by G. E. White
Finally Jared emerged from the bathroom in a cloud of steam; impeccably dressed as ever, the man barely had a single hair out of place.
Quinn brushed his messy hair out of his face at the sight, wishing he could look half as well put together, instead of like a scarecrow whose head was stuffed with too much straw.
Surina sat by the window. Having taken pictures with her phone of the cuff containing Hephaestus’ mark, she was now emailing the picture to Tyrell back in the second realm.
“So who’s ready to make some friends?” Jared joked lightly.
Tracking down magis Vinewall and Kalling took the better part of an hour, going from one person to the next before they finally found the two sparring in the back courtyard.
Vinewall was a lithe man with angular features and electric green eyes. His pointed ears betrayed his fey ancestry, though his slender arms did not hinder his efforts to swing the gigantic claymore he held at his partner. Kalling, on the other hand, was a much stockier specimen; most likely human, but on the hairy side; he clenched his teeth as he blocked the heavy blade with a broad shield.
“I don’t know what you want us to say,” Vinewall grit out between blows.
“Well, what exactly happened that night?” Jared asked from where the group stood on the sidelines and out of the path of attack.
“It’s hard to explain,” the thin man huffed.
“What’s to explain?” snorted Kalling. “Guy bloody disappeared is what happened.”
Quinn turned to Surina, his expression silently asking if that was even possible.
The woman pursed her lips but ignored the younger man. “You can’t mean that literally,” she challenged.
“The hell I don’t,” Kalling boomed, stepping away from Vinewall to speak directly to the three. “I know what I saw.”
“But it’s impossible to gate into a temple, the wards won’t allow it,” she argued.
“That’s what I thought until that night.” Kalling scratched his bearded chin, almost confused by what he said next. “When we were on patrol I felt this crackle in the air while passing by Vega – we both did.”
Vinewall nodded in agreement.
“So you heard a crack?” Quinn asked.
“Not a crack, a crackle, and its not so much that we heard it, but felt it, like the air was electric. I looked up at Vega and in a blink, someone was there dressed in the robes of a Lunar magi reaching for it.”
“Did you see his face?” Jared prodded.
“No. I called out to him… her, whatever but he didn’t even look at me – just grabbed the star and vanished.”
“And that was it?”
“That was it,” Kalling confirmed. “After we sounded the alarm the whole temple searched for hours, but there was no sign of him.”
Jared sighed disappointed, “Well, thanks anyway.”
The two magi bowed their heads in welcome to the three before turning back to their match.
The Death God shook his head as he walked away from the courtyard, Quinn and Surina trailing behind him. “That just doesn’t make any sense.”
“You’re telling me,” she said
“I’m assuming that teleportation is just a myth then? I mean, no one can do it here right?” Quinn butted in.
“Only Hermes, Thanatos and his reapers are capable of it and regardless the wards put around the temples make that impossible, even for them.”
All of the sudden a crack of bright light appeared several meters off to their right. The light continued to grow as if someone was carving a line in their environment. The tear of light traveled up and around creating a doorway. Once the outline was complete the door filled with the light at the edges and a moment later a familiar hulking figure passed through the gate.
The luminescent door flickered out of being behind Leo who surveyed the area, giving himself a self-satisfied nod.
“I see you’re starting to get the hang of creating gates,” Surina called, gaining the man’s attention.
Leo whipped his head around and caught sight of the three travelers. A bashful grin crept across his face as he jogged over. "Yeah, it's been a bit’a trial n’ error."
"We noticed," she sneered. "Just so you know Mykonos is lovely this time of year."
The God of War scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "Mykonos huh? Well, at least I was in the right country.” Digging into his pocket he pulled out another quill, similar to the one they had used in Sebastien’s apartment. “Got your next one right here – it should take you right to the Lunar temple, or at least Ephesus – in the first realm that is.”
“Here’s hoping,” Jared said, taking the feather from him and beginning the blood ritual once again.
“What? No chit-chat? No updates?” the large man asked disappointed.
“We’d love to catch you up but we really don’t have time, not unless we feel like giving you more work… with your real job that is,” Surina said.
“Huh?... Oh, OH!” Leo gasped as understanding dawned on him. “Okay, well I guess I’ll just talk to you all later then. Sebastien said I might want to take a look around here anyway – size up what kind of force Reeves and his magi might be able to whip up.”
“Knowing Reeves, that’s probably not a bad idea,” Surina replied as Jared finished drawing the archway in the air before them. Once again light exploded from the outline creating the now familiar doorway that would lead them to their next destination. “Let us know if you find anything,” she said casually before stepping into the light and out of sight.
“We’ll contact you soon,” Jared assured the other God before following in after her.
“Would a ‘thank you’ be too much to ask?” Leo muttered to himself, but as Quinn approached, the older man surrendered the sour look, in order to give the younger god an encouraging smile, “Good luck kid… again.”
“Thanks Leo,” and with those words the teen stepped through.
~ Chapter 20 ~
Blinking away the daze from the gate travel, Quinn immediately felt a change in the area they now stood in.
