Page 55

Stars Between Us

T he road to Ivros Hollow stretched before us like a scar across the landscape, ancient and forbidding.

We’d been traveling for two days now, leaving behind the relative safety of Selas for this desolate mountain path.

We’d only had a couple of minor encounters thankfully.

There was a trio of goblins that we managed to sneak up on and then a single juvenile kelpie that tried to drown Kuro at the edge of a river.

Both were subdued with minimal effort thanks to some uncommon luck.

Had we encountered anything stronger, we might not have made it as far as we had.

After all, we’d never really gotten a chance to try out our upgraded skills on real monsters.

As far as practice went, we were still newbies, our advanced status in the RSB nothing more than a facade to cover up the truth.

Captain Boromia had sent us ahead with minimal supplies and cryptic instructions, claiming this “ royal mission ” required our specific talents.

He said we’d be going alone, but thanks to Jeremy’s warning, we knew the reality.

The elite RSB guard would follow a day behind, close enough to ensure we couldn’t flee, but far enough that we could discuss our plans without being overheard.

“We should make camp soon,” Kai said, his eyes scanning the darkening horizon. “There’s a clearing just ahead that should work.”

Sky walked beside me, his wolf ears constantly twitching at every sound in the surrounding forest. His nearness had become my only comfort in this journey toward whatever fate awaited us .

“I don’t like this place,” he muttered, blue eyes narrowed as he studied the twisted trees lining our path. “Everything feels... wrong. Like the land itself is poisoned.”

He wasn’t exaggerating. The closer we got to Ivros Hollow, the more unnatural our surroundings became.

Vegetation grew in strange patterns, trees bent at impossible angles, and birds had stopped singing a day ago.

Even the air felt heavier, charged with something that made my skin prickle uncomfortably. It felt like magic.

“The magical disruption is getting stronger,” Mira observed, her voice soft but steady.

She’d grown more confident since we left Selas, poring over the ritual diagrams and her own spellbooks each night by firelight.

“These formations match what we saw in the captain’s papers.

They’re energy pathways, but twisted and corrupted. ”

Rhia stayed close to Mira, her muscular frame tense and alert. “How much further to this cursed place?”

“Another day’s journey,” Kai replied, consulting the map we’d memorized. “We’ll reach the outer ruins by tomorrow afternoon if we keep this pace.”

Kuro kicked at a strange, transparent blue mushroom growing from a fallen log. “And then what? We just waltz in and pretend we don’t know we’re being set up as magical conduits for some sleeping god?”

“That’s exactly what we do,” I said, gripping my staff tighter.

The new healing spells I’d learned from High Priestess Elayra felt like a distant comfort now.

Would Lifewell be enough if things went wrong?

Could my Sacred Shield save us? I wasn’t strong enough to use the Twilight Veil for long and I wasn’t brave enough to use the necromancy spell floating at the back of my mind.

“We play our parts until the moment comes to disrupt whatever Boromia has planned.”

Sky’s hand brushed against mine, a brief touch that sent warmth through my fingers. “And if this god wakes up anyway? What then?”

I had no answer for him. None of us did. We didn’t know who or what it was, so how could we ever know what to do? The papers said nothing about its origin or what it stood for, only that it was powerful and should be left sleeping for all eternity.

That probably wasn’t a good sign.

We made camp in silence, each lost in our own thoughts as night fell fully around us.

The broken statues of forgotten gods that dotted the woods watched from the edges of our clearing, crumbling monuments to deities no one remembered anymore.

Their empty stone eyes seemed to follow our movements, judging us from a distance.

I couldn’t help wondering who they were or why they’d been abandoned.

People in Selas only talked about five gods.

There was Light, Dark, Twilight, Nature, and Chaos, each of them with their own guilds and their own specialties.

But this sleeping god… nobody had ever mentioned them.

Could there be more? Did the ancient people of Cindersea worship other deities before the current ones?

It was a question I knew I’d probably never have an answer to.

As I stared at one particularly weathered statue, its features worn nearly smooth, only the suggestion of a face remaining, a chill ran through me that had nothing to do with the night air.

“Oliver.” Sky’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. He stood nearby, offering a small bowl of the stew Rhia had prepared. “You need to eat.”

I accepted the bowl with a grateful nod, though my appetite had abandoned me days ago. “Thanks.”

