Page 56 of Bound Paths
She tugged on Carter’s scruff to slow down when she finally saw someone. They looked…human—a woman carrying food. Rose noted eggs, bread, cheese, and other similar staples that one would purchase in a market on the continent. An odd light drew her eyes to the woman. The only unique feature was a glowing, fuzzy outline surrounding her. Was this the delineationof a spirit? Cassandra and her veil cats did not have such a glow when they saw them on their last visit.
Carter’s steps continued, pulling her forward. As they moved deeper into the settlement, Rose found more of the same. They were…people. People of all ages filled this village, going about their daily tasks. Some shopped, some had clothing for washing, others appeared on an afternoon stroll.
This was the afterlife? It appeared so…normal.
Everyone they passed seemed peaceful. Maybe it wasn’t bad, just a little mundane to Rose’s imagination. One thing didn’t add up though. There was nowhere near enough of them. When spirits came here, shouldn’t they exist indefinitely? This village should overflow with over five hundred years of the continent’s past inhabitants. How many other settlements existed? She was spiraling with questions. They were only a distraction as they got closer to the village center and the drawbridge that led to the castle. Her curiosity about the afterlife could wait. She was here for Luc.
Her gaze caught on an oddly familiar-looking face crossing the drawbridge. She couldn’t have claimed to know his features by heart, but having so recently seen him in Luc’s memory, she knew him immediately—Zrak.
He was tall and broad. His dark brown hair stood in contrast to his white skin. He strode across the bridge with purpose.
Rose must have thought something to Luc before she even acknowledged the shift in her plan herself.
“I’m not going anywhere, Rose. Follow him while you can. Please be careful.”
Rose nodded to herself in response, though she knew Luc couldn’t see it. She needed to know what Zrak’s plans were.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Zrak’s steps slowed as he entered the castle. Rose was thankful since she was still holding fast to a veil cat, and there were many more people to weave through. They maneuvered around others crossing the bridge with business in the castle and followed the Osten god down a hallway. Rose still had her compass out when it shifted direction. She looked up, the arrow pointing to a doorway across from where they stood. Luc told her to go—they needed to know what Zrak was up to. Decision made, Carter narrowly avoided running into a guard in the staircase as Rose turned them sharply in the opposite direction.
Zrak was heading to one of the towers.
Rose would take this chance. If Zrak was here, he couldn’t be speaking to the others. He must still be ignoring them. The more information she had, the more she knew Zrak was at the heart of what was happening beyond the veil. They needed to know what he knew.
They were approaching their third guard post station since entering. Rose’s eyes narrowed as she watched the guard wave Zrak through without discussion or question. It only left her with more questions. Who was Zrak to these people?
Juliette had prepared them for Zrak to have freedom of movement beyond the veil. He was able to meet her regularly for the ritual. It starkly contrasted the greeting Luc and Aterra received. What did Zrak know that Cassandra wanted so badly?
Unfortunately, it mattered to Rose because their overarching plan was to reinstate Zrak on the continent instead of Aterra. Whatever Zrak had done by controlling the mist plague was misguided, but it at least seemed to alert the Compass Points to the imbalance around them.
The results were devastating for the villages—their residents were still sleeping. But Rose held out hope that the mist plague could be reversed. She held out hope that Tara and other villagers could be awoken.
A part of her feared more lives would have been lost without the direct warning the mist plague brought. From the villagers’ journals, Rose knew the first warning signs before the Flood had been less forgiving than Zrak’s plague. Famine and disease had spread, and people had died before natural disasters took the continent.
They would fix it. She shoved down the thoughts of her mentee, Tara, and the residents of the continent who needed her as she slowed her pace. Zrak reached a door at the top of the winding stone staircase. He didn’t walk right into this one. He knocked.
Rose and Carter in his veil cat form shared a glance and inched as close to him as they dared. Following Zrak into this room would be tricky if he closed the door behind him. She pricked her finger and Carter’s paw again for good measure. Aurora’s dagger gave her no reason to think it would stop working, but Rose was nervous, already suspecting who was behind this door.
The magic wasn’t as suffocating as the first time they’d entered the realm unwelcome, but its power was still palpable.Cassandra, the Lady of the Veil, opened the door wide. A glimpse over her shoulder showed a room lined with overflowing bookshelves and a large wooden desk as the central piece of furniture. Rose could see a chaise in one corner. She wondered how often Cassandra used it. The Lady didn’t appear to be one who took moments of respite. She was all business as she acknowledged Zrak’s presence, leaving the door open for him and walking back to her desk.
This was it. They had to try to enter the room. Rose grabbed Carter’s scruff and readied to move as Zrak stepped inside. He grasped the door to close it. There wouldn’t be enough time for the two of them to enter.
Then, Zrak looked down at his tunic. Something on the chest must have caught his eye. He wiped at something on the fabric that Rose couldn’t see. She didn’t question it. These extra seconds were what they needed. As Zrak brushed away the non-existent speck, Rose and Carter slipped into Cassandra’s study. Zrak gently closed the door behind them.
With her heart rate elevated, Rose went straight to the chaise. It looked just the right length to catch her if she fell onto it, and she wanted to. Instead, she took a silent breath and positioned them in the out-of-the-way corner to watch Zrak and Cassandra’s meeting. It seemed a regular occurrence if the guards’ reactions to Zrak were any indication. Rose hoped they were about to learn the agenda.
“Avoiding your Osten Point again?” Cassandra drawled as she sat back in the plush chair. She lounged, putting her feet up on the corner of her desk, and Zrak took one of the less ornate seats for visitors.
Zrak made a non-committal noise of acknowledgement.
“You’re right to assume the others will be with her now,” Cassandra continued, oblivious to Zrak’s discomfort. “The Compass Points worked together enough to send Aterra here.They’ll all be with her if she’s back at Compass Lake and calling you.”
“Are you avoiding your friend Arctos, then?” The conversation in the room pulled her focus. Rose rubbed her sternum as she listened to Cassandra needle the Lost God about his peers on the continent.
“Who I’m avoiding isn’t your concern, Cassandra,” Zrak said as he rubbed his temple. His hair was in disarray. He must have run his hands through it already. Rose could tell Zrak didn’t have the carefree persona Arie did. Nor did he portray the direct strength she was beginning to associate with Aurora. The god pulled his hands from his face, placing them in his lap where he attempted to hold them still. Instead, they rubbed together silently as Cassandra continued to speak. Zrak seemed stressed.
“You can’t just stop your duties. You may avoid them, but you still must complete your work for me,” Cassandra pressed. Her feet fell back to the floor, and she leaned forward.
