Page 69 of Fading Sun

“Wow,” I breathe, unable to tear my eyes from the view.

I’d take my phone out to snap a picture, if I wasn’t worried Damien would chide me about needing to conserve the battery.

But you know what? Screw it.

I reach into my pack, pull out my phone, and turn it on. No service—only that SOS symbol where the bars are supposed to be—but the camera app still works. So, I take a picture, relieved when the others don’t comment about how irresponsible I’m being with my battery life.

Then, I flip the camera and take a selfie.

“Come on,” I say, giving the others a mischievous smile. “Get in.”

Surprisingly, they do, and I snap a few pictures. Damien looks as aristocratic as ever in the photos—apparently, he doesn’t smile for pictures—and Blaze looks a bit irritated. Morgan and I are the only ones smiling.

But the best part is that, just for a moment, I feel more normal than I have since moving to New York.

“As a heads up, I doubt that’ll hold once we’re home,” Morgan says. “It’ll blur or disappear or something.”

“Maybe.” I shrug. “But it doesn’t hurt to try.”

“It might not hurt you, but it’s draining your battery,” Damien says exactly what I knew he would. “Turn it back off.”

I pout—although it’s not a real one, since I know he’s right—and power down my phone.

He nods in approval as I put it back in my pack, and checks the compass. “Come on,” he says, turning to face the path. “We have to keep going.”

The photo lightened the mood a bit, so we eventually get to chatting. Nothing overly interesting—only filling Blaze in on more details about what’s been happening in the city these past few weeks—but it’s less awkward than the earlier silence.

After another hour, the air is noticeably warmer. Birds chirp and flitter about the forest, and flowers peek out from the snow, their petals glowing and delicate.

“Shouldn’t it be getting colder as we get higher?” Blaze asks. “Because of the altitude?”

I turn my face to the sky, soaking in the light. “It’s getting warmer as we get closer to the sun,” I say, knowing it deep in my soul.

After all, we’re in the mystical realm. The rules from back home about it getting colder the higher up in elevation you go don’t apply here.

The blanket of snow on the ground gets thinner as we continue up the mountain, until it’s gone completely. Whenever we’re hungry, we snack on food from our packs, not wanting to waste time sitting down for a meal. The sooner we get to the Solar Scepter, the better.

Eventually, we turn around a bend and reach a grove of trees, their branches intertwined to form a natural archway. Birds sing from within it, and the leaves growing from the branches are bigger and more shimmery than anything I’ve seen so far in the forest. It exudes power, and I stare at it in awe as I soak in the magic thrumming through the air.

“Another portal?” I ask, looking to Morgan.

“I have no idea,” she says. “But it sure looks like it.”

Damien stares intently at the compass, which, from his stance, is pointing to the archway. “Whatever it is, we’re about to find out,” he says. “We’ll go through together.”

The archway is wide enough that we’re able to line up with only a few inches between our shoulders. Damien and I stand in the center, and Morgan and Blaze flank our sides. The space between me and Damien buzzes with energy, and I’m not sure if it’s from the portal or from the tension between us.

Probably both.

We give each other the go, and step through at the same time.

It’s like passing through an invisible, electric fence. Like a shock that runs through my body, but not in a bad way. More like an extremely strong tingle.

As soon as we’re through, a large temple shimmers into view, like a mirage coming to life.

Its stone walls are a masterpiece of craftsmanship, carved with ancient symbols and runes that glow in the late afternoon light. Majestic golden spires rise from the roof, gleaming like beacons against the sky. Vines of luminescent flowers weave through the walls, their petals shimmering with celestial beauty, casting delicate patterns of light and shadow across the ground. And it all pulses with living magic, as if it houses the gods themselves.

“Wow,” I say, stunned.

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