After I figured enough time had passed for us finish recovering, I stood up and held out a hand to help Jinx to her feet. She took my help with a grateful smile of relief.

“So,” I said breaking the silence, “how do we find where we’re going exactly? I’d like to get out of here as quickly as possible. Just in case that thing comes back.” I’m telling you, I should win an Oscar. Or at least a Tony. I’m that good an actor.

“Yeah, for sure. Let’s keep moving.” She looked around again, her brow furrowing. I didn’t like the sound of her exasperated sigh.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, my stomach sinking.

“I’ve gotten turned around,” she admitted, her voice tight with frustration. “I don’t remember which direction we were walking. Damnit! Sonofabitch! Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

Wow, she seemed upset. She kicked at the ground, the motion childish in its intensity but wholly understandable.

“Well okay,” I said slowly, “it can’t be that hard to figure out, can it? The lights seem pretty distinguishable. Each one has a different pattern. As we passed the brighter ones, I made it a game to put names to the shapes I saw. Like tracing constellations or finding animals in clouds.”

Her head snapped toward me. “Wait. You mean the lights you’ve been seeing… they’re real?”

“What do you mean, ‘real’?” I asked, confused. “I’ve been talking about them this whole time.”

“I thought…” She hesitated, rubbing her temples. “I thought it was just some delusion of a crazy vampire who shouldn’t even be able to walk the Path, let alone see random lights along the Way.”

“Wait a minute, back up,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “What do you mean I shouldn’t be able to walk the Path? Please elucidate -shine some light of illumination on my confusion.”

She hesitated again, avoiding my gaze. “The Path was enchanted long ago by the original Walkers of the Way,” she began cautiously. “They spelled it to protect against certain unsavory sorts.”

“And by unsavory sorts, you mean vampires,” I said flatly.

“Not just vampires,” she quickly corrected. “Any undead -ghouls, ghasts, liches, wraiths, you name it. The Path was designed to repel anything touched by the abyss. The only one sanctioned to use the Path is the race of Man. Even the Fae’Ri and the other creatures of the Wyld are barred. But they have their own methods of travel.” She trailed off before muttering under her breath, “Only the living can walk it safely.”

“So anything that’s evil, basically,” I concluded for her. “And you brought me here?!” I demanded incredulous.

“No. Evil is a subjective term. And there is no such thing as evil, not in the way that most people think of it. A thing is not necessarily evil, just because it exists. The motivations one has, those can be evil. Depending on your point of view of course. It’s all a matter of perspective. Take you for example. You’re a nascent vampire. Newly risen. You should be feeling the blood lust and trying to feed the insatiable Hunger, no matter who gets hurt to do so.”

I winced.

“I get your point. My mother always said I was special.” I looked closely at her, peering at her autumnal aura that swirled around her. “So, what about you, what makes you special?”

She slapped my shoulder playfully. “I’m not special. I mean I have homo-magi blood, and my grandmother says the Scottish Gypsy bloodline flows through my veins, and I’ve already told you about my brother and sister. So my talent with animals must give me enough of a connection to the Veil to qualify to walk the Path.” She shrugged. “But you know what I mean. You are special. You’re different. I don’t know how but you aren’t a typical blood sucker. For one thing you’re in control. And I don’t get the usual undead vibe from you.”

I didn’t mention our recent incident. Some things are better left unsaid.

“Okay fine. So I’m a special sort of weird. And still you were willing to risk my life taking the Path through the Way? So, what would have happened to me if I’d been a normal blood sucker, as you call it?”

“Well,” she coughed self-consciously, “the Path was created using the Light. And the Light is anathema to the Dark. The Void recoils from it. The Dark is vanquished by it.” She was starting to wax philosophical, and I let her -this was interesting.

“The way the sun brightens the night sky, so does the Light illuminate the Void. Creatures of the Abyss, of the Darkness, well, they usually…” she trailed off again. Man I really do hate that.

“Burst into flame? Become consumed in a fiery inferno of divinity? Something like that?” I offered.

She nodded. I swallowed.

“Wow. Okay. I mean. Okay. Umm. Wow. So, I could have died, again.” My voice was deadpan, my expression blank and unreadable.

