Half-prostate on the floor by this point, Baby carefully lowered something onto the floor before releasing his jaws and stepping back. It was up to Alex, however, to explain.
“We, uh,” he glanced uncertainly at the cat before swallowing hard and gamely continuing, “We were searching through this one area, looking for game, and Baby caught a scent in this burrow-looking place. And he said it wasn’t dangerous, but he wasn’t quite sure what it was, and um, so we got a stick and I poked around in the hole a bit to drive it out—”
At this point this small bundle of white huddled on the floor tentatively uncurled and poked a tiny face up. Erik leaned further out of the stool, astonished to see an actual face, much like a human’s face, on a creature that couldn’t have been as tall as his hand. It was incredibly tiny and delicate and clearly terrified. “What in the wide green world…?”
“Baby, you benighted idiot of a cat.” Even as he cursed him, Sarsen sounded more exasperated and resigned as he abandoned the hand on the table and came around to kneel in front of the tiny, shivering creature. “Where in blazes did you find a Nisse?”
“Is that what it is?” Alex asked tentatively. “Baby just knew it was trouble to disturb it, but when we pulled it out, it wouldn’t go back in. And we didn’t want to leave it out there, it’s freezing outside. And it’s so little.”
“And where’s Tran?” Beirly asked, also sounding exasperated. Although how this could be Tran’s fault, Erik wasn’t sure, as the little creature clearly wasn’t dangerous, so Tran wouldn’t have moved to stop them.
“He, uh, well, he said he’d report it to Siobhan and—”
Sevana’s voice echoed down the hall, reaching into the range of whistling tea kettles and screeching cats: “Baby! Do we need to review rule two?!”
Baby whined in the back of his throat and scooted under the table, huddling up next to Erik’s legs, clearly looking for protection. Although Erik wasn’t at all inclined to do that, he did find this funny.
Sarsen poked his head out the door and called back, “I’ll handle this, you keep building the path!”
“Fine!”
Unable to tap down his curiosity, Erik inquired, “And what is rule two?”
“Rule one’s don’t bring something home larger than yourself,” Sarsen answered absently, still focused on the creature on the floor. “Rule two is don’t disturb anything magical that lives in the forest. They are not game. Really, Baby, you know what a Nisse is. You’ve run into them before.”
Baby disagreed with a petulant growl.
Trying to be helpful, Big translated, Smell different.
“Yes, Big, I caught that.” Shaking his head, Sarsen left the room for only a moment, ducking out and coming back with a cookie and a small thimble of milk. He sat both carefully on the floor before backing away, resting on his knees. The Nisse uncurled a little more, regarded the food, and inched forward to try both. Pleased with the offer, he ate another bite, drank noisily from the milk, and finally found enough courage to look directly at Sarsen. It squeaked out something, the voice so high in pitch that Erik was barely able to discern the words.
“You’re a friend?”
“Yes,” Sarsen agreed with an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry for you being dragged out of your home like that. Our two young ones were curious, they didn’t mean any harm. If you’d like, you can take the cookie and milk with you, and I’ll escort you back home.”
Looking relieved, the Nisse bobbed his head several times in agreement. “Please do.”
“Alex,” Beirly suggested in a very paternal tone, “why don’t you go clean up some, and then come back and help us put the hand together.”
It was mostly meant to keep the boy out of trouble, and Alex undoubtedly realized that, but he looked intrigued as he craned to see further over the table. “It’s ready to put together? Sure, I’ll help.”
Beyond amused at this, Erik gave the cat’s head a pat. “Why don’t you stay here too?”
Baby growled, gave a forlorn sigh, and flopped onto his feet in the very picture of discontentment.
Chapter Six
Siobhan was not blind to the nervousness of her guild. For all that they were comfortable helping Grae and Rune pick out stones, assisting in building the path, this wasn’t like any other path that they’d built. They didn’t demand reassurances, but still, the tension and worry lingered in their eyes and body language. Short of opening a path and sending them on it, Siobhan didn’t know how to prove this to them. It was very much a one-way ticket. For that matter, Siobhan shared their nerves.
They took three full days to build it, despite it not being many stepping stones. Everyone wanted to make sure this path was precisely right, which meant a lot of digging in the ground for the perfect stones. It didn’t help that their hunting was shortened due to the short days of the winter season. But, finally, the path was done and their plans were to leave in the morning. Big promised to open up a skylight in the exact area over the path the next day, giving them full daylight to work with, and of course there was water already running next to the clock portal that had caused this shenanigan to begin with. Big even shifted the bedrock in the area to be dirt instead so the Pathmakers could place the stones exactly as they would.
The next morning, Siobhan rose a little early and prepared breakfast for everyone. It was early enough that most still slept, so she was surprised when Sevana wandered in with a half-asleep expression on her face and footsteps dragging. Stifling a yawn, Sevana muttered something that might have been a good morning.
“Top of the morning to you,” Siobhan returned, slightly amused. Not a morning person, apparently. She had more than a few of those. “I’m making hash, eggs, and bacon. Kettle’s hot if you want tea.”
