Breakfast was finished, and the camp was broken down in less than an hour. Everyone gathered in a circle with their packs and weapons stored for travel, waiting for Sparrow to explain what plan Lone Wolf had recently referenced. Everyone had their packs on their backs and was working to remove all traces of their presence.

The fact that Stein had agreed to travel with them had been anticipated, but doing so by walking with them like a mortal was surprising to many in their party. She could have traveled significantly faster than any of them and had made no oaths or promises to assist them in any way. Why would she travel with the party instead of rushing ahead to their eventual destination? Let alone travel as a mortal would. It was also apparent that she did not know what the plan was that Lone Wolf had spoken of, yet she wasn’t hesitating to assist as if she had every intention of staying with them.

Stein seemed to sense the uneasiness concerning her presence, or perhaps she outright read some of their minds without them knowing it because she suddenly stepped forward to gain the group's attention.

“I recognize that my intentions have not been addressed with the group, and I wanted to make them known. When I first met with Sparrow … he was adamant that the various mortal species we helped create were inspirational and powerful creatures that deserved respect. Not in so many words, but that was the impression his words had upon my mind. I decided to accept his invitation to see this strength for myself, and I know no better way to judge your caliber than to join you on your journey.”

Stein turned to face Izreea and inclined her head slightly before saying, “As long as I have permission to join you on your path?”

“Why would you ask her for permission to join the party?” Grey asked with an unreadable expression.

Her tone of voice was neutral, but the question certainly felt like she was offended. Everyone was silent for a time, even Jonathan. Izreea looked uncomfortable but not embarrassed, as her experience as a diplomat aided her in controlling her emotions over situations like this. Additionally, she had been leading the smaller branch of their party for quite some time without formalizing it in any way. She was experienced enough to know that sometimes she would lead, and sometimes she would follow, and she had accepted those roles in life. She also understood that following someone’s lead was a choice. So, she remained silent and let others decide the outcome of choosing a leader among them.

“It does not become a guardian, or anyone for that matter, to aspire towards leadership,” Jaya said at last, breaking the silence.

Grey responded with controlled frustration, “That is not what I meant, and Stein knows it. Stein was a dragon guardian, and unlike my role as a human guardian, her role involved specific contracts. Her contractual leader is Ultaris, and Sparrow is the closest thing she will find to Ultaris at this point. I want to know why she isn’t asking Sparrow for his permission to join the party, as he is her contracted leader.”

This concept was exactly what Stein had meditated about the night before, and her raised voice in response showed her own frustrations at the situation.

“I have not seen Sparrow lead this group since I have been here. I have not seen him redirect a conversation or reprimand an inappropriate action. I have not seen him comfort Jaya in her loss of Colson, show interest in the glyph on Myrum’s heart, offer to remove it, or help heal her body of injuries. I have not seen him sit in judgment over another for harming their own blood. From your party's recounting of your journey, he has often refused to lend aid for fear of redirecting the future from his desired outcome. When he did decide on a course of action for the party, he kept the plans to himself rather than strengthening purpose and hope with direction.”

There was a deafening silence as the party realized that Stein was right, even though it felt like she was wrong. Stein wasn’t finished and continued with a calmer and more respectful voice.

“He praises you. He fights for you. He would even die for you. Yet that is not leadership … that is companionship. So, until he has been made whole or shows some form of leadership that I can respect, I shall choose my own path. For now, he is my companion on this journey of mortal observation. There are several leaders among you, but at the moment, I put my request to Izreea. May I join you?”

Without hesitation, Izreea gave Stein a firm nod of approval, not knowing what words she could add that would not make her sound petty for claiming the title of ‘leader’ for the group. Stein nodded in return, understanding the awkward position she had placed Izreea in, and stepped back to her place in the circle. She turned her glowing eyes at Sparrow, letting him know she was not ashamed of her words concerning his behavior. She was not trying to be disrespectful but also had no interest in blindly following as she had before with Ultaris.

