Chapter 39

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

D espite the sacrifices, the Compass Points had to travel together to heal the continent. No matter Rose’s personal preferences, she knew the others were right when they suggested going to the northeastern cities, where the mist plague first originated. They all had things to do at Compass Lake, a new continent they wanted to work towards, but all of their magic would be required to pull those impacted from their slumber.

Rose ached to get to Bury, thinking of Tara lying in the barn outside of town, but she respected their decision.

Luc traveled with them, his horse never far from Rose’s, their new wordless communication a source of constant annoyance to their travel party. Darren had asked Luc to help announce his position as Suden Point, but Rose knew Luc wouldn’t have so easily been parted from her even without Darren’s request.

“We will stop in Bury on the way back,” Carter said days into their ride. They had taken a seldom-used eastern path out of the mountain range that held Compass Lake, then took a northern road in the valley on the continent’s eastern side. They thought they had a good idea of everywhere the mist plague had struck. Zrak had outlined his targets on a map for them before they left. They would need to go northeast. Then, they could follow the Nebulus’s path southwest. It would be a long trip. The fae leaders would need to spend weeks circling the continent, but this was their priority.

They were almost to the village of Eris. Rose could see the mist hanging around it as they rode. “We’ll have to see if we can move it from the outside,” she said. She hadn’t had time to make a weapon for Darren though she would eventually.

“Let’s give it a try,” Carter hedged.

The Compass Points hopped off their horses outside the gates. It was easy now for Rose to make the internal connections of their magic. In a matter of moments, she was at her internal lake, the power of the Compass Points flowing through her. She focused on Eris. This wasn’t holding a god, but it was shifting a god’s power. She let the stream of their combined elements flow from her. It acted as a strong gust of wind, sweeping the mist away from the village.

“That was easy,” Rose said, watching the mist dissipate under their magic’s pressure.

“Let’s go see if it worked,” Juliette said more cautiously.

“These are the spirits I’m most worried about,” Carter added. “I’m not sure all of them will be able to find their way back to their bodies after having been separated for so long.” He’d explained to them that the longer the bodies lay in the endless sleep, the more likely it was their spirits left them. Carter was still convinced they weren’t dead. The spirits weren’t trying to cross beyond the veil. They simply ventured while the physical body slept.

Rose nodded. This first village taken was one Aurora had initially noticed. The reason the remaining gods had come together and taken the test Zrak had laid out for them under Mount Bury. Rose was trying to do the math; that must have been three hundred years ago.

The mist plague rapidly increased in its presence once Aterra took the Norden Point seat through Aiden, but its origin point, the few villages hit in the first few hundred years, might be more challenging to correct than most.

“I can see some,” he said as they entered the village gates. “They haven’t all returned to their bodies,” he mumbled quietly. Plenty of other villagers seemed to have immediately awoken and began to approach the Compass Points.

Rose and Luc surveyed the village and the approaching residents hand in hand. The questions started immediately as the people woke.

“What happened?”

“Is it over?”

“Who are you?”

These villagers had been asleep so long, they wouldn’t even recognize the names of the Compass Points. Rose let Juliette speak first. She wasn’t Osten Point when this village fell, but she had the most history of the Compass Points to offer them.

“We’re here to help. We know this has to be incredibly confusing for so many of you. We are the Compass Points. You are likely only familiar with our predecessors.” Juliette offered introductions and then took a breath. “I don’t know how much you realize, but it’s been hundreds of years since the mist plague took Eris.”

Rose watched the crowd of villagers and noted a sea of nods at Juliette’s words.

“Why do some of us still sleep?” someone asked. The crowd made noises of agreement at the question.

Carter glanced around. Rose knew enough to realize he was watching the spirits’ movement. He looked at Rose, who shrugged. She knew what he would do. It would cause more questions, but if he was comfortable, the rest would be, too.

A moment later, Carter had shifted, and a veil cat stood before them. Juliette raised her voice and continued explaining things as Carter worked. Rose watched him growl at the sky. Her confidence in his abilities told her he was directing spirits back to their bodies, but those in the village didn’t know that as they began to shrink back in fear.

“What is he?” someone yelled.

“That’s no animal I’ve ever seen,” another said.

“He’s helping.” Rose held out her hands in a gesture of peace. “Some of the spirits need help getting back to their bodies. The Vesten Point can shift into a veil cat. He can guide the spirits.”

“I thought they were extinct!” someone shouted in the crowd.

More villagers woke with Carter’s gentle growls. Until finally, everyone stood.

“We’re rare but not extinct,” Carter said standing before them again as a fae male. “You’ll see more of me in that form, so please don’t fear it.”

