The Elder's Path by J.D. Caldwell

what to say, and puzzled by what he meant by ‘less developed state’, Lyn kept her silence. “I must complete my orders without his assistance, or risk never returning to the Astral Plane.”
    “What happens if you don’t find Umbra?” Lyn ventured quietly.
    “I will continue existing in this plane until my power runs out. If I do not succeed before such time, I will cease to exist entirely.” The ebon wolf said this so matter-of-factly, Lyn wondered if he even cared that he faced his extinction. Or if he had the ability to care at all.
    “Returning to your plane after all this time, won’t things be different?”
    “Time has always been something those of your world have misunderstood. It is not linear; it is much more fluid and convoluted. You think of time as a straight line, with past behind you and future ahead. But the two are not necessarily mutually exclusive. In short, no, things will not be so different.”
    Lyn couldn’t wrap her mind around such a strange concept; she was having trouble enough understanding the idea that this being was from an entirely different realm of existence. How had he come about being here? He had mentioned a summoner. Could it be that one of the people of the old world had been dabbling in dark magic? She knew the old world was a place of great mystery and arcane forces, but to summon such a beast, and one that could last through the ages at that...such a show of force was beyond Lyn’s comprehension. Magic had died out in Arc long ago, during the reformation into the new age. It had been 700 years since magic had been a part of life in any real capacity, let alone such a physical manifestation as the great wolf before her.
    Marcho interrupted her train of thought, making her jump.  “What is your purpose, Lyn World-Walker? What does your journey entail?”
    Lyn hesitated for a moment, but in fairness Marcho had been honest and answered all of her questions so far. It would be rude not to reciproca te, and besides, this was a highly unique experience. If he had meant her direct harm, he’d have done it already. With a deep breath, Lyn told Marcho about her people, and what it meant to be a World-Walker.
    Despite herself, Lyn found that she enjoyed spe aking with the strange creature. For being so out of place and time, Marcho seemed to understand very well and asked relevant questions. Lyn found herself telling him about much more of herself than she had intended, and by the time she was done she found it to be much later. She was tired, and hungry. Even though she had spent hours with him and had come to no harm, Lyn was uneasy about  going back to her camp and being able to sleep. She seemed to have little choice, however, so with a farewell and a promise to return on the morrow, Lyn returned to her camp with the help of Alir’s guiding cries.
    Her rest was tormented by tossing, turning, and bad dreams. Not all nights could be easy comfortable ones, and she had been under quite a bit of stress with the f all and the storm. Not to mention the huge demon in the next tunnel. When she came blearily awake, she couldn’t remember where she was for a moment. She looked about, disoriented, nearly experiencing a heart attack when she saw Marcho standing nearby just outside of the light from the cave entrance. His dark form made it difficult to distinguish him from the darkness, but his glowing red eyes certainly stood out. Alir seemed to notice him at the same time and let out a distressed exclamation.
    Upset, Lyn tu rned to him and snapped, “What are you thinking? What are you doing out here?”
    The giant wolf looked idly over to the girl and her bird, and seemed to dismiss them, sniffing the air with fervor. After a moment he said, “It has been some time since I have tasted the outside world. My space was sealed by more than this snow, girl. Somehow you broke through my barrier to find me.” He inhaled deeply and let it out slowly, his breath coming in a great cloud in