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Before Oscar and I went to the prison we came here to make sure Callum and I would have everything we needed for the road. Time was critical and why we had to keep moving.
“He can’t come with us underground,” Callum grumbled.
“Of course not. He’ll return here on his own. George knows this land very well.” I patted the goat who chewed on a long piece of grass. “Lead on, George.”
The farmer waved as we left, Callum sputtering under his breath. “These mountains are not friendly to travelers, and we aren’t exactly dressed for the colder climate.”
I paused and turned to Callum, annoyed. “Are you going to complain the whole way? I’d like to get to a safe vantage point before nightfall.”
Callum glared, a wicked smile on his lips. “Safe you say? On what scale do you weigh this metric? Is it the same one you used when agreeing to free a dangerous dark fae who little is known about, to trek off to one of the more dangerous mountain ranges known, on a quest into an underground civilization that would love to peel the flesh from your pretty face, accompanied by a goat navigator who would serve us better as a meal? Is that the type of haven we will find up ahead?”
The fae could whine all he wanted. I didn’t have time for it. None of us did.
Every day the Rift in the Never grew, allowing more of the demons into our world. Soon the Rift would be too large to control and our lands would be filled with nightmares. The spell the magi prepared would be our last hope. In order to ensure the spell’s success, the council needed every light bearer ever born. “You aren’t here for council or conversation. I, unlike you, am not afraid of the path ahead. If you are scared stand behind me when the danger presents itself, and I shall show you that I am the most dangerous threat in these peaks.”
“You’ve told me where we’re headed, but not the why.” Callum walked beside me. “What’s happened that would send you on such a suicidal mission? Even if you do possess the abilities you boast of, once we are among my people you will find that your powers are not some unique characteristic of prestige, but a mundane quality in all around you. Why would someone of such stature be risked on such a perilous quest?”
He’d been imprisoned for decades, not centuries, and would know about the dangers our world faced. “The magi have a plan to seal the Rift.”
“Really. That’s refreshing, and here I thought it was something more dire.”
“Nothing is more dangerous than the Rift.” I stormed ahead, following the goat along the rocky path leading up the mountain.
“The Rift has and will always be our curse.” His voice lowered, almost as if he blamed himself for the Rift, though most of his kind held a similar shame since it was a dark fae who created the hole to the Shadow Realm.
“No. We can end it.”
Callum sighed. “You are but a baby, my little sparrow. There will always be doomsayers and men who think they are more than an insignificant speck of dirt who reside on a less significant speck of dirt. The Rift has outlasted many generations. When you have lived as long as I have, you’ll understand.”
“And how long is that?”
His lips curled in a grin. “Three hundred and five years.”
“You don’t look three hundred.”
“It’s something I doubt you’ll get to enjoy considering your proclivity toward a fool’s errand.”
He was testing my response, gaging me as I was him. “And yet here we are.”
The goat bleated and stopped. From here the path split, our trail leading west and through a dense wood. I patted George on the head, and he continued on. Though we were still near the bottom of the mountain, the incline in this particular area became steep.
Deep green moss covered the rocks and crept up the trees, covering the landscape in a rainbow of earthy tones. The dewy air reminded me of home or what my home used to be. The cottage I grew up in wasn’t massive or awe-inspiring, but it was warm and inviting surrounded by lush greenery and an abundance of sunflowers.
My foot slipped, and I threw my arms forward, expecting to crash face-first into the dirt.
“Steady, there.” Callum grabbed my waist, holding me upright. His tight grip stayed until I straightened out. “It must’ve rained recently; the moss is slippery.”
He said the last part in a whisper closer to my ear. My stomach clenched, and I pulled out of his grip. His gaze darkened, the silver in his eyes swirling into a blue-gray. I didn’t understand the odd look he gave me.
“What is it?” I asked, frowning, wondering why he seemed so tense when he was finally outside after being caged so long.
“Nothing.” He stepped aside creating distance between us. “Why are they risking both our lives, and what do they possibly think I can do to assist someone who obviously needs no help in her course? What is the magi’s grand plan?”
“I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?”
It bothered me the magi didn’t explain more, but that was how they worked. “Only the inner circle knows the exact spell and components. The magi are afraid someone will interrupt, though I don’t know why. We all suffer from the Rift.”
