"There", he whispered.

She looked in the direction his hand was pointing, and

saw what he saw - a red moon rising bright against the night sky.
The doomsday feeling frosting every vein of mine became even stronger, if that
were possible. I felt lonelier than ever as we made our way across the deserted
roads of Longdale, daunted by the expanse of mountains around us. Escaping
our deaths seemed nigh impossible now; the news of our heist had spread like
wildfire. Technically, we had taken back what was rightfully ours, for after our
fathers death, Queen Astrida had wasted no time in raiding our home. Our
father was the most famed alchemist in all of the seven lands, and his death was
an invitation for the Court to takeaway his potions, his papers, his work,
everything. Our heist felt like the ultimate revenge, but the fear of getting caught
took no time to settle in soon after. With the impending war between Northon
and Longdale, it was of paramount importance to escape Longdale in these
testing times. Also, Ethan had inherited my fathers talent, and I didnt want him
to become a pawn in this game of Queens.
Emilie and Ethan versus the world. was what I always said to quell our fears,
but this time the words felt hollow. How could a seventeen year old girl and a ten
year old boy, armed with nothing except the secrets of alchemy, survive against
the most powerful court in all of the seven lands? Well, there was no turning back
now. As it was, Ethan and I were completely exhausted.
"Over there. Shelter for the night." Ethan pointed towards a valley, shrouded in a
visage of dapper foliage and shrubbery. The aching blisters on the bottom of my
feet screamed for relieve, yet we trudged with heavy footfalls towards the
towering mountains.
The moonlight lit our cobbled path, Ethan's brow hung in the shadows. I worry
how the recent trials have changed him. He barely looks up, let alone speak. The
valley was eerily silent, save for the chirping of crickets and grasshoppers
signalling their mating calls. The bushes and leaves covered in alternating
patterns of moonlight. Fireflies lit up the shadows, filling the forest with an
ethereal, magical glow.
I collected a fine amount of soft leaves for bedding. We'd be safe here. Our
existence privy only to the trees and glowing dots of life.
"Hey, Emilie! Look over here." Ethan's voice wafted softly through the air, barely
a whisper. He was
Inspecting an engraving carved into the stone cropping. The artistry was
incredible. The lettering was beautifully done, with an impressive trim
surrounding the prose.
"What does it mean?" I asked. He stared into silence.
Oh Youth!
Guided by the Servant of the Goddess,
Unite Earth and Sky
And bring light to the Land.
I waited for a response. But Ethan continued to stare at the engraving. Ethans
wisdom was far beyond his age, and the pondering expression on his face at that

moment was akin to a scientist deep in thought. I looked at the words again. Oh
Youth....I suddenly got an in explicable feeling that this engraved message was
meant for him. Maybe the rightful claim of our fathers priceless
Possessions lay in his hands. Even as a young girl, I always knew that Ethan was
special. I remembered father telling him that he was destined for great things.
But what on Earth was the rest of the message supposed to mean?
Emilie, I think this message found us, and not the other way around, if you know
what I mean, said Ethan suddenly, snapping me out of my reverie. I nodded.
Its what I thought, too. I paused for a second. I also think that it was meant
for you, I added, observing him carefully.
You think? he replied casually. He didnt seem incredulous or surprised in
anyway. Maybe the thought had crossed his mind as well. Sometimes, Ethan was
a little too wise for anybodys good. He rarely had to be explained anything. I
sighed. Where do you think I feature in all this? I asked him.
All this? he asked. We just came across this engraving while on the run from
the law; we arent even sure that its meant for us or me, and if it is, then I
frankly feel Uniting Earth and Sky And bringing light to the Land is kind of a tall
order for two kids to accomplish, let alone one. You think you havent a part to
play in it? he sounded slightly annoyed. I know what youre thinking, he
continued. Sure, father used to tell me that Im destined for great things, but I
doubt you know what he once said to me,
I stared at Ethan, bewildered. He said, Ethan, whatever you do in life, never
leave your sisters side. You will remain incomplete without her.
I gaped. I hadnt known this. Really? I gasped. I suddenly wondered whether I
was the Servant of the Goddess.
He nodded solemnly. Im afraid you and I have a long, tiring journey ahead of
us, Emilie, he said. And, he went on, coming to that, I wonder if youve
noticed this. He reached out and knocked the last letter of the engraving into
place, which I hadnt noticed was slightly lopsided before. To our utter
astonishment, a space opened in the old bark and out fell a tiny glass vial.
"Ethan, be careful! I warned as he opened the vial to whiff its contents.
"What? It is odourless. he responded with his nose half buried in the glass.
"We have to be more cautious. I rose up from where I sat and took the glass vial
from his hand and slipped it into my belt pocket. Unlike my little brother, I had a
keen interest in herbology. And that meant seven extra years of prudence
coupled with delicate experimentation when handling unknown substances.
Though knowledgeable, Ethan was still a child and often foolhardy. I had to
protect him; no one else would help us. I scanned the horizon. Dark clouds were
moving in. The moonlight was already getting dimmer and the air had started to
get damp.
"What do you think it is?" he inquired.

