***
Belinde felt a little bossy asking Wellington to wait while she tried transitioning. However, after she tried transitioning to the Great Hall the second time and hadn't been kicked back, she was growing increasingly concerned. If she was right, the elders at the circle had to be warned.
Standing at the edge of the clearing where she had first stood atop Yggdrasil, Belinde fixed a spot within the circle and transitioned. Belinde's view changed suddenly to the view from the raised podium she remembered. Freya stood wide-eyed with her hand over her mouth.
"Sorry to have startled you ma'am!" Belinde stuttered, hurriedly trying to perform a curtsy. She had been warned about being disrespectful to the elders.
"No, no," Freya said, shaking her head, "I just hadn't received word that the guardian had passed."
"He hasn't," Belinde said with a frown. Freya's eyes opened wide and her jaw dropped. "The shields are down," Belinde stated flatly.
"Hermes!" Freya shouted, without taking her eyes off Belinde.
A young, fit blonde man appeared immediately, standing beside Freya."Yes?" Hermes asked the elder goddess.
"Rally your retainers and followers. Have them spread word that the shields are down," Freya ordered. Hermes stood frozen with an expression of shock on his face. "Quickly now," Freya reminded him. It took a moment for Hermes to gather his wits but he soon nodded and disappeared with a look of purpose on his face.
Freya sat heavily on the second step of the podium. "Those shields have stood resolute since the dark ages," she said shaking her head. "How could this be?" she asked as she looked up at Belinde, her eyes pleading.
"I don't know," Belinde said. "But I intend on finding out, starting tonight." Belinde turned and walked down the podium’s three steps.
"Adjustor," Freya called after her.
Belinde turned and regarded the elder goddess. "Elder?" she asked in reply.
"Do not try to step through the circle of stones after this night. There will be a new shield in place by morning."
"Yes, Elder," Belinde said with a nod before she turned and walked from the circle. Already there was a row of archers surrounding the standing stones, a ring of torches twenty paces further out and a second ring of torches was being lit beyond those.