She shook her head. “No! I mean, yes, if you had somehow made your way onto the Path, and been a normal vampire, a creature touched by the Abyss, then you would have found it very dangerous to remain. But when you not only found the doorway, but unlocked it -I somehow knew something was different. I had a feeling.” She finished lamely.

“And so you decided it was okay to risk my life on the off chance that I wouldn’t suddenly burst into flames, because you had a feeling?” I remained quiet for a few moments.

Then I shrugged. “And so, here I am,” I said dryly.

“Exactly,” she said, her tone softening. “Which means you’re not like other vampires. You’re different.”

“Special, you mean,” I said with a wry smile. “Gee, thanks, Mom. Look, no fangs!”

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

She laughed weakly, shaking her head. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Yeah, well,” I said, shrugging. “So now what? If I’m special enough to walk the Path without getting smoted– smited? – whatever, by the Light of Divinity, where do we go from here?”

The Path stretched ahead -and behind- like an infinite ribbon of light. The arches loomed in the distance, no matter which way we looked, each one pulsing faintly as though waiting for us. The air was calmer now, the oppressive weight replaced by a sense of quiet anticipation.

Jinx glanced around, her gaze darting between the shifting, shadowy outlines of the Path and the inky void beyond. Her frustration had ebbed slightly, replaced by a tentative focus as she considered our next move.

“Well,” she said, drawing the word out, “I was going to ask you that.”

I blinked. “What do you mean, ask me? I have no idea where to go.”

She shrugged, looking sheepish. “I only know how to walk the Path by going forward. I memorized a couple of the doors -the exits off the Path- but I’m by no means a master at traversing it. I’m just following what my grandmother taught me. And, uh… this is only my second time here.”

My stomach dropped. “Second time? You’ve done this twice?”

“Technically, one and a half,” she admitted, scratching the back of her head. “The first time, I had help. A guide.”

I groaned, dragging a hand down my face. “Great. So, not only are we potentially lost in some cosmic back alley, but we’re relying on your novice-level Pathwalking skills to get us out?”

“Hey!” she snapped, her cheeks flushing. “It’s not like I planned for this! You think I wanted to be attacked by some eldritch nightmare? I’m doing the best I can!”

“Alright, alright,” I said, holding up my hands in surrender. “Let’s not start snapping at each other. We need to focus. You said the lights I’ve been seeing might be real?”

Her glare softened slightly as she nodded. “Yeah. I mean, it makes sense, right?”

“How so? Do pray tell.” I waited, and even tapped my foot a couple times for emphasis.

“You’re blind, right?” Ignoring my exasperated expression, she went on, “only you’re not just blind. You’re a newly risen vampire, of a breed I’ve never seen before. You’re more alive than you are dead. Something about how your change happened made you different. Different enough to be able to see what I can’t.” She paused as she gathered her thoughts.

“You’re… Your mom was a seer. Maybe you inherited some of that. I’ve never seen these lights you’re describing, but if they’re helping you navigate…” I nodded slowly.

“Well there you have it then! You must be a seer too, then.” She finished talking as if that explained everything.

And she wasn’t far off. But more on that later.

“It’s not just navigation,” I interrupted. “The lights -patterns, really- they’re like guideposts. They shift and change every few dozen paces, almost like they’re marking different sections of the Path. It’s subtle, but they’re distinct.”

She stared at me, a spark of hope flickering in her expression. “If you’ve been tracking them, maybe we can use them to retrace our steps. Like breadcrumbs.”

“Breadcrumbs in a labyrinth filled with cosmic horrors,” I muttered. “Perfect.”

“Do you have a better idea?” she shot back, hands on her hips.

“Not really, no,” I admitted. “Alright, let’s do this your way. I’ll follow the lights and see if I can spot any patterns we’ve already passed. If we find something familiar, we’ll know we’re heading in the wrong direction.”

“Exactly!” she said, her enthusiasm returning. “See? Teamwork! Easy, peasy.” She was suddenly much more cheerful and lively than she was when we first stepped onto the Path.

“Sure,” I said, my tone dry. “Dorothy and the Lion, lost on the yellow brick Path.” Because this sure wasn’t Vegas anymore.

