Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

A n insistent tapping on the window pane jolted her awake.

“ Rose… Rose… Are you there?”

Arie, in bird form, was at the library window. Rose stood from the unnatural curl in which she had fallen asleep in the plush chair. She stretched and went to rub her chest, out of habit, glaring at the black bird perched on the ledge.

It didn’t pulse. The ache wasn’t present.

There was no denying she had been fully awake last night when she went into her magic. Rose knew what she had said—what she had felt. The all-consuming power that had flooded her with Luc’s laugh was even more potent than the first time she’d evaluated his magic.

As glad as she was to see Arie, she needed a moment. She slowed her steps to the window as she considered what happened. Her words—her truth—had released something . No matter how unlikely. Had she restored their connection? She wasn’t sure what the sign would be other than the already present relief from the discomfort of their separation.

Arie’s beak tapped on the window again, urging her to move this along. She rolled her eyes. His return would lighten her spirit even while she sassed him—family did that.

“How was the trip?” Rose asked as she let him in.

“It was uneventful.” Arie flew into the library, landing on the high wingback chair she had slept on, and surveyed the room. “What were you doing in here?”

Rose ignored his question momentarily and replied. “You mean uneventful besides the fact you and the love of your existence were reunited?” Rose leaned out the window and looked toward the front of the house. “Where is Aurora anyway?”

Arie’s bird shoulders seemed to hunch. He looked sheepish, and Rose delighted in it. She crossed her arms over her chest and waited.

“She said coming to the window and waking you was rude.”

Rose couldn’t hold in the laugh. It was loud and raw and lifted a weight she hadn’t noticed she carried. “I see she has some manners you may have missed learning. Is she in the entryway? I don’t hear Walter, but we can go get her.”

Arie flapped his wings. “She’s out back. That Walter character said you were still asleep, and she refused to let herself into the house when I planned to wake you.”

“Arie!” Rose chided. “You left her outside? You are the worst.” Rose looked down at the mess that was her. She was still wearing the tunic and leggings she had traveled in through the Osten caves and beyond the veil. “Give me just a moment. I’m going upstairs to change. I’ll meet you in the back entry. Please, go let her inside.”

Rose went about a brief morning routine in the bedroom she’d claimed before returning to the main floor of Norden house. Arie had switched to his human form and convinced Aurora to enter. She stood beside him, their backs to Rose as she entered the kitchen.

“Are you cooking?” Rose asked. The smell of eggs and sausage crackling caught her attention. Annabeth stood nervously on the other side of the counter. At the surprise in Rose’s tone, she couldn’t help but respond.

“That’s Lady Aurora…” she stuttered. Though Compass Lake didn’t have any statues of the gods, many villages on the continent did. Rose wondered where Annabeth was from that she recognized the Norden goddess. “They said they needed to cook breakfast to make up for waking you. I wasn’t in a position to kick two gods out of my kitchen.”

Rose smiled at Annabeth. “It’s fine. They’re mostly harmless.”

Arie shot a glare at Rose over his shoulder.

“Good morning, Rose. We’re sorry to disturb you so early,” Aurora said as she turned away from the food.

“Welcome. I’m more than happy to have you.” Rose skillfully avoided any names or titles for her patron goddess. Honestly, she wasn’t sure what to call her. She called Arie ‘Arie’ before she knew he was a god. By the time she found out, it was too late to change. She couldn’t help but notice, though, that the others called him Lord Arctos. Aurora, being her patron, seemed to indicate she should have a level of deference.

Her thoughts must have been written across her face as Aurora said, “You can call me Aurora. No formalities are needed between us.”

Rose nodded. “Thank you.”

Annabeth sucked in a breath of surprise.

Aurora glanced at the cook before turning back to Rose. “Would you walk with me while Arie finishes our meal?”

Rose’s gaze skimmed toward Arie. He had his back to her, but he nodded all the same as if realizing she would look to him for guidance. “Of course. Lead the way.”

