“You don’t think?” Vivienne sounded a touch frantic, and her black eyes widened. “It could be. We should exercise caution and?—”
He reached out, touching the stone.
“Damn you,” Vivienne cursed as his fingers made contact with the shale.
When the cold stone turned out to be just that—cold stone and nothing else—he exhaled. “See? No magic.”
Vivienne grumbled under her breath as he traced his index finger along the smooth grooves in the stone. The lettering was old, the language an ancient variation of the Common Tongue that had gone out of use a thousand years ago.
Marius’s brows furrowed, and he murmured, “To all who come… no, enter.” He shook his head and started again. “To all who enter these gates, beware.”
A shiver crawled down his spine, and goosebumps peppered his flesh. The air shifted, and he swallowed. His heart pounded as he retraced the message, confirming that his translation was accurate.
Beware.
“Well, this is absolutely delightful.” Scowling, Vivienne crossed her arms and stared at him. “Nothing like a little warning etched onto an ancient gate to infuse you with confidence about the quest you’ve embarked on.”
Marius raised a brow. “Regretting your decision to come with me?”
Even with the warning, he couldn’t find it in himself to regret this.
She seemed to mull it over for a moment before shaking her head. “Not yet. Ask me again if we survive this.”
“I’ll do that.” He gestured to the arch, and despite the ominous warning, he grinned. They were really doing this “Shall we?”
Even his bodyguard’s grumpiness couldn’t put a damper on his mood.
Vivienne grumbled, “We might as well get this over with.”
She took his hand, and they stepped through the arch at the same time, crossing an invisible threshold.
Magic crawled over Marius’s skin, his ears popped, and for a long moment, it felt like he was suspended in time. His foot froze midair, his heart stopped beating for one long, never-ending second, and he could’ve sworn the wind carried the echo of a thousand whispers to his ears.
Before he could question it too deeply, time resumed. His foot fell on the snow on the other side of the arch, and he glanced at Vivienne.
“Did you feel that?” he asked as a shiver crawled down his spine.
She licked her lips and nodded. “I certainly did.”
This was an ancient place. It didn’t have a heaviness to it like Hoarfrost Hollow, and Marius’s magic wasn’t warning him away with every step, but the air felt different here.
Deeper. Heavier.
It wasn’t wrong, though. If anything, his magic urged him forward.
Thiswas the right path, and he was here with the right person.
He was sure of it.
The House of Forgotten Shadows
Dawn was fast approaching.
Vivienne kept glancing at the sky, tightening her grip on her sword as she led Marius through what might’ve once been a courtyard.
A chill had swept over her when they passed through the arch, and it hadn’t left. She shivered, the cold a reminder of the ancient magic in this place.
Beware.
