Ruth felt different. Everything in the world felt different now.

  She laid in her bed, the candles had gone out too early again. Yet this time, she wasn’t scared. She could still see. While her regular vision was dark and she couldn’t sign, her Soulsight was quite bright. She could see a strange looking fire down the hall. That must have been Mother! Elsewhere in the area, she could see the distant embers of other Benelim. The darkness had no mystery anymore, no terror and no power over her.

  Her head felt clearer, she had no idea how clouded her thoughts were before now. She tossed and turned in her bed. Yet it wasn’t from anxiousness. She simply wasn’t tired. It was as if she didn’t need to sleep anymore. An idle stretch of her leg brought it over the bed. Was she taller too? What else was different about her now?

  She burned with questions. She felt a purpose, a drive she’d never known. A fire had been ignited in her soul and she refused to let it die. Omnitus had chosen her. He had chosen her! She remembered reading parts of the Saga of the Gods, the revered book that chronicled the deeds of the Gods. The Wars in the Heavens showed a God who was all powerful, a deity who drove daemons to the underworld, who created the sun and the moon.

  He saved humanity from slavery.

  They hadn’t reached the end of the Second War in the Heavens yet in class. How she wished they did. Although, she was able to deduce much. Dominus Omnitus was known as the Shattered One, so He must have broken into pieces. Ruth shook her head, her own increased intelligence baffled her. She knew it wasn’t normal for a seven year old to think like this, yet here she was, making deductions and theories.

  She rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t nervous. She’d never been to a human country before. What were humans like? Were they really as bad as she’d been told? Maybe they were more like Mother and Aunt Kathy? Were they loving or hateful? Did they venerate the Gods or did they reject them? Where were they during the Second Novalim War?

  Would they accept her? Would she want to be accepted? She was grateful that Mother and Aunt Kathy were being supportive. The last thing she needed was them doubting her right now. Despite their recent issues, deep down she loved them and needed them. They were an anchor, keeping her grounded in the tempest that was her mind at present.

  The sun was coming up over the horizon, its golden light signaling the start of a new day. Ruth’s new life. Mother said the journey would take at least a month. Ruth had never been on such a long journey before. Although, technically, she had done this already. Mother had to bring her to her realm after she was found after all. But this was different, it might as well have been the first time. It was yet another thing that excited her. She was going to see the world. Oh, it sounded like so much fun!

  Mother entered the room, waving with a hand before doing so. She was wearing her hunter’s outfit. A long skirt of strong fabric draped with a leather vest, completed with several sacks strapped to her back, as well as her bow. Mother was supposed to teach her how to hunt one day. She hoped she still would. She wanted Mother to still be part of her life after all.

  Mother looked nervous upon seeing the candles out. “Sorry, I didn’t put enough wax in again. Are you alright?” she signed.

  Ruth rose up out of bed and nodded. “I’m okay.” she signed, smiling. “I’m not afraid of the dark anymore.” Mother tilted her head, Ruth gestured to her eyes before signing, “Soulsight.”

  Mother nodded. “Right.”

  “What is Soulsight? You never told me.”

  Mother paused, before signing back slowly, “I didn’t see a reason to yet.”

  Mother was still grappling with Ruth’s questions it would seem, and her body language was tense. Ruth had to be a little patient and she smiled, hoping to calm her Mother’s nerves. “I should learn now.”

  Mother shrugged as she took a seat next to Ruth. “Well, it’s another way of seeing people. We can see their Soulfire and the way that flame speaks to us helps us know about them. It’s a way of figuring out if they're good or bad. It’s how we know who to trust or who to stay away from. Everyone, no matter what race they are, has a different Soulfire. It’s part of what makes everyone special.”

  Ruth tilted her head,. “What do you see when you look at me?”

  Mother smiled. “I see a bright, cheerful little girl who wants to be friends with everyone!” Mother gestured to herself. “What do you see when you look at me?”

  Ruth’s glowing eyes flickered. “I see someone who loves their daughter, yet is scared about the future. But you knew this day would come.”

  Mother shrugged. “Indeed. I didn’t fully understand it until now. Ever since I found you, you always came across as a harbinger of change.”

