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Description
That evening, Inlé again sat over his map, pendulum in hand. He stared at the map for a long time without attempting to divine anything. The stones resting in his palm, he watched over the world.

Finally, he reached out and rested his thumb on an area in northern New York, and stretched his pinky toward Maine, but did not set it down. It hovered a moment, then he took his hand away from the map. He stared pensively for a moment longer, then placed the pendulum on the map.

Pulling bracelets from his wrist, Inlé twisted the various bands ringing each of the bracelets. To the casual observer, each ring was a solid band of silver. But to Inlé, there were a dozen pieces separated by thirteen thin grooves, allowing the pieces to slide in various ways. Each different position designated a different ring elsewhere that Inlé used for transport.

Grabbing up the pendulum again, he gently manipulated the portals one at a time, and the iolite moved to points on the map. Many times it returned to the area where Inlé had kept his thumb, but few came closer to Maine, save a handful in Vermont. Once, Inlé reached through one of the bracelets and collected the band on the other side.

Sighing, Inlé returned the original four to his wrist and passed the other up the opposite sleeve. Then he held the pendant over the map again.

"Inveni. Choloepus avorsus. Deprehende." The stone swirled over the map, circling a few small areas.

"Inveni. Choloepus avorsus. Maine. Deprehende." The stone swirled over a few small areas in Maine. Inlé watched these for a few moments, then placed a pin into one of the points the map had circled.

He held the agate over his home and the iolite over the new pin, then said, "βρείτε ένα μονοπάτι για μένα μέσα από τα εδάφη της σκιώδους."

Immediately, the silver chain connecting the two writhed as if it were in pain, finally settling into a twisted, chaotic route connecting the two points. Inlé pulled a red string from his sleeve, and wrapped it around the solid chain as it shifted slowly.

When it was fully encompassed, Inlé said, "διατηρήσουμε και να ακολουθήσει," and the chain and string dropped lifelessly to the map. Pendulum and string were separated and returned to storage, then Inlé slipped to his corner and slept.

"There must be some reason you keep returning here," the orange goddess said, laughing at Inlé's appearance among the goddesses of magic once more as they walked to their meal.

"Perhaps," Inlé said, turning to follow. "But I know no reason, unless it is that one of you is in need of my service."

"Maybe you just like the free food," the black goddess said lightly, and the others laughed.

"Perhaps, Lady. Gifts of food have been surprisingly common of late."

"Food is important for a young man," the golden goddess chimed. "Especially one with such a rigorous job as yourself."

"My job is not so rigorous as you may think, Madam."

"Hmph, you don't get that banged up at an easy job," the red goddess said.

"I am healthy and well, Lady," Inlé said.

"Healthy doesn't have that much blood outside the body," she snorted. "And yes, it's cleaned up. No need to worry that people can see it. But you can smell it here."

"What happened, then?" the orange goddess asked. "It must have been something to get you so banged up."

"It was nothing. I merely needed to get information from someone who did not wish to give it," Inlé dismissed the Jackalope. "Under different circumstances, things may have gone otherwise."

"Tiredness aside, the feast waits for no one, and we had best enjoy it while we can," the green goddess pronounced. The goddesses fell upon their meal with gusto, Inlé joining them more reservedly.

Description
That evening, Inlé again sat over his map, pendulum in hand. He stared at the map for a long time without attempting to divine anything. The stones resting in his palm, he watched over the world.

Finally, he reached out and rested his thumb on an area in northern New York, and stretched his pinky toward Maine, but did not set it down. It hovered a moment, then he took his hand away from the map. He stared pensively for a moment longer, then placed the pendulum on the map.

Pulling bracelets from his wrist, Inlé twisted the various bands ringing each of the bracelets. To the casual observer, each ring was a solid band of silver. But to Inlé, there were a dozen pieces separated by thirteen thin grooves, allowing the pieces to slide in various ways. Each different position designated a different ring elsewhere that Inlé used for transport.

Grabbing up the pendulum again, he gently manipulated the portals one at a time, and the iolite moved to points on the map. Many times it returned to the area where Inlé had kept his thumb, but few came closer to Maine, save a handful in Vermont. Once, Inlé reached through one of the bracelets and collected the band on the other side.

Sighing, Inlé returned the original four to his wrist and passed the other up the opposite sleeve. Then he held the pendant over the map again.

"Inveni. Choloepus avorsus. Deprehende." The stone swirled over the map, circling a few small areas.

"Inveni. Choloepus avorsus. Maine. Deprehende." The stone swirled over a few small areas in Maine. Inlé watched these for a few moments, then placed a pin into one of the points the map had circled.

He held the agate over his home and the iolite over the new pin, then said, "βρείτε ένα μονοπάτι για μένα μέσα από τα εδάφη της σκιώδους."

Immediately, the silver chain connecting the two writhed as if it were in pain, finally settling into a twisted, chaotic route connecting the two points. Inlé pulled a red string from his sleeve, and wrapped it around the solid chain as it shifted slowly.

When it was fully encompassed, Inlé said, "διατηρήσουμε και να ακολουθήσει," and the chain and string dropped lifelessly to the map. Pendulum and string were separated and returned to storage, then Inlé slipped to his corner and slept.

"There must be some reason you keep returning here," the orange goddess said, laughing at Inlé's appearance among the goddesses of magic once more as they walked to their meal.

"Perhaps," Inlé said, turning to follow. "But I know no reason, unless it is that one of you is in need of my service."

"Maybe you just like the free food," the black goddess said lightly, and the others laughed.

"Perhaps, Lady. Gifts of food have been surprisingly common of late."

"Food is important for a young man," the golden goddess chimed. "Especially one with such a rigorous job as yourself."

"My job is not so rigorous as you may think, Madam."

"Hmph, you don't get that banged up at an easy job," the red goddess said.

"I am healthy and well, Lady," Inlé said.

"Healthy doesn't have that much blood outside the body," she snorted. "And yes, it's cleaned up. No need to worry that people can see it. But you can smell it here."

"What happened, then?" the orange goddess asked. "It must have been something to get you so banged up."

"It was nothing. I merely needed to get information from someone who did not wish to give it," Inlé dismissed the Jackalope. "Under different circumstances, things may have gone otherwise."

"Tiredness aside, the feast waits for no one, and we had best enjoy it while we can," the green goddess pronounced. The goddesses fell upon their meal with gusto, Inlé joining them more reservedly.