Even in the shade of the green woods, the day was stiflingly hot as Keb led Bali and Aurora to the well. It had always been one of her favorite spots, not far from the ledge where she and Bali had first watched the sunset together. Now, however, she was going there with a determined purpose: She was going to attempt to make a portal. She remembered all the things she'd been taught--the theory behind how a mage with the ability could create a portal--but she'd only succeeded once, and it had been a small portal to an unknown destination. It had also been a hundred years ago, in another world. Still, if she could do it once, she was sure it could be done again; she'd just have to channel the experience of that time to this one.
But she wasn't taking any chances; she wanted Bali where she could see him and make sure he was safe, and she wanted Aurora to help keep things in check. Besides, Mulan's location was probably the easiest to discern, since Aurora had been with her only recently; Phillip's soul could be anywhere, perhaps in a realm quite hostile to them, while she genuinely had no idea where her siblings might be.
The well stood silently on the top of the hill, and as usual there was no one around. That was one of the reasons she'd chosen the location. Another was in its inscribed legend, that it had the power to return what had been lost. The last was a sense that this was a place of magic, and she could use all the help she could get.
Keb leaned over the edge of the well and peered into the dark water below. She drew a bucketful and turned to her companions. "A drink for luck, first?" she asked them. It was clear that she was nervous; her hand shook as she dipped it into the bucket herself.