Refraction

||I.||

Life is perfect when your best friend is an oracle.

"Turn back the wheel of time until the night is passed,
Journey to distant land and climb with all the fleeting fear..."

I ponder the words she had said to me earlier, that were once shrouded in mystery. At least this riddle was a lot simpler than the one she gave me last time... This is the place. I've climbed the enormous ruins and finally reached the sundial perfectly placed in the centre of twelve columns. I have found the wheel of time. Turn back the wheel of time until night has passed....Turn back... The instructions seem remarkably crystal clear. I wish Bridget was here to clarify that the dial laying before me is in fact the one from her vision, but she had to sign off a few hours ago. I should have waited for her to complete the mission...Before doing anything I study the tiles that surround the dial. Perhaps there is a clue or sign that will help me in my decision. There are some hieroglyphics in a row on the bottom of the pedestal for the sundial. I bend over and run my finger alongst them. I recognize this one. It is a crescent moon. A common symbol of nightfall. Bingo... I take note of the location of the moon and stand directly above.

"Here goes nothing..." I mutter as I extend my hand and grab the little triangle on the face of the dial. I pull it back and hear a clicking noise as I slide it back. It is a lever of some kind. I continue to drag it, but stay tense, suspicious of a trap. This realm is known for its particularly violent and difficult defenses. I watch the surrounding area, searching for a sign that I have pulled the dial back far enough. C'mon! How much further? Click. Click. Click. The hidden mechanism inside is certainly reacting to my movement. When the point of the dial crosses the area where the moon is the clicking ceases. I release my grip on it and take a step back. The quest depends on this working....

A green glow radiates from behind me. A portal, it opened a portal... Portals open silently, so discreet that often I use them as a weapon to send my enemies hurtling to another world. This could be a trap. As always, I ignore the warning of my subconscious and start to walk through the swirling green vortex. I'm met with the beautiful dark green foliage of a forest. This is new... I run my fingers through the silky leaves and pluck a pink blossom from a branch. I've never been here before. I would have recognized this place by now.

A shrill bird call echoes through the trees. A warning or a greeting call? My hand opens instinctively as I am ready to defend myself. I quickly glance back at the portal which fizzles out and fades. I'll have to find another way home...

I venture deeper into the woods. This is the distant land...all that is left is climbing with fleeting fear...Great... A familiar jingle interrupts my otherwise stealthy gait. Bridget logged back on...

"Decide to come and join me?" I ask hastily while her lithe form steps out from behind a tree.

Her blood red lips twist into a smirk and she walks to stand by my side.

"I couldn't sleep...and besides, I figured you need all the help you can get..."

"It's good to see you back."

She nods in response and pushes a cluster of hanging vines out of our path with her long, polished black staff.

"Let's keep going...believe me when I say we don't want to stay here." She says ominously.