Chapter 40

  Snow couldn’t help but closely examine Sage as she met Titus for the first time. He watched her smile warmly as she turned towards the sound of his greeting, before then turning that same smile towards Snow as if to say ‘I knew it’. Snow didn’t acknowledge it but instead moved right into the business at hand.

  Talk of traveling down to the stones made that smile disappear in a heartbeat and brought Max’s concern to the forefront. It took Sage another half an hour to dissuade her new protector from his fears, but Snow knew she wasn’t totally over them herself.

  As she was quick to point out before, the stones never worked straightforward. They never gave her what she asked to see and there was a fear that such unwieldy energy might be too much to manage while standing in the heart of the circle. It didn’t help matters that they would be well below the lake’s surface with her unable to see which way is up.

  Snow was unworried by these difficulties, especially as he took the time to write spells on both Sage’s forearms with a heavily distilled plant dye. One set of runes would allow her to leech some of his power, giving her command over the elements. The other would instantly guide her up to the surface… just in case he wasn’t capable of leading her himself. The slow process of inking and re-inking the spells gave them one last moment for a quiet talk.

  “You remember the last time we tried this spell?” he asked as he rubbed his thumb along her right wrist, just below the leeching spell.

  “Yes. We had fun back then, didn’t we? We weren’t thinking about such a future as this.”

  “I’m not asking just to reminisce… I want to make sure you remember how to focus and use it.”

  “I do.” She nodded before continuing, “… I still think about those days sometimes.”

  Snow continued carefully drawing out the ancient runes with an emotionless mask. Three coats were needed at the very least to be sure the marks would survive a rush of cold water. Once dry, he’d prick a finger to activate it with a little blood.

  At length he said, “… Part of me wanted to stay.”

  “No.” Sage said with a gentle smile. “You wouldn’t have been happy staying. You wanted to be out there hunting. But I think you finally found what you were looking for… sitting in the other room.”

  Snow glanced up with a quizzical look, “Titus?”

  “He’s concerned for you. Genuinely.” Sage replied as she continued to wear that soft, knowing smile.

  Snow scoffed. “That’s absurd. He has no idea what I’m capable of.”

  “I’m not so sure about that. That might be why he’s worried.” Sage’s words hit something deep and hidden, locked away behind a vow which had been growing weaker as the troubles around them grew denser. It whispered that he had all the power to stand against whatever tide was moving in to swallow him, but again he pushed it back.

  “I can take care of myself,” Snow said.

  “But maybe you shouldn’t have to do it alone,” Sage laid a hand on his as he said it. The touch was gentle and suddenly brought up memories of a time when they were closer. Snow had never wanted to be that kind of person; the one who needed someone. It didn’t befit one constantly on the road let alone a monster like himself, but at that moment he missed being lovingly touched by another. He missed laying in Sage’s arms on a warm day in that long-ago summer telling her all about his childhood and the day he realized what he could do… what he was.

  “Maybe,” Snow conceded before continuing with his work.

  The sun had started to set behind the forests by the time they were ready to approach the lake. A chill wind was blowing, and Snow wrapped a bare arm around Sage as the two stood with very little to protect them from the cold. It was necessary in case swimming was called for, though hopefully, it wouldn’t come to that. Snow stood with nothing but his black trousers on, and Sage wore a simple shift that clung to her body as they approached the water’s edge. Where the water touched was a long, flat stone, the first of a flight of marble stairs that sat half buried in the mud. The rest were under the dark water that rippled with the oncoming breeze.

  Titus and Max stood behind them. The two men could have been matching bookends as each stood with their arms crossed, looking on the scene with suspicion and concern.

  “Are you ready?” Snow asked softly.

  Sage ran her hands over her forearms where Snow had written the spells. Her eyes were cast down as if she could see the dark water before them.

  Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  “Right. Here we go.” Snow pulled his arm away from her. He brought both hands out before him and, with a dividing gesture, parted the lake’s water to create a singular curved wall of water. He then clenched his hands into fists and turned the wall into thick ice.

  He took a step forward and did it again. The ice he was creating seemed cemented to the steps and rose up to the surface. As he pushed the furthest wall back, continuing to refreeze it, the ice on either side made a narrow corridor. After exposing about ten stairs, he turned back to Sage and took her hand to gently guide her down.