Sparrow returned her gaze while hiding his emotions. Part of him was frustrated and angry at Stein for calling his choices out in front of the group in such a grand way. He had certainly given her the privacy and secrecy she wanted when they had first met the evening before. Yet he also remembered that he had rejected her attempt to thrust him into a leadership role for the group. It wasn’t that he did not want to be viewed as a leader of the party, but he had no interest in pretending to be omnipotent to be in that role.

Sparrow realized that he and Stein had differing opinions of what it meant to be a leader. He also realized that, in a way, she was right. He was afraid to step into the role of leader over these people. He had been a tyrant. He had been power and authority made manifest and used them to do whatever he wanted. The fear of becoming what he used to be, combined with the fear of being forced into that role without giving the mortals governance of their planet, had indeed crippled him.

The air was electrifying in its intense awkwardness as the two godlike beings stared each other down. Sparrow began to feel an unease growing within him, a sensation he couldn’t label and didn’t know how to handle. Izreea decided to step in and redirect the conversation. She kept her question to the point.

“Sparrow, what is the plan Lone Wolf mentioned?”

Sparrow sighed as he closed his eyes, relaxed his clenched shoulders, and gazed intently at something in his mind. The odd sensation was still there, although he was able to repress it for the moment. After some time, he opened his eyes, and a projection shone from his eyes into the center of the circle. The image was blurry at first, but Sparrow started tuning the image for clarity as he spoke.

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“Excuse the delay as I refine the image from Lone Wolf’s memory. I want to recreate the room exactly as I saw it without any blemishes. I’ll be finished in a moment.”

As the image began to solidify, Jaya gasped in surprise and said, “I have been to this room in Dule Van, in a hidden room behind a secret wall panel. This is where Ultaris’ prison was housed and how we were set upon our current path by the memory of a Dardwain Seeker.”

Sparrow responded as he put the finishing touches on the image. “This is the room Lone Wolf visited in the mountain near the meadow, just past the stone garden that Jareth had mentioned near the beginning of our journey south.”

Hearing the stone garden mentioned made Jareth smile in excitement. He still regretted that their journey had not led them to the forest.

“Jaya is correct. It is the same room. I believe we can use this room to transport directly to the castle,” Sparrow said as he tied off the projection so he could use his eyes again. “We will need to overcome a few obstacles for this to work. First, we have no idea how many connections this room actually has. We could try to step into the castle and end up on the other side of the world. We also don’t know how this was created or why the doors are in the locations that they are in. That context and history could help us identify the type of magic used in their creation, which would help us know how to control the doors.”

Jaya immediately began speaking.

“Lone Wolf and I are the only ones here that have physically been in the room, and I am very experienced in the arcane arts. I felt and saw nothing that would lead me to believe that there was another entrance to the room. The room was magical without a doubt, but I remember believing I was still part of the castle in Dule Van.”

“I agree with the motherseek-, I mean with Jaya,” Lone Wolf said, correcting himself over using her title instead of her name before continuing, “There was no … indication, I believe that is the right word, that the room was not in the garden with me. I did not see other doors or paths in the room. Also, the entrance to the room only appears on a full moon, and I do not believe this pack can move fast enough to reach the garden before the next full moon. We would need to aim for the following cycle,” Lone Wolf finished.

“So, we are looking at five weeks before we can even access the doorway? We could travel on foot to Dule Van in that time, and we don’t know if we can even alter the spell to gain access to the entrance to the school,” Jonathan said to Sparrow with his slightly pessimistic tone of voice.

Sparrow spared a slight glare to Stein, who he blamed for the disrespectful change in Jonathan’s tone, although deep down, he knew Jonathan was usually disrespectful. He turned his gaze to Jonathan and responded.

“Lone Wolf spoke out of turn. Our backup plan is to travel on foot the entire way there and use the five-week window to research and explore the room through Jaya and Lone Wolf’s memories. Let me remind you that whoever placed the mark on your brother will feel us coming and have ample time to prepare for a confrontation or simply kill him. We want to catch them by surprise. I’m also hoping that the Garden will somehow interrupt the mark’s power, or weaken it, so Stein and I can attempt to remove it.

