Nathaniel and his men waited for three days and three nights.

The days and nights on Elysium Isle shifted at an unsettling speed. Blazing summer heat scorched them during the day, while snow fell from the sky at midnight.

The soldiers took turns keeping watch outside the yard. They watched the morning glories on the fence bloom and wither repeatedly. The baskets of wild fruit inside the yard emptied and filled again. However, they never saw the child again, nor did they find any sign of the immortals.

Some began whispering among themselves, claiming this was nothing but an empty island where the child was merely a spirit guardian. Others secretly threw stones into the grove, only to have them rebound off an invisible barrier, hitting their own heads and leaving bloody welts.

Nathaniel hadn't spoken a word at all. Every morning, he would straighten his battle robes and stand respectfully before the closed gate. Then, he would sit on a stone with his eyes closed, as if certain someo