Chapter 15 - What's the Plan?

Kleo pulled Rugr aside while Jack and Thespis ate, foolishly hoping for a private word. Whatever had crawled free of the portal room needed handling, quick, clean, and quiet.

Will and Maya saw that plan for what it was: wishful thinking. Veterans like them didn’t wait to be invited, especially not when ancient magic or danger was involved.

Jack wandered over next, curiosity piqued. Thespis, already forming a codependent attachment to his only friend, followed close behind.

“There’s a darkness to it—unlike anything I’ve felt before. It wasn’t hostile. If anything… it felt curious.”

The group fell silent. Jack held his questions, knowing they couldn’t be answered.

“Rugr and I will make contact. See if we can get a better read. After that, we can decide how to deal with it.”

“Do you trust that barrier?” Jack asked, a tremor of worry he couldn’t quite mask in his voice.

Kleo offered a tight shrug. “Maybe. It’s still there, a shimmering courtesy. But it’s not trapped. This cave’s a labyrinth. If it wanted out, it would be. It’s choosing to remain.”

“I think it wants us to restart the portal,” Jack said.

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He met their skeptical looks with something close to certainty.

“Does anyone really think the portal room was its lair? If it were, it probably would’ve attacked us for intruding. And from what Thespis said, it was in a hurry to get out of there.”

“Go on,” Rugr said.

“You said it feels ancient, right? I think it came through the portal, got stranded when it shut down, and has waited for a very long time to get a ride back. Now it senses Kleo’s power and sees a way out.”

Jack glanced at Kleo, then back to the others. “If it believes she can power the portal, it makes sense it’s waiting. It needs her.”

“Can we restart it? And more importantly—should we?” Will asked, directing the question at Rugr.

“Kleo can,” Rugr said. “Though it’ll cost her.” He glanced at her, not hiding his concern. “As for whether we should… probably not. Once it’s open, anything could come through. We’d be announcing our presence to whoever’s listening.”

“Could we restrict it? Like the ones in Astiria?” Thespis asked.

“Sure—if we possessed even the vaguest notion how,” Rugr replied dryly.

They all went quiet again. Beyond theory and half-remembered lore, none of them understood how portals worked.

"Why don't we just shut it down after we're done?" Thespis asked. The idea seemed logical enough, but reality worked differently.

“Closing it is exponentially harder than opening it. The portal amplifies the energy flow—draining it would require power beyond mortal comprehension. Divine intervention, at least.”

Thespis’s hopeful gaze swiveled to Kleo.

She rolled her eyes, a weary shake of her head.

The silence stretched.

“If Jack’s right,” Kleo said at last, “then I need to try communicating with it. Rugr and I will go first. The rest of you stay here, rest, and prepare for tomorrow.”

“And if things go sideways?” Will asked.

“You’ll know,” Rugr said.