The starlit gate never closed. Even in the day, stars swirled around it like little clouds around a mountain peak.
Gates were rare, far out in the boonies. Quite often, suburban areas held many more, due to the high concentration of spiritual energy that automatically opened them for commerce, unbeknownst to the general public.
Three figures stood by this gate, far from civilization, set into a granite quarry side. Inside it swirled black tar, like a swimming pool of death. A black frame of some unknown but shiny material guarded it in the shape of a door. A faint humming sound came from it, softly bubbling.
A rainbow starry night sky filled the expanse overhead. The time was drawing nigh. Soon, a new gate would be opened. Another world, another chance.
They could only hope.
In the meantime, the wind rattled and bowled through the pine trees, a sound that one member of the party strongly disliked. He was a city boy, not used to the nature of the countryside, and the animals of the night that came alongside it. A bat flew about overhead, and he flinched with every pass it made.
"Do you think Io will find us?" He breathed, breath forming a cloud. He wrapped his silken scarf farther around his face, to keep his delicate complexion from the chill of the night. His eyes hadn't yet adjusted to the dark, and he squinted them, making out the faint shapes of the others.
The second man shrugged.
"If fate calls for it, it shall be so." He shoved his hands away into the pockets of a flannel and fur hunting jacket, the smell of pine faintly wafting from him. An owl hooted overhead, watching from the trees, before swooping down and landing on his shoulder. "Ah. There he is. Coming from the south-west side."
The third figure was silent.
She was young, pale skinned, and smooth like china. She was far too sleepy to be out in the dark this time of night, but she hadn't much of a choice.
"Well, we can only hope he will remember us, when he arrives." The scarfed one murmured. "Otherwise, Amory will have failed his mission for the Host."
The second man sighed.
Unfortunately, a failure from Amory would be nothing out of the ordinary.
YOU ARE READING
The God and His Moon
Spiritual"Is the journey a difficult one?" Amory whispered, his voice a dull ghost in Io's soft, snowy hair. The breath that brushed over his skin made goosebumps rise on his neck. "That is yet to be seen." Io replied, reluctant with his words. His head lay...
