“The Arcadian worlds were connected by the Waygates. The White Kingdom was not alone in their use. The Jinn and the Nnyth are well-versed in the lore of the Waygates,” said Maeve.
“I’ve heard a little about them. They were instantaneous, right? No travel time?” Xia asked. She sat down at the table, waiting politely and listening. Maeve turned another chair and seated herself.
“Yes. Each Waygate requires a skilled operator. The priests of the Ivory Spire were trained in those arts. Once a Spire adept mastered their craft, they paired with a knight who protected them as they sang their spells. A century ago, as the core worlds count time, one of these young knights damned us all.”
“As the core worlds count time? I thought the Arcadian year was that same as the Alliance CSY,” Xia protested. She hoped Maeve wasn’t offended.
“No, not very close at all. A natural year is two hundred eighty-eight days, made up of twelve months, each three weeks long,” Maeve said. “So it has been considerably longer, by our count.”
“Arcadian weeks are eight days long? It must be nice to have three day weekends,” Xia joked. “So what happened?”
“On this occasion, the knight left her Spire companion, a young prince of the royal family, behind in the city of Tamlin on the world of Orindell. In her supreme arrogance, she tried to open the Waygate herself, the sacred task of the Spire adepts alone. When her spells faltered, she did not call for the aid of the other priests. In the end, she opened the Waygate, but her spells were terribly wrong, twisted beyond belief. What came through was nothing less than death Herself.”
“So it has been considerably long er , by our count.”
Love the story so far, by the way.
Thanks for the catch, Wreckage! Fixed and the first bounty collected this month.
And thank you, we’re glad you’re enjoying the story