  “I think I get it. It’s weird.” Ruth paused, her signs slowed, as if trying to figure out how to word it. “I can see ahead, I know what’s going to happen. Is that also a Soulsight thing?”

  Mother’s gestures became similarly slow. “Not among Benelim. But other creatures also have Soulsight, the Gods, for example. Theirs has always been greater.”

  Ruth perked up. “So, because I have a Shard in me, do you think I have a better Soulsight than you?”

  Mother rolled her eyes, even as a mirthful grin filled her face. “Now, now. Don’t get ahead of yourself. You’re still my daughter. You should get dressed. We have a long day ahead of us.”

  One month later.

  Ruth had to crane her neck to look at the mountains. They were huge, much bigger than anything she had seen before. Like an indescribably tall grey-clad wall of ancient stone. The God’s Teeth Mountains, they were called. They slowly and methodically climbed the massive staircase. An ancient path formed from white and golden marble. It was taking them to a plateau, where the great mountain path awaited them. Inch by inch, Ruth could see it peering over the horizon. A narrow gorge between the rocky shelfs. As if a sword strike the size of a continent cleaved the mountain in half.

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  Mother was surprised and impressed that Ruth could keep up. True, her endurance had greatly improved over the past few weeks of travel, but it still threw Mother off. Ruth figured it was the Shard within her, yet again. It seemed like every other day there was a new surprise, some new quirk she discovered.

  Ruth was convinced she had gained some sort of foresight and wouldn’t stop talking about it. She said they wouldn’t encounter anything too dangerous on the road ahead. At least for the next week. The rest was still cloudy. Mother was getting used to it, but poor Aunt Kathy was still struggling to wrap her head around it. It was all very promising to Ruth.

  There was only one downside, a crucial weakness. Oh, if only Ruth could just control her Soulsight. Any time she looked at Mother too long, she felt pain. Any time they passed a group of Benelim, it hurt. Ruth would feel better afterward but she could see how nervous it made Mother every time.

  They stopped at the top of the stairs to catch their breath. They were panting heavily at the end of it, a sheen of sweat covered their skin. Ruth looked up ahead, the path beckoned her. How she wished she could keep moving. She turned to Mother and Aunt Kathy. They had to sit down for a moment. Ruth smiled, the journey could wait a few minutes more. Without another word or sign, she took a seat next to them. A smile on her lips and patience in her eyes.

  With a mutual nod, the three got to their feet. They entered the mountain pass in earnest. On either side of them were solid walls of gray stone. The path was not extremely narrow, one could fit five or six men across even, but in the face of the cyclopean rocks, the road still felt paltry. Flecks of bright crystals were ingrained into the crisscrossing patterns, adding much desired illumination to their path.

  “Is the entire road like this?”

  “Not all of it,” signed Mother. “It’ll widen the further we go in. There is a bridge that will take over a massive gorge.”

  Aunt Kathy nodded. “Stay close,” she signed.

  For hours, they kept on the path, and indeed the road widened and widened. Like the earth itself was beckoning them further in. Unfortunately, the road was becoming more rundown at the same time. The gold color faded, sometimes losing the hue altogether. The crystals were getting scarce and dirt and filth was covering more and more of the road. Ruth’s body tensed and her steps grew smaller, as if one wrong step would bring danger. She held Mother’s hand tight.

  Ruth gulped before signing, “Why is the road so dirty?”

  Aunt Kathy shrugged and signed, “This road isn’t used so much anymore. Not since Benelim and humans traded with each other.”

  “We used to work together?”

  Mother nodded. “Long ago. We haven’t talked to each other in at least three centuries.”

  “And that was before me or Mother were born,” Aunt Kathy added.

  Ruth tilted her head. “Why did we stop?”

  Aunt Kathy glanced at Mother. Ruth pouted, she really needed to let them know they didn’t have to be so nervous. She raised her hands slowly, trying to figure out the best way to sign it. “Did you finish your study on the Second Novalim War?” Ruth nodded. “See, the humans stopped talking to us after that. They didn’t want us around anymore. They acted mean after we checked up on them.”

  Ruth shook her head. “Is that why Benelim don’t like humans?”

  “It’s part of it. We’ll tell you when you’re older.”

