Chapter 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN

T he group finished breakfast and relocated to the Norden library. Aurora sat in the plush chair, and Arie sprawled across the couch. Carter and Juliette stood by the bookshelves, though Juliette’s gaze lingered on the Compass Point table. The books Aaron brought were spread out and left open to key entries.

“Getting a head start?” Juliette asked. Rose followed them in and walked to the table, flipping through one of the books.

“Aaron brought them. I only read a few passages with him, but they make it clear that you were both right to suspect the stories about the Lady of the Veil,” Rose said, glancing at Carter and Juliette.

“How so?” Carter asked.

“They are journals from villagers in Marcil—it was maybe the only village to have documents preserved from before the Flood. They indicate the governor’s daughter had some kind of interaction with Cassandra. It might even be what helped preserve part of the village.”

“What kind of interaction?” Carter asked.

“That is very much up for debate.” Rose gestured to the stack of journals. “The entries I read said a bargain was made. Aurora and Arie seem to think it more malicious.”

Carter looked like he had many more questions, but Arie interrupted, asking, “Aaron didn’t want to stay and help?”

Rose looked at the others. “I think he’s hesitant to be around us all working together. And nervous to know what we’re doing. With Luc gone, the Suden will ask him questions. He said he’s a terrible liar, so the less he knows, the better.” Rose shrugged. “Though he did say he would continue searching through the Suden archives and for the governor’s daughter’s account.”

“Trust me, everyone is still confused about us working together,” Juliette said.

Carter nodded. “My advisors accused me of illicit relationships with you both.” He blushed, the words had come out before he’d thought them through.

Rose smiled. That, at least, meant he was comfortable with them, even if his advisors didn’t care for it.

“Honestly, it’s to be expected,” Juliette added. “Changing how the entire political structure of Compass Lake works will take time.” She glanced at Rose, who had opened her mouth to respond. “I’m not saying it’s impossible, and I’m not saying I won’t support the effort. I am saying we still have a bit of a time-sensitive mission here. The mist plague may have paused, but we don’t know if Zrak has complete control of when it’s deployed or if anyone else is pulling his strings. And we still don’t know how or if we can wake those impacted. We need to end this. And we need to get Luc back.” She added the last part offhandedly.

Rose crossed her arms over her chest. “Agreed. So, what’s next?”

“Well, it doesn’t make sense to go beyond the veil again until we have something concrete to say to the Lady since we know she’ll be waiting for us,” Carter said. “Maybe we should dig into these texts to see if they give us anything to work with.”

Aurora coughed slightly, drawing Rose’s attention. The way her eyes lit up when Rose’s gaze met hers told Rose it was feigned. The morning had been so full she had already forgotten the boon Aurora had shared with her.

“What if it’s not necessarily the case that Cassandra will be waiting for us when we arrive? What if we can enter the realm undetected?” she asked, fingering the dagger in her belt and pulling it into her palm. “What if the Norden artifact does more than we realized?” She held the handle firmly.

“What did you learn, Rose?” Arie asked, a small smile curling his lip.

“Our problem was that the Lady of the Veil knew we were there before we’d even had a chance to look around. What if we could go beyond the veil but not have to deal with the Lady or her cats as soon as we arrived?”

“If possible, it would be faster if you explained how,” Carter said.

“Fine.” She flipped the dagger in her hand. She used her wind to safely land the tip between her fingers—a game she remembered Luc playing with his magic while they chased Aterra around the continent. “The dagger doesn’t only enhance Norden magic, it can help the bearer go unnoticed.” She flipped the blade again, palming the handle.

“That could work.” As if thinking of his magic had brought forth his voice.

“How?” Carter reiterated.

Rose gestured to Aurora to see if she wanted to share. “By all means, Rose. It’s yours now.”

