You’d think that meeting a dog made of stars and an old friend of my parents would prepare me for anything. But I still gape when the glowing, nebulous portal appears. Auburn and purple swirl together in a maelstrom of color suspended in the air.

Major turns, hand at his wristwatch—which somehow conjured that… thing—and lifts his eyebrows. “Never seen a portal, Kieffer?”

Closing my mouth before I make too much of a fool of myself, I hope my shrug looks casual. “I just assumed we’d be taking a ship.”