Page 38 of Wolf Trap

Lycaon shifted, rolling back his shoulders, his chin up as he sniffed the air. Cautiously, we approached, finding a path of sorts, and walked in single file. All my senses were on alert, but Lycaon said nothing.

Under the canopy of the trees, the air was sweet, mossy and cool. Still with a brine that I could taste as we neared the ocean with each step, but the forest was abundant with the chatter and chirping of birds, and the buzzing of insects. Along the trail, clusters of flowers, their long stalks ebbing in the breeze, their delicate scent and their tissue thin petals sprung clusters of pink, honey and violets.And as we walked, a faint waft of wild garlic hung in the air.

From the forest, a stony path led us to a precipice overlooking the temple below.

I spied a narrow track to our right, winding down.

Now higher in the sky, the brilliance of the sunrise caught on the copper pillars that stood before the temple, their brightness causing me to shield my eyes.

They looked like beacons and radiated orange-gold all around. The honey-stone temple below shimmered under the heat, hesitation mixed with wonder as I started the steep traverse down.

If we were wrong, it was a long way back.

I stopped and turned around. The track was narrow, one person at a time, so I peered around Lycaon, who technically took up the space of two people.

“Anthony, why not try now? Can you get us home?”

He scratched his head, then used both hands to sweep his dark curls back off his face. “Are you sure you don’t want to know why we’re here?”

“I can live without it.” I shrugged.

We all stopped.I asked, “Do you want my help? I mean, I know in the manor your magic was blocked. What if I added mine to help?”

“You can try, but if you’ve never done it, it could be unwieldy.”

Lycaon’s voice resonated through me, “Best not, Elsa. I mean…”

I nodded, sighing and turned to look at the sea in the distance. The sun cast a sheen like glittering emeralds hued with gold over the waves.

Anthony mumbled. Hakon kicked the ground and sat on the mossy surface beside the path.

“Yeah, please get us out of here, Anthony. I’ve had enough fresh air for one decade. Get me back to the grimy city, for the love of God, will you?”

We all swayed as energy bounded around us, Anthony cussed.

“Damn, it’s just, it’s not happening!”

My body slumped. “Thanks for trying.” Reluctance pulled at my legs. The temple then. I wasn’t excited by it. I mean, I was curious, but I doubted, knowing my luck, that anything good was inside of it. Probably death lurking behind the door.

We made it the rest of the way down in silence, stopping from time to time to cast a glance at the sea, the views all around.

No water flowed from the fountain, two gold sphinxes stood on their hind legs, mouths open, no doubt where the water would have flowed. Their golden bodies had dulled, and the ground around them and inside the fountain were filled with sand.

In fact, sand was everywhere, even now in my boots.

As the wind picked up, I shielded my face as we walked to the temple doors. My heart in my throat, I swallowed.

It seemed we thought the same and for a few seconds, all of us stood there staring at the huge carved double doors, not wanting to know what horror lay on the other side.

Hakon broke the silence. “What say we spill a little blood, conjure up some power, and try again to go home?”

Lycaon, his chest raised, spluttered a laugh. “What trouble waits for us in there?”

His voice strained, Anthony replied, “Have faith! Maybe it’s something good. A powerful icon, a warm bath, an ancient weapon we can use to defeat Adara?”

I walked right up to the door. “No. It’s probably monsters, death… Probably something that stinks. Severed heads? Still, let’s hold our breath and get it done. I’m really over Adara now.”

“It could be where they’ve hidden the bodies of the angels?”

---