“Regardless, our first plan is for Lone Wolf to learn how to make his own portal as we travel. Then he can use his reserve of ancestral magical talent and energy to portal our party to the meadow outside the garden. He spent two years in that meadow waiting for my arrival, so he knows the land well enough to make a portal there, and I believe he is strong enough to cover the distance. If it doesn’t work, then at least we started moving already and can fall back on the five-week plan.”

“I thought mortal magic didn’t work in the meadow,” Izreea said with a questioning tone. “That is why we had to use the runed weapons we were given to fight the two guardians. Will a portal even work?”

“I believe Lebine’s seed we planted there, the one that cleared away the aftermath of our battle and removed the crater in the meadow, also cleansed the meadow of the taint Ultaris … that I … placed there when I tried to change the world. Magic should work for mortals again, at least in the meadow. The garden is another matter, but we’ll explore that limitation when we arrive.”

Jareth chimed in with his mild-mannered way of speaking, sounding like he was thinking to himself instead of addressing the group.

“Izreea’s comment also brings another point to mind. Regardless of mortal magic working in the meadow or not … why doesn’t Sparrow simply open a portal to that location for all of us? He’s been there before, so he knows the area, and if what I have observed and heard from Jaya is true, he can intimately recall his past in perfect detail.”

Sparrow was silent as he stared at Jareth, unsure how to answer the logical question. Why didn’t he simply open a portal for them to travel to the meadow? The thought made his skin crawl, and he had no idea why. Sparrow didn’t know how to respond, and his logic and reasoning seemed momentarily halted. The silence stretched as Sparrow continued to stare at him. His skin burned from the attention, and he considered turning into a dragon and flying away.

In this fragile moment, his protective walls cracked open to reveal his imperfections, much like Grey had been before Stein’s presence had helped solidify her confidence as a guardian. Stein looked at the heart of her once fearsome leader and a new understanding dawned. It was like looking at a building with a failing support system. Sections of him that once shone solid and powerful were sagging and bending as if their core was missing. The equivalent of patchwork repairs could be seen over parts of him involving magic and transformation, at least for those that could interpret what they were seeing. Then near his center, was a fracturing, as if lightning had razed his soul and removed pieces of him in a jagged, random pattern. These missing puzzle pieces could not be repaired or patched over. They had to be restored through his union with Ultaris.

Stein thought that seeing what was once Ultaris in this state would cause disdain and revulsion in her, but all she felt was empathy and sorrow. He was beautiful once, terrible and beautiful, and that loss felt as if the sun had been dimmed for all. Although she knew Ultaris did this to himself, it still felt like Sparrow was a separate person and a victim of a horrible crime he could not have prevented. She also realized at that moment that any number of issues could be preventing Sparrow from opening a portal for their group. Or all of them, for that matter.

Sparrow tried to say something and stammered slightly, which seemed to trigger something in Stein as she harshly shouted, “Just tell them!”

Sparrow felt embarrassed and confused simultaneously as he realized he didn’t know what Stein was talking about. Tell them what? That he had a weird feeling? That he was afraid? That he didn’t remember how? He wanted to hide from their gaze but felt all the more ridiculous for even having the thought. He realized he was starting to have that breathing issue he experienced shortly after he and Jareth left for Dule Van. Knowing he appeared as an other-worldly powerful entity, and was about to have a panic attack, made him shrivel with embarrassment. Sparrow now knew that Stein was right. He was not ready to be a leader.

Suddenly, Stein saw an aura settle over Sparrow. It felt like a compulsion of some kind, but she wasn’t sure if it was emanating from Sparrow or targeting him from an external source. Sparrow had been feeling an odd sensation that he had been repressing since they started this discussion, and the aura seemed to amplify that feeling until it was unbearable!

Sparrow pulled at the reality around him without knowing what he was doing. It looked like an opaque blanket was thrown over the party, sinking into whoever it touched. The almost invisible blanket instantly froze everything it touched except for Stein, who seemed to be struggling against the blanket with eyes wide with surprise. An aura of energy was pushing against the blanket, and her body's stony muscles were bulging from the effort of exerting that much force. Sparrow found that a door was suddenly next to him, and he grabbed the handle and ran through its opening as fast as he could, shutting the door behind him.