With a grunt, Sevana headed for the stove and poured herself a mug of hot water before dropping tea strainer and a spoonful of tea leaves in to steep. As she waited on that, a bit of clarity seeped into her eyes. “You always rise this early?”
“On travel days,” Siobhan admitted freely, scrambling the eggs and keeping a sharp eye on that bacon lest it burn. “Not everyone in the guild is good with mornings, and it’s better if I keep an eye on people in general as we go out the door. Someone always forgets something otherwise.”
“I see now why Erik calls you the worrier.”
Shrugging, Siobhan didn’t bother to deny it. “Someone has to be.”
“Better you than me. Constantly managing people…” Sevana trailed off with a shudder. “No thanks.”
Glancing at her from the corner of the eye, Siobhan mused on that for a moment. “Yes, you’re much like Grae. Or Markl. They enjoy people but only in short stints. They’re much happier if you leave them to their work and their research and not make them interact with the world on a daily basis.”
“At least you understand that. I’m still trying to get that through everyone else’s heads.” Judging her tea steeped enough, she took the strainer out and mixed in a dollop of honey. “I know you’re nervous about today, but I’ll stake my reputation on this working. Grae’s staking more than that. You’ll make it home, Siobhan.”
Now, that put things into perspective, didn’t it? Grae was staking not only his own life, but all of theirs, that was how certain he was of this working. That eased some of her tension and she managed a smile for the half-asleep Artifactor at her elbow. “Thank you. I hope, though, that if this ever happens again, we’ll wind up here.”
Brightening, Sevana agreed, “Me too. Wouldn’t that be amazing, to have interplanetary travel be a repeatable thing?”
Shaking her head in a mix of amusement and despair, Siobhan muttered, “Amazing is one word for it.”
It took a little longer than it should have to gather everyone together. Their bags were all packed and on people’s backs, that wasn’t the issue. It was all of the hugs, and goodbyes, and well wishes that ate up the time. Siobhan didn’t begrudge it, as she felt as if she were leaving remarkable friends behin
d, even if they had known each other barely more than a week. She hugged more than a few people herself, Bel and Hana in particular, as they had been more than generous not only with their money, but their time and patience.
Eventually, they couldn’t stall any longer, as the sun approached its zenith in the sky, the perfect time to move. Grae held a flask of water taken from the small spring bubbling out next to the tall grandfather clock that was their destination. The door to the clock stood open wide, the pendulum in motion.
“Remember,” Sevana cautioned, standing next to the door. “Don’t jar the pendulum. There’s enough room if you squeeze through, and I recommend taking off your packs and going sideways to manage it. It’ll be hardest for Erik and Tran, but you should be able to make it.”
“Keep the path open for an hour after we go through,” Grae urged her in return. “A path can’t stay open for any longer than that without failing. If it stops before that point, we’ve made it through and I’ve closed it on my end.”
“Alright,” Sevana agreed.
No one said the obvious: if the path failed, then they hadn’t made it. Siobhan chose to leave those words unspoken, as there was no reason to jinx their journey.
Once the path opened, no one could move off of it, so Siobhan stole one more hug from their remarkable hostess, although she made it quick, as Sevana clearly felt uncomfortable with long embraces. “Thank you, Sevana. For all of your help.”
Sevana awkwardly patted her on the shoulder before pushing her off. “Yes, well, try not to drop by again.”
In perfect agreement on that point, Siobhan gave her a firm nod. “We’ll try not to.”
“Alright, everyone ready?” Grae’s voice didn’t shake, either through willpower or confidence, no one was sure. His hand stayed steady as he dropped water on the first part of the stepping stone.
Unlike every other path Grae or Rune had opened for them, this one shone in a stronger, deeper blue and green mixture. The air felt humid as usual, but heavier as well, as if a thick blanket pressed in all around them. From Rune and Grae’s expressions, that was a good sign.
“Step calm and careful, just like always,” Grae encouraged them. “Denny, you have Pyper and Pete?”
“I’ve got them.”
“Then let’s go.” Grae took the first step forward, leading them down the four stepping stones. It felt odd on this path, because even though they weren’t covering any real distance, the air around them distorted, making it seem as if they’d covered leagues like on a normal path.
Siobhan was one of the last in line, only Wolf behind her, as she wanted to keep an eye on people as they filed through. Her heart stayed lodged in her throat as she watched each person carefully slide through the clock’s open chest, avoiding the pendulum neatly as if they’d done it a million times before. Even Tran managed, although he had to suck in his gut. When it came to her turn, Siobhan paused and shouted out one last time, hopeful they could hear her despite the echoing effects of the path, “Thank you!”
Faintly, she heard several voices overlapping as they called back, “Be safe!”
