last night we’d all looked up what to wear for such extreme temperatures. The others nodded as well. Luckily, since we lived in Massachusetts, we owned enough winter clothes that we were able to layer properly. My wardrobe that I’d had in Georgia would never have been up for the task. It was sweltering inside, and all the clothing made me feel clunky and less nimble, but we would be grateful for the layers once we stepped through the portal.
“Good.” Hypatia nodded. “Since you won’t have cell phone service to let me know when to open the portal for your return, and I can’t go with you since I would be a burden during your fight with the ice nymphs, I’ve devised a plan. I will open the portal in intervals after your arrival. The first interval will be after five minutes. That is your emergency portal back home, in case something goes wrong immediately after your arrival. The second interval is after one hour. If you’re unable to win against the ice nymphs, this is your chance to return. I’ll open it again two hours after that, just in case the fight takes longer. After that, I’ll assume that you’ve won against the ice nymphs and are in Chione’s ice palace, or have found cover in the nearby South Pole station. There’s a witch who works at the South Pole station—his name is Jeffrey Feldman, and he’s the breakfast chef there. He’s been alerted that you might arrive and seek him out. If you end up in the South Pole station, find him and he’ll contact me so I can send a portal to you there.”
“And if we’re in Chione’s ice palace?” I asked.
“Then Chione will be able to create a portal leading back here,” she said. “Now, are you ready?”
We told her that yes, we were.
“Take note of the time when the last person comes through,” she said. “I’ll create the interval portals according to that time.”
With that, she held her hands out and created the swirling portal on the wall of Darius’s living room. Portals were always foggy, making it difficult to see what was on the other side of them. This one was cloudier than usual—as if all that waited on the other side was ice, as far as the eye could see. Which, I supposed, it was.
Chris walked through first, because he would be heating the air for when the rest of us arrived. Kate followed him, and Danielle went after her. Which left only Blake and me.
“Together?” he asked, holding out his hand.
“Together,” I repeated, placing my hand in his. His eyes met mine, he gave my hand a squeeze, and together, we stepped through the portal.
CHAPTER TWELVE
My stomach dropped with the roller coaster sensation that I had every time I walked through a portal. I would never get used to it. Which was saying a lot, because I loved roller coasters. But there was something terrifying about it when you weren’t strapped into anything, and felt like you were free-falling into nothingness.
At least, this time, I had Blake’s hand to hold me steady.
My feet touched solid ground, and icy wind cut into my face. It was freezing—all the way down to my bones. I wanted to get inside and enjoy a steaming mug of hot chocolate. But I opened my eyes, and in front of me, as far as I could see, was a flat, endless expanse of white snow. There were no mountains, no buildings—nothing. It was like a desert, but with snow instead of sand. The sun hung low in the sky, as if preparing to set. But I knew from reading an article last night about Antarctica that the sun wouldn’t set until two weeks from now, on the spring equinox. In Antarctica, the sun rose on the fall
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