Thrice Great

The Lighthouse

Somewhere on the western coast of Alternate Denmark, 2005 CE

Sweeping coastal plains with few hills stretch all the way to the edge of the sea, which constantly makes its presence known with its crashing waves. A salty smell always hangs in the air. Secluded fishing villages dot the coastline, their populations being mostly humans that make their living by fishing and trading with the mer-people.

"I'm cold," Rini complains as she waddles aside Hermes, holding his hand.

It had taken them another day of travel, but the trio finally made it to Denmark. However, Thoth's lighthouse was isolated, meaning that they couldn't just take a taxi, like in Adapazari. Instead, after disembarking from a train that took them to a medium-sized town, they crossed over to the Alternate world and they flew closer to the location of the lighthouse, Thoth shapeshifting into the form of an ibis and Hermes using his winged shoes, while Hermes held Rini, since her wings still weren't ready to fly again.

Once they got even closer to the lighthouse, they landed and moved by foot, since the exact location of the lighthouse had to be found by caduceus, Thoth's caduceus to be exact, and he couldn't do that if he was a bird.

Now, the three make their way across the coastal plains, heading in the direction of the sea. A cold wind blows, sucking the warmth out of everything. Hermes uses his caduceus to cast a strong light spell from behind Thoth, who holds his out in front of him, looking for the edge of the forcefield that holds the lighthouse.

"I'm really cold!" Rini complains again. "We've been walking forever!"

Hermes glances down at her. She wears the same brown corduroy coat she wore back in Adapazari, as well as knitted mittens and a hat that he bought for her when passing through Bucharest.

He knew that Denmark was going to be chilly this time of the year. He just didn't anticipate them being outside for this long, in such cold wind.

"I'm sorry," he tells Rini in a gentle voice, "We should be there soon. Right, Thoth?"

"Right," Thoth answers. "I can hear the ocean from here. The lighthouse's close. And this land seems really familiar to me."

As he walks, his caduceus bumps into a wall of energy, the same type that surrounded the safe house in Adapazari.

Thoth smiles at Rini. "See?"

The three allow the force field to recognize their magic signatures, before passing through the force field and entering the pocket dimension that held the lighthouse.

The silhouette of the lighthouse stretched into the starry heavens from its position on top of a small hill. Behind it, a glimpse of the ocean glimmered, seeming to reflect the stars.

Rini's footsteps become lighter beside Hermes as she sees the lighthouse, knowing that relief and rest lay within it. Hermes gives her hand a squeeze in reassurance.

The three move as fast as they could in the dark to the lighthouse. Within a couple of minutes, they reach the lighthouse.

Thoth pulls open the door, which creaks as it opens. A musty scent with a hint of saltiness assaults the trio's noses as they step inside the lighthouse. They now stand in a semi-circular entranceway, a set of wooden stairs to their left. The light from Hermes' caduceus reveals a blanket of dust on everything.

Hermes sneezes. "You've got some dusting to do, Thoth."

"Which I'll do right now."

Thoth lifts his caduceus and concentrates. All dust visible in the entranceway lifts and gathers in a ball that hovers in front of Thoth's caduceus. A stream of dust flies down the stairs and joins the ball.