Page 5 of Compass Points
She laughed at her bad luck. “You picked the one thing that could make it worse.”
She realized her mistake as his eyebrows rose, his head tilting to the side to reassess her. She did not need to intrigue this fae. She just needed him to go away.
“You’d be providing weaponry to face the mist plague. Your name would be known throughout the continent. You’d have fame and fortune.”
“Look at me. Look around.” She gestured to the sprawling wilderness, surrounding them. “Know your audience when you’re making grand promises.” She couldn’t help herself, adding, “I thought fae were supposed to be good at this whole charm and negotiation thing.”
“Yes, I thought so too,” he muttered. “It seems I wasn’t quite prepared for…you.” He waved his hand in her general direction as he finished.
“I’m happy to point you to a few other weapons masters I know down in Sandrin that would be more than happy to help you,” she offered in a final attempt to shut this conversation down and move on with her afternoon.
Luc drew himself to his full height. “I’m here on behalf of the Suden Point, with all the privilege that affords. I’ve already tried all those in Sandrin; their wares didn’t help.” He took a breath and unclenched his fists, which had balled up with his rant. “Let’s also not get modest now. We both know their work pales compared to yours, and from what I understand, your magical weapons haven’t been made at the source. That is why I can’t give up until I try your weapons forged at Compass Lake.”
She wanted to smile at the compliment, but she knew better.
Her rebuttal faded as she felt heavy magic creeping toward them on the hidden path. It smelled faintly of peppermint. She’d think it refreshing if it wasn’t soother.
It started to encircle them like a slow cyclone. The sun, high in the sky as Rose walked home, now only visible through a smoky haze that hadn’t been there minutes before.
She dropped her cool mask as her panic rose. A glance at their feet told her the dark mist was creeping toward their ankles. Luc’s eyes grew wide and wild as he surveyed their surroundings. She saw him shift from surprised to calculating in seconds.
He didn’t know what this was either. That was clear. He was assessing the threat to both of them, seeking a way out. The mist continued to spill forth, taking up space in a way that Luc seemed to finally recognize.
“It’s the mist plague,” he whispered like he hoped it couldn’t hear him. “We need to move quickly.”
The village.
Rose didn’t spare a thought for herself; her thoughts flashed straight to Tara. Was this mist already covering Bury? Her eyes met Luc’s. “I need to get to the village,” she said.
“If it’s anything like the previous attacks of mist reported, we have hours or less; that’s assuming it didn’t start there.”
“Come with me,” she said, making a split-second decision as the mist moved in.
It didn’t matter any longer, anyway. She could never come back to her home after this if the mist took it. He tilted his head, trying to figure out what she meant, when she stepped back into the circle carved into the path just before it opened onto the beach.
Luc didn’t hesitate. Raising his eyebrow, he moved into the circle, meeting the challenge in her eyes with his own. Taking that last step over the threshold, he grabbed her hand, and they were gone.
Chapter Four
They reappeared a second later on tightly packed dirt beneath a similar canopy of trees. Rose watched Luc’s face as he searched the new location, observing the similarities, lingering over the differences.
“A portal?” he asked as he dropped her hand. Rose could still feel the warmth of his touch. She wanted to shake her hand to rid herself of the sensation but didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of thinking he affected her.
He glared at her, his fingers stretching and curling back into a fist, his eyes pinched as if angry that he wasn’t entirely unaffected by their brief contact either.
“How far did we go?” he asked.
“Not very far,” she replied.
“What? Then why bother with the portal?” She could see the wheels of his mind spinning as he scrambled to make sense of the information. “No way,” he said under his breath. “This has to be impossible.” The awe was evident in his voice though he tried to hide it. He took a few steps out of the clearing where they had landed. His eyes searched for visual confirmation of what everyone believed was impossible.
Acceptance seemed to hit him as his eyes fell on the hill. The unmistakable landmark of the island in the middle of the Lake of the Gods. Unfeasible since the lake was magically gated. No one should be able to get to it.
Shouldbeing the key word.
“Oh, there’s a way,” she said. “But let’s not waste time with the difference between impossible and improbable. We’ve got bigger problems right now.” She picked up her market box and headed quickly toward the small hill before them.
“We’re on the island? I thought a magical barrier prevented anyone from touching the water. How and why did you bring us here? Can the mist still get to us?”
