Based on their expression, the magic telephone rock is having problems and being frustrating! 

One of the guards comes over and explains to her, politely and nervously, that they're arranging for a Gate to somewhere else. He does not specify to where. 

"Oh, where to?" She asks as casually as possible, more to see if he'll tell her than because she expects to recognize wherever it is.

"- I'm sorry, ma'am, that's - we're not saying, for operational security." 

Security from who? This whole thing was organized by both sides, which as far as she knows is all the sides there are. But she can tell she's not going to get much more in the way of answers, so she stands around and tries to get what she can from the soldiers talking to each other.

They make her wait around for a while, some muttered conversations happening in the corner, but eventually, there is another Gate! 

This one brings her through into a pleasant courtyard, screened by trees and surrounded by gardens; it's probably in a city but the trees mean she can't see much of the surroundings. 

Having a military Gate location where people can't see who's coming and going is sensible. The important thing it that it doesn't look like somewhere they'd go if things were going haywire. Is it clear where she's supposed to go from here?

There's an escort waiting for her! They seem slightly tense. A man greets her and welcomes her to Tantara, introducing himself as Adept Snowstar; he isn't smiling but he doesn't seem actively hostile. 

"Margaret Peregrine. Pleased to meet you." It's not a lie, or if it is it's in the "meet" part not the "pleased" part; every handoff is one step closer to being done being handed off and getting to someone who actively wants her around.

He relaxes very slightly, maybe thanks to her friendly demeanour, and beckons for her to follow him under an ivy-draped archway. "This way." 

She follows, pushing the ivy out of the way of her face. For a military base this place is very Harvard-aesthetic.

The very Harvard-aesthetic archway leads her into a sort of tunnel screened by trees above and on both sides. 

A lizard-like creature about the size of a human eight-year-old is trimming the branches of one tree. It jumps a bit, and then says "hello!" to them, brightly, in a slightly whistling voice. 

Oh wow totally nonsecret lizard-people, how cool is that. "Hello!"

The creature waves with one stubby arm and then goes back to pruning. 

Snowstar ushers her past, and then they reach a set of doors in a stone wall, and he leads her inside and down the hall and to a room with a nice oak table in it, and comfortably upholstered chairs. 

"You may have a seat," he says. "Do you need anything to eat or drink, right now?" 

"Water would be nice if it's not any trouble. I had a big breakfast."

He nods and calls out to someone in the hall. 

And shortly later another of the little lizard-people brings her a tray with a jug and water glass on it. 

"It will be a little bit of a wait!" it - he, she? the gender is impossible to discern from appearance or voice - says to her, apologetically. "Master Urtho is running behind." 

"Thanks. My name's Margaret; what's yours?"

"Heshen! It's lovely to meet you, Margaret! You're new to Tantara, yes?" 

She still has no idea what gender they are from that name but she can get away with not knowing. "I am, yeah. It's all very exciting."

"Good, good! Well, you take care!" The lizard creature pats her shoulder. "I will be back in a little while to check on you!" The mysterious-gendered lizard person leaves her jug and cup, and darts off. 

Margaret sits and thinks about magic system interactions and printing press designs and what a cool story she'll have to tell Bella if she ever gets back to Earth. She's tempted to stick her head out the door and look around but doesn't want to get tempted into actually wandering off, so she doesn't.

Snowstar paces the hall outside. 

And, eventually, another man arrives. Tall and thin, silver hair falling past his shoulders. 

He knocks politely on the side of the open doorframe. "Margaret?" 

"Yes, hello." He fits the Earth stereotype of a wizard perfectly and has no way of knowing he's doing it and that's neat.