Eastwei knelt on one knee and opened his arms to me. “Come.”

I trotted up to him and he scooped me into one arm where I was pressed against his chest. There wasn’t a better spot in all the realms than where I sat as the gods started their walk.

“We should save our magic and enjoy this fine day, do you not think so?” Leiren mused as he took in a deep breath. “Not a cloud in the sky nor a wind to torment us.”

“Has the barrier lessened since my last visit?” Eastwei inquired.

Leiren sighed and shook his head. “You are always one to forget to stop and enjoy the simpler things in life.” His twinkling eyes settled on me. “Perhaps your pet would like your attention. She is a fine animal but I feel she needs a lot of watching.” Eastwei was silent and our host shrugged. “Very well, down to business. I believe there is a slight depletion in the energy. It has been a century since you came here so such a depletion is hardly surprising. It will be a simple matter of transferring some of your energy to replenish the well.”

My ears perked up at their conversation. They’d mentioned something about Eastwei and the mountain last night, and the tone of the conversation had been less than sunny.

We followed a trail that ran along the winding foot of the craggy mountains. The ground was littered with past rockfalls and there were many gaps in the trees where landslides had crashed into them, cutting a path of destruction of which the remnants were vacancies and fallen, rotting logs covered in moss.

The sweet smell of water I had noticed the previous night came up to us fifty yards from the cabin. It was a mountain stream that meandered its way down a crevice in the rock and through the woods. There was no bridge to cross the gap and I stiffened as we approached the chilly waters. Even the air was decidedly colder as we approached its banks and its waters sprayed us with a fine mist. The other shore was fifty feet across the cold gap and there was no bridge in sight.

Eastwei tightened his grip on me and pushed off with one leg. My jaw dropped down as we flew across the waters and landed neatly on the other side. Leiren did the same, settling on the ground beside us.

His mischievous eyes fell on me as we continued onward. I must have looked a sight with my body stiff, my eyes bulging, and my hair standing on end. “Did you not know we can step across such distance as a mortal does across a puddle of water?”

I clapped my jaw shut and mechanically shook my head.

“She is very ignorant of much of the world,” Eastwei mused as he studied me. “Perhaps she has been alone most of her life.”

My tail shot straight up and I drew my ears back. Ignorant?! Maybe if somebody would’ve given me a manual for being a goddess then I wouldn’t be dropping my jaw at all the fancy magic stuff you guys can do!

The corners of Leiren’s eyes crinkled as his smile widened. “I believe your furry friend has taken offense at your words.”

You’re damn right! I confirmed as I whipped my face away from Eastwei and jerked my chin up in the air. I’m trying my best here but it’s not easy being a goddess! Cat! Whatever! I hissed and spat out a couple of bits of spittle.

Eastwei clamped a hand atop my head and flattened my ears. “Ignorance is not shameful. You need only learn more of the world to wipe away the stain of ignorance.”

I hunched my shoulders and the tip of my tail twitched. Yeah, well, just give me some more time then.

Leiren chuckled. “You will have that young cat trained yet, old friend, but I wonder what you will learn from her.”

One of Eastwei’s elegant eyebrows arched just slightly. “What do you mean?”

“One rarely emerges from a relationship without having changed in some way, even you,” Leiren mused as he looked us over with those twinkling eyes. “I am eager to see what change that will be.”

Eastwei didn’t deign to reply and we continued on our way. A path existed on this side of the river and it soon curved rightward and opened onto the mountain face. A small meadow opposed the intimidating heights of the craggy slopes. The flowers and grass swayed in a gentle breeze that blew off the high peaks and swept over us. It wasn’t a warm wind but I felt unreasonably chilled by its biting touch. There was something not quite right about the sharp stones and scraggy shrubs that faced us as we approached the slope.

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The two men stopped twenty feet from the start of the jumbled mess of rocks that lay scattered about the base, the only memories of long-ago rock slides. Eastwei set me down while Leiren stood just a little behind him. The lord swung his arms opposite each other in a circle and a faint magic circle appeared against the side of the mountain. The circle pulsed with power before it shot out in all directions, creating a translucent wall of brilliant red several feet thick. The magic spread out as far as the eye could see both left and right of where we stood and ran over the top of the mountain before heading over to the other side. It was a behemoth barrier of thick glistening fire.

And it was covered in cracks. Countless hairline fractures had carved themselves into the ward, creating an etching of dread. What scared me even more was when Eastwei lowered his arms and frowned at the weakened ward. The downward turn of his lips sent cold, trembling shivers down my spine. Those cracks weren’t supposed to be there, and the why I dared not imagine.

Leiren’s mouth was agape and his dark eyes examined the wall of red with more shock and fear than I cared to see from him. He snapped himself out of his stupor and examined the wall with a dark cloud on his brow. “By all the realms, but what has happened?”

“How long ago were you here?” Eastwei questioned him.

Leiren turned his face toward Eastwei. “Only two months ago when the cave-in occurred.”

“Were there any cracks?”

“Not a single one.”

Eastwei said nothing but his eyes told me a story. The tale was one filled with worry. He lifted his chin slightly and raised his arms in front of him. The glow around him returned. “I will renew the ward but we must keep a careful watch to discover what is amiss.”

“Come with me, cat,” Leiren commanded me as he stepped back.

We took up a position fifty feet behind Eastwei. His fire flecks surrounded him as they had during the Twilight Fair, but at that time I hadn’t been that close to him. At this distance, I could feel the raging heat flow off him in harsh, quick waves. He pointed his outward-facing palms at the mountainside and twin beams of translucent red magic burst out of his hands. They shot forward and crashed into the faint barrier. The magic flowed over the barrier, sinking into the fissures and sealing them shut.

A stifled sound came from Eastwei. I looked at him and watched him clench his teeth. His hands shook a little but he stiffened his jaw and steadied himself. The magic swept over the whole of the mountain range, casting the huge area in a soft red glow before fading into the barrier.

That’s when I smelled it. A stench of putrid rot. The odor was so thick and heavy that it clogged my nostrils and sank my stomach. I swayed from side to side and clamped my mouth shut to hold in my breakfast.

Leiren knelt by my side and set a steadying hand on my shoulders. “What is the matter?”

I lifted my watering eyes to him. “Meow.”

He pursed his lips and whipped his head up to Eastwei. “Eastwei! Something is the matter-”

Leiren couldn’t finish his warning before Eastwei wrenched his arms down. The entire ward rattled like wind chimes in a tornado. Some of the cracks that had been sealed reopened and new ones shot across the surface of the barrier, crafting lines of worry.

Eastwei took a step back as white and gray fog flowed from the cracks. The mist mingled together and formed itself into the vague shape of a giant hound taller than either of my companions. The creature stood at a crazy angle atop the barrier and its claws clacked against the magic. It opened its mouth and bared its fangs as drool dripped from its lips. The slobber dribbled onto the ward and more cracks appeared at the point of contact.

The creature didn’t have eyes, only empty black sockets. Still, I could feel the thing look at us one by one, stopping at Eastwei. It snapped its jaws and lunged at him. Eastwei leaped to one side, barely missing the dagger-like bite of its teeth. The hound stopped ten paces ahead between Eastwei and us. It turned those hideous black sockets on Leiren and me, and a cold chill sank into my bones.