The Aliens' Plans

Alex used the newly created skill Memories of the Dead on the corpse of the blue alien. The way it worked was it sent a small amount of electricity firing through the brain to light up the pathways, and then telepathy and empathy to read the thoughts and emotions of various memories.

Alex searched for the memory of a machine that would interfere with the scrying pools. After a few seconds, he found it.

The intent of the machine was to disable Elven magic in the vicinity so that the elves couldn't defend themselves as easily. And it worked. They were able to defeat the elves with very little struggle.

That said, these people clearly weren't fighters. Most of them were scholars. But the ones who did fight were at a disadvantage due to this magic disabling device.

The device was around the back of the tree. Alex searched the memories again, but this time for something else. What were they going to Asgard for?