“I am sorry, but we can’t wait any longer, we have to leave right now. If there are Heralds here, others will be near and we can’t risk another fight in the mortal realm.”
As he was speaking, Caelan was already hooking my bag over his shoulder.
“I can’t leave! What about my mother? The Heralds know where I live, who knows what they will do to her if they find their friends dead?” I said.
“All right, all right. I will call for guards to watch your mother’s house, and we will get a message to her that you are well. As soon as we know what we are dealing with, wewill be sending for your mother to come to Aerethia with us. But we need to leave now. The farmers have seen your power and word will get back to the authorities about your heka.”
My head was spinning, this was all too much. A couple of days ago I had never heard about the Gods continent and now I was supposed to just leave behind my whole life to help some old wrinkly God to fight the Heralds? But what was left for me here? Bad memories, guilt and the danger of getting sent to the colonies for possessing magic.
I let out a shaky breath. I had worried about which path the Fates wanted me to take, but yet again it seemed like the Fates knew exactly how to force my hand.
“You promise to take care of her, Caelan? Swear to me that no harm will come to her and I will go with you.” I stared intently at Caelan, and he seemed to let out a sigh of relief.
“I swear to you on the sanctity of my temple, Maelis. But we need to leave now before anyone discovers us here.” I nodded, not being able to say anything more with anger and desperation clogging up my throat. Caelan headed back towards the group of priests.
They made quick work of undressing the men and women and set fire to their clothes. Then they pulled the bodies into the barn and set it on fire as well. One of the priests went to speak with the farmers, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying. One by one, they turned around and walked away.
“A mind spell. That should be enough to buy us some time,” Caelan said.
I stared at the pools of blood on the dusty ground and swallowed hard. Clearly this was no game if Caelan was willing to kill my captors without a second thought. ButI had no time to mull this over because we were already moving again.
Caelan led me round the barn to the most western side.
“The reason I wanted to meet you here, is that the ruins over there once used to be a temple. It is one of the few places in this town where we can use the Pathways.”
I stopped. “Wait, what? What is a Pathway?” I stuttered.
“Where we are going, we can’t travel by road or ship. We will be using something called the Luminaris Pathways. They work like bridges between places and follow the rays of light from one place to another. I want you to take my hand and don’t let go until I tell you to. The first time traveling the pathways can be quite intense. Try and stay calm.”
I nodded again, not trusting myself not to break out in tears as soon as I uttered another word. Caelan touched the ring on his finger with one hand and held my hand in his other palm. For a second, nothing happened. A sudden calm washed over me, and the wind seemed to quiet down. The warmth of the day faded away, and a pool of light formed in the grass next to us. Caelan guided me towards it and we stepped onto the shimmering lights. The ground beneath my feet felt unlike anything I had ever walked on. The pathway shimmered with hues of azure and gold, each color blending seamlessly into the next, casting a soft glow on the surrounding landscape.
The air was filled with a harmonious hum, a melody that seemed to resonate with the very core of my being. I felt an inexplicable connection to the Pathways, as though it understood my purpose, gently guiding me forward with every step.
Tendrils of light reached out to touch the trees and rocksbeside me, illuminating them in a dance of luminescence. Despite what had just happened, I felt a sense of peace and protection, as if an invisible barrier shielded me from the outside world’s dangers.
My amazement ended the second we started moving. Caelan gripped my hand tighter and what had started as a peaceful and calm journey on a glittery rainbow quickly morphed into a joyride from hell. A veil of soft darkness surrounded us, as if someone had covered us in a semi-transparent blanket. Little specks of light pierced through the veil, reminding me of how little spots of light used to come through the shutters of my childhood bedroom on Solis mornings.
We moved at an incredible speed, making it impossible to see where we were going. Caelan loosened his grip on my hand. “How are you holding up?
“I’m fine, I think. How much further do we have to go?” My trembling voice betrayed me. “Only a few moments and we will arrive in Lumoria. The first time riding the Pathways is always the most difficult one. I threw up after my first try.” Caelan smiled. My stomach lurched at the thought of him being sick. When the Pathways finally began to slow down, my fingers unclenched, and a shaky breath escaped.
The veil lifted. Bright sunshine flooded around us, blinding me once again. It took my eyes a few seconds to adapt. Caelan still held my hand in his and seemingly waited until the world around me had stopped spinning.
I thanked him and took my hand back, wiping off my sweaty hands on my dusty dress. We were standing in a clearing in the middle of a thick forest. The surrounding trees were already covered in autumn colors, with theiryellow and orange leaves gently swaying in the wind. Taking a deep breath, I relaxed my stance and to my relief my feet were firmly planted on the ground again.
“We only have to walk a few stretches before we reach the edge of the woods and the temple. I thought it would be good for you to move around a bit after your first ride on the Pathways,” Caelan supplied and started guiding me towards the cobblestone road to our right.
“So what exactly happened there, with the Pathways?” I asked. I should have known better than to ask a question like that because Caelan prepared himself to launch into another history lesson.
“Legend says the Luminaris Pathways were created by the Starweavers, an ancient order of beings who mastered the art of binding starlight into physical form. The Pathways are revered as sacred, and some cultures view journeys along them as spiritual pilgrimages. They are believed to connect not just places, but moments in time, allowing those who travel them to glimpse echoes of the past or visions of the future.”
I nodded and asked, “And what does science say?”
Caelan smiled at my question, and I couldn’t quite figure out what the smug look on his face meant. “Luminaris Pathways are an ancient network of glowing, crystalline roads that weave through reality, much like the air we breathe. These pathways are remnants of a forgotten civilization, allowing us to move across vast distances in a matter of minutes and hours by harnessing the energy of the stars. A key is necessary to unlock the pathways, my key is embedded in my ring.”
We walked on in silence for a few minutes before the treeswere beginning to thin out and opened up to a clearing. We entered the clearing, and my gaze flew up towards the sky as a giant mountain came into view. At the bottom of the mountain, right in our line of sight was a temple, or at least the entrance of one. A grand staircase of cream-colored marble led up to a patio of sorts, with heavy Greek columns supporting the portico. The columns were adorned with intricate patterns and ancient symbols I could not identify.
In the center of the structure the grand entrance to the temple was lined with burning torches. The archway was adorned with carvings of mythical creatures and celestial beings, their eyes seemingly following me as I drew closer. The stone was weathered, yet the craftsmanship remained exquisite. Vines and moss clung to the crevices, adding a touch of nature’s artistry to the scene. Beyond the entrance, the rest of the temple lay hidden, carved deep into the heart of the mountain. Only the faintest glow of torchlight hinted at the vast chambers and corridors that lay beyond. The air was cool and carried the scent of earth and stone, mixed with a waft of incense from rituals performed over centuries.
