Page 36 of Bound Paths
The workshop had a few burn marks but otherwise looked unharmed. Rose sucked in a breath, getting her first up-close look at the rebuilt caretaker’s cottage. On the outside, it looked much the same as she remembered. Though, for her, the beauty of this cottage had nothing to do with its physical presence. Her family—the love she had grown up with. The grief that still gripped her heart so firmly. Now was not the time to face it.
“I’m sorry, Rose. Do you need a moment?” Aurora had stopped walking. It was clear she had said something before this, but Rose had been too lost in her thoughts to process whatever it was.
“My apologies, Aurora.” Rose swallowed thickly. “I haven’t strayed to this part of the property yet.”
Aurora’s eyes flashed in recognition. Arie must have told her some part of Rose’s history. “I’m so sorry. I should have taken us out front. I’ve always found this part of the grounds very peaceful.”
Rose smiled. “I agree.” She took a deep breath. She would confront her grief again soon. Avoiding part of the propertyindefinitely was not a life plan. Facing it was on her list, but she didn’t need to do it now. She turned, strategically placing her back to the cottage and her mom’s workshop. “Now, I apologize. What did you say before?”
“It seems trite now. I started the conversation by offering my condolences for your loss under Mount Bury.”
The words didn’t make sense to Rose. Her loss? Aiden’s loss didn’t feel like hers to claim, no matter how much she thought she’d made peace with it. Again, her confusion must have shown on her face.
“The Suden Point? Luc?” Aurora offered hesitantly. Her brows pinched. She was concerned with how this conversation was going.
“There is no need.” Rose’s hands tightened into fists at her side. Luc was not a loss she would grieve. “It’s a temporary separation. One he will pay for when I bring him back.” Rose let a smirk tug her lip, offering a confidence she wasn’t quite sure she possessed this morning. Rose wanted to change the conversation. Her best defense was a good offense. “I’m sorry you were trapped under the mountain for so long.”
Aurora smirked back. The goddess knew what she was doing but went along with it. “The one good thing about being a god is that a hundred years can seem like a blink. It wasn’t pleasant, and I felt useless, but time passed.”
Rose wasn’t sure she’d ever understand these gods. Even the one she counted as family.
“That is what I wanted to talk to you about,” Aurora said.
Rose stiffened. She hoped Aurora wasn’t circling back to the topic of Luc. “Which part?” she asked defensively.
“Feeling useless.” The goddess’s perfect posture loosened a little at the words, as if she were letting Rose in to see a more authentic version of herself than initially presented. “The worstpart of being trapped was that I couldn’t help. I could only stew on the one stupid decision I made.”
Rose understood the feeling. It was easy to let her thoughts loop on a single event—a single action she wished she could change—like Luc throwing himself in a hole between realms. But fixating on that got her nothing but more heartache. She nodded at Aurora. “What do you want to do?”
“You plan to go beyond the veil to get him back.” It was a statement, not a question. And the goddess didn’t even know about the Compass Points’ activities yesterday. Rose was grateful for her confidence. “I want to help you.”
Rose tilted her head to the side. She wasn’t sure what the help of the goddess looked like. They already knew the Lady of the Veil’s realm wasn’t a welcoming place. Rose had planned to ask Arie and Aurora for more information since they were light on texts that could offer insight. Did Aurora have more than information in mind?
“Of course, I’ll accept any help, Aurora. Are you referring to something…specific?”
Aurora’s lips split into a full smile. The goddess was truly stunning. The excitement in her features added a radiance to the property around them. “I can see why you’re Norden Point.” Aurora coughed into her hand. “Of course, I can feel the strength of your magic.” She paused. “But that has never been all it takes to hold the seat. Your heartache is raw, but your words express an unwavering determination. That resilience. That tenacity. That makes you Norden Point.”
Rose wasn’t sure what to say. She felt her cheeks warm at the goddess’s attention. Arie had made her somewhat immune to being intimidated by a god or goddess, but this was her patron. It felt different to have the Norden goddess tell her she belonged here.
“Anyway.” Aurora waved her hand, dismissing her effusive praise. “I believe you have my artifact.”
“Which one?” Rose’s smile was coy.
Aurora laughed. “Good point. Can I assume both?”
Rose nodded. She first reached for the compass, tugging it from the chain below her tunic. She held it in her palm. “Since Luc left, this has just been spinning in circles. It never stops, never points anywhere.” She made to pull it off her neck, offering it to the goddess.
Aurora held up her hands. “You keep it. The spinning doesn’t surprise me. The veil is everywhere and nowhere on the continent. You desire something the compass doesn’t know how to locate.”
Rose rubbed a finger over the glass as the arrow spun beneath it. She’d figured as much. All she wanted was to know where Luc was—to get to him. It was a direction the compass couldn’t give her.
“The dagger is the one I think will suit you best on the next part of your journey.” Aurora glanced at the dagger on Rose’s belt. “From what Arie tells me of the other Compass Points, you may have multiple paths to get beyond the veil.”
“So Arie knew what Carter was?” Rose’s lip tipped up into a smile.
Aurora had the grace to look a little bashful. “Oh, yes. I’m sorry. He mentioned he hadn’t said anything before you confronted Aterra. He seemed confident you would figure it out.”
Of course, he did. “Conceptually, we have multiple paths.”
