Page 57 of Compass Points
“Just that it’s hidden behind some kind of test of Norden power.”
“Well, alright then.” He gestured towards the compass, where the point was still spinning in her palm. “Shall we?”
When the compass stopped spinning, it was decisive. Rose, Luc, and Arie set out to follow its directions. It led them to the front doors of the Norden library. They stepped inside the door just as a clerk came towards them.
“I’m sorry, we’re closed,” he said.
“Can we have just five minutes?” Rose asked, flashing her most approachable smile. “We’re visiting from out of town and won’t be able to return tomorrow.”
“I’m sorry, we really can’t,” he said, but he hesitated as he moved to usher them back out through the door they’d just come in.
Luc reached in front of Rose, offering his hand to the clerk. “I’m Luc,” he said.
The clerk instinctually took Luc’s offered hand.
Rose smelled the tell-tale sign of Luc’s magic; the scent of cinnamon and pine filled the library.
Before Luc dropped the clerk’s hand, he gestured forward with a nod, urging Rose and Arie to move on, to get around a corner where the clerk wouldn’t see them. Rose bet that Luc had removed the fact that he saw them come in so they’d have the time they needed in the library.
She and Arie took off, heading around the corner to a central atrium. All around Rose, as far up as she could see, were stacks and books across multiple floors. She wanted to spend days or weeks going through the books themselves. The room was beautiful, with a white marble fountain as the stunning centerpiece. She was unsurprised when the compass pointed them directly to the fountain. At the sound of footsteps, Rose and Arie ducked behind a shelf. After a moment, she peeked around the corner to find Luc, waving them over.
“Where to next?” he asked, a broad smile covering the sharp lines of his face.
“Breaking and entering suits you,” she couldn’t help but reply.
“No one lets me have fun like this anymore.”
“Where’d the clerk end up?”
“Arie wants to know what you did with the clerk.”
Luc waved a hand. “He’s fine. He continued with whatever his closing ritual required. He looked like he was headed for a hallway with some offices. We should have a few minutes at least. He may not even come back this way.”
Rose stood back up. “Let’s do this then.”
Luc gestured her forward. “After you.”
She looked down at the compass again as it continued to point directly to the large central water fountain. Its base had a stone ridge, impossible not to sit on, and it had three tiers of small pools of water. The highest level held Aurora’s wave-shaped emblem, water filled it and then fell into the second tier’s pool. The fountain’s base pool caught the rest of the overflowing water. It was also filled with coins visitors had tossed in to make a wish. As the water streamed down the tiers to the bottom pool, it then filtered back up to the top, cycling through the tiers continuously. The entire fountain was bright white, with one exception—the wave emblem at the top was blue. It was a bright blue, more brilliant than the deep waters of her home in the Lake of the Gods.
She probed around with her magic. It still felt strange to use it freely in front of Luc. She paused momentarily as she felt two similar depths of power behind her. She turned to look where Arie and Luc stood.
She’d always known Arie had magic—he was a shapeshifter of some kind, after all—but she’d never felt his magic next to someone else’s. She was surprised to feel that, on the surface, he had as much magic as the most powerful Suden in generations. Maybe he hadn’t been kidding when he said he could have killed Luc for her when he offered—a mystery for another day.
She focused her magic around the stone statue and the base of the trickling water until she sensed the presence of Norden magic.
“Got you.”
She called her water magic and stepped into the base of the fountain. Luc’s eyes held wicked delight as she glanced at him once more. Focusing on her task, she had the water lift her up as she raised her hand to touch the blue wave.
The magic raced up from her feet, to her spine, and finger when she placed her hand on the emblem.
Her magic already coursing through her, a gentle touch was all she needed to slide the emblem back. She gasped quietly as it exposed a circular chamber that seemed to go down into the heart of the fountain.
She raised herself a little higher on the wave she created from the base pool in the fountain. The hole wasn’t that deep, just big enough for the prize that she sought. A small dagger lay there. It was well made but plain, except for a stunning blue gem in the hilt. The gem matched the color of the emblem. Anyone who had seen Aurora’s emblem would not doubt that this was her artifact.
Rose grabbed her prize just as the chamber started to close.
She turned to Luc and Arie, dagger in her hand, as footsteps echoed in the hall. She let herself back down with her magic and stepped out of the fountain, her wet slippers squishing on the stone. Luc laughed as he stepped up to her and offered his arms. Rose nodded, and Luc swept her off her feet and dashed with them both back behind the nearest bookcase.