"I don't know. But why would father or anyone keep it hidden in a place like this
is beyond me. Come
Ethan, its about to rain we should find better shelter." But just as I finished I was
startled by a blood-curdling screech. My fingers clasped around my bow and I
looked southwards. There, far beyond a thicket of trees, camouflaged by the
shrubbery stood a most terrifying sight. It was covered in wooden splinters and
had abnormally long arms. From this distance, I couldn't clearly make out its
facial features but a sense of dread overwhelmed me. Without a pause I clutched
Ethan's hand and we dashed deeper into the forest. We ran past the ominous
trees, beyond the overgrown shrubs and moved deep into the heart of the forest.
It was long before I realised that Ethan's arm had become leaden. I stopped to
face him. He looked pale and his eyes were fixated on darkness surrounding us.
Ethan, he focused his gaze on me. I saw him regain some of his composure. I
held his hand tighter and continued along our lost trail. It wasnt long after our
initial stop that we found a small cave. It lacked the splendour of our house and
carried a gloomy look about it but it was shelter. Exhausted, bruised and hungry,
we proceeded to enter the cave. It was warm inside. For a moment I felt as if all
my worries had been taken from me. Outside, the wind bellowed. A faint aroma
of honey wafted in the damp air inside the cave. My stomach grumbled. Come
on, we cant stay this close to the opening. Ethan nudged. I was too exhausted
to move but the grisly sight of that terrible creature spurred something inside of
me. I obliged. We got up and moved deeper into the cave unaware of who or
what awaited us.
It was not dark inside the cave. There was a weird glowing light that seemed to
come out of the walls and we could see that the cave extended into a tunnel, the
end of which was in shadows. We walked bravely into its depths. It was a winding
passage with a rocky floor and I nearly tripped on a stray stone but the smell of
honey was growing stronger I could smell something more, warm, fresh bread. I
heard a faint rumbling sound but before I could jump to any conclusions, I saw
Ethan rub his tummy and I gathered that he was hungry too. It suddenly grew
brighter and the flickering light dancing off the walls told us there was a fire. My
instincts told me we werent in danger and Ethan seemed to be thinking along
the same lines, so we kept moving forward. An inexplicable feeling that we were
meant to be here crossed my subconscious. The passage suddenly took a sharp
right turn and opened up into a large room.
At first glance, it looked like there was a large pool of chocolate in the centre.
There was indeed a large bubbling pool but its contents looked like mud or earth,
I thought. Behind it, his back turned to us, was an old man. He was wearing
robes and his wispy white hair stood like a cloud around his head. Ethan gave me
a significant look and took a tentative step forward. He opened his mouth to
speak but before he could say anything, the old man spoke.
Emilie and Ethan, I have been waiting for you. he said in a gravelly voice. I
could recall that voice faintly but even then, it was a shock for both of us that
this old man, whom we had never met, knew our names. You kids look hunger
stricken. There is food in the kitchen over there. Get something to eat. Suspicion

began intruding our thoughts but then we heard something. It was our bellies
grumbling again. We exchanged looks and proceeded towards the kitchen. I
somehow was assured that this place was safe for us.
The kitchen was in a corner of the room. It just had enough elbowroom for both
of us. As we entered, the sheer warmth of the loaf dragged us towards it. The
kitchen was bursting with all kinds of delicacies. We filled our plates as much as
we could and came back into the room. The old man was not seated anymore.
He was standing in a corner gazing at a picture. Ethan gathered some courage
and asked quietly, Sir, though we have never met you, yet you know our
names. The old man replied with a sigh Of course we have met, young Ethan,
but you might not be able to recall it. Your father and I were very dear friends. I
was saddened to hear about his untimely death. You remind me of him. Then he
showed us the picture that he was holding in his hand. There was our dad, he
held Ethan in his arms, I was standing in the middle and the old man was right
beside me. It struck me; this old man was none other than the King Arthur, the
king of Longdale. But somehow things did not add up; from what I remember,
King Arthur had died 10 years ago and princess Astrida became the queen. But
here he was, standing in front of me, showing this picture.