Bound Paths (Compass Points #3)

Prologue

PROLOGUE

500 YEARS AGO

C assandra, Lady of the Veil, greeted Zrak with teeth clenched and blade drawn. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a god on the continent. You can’t just let yourself into my realm.” He had spilled through the space between realms like he thought himself a thief in the night. Unfortunately for him, all those who ventured beyond the veil fell with an unceremonious splash into the cold and raging river.

It would have been too much to ask that he not make the crossing. Part of her wished he could be swept up by the river’s current that dragged new arrivals to Veil Lake. She shook her head. Thinking of the lake only brought pain, followed quickly by anger—at the gods.

The gods of the continent traveling beyond the veil didn’t have access to all of their magic, but it appeared Zrak’s wind worked just well enough to shepherd him through the dangerous flow. She resented that he could make the swim across when so many spirits could not.

The unfairness of existence was something with which she was well acquainted.

Refocusing on the god before her, she took a moment to appreciate seeing him crawling from the river on hands and knees. His head tilted back to see her and the feline predators that formed a half-circle around him.

“You’re unwelcome here,” she continued, standing taller, her white-blonde hair falling to the middle of her back. The host of reddish brown veil cats echoed her words with a growl, baring their teeth at the intruder. The cat on her left was particularly angry—Zrak must have used Orion’s latest trip to the continent to make the crossing. Cassandra’s hand fell to scratch his head as another hiss tore from his throat. “Orion agrees. Justify yourself quickly, or I’ll let him express his displeasure to you directly.”

She’d met the gods of the continent before, and frankly, she’d been unimpressed.

This one was the worst of them. He always thought he knew best. Knees still on the ground, he sat back on his haunches to better evaluate his position. His tall and broad figure was usually so imposing. His otherworldly beauty and unshakeable confidence were annoyingly on display the few times they’d met.

They weren’t now.

She appreciated that none of his poise lingered in his current predicament. His dark brown hair was plastered against his face from the swim. Something like humility smoothed the lines of his face as he met her gaze. She cursed herself for wanting to know why.

Zrak had the good grace to look sheepish, probably at being caught so quickly. He had never visited her realm. She knew it for a fact. Her magic, now so connected with the land, alerted her to any new arrivals.

Briefly, she wondered what his plan had been. Had he hoped to hide himself in her realm and never be found?

“Lady Cassandra, I…” He stumbled over the words. This inarticulate start, so different from his reputation, only further piqued her curiosity. Their interactions were limited, but she’d never heard him speak with anything less than utter confidence.

He ran his fingers nervously through his hair as he got to his feet. “Of course, I planned to present myself to you.”

She wanted to laugh—his usually stoic face gave too much away. Even if she hadn’t received gossip from newly arrived spirits, she never would have believed he planned to present himself.

Had he really hoped to hide himself away here?

Zrak, Arctos, Aurora, and Aterra had no right to visit her realm. The mess they’d made on the continent continued to spill onto her shores. And that didn’t even consider what their selfish choices had pushed Celeste to do… Her fists clenched inadvertently at her sides. Now wasn’t the time to rehash old wounds, no matter how much she still paid the price for them. She shook off the thought and unclenched her hands, running her fingers down the length of her sword as a distraction.

Her duty was to the spirits—to this realm. She’d been blinded before by hope. Betrayal wouldn’t sneak up so easily on her again.

She arched an eyebrow. “Well, isn’t it convenient I’ve come to greet you? I’ve made it easier for you,” she said.

The gods of the continent thought she had closed the borders and, therefore, her communication channels fifty years ago. They knew nothing about her though. She’d closed the borders to protect her realm—a realm she’d failed once to protect.

Spirits still journeyed beyond the veil, but without a veil cat’s help, fewer and fewer crossed the treacherous river. Those who did brought the detailed goings-on of the continent with them. The most recent additions said Zrak and the others had failed catastrophically. Not that she’d expected anything less.

“I…” The Osten God stumbled over his words again. “Lady Cassandra, I…”

She pushed her hair over her shoulder, a casual gesture contradicting everything she felt. “If you planned to present yourself to me, one would expect you to have prepared what you would say…”

The host of veil cats at her side tilted their heads. Each looked back and forth between her and the god, waiting for her signal. Their tails flicked like a drum beat keeping time. Orion growled again, a low rumbling sound matching the gurgling of the river behind them.

Zrak coughed. “Of course.” He finally seemed to collect himself. “The continent is in peril. The greed and selfishness of the gods has upset the balance and driven us to the brink of destruction.”

At least he was finally being honest about who was to blame.

“While we’ve done what we can to rectify the situation and created a system of checks and balances to ensure it doesn’t happen again…we also needed to pay a price for our mismanagement.”

Cassandra knew all this, but she was glad the gods of the continent had finally figured it out—even if it was fifty years too late.

“I was chosen to sacrifice myself—for the balance of our continent.”

“And yet…here you are beyond the veil.” She glanced at her fingernails, feigning disinterest. He wouldn’t be here without good reason, and her heart hammered in her chest to know what it was.

“Yes.” He paused as if knowing his next words would be damning but realizing he had no option but to speak them. “I’m not sure a god can die, so I planned to go to the next best place.” He raised his arms, gesturing to the realm around them, his gaze roaming the dense forest surrounding the river.

She schooled her features as she replied. “My realm is not your refuge.”

Zrak’s eyes widened as if he hadn’t considered not being allowed to stay. His lips pursed. She could almost see his mind working, considering his next move. Her lip curled into a smirk as she thought of what would happen to his precious plan when she kicked him out.

His words ran through her head unbidden. I’m not sure a god can die. Was that true? She shook her head again. His concern was not the same as hers. All that mattered was that she protected the spirits—her promise to the land here.

