Please," she whispered. "Please let this work. Please let me save her."
The fire erupted from her hands in a column of flame that shot up toward the ceiling-but didn't touch it, didn't burn it. The flames twisted and curved, forming a doorway. An arch of fire that rippled and shimmered like heat waves on pavement.
Through the flames, Annie could see something-a distorted image, wavering like a reflection in disturbed water-outside the gate.
It had worked.
She'd actually created a portal.
Annie stepped forward and walked into the fire.
The sensation was indescribable-like being wrapped in warmth and wind all at once, like falling and flying simultaneously. She felt the flames close around her, felt herself moving through space, and then-Her foot hit solid ground.
Anni