Aurora was unsurprisingly familiar with the house. She may not have been there in a hundred years, but it must not have changed much. She led them out the back door, away from the lake. Rose had purposefully avoided this part of the grounds so far, but she wouldn’t tell the Norden goddess that. The property was large, but even a short walk would lead them past the caretaker’s house.

The tension in Rose’s shoulders must have given her away.

“Is this okay?” Aurora asked, her gaze searching the grounds for the problem.

“It’s fine.” Rose waved off the concern as they walked. She took in the workshop and caretaker’s cottage. Too many emotions were competing for the top spot—thoughts of the family she lost and the new life she’d found in returning to Compass Lake. This new realization with Luc was so fresh—she would need to ask Arie if he knew anything about bound fae when they got back.

The workshop had a few burn marks but otherwise looked unharmed. Rose sucked in a breath, getting her first up-close look at the rebuilt caretaker’s cottage. On the outside, it looked much the same as she remembered. Though, for her, the beauty of this cottage had nothing to do with its physical presence. Her family—the love she had grown up with. The grief that still gripped her heart so firmly. Now was not the time to face it.

“I’m sorry, Rose. Do you need a moment?” Aurora had stopped walking. It was clear she had said something before this, but Rose had been too lost in her thoughts to process whatever it was.

“My apologies, Aurora.” Rose swallowed thickly. “I haven’t strayed to this part of the property yet.”

Aurora’s eyes flashed in recognition. Arie must have told her some part of Rose’s history. “I’m so sorry. I should have taken us out front. I’ve always found this part of the grounds very peaceful.”

Rose smiled. “I agree.” She took a deep breath. She would confront her grief again soon. Avoiding part of the property indefinitely was not a life plan. Facing it was on her list, but she didn’t need to do it now. She turned, strategically placing her back to the cottage and her mom’s workshop. “Now, I apologize. What did you say before?”

“It seems trite now. I started the conversation by offering my condolences for your loss under Mount Bury.”

The words didn’t make sense to Rose. Her loss? Aiden’s loss didn’t feel like hers to claim, no matter how much she thought she’d made peace with it. Again, her confusion must have shown on her face.

“The Suden Point? Luc?” Aurora offered hesitantly. Her brows pinched. She was concerned with how this conversation was going.

“There is no need.” Rose’s hands tightened into fists at her side. Luc was not a loss she would grieve. “It’s a temporary separation. One he will pay for when I bring him back.” Rose let a smirk tug her lip, offering a confidence she wasn’t quite sure she possessed this morning. Rose wanted to change the conversation. Her best defense was a good offense. “I’m sorry you were trapped under the mountain for so long.”

Aurora smirked back. The goddess knew what she was doing but went along with it. “The one good thing about being a god is that a hundred years can seem like a blink. It wasn’t pleasant, and I felt useless, but time passed.”

Rose wasn’t sure she’d ever understand these gods. Even the one she counted as family.

“That is what I wanted to talk to you about,” Aurora said.

Rose stiffened. She hoped Aurora wasn’t circling back to the topic of Luc. “Which part?” she asked defensively.

“Feeling useless.” The goddess’s perfect posture loosened a little at the words, as if she were letting Rose in to see a more authentic version of herself than initially presented. “The worst part of being trapped was that I couldn’t help. I could only stew on the one stupid decision I made.”

Rose understood the feeling. It was easy to let her thoughts loop on a single event—a single action she wished she could change—like Luc throwing himself in a hole between realms. But fixating on that got her nothing but more heartache. She nodded at Aurora. “What do you want to do?”

“You plan to go beyond the veil to get him back.” It was a statement, not a question. And the goddess didn’t even know about the Compass Points’ activities yesterday. Rose was grateful for her confidence. “I want to help you.”

Rose tilted her head to the side. She wasn’t sure what the help of the goddess looked like. They already knew the Lady of the Veil’s realm wasn’t a welcoming place. Rose had planned to ask Arie and Aurora for more information since they were light on texts that could offer insight. Did Aurora have more than information in mind?

“Of course, I’ll accept any help, Aurora. Are you referring to something…specific?”