A heavily shaded forest replaced the brightly lit island on which they had just stood, the floor now covered with a blanket of mist. There was even a palpable shift in how Surina and Jared held themselves, their muscles coiled tightly under their clothes.
“Okay Surina, this is your show. What do you want to do?” asked Jared.
“Well, thanks to our genius Leo we are once again not where we’re supposed to be. The scenery’s familiar, but Ephesus and the actual temple are still a couple of kilometers due west. It shouldn’t be too long of a walk, but we’re gonna have to stay sharp,” she replied, putting away her phone and the map it contained.
Swinging her pack from her shoulder, Surina crouched down and began to dig through it. After a moment of searching she pulled out a small dagger and sheath, handing it to the teen.
“Here, take this,” she instructed, “Attach it to your belt. It’s my old training knife – it might not look like much, but it’s good for protection.”
Quinn’s brows furrowed, “Protection? From what? I thought the temple of Artemis was in league with you guys – you especially Surina, being one of her descendants and all.”
“It’s not the temple I’m worried about. I’m more concerned with the local wildlife.”
“You mean like bears and wolves?”
She gave a snort. “Yeah, something like that.” She shifted her pack onto her shoulder before gesturing forward with her chin. “We better get a move on, we don’t want to be stuck out here when it gets dark. We’ll travel single file – I’ll take point, Quinn you next, Jared take up the rear.”
Jared moved behind Quinn without complaint, while the teen shuffled awkwardly after Surina.
The forest had grown fairly dense causing Quinn to look more often at where he stepped than on the figure in front of him. But even with how much he watched the path ahead he constantly tripped on the various roots and stones that
seemed to spring up from the mist covered ground.
The blonde young man couldn’t help the frustrated pout that marred his features as he stumbled along. Jared and Surina, on the other, hand traveled with a graceful stealth; their strides so silent and smooth one might have believed they were floating. It was enough to make the younger man grumble with envy.
Thirty minutes into their journey Quinn tripped over a hidden root and went down with a muffled curse. As he landed a twig snapped loudly under his knee causing several birds in the area to take flight.
Jared was beside him in a second giving him a hand up, “You okay?”
Quinn’s pout turned embarrassed, but he took the older man’s hand anyway, “I’m fine,” he muttered, climbing to his feet.
“Shh!” Surina hissed, her attention keenly focused on the surrounding woods.
Both Quinn and Jared gazed out into the forest searching for what had spooked her.
Standing perfectly still Quinn too was able to hear the rustling of nearby leaves – something was definitely out there.
The blonde young man tensed as he saw a large figure dart between two trees not twenty meters from where they stood. Quinn unconsciously reached for the knife hanging from his belt.
Surina’s frown deepened, her hand sneaking into her coat to retrieve her watch. She too had seen the creatures that now circled them. “Neadian wolves,” she whispered.
Quinn’s eyes widened in fright.
She couldn’t be serious. What the teen had seen was too large to be a wolf, but the low growl that echoed through the trees said otherwise. The earth beneath his feet shook with the noise, small cracks appearing in tightly packed dirt.
His hand trembled on the hilt of the knife. He had never dealt well with dogs in almost any form, Cerebus being the only exception to date. Quinn assumed the aversion had something to do with the dream that had plagued him recently where, just like now, the snarling of a wild dog in the mist terrified him.
Could the whole thing have been some sort of memory?
“What do we do?” he whispered.
“Don’t panic and don’t run. We keep on moving but slow. Jared switch places with me and keep heading along this path, but be ready just in case… move!” she ordered when Quinn continued to stand stock still after Jared had stepped forward.
The teen quickly scrambled after the older man, falling in step behind him. His eyes no longer watched his footing, but darted about the trees attempting to track the creatures that followed at a distance.
As they moved along it soon became apparent that there was more than one of the creatures out there, probably two or three at least.
Quinn attempted to quicken his pace as he noticed the shifting figures move closer. In his haste, Quinn stumbled again, sprawling once again across the forest floor.
Seeing this moment of weakness one of the creatures leapt from the woods towards the fallen young man.
Quinn stared in horror, finally getting a good look at the beasts that pursued them. Surina had been right; they were wolves of a sort, that is, if wolves grew to be the size of horses. They were covered with dark gray fur, their yellow eyes were devoid of pupils yet Quinn felt them piercing him, as the one in front of him snarled, baring its massive fangs.
Quinn reached for the knife, but by the time he grabbed the handle the wolf was practically on top of him. He threw his arm up expecting to feel the excruciating sting of claws or the clamp of the wolf’s jaws on him… but it never came.
He opened his eyes, which he hadn’t realized he had even closed to see Jared standing between him and the beast.
The older man was holding off the creature with a long black scythe Quinn didn’t remember seeing before. The wolf had its teeth clamped down on the staff Jared held out defensively, while it used its paws to try and push the weapon out of the man’s hands.
Quinn heard a sharp yelp and turned his attention to Surina, though he quickly discovered that the sound had not come from her.
