Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

T he cave didn’t get any warmer as the Compass Points walked deeper into the maze of tunnels. Rose shivered, especially after the onslaught of wind on the ridge, and she wished she’d brought a cloak.

They walked for another mile. Making this maze of caves difficult—even for the Osten—was unnecessary, one more item on a long list of things to hold against Zrak when they finally spoke to him. Conceptually, Rose knew Zrak was a better option for the continent than Aterra. She couldn’t help but wonder about the impacts of switching their places. If the Osten had to do this ritual to stabilize their magic with Zrak beyond the veil, would the Suden have to do something similar with Aterra there? Surely, Luc wouldn’t need it with his demigod nature. She shook her head. They wanted to build a sustainable future for the continent’s people though. They’d need to think about how their actions impacted Luc’s successor.

She rubbed her sternum as she thought about Luc and the boost of magic she’d received when she needed it most on the ridge. The crossing, though terrifying, had unlocked more details from her dream. The black stone was the lakebed of her magic now. The earth magic she felt—Luc was trying to break through, just like he had tried… She was more certain than ever that last night’s encounter wasn’t just a dream.

Before, she’d felt a devastating emptiness, a gap where she knew his magic had made itself at home. Now she felt a pulsing ache like knocking against a door, trying to enter. She wanted to let him in—she just didn’t know how.

“Rose,” Juliette’s call interrupted her thoughts. “Are you coming?”

Rose looked up. She’d been rubbing her chest and had stopped walking. Ahead, dimly lit by Carter’s fire, the path ended. The tunnel opened into a large cavern. She jogged to where Juliette and Carter stood at the entryway.

It was an oddly circular room, like a half-dome. The eerie purple glow of the cave walls was even more prominent here. “This is it,” Rose said, and Juliette nodded. The wild magic was alive around them. Her skin tingled as it made itself known.

“Can you feel it?” Juliette asked.

“Definitely,” Rose replied. “I know you said it was present, but this feels…” Rose took a deep breath. “Stronger even than the Lake of the Gods.”

Juliette nodded. “I don’t know how Zrak found this location, but I realized its similarity to Mount Bury as soon as we arrived there.”

“What do we do next?” Rose asked, her gaze shifting around the room before finally landing on the Osten Point. Juliette seemed to be keeping expectations of Zrak low, but it made sense to at least try to speak with him before she and Carter blindly crossed realms.

Large stalactites fanned out around the flat circular section. The rock formations seemed to guide the eye to this specific patch of wall. The jagged columns from the ceiling led directly to it. Rose swore something almost shimmered in the air. Carter’s floating flames drew nearer to the area as Juliette led them in, making the purple hue of the cave even more prevalent.

“This is where he would appear,” Juliette said, gesturing to the flat space on the wall. “He appears like an outline, a shadow, when present. I will perform the ritual, but I’m unsure what to expect after the brute force approach on the planes outside Sandrin.”

Rose nodded. Juliette was telling her not to get her hopes up. She appreciated the practicality. As the Osten Point prepared for the ritual, Carter prowled the cave in a movement Rose could only call feline. He kept sniffing the air and folding into himself like he was struggling with something.

“You okay, Carter?” she asked. Rose could hear the strain in his voice as he spoke.

“I’m fighting the change now,” he said.

Juliette glanced at Carter. “I think Zrak’s continued visits here have thinned the space between the realms even more than the magic enacted under Mount Bury had,” she said.

“I agree with that assessment,” Carter replied through gritted teeth.

“Well, let me try this,” Juliette said. “When Zrak inevitably ignores me, you can attempt the crossing yourself.”

Taking a position in the center of the rock formation-laden path, facing the empty wall, Juliette breathed deeply, pulling the vial from beneath the neckline of her dress. Her hand gripped one of the daggers Rose had made from the custom holster, using the tip to gently slice the skin on her finger.

Blood welled, and as it did, she poured the droplets of Zrak’s blood atop it. She clenched her hand into a tight fist, more blood rising to the surface and mixing with Zrak’s. Enough of the mixture spilled between her knuckles, allowing drops to fall to the cavern floor.

This was the mixing of the Compass Point and their patron’s blood. Juliette also had Zrak’s artifact, the vial, used to hold his blood. And they were in a place with great magic, one the Lost God himself had found. The only thing missing now was Juliette’s will.

Juliette closed her eyes and moved her lips. Rose couldn’t hear the words. She wondered if it was a way to set her intention, to tell the magic she gave this freely for the Osten fae. Something caught in Rose’s throat as she thought of all the times Juliette had been down here alone, doing this exact ritual, with no one knowing the burden she carried for her people. Rose kept her eyes focused on the Osten Point. Juliette may not need it, but Rose wanted to acknowledge the weight the court leader silently carried. The weight of the burden must be heavier than Rose could imagine—being the only way to sustain the Osten’s magic. Her only partner in this endeavor was a mercurial god who couldn’t be bothered to share his plans. Juliette’s gaze connected with Rose’s as if she could read her thoughts. She nodded in recognition, then turned to the wall and spoke.

“Zrak!” her voice was strong and confident as it echoed through the cave. “I call on you to complete the ritual. We must strengthen the Osten court once again.”

The words hung in silence. Moments passed. Carter and Rose shared a look, unsure what to expect. Juliette squeezed her clenched fist tighter, and more drops of blood fell to the ground. “Zrak!” she called again. “It is time!”

Nothing changed on the cave wall. Somehow, Rose knew Zrak wasn’t coming. Juliette waited a few more moments, and then she gave up. Turning her back to the wall, she returned to where Rose and Carter stood.

“I can’t say I’m surprised.”