Aurora’s lips split into a full smile. The goddess was truly stunning. The excitement in her features added a radiance to the property around them. “I can see why you’re Norden Point.” Aurora coughed into her hand. “Of course, I can feel the strength of your magic.” She paused. “But that has never been all it takes to hold the seat. Your heartache is raw, but your words express an unwavering determination. That resilience. That tenacity. That makes you Norden Point.”

Rose wasn’t sure what to say. She felt her cheeks warm at the goddess’s attention. Arie had made her somewhat immune to being intimidated by a god or goddess, but this was her patron. It felt different to have the Norden goddess tell her she belonged here.

“Anyway.” Aurora waved her hand, dismissing her effusive praise. “I believe you have my artifact.”

“Which one?” Rose’s smile was coy.

Aurora laughed. “Good point. Can I assume both?”

Rose nodded. She first reached for the compass, tugging it from the chain below her tunic. She held it in her palm. “Since Luc left, this has just been spinning in circles. It never stops, never points anywhere.” She made to pull it off her neck, offering it to the goddess.

Aurora held up her hands. “You keep it. The spinning doesn’t surprise me. The veil is everywhere and nowhere on the continent. You desire something the compass doesn’t know how to locate.”

Rose rubbed a finger over the glass as the arrow spun beneath it. She’d figured as much. All she wanted was to know where Luc was—to get to him. It was a direction the compass couldn’t give her.

“The dagger is the one I think will suit you best on the next part of your journey.” Aurora glanced at the dagger on Rose’s belt. “From what Arie tells me of the other Compass Points, you may have multiple paths to get beyond the veil.”

“So Arie knew what Carter was?” Rose’s lip tipped up into a smile.

Aurora had the grace to look a little bashful. “Oh, yes. I’m sorry. He mentioned he hadn’t said anything before you confronted Aterra. He seemed confident you would figure it out.”

Of course, he did. “Conceptually, we have multiple paths.”

“Oh?” Aurora sounded intrigued.

“We tried both yesterday. Zrak didn’t come when Juliette called, but Carter shifted and took me beyond the veil. We were only there momentarily. The Lady of the Veil was instantly alerted to our presence and wasn’t welcoming.”

“You found the tree path already?” Aurora seemed shocked.

“The tree path?” It was Rose’s turn to be surprised. Her mind conjured the giant willow tree in the Vesten garden—the one she and Arie had dug under to find the Vesten coin—but it was no path beyond the veil.

Aurora tilted her head, seeming to realize a mistake. “How did you go beyond the veil?”

“Where the Osten Point performs the power-sharing ritual with Zrak. The location proved to have enough wild magic and thinning between realms for Carter to find his way through.”

Aurora’s mouth opened and closed. “Arie’s right. You’re quite reckless when you’re determined.”

Rose wasn’t sure what to say to that. She moved her hand to her hip.

“I told him we should have come back with you directly.” The goddess now appeared to be talking to herself. She paused as if realizing Rose was still there. “Zrak didn’t respond at all?” Aurora asked.

“He didn’t. Juliette said she had more time…” Rose coughed, unsure how to explain it. “That he sometimes pushed the limit on the power-sharing, but he’d never missed it. I’m hoping you and Arie can try with her now that you’re here.”

Aurora nodded. “May I see the dagger?” She stretched her hand out to Rose.

She handed the dagger with the bright blue gem in its handle to the goddess who had made it. Rose always wondered if her weapon master magic had been stronger than others, not only due to her dual lines but due to Aurora being her patron. Aurora herself was the weapons master of the gods. Her talent knew no comparison.

“Few know the power of the Norden artifact,” Aurora began.

“Doesn’t it enhance Norden magic?” Rose asked.

“It does, but in the same way the Suden artifact enhances a Suden power few are aware of.”

Rose smiled at that. She should have known that Aurora’s artifact would have more to it. She hadn’t really tried to use it yet. She’d been so focused on pulling the magic of all four Compass Points together that she hadn’t spent time trying to dig deeper into her own.

“I know you’re still getting reacquainted with your magic,” Aurora started. “And as I saw under the mountain, you seem to have your hands full as the Compass Points’ magic lead. But I want you to know”—she cleared her throat—“you don’t have to be afraid to use this.”