As if following her thoughts, he said, “It would be beneficial for both of our realms.”

He paused momentarily as their gazes met. It seemed like he would take a step toward her. Fury must have burned as bright in her eyes as in her heart. She was sure he could see it as something stopped him in his tracks.

How dare he speak of joint benefit? When she warned them fifty years ago, none of the gods cared about their joint downfall. They didn’t care what the downfall had led the humans on the continent to do. Cassandra hadn’t told them everything, but she’d told them enough.

Ultimately, the four gods were to blame for Celeste’s desperation.

Zrak coughed uncomfortably as he tried to continue. “Your land requires balance as much as the continent.”

Orion growled at her feet, sensing her unrest.

“Choose your next words very carefully, Zrak,” she said through gritted teeth. “I tried to have this conversation with you already. I’m not above reminding you that you ignored me.”

“We weren’t ready then. I told you when we made the peace offering—the willow tree. But we’re ready to make a sacrifice now.” His words were pleading. Cassandra was almost caught off guard by his tone. Planting a tree on the continent with a connection beyond the veil had been to appease her. They hadn’t wanted to deal with her rage after Celeste’s actions.

She steeled her spine as she thought of her own sacrifice. “You’re ready now?” Her voice was so low. Orion couldn’t help himself, letting another growl rumble through his body on her behalf. “You think you know sacrifice?” she hissed. “You think your actions today show your dedication to your people?” She waved her hand in dismissal. “You will never know what I have done—what I continually do—to clean up your mess.” She closed her eyes and dropped her chin to breathe. “I’ve done what was necessary here. You pretending to care now will only ruin it.”

Zrak opened his mouth to speak and then closed it. Surely, her words couldn’t be a surprise to him? He had to know that his actions had consequences in her realm. Then again, it had taken them this long to admit they even had a problem with theirs. They were that self-centered.

“I could work for you. You say you no longer send your veil cats out, but given that one’s latest trip”—he gestured to Orion—“you must still need to do so. Use something you can afford to lose: me—my Nebulus—to help shepherd spirits across the river.”

She tried to blank her expression, but it was likely a lost cause. His point cut deep. She could no longer trust the humans on the continent with her cats. They were too desperate, doing anything to protect themselves from the catastrophe of the god’s creation.

The god stepped back from whatever he saw before realizing he was still at the river’s edge.

“You’re right about you being something I can afford to lose at least.” Her smile was all teeth. “But alternatively, we could let Orion off his metaphorical leash and test your theory about gods dying,” she said as the cat growled again beside her. “If you returned in spirit form, I’d have no right to bar your entry.”

The veil cat on her right rubbed against her leg, placing its head directly under where her hand hung. She scratched her absentmindedly while contemplating this god’s fate.

“Surely, you see why that wouldn’t be an ideal solution,” Zrak said.

He didn’t sound nervous. Somehow, he had found his unending confidence again. Only the shifting of his eyes gave away his nerves. He seemed to evaluate escape routes as he spoke.

With a single snap of her fingers, her veil cats could chase him back into the river, letting him find his way back to the continent. Her spirits were safe—that’s what mattered. She was comfortable in the cage she’d built for herself.

His unblinking gaze followed the movement of her fingers. “I know that people let you down—even those you trust,” he said carefully.

“I don’t trust you—I can’t imagine you would do anything but take from my realm,” she replied.

Zrak’s head tilted. Finally, his legendary planning was on display. He realized she held his fate.

“Another able to bond with the land will come.”

His words were a whisper, but they shook her to her core. Briefly, she wondered if she’d imagined them. Then her green eyes snapped to his, and there was no mistaking his meaning.

She was too stunned to stifle her response. “You can’t know that.”

Zrak’s soft smile was all confidence for the first time since she found him in the river. His arguments until now had been infuriating. But this, his words about another… He was sure of those—sure they would make a difference in his plea.

How did he know? He seemed so unaware of what she was.

“Explain yourself.” She tapped her sword on her palm in as threatening a gesture as she could manage. She was certain the god saw through her. Somehow, he knew she needed this, no matter how much she tried to convince herself she didn’t.

“Some know my element can capture secrets on the wind.” He paused so long before continuing, she wondered if he would. To her dismay, she waited with bated breath.

“The whispers aren’t always from the present,” he said flatly.

Cassandra clenched her jaw tight, unwilling to let her mouth fall open in surprise. The information about the gods and their elements was common knowledge, as was their creation of the fae as part of Zrak’s plan. But this…

“You can hear the future?”

Zrak nodded.

If this were true—if she took him at his word that he had heard secrets from the future of another—did he also know what it meant for her realm? He didn’t seem to understand what she had done to preserve the balance.

“What do you know about another?” Believing his words was too easy. She dared not hope. But if there was any chance it was true…

“I know they are the only chance you have to truly restore balance here. To free yourself from this trap of your own making. I don’t know what you did, but I heard the land calling for more—more than you can give.”

She hated how smug the god sounded now. She gripped the sharp edge of her sword as it landed in her palm again. The bite of the blade as it dug into her flesh kept her focused as the god continued.

“One who can answer the call of the land will exist on the continent. I’ve heard him.”

She held Zrak’s stare. Her brow pinched in thought. What else had this god heard of the future? Had he passed this gift on to his fae? She shook her head. He’d played his cards well. She couldn’t let her cats chase him out now.

“If I let you stay, you will tell me everything I need to know about him.” It was a statement, not a question. “You will tell me when he arrives.”

Zrak nodded.

“Fine.” She released her grip on the blade and turned, using it to gesture to her realm. “You are welcome beyond the veil. Don’t make a nuisance of yourself. We’ll discuss your work for me after you’ve found a place in the city.”

She and her pack turned their backs on the god, leaving him to his machinations.