Page 11 of Bound Paths
She pushed herself off the door and took in her new home. If Suden house was a sprawling manor, all wood and natural light, then Norden was a castle fortress. It had high ceilings and stone walls and generally gave a feeling of austerity. Soft chatter and banging pots emanated from the kitchen. She headed in that direction.
It was quiet as she wandered through the main level of the house. Rose remembered the house being formal as a child, but this was something else. It seemed like Aiden hadn’t added any personal touches to the decor. Most of the rooms she walked through felt like a prison, no different from Aurora’s cell under Mount Bury. Perhaps, for Aiden, it had been one.
She ran her hands against the walls as memories crept in—memories she’d repressed for so long. A smile threatened as she thought of Aiden chasing her out the back door towardthe caretaker’s cottage. Or of her sneaking into the classrooms downstairs where his parents had him hole up with tutors for hours every day. She’d try to make silly faces at him to make him laugh during his lessons.
Her words to the elders had been true. Aiden did what he could for the Norden in the end. She would no longer push away happy memories of her childhood friend—her friend with bright blue eyes, before the grey-eyed god took over.
“Hello?” she called as she neared the kitchen so as not to startle anyone.
The noises came to a halt. She stepped into the room. It was so bright and clean compared to the rest of the house she’d walked through. The staff was larger than she’d thought—ten Norden fae were gathered eating a meal.
“I’m Rose, the Norden Point,” she said.
The group burst into a flurry of introductions.
“I’m Annabeth, the cook.”
“Walter, the steward.”
“Harriet, the housekeeper.”
The others added their names and responsibilities. Rose tried to memorize each one as she shook their hands. She hadn’t had time to worry what they’d think of her. Having been Norden Point for a half-day, she’d barely had time to meet them before leaving to hunt Aterra with the other Compass Points.
“We’re so glad you’re back,” Annabeth said. “We saw the three of you arrive in the village this afternoon. Did you have a productive trip?”
“We believe we found the cause for the mist plague and have a temporary solution,” Rose said. “We’re still working on the longer-term impacts.”
“That sounds like progress,” Walter said.
“Do you want anything to eat?” Annabeth asked.
Rose’s stomach rumbled.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Her smile was authentic.
“I can show you a room for your things if you’d like,” Harriet offered, gesturing to Rose’s bag.
“Yes, please. Annabeth, do you mind sending the food up? I’m pretty tired. I’ll just have a snack before going to sleep,” Rose said as she followed Harriet out of the kitchen.
“It’ll be wonderful to have you back at the lake.” Harriet’s words didn’t hold the undertone of malice she felt when she talked to the elders. They seemed genuine.
“We still have a lot of work to do,” Rose replied.
Harriet nodded as she led them up the stairs. Rose’s gaze swept out the back window as her hand rested on the staircase railing. While she let memories of her childhood friend sweep in tonight, she had yet to do the same for her family. There was a warm glow emanating from the caretaker’s cottage out back. It had been rebuilt after the fire. A family lived there now—a new caretaker for the property. She wasn’t yet ready to think about the happiness she’d had there. Or the devastation.
A final glance around the first floor left her feeling maudlin, no matter how welcoming the staff. Norden house didn’t feel like a home. There was nothing to be done about that tonight. Hopefully, Arie and Aurora would arrive soon enough to fill that void. She would add the rest to the list of things to worry about after she retrieved Luc and saved the continent.
Reaching the second-floor landing, Harriet led them left. Rose had never been allowed to explore the upstairs bedrooms so freely. Harriet explained some were studies, others were sitting rooms, and many were spare bedrooms for visiting Norden. She led them into a wing with its own door. This felt similar to the space Luc claimed in Suden house.
As children, she and Aiden would sneak up here when playing hide-and-seek. They gave each other extra points if they hid in this off-limits area. Not that it was off limits to Aiden—it was his home even before he stole the position of Norden Point. But his parents were never too fond of them playing in the family’s private space.
Finally, Harriet opened the door to a large room in what had to be the northwestern corner of the house. The room had a southern-facing window looking out over the lake. Doors opened to a balcony on the bed’s left side, providing peaceful views of the still water. Rose’s gaze lingered on Suden house directly in her sights as she surveyed the familiar shores of Compass Lake.
She could admit it now—she had missed this place.
“This is perfect,” Rose said. Harriet excused herself quickly, promising to return with food. Rose was thankful for the private moment. Emotion overtook her as she looked out on the lake.
She may not want to face the memories of what happened to her family, but the loving home she grew up in before that fateful day didn’t deserve to be forgotten. Working with her mom in the forge was a treasured part of her childhood. Her mother’s instructions on weapons-making were still ones she clung to. She missed swimming in the lake instead of looking at it, as she’d had to do at the Lake of the Gods.