Rose tilted her head in question.

Aurora’s cheeks flushed. “I-I…” she stammered. “I thought maybe you didn’t use the dagger’s magic because you were afraid to after learning there was a connection between Compass Point and patron. I want you to know I’m more than fine. I know I didn’t look it in the cavern. But my magic wasn’t depleted like with Juliette and Zrak. It was simply that the wild magic of the cavern enhanced Aterra’s power. That small edge was enough to make a difference between gods.”

Rose was even more confused. “I wasn’t avoiding drawing power from the dagger,” Rose said. “I honestly hadn’t considered what the dagger could do.”

Aurora laughed. “Then why did you take the time to retrieve it?”

Rose shrugged. “I was making a statement about being able to claim it, not leaning on any power it might have.” Rose’s lip curled into a smile. “Sometimes the symbol of power is enough.” She gestured to the dagger. “So, what unknown Norden power does this enhance?”

“The dagger’s primary function is to ensure the wielder can move unnoticed,” Aurora replied.

That could mean a lot of things. She couldn’t figure out how her water magic could help her go undetected. Not that she knew of a deep connection between the Suden earth magic and mind shadow either. The Suden ability to change or share memories was distinct from their element. She wondered more and more if the gods knew what they were doing when they created the fae courts. Rose held her onslaught of questions and focused on one. “How?”

“Your mind is a fearsome thing, Rose. I can see it working. The dagger’s power does connect to water magic. I think of it like the drops of rainwater on a lake. So many fall at once, it’s hard to tell which drop caused which ripple. The dagger does something similar to shield you and your magic. It ensures your presence won’t be directly felt. It creates a series of interruptions to the expected—a diversion—giving the wielder the ability to move undetected. It will be exactly what you need when you go beyond the veil again.”

Rose’s magic had already started to hum at the thought of having something new to try in its desperate desire to retrieve Luc. “You seem so sure,” Rose said.

“Isn’t it though?” Aurora’s face was stoic but confident. At least Rose took this to mean the gods understood something about the Lady of the Veil’s dislike of visitors. Aurora wouldn’t suggest she needed the ability to go undetected beyond the veil otherwise.

Rose tried another tack. “What was it used for?”

Aurora pressed her lips tighter together. Rose was sure she was fighting a grin. “Most say the concept of trading secrets only started with the second age of Compass Points. But this dagger was given to Jacob, the first Norden Point. You’ve learned enough to know we had suspicions about Aterra, even then. Jacob tracked him when he could. He tried to learn what Aterra was doing when he spent time with the Suden. The dagger protected him from Aterra realizing he was being followed, though Jacob never collected enough information for us to use.” Aurora tilted her head. “He was also setting up a court, so I understood. I asked a lot of him. Just as a lot is being asked of you.”

Interesting, but not quite the information she was looking for. It seemed too convenient that Aurora knew they needed to be undetected beyond the veil. They must know something about the Lady of the Veil’s magic—how she could know when someone crossed into her realm. Rose would try again later to figure out what the gods knew. Rose switched gears to the opportunity before her. “How does it work?”

“It’s activated with the blood of the Norden Point. You need only poke yourself, and you’ll feel it’s magic.”

“Like blood magic?” Rose asked. First, Juliette used blood magic in her ritual, and now the Norden Point’s blood was used to access the blade’s power.

“Blood magic isn’t that different from ours,” Aurora said. “It wasn’t the gods that looked down on it. The gods’ magic is an innate balance with the continent, hence why we had to offer some of our power to create the fae to reclaim the balance we had lost.” Aurora shook her head as if pushing away memories she would rather not dwell on. “Blood magic is nothing more than giving an offering to the continent and requesting something in return. The land responds.”

Rose considered how the land beyond the veil had responded to the Lady when she approached. Her power seemed to do more than uphold balance with the land—it seemed a part of it. Carter had noticed the connection as well. What had led to such a union between goddess and realm, and how would it change their ability to retrieve those they needed from beyond the veil?