Apparently one of the other wolves had decided to join its pack mate in the attack and had charged the young woman. However, the demi-god had been prepared if the bow in Surina’s hands were any indication.
Quinn saw an arrow sticking out of the wolf’s flank as the creature limped back into the surrounding mist.
A growl to his left pulled Quinn’s focus away from the interaction to the third, and hopefully final, pack member. He had yet to release his grip on the knife, but when the beast lunged at him he moved in pure reaction. Quinn jumped out of the way blindly swinging the blade down and catching the wolf across its shoulder. The creature gave a whine of pain as it quickly backpedaled away from the knife and the one who wielded, back into the undergrowth.
Jared kicked the wolf attached to his scythe in the chest forcing it to let go. Swinging his weapon in wide arcs, whacking the creature across the muzzle he drove the beast further back until it turned tail and ran.
Quinn stood shaking as the adrenaline from the encounter continued to work its way through his system. “Did you see the size of those things!?” he gasped.
“Yeah we were lucky, probably just pups,” Surina commented as she slung the bow over her free shoulder.
“Pups?” Quinn echoed hoarsely.
“Yeah, Neadian animals are all of monstrous size. When full grown, their roars can split the ground apart… I say we high-tail it out of here before they bring back mom and dad.”
The blonde paled further as his imagination conjured images of two-story furred monstrosities.
He was pulled from his musing of harpoon sized teeth, by a firm hand on his shoulder. Glancing up he saw Jared stood at his side, his expression reassuring. The scythe that he held in his other hand seemed to disintegrate in his hold, turning into a black smoke that soon dispersed.
Explains why I never saw the thing before.
“Come on, we don’t have much farther to go,” Jared assured, giving the teen a friendly clap on the back.
The small group moved on, though Quinn still kept a watchful eye out on the woods surrounding them as his heart rate gradually slowed to a less terrified pace. Sanctuary for a goddess or not, Quinn could not wait to be free of the forest and its oversized inhabitants.
Despite Quinn’s growing paranoia, the rest of their journey to the city of Ephesus was uneventful; so much so that the teen was able to complete it without once tripping or falling.
They entered the city from the south; Quinn once again was impressed by the newness of the so-called ancient city. The design was thousands of years old yet the smooth marble columns and polished flagstone streets appeared as if only built a decade ago.
It was already late afternoon and the streets were filled with the inhabitants of the city. Almost every person they encountered was a member of one of the first four races.
A centaur with a long dark mane of braided hair shaped hot steel over an anvil, while safety goggles protected her eyes from the flying sparks. Small faeries similar to the ones that had visited Quinn in Cedar Hills, flittered about in multi-colored streaks of light, while their larger fey brethren walked about, the size of humans, though their pointed features and luminescent eyes would betray any thought that they could be human.
The nymphs that strolled about would also pass for human if one could discard their various and unique skin colors, or vined patterns visible on the dryads. In truth, the only thing human about the nymphs was their shape, as their hair could be made out of many things, flowers, ice, fire, rock, metal, while their eyes could be any color of the rainbow and beyond.
The three companions traveled westward along the main street; a satyr wearing a comedy mask beckoned those among the crowd to come see tonight’s play. Turning slightly to the north the streets sloped down, lined upon the left side by intricate floor mosaics, to what Jared pointed out as the Celsus library.
“Oh, check this out,” the older man said, pointing to a solitary tile on the path where the outline of a foot, as well as a
n etching that could have the face of a woman or some strangely plumed bird, stood in sharp relief.
“And?” Quinn asked unimpressed.
“It’s a special marking. Like on a map,” the other man said.
“Does it lead to the temple?”
Surina snorted overhearing her companions, “Hardly.”
“Then what?”
“A bordello,” Jared answered.
“You mean like a brothel?”
“Yep. You see men would tell their wives, mothers etc. that they would be going to the library,” Jared explained. “Which technically was true, it’s just that very few knew there was an underground passage that would travel under the road and into the basement of the brothel across the street.”
“Are you saying that this is also in the Second Realm?”
Jared nodded, “Well, at least it used to be, where we’re standing in the Second Realm is still the site of Ancient Ephesus in Turkey, though as you can probably figure all that’s left are ruins, though they’re still in pretty good shape considering…”
“I see…”
“All right you two, lets pick up the pace,” Surina called from ahead of them. “The temple is just a little further. Once we pass the other theatre on the right we’ll hit a small patch of forest and the temple is just beyond that.”
“More forest?” Quinn practically croaked.
“Don’t worry,” Jared said. “It’s too small to house any beasties.”
True to his word, as the two followed Surina out of the small city into the forest, nothing stirred in the bushes and trees that they passed.
They soon reached the clearing where the Temple of Artemis stood. Upon seeing familiar stone columns and arches the blonde noted that it, like the Temple of Apollo, continued to use Greek Architecture, yet had obviously expanded from what it had once been.
Now while the Apollo temple kept unwanted visitors out by a pseudo moat created by the lake, the path to Artemis’ temple appeared unhindered by any obstacles.