Rose flipped the dagger again. This time, allowing it to pierce her finger as it slid into place between her thumb and pointer. As soon as her blood touched the blade she saw magic ripple through the room. Concentric circles surged from where she stood and from other locations in the library as if decoys were already set up. Then, the raindrops of magic Aurora described started to fall. It was dozens of raindrops pouring into the room at once. They hit the ripples, creating more of their own, further obscuring Rose’s position.

She smirked as the others looked around the room for her. Juliette turned toward the window facing the lake. Carter glanced toward the fireplace, and Arie slowly turned as he sought her out. He shifted into his black bird form when he couldn’t find her and flew to the fireplace to perch. His head swiveled back and forth. Each of their senses appeared to indicate Rose was elsewhere in the room. Aurora stared straight at Rose, who hadn’t moved from her place by the table. The goddess gave her an approving smile.

“So much trust built, and you still knew they wouldn’t believe you. You needed to show them.” The others turned back to the table where Rose still stood—the location where Aurora’s words were addressed. Rose felt the ripples and drops dissipate, and Carter and Juliette’s eyes widened ever so slightly to see her standing in the original location, the dagger still poised between her fingers.

“Well, that might do it,” Carter said, stepping forward from his place against the bookshelf to reach for the knife. “May I?” he asked.

“Sure.” Rose handed it over, unsure what Carter could do with it but willing to let him try. He sniffed it. Some may have laughed at the gesture, but Rose’s nose was so attuned to magic scents that she knew what he was doing. It made her pause to wonder if his shifter nature strengthened his magical scent detection.

“It doesn’t smell like you,” Carter said. “But when you used it, we could sense your power throughout the room.” His cheeks flushed. “Clearly, in places you were not present. This is strong magic.”

“That’s the idea exactly,” Aurora said. “And it’s not so much the strength of power as honing the magic used into the perfect weapon. Wherever the blade goes, the ripples and drops will mask the origin.” Aurora looked a little smug. Rose decided she deserved it.

“There is a reason the best weapons-makers on the continent are Norden,” Aurora said, her gaze seeking Rose. “My people have my innate understanding of the balance between blade and magic.”

Rose lifted her chin. The words felt like Aurora was again claiming Rose as her own. Her family had always instilled that she was Norden—no matter her extra magic. The deep, hidden part of Rose that let what the elders had said bother her preened. She was where she was supposed to be. Her unique mix of magic had helped them get this far.

“Can the dagger’s magic cover more than just the Norden Point?” Carter asked. He was the obvious requirement to shepherd Rose on this journey beyond the veil. If only the dagger’s wielder was covered, they wouldn’t be better off than they’d been during their first attempt.

“Why don’t you two test it out?” Aurora said with a gleam in her eye.

“I’m game if you are,” Rose said.

“What do you need from me?” Carter asked.

Rose tilted her head to the side, thinking. She wasn’t quite sure. Aurora’s gaze was still heavy on her. The goddess seemed to sense Rose’s hesitancy in asking for help. Rose smiled gently at Aurora but shook her head. She appreciated the offer, but if everything went according to plan, Aurora wouldn’t be with them beyond the veil. They would be on their own to figure this out. They might as well see what they could do together without the goddess’s assistance.

“Give me a second,” Rose said, closing her eyes. She needed to feel the magic of the blade a bit more. Even from the brief test, it was clear how the magic shielded her origin point. The question was whether it would shield two points and for how long. Her weapons-master magic pushed against the blade. She rarely had cause to evaluate the magic of a blade already forged. It was similar to how she tried to understand the heart of a wielder before forging a weapon for them. Before fully wielding the dagger, she needed to understand the core of its power.

The blade was solid and well-made. Not that she doubted her patron goddess. Her magic slipped along the knife’s edge, coalescing at the tip. Though a dagger, she could tell this weapon was created for defense. As Aurora had alluded, she had asked her first Norden Point to trail Aterra on the continent. The magic was to keep him safe as he carried out his patron’s request. Her situation was slightly different but the same at the heart.

