Page 121 of A Thread of Breath and Bone

After another moment of them looking into each other’s eyes, Riven leads us out of the room, past a few doors and through a large arched hall into a circular room.

It’s there we find the gateway. This must be one of the permanent ones he was telling me about. Hovering above the large pale stone tiles, there’s a boulder that’s twice the size of Ryker. It looks like it’s been cut in half and drilled out, creating a ring. In the hollow section is a glowing ring of blue with what looks like white shimmering vines hanging down.

The magic here isn't a hum, it’s a physical pressure against my lungs. As I stare at the white vines hanging from the floating boulder, I feel the echoes of thousands who came before me, their prayers and fears caught in the shimmering static of the portal.

Voices and an eerie chill race up my spine. It’s unnerving, and even Carys and Riven are affected. She shivers as she steps up, placing her hand on the glowing ring, whispering something I can’t understand.

Without turning around, she says, “We must state our intentions as we enter. Just like a normal gateway, but the magic will pull at you.” Then she steps through, disappearing from view.

Riven gestures for us to go.

Ryker takes my hand and squeezes.

My breath catches in my throat. It would be silly to say no. I mean, I’ve come this far, but stepping through a portal to meet with another god makes me hesitate. Astor and Calia hadn’t really told us anything of value. Will Caelus be the same? Full of cryptic messages?

With a hesitant step, I meet the strange gateway, the air pulsing and humming. For a moment, I think I can hear voices, but it’s gone in the next breath.

Just my imagination.

I blow out the breath I’ve been holding as we place our free hands on the ring. The magic burns—not with heat, but with a cold that pulls the life from my veins. I don’t flinch, willing myself to remain still. Together we whisper that we seek Caelus’ aid, that Astor and Calia sent us.

When we take the first step, the magic pulls us through. It feels like a million tiny pinpricks skittering across my skin. It doesn’t hurt—only unsettles me. My shoulders tense as if I can shrug away the sensation.

But then we step into ethereal light atop a mountain.

The clouds sit far below us, this flattened space feeling like an in-between. I don’t know how I know it, but something deep in my bones tells me we stand between the aether and the mortal world. The strange, silent light makes it feel as though time itself has paused.

Before us stands a temple carved from polished white marble, the structure stretching outward until the stone drops away into open sky. A circular ring along the edge forms an intimate chamber beneath the heavens. Massive slabs of stone—each towering nearly fifty feet high—surround the open-air space like silent sentinels. At the center, a great fire burns, its embers glowing white-hot as blue flames curl and lick into the air.

For a moment, something brushes against my mind—a whisper of awareness. Ryker looks to me, then to the two figures standing before us. Beside Carys stands a young man, I know instantly must be Caelus. Much like his siblings, there’s an otherness about him, but he still wears a mortal form.

He wears thick armor of white and gold, his eyes blazing with blue fire. Golden curls whip around his windswept face, his pale skin almost luminous in the strange light.

I don’t know the proper protocol, but Ryker and I bow. Riven steps behind us. He does the same before standing beside us.

“Welcome to Auralan,” Caelus says in a lilting, deep accent. “I’ve been waiting for you. My siblings promised me you’d come.”

Without another word, he gestures for us to follow.

The hair on my arms rises. My mouth already feels dry, so I take another sip of water. The air here is thicker, heavier with the weight of something other.

Caelus stops before the strange fire, staring into it with his arms locked behind his back.

The four of us wait in silence, not daring to move or speak. Without looking back at us, he circles the fire, disappearing from view for a few seconds before his voice breaks the stillness. Low, yet carrying effortlessly through the air, he says, “It’s beautiful, is it not?”

He doesn’t wait for us to answer.

“The lifeforce of all living beings is an eternal flame. It calls to you, but…” The word cuts deep as those blazing blue eyes find mine. “…it would be deadly to answer the call of this flame.”

Caelus leads us to a small sitting space nearby. He gestures for us to take the seats, and the four of us obey.

“You must have questions.”

Chapter 43

Ryker

The youngest sibling god of the Primordials takes a seat before us. He looks so human at first glance, but if you look close enough, you can see that his skin shimmers and the power he radiates—it's beyond magic. He looks no older than late twenties by human measure, yet the weight in his gaze is timeless. He is uncreated.