With a deep breath for courage, and Wolf’s hand on her shoulder, she stepped inside the narrow confines of the clock and crab-walked her way through the portal. On the other side lay that deep, incredible darkness they’d crossed before to get here, and it was only Wolf’s firm grip on her shoulder that kept her from panicking completely. But as deep as the darkness was, she could feel something solid under her feet, and from ahead Grae’s voice reassured them, “We’re still on the path! Put one foot in front of the other, I think we’re almost clear!”
As if his words were a benediction, Siobhan saw a sparkle of blue and green light ahead, a beckoning signal. She followed it, focusing only on that and breathing. “Wolf.”
“Still here, beloved. Keep going.”
In the next breath, the light exploded all around her, enveloping her the way a normal path would. She nearly stumbled in surprise, it was so abrupt, adrenaline singing through her veins. Ahead of her, she heard a whoop of pure joy, someone else laughed, and her body tingled with hope and anticipation. They’d made it?
Two more steps, three, and she did stumble this time, barely keeping her feet as she left that darkness and the swirl of lights for the vast stretch of grassland outside of the path. Siobhan let out a sob of relief, eyes burning with thankful tears because there, ahead of her in all of its questionable glory, lay Goldschmidt. Her eyes took it in, then quickly darted away, checking to make sure that everyone had come through. Some people were hugging each other, some were kissing the grass, others lay flat on their backs and fighting off tears but everyone, every single member of Deepwoods had made it. Dropping her pack, she whirled and caught Wolf in a fierce embrace, which he returned just as hard.
“Aye, love, we made it,” Wolf whispered against her temple, kissing it gently before lifting his head. “Grae, Rune. No more experimenting with water for you.”
Not at all offended, both Pathmakers groaned out a laugh.
Keeping an arm around her husband’s waist, Siobhan asked anxiously, “The path is closed now? You think Sevana can tell that we made it?”
“It’s closed, and yes, she’ll know,” Grae assured her with a satisfied smile. “I told her what to look for. It’s alright, Shi. Just enjoy being home again.”
“But what about…” she turned, looking intently at Wolf’s hand, as that was the main question on her mind now that they were home again.
Perhaps reminded, Wolf lifted his hand to the sky, letting the rays of the sun bathe over the back of it, his brow furrowed as he focused. Under their astonished eyes, the hand flexed like a real one would, clenching into a tight fist and releasing again.
“It worked,” he breathed in astonishment, flexing it again, a dazzling smile exploding across his face. “Beirly, it works!”
“I see that.” Beirly seized the hand, drawing it down to his level and had Wolf flex it again. “I’m now mad we didn’t bring more magical things with us. All we have is what Sarsen shoved into my pack. But I look forward to what we can build, now that I have all of these interesting blueprints.”
Not to be outdone, Markl threw in, “And what I’ve learned from them about crime management, economics, and trade agreements will be vastly helpful moving forward. Truly, as nerve-wracking as that was, I think the experience will be to our good. Hopefully they will feel the same way about it.”
Siobhan felt that they would. At least, she’d felt the joy they took in turning strangers into friends, and that told her everything she needed to know.
Bellomi stood with his arm around Hana’s waist, peering anxiously at the clock. “Did they make it? The swirly blue-green light show stopped.”
“They made it,” Sarsen and Sevana said confidently in unison. Sharing a glance, Sarsen gestured for her to go ahead.
“Grae told me what to look for,” she explained, gesturing toward the now still path. “A failed path flickers several times before abruptly cutting off. A solid path will steadily fade as the Pathmaker releases his control over it. That’s what we saw, a gradual stop to the path. They made it.”
Pressing a relieved hand over her heart, Hana gave her a smile. “I’m so glad. I hate to think of them stranded here. Do you think the paths will ever cross again? Have them end up here, I mean.”
“Grae swore up and down he was done experimenting with water, so likely not.” Sevana shrugged, as if this didn’t bother her, although she actually wouldn’t mind if it happened again. “But the important thing is, they made it home.”
“Yes,” Bellomi agreed, his smile a little bittersweet. “As much as I enjoyed their company, that is the most important part. Well, I suppose we’re bound for home too. Thanks for hosting us, Big, Sevana.”
“Feel free to come back when aliens invade my home again,” Sevana responded with saccharine sweetness.
Laughing, Sarsen hugged her around the shoulders, hanging on tight even though s
he squirmed. “Oh don’t worry, we’ll be back before then.”
“Yes,” Sevana sighed, resigned. “I thought you’d say that.”
Author
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~Honor
Honor Raconteur is a sucker for a good fantasy. Despite reading it for decades now, she’s never grown tired of the magical world. She likely never will. In between writing books, she trains and plays with her dogs, eats far too much chocolate, and attempts insane things like aerial dance.
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Other books by Honor Raconteur
Published by Raconteur House
♫ Available in Audiobook! ♫
THE ADVENT MAGE CYCLE
Jaunten ♫
Magus ♫
Advent ♫
Balancer ♫
ADVENT MAGE NOVELS
Advent Mage Compendium
The Dragon’s Mage ♫
The Lost Mage
Crossroads: An Artifactor x Deepwoods Short Story Page 6