His gaze drifted beyond the altar, toward the long rows of wagons on the plain.
"I saw it open," he said quietly. "I saw the land beyond it. All these years, I thought that was the part I had to be certain of."
"Did you ever see anyone reach the other side?"
"No."
He had heard the rest from Elion before the battle, and a good many people would be alive if he had listened then. She, of all people, had no business offering him forgiveness on their behalf.
Solara spoke next. "And if enough of the bindings failed at once, this fault could reach our world through the open passage."
"I watched it happen on a smaller scale. I wouldn't care to repeat the experiment."
Verena put one hand against the edge of the pedestal. "Suppose we abandon the attempt to leave. How much time would that give us?"
"I don't know."
