Instead, it pointed her across the grand open courtyard of her fortress-Wonder, towards the great doors of...well, the fortress itself.
Caer Sidi frowned, tilting her head to the side and putting her hand son her hips. It made sense, sort of. The fortress itself was mostly a mystery to her; she'd yet to have a reason to go inside. She only knew what little she did from memories--that there was some kind of treasure inside, and that this place had required round-the-clock protection that meant its Knight rarely, if ever, left.
She strode forward with purpose, all full of determination. And as she approached the great fortress doors, taller twice over than her, they swung open, revealing what she had no doubt was once a bustling hall. But there wasn't time to stop--now that the doors had opened to her, she would simply explore this place more later. For now, there were more important things. She jogged to follow the line, as if it might disappear--though there really was no worry of that actually happening. The Code wouldn't abandon her, she was sure of that.
The line led her deep, deep into the fortress, and to another set of massive doors. Caer Sidi stared at them in wonder, admiring the elegant carvings of stars and constellations that covered them, and she placed her hand at the seam and pushed.
To her genuine surprise, they came open.
What was inside made her gasp.
She had known that there was a treasure at Caer Sidi, but she had not expected that she would find it. She had not expected that she would be staring down a dragon's hoard of wealth--though none of it, she suspected, would be worth moving. And in the center of it all, the greatest treasure of the Wonder, worth more than all the gold and jewels in the room.
The Code.
The room was a mess--chests thrown about, piles of jewels and coins shaken down--whatever had hit, it was obviously present here.
This, Caer Sidi understood. She hadn't interacted directly with her Code piece before, but Hyperborea had, and Hyperborea had told her plenty.
So it was with a deep breath that she sat down, and meditated, and let her magic flow into her Wonder and through her.
In her memories, she was in the same place, doing the same thing. The doors were shut behind her, and it was peaceful, and quiet, and she was pregnant--her baby wouldn't arrive for a few months, but when she did, she planned to send the little one to their father. better that they grow up off this island, far away, even if that meant they grew up away from her.
Caer Sidi opened her eyes, and when she did, she let out a relieved breath.
The Code was settled. All, it seemed, was well.
[wc: 511 words]