“Don’t push it,” she warned, linking her arm with mine. “Come on. Let’s get moving.” She tossed me my cane, which I deftly caught, surprising us both. Man, I love this place, I thought in satisfaction.

“Okay, mademoiselle, pick a direction and let’s start walking. If we’re heading the wrong way, we turn around and we’re back on track. Voila!” I smiled encouragingly at her. And she grinned back.

I kid you not, she actually eany-meany-miney-moed to pick a direction. Once she had her choice, we set off like two mismatched adventurers in a storybook, our steps echoing faintly against the crystalline surface of the Path. The further we walked, the more eerie, and otherworldly the atmosphere became as it pressed in around us.

It didn’t take long to figure out that we’d gotten turned around. As we passed under the second archway, I saw it. Its pattern was unmistakable -distinctive loops spiraling inward like the whirlpool of a drain, glowing faintly with an almost hypnotic pull. I remembered it too clearly from before.

“Wait,” I said, stopping abruptly and tugging Jinx back by the arm. “This one… we’ve seen it already. We’re going the wrong way.”

Her head snapped toward me, her frustration palpable. “You’re sure?”

I nodded, my brow furrowing as I stared at the swirling pattern. “Positive. It’s like déjà vu, but with lights. We’ve been here before.”

Without waiting for her response, I pivoted and began retracing our steps, moving as quickly as the Path allowed. The crystalline surface beneath our feet pulsed faintly, each step sending ripples of energy through the air. Jinx kept pace beside me, her tension radiating like heat.

As we passed each new archway, I focused intently on their patterns. They were easier to spot now, their glowing designs standing out against the void like constellations etched into the fabric of the universe.

“Alright,” Jinx said, her voice tight. “What do you see this time?”

I squinted, the intricate pattern of the arch coming into sharper focus. “This one’s… geometric. Interlocking triangles, kind of like the Celtic knot you mentioned earlier.”

She glanced at the archway, her eyes narrowing. “I don’t see that. To me, it’s just faint etchings, on a plane stone door. Barely visible.”

“That’s weird,” I muttered. “It’s so vivid to me. Like it’s… trying to tell me something.”

The Path itself seemed alive, its surface pulsing faintly beneath my feet. The patterns of light I’d been tracking swirled and shifted, forming intricate shapes that danced just beyond comprehension. Constellations, geometric designs, even vague impressions of animals -each pattern felt deliberate, as if planned.

“You said you’ve never seen these lights before?” I asked, breaking the silence.

“Nope,” she replied, her tone clipped. “To me, the Path is just… dark. Like a floating bridge in the middle of nowhere.”

“That’s weird,” I muttered. “Because to me, it’s the opposite. The Path practically glows. It’s alive.”

She glanced at me, her expression skeptical but intrigued. “Alive how?”

“It’s hard to explain,” I said, running a hand through my hair. “It’s like… threads of light, weaving and unweaving. Constantly shifting. And the arches we pass? They’re not just doorways -they’re like nodes, pulsing with energy.”

Jinx was quiet for a moment, her brow furrowing. “Declan, I think the Path is reacting to you.”

“What do you mean?”

She hesitated, choosing her words carefully. “The Way isn’t supposed to behave like this. It’s supposed to be neutral -a tool, sure, but not… interactive. If it’s showing you things, guiding you, then it sees something in you. Something unique.”

I frowned, the weight of her words settling uneasily on my shoulders. “Great. First vampires, now cosmic roadmaps. What’s next, glowing billboards telling me to find my destiny?”

She snorted. “Could happen. You’re already breaking the rules just by being here.”

“That makes two of us,” I muttered, shaking my head. “So, what’s the deal with your aura?”

She blinked, caught off guard. “What about it?”

“When I woke up, your colors were all wrong,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “They were dark, like tar. Then they shifted again after I gave you my blood. Now there’s red in there -like, a lot of red.”

She frowned, rubbing her arms as if to ward off a chill. “I don’t know. I’ve never heard of something like that happening before. But… I feel different. Stronger, maybe? It’s hard to describe.”

“Stronger how?” I pressed.

“I don’t know!” she snapped, then sighed, her shoulders slumping. “Sorry. I just… I’m still figuring this out. Whatever that thing did to me… it changed something.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” I said. “Let’s just hope it’s not permanent,” I added under my breath.