Reapers -- The First Familiar (Reapers Chronicles Book II)

22 - Point Zero

“This way!” Luci whispered over her shoulder.

Upon reaching the forked end of the cherry tree path, we took a left and headed for the wooden bridge. It was a short bridge, not more than a hundred feet long, slightly arching as it went over the pond. A bunch of ropes braided together was tied on both posts of the entrance. It looked like the rope was supposed to tell everyone passing by to stay out and keep walking.

So much for security.

Luci carefully untied one end, the brightly colored crystals on the ends of its tassels clinking against each other as she did.

“Come,” she said, looking around to check if anyone had seen us.

So far, the coast was clear. Everybody was out farming, fishing or whatever else the people in Halja do. Vincent stepped onto the bridge without thinking twice. Groaning, I followed him.

I had a strange feeling as if we shouldn’t be here. “Did we just sneak into an Authorized Personnel Only zone or are we going to get ourselves in a lot of trouble?”

Luci made a sound that sounded something between grunting and clearing her throat. “Err… One of those things.”

Before I could object, Vincent was already at the other end, not bothering to wait for us. Luci watchfully went behind him.

As I crossed the bridge, I couldn’t help but pause and admire the pond under it. The water was crystal clear, reflecting the white cherry blossoms branches tilted over it. Lily pads took over the banks, showing off their light purple flowers. Every now and then, a small group of speckled fish would swim by in a circular motion, creating a swirl of orange, red and white in the water.

“If we got caught, it was all her idea,” I said, catching up with them.

Vincent grabbed my hand and ran, towing me with him.

“Yeah, well, I don’t plan on getting caught,” he grinned over his shoulder.

The open road was overrun with sharp grass and spiky weeds. There weren’t many trees around so our chances of getting caught just went from slim to likely. The pavement was wide as though it was made to let a large crowd pass all at the same time.

Walking on the stone ledges at the side of the road, we managed to avoid the vegetation. We ended up in front of a colossal building. It looked like some kind of tower that had only been finished halfway so it didn’t have a roof and was only a couple of hundred feet tall. The only way in was a huge wooden door in front of the building. A small triangle was engraved where its doorknob should be. Like back in the bridge, all that prevented us from getting in was a bunch of braided red strings.

After removing the braided charms, Luci closed her eyes and pressed a hand over the triangle, muttering something under her breath. In no time the door swung in with barely a sound.

We stepped in, our feet echoing as they landed on the shiny marble floor. It was just like an arena only slightly smaller. Marble bleachers were carved into the walls of the circular space. In the middle of the arena was a lodestone similar to the one Bel had in her farm.

It didn’t have a roof so I could clearly see the vertex of the Triangle above us, directly on top of the lodestone. There was a rustic hole where the three cliffs touched each other and I was sure that by some point of the day, the sun would be directly aligned with it.

“What exactly are we looking for?” I asked, still marveling at the view.

“There,” Luci pointed a finger at the hole at the tip of the Triangle. “That’s our Point Zero. We are able to crossover to earth using that portal.”