The hallway led past office doors and to a staircase. Up the blue carpeted steps turned into a waiting foyer. There were two people standing on either side of massive wood doors. There were beautiful carvings drawn into the wood. I got the sense that they were very old. My eyebrows furrowed as the sight of a rune on each of them. I squinted at the doors. 

   The elf moved directly to the two waiting Enforcers. She began to whisper in their ears lowly enough that I couldn't hear. I studied the old doors and curiously reached a mental hand out. Sure enough, it was as I suspected. I smirked a little. "Those doors have the activation rune and they're made from old wood in the Ghost Realm. Any neutral that touches that door will have amplified power."

   "Really?" Tate looked at the doors in surprise. "Are there any protections on it?"

   "Runes only allow for power amplification, so not in that sense. Can brights or dusks use the rune?"

   Tate shook his head. "I have no idea. I've never tried it." A look of curiosity crossed his face as he studied the doors. The elf turned back to us and saw him looking, but didn't comment.

   "There's about a five minute period between hearings," she said. "You've got from once the speaker leaves to when the second one arrives."

   "Should be plenty of time," I said easily. The elf nodded and stepped back. The two other Enforcers shared a look. One appeared to be a shifter and the other had a staff strapped to their back. I made a face at the thought of carrying a staff around twenty-four-seven. Without it, these guys were powerless. That would be annoying.

   Tate approached the door. The neutral Enforcer lifted his hand to his staff in warning. "You can't go inside yet."

   "I just want to look at the door," assured Tate. "I'm curious about something."

   The Enforcer narrowed his eyes. The shifter Enforcer shook his head with a chuckle. "He's being honest." The neutral reluctantly let Tate examine the carved door. Tate pressed a hand to the wood and I saw his face change. His lips parted and he quickly tore his hand away, backing up. The neutral raised his lacking eyebrows -- weird gingers and their bizarre eyebrows.

   "That rune works on brights," said Tate, stunned. I blinked. Tate looked down at his hand and rubbed his palm, almost in shock. "I've never heard of neutral runes working on brights. That door . . ."

   Tate had never felt what it was like to have his power amplify. The rune allowed for neutrals to access the barrier at full capability. My eyebrows drew. Did that mean Tate wasn't able to use all of his ability unless he was using a rune? Were all magicks like that?

   The Enforcers glanced at Tate, bewildered. "What are you talking about?" The shifter asked him. The elf cocked her head at him.

   Tate looked at the door. "The rune . . . it worked on me, too."

   "That can't be right," said the elf, slowly. "Runes only work on neutrals."

   "I'm not joking," said Tate firmly. "I felt it . . . I've never experienced anything like it. It was as if . . ." His voice trailed off as he looked at his hand, distant.

   The neutral Enforcer frowned and stepped up to press his hand against the door. Dark pink swirls came to life and wound around his fingers. They curled up his elbow. He sucked in a breath. "It's only as powerful as a practice rune, but I've never felt my magic get forced to activate like that." He examined the pink magic. "The moment I came into contact, I couldn't stop it. I've never felt that."

   I'd felt my magic get forced before -- at the community meeting, when the doorknob had activated a reaction and colored my lanyard. The elf quickly stepped forward to try it for herself. Her slim hand touched the wood. Her eyes flashed gold and she hissed, removing her hand as if she had touched a stove. The shifter did the same and flinched as his skin warped where it touched the door.

   "So you're saying it's only as strong as a practice rune, but it's forcing a response?" I examined the door, skeptical. The neutral nodded and gestured for me. 

   "Try it yourself."

   I shrugged. "Okay." Stepping forward, I set my hand on the door. Sharp energy rushed up my arm and rocketed into my brain. My body jerked reflexively as the mental back door in my head was slammed open. Energy rushed into my head and body so fast that it wasn't pleasant. Usually, the magic was a low vibration that energized my muscles. Right then, it was a fierce rattling. My jaw clenched to avoid biting my tongue.

   Crimson magic exploded to life. Sharp ribbons flew from my fingertips and golden sparks nearly hid them from view. A waterfall of red fell from my hand and pooled at the door. My whole arm was gone under the magic. 

   "Okay," I grunted. "I understand what you meant by forced."

   My brain ached from the attack on my ability. The way that my magic had been forced could be compared to the same feeling I got when Dani started to draw on me as a source. It wasn't anywhere close to bring as painful, but I got the same rattling shakes through my body. 

   Interesting. The Council has a door that behaves almost the same way as a dark magic link. I removed my hand, looking at it with a shaded expression. "How could no one have found this before us?"

   The elf rubbed her hand with a dark look. "No one has touched that door besides the handle. Besides fleeting glances, it's never been touched. It took my whole hand to force a reaction." She looked down at her fingertips. They looked burned. My eyes widened.

   "How did it burn you?"

   The elf shook her head. "I don't know. Elves don't use magic, unlike neutrals and shifters. We are just made of it. The only remotely magical ability that we have is our sense of hearing, smell, strength, speed, and instincts. The door forced a reaction . . . but I have no idea what exactly happened."

   Tate was holding his own wrist, thoughtful. "It hurt to touch. Every bone in my body started to ache."

   "Are you a species shifter or shapeshifter?" asked the shifter Enforcer. "Because I'm a species shifter and I had to mentally stop my hand from becoming a claw."

   "Shapeshifter," answered Tate. "I don't have a primary species. The door tried to make me shift but it had nothing to make me shift into. Instead, I just hurt."

   "Why would the Council have this here?" I finally asked, my voice low. "It forces a magic response from every kind of magick, obviously. Why?"

   The elf examined the door. "It must be a kind of protection." She was unable to say anything else, because the door suddenly opened. Someone exited and saw the five people standing on the other side. She halted, holding her binder. "Uh, is something going on?"

   "Nope. You done with the Council?" I asked.

   "Yes, I am."

   "Good. My turn." I was careful to catch the handle of the door. The elf stepped forward to go ahead of me, Tate hot on my heels. The two Enforcers shared a look as the three of us entered the room.