Lily opened a portal to the Oasis of Thought in the Zass desert and stepped through. Her mind slipped smoothly to her first visit here. She had been very young then, venturing away from home and sneaking into Guild lands on a dare. A small windstorm had come up suddenly, and she had turned and run away from the sand twister. When the storm had passed, Lily was lost, wandering for hours before she saw the tree and rushed toward it.
The small oasis was really just a clump of bushes, one tree, and a very small spring filling a rock basin about three hands wide. Just as she got her fill of water, she heard movement in the bushes. She still remembered first her fear and then her amazement as a woman stepped out onto the oasis through a hole in the bushes. Her life changed that day as Danni tested her and determined she had the talent to become a witch. Lily smiled to herself; it was appropriate that they would meet here again.
Lily settled down next to the little basin and focused her thoughts. They needed to be able to provide proof of their claim when they addressed the Alliance, and she could not open her mind to them to allow verification that way. But she also did not want to start a war to get the evidence. Nor did she want to share the use of portals Francous had shown her. What they needed was a prisoner from that camp. But how could they capture someone there without tipping their hand?
She felt the portal open and Danni's calm presence as she stepped through and settled beside Lily. The light touch on her mind was familiar and comforting. Lily opened herself to Danni instantly. "I'm struggling with the how's of providing evidence to support our claim to the Alliance. I'm hoping you will be able to see what I'm not seeing."