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I bring my Sidus light to the surface of my skin, letting it build and build. The world around me grows brighter and brighter until there is nothing but light around me.
Releasing some of the wildfire inside me, I let go and blind the guards with my Sidus light. Their shadows retreat and I quickly move across the path to Oryn.
I release my light as soon as I reach him, and he blinks it away before looking at me, a sad expression on his face.
“I’m sorry. I thought… I was aware the guards treated you differently, but I didn’t realize…” He releases a harsh breath.
I shrug. “I’ve never known anything else. But coming here has helped me.”
He frowns. “How so?”
“I’m no longer so close-minded as to judge all Caligo based on the guards’ actions. A few of the Caligo I have met are some of the kindest people, with generous hearts.”
A wide smile spills across his face. “I’m glad you don’t think we’re all bad.”
“You’re a little different,” I remind him as we make our way to the next obstacle. Walking down the rocky path, we come to a long cliff. Glancing around, I find no other way around it.
“We have to climb over it,” Oryn says, and I nod, agreeing before heading straight for it and starting my climb upward.
“Is there anything you can’t do?” he shouts up as he follows close behind me.
“My mother told me there is no such thing. That the only limits we have are those we set for ourselves.”
He grows quiet for a moment. “She sounds like an amazing woman.”
“She is.” One I miss terribly, even though I just saw her.
I grab the next piece of rock and then the next, making sure my grip is tight, my foothold firm as I ascend the cliff. Minutes pass as we both stay silent moving upward, our heavy breaths the only sound around us.
Reaching the top, I’m just about to pull myself over when I hear a resounding click from somewhere below. I glance down to find Oryn looking up at me, his eyes wide with fear.
“I think I’ve triggered some type of trap,” he says. And then he plummets.
Without thought, I push my Sidus light toward him and weave a net around him, catching him just before he slams into the ground.
Holding the net in place, I direct it toward the bottom of the cliff and keep it still as he gets a foothold and slowly starts to ascend once more.
It takes him longer than before to climb it. His face is pale and he’s out of breath, but he finally makes it up to the top. I grab ahold of his hand as he nears the edge and help him over.
“We’re not supposed to help one another,” he reminds me while trying to catch his breath, his face completely drained of color.
“I’d rather not watch you die,” I tell him, and it brings a small smile to his lips.
“Thank you.”
“Why didn’t you use your own Sidus net?” I was glad to help him, but if it comes down to trying not to be caught by anyone or dying, the option should be obvious.
He glances back over the cliff, swallowing hard. “The trap caught me off guard. And I so rarely use them that I can’t imagine ever being able to create a net like you can.”
It hits me that he grew up in the Caligo city. A place where there are no Sidus. Which means he’s never had anyone he could go to ask for help with his powers.
I was lucky. I had my mother. She found out everything she could about Caligo’s powers and taught me it, making sure I was more proficient than any other Caligo.
“I can teach you, if you’d like?”
He turns to look at me, giving me a small unsure smile. “Maybe after everything is over.”
I nod and let it go for now. But I will make sure he at least knows how to weave a basic Sidus net. Especially after today.