  Ruth pouted and rolled her eyes. It took them the rest of the morning and into the afternoon to get to the start of the bridge. Ruth had never seen so much metal in her life! While it was still dwarfed by the labyrinth of ancient peaks surrounding them, the bridge was quite the sight. It was large, extensive and the ancient clockwork mechanisms shimmered in the dim light.

  “It’s made of star iron,” signed Mother. “The strongest metal in the entire world!”

  Ruth laid a hand on the construct. It felt cool in her hands and oddly pleasant. A passing glance to the dark abyss below made Ruth jump back in fright. Mother caught her before she fell. Once they got as far as they could from the edge, they decided to stop for lunch.

  It saddened and disturbed Ruth to see how desolate the bridge was. This used to be a vibrant hub and now it felt like a ghost town. An echo of a bygone age. She could only imagine how this place used to be. Countless humans and Benelim, wagons and carts as far as the eye could see. Gliding down the path happily as they went about their lives. Ruth could take some small comfort in her company at least.

  That company became her anchor once they started to cross the bridge properly. It vibrated with every step. Mother told her that star iron bridges don’t rust or degrade easily, but Ruth could see her nervousness through her shaking arms as she signed it. The anxiety grew once they reached the middle of the bridge. The guardrails were tall, but Ruth could still see beneath them. It was like an all consuming void of blackness. The bridge was so extensive that no matter which direction they looked, the stony outcroppings were out of sight. Darkness in front of them, darkness behind them, and darkness beneath them.

  All that prevented the abyss from consuming them completely was the bridge.

  Yet they kept going, inch by inch, metal panel by metal panel. One of Mother’s hooves fell through the block. Her body sagged into the gap. Ruth gasped in horror. A cloud of dust burst into the air. The bridge rumbled under their feet, like an ancient behemoth waking from its slumber. Ruth could even hear its grumble, a low moan passing through her ears.

  Mercifully all cause for fear dissipated. The bridge held, and the gap was too narrow for Mother to fall through. Aunt Kathy was able to yank her out easily. It took much longer for Ruth’s racing heart to calm down and she hugged Mother tightly, Ruth shedding a tear as she did so.

  “Are you sure you want to go through with this?” signed Aunt Kathy. “It’s not too late to go back.”

  Ruth wiped away her tears and nodded. Her signs were bold and firm, “We’ve come too far to stop now. The Gods will see to our safety.”

  Aunt Kathy was taken aback by Ruth’s veneration. She turned to Mother, who smirked back at her. Mother ruffled Ruth’s blonde hair and signed, “I’m proud of you. You’ve grown so much in the past month.”

  Ruth returned the grin. “I learned from the best,” she signed.

  It took them the rest of the day to get to the other side of the bridge and through the path on the other side. They reached the plateau at nightfall and decided to make camp. Ruth was too excited to sleep and was content to gaze upon the stars. She’d never spent a night outside before this journey, she wished she’d done it sooner. The distant twinkles of light fascinated her, and the tufts of grass felt so soft beneath her back.

  Never had Ruth felt so alive, never had she felt so awake. Her old life felt so bland now. She thought back to the kids in her classroom and scoffed. If only they could see her now, what lay ahead of her. Perhaps they wouldn’t be so quick to judge! No matter, they had their chance.

  Dawn came and they descended the final staircase and a serene green landscape awaited them.

  “This is the Cradlelands,” signed Mother.

  Ruth’s eyes widened. It looked so beautiful! The pastures were vibrant and full of life. It was so strange to see grass that wasn’t golden yellow or brown. She got on one knee to caress the blades with her fingers. In the distance stood ancient oaks and fields of pink tulips. Ruth bounded ahead of them, bending over to smell the flowers.

  Ruth turned to see Mother and Aunt Kathy murmuring amongst themselves. Mother was pointing one way, and Aunt Kathy the other. Ruth tilted her head. “What’s wrong?” signed Ruth.

  “We never found out where the island was,” signed Mother. “We’re trying to figure out which way to go.”

  Ruth looked between both directions they were pointing and shook her head. Ruth gestured to herself before signing, “I know where we need to go. South.”

  Aunt Kathy paused, her signs slow and cautious, “How do you know?”

  Ruth grinned. “I can feel them. We need to head south.”

  Mother and Aunt Kathy glanced at each other and nodded. “If you say so,” signed Mother.