Char leaned forward slightly, his interest piqued despite himself. A ritualistic circle? In a cave right here in the town?
Mira seemed to take his silence as permission to continue.
"A long time ago," she began, her voice quiet but steady, "before this town was even called Hallow's Rest, it was home to an old sect of mages. Scholars, mostly. They weren't warriors, but researchers—people who studied ancient magics, celestial alignments, the ley lines that run beneath the earth."
Char nodded slightly, signaling that he was following.
"The sect built a circle," she continued. "Not a normal one, like the kind used for summoning or rituals. This one was designed to act as a waypoint—a shortcut between different points across the land. They weren't just studying magic, they were trying to control it. To bend the world's natural flow of energy to their will."
Her fingers traced idle shapes on the wooden surface of the table. "It worked. At least, for a time. They managed to connect the ley lines, creating a stable passageway between locations of significant power. One of those locations was Jaffalex."
Char felt his pulse quicken. If she was telling the truth, then—
He could reach Jaffalex in seconds instead of days. The sheer thought alone was enough to make his heart reach at twice the speed. All that painful trekking would come to an end, and they would be able to get past stage one
No more exhausting travel, no more camping in the cold wilderness, no more risk of running into more bandits. It would be instant.
He tried not to look too eager. "So what happened to the sect?"
Mira sighed. "They're gone now. Faded into history. The town was built over their ruins, and most of their knowledge was lost. But…" she hesitated, then glanced around the room as if checking for eavesdroppers.
Then she leaned in, lowering her voice.
"The circle is still there. Hidden. Most people don't even know about it. It's deep in the old cave system beneath the town."
Char's mind raced.
A working teleportation circle.
It was exactly what he needed.
"…And you're telling me this because?" he asked, narrowing his eyes slightly. "If it's such a big secret, why are you suddenly offering to share it with me?"
Mira's expression darkened just slightly. "Because I need to use it, too."
Char tilted his head. "You need to get to Jaffalex?"
"Not exactly." She exhaled ". The last recorded use of it was decades ago. But Flint—" she glanced toward the back of the hall where the townhouse administrator was speaking to a group of villagers. "—he knows something about it. He's always been weirdly protective about that cave. He acts like it's just an old ruin, but I think he's hiding something."
"So you want to go down there," Char concluded, "and see for yourself. See why he's hiding the circle and what's so special about it?"
Mira nodded. "Yes. And since you and Benjamin need to reach Jaffalex, it makes sense to do it together."
Char considered her words carefully.
It wasn't a bad plan.
But there were still a lot of unknowns.
If the circle was inactive, it was a waste of time. If it was trapped or broken, it could be dangerous. If Flint was deliberately keeping it a secret, that meant there was a reason—one that might not be in their favor.
But if it worked…
If it really worked…
Then it was the perfect shortcut. He could even spend an extra day or two in Hallow's Rest, and still make it back to Oryn-Vel by the time he had set.
"…Alright," he said finally, his voice measured. "I'm interested. But if Flint's hiding something, won't he try to stop us from getting inside?"
Mira gave him a small, mischievous smile. "Only if he knows we're going."
Char hesitated, then he l leaned in slightly, keeping his voice low. "Alright. Say I go along with this. How exactly do you plan on getting into the cave? I'm assuming it's locked or guarded if Flint's being so secretive."
Mira nodded, her dark eyes flicking toward Flint's figure in the distance. "It is. There's a metal gate covering the entrance, and only Flint and a few of the elders have the key. He keeps it in his office upstairs. There are probably other ones that he had stored around the town, and for all they knew, the one closest to them was a dud.
Char exhaled through his nose. "So, what? You planning on sneaking in and swiping it?"
Mira smirked. "Something like that. It won't be as easily as you just made it sound like, but that's the central gist."
Char shook his head slightly, thinking it through. "Even if we get in, how do you know the ritual circle is still intact? You said the last recorded use was decades ago. What if it's crumbled, or the magic has faded?"
Mira glanced around the room again, making sure no one was listening before answering. It was still breakfast time, so people were still busy chatting and eating and shrugging off the last of their tiredness from the night before. "I don't know for certain. But when I was younger, I—" She hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I used to sneak down there."
Char raised an eyebrow. "You what?" Just how much had this girl managed to end up in such convenient circumstances.
"When I was a kid," she clarified quickly. "I used to play in the tunnels sometimes, before Flint caught me and locked the place up for good."
Char frowned his brow. "And you saw the circle?"
Mira nodded. "It was still there. Glowing. Not brightly, but enough that I knew it wasn't just some old markings on the ground. I touched it once—just for a second—and I swear, I felt something. Like a pulse. Like it was alive."
Char let that sink in.
Glowing. Still active. That changed things.
If Mira was telling the truth, then this wasn't just some lost relic—it was a working shortcut to Jaffalex.
And Flint knew. Which begged the question… why was he keeping it a secret? What reason was there to keep such a useful thing a secret to the public? Would it not help with transportation of the citizens from place to place, ensuring no overpopulation?
Char rubbed his temple. "Alright. Say we manage to get inside. How do we even activate the damn thing?"
Mira bit her lip, thinking. "I'm not sure. I didn't get that far. But if it's still active, it must have some kind of trigger. After that, it should hopefully be as easy as stepping on it and being teleported to Jaffalex. I don't know if it's already locked on to the mountains but let's hope so, because I haven't the slightest clue how to alter it in whatever stage we find it in.
Char didn't like the uncertainty, but at this point, he was too intrigued to back out. If there was even a chance that this would work, he had to try. Before he could respond, though, Mira suddenly stiffened.Char frowned and looked to his side, trying to find if there had been something she'd seen that froze her up. Then, he saw what it was.
Flint was walking toward them.
Char immediately leaned back in his chair, doing his best to look casual. Mira straightened as well, though her fingers twitched slightly against the wooden table.
Flint was tall and broad-shouldered, his dark beard streaked with silver. He wasn't an intimidating man by nature, but there was a certain weight to his presence, like someone who had seen more than he let on.
He stopped beside their table, glancing between them. "You two look deep in conversation."
Mira smiled—too brightly. "Oh, just talking about the flood damage. Char was wondering how long until the roads clear up."
Char resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Smooth.
Flint turned his gaze toward Char, his expression unreadable. "Shouldn't be more than another day or so. You and Benjamin planning to head out as soon as it's safe?"
Char nodded. He felt a bead of sweat tickle under his fringe and threaten to roll down his cheek to uncover his anxiousness. "That's the plan."
Flint studied him for a moment longer, then his eyes flicked to Mira. "Mira, I need you to run an errand for me later. I'll give you the details after breakfast."
Mira nodded, keeping her expression neutral. "Of course."
Flint lingered for a moment, then gave a small grunt and walked away, disappearing into the crowd. His form was swallowed by a sudden line of people, moving forwards to try and grab a tray of food
As soon as he was out of earshot, Char let out a breath. "That was close."
Mira exhaled as well, a nervous smile tugging at her lips. "Yeah. But now we know one thing for sure." She clasped her hands before her and looked at Char with a mysterious and knowing smile.
Char raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"
Mira's eyes gleamed. "He's definitely hiding something."