Free Kastori Restorations (The Kastori Chronicles Book 4) by Stephen Allan

of power is. It’s a bit further out, and we should get going.”
    “Can you sense how far?”
    Celeste shook her head.
    “On the off-hand chance that we can garner ourselves some supplies here, I want to try it. If not, it’s going to be a long, awful walk to that power. And I don’t even get a hot meal out of it!”
    “You can always cook some—”
    But she froze.
    Footsteps.
    Celeste had dropped her focus on the man and failed to notice him approaching. They each took a step back, Cyrus’ hand going to the hilt of his sword. Celeste did the same. The footsteps stopped at the entrance.
    Silence came.
    And then a loud crash came as the door swung open, ice shattered, and a man nearly stumbled out.
    The man was unarmed. Cyrus and Celeste dropped their hands from the sword. The man looked up slowly. He had a thick gray beard, long gray hair, darting green eyes, and a noticeable tremble. He said nothing for several moments, and neither did Cyrus or Celeste.
    “Do you think he remembers how to talk?” Cyrus messaged Celeste.
    “We can try.”
    “Hello,” Celeste said.
    The man seemed startled. Celeste took a step forward, closing the gap to about five feet, and smiled.
    “I’m Celeste Orthran. This is Cy—”
    “Orthrans,” the man said, mumbling. “Orthrans. Orthrans. You. Orthrans?”
    Celeste gulped and nodded.
    “You… you sent me here. You sent me here.”
    “I… I did not,” Celeste said.
    “Raidus Orthran.”
    My grandfather.
    “Raidus Orthran sent me here. You sent me here.”
    “My grandfather,” Celeste said. “He sent you here?”
    “He sent me here. You sent me here. You Orthrans. You sent me here.”
    “Careful, Celeste. He doesn’t seem well. Could snap any second.”
    Celeste gulped.
    “May we come in? We want to help.”
    “Come in. Orthrans. Yes, yes, of course. Come in.”
    Celeste went inside the complex but made sure to maintain some distance from the man as she walked inside. Cyrus did the same while keeping his hand on the hilt of his sword. Once both were inside, the man shut the door, producing the sound of more snow and ice crashing to the ground.
    “I didn’t think I would start hallucinating visitors,” he said slowly, his eyes still not locking with anyone else’s. “But on the off-hand chance that I am not, welcome. Welcome, Orthrans. Welcome.”
    “Thank you. What is your name?” Celeste asked.
    “My name?” the man asked. In her peripheral vision, Celeste could see Cyrus looking at her with concern. “Novus. I am Novus. Yes, my name is Novus. The last one here. Only one.”
    It’s like he doesn’t believe his own voice. Sad. What Cyrus could’ve become.
    “What?” Celeste asked. “The last one here? Were there others?”
    “Others?”
    Novus seemed to stall, so Celeste looked around. The inside didn’t look much better than the exterior. Though it was much warmer, the walls and floors had numerous cracks in them, and the entire place looked drab and weary. Celeste cast a quick sensing spell one last time and confirmed no one else lived in the area.
    “Oh, yes, others. Yes, others were here. But not anymore. They are gone. They left. They’re gone.”
    “Celeste, I would not sleep here if I were you. This doesn’t feel safe at all.”
    “You are not gone. You are here, Orthrans. How did you get here?”
    “I—”
    “Do we tell him the truth, Celeste? He’s already on edge. What if he knows of magicologists too?”
    Celeste sighed. The man still did not look at them in the eyes, though the way his eyes bounced, it seemed it would accidentally happen eventually.
    “We are Kastori.”
    “Kastori? Kast… What’s that?”
    “We used magic.”
    “Magic. Magic?”
    He looked between the two of them, now creepily locking eyes with them. Celeste felt uncomfortable as she watched Novus examine them.
    “What is this magic?” he said, his voice suddenly rising. “You just come here without any warning? What’s going on?!?”
    “Novus, it’s