Page 12 of Compass Points
She looked over her shoulder at him. They had a somewhat unspoken agreement not to talk about her power, though she knew that he knew more than he let on.
She sighed. He was right, of course, but that didn’t change the path she had to take.
“I don’t want anyone to know I’m a weapons master,” she said.
He raised a brow as he started, “I’m not sure—”
She cut him off. “No, that’s it. I’ll come with you, evaluate your power at the Suden house, and decide what to do then, but no one else can know why I’m there.”
He narrowed his eyes at her, calculating again. Even before the word was out, though, she knew he’d agree to it.
“Done.” He nodded.
“Well, won’t this be fun,”Arie quipped.
Chapter Seven
20years ago - Compass Lake
Rose loved the feeling of the warm summer breeze as it crossed Compass Lake. There was nothing better than the Summer Solstice Ceremony. Her parents enjoyed the ball at the Norden house the night before more than the actual ceremony, but Rose was sure that was some grown-up thing she didn’t understand. They’d come home last night in finery, cheeks flushed, hands entangled. Her mom’s hair was definitely not as tightly bound in the elegant style she’d left the house with earlier.
Rose’s fake sleep didn’t fool her parents for a second as Mom walked farther into her bedroom and asked, “Are you still awake, love?”
Rose opened one eye just a crack. “Maybe.”
“Did you have fun with Grandpa?”
“Of course! We cleaned up and then played lots of games.” Rose sat up in bed as she spoke, eager to share her evening with her parents. “How was the ball?”
“Oh, Rose. It was so lovely. We had so much fun. We missed you,” Dad said as he sat at the foot of her bed. Mom had made her way to kneeling at her side.
Rose could have gone with them, but Grandpa had stayed home and asked her to keep him company. “Were there any other kids there?”
“We didn’t see any, not even the Norden Point’s son.” Mom looked off as if trying to recollect if she’d seen him. “Which was a bit odd. I’m sure he’ll be at the ceremony tomorrow.”
“I’d like to meet him,” Rose said more assuredly than she felt. She’d glimpsed the boy on the property so often. She didn’t understand why he wouldn’t come outside and play with her, especially in the summer.
“We know, Rose. Remember, different families have different rules, and while we might not understand them, we need to respect them,” Dad said.
Rose wasn’t sure what that meant, but she nodded along anyway as she toyed with her necklace. A gold chain with a compass pendant. Her mom had given it to her for her fifth birthday.
Mom stood up slowly, saying, “It’s late. You should get back to bed.”
“Will you tell me the story again?” Rose asked as she looked down at the compass pendant in her palm.
Mom’s smile was soft. “Of course, dear. One story, and then you’re back to bed.” She tucked Rose in as she began the story of Aurora’s compass. She started the tale the same way every time. Rose could probably tell this story from memory.
“Aurora, the goddess of the Norden fae, blessing us with the power of water, had an important decision to make. The gods had behaved too selfishly. They had not protected humanity, and humanity had suffered because of it.” Mom glanced at her to ensure she wasn’t asleep already. Rose smiled back brightly as she continued. “A plague had taken over the continent because of the gods’ selfishness. Most of humanity, those they were sworn to protect, had been taken by its wrath. Aurora, Arctos, Zrak, and Aterra had met to decide what to do.”
“We must do something drastic,” Aurora said. She folded her arms over her chest, her skin a deep golden brown. She made deliberate eye contact with each of the other three gods in the room.
“We don’t owe humanity anything,” mumbled Aterra as he raked his fingers through his jet-black hair.
“In fact, we do.” Zrak narrowed his eyes as he glanced at Aterra. Zrak was tall and broad, with white skin, tanned from the sun, and dark brown hair. His glare was intimidating, even to another god. “We are meant to protect humanity. Our selfishness has brought nothing but harm. We can only blame ourselves for this plague unleashed upon the continent. We must make it right.”
Aterra raised his hand as if to argue.
“Agreed,” Arctos said. His blonde hair fell over his warm beige skin as he lounged in the temple master’s chair.