  The ice cracked around them as she took her first hesitant steps. Up on the shore, Max looked ready to grab her and haul her back to safety. Titus too had turned nervous at the sight with mouth hanging open.

  “It’s alright,” Snow whispered as he continued to guide her down to the wet steps covered in slick lake moss and seaweed-like plants. Snails creeped away from her toes as she came down to a step that would have her head well below the surface of the water. Here, Snow paused and gestured again only the water seemed to tunnel now and the ice create a frozen cave.

  As the water moved away and froze around them, more steps appeared and eventually a dark doorway. Max and Titus fell out of sight as Snow continued with Sage into the blue twilight below the water.

  Sage had described the ancient temple to him long ago. He knew that the humble stone archway they were approaching was like the dip of a catch. Here there was still water to remove, but once it was cleared, there would be steps leading up into the temple proper. Supposedly, there was an air pocket there, like an underground cave.

  With a few more creative gestures he was able to make the bottom landing of the stairs clear enough for Sage to walk through. When the last wave exited from their path, a dull, blue light could be seen above them. Snow helped Sage step up towards it just as a pair of violent cracks came from behind. He turned back to see rivulets of water rushing back over the steps down towards them.

  Snow knew his ice wouldn’t last for long. He had thought up raising rock from the lakebed instead, but he didn’t want to give a clear path for any to follow them down nor risk disturbing the stability of the temple. Ice seemed the easiest though it would be trickier exiting the temple.

  He ignored the urgent call from Titus and turned to follow Sage up into the main hall. The sight he found took his breath away.

  Sage was standing in a circular room surrounded by six monoliths made from a glowing, translucent stone – as if the stones themselves held pure moonlight. They were the source of the glow in addition to the ceiling which seemed to be a gigantic crystal lens holding back the blue waters above. The walls beyond the monoliths were the same white marble of the steps and the catch doorway, but here they reflected the light as did the thin sheen of water beneath their bare feet.

  “Sage?” Snow gingerly called her name. For a second, he felt ashamed of bringing her here for his own selfish reasons. This temple was clearly a divine marvel that he should have brought her to see long ago. Surrounded by the calm beauty of the stones and the lake above, he had forgotten the fear she had had of this place and the power it held.

  The fact that she had yet to turn towards him quickly brought that detail to his mind.

  “Sage?” he called her name more urgently as he reached out a hand to touch her shoulder. A shock went through his fingers and turned his arm numb. He jumped back a step and saw Sage turn to him with her eyes glowing like the shimmering monoliths.

  Snow cursed under his breath as he stared at her, wondering what to do now. His mind quickly raced through possibilities. Was she experiencing a vision, or a possession? Would pulling her from the temple now somehow undo whatever this is, or kill her? He cursed himself for being so arrogant as to think he could have control over any of this.

  Sage then spoke but it was not her voice. “The Devourer has come,” she said.

  Fine, answers… Get answers first and then save Sage, Snow told himself. At least he hoped these were answers and not more riddles. He also hoped this meant Sage was safe behind those strange eyes.

  “What is the Devourer? Where has it come from?”

  “He was born with us all but now seeks his singular horizon.”

  Nope… more riddles.

  “Who are you?” Snow asked.

  “You do not know me, child, but you know how to call me?”

  Oh fuck. “Ilone?”

  Snow had never met a god, but he knew better than to stand gawking at one. He carefully lowered himself to one knee in a respectful bow.

  “Did you… summon me here?” Snow couldn’t believe he was asking this, but the thought would not leave his mind since he had joked about it days ago. He was beginning to wonder if Ilone had whispered the thought into his soul.

  “Yes. You will be my champion,” Sage’s eyes looked down on him with what might be pride.

  “Champion? Against this Devourer? What is this thing you want me to fight?”

  “He was born with us all but now seeks his singular horizon. He was made to unmake, but the scales are unbalanced now.”

  Snow ground his teeth at the riddles.

  “Please Divine One, give me clear guidance and I will do as you wish,” Snow could not believe that he had a goddess before him … a being with all the answers of time and space, and yet he could not get one straight, clear direction.

  “Follow the heart.”

  “What heart?” Snow couldn’t help the frustration from entering his voice.

  “The heart upon the shore.”

  Snow then fell silent.