“How much longer do you have? Before his absence will impact the Osten magic?” Carter asked gently.

“At least a few more days.” She shrugged. “He’s pushed the limit before but hasn’t failed us yet.” Her ensuing sigh was so heavy, Rose swore she felt the weight of Juliette’s burden in it.

“I guess you’re up,” Rose said, turning to Carter.

The Vesten Point sniffed the air again. Even in his fae form, the action looked feline. It was the same way Arie’s actions sometimes reflected those of his favored bird form.

“I am confident we can cross here,” Carter said. His whole body seemed to shiver. “This place calls to my veil cat. Even more so than the cavern under the Lake of the Gods did.” He rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck.

Rose didn’t want to admit how delighted she was to hear this. Jumping into this as they had, she wasn’t sure what to expect from Carter once they arrived.

“Let’s go then,” she said, clapping her hands together. Rose tried to keep appropriate expectations. Yes, the magic of the cavern called Carter, but he’d never done this before. Anything could happen. His face was set as his gaze wandered the cavern’s space. The balls of flame he’d sent floating around the room cast a host of shadows from the stalactites and stalagmites around them. Carter seemed more confident than she’d ever seen him as he walked to the same place Juliette had stood. He tilted his head, staring at the spot on the wall she said Zrak used when he appeared.

The pulse of magic in Rose’s chest flared as if Luc’s missing magic was trying to tell her something. She rubbed her sternum again. As soon as they were beyond the veil, she would check her lake of magic and see if the connection was there when they were in the same realm.

“We’ll use the same location,” Carter said, nodding to himself. Rose looked at the solid wall but decided not to question it.

“What do you need me to do?” she asked.

“I’m going to shift,” Carter started. “And in the veil cat form, we won’t be able to communicate much. I can understand anything you say, but we’ll be limited to yes and no answers.”

“What’s the plan?” Rose asked, staring again with apprehension toward the cave wall.

“Even in my fae form, I can see the residue from the realm beyond. My powers with the veil cat are growing. They tend to increase in places like this.” He scratched his head. Then, his gaze darted away from the wall. He was considering something and didn’t like the result.

“What is it?” Rose asked.

“Best if I don’t share this one ahead of time. It’ll only make you nervous.” Carter didn’t look at her, but his smirk told her everything she needed to know.

Rose opened her mouth to respond, but the pulse of phantom magic in her chest distracted her. Absentmindedly rubbing at it again, she glared at Carter. As if he’d somehow made the magic flare so she wouldn’t argue with him. “Fine,” she conceded.

“Should I wait for you here?” Juliette asked. “Do you think you’ll return to the same place?”

“If everything goes according to plan, we should,” Carter said with more emphasis on the words ‘according to plan’ than she cared for. “We shouldn’t be long though. If we take over an hour, we’ll meet you back at Osten house.”

Rose didn’t like the sound of that, but it was her decision to run headfirst into this. She’d accept whatever Carter thought might happen.

“What now?” Rose asked. The pulsing in her chest hadn’t stopped, but she was certainly distracted by the shift in magic in this place. Carter was right about the strength of it.

He didn’t respond, and when Rose looked beside her, a veil cat sat where the Vesten Point had been. The animal arched its back in a way only a feline could, signaling for Rose to reach down and touch it. She kept her hand on his back, digging into the scruff on his neck as they walked forward.

They moved toward the flatter section of the cave wall that Carter had asked about, moving around the rock formations in the floor and ceiling. It was where Juliette had said Zrak usually appeared—if he appeared at all. It looked so solid. Rose suddenly got a bad feeling about the plan Carter said she wouldn’t like.

The magic in the cavern was potent. Rose had to trust Carter to know what he was doing. Or at least knew what might work. She was desperate enough to go along with either option. She lifted her hand from the veil cat’s back to rub her sternum again, at another throb of phantom magic.

The cat’s head spun quickly, growling at Rose. Carter’s feline face was all teeth. She quickly placed her hand back in the cat’s fur.

“Message received,” she mumbled. “I will hold on.” Her fingers wove deeper into the veil cat’s scruff.

Carter nodded as if mollified by her hand’s return.

Rose swallowed, a little nervous that she couldn’t hold on through whatever he was about to do. She tangled her fingers into the cat’s fur to secure her grip without hurting him. The cat nodded at her action, so it must not be too tight. He arched his neck toward her fingers, encouraging a firmer grip.

Rose’s gaze returned to the solid stone wall in front of them. They kept moving toward it. He lifted a paw and pointed toward it.

“The wall?” Rose asked.

The veil cat nodded.

“What about it?” she laughed to herself. He couldn’t answer that, and she doubted he would if he could. She had a sneaking suspicion she knew what his plan was—and he was right. She didn’t like it.

“Never mind,” she swallowed thickly and stared at the wall—definitely solid. Even with her magic senses, she saw nothing that indicated the cave surface had any give.

He couldn’t possibly be planning what she thought he was.

Her fingers loosened as she momentarily lost her nerve. Carter’s warning growl was enough to remember herself. “Just do it before I think too hard about this.”

The cat’s tail flicked back and forth at a steady pace. Rose secured her grip. She glanced at Juliette, wondering what this scene looked like to her. The second Rose turned her head, her body lurched forward.

She held tighter, the veil cat growling at the ferocity of her grip. As she turned her head back toward the cave wall, Rose let out a growl of her own.

He had taken a running leap. They were lunging through the air directly toward the solid wall.

They were going to hit it face-first.

Saying she trusted Carter was one thing. Letting him throw them at a solid cave wall seemed something else. Cursing Carter’s name as they flew through the air, Rose closed her eyes and tightened her limbs, preparing for impact.