The villagers looked on with hesitation. Rose thought that was fair. They had thrown a lot at these people in a very short time. As the remaining villagers woke and joined the group, the joy increased, and suspicion dimmed.

Action was how they would win this village’s trust. They would be Compass Points who proved willing to do what they said.

Luc’s hand slipped into Rose’s as they walked through the village. He squeezed their interlocked fingers, and she smiled at him. He’d only been back for days, and they were on the road again, but she would never get used to the hum of her magic when they touched.

His magic thrummed in appreciation of her reaction and wrapped around the two of them. Their display may be visible to some villagers, but most were too concerned for their loved ones to notice the bound pair’s flirtation. And Rose wasn’t hiding that they were bound. She would continue her tenure as Norden Point the same way she’d started it—with as much honesty as she could. In the session Walter had organized with the Norden before Rose left Compass Lake, she told them about her and Luc. The continent’s people needed to know relationships like hers and Luc’s weren’t impossible. Bound partners might be rare, but love between members of differing fae courts was something she intended to highlight.

While the others couldn’t see their magic, they could smell it. Darren rolled his eyes in feigned exasperation as they walked the streets. “You two are the worst.”

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 Points and 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 villagers only 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 weeks instead 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.”

Tara glanced over Rose’s shoulder at Luc, his palm lightly pressed on Rose’s hip. The weight of it was a reassurance Rose craved, but the placement was undoubtedly intimate to Tara’s eyes.

“More than fine, it appears,” Tara said with the most unsubtle wink Rose had ever seen.

Rose laughed loudly. “I am Tara. But are you okay? Was it painful being taken by the mist plague?” She’d been a little afraid to ask, but Rose needed to hear the answer.

Tara smiled. “It was like taking a nap. My body didn’t know it was taking longer than it should. I awoke feeling refreshed. Although, I was instantly terrified to learn no one could find you.”

“I’m sorry, Tara. I should have left a note of some kind for you. It’s not an excuse, but Luc can attest I wasn’t in the best state of mind when we left.”

Luc nodded. Tara took that as permission to give Luc her full attention. Her posture held no fear like that of the Dawson girl. “What are you to her?”

Rose coughed.

Luc glanced at Rose, unsure if he should answer or let Rose handle it. She shrugged. “She asked you, not me,” Rose replied playfully.

“Rose is my bound partner,” he replied.

Tara may be human, but she understood the significance of the statement. “I didn’t think…” She glanced at Rose, unsure how to finish the question.

“You seem like you know Rose well enough to understand that if she wants something, she will find a way to get it.” Luc’s smile was pure pride as he finished the thought, and it had Rose itching to reach for him again.

Tara nodded as if in complete agreement with his assessment of Rose’s determination. She tilted her head. “You’re also the scary Suden Point?” she asked, her gaze narrowed as she sized him up.

“I was.” A smile curved his lip. He pointed back at Darren. “He’s Suden Point now. You can decide if he can live up to the scary image.”

Tara scrunched her nose like she’d already decided Darren didn’t deserve the title, though she seemed to accept that Luc was no longer Suden Point quickly enough. “Do you still have magic? Can you protect her?” Tara asked.

The earth rumbled beneath his feet as he replied. “I will bury anyone who tries to harm her so deep within the earth they’ll forget the sun existed.” Then he shrugged. “However, I think you’ll find she has her own defenses.”

Tara nodded as if he had provided the correct answer in the test she was giving him. Rose and Tara had never spoken about her magic, but Rose had always suspected Tara knew more than she let on.

“It’s not just water magic, is it?” Tara asked, looking at Rose.

She shook her head.

“I always knew there was so much more to you than we all saw,” Tara said, though she seemed to be speaking to herself. She refocused on Rose. “Will you live at Compass Lake now?”

Rose couldn’t speak as emotion tightened her chest, so she nodded. She coughed as she tried to spit out the question she hoped to ask. Tara was an orphan in the village. She lived at the temple. But she was undoubtedly human, and Compass Lake was predominantly fae. It was on her long list of changes to make. To offer more opportunity for fae and humans to live together, even in the center of fae politics at Compass Lake. She’d make space for humans the same way she would for fae with multiple elements. As with Walter’s daughter, she needed them to feel safe and included to come out of hiding.

These were all on the list of changes she’d bring to the continent, but they wouldn’t happen overnight. She wanted Tara with her, not just to help make the change but to be a part of the family she was building. But she had to know it wouldn’t be easy. Rose tried to pour all of this into a rambling explanation.

Tara looked between Rose and Luc, trying to decide if there was a question in everything Rose had spewed.

“I think she’s asking if you want to come live with us there,” Luc said when Rose’s grip on his hand tightened in a desperate plea. Rose nodded.

Tara’s eyes widened, and she flung her arms around Rose’s neck again. “Yes!”