The fall of Ivacus had only happened a fortnight ago, and yet it all felt as though an eternity had gone by. In a sad way it was a blessing that he hadn’t grown close to the fresh deity: with no closeness there was a more distanced sorrow to be felt. Though really all of that had been completely overshadowed by a more disturbing occurrence. He wasn’t sure what The Voice had in store for the world, but the conclave was being mixed about more than ever as others were placed into new domains. There was only one that truly worried him though, and that was the tremble of Angela.

The Mother was strong, he knew this firsthand, so to learn and feel that she too was having her domain affected left him with a lingering feeling of dread. There were many things that he and the rest of the conclave could fight in the world, but the will of The Voice was not on that expansive list.

Half a lunar cycle was all that he could force himself to wait until finally he moved through his temple to the exit. He wasn’t sure how long the visit to Angela’s realm would be, but seeing as the world wasn’t in disarray he was hoping that it was a sign she was all right. He wasn’t her father, or brother, son, lover, she had all of those things already, yet he still felt a fierce protectiveness of her. He had to remind himself that there were others to care for her, look out for her, and that she was no baby that needed tending to.

His muscles tensed against the cold wind that bit at his exposed arms and face as he walked to the main portal entrance just outside of the temple. The shimmering pool of light, encircled by black tourmaline, shone brighter as he approached as if to urge him faster. He wasn’t sure what this change meant, but hoped that he could still find her nearby where he knew her temple to be.

As the toe of his boot nudged at the edge of the portal, he felt a soft wrap around his finger. He looked down quickly, lips parting when he saw a thin red line wrap around his left ring finger just above his wedding band. What in the world…? That had never happened before, and he stepped back, watching as the line disappeared. This was no mere coincidence: it had something to do with Angela. He stepped against the portal again, and again the string wound itself. It glowed and edged towards the portal as if guiding him, and he stepped through the portal without hesitation; without even thinking about his destination.

When he came out the other side, it was to a dazzling beach. He lost his breath at the sight, looking on at the crashing waves that sprayed seafoam adorned with eggs, tadpoles, and all manner of young freshly born creatures. More than that though was the water itself, how it so perfectly mimicked the sky that for a moment he almost lost himself to curiosity. No, he was there or a reason, and the soft tug at his finger led him in the right direction.

Where was he? Did all of this fall to Angela now…? The little string led him on further, and he stopped only once to pick up some of the sea glass that made up the path through the humid jungle. Everything was so intricate, so beautiful, so abundant with life and compassion that he felt his fear starting to subside. Instead his thoughts were turning to Echo as he traversed through, and he made the long stroll with a gentle smile on his face.

When finally the face of the temple came into view, his pace quickened until he was full on running through the doors. All the while the thread at his finger guided him in every direction he needed to take, and his footfalls were as confident as if he’d come through here plenty of times already. At last he made it to the stained-glass doors that he would soon find were her throne room, and only slowed down to catch his breath once he was inside. A narrow carpet spread out from the entrance to the raised platform of her throne, and with careful footsteps and calming breathing, he made his way towards it.