Chapter 104
We continued another few hundred paces in silence. The mountains had grown unnaturally still, and even the breeze seemed reluctant to cross the black volcanic slopes.
I adjusted the satchel on my shoulder, then frowned. "...That's odd."
Rhaevan stopped. "What is it?"
"I..." I shifted the satchel again. "It almost felt like something moved."
Slowly, I slipped the satchel from my shoulder and placed it on a nearby boulder. The strange sensation came again-a faint, barely noticeable vibration, as though something inside was quietly humming.
My eyes widened. "The compass, it's making strange noises..."
Rhaevan stepped closer. I quickly opened the satchel. Nestled safely inside, the bronze compass emitted a soft silver glow, not bright enough to illuminate the surroundings, just enough to catch the eye. The concentric rings I'd seen move only once before were turning again, slowly and deliberately.
Click. The outer ring shifted.
Click. The second followed.
The needle, which had remained perfectly still since leaving Benedict's cottage, began to turn until it pointed directly toward the mountains.
Rhaevan stared at it in silence. "It's reacting," I whispered.
I carefully lifted the compass from the satchel. The instant it rested in my palm, the glow grew stronger-warm, almost welcoming-and the needle steadied.
Without a word, we followed where it pointed.
The path it chose wasn't a path at all; it led us away from the natural trail and across uneven shelves of black stone.
Twice, I thought we had reached a dead end, and twice, the compass shifted slightly, redirecting us around towering cliffs and narrow crevices.
The farther we walked, the quieter the mountains became. No birds, no insects, no rustling leaves-only the steady crunch of our boots against volcanic rock.
I lowered my voice instinctively. "...This place feels wrong."
Rhaevan's gaze swept over the surrounding cliffs. "It feels hidden."
We rounded another bend, and I stopped.
Before us rose a sheer wall of black stone. It stretched across the mountainside without interruption-no opening, no cave, nothing but smooth volcanic rock. I looked down at the compass. The needle pointed directly ahead, refusing to waver, insisting we keep moving straight forward.
Rhaevan approached the cliff, studying its surface. "There has to be something."
He ran his hand slowly across the rock. At first, it appeared completely natural, but then the sunlight caught it at just the right angle, revealing faint lines.
So faint I would never have noticed them myself: perfectly straight, perfectly deliberate.
Not cracks, but seams. Someone had carved an enormous doorway directly into the mountainside, and time had merely hidden it beneath centuries of weathered stone.
I felt my pulse quicken. "...Rhaevan."
"I see it."
He stepped closer, placing one hand against the ancient stone as silver light gathered around his fingers. He released a careful stream of magic into the hidden doorway.
For a heartbeat, nothing happened. Then the light simply disappeared, absorbed without a trace.
Rhaevan immediately withdrew his hand. "It consumed the spell."
"What does that mean?"
"It means..." He looked slowly across the almost invisible carvings etched around the edge of the doorway. "...this entrance is resisting magic. My magic won't work."
Silence settled between us. Then his eyes shifted from the door to the compass in my hand, and finally, to me.
"I think..." He stepped back. "...it's waiting for you."
I looked from Rhaevan, to the ancient doorway, then back to the compass still resting in my palm. The compass pulsed once against my palm-warm, almost patient. I took a slow breath. "...You're awfully calm about asking me to touch mysterious enchanted doors. Well... if this goes terribly wrong..."
Rhaevan's expression became serious. "I won't let it."
For reasons I couldn't explain, I believed him.
I stepped toward the hidden doorway. Up close, the carvings were even more intricate than I'd first realized, with countless fine lines spiraled through the stone, weaving together into patterns that resembled flowing rivers, stars, and crescents. Yet there wasn't a single rune I recognized.
The compass grew warmer-not uncomfortably so, but almost encouragingly. I hesitated only a moment before placing my free hand against the centre of the stone.
Nothing.
I let out the breath I'd been holding. "...Maybe we overestimated my importance."
Behind me, Rhaevan remained silent.
I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and let my magic flow through the runes on the stone. Then, the compass vibrated. A low hum echoed through the mountain, and the bronze rings began rotating of their own accord.
Click. Click. Click.
The carvings beneath my hand answered. A faint silver glow spread outward from my fingertips, racing through the countless engraved lines like water finding long-forgotten channels.
I instinctively pulled my hand back, but the light didn't stop; it continued flowing through every carving across the hidden doorway.
The entire mountainside trembled. Dust drifted from the cliffs above, and deep within the rock, something ancient stirred.
A heavy grinding sound rolled through the mountain. The seam we'd discovered moments earlier slowly widened, stone scraping against stone with the measured certainty of a mechanism that had performed this task countless times before.
Cold air rushed out from the darkness beyond. It carried no scent, no warmth, only the stillness of a place untouched for centuries.
The doorway finally came to rest, open.
Neither of us spoke. I stared into the darkness beyond the threshold. "...It worked."
Rhaevan was quiet, awed, his gaze remaining fixed on the glowing carvings. The compass's light gradually faded until only the needle continued to glow faintly, pointing into the darkness as though inviting us to continue.
I tightened my grip around the compass. "So... I don't suppose this is where you tell me everything will be fine."
Rhaevan stepped to my side, his eyes never leaving the ancient passage.
"No." He raised one hand, and a small sphere of pale light drifted into existence above his palm, illuminating the first few metres of the corridor beyond.
"I think this is where I tell you..." He looked at me. "...to stay close."
I nodded once.
Together, we crossed the threshold.
The stone door rumbled shut behind us. The echo rolled through the darkness like the mountain itself had taken a slow, ancient breath.
Then... silence.