Kastori Restorations (The Kastori Chronicles Book 4) by Stephen Allan

said. “But seriously, yes. Don’t ever doubt it, Cyrus. The most powerful of us are sometimes the most shackled as well. Don’t feel like what you do doesn’t matter.”
    Cyrus didn’t respond with words, but his genuine smile gave away how he felt. He stretched out and groaned before saying, “OK, first one to sleep wins.”
    To Celeste’s surprise, even with the freezing temperatures and still-grotesque smell, she passed out before she could even cycle through her thoughts of all the things Cyrus had done for her in the last six months, let alone her lifetime.

 
     
     
     
    14
    Celeste woke up starving, her stomach growling as loudly as a hunting ursus.
    But she was alive, and she did not shiver as she had the night before.
    She slowly rolled over and came to her knees, dusting off the snow that had accumulated on her overnight. She looked at Cyrus, still asleep, breathing comfortably. The ursus had lost most of its heat, but what heat it had given had sufficed for survival. Up above, the sun had just crested the horizon, giving them a full day to work. We can’t wait. Not if we want to return to the outpost before sunset.
    She reached down and shook Cyrus’ shoulders.
    “…Crystil, what? What? Huh?”
    “Cyrus, come on. We gotta go. New day. Time to move before it gets much colder.”
    “Aww,” he said as he slowly sat up. He accepted Celeste’s hand as she lifted him off the ground. “I was having such a good dream, too.”
    Don’t tell me. Let’s just get going.
    She made sure she had her supplies, and once Cyrus confirmed he had his as well, the two marched once more through the wintry plains, aware of but not observing the wildlife that surrounded them.
    As Celeste got closer to the cave, she could sense an exponential increase in the power. What had started out as a faint glimmer turned into a bright power and soon became almost too intense for Celeste to concentrate on. But just as Celeste searched for the power, something about the magic in the planet seemed to call for her. It gleamed brighter whenever she turned her attention to it as if shining a distress light her way.
    “Do you feel it, Cyrus?” she asked.
    “What? The weather? Oh, you best believe I feel it.”
    He doesn’t. It’s calling to me directly.
    After another half hour of walking, she saw it.
    The ground sloped gently into a short cliff, and at the wall of the cliff, the symbol of magic awaited her. She took a few steps forward but stopped when Cyrus did not follow her.
    “Every time I take a step forward, it’s like I’ve hit an arctic blast worse than last night,” he said. “Celeste, I think you are meant to go there alone.”
    Celeste turned back to the cave. She could now see light green energy waves pulsing around the entrance as if sneaking out for a glimpse before rushing back in. The energy advanced in her direction before abruptly heading back into the cave.
    “Yeah, it’s definitely you alone,” Cyrus said.
    “It looks that way. You can head back to the outpost if you want. I don’t know how long this will take.”
    “You want me to go hang out with Novus? Are you mad?” Cyrus said with a smirk. “No way. I’m waiting for you here. If this process weakens you, you’re going to need a hero to bring you back.”
    “How delightful,” Celeste said, turning back to the cave.
    As she approached the cave, the outside world seemed to fade away. The sky became darker much faster than it should have—by the time she reached the entrance of the cave, it looked like nighttime all over again—and when she turned to face Cyrus, he said something she could no longer hear. The green waves of energy coalesced around her, gently guiding her toward an area underneath the magical symbol. When she looked up and back, she saw the world as if underwater—everything was blurry, undefined, and shaking.
    Celeste glanced at the symbol, and the cave opened up. A flight of stairs appeared before her, guiding her down to an