Sky settled beside me, close enough that our shoulders touched. His warmth was a welcome contrast to the unnatural chill that had settled over the clearing. We ate in silence, the others similarly subdued as they huddled around our small fire.

“I’ve been thinking about the ritual,” Mira said suddenly, her voice barely above a whisper. She glanced around nervously before continuing. “The papers mentioned five vessels for five elements. But we’re six now.”

“We’ve been over this,” Kuro muttered, stirring his stew listlessly. “One of us is expendable in their eyes.”

“Or,” Mira pressed, “one of us is meant for something else entirely.”

All eyes turned to her. In the firelight, her blue hair seemed to glow with an otherworldly light.

“What do you mean?” Kai asked, leaning forward.

Mira pulled a small leather-bound notebook from her pocket, her own notes on the ritual diagrams. “The five vessels form a circle, channeling energy toward a central point. But there’s another position marked here.

” She pointed to a small symbol at the center of her sketched diagram. “A focal point. A conductor.”

“Someone to direct the energy once it’s gathered,” I realized, a cold knot forming in my stomach.

“Or someone to receive it,” Sky growled, his ears flattening against his head.

The implications hung heavy in the air between us. If five of us were merely conduits, then the sixth would be... what? The one who controlled the god? Or the one who became its vessel?

“We need to figure out who’s meant for which position,” Rhia said, her practical nature cutting through our dread. “If we know that, we can better plan how to disrupt the ritual.”

Kai nodded, spreading out a blank piece of parchment. “Let’s think about this logically. Five elements. In traditional magic, that’s earth, fire, water, air, and spirit.”

“And Captain Boromia specifically wanted our party,” I added. “So, he must believe we each correspond to one of these elements.”

“Or he’s forcing us to,” Sky muttered.

We fell silent, contemplating our roles in this dangerous game. The fire crackled between us, sending shadows dancing across the ancient statues surrounding our camp.

“Mira would be fire,” Rhia said finally. “Almost all of her magic is fire based.”

Mira nodded slowly.

“Sky would be earth,” I added. “He’s a druid. It only makes sense.”

“Oliver is water,” Sky replied. “Healing energy is usually associated with that element.”

“Rhia is air,” Kai smiled. “She fights like the wind and is quick on her feet.”

We all turned, looking at Kuro.

“Obviously I’m the conduit in the center,” he said, puffing out his chest. “Because I’m super powerful and all.”

“Spirit,” Rhia nodded. “Because, despite all your idiotic boasting, you are spirited. I’m not sure if that’s what they meant, but the central conduit needs to be someone flexible and strong.” She looked up at Kai. “And that’s our fearless leader, of course.”

A heavy silence fell over our campfire as we all processed Rhia’s words. Kai’s expression remained carefully neutral, but I could see the tension in his shoulders.

“That makes the most sense,” he finally admitted, his voice quiet. “I don’t know if I’m flattered or terrified, but I see what you’re all saying.”

“So, I’m just nobody now?” Kuro scoffed, tossing a stick into the fire.

“We’re all important to the captain’s plans,” I said firmly, looking at each one of my party in turn. “So let’s make sure it never comes to fruition.”

Sky shifted beside me, his tail curling around my ankle beneath our blankets. It was a small gesture of comfort that none of the others could see, and I felt a rush of gratitude for his presence.

“We should sleep in shifts tonight,” he suggested, his blue eyes reflecting the firelight.

“This close to Ivros Hollow, I wouldn’t be surprised if there are.

.. things... in these woods. We’re lucky we haven’t run into much so far.

The magical corruption here... it changes things.

There’s no way of knowing what we might run into out here. ”

“Everyone stay quiet and keep close to the fire tonight,” Kai ordered, looking at each of us in turn. “If you hear or see anything , wake everyone up.”

“I’ll take first watch,” Sky volunteered, already standing and adjusting his spear across his back. His ears twitched toward the darkness beyond our camp, alert to sounds none of the rest of us could hear.

“I’ll join you,” I said, rising to my feet.

Nobody questioned it. By now, they all understood the unspoken bond between Sky and me.

Of course, Rhia had caught us one night with Sky’s tongue in my mouth, so I had no doubt we weren’t a secret anymore.

Besides, doubling the watch seemed sensible given our surroundings.