Page 4 of Bound Paths
The ache she felt for Luc was a physical thing. Her magic reached for him regularly, as it had on their travels together. The realm beyond the veil must be beyond the reach of even their unique bond. She hadn’t felt his magic or smelled its pine and cinnamon scent since the cavern.
They finally arrived at the top of the switchbacks, where the thin trail unfolded into a sweeping mountain pass. Rose urged her horse forward to catch up with the others.
“Carter,” she said as she pulled her horse into line beside his. “We need to talk.”
The anxiety would continuously gnaw at her in the privacy of her mind, but now was the time to cement their plans. When they descended the other side of the mountain, they’d be returning to Compass Lake.
Carter slowed his horse to match her pace as the familiar eastern edge of the lake came into view. It was evening, but the days were long, and they still had plenty of light for the rest of their ride. Already, the magic of her seat of power tugged at her. Her limbs, weary from over two weeks on the road, felt new life breathed into them with each step of the horse’s hooves toward Norden house. She still couldn’t believe she’d spent ten years away from this feeling—this revitalization of her magic.
“What is it, Rose?” Carter asked.
Juliette also slowed her horse. She’d been in the lead, likely as eager as Rose to return to her seat of power. “Do we need to get our stories straight for our arrival?” she asked in jest.
“Not quite,” Rose replied. She wanted to enjoy this moment. Juliette joked, but a lot was unsaid in her words. The Compass Points had left the lake, barely trusting each other. A newly minted Norden Point, a distrustful Osten, a secretive Vesten, and a Suden with unprecedented power had started a journey two weeks ago. Returning now, they had a different perspective. They’d learned to work together—to share their power to hold a rogue god upsetting the balance on the continent. It was an impressive feat. Yet, they didn’t celebrate, since only three of the four cardinal directions rode together. The fourth point of their compass was noticeably absent.
No matter how much she tried to avoid it, the pit in Rose’s stomach demanded acknowledgment. Even as her magic hummed in anticipation of returning to its source, the pain she’d carefully avoided deepened. There was a vast emptiness inside her where Luc’s magic should be.
That wasn’t quite right. The echo of his magic lingered. The spot his magic had carved out inside her was still there. She could still feelsomething, but the open tunnel beneath her lake of power—the intimate ability to reach for his magic—was gone.
Now that she knew what it was to have Luc’s magic there, she’d never accept being without it. Not even the call of Norden house could distract her. She shook her head, returning her focus to the Vesten Point and the conversation he’d avoided since they’d tested his ability to share power with Arie.
“Let’s align on our plan,” Rose started. “We agree. We’ll try the Osten portal first. It’s a proven interaction point with Zrak, and we know he is beyond the veil, too.” She glanced at Juliette, who nodded in confirmation. “He owes us some answers.”
Juliette bit her lip as they rode. “As I told you on the ride, he’s never been forthcoming with me, but I agree it is the best place to start.” Bitterness hung from her words. The ritual Juliette had to perform to secure the Osten fae’s magic put her in contact with Zrak regularly. He had plenty of opportunities to tell her…something. His silence on the matter was noted. “We may get more information from him if Arctos and Aurora join us—given their history,” she added.
“I hope they’re only a day or two behind us, but I won’t wait for them,” Rose replied. They’d saved the Norden goddess when they’d confronted Aterra under the mountain. Even if they needed Arie and Aurora to save the continent, Rose wouldn’t begrudge them a day of privacy after hundreds of years of separation.
“I’m not sure about Zrak being more willing to share with them though,” Rose said, trying to ease some of the sting Juliette must feel from the Osten god’s reluctance to tell her about his plans. “Zrak hadn’t told Arie or Aurora that his sacrifice was more of an exile.”
Juliette’s lips remained pressed together as she acknowledged Rose’s words. “Do you have a second plan?” Juliette asked, returning the conversation to their next steps after arriving at Compass Lake.
“Arie would say you sound like Zrak now—with plans upon plans,” Carter pointed out.
Rose’s nose scrunched inadvertently. The more she learned, the less she understood the Osten god’s actions. His sacrifice wasn’t so much his existence as it was his place on the continent. Zrak still meddled from beyond the veil, sending soldiers made of smoke and wind, Nebulus, as harbingers of the disaster to come if Aterra wasn’t stopped. The villages they visited fell to a mist plague—the villagers in a state of endless sleep.
Zrak’s actions felt like random moves on a gameboard. She couldn’t piece together his overarching strategy—maybe he didn’t have one—but Arie said he was a planner. She shook her head again, unsure what to believe about the Lost God. The last thing she wanted to do was emulate him now, but she did have another plan, and she wanted to discuss it while they had privacy.
“We should discuss Carter’s shift,” Rose said. They now had his undivided attention. His shoulders tensed in a way that reminded her of hackles rising, and it told Rose all she needed to know. She was correct in her assumptions.
“Rose…” His voice held a plea, like maybe—if he asked nicely—she wouldn’t utter the ensuing words, the words he believed threatened his existence, though Rose didn’t understand why. She was not in the mood to dance around the topic. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Luc throw himself through the hole between realms. She felt his presence—and his magic—leaving the continent. While she wouldn’t rage at these two about the pain of his loss, neither would she shy away from uncomfortable topics that could help bring Luc back to her.
“We let you off easy at the Lake of the Gods. We had other things to do, namely, fight Aterra,” Rose pressed.
Juliette’s gaze slid between Rose and Carter. Maybe she hadn’t realized what Carter’s reaction to Arie’s shift meant.
“It’s dangerous to discuss,” Carter pleaded again, his voice a whisper.
“Why is that?” Rose asked. She honestly hadn’t recognized the animal for what it was. Juliette had been the one to whisper its name. This was further proof that those on the continent thought the animal extinct.
Carter sighed deeply, running his long fingers through his shaggy brown hair.
“What am I missing?” Juliette asked.
Carter searched the open mountain pass. No one was present for the half-mile ride across. There was arguably nowhere better to reveal his secrets.
“My shifted form is a veil cat,” he said.
“But…” Juliette’s eyes narrowed, and her head tilted as understanding creased her brow.
