Page 98 of Bound Paths
Rose didn’t blame him, though he teased. It was unfortunate that their first few weeks together as bound partners were on the road with the Compass Points. Her desire for Luc was all-consuming—his need to touch her after their separation seemed to match her own.
“They deserve it,” Juliette said with a wink. “They worked hard for this.”
Rose agreed.
The Compass Pointsand Luc visited five other villages in the northeast in this manner. Slowly, they traveled west over the mountains. Rose’s breath started to race at the familiar peak in the distance—Mount Bury—where so much of this began with the gods of this continent. More important to her story, it was the home she and Arie had created for ten years while hiding from Aiden and Compass Lake.
Rose had tried not to focus too much on Tara her almost apprentice—her friend. The young girl had seen Rose for what she was: not fae, but a talented weapons master. Most villagersonly believed Rose to be a shop assistant. They never considered her the one to make and use the weapons herself. Tara had, and she begged Rose to train her as the mist plague worsened.
Tara had been so worried something would happen. And, of course, the worst had. Rose hadn’t been in the village with her weapons when the mist hit, and she carried heavy guilt for leaving Tara defenseless.
She couldn’t decide if she was excited or nervous to see Tara again. More than anything, whether Tara also blamed her, Rose needed to know that she was okay and had risen from her endless sleep.
Luc’s magic wrapped around Rose as they rode. Her mind ran in circles of anxious thoughts. Her bound partner didn’t say anything; his words wouldn’t help. She knew she had to face whatever was at the Lake of the Gods, but his magic held her body steady while her thoughts scattered.
They made their way up the familiar mountain path. The west side of the crater was the part that held the village. The eastern side was so wild that there wasn’t a direct path up. They had to go around the mountain to climb it on horseback. Rose bit her nails as they finished the ascent.
The Compass Points dismounted outside the village. Luc reached for her hand and squeezed before she started her work. Her heart thrummed in her chest. It was all she needed from him, and he knew it. He would be there for her no matter what happened in Bury. While not a solution to her concerns, it was a reassurance all the same.
Using their joined magic got easier each time she made the connections. Their power worked together effortlessly to push away the mist. Rose breathed as it swept away from the place she’d called home for so long. Taking Luc’s outstretched hand, they entered the village as its occupants awoke.
Word spread through those who woke that the Compass Points were here. Though mainly human, this village considered Aurora its patron goddess. Rose hadn’t thought there was much reason behind villages claiming patrons. She thought it had to do with location on the continent and that, generally, more Norden fae lived in the North. Now that Rose knew the history of the lake and that Aurora had created it, the designation was all the more fitting.
It made sense then, that this village was particularly interested in the new Norden Point.
Whispers followed them as they walked. Word had even spread that the Norden Point was a powerful weapons-master. Rose received a few surprised gasps as those who knew her made the connection.
“Rose, you’re the Norden Point?” The youngest of the Dawson family approached her. The young girl had been helping her family sell vegetables across the market aisle from Rose for years.
“Hi, Samantha,” Rose said. “Yes, I am.”
The girl’s eyes went wide—and impossibly wider as they focused on Luc standing beside her. It seemed she recognized the ex-Suden Point. That was funny in itself. Rose had chosen Bury as a place to hide because the people seemed so far removed from Compass Lake politics. Rose had been so removed herself that she hadn’t recognized Luc when he’d first arrived. But the Dawson family traveled more than most in the village to sell their vegetables at other markets.
“It’s okay, Sam,” Rose tried. “He’s with me.” She winked, and the girl relaxed a little. “Is everyone…” Rose coughed a little over the word. “Is everyone awake in the village? Carter, the Vesten Point, can help if anyone didn’t wake up on their own.” Rose couldn’t imagine anyone here needed that level of help, but she asked anyway. This village had only been impacted for weeksinstead of hundreds of years like Eris. Rose couldn’t believe it had only been six weeks since the mist struck her island home—since this journey had started for her.
Luc squeezed her hand to return her attention to the girl before them.
The girl beamed. “We all woke up. I haven’t seen anyone still sleeping. We’re all meeting in the square now, though, to make sure.”
Rose nodded. She’d expect nothing less from these villagers. They would do a full roll call and ensure everyone was accounted for. Rose’s breath caught when the girl kept going.
“I’ve heard people asking about you,” the girl said quietly. “The villagers realized we didn’t know where you lived.”
Some organ constricted in Rose’s chest at the words. She never truly considered herself among the Bury villagers—but the villagers counted her among their number. Luc’s hand slipped into hers again and squeezed, a grounding gesture.
“I think Tara is searching…” The girl’s words were cut off by a voice yelling Rose’s name across the town square.
“Rose! Roooossse!”
Rose sucked in a breath and pushed her fingers tighter into Luc’s solid grip. Her nails dug into his knuckles as her nerves overtook her. Tara’s dirty blonde hair bounced in a ponytail as she ran. The pendant she always wore, a mark of her devotion to the goddess Aurora, bounced against her sternum as she sprinted through the square. Rose wasn’t sure what to do. A part of her wanted to expect a hug. She imagined Tara throwing herself into Rose’s open arms. But another part of her was sure she was about to face Tara’s disappointment and anger for leaving her to this fate. Rose held her breath, unable to prepare for either option.
“Open your arms, you idiot. I’m not stopping!” Tara yelled as her feet carried her nearer.
Rose did as she was told, and the young girl threw herself into the Norden Point’s open arms. Before Rose could overthink it, her arms collapsed around Tara, and she squeezed tightly. The number of times she’d assumed the worst, the number of times she thought Tara would no longer want a place in her life because her training failed when she needed it most—all her worries slipped away as Rose breathed in the girl’s scent. This wasn’t a magical scent. Tara was human, but it was the smell of fresh air and long days. It was a scent that reminded Rose of the home she and Arie had made. As she set Tara down and straightened herself, it finally occurred to her that it was a home she no longer claimed as her own. Luc’s hand touched the small of her back as if reading her thoughts—maybe he was. She’d kept the link between them open more and more on their trip, addicted to the connection.
“I’m so sor—” Rose started, but Tara held up a hand to stop her.
“I knew you’d start with something stupid. The mist plague came, Rose. You had prepared me the best you could. I’ve heard a lot in the short time since I woke. If the rumors are true, it seems you could have stopped it, so I won’t say you couldn’t, but you didn’t know! And look at me! I’m fine. And you’re fine.”
