The Mythos Trials

Chapter Five

Gwen opened her eyes. Her first impression was that she was lying on something soft, something fresh-smelling and cool to the touch.

Grass? She sat up, taking in her unfamiliar surroundings, momentarily disoriented. The last thing she remembered was stepping through the portal in Hades' domain, Phenex grasping her left hand, and Forneus holding her right. But something had gone wrong. The typical jerking sensation of being teleported had started, as it always did, and with it, the twisting sensation in the pit of her stomach that threatened sickness.

Just as suddenly, it had stopped, the absence of warmth at her sides alerting her to the fact that Forneus and Phenex were no longer with her. She had opened her eyes just in time to see brilliant starbursts of white and orange in her vision, and then nothing.

Nothing, that is, until now.

Did I black out?

Rising to her feet on shaky legs, Gwen took another look around, slowly turning until she'd completed a full circle. A valley spread out on either side of her, long grass reaching as high as halfway up her ribcage grazing the inside of her forearms until they itched.

While it was a relief to be back in her form-fitting combat gear, she wished her shirt sleeves were a bit longer than the elbow. Fortunately, her pants and shoes were laced tight, preventing the scratchy plant life from getting anywhere else. Her satchel weighed heavily on her right shoulder, bringing her some comfort despite Forneus's and Phenex's absence.

At least we had the sense to pack separate bags, she thought, bringing a hand up to shield her eyes from the sun. Unlike Earth's sun, Mythos' was more orange, the way Earth's sun looked during dawn and just before dusk. Even so, it beamed down brighter, and it wasn't long before Gwen found herself wishing the combat gear was any other colour besides black.

No use in just standing around here. But where is here? Aside from the sea of lush green grass stretching onward in all directions, there were wildflowers; some like those in her father's garden, and others exotic and unidentifiable. Despite everything Forneus had taught her, she hadn't quite grasped all of the names of the different plants in Mythos. There was a dip leading down from where she stood, a slightly trodden path that wound between two vast outcroppings of rock.

Terra Ventus?

It must have been. And that would make the knoll she was standing on part of Livada na Samovila, or 'the Meadow of the Faerie'. Or was she in the Centaurian Glade? With so much grass and so many vibrant flowers growing all around, it was difficult to tell. Gwen looked about, more intently this time, trying to get a glimpse of some other landmark that would tell her precisely where on the eastern continent she had found herself.

There was no doubt in her mind that this was Terra Ventus. The pass between the rocky outcroppings, with doors carved into their surface, was a dead giveaway. Now she just needed to figure out which way led toward the Corporeal Mountains, and which way would take her into the Heart of Mythos.

The central continent went by a different name, she knew, but for simplicity's sake, Forneus had encouraged her to use its English name, stating that it loosely translated to the same thing, anyway. The only word Gwen could remember was Kardia, the Greek word for 'heart'.

Come on, she scolded herself, it should be easy to tell one direction from the other. What happened to those navigation skills?

Gwen considered using her Magic Sight, but doubted it would help her determine direction. The problem was, wherever the mountains were, she couldn't see them from here. There were too many grassy hills rising up in all directions, and on top of them, towering trees in hues of green, gold, and russet, catching the sunlight on their waxy leaves.