The gods still needed the Compass Points to clean up their mess. Rose just wouldn’t be doing it alone. She needed the blade to offer the same protection to the Vesten Point. Heat flared from the blade at her evaluation. As if it knew she questioned its ability. This was good. The blade’s heat almost felt like the Vesten fire. She opened her eyes and glanced at Aurora, who smiled wickedly.

Maybe it did feel like Vesten fire.

“I think we should give this a try,” Rose said. If some of Arie’s fire was already within the blade, Rose was sure it would strive to protect the Vesten Point as easily as the Norden. She turned to face Carter. “I’m not sure what to expect, but that’s why we’re testing it here.” Rose shrugged. “I’ll activate it, and then the others will tell us if they can see us.”

“Seems simple enough,” Carter said.

Rose poked her finger with the tip of the dagger. The moment her blood coated the blade, she felt the magic activate. Ripples cascaded, and water drops fell. The magic covered her and her movements—she could feel its shield. It didn’t feel like it covered the Vesten Point beside her though.

Turning to face Carter, she saw the magic didn’t spread over him the same way. He was still visible, though she wasn’t sure he would disappear to her eyes. It was more likely those covered by the blade’s magic would be able to see each other. Something about this was off. The waves and ripples didn’t disguise the location where Carter stood. They didn’t seem to notice him at all. She knew she’d failed when Carter’s gaze roamed the room.

“Carter, can you see me?” Rose asked. His gaze snapped back to where she stood. He could hear her, but he couldn’t see her.

“We can see Carter,” Arie drawled. He had returned to his human form and sprawled across the couch again.

Rose let the dagger’s magic fall and ran her fingers through her hair. “It didn’t naturally spread to him.” Her gaze roamed to Aurora as she spoke. She didn’t ask a question—yet.

She stared again at the dagger. A drop of her blood still covered the blade’s tip… Of course. “Carter, I think it needs your blood, too, if we expect it to cover you.”

Carter tilted his head in a very Arie-like gesture. “What do you mean?”

“If I’m not mistaken, it’s another form of blood magic.” Rose’s gaze met Juliette’s. “It seems all the gods dabbled with it, no matter what the humans on the continent thought.” Juliette tipped her chin in acknowledgment. Rose knew she’d been self-conscious about the ritual she performed to strengthen the Osten court. But the more they learned of the gods, the more she saw the line that separated their innate elemental magic and the blood magic considered less than was blurred at best.

“When I offer my blood, I’m asking for protection from the blade,” she said once again, turning to Carter. “If you also want the dagger’s protection, you must offer your blood to receive it.”

“That makes sense,” Carter said, slowly taking the dagger as Rose offered it. He poked his index finger, similar to what Rose had done. She repeated the gesture with him—immediately feeling the difference in the magic.

The ripples formed an oval shape around them. Carter was within the protective shield of the magic this time. She wanted to test it a bit more. Tugging his arm, she moved them toward the fireplace. Juliette’s eyes narrowed as she tried to find them in the room. Arie sat up, appearing to do the same. When he couldn’t see them, he shifted. Rose knew she’d made a mistake. She’d dragged Carter to the exact spot on the fireplace Arie had previously perched in his bird form. The bird’s wings brushed Carter’s head before they could relocate. Arie flapped again, this time in delight as he realized what he had done.

“ I found you!” he said for everyone in the room to hear. “ I win!”

Rose released the blade’s magic. “This isn’t a winning game, Arie,” she said. “Either we all win with Carter and I sneaking into Cassandra’s realm unnoticed, or we both get captured by the Lady of the Veil.”

Rose’s thoughts strayed to Luc. “Will I be able to find you?” Her thoughts then shifted to her compass that spun in circles.

Picking up on her thoughts, Luc replied. “I think your compass will work once we’re in the same realm, but if not, I can guide you.”

As if sensing where her thoughts had turned, Arie landed on her shoulder. “I’m sure he’s fine. ”

“He is,” she said with certainty. They were bound—if he were hurt, or worse, she would feel it.

She nodded and looked at Carter as he released the blade’s magic. “Again?” she asked.