The Last Goddess

Chapter Five: Beyond the Veil

Samara

I could feel Ewan's fear radiating off him like a flame as we made our way out of Curio and on towards the path that would lead to my home.

He rambled a lot, mumbling incoherent things under his breath—I was sure they were all negative comments regarding our current situation. I did feel a twinge of remorse at having to use my powers of persuasion on him. I didn't like commanding people to do things unnecessarily, but when the need is great, I have little to no choice in the matter. And now of all times, the need was great.

"I'm sorry," I told the back of his scaly head. I allowed him to go ahead in front of me. Besides, even if he decided to run, I could easily stop him. "Truly."

He turned one beady black eye towards me. "T-then, let me go. P-pleasse. I don't want to go back there!"

I shook my head. "I can't. I don't know the way. I need your assistance."

After a moment of silence, he half-wailed, "What are you anyway? I don't know what magic you're usssing, but I don't like it!" When I didn't answer, he turned on me. "Y-you're a witch! That'ss it. Your magic can be explained no other way. Godsss... how did I manage to get tangled up with a witch!"

I couldn't help but laugh at his ranting. It wasn't meant to be spiteful, but by the look he gave me, I could tell he took it that way. "Perhaps you're right."

I don't know what I am. I don't know a lot of things in the grand scheme of it all. But what I did know is that Aryan needed my help. So, I put my thoughts only towards him and little else.

It was probably a little more than halfway to my home when Ewan steered me off that path and into a rarely walked trail into the dark forest. This trail saw so little traffic that I could barely make out a path as I followed Ewan.

I could see my guide fidgeting near the point of convulsion. So, I did my best to distract him from what we were doing. "What are you, Ewan?"

"H-huh?" he looked at me, concern further deepening his now obvious furrowed brow.

"Are you some sort of snake?"

He stopped dead in his trail for a moment. "You can sssee past my glamour?"

"Keeping moving... please." His body stiffened as it was forced to follow my command. "Yes, I can. Is that a big deal?"

Ewan nodded his head like a yo-yo. "Y-yesss. Very. I don't know any witchess that can do that."

"Oh." I made a face at his implication.

It was yet another type of being I can cross off my list of what I potentially am—not that the list was very lengthy to begin with.

"I'm a Januss—of the ssserpent clan."

"Janus?"

"You really don't know much, do you?" he questioned back with tentativeness.

Feeling a little embarrassed by my lack of knowledge, I changed the subject. "What is this place you're taking me to—the Veil? Is it the entrance to Soren's fortress?"

"N-no. The Veil iss the border between thisss land and my land. It'ss like a portal. A way to ssssssneak in and out of Arcanum."

"Arcanum?"

"My land. The land where Sssoren's fortress sssstands."

Before I could ask another question, we came around a bend, and before me glistened a beautiful effervescent waterfall.