He can’t escape their past, like his paw prints in the sand; it trailed behind him wherever he went. The desert kingdom survived against the whirling sandstorms for centuries within the shelter of a vast canyon. But in the early hours of the morning the desert was serene. The air was cool, the world still, and his busy thoughts began to settle.

Eclipse hadn’t planned to spend so much time there. He assumed Chancellor Godfrey would see him as a nuisance and try to settle their business as quickly as possible. Instead, the Council avoided him and cancelled appointments at short notice. It didn’t help that he managed to get himself distracted with another, less reputable, situation. He hoped Moira, his Mage, would forgive him. But if the rumours were correct, then the missing man was a concerning matter. Eclipse was older now, and with age his naivety washed away. Before he wouldn’t dare question the rule of law. But the Ferryman was different. No family name, no collaborating description, nothing but a whisper on the wind.

To the Mages he was a bedtime story. A folk legend told in the slums. But to the Innocents of the Kingdom of Ancients, he was real. Not a whisper but a person. He was their only way out. The laws restrict Innocents from leaving the kingdom proper without official paperwork. He arranged passage to the continent, for a steep price. His very existence proved that not all was right among the non-magic users of the kingdom.

Back then the rabbit hole was deep and twisting. While Moira studied for her classes, he investigated. And after two years, right before Moira’s expulsion he saw him. It was a sleeve of a dusty robe sitting upon a nondescript camel drawn cart. But it was him. His first confirmed sighting. It had been almost two years since he was last in the desert. And knowing the mythical man was gone, gave him pause. A thought nagged at him, as it does when there was no acceptable answer. Where did the unsung hero go? And what was happening to the Innocents who desperately needed him.

He tried to push those thoughts from his mind as he walked through the narrow streets towards the temple carved out of the canyon base. The Council Chambers were the center of the political life, the Mage Academy (the largest) was the core of educational and creativity, and the building before him was the center of the religious world. Statues of two great angels decorated the doorway. The bottom of their folded feather wings rested at the top step. Each arm with an outstretched hand, reached beyond the desert to anyone in need. Torches burned in the night, reminding people that the Holy House always welcomed those who seek it. The door opened, revealing a smiling young girl.

“Lord Orbit! We were so worried!” she welcomed him into the firelit atrium closing the door behind them.

“No need to worry Tahel, is she awake?”

She nodded. He caught a whiff of clay and varnish as she led him over the marble floor. Her beige skirt was tied to her thigh with splotches of red clay over the lightweight material. She must have emerged from the kiln. Her brown hair grew passed her shoulders. She wore intricate jewelry like the other temple maidens. Painted wooden and clay beads. Gold and silver bangles on her wrists. When she spoke her voice still twinkled. Everything about Tahel sparkled, even at this late hour in the shadows of the temple.

Across the large square space held the largest altar to the Gods anywhere on the continent. Several stories tall, stood The Celestial Family carved in stone against the eastern wall, decorated in gold, silver and jewels. Zander stood tall and imposing with a sun crown on his head. His blind eyes staring forward towards the door. Alona, the Mother Goddess, draped in stars held a chalice in her palms. With antlers and arrows Ferus stood on guard. Flames decorated her warrior brother, Haddak’s, armour. Sherseas’s elegant fish tail curled poised to attack. And the Twins, Tesup and Taru, were last. Tesup’s blind eyes seemed to stare into Eclipse’s soul while Taru’s gapping jaw reminded him of a snapping crocodile.

Oil lamps cast shadows on the carved faces, creating threatening grimace over their angelic features. The altar in front of the statues held a copy of the Holy Scriptures. Flagging the text were relics and candles used by parishioners to communicate to the Gods. On the perimeter of the temple area was a section of columns and clay brick barriers separating the public from the clergy’s private quarters.

Tahel was the Oracle’s Maiden. The highest position for any servant of the Temple. She bowed her head, placing her hands to her chest as a mark of respect as they passed the altar. Near the back of the temple was a set of large double doors. She pulled a set of keys on a metal ring from her skirt pocket. The locking mechanism came to life with a loud clang allowing them access to Grandmother’s private quarters.

The sitting area was richly decorated with rare paintings, illuminated manuscripts on display and other religious relics. All emitted a sense of history, power, and authority. Off to the side was a cabinet of tiny porcelain figurines encased behind glass. They were so lifelike he imagined them springing to life. It wouldn’t be the first time he caught one shifting from its stand.

Each have unique expressions and stances. The lamplight flickered over their glossy varnish. He saw a large throne like chair in the center of the room standing on an ornate rug with a few uncomfortable chairs sitting before it. Eclipse knew she wouldn’t be there; the room was for official visits, which she hated more than lukewarm tea. Tahel led him to a door to the left, she smiled again, and patted his head.

“I am so glad you are safe, Grandmother said you would be, but you know how I worry. Especially with how everything is.”

She kissed his forehead. He had lost most of his friends after the Council's decision. Loyal companions turned from him, fearing backlash from the powers at be. Few wanted to cross Godfrey, a lesson he learned the hard way. But he was lucky to still have an ally in Tehal and Grandmother.

He descended into the dark underground; narrow steps so familiar he didn’t need to see to know the way. Instead, he watched for the warm glow of the candles and lanterns that decorated the basement apartment. As his paws felt the cool stone, the mix of burning logs and tea flooded his nose. His heart glowed as he greeted the smells of his childhood home. Bookshelves and cabinets with hundreds of ornaments crowded the windowless space.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Most were animals, she tended to favour kittens, but there were people, flowers, sometimes there were little cottages. Stacks of old atlas’s rose from the floor, sometimes holding abandoned teacups. Various weaving projects laid unfinished on the dusty shelves. In the center of the room, almost buried under all her things sat the Mage Elder, known affectionally as Grandmother.

