Chapter 180 - Atlas

"Where to now, Ten?" I asked.

"Right up this way, Learned One. We are about to pass through the ancient gates." Ten walked under a crumbling archway.

Lukas pushed up from behind me. "What the fuck is this place?"

I shrugged. "I've no idea. But this is where Ten and Nix said to come. I'm assuming her contact will know us when he or she sees us. She gave Ten some kind of token to identify us with."

"Mmhmm," Lukas murmured.

The ancient gates opened onto a manicured lawn full of statues. There were ones that scarcely reached my knees and ones that towered over Ten's dragon form. Rows upon rows, column upon column, statues stood sentry over a hushed meadow that spoke to someplace deep inside me.

Just beyond the gathering of statues was a valley of verdant green. It reminded me of a familiar dreamscape from my childhood. The statues were never present, but the gently rolling hill and valley were hard to forget. In the spring, it was covered in vibrant wildflowers. In the fall