Arc 7: Chapter 26: A Road That Wends
The Wend.
It goes by many names. The Ethereal Realm. The Tribos Goetica. The Hinterlands of the Far Sea.
Existence is not solid. Reality is not firm rock. It is riddled with imperfections, like an endless tangled collection of cracks, worm holes, and ant tunnels eating through soft earth. I didn’t learn that until after I’d placed my hand on that table of golden wood in Elfhome and let Tuvon and Maerlys stitch my soul to it. While I’d served in Seydis, it had been my task, along with the other knights, to watch these fissures in Creation and guard against the hungry things that dwell in them.
As many horrors as there can be in the waking world, there is nothing quite like getting lost in the gaps. Just like in an old house, rot can be hidden behind bright paint. And the world is very old.
The fog cleared enough to see after some time, though it remained a constant presence. Delphine and I found ourselves in a forest. The trees were thin, gray, twisted like the jutting skeletal digits of some much larger growth. They were perforated and brittle looking, and the rocky ground was treacherous with tripping roots.
“Where’s the light coming from?” Delphine asked. I glanced up and realized what she meant. The sky was black, like we were under an overcast sky at night or in an enormous cavern, but everything was lit by a distant glow. It was hard to describe the light’s color. Something cold and eerie. The sound of lapping waves was ever present, never any further or closer than when I’d first noticed it.
“Whatever it is, it’s not coming from above. Parts of this place have a sky, but not one you’ll be familiar with.”
“I’ve studied the Roads,” Delphine said as she drew closer to me, her eyes wandering about. “I’ve seen diagrams, read accounts from scholars and adventurers who’ve managed to come back. Some of the Alder Knights kept accounts of things they saw, and the Cenocastia held copies.”
I grunted in acknowledgement. “We were told to make reports. Ser Maxim used to tell me it helped prevent the Wend from turning you manic. We were supposed to rationalize what we saw in our writing. Some of us just recounted our duties in confession, though. Not every paladin is also a scholar, and talking can be easier. More human.”
“Is that how you did it?” Delphine didn’t put any particular edge in her voice, but I still felt my lips tighten.
“You know I did. Are you just asking to needle me?”
“No, I… Nevermind. We should find Vicar.”