She didn’t seem bothered by the potential catastrophe that could arise if one of the free-standing projects collapsed. Instead, she sat with her feet extended out from the chair with an old quilt on her lap. Her grey head bent down looking at the knitting that occupy her hands. The only sound was the crackling of the fireplace which she was comfortably placed and the ticking and tapping of her needles. Opposite her chair was a worn sofa. The whole scene that awaited Eclipse was a simple image of an everyday grandmother in a home where she had raised generations of her family.

But she, although tiny and frail, was far from ordinary. Her residence alone was stranger than most could imagine. Moira once confessed she caught one of the figurines moving on their own. But it was the ceiling that caused guests to pause. There were no windows, but the glittering crystals hanging from the ceiling cast a pleasant light over the space. He’s studied enough charts to see the patterns, constellations and planets sprawled above him. Every time he visited; they were often in different positions; liked they mimicked the night sky above.

“Welcome home, my pet” she smiled, peering through her large thick round glasses. “I’ve been waiting you know. It’s not nice to make an old lady like me wait. Who knows how many days us old people have.”

“At this rate I am sure you will outlive us all.”

“It’s a good thing you don’t gamble, eh? Sit, sit. Tahel will be down in a bit.” He jumped on the sofa, hanging his head over the armrest, allowing his tired body to stretch out. “You had a long day, out chasing rats again my dear?”

“The biggest ones I have ever seen,” He let out a sigh, “I arranged a meeting with the headmistress of the Academy. After spending days getting the run around, I finally managed to speak to someone.”

“Do you believe you can make Verena change her mind?”

“She deserves it Sinna. I admit granting Moira the rank back then might have been premature, but she deserves it now. I saw her use the final element in the Alexanderian mountains. And flawlessly if I might add. They need to recognise her accomplishment.”

“It’s rare for the Council to amend previous decisions. Especially this one.”

“That night was not her fault. If you would speak to them, tell them what you saw—”

“My boy, you know I am only allowed to share the details of my visions with those directly involved in them. It was between Moira and Rian and no one else. Why are you pushing for reconciliation now; I thought you both had moved on?”

“She is sad.” Even in the middle of a desert he felt the weight of her heart. "It is hard to describe."

“And you feel useless because this is the first time you can’t help her,”

“I want to secure her future in the Order. My time is limited. I want her to be safe then maybe—”

“She’ll be the Mage you hope she will be?” She smiled that knowing smile he had grown accustomed too. “Do you know what my first thought was when you arrived?”

“I can only guess.”

“I said to myself ‘why did the Gods send me such a chubby creature! I couldn’t imagine the cub who couldn’t find his way out of that yarn basket could fulfill the immense job the Gods had planned for you.”

“Is this you trying to make me feel better?”

“I have seen thousands of things; past, present and things yet to come. And if there’s one thing, I know is that you raised a good Mage. Eclipse, I know you have fought hard to ensure she was ready for the difficult path the Gods have chosen for her. I didn’t think you were ready when I had to deliver you to her, but she needed you and I let you go. Now you must do the same.”

“Is it too much to ask you to tell me how this all happens to end?”

“Some paths are like a fog. I can’t always see the details...”

“And Moira is one of those foggy paths?”

“Unfortunately, her path is clear as day. And I am afraid, the worse is yet to come.”

She had never been wrong before, but he didn’t want to accept that something worse could happen to his Mage. Even now, he felt her growing distant. It hurt to experience it. To know she was suffering. How could he pull away when he wanted to be with her; especially now. Sighing he let his head drop over the edge of the sofa. He wanted her back; he wished that she never returned to Alexanderia.

He heard Tahel making her way down the stairs. He also smelled the aroma of raspberry scones and tea. She emerged from the shadows, her hair and bright eyes catching the glimpses of firelight. She rearranged the mess of the cluttered table with ease then placed the large tray in the middle.

“Here you go Grandmother,”

“Thank you my dear, Tahel takes great care of me."

“I have never met someone who loved my cooking as much as her,” she joked as she placed a plate with two scones next to him.

“Thank you, this smell delicious.”

“You are my favourite after all,” she winked before retiring upstairs.

“She seems happy.”

“Yes, she does.”

“But?”

“She has begun to have the visions. She hasn’t realized it yet, not fully. She assumes she falls asleep because we keep odd hours. But she will soon discover that we keep odd hours because of the toll the visions take on our bodies.”

“She is unaware she is to be your successor?”

“She was so young when I removed her from her family. This is the only life she knows. But the Gods will reveal the truth soon enough. She confessed to having dreams of happy parents and smiling daughters. I haven’t the heart to tell what she sees are her parents and their new family. But it is all part of the process. I went through the same thing and so shall she and the girl after her.”

“I refer to your expertise in this matter.” Eclipse once again settled himself on the sofa. He was enjoying the crackling of the fire and tapping of the knitting needles. But another matter nagged at him. The disappearance of the Ferryman coincided with something else. “I heard rumours of the Council’s new project to the north.”

“Godfrey will do anything in the name of progress...”

“How can you stand by and watch it happen? Those people—”

“It’s the price I pay— that we all pay; the Gods are as spiteful as they are kind.”