EMRYSA

Chapter Three (I)

Ciara, Prudy, Morgana, and Mordecai returned to the Hamptons home to prepare for the second round of the contest. After bidding farewell, they headed to the castle to meet up with Sage, her friend Buttercup, and the Wick twins. The stewards were loading Sage's belongings onto a separate carriage.

"She insisted on bringing all of this and an extra carriage," Arc informed Ciara. "Doesn't she realize we're not going on a vacation?" Ciara teased, and they both laughed. "Of course I do, afac girl. I only joined your team because of Prince Arcwick. You don't expect me to ride in that thing with you, do you?" Sage mockingly laughed.

"I still stand by my point, C. Let's just kidnap her, throw in Arc and Warwick, and demand the prize money as ransom," Prudy whispered to Ciara, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Call me Ciara," Ciara sternly corrected Sage. "Since we have two carriages, we'll split into two."

Morgana climbed into Sage's carriage, while Mordecai sat on the box of Ciara's carriage. Ciara and Arc entered the carriage, and Sage joined them. "Princess, I think you've gotten on the wrong carriage," Ciara pointed out. "I want to ride with Prince Arcwick," Sage insisted. "As you wish," Ciara replied, her patience waning. Arc joined Mordecai on the box, leaving Sage and Ciara inside the carriage.

Warwick and Prudy took their places on the box of Sage's carriage, and Buttercup joined them inside. "Where are we headed, Captain?" Warwick asked. "To Malagan Mountain. The other teams will naturally head south to Varwann Valley, where the chimeras were last spotted, if we go to Malagan Mountain, the chimeras were first spotted, we might have a better chance of finding one," Ciara explained. "Good thinking," Mordecai complimented her. "Malagan Mountain is a three-day journey from here. The sooner we leave, the better."

Their journey began, and as they traveled, Sage irritated Ciara with her constant attention-seeking behavior. She took countless pictures with Arc, reminisced about their time together, and flirted relentlessly.

As night fell, Ciara attempted to contact Prudy through her magi-slate, but there was no response. Unbeknownst to Ciara, Prudy had fallen asleep on Warwick's shoulder. Warwick glanced at her affectionately while Buttercup scowled. "If you keep making that face, you'll become permanently ugly," Morgana whispered into Buttercup's ear. Buttercup muttered to herself, "But Sage told me to scowl whenever I see any of them."

Morgana returned to her magi-slate, while Prudy's device continued to glow and buzz.

"Why isn't she answering?" Ciara worriedly questioned. "Maybe she's ignoring you. Something I've been trying hard to do," Sage chimed in. "Let me try Warwick," Arc suggested. He successfully reached Warwick and inquired about their location, hoping they could catch up quickly and rest for the night.

"We're surrounded by trees and er—” Warwick began. "Well, no kidding, we're in a forest, genius. We're somewhere between Aededor and Daewyn," Morgana sarcastically remarked. Mordecai directed the carriage in the direction Morgana indicated. "And what about Prudy?" Ciara asked. "She's just taking a little nap," Warwick reassured her.

They set up camp for the night, gathering wood and rationing their food. The men occupied one tent, while Ciara, Morgana, and Prudy shared another. Sage and Buttercup, who refused to help, were left to starve and sleep under the stars. "What about us?" Sage demanded as Prudy served the others. "Didn't you notice something, princess?" Ciara humorously asked. "What?" Sage scowled.

"She only fed the people who helped. What did you two do to help?" Ciara pointed out. "That was a rhetorical question, by the way."

Mordecai instructed Ciara and Arc to follow him into the forest, where they found him sitting on a log, holding two old books whose titles were too worn to read. They joined him on another log and waited for him to speak. "What are your opinions about magic? Do you think it is evil like Baltimore?" Mordecai questioned them.

"I believe it is only evil in the hands of the person using it. For example, there is a sorceress in my town named Ardeth who drains the life from children. Everyone knows she is evil," Ciara replied. "I agree with Ciara. Magic has the potential to heal, but it can also kill," Arc added.

"Have either of you encountered magic on your own?" Mordecai inquired."I had a pet unicorn until I was seven," Ciara answered. "No, I haven't," Arc replied. "Would you believe me if I told you that both of you were born for a reason?" Mordecai revealed, capturing their attention. Arc and Ciara exchanged glances before turning their gaze back to Mordecai.

"My father instructed me to give these books to both of you. There is only one copy of each, and they appeared on the day you were born," Mordecai explained, handing them the books. Returning to the campsite, they found the others laughing at Sage and Buttercup's attempts to set up their tent.

"I can't take this anymore! I am the future queen of Askia, not some dirty maid. I will make you pay for this, Ci-a-ra," Sage complained. Ciara ignored her and, with the reluctant help of Prudy, set up the tent Sage had brought.

As midnight arrived and the moon shone brightly, everyone peacefully slept, except for Ciara, who tossed and turned in her sleep. She was plagued by a nightmare of blurry images—clashing swords, a man ready to strike another, and a man in a white robe. She woke up startled and drenched in sweat.

"Here, have some water," Prudy offered, passing her a water bottle. "Did I wake you up?" Ciara drank the water. "Yeah, about ten minutes ago. You should tell Gaius or Mordecai about these nightmares. Maybe they can help," Prudy advised, showing concern.

"The nightmares will eventually stop. They always do. Come on, let's go back to sleep," Ciara brushed it off.

They continued their journey to Malagan Mountain and split into three groups. Ciara, Morgana, and Arc went to the eastern part of the mountain, Prudy, Warwick, and Buttercup headed west, while Sage and Mordecai toward the center.

While exploring a path leading to a stream, Ciara heard high-pitched cries and bleats. "Do you hear that?" she asked Arc and Morgana. "Hear what?" Morgana responded, puzzled. "I heard it too. It's coming from over there," Arc said, pointing. They hid behind bushes and observed the stream's bank.

The crying sounds were coming from a beast—a chimera. It had three heads: a lion's head, a goat's head on its back, and a serpent head as its tail. With swords in hand, they cautiously approached the creature. "Ahh! I mean, roar!" the chimera's goat head bleated. "Emrysa, Emrys. By Azaar's beard, I never thought I would meet the two of you."

"What did you call me?" Arc and Ciara asked simultaneously, surprising each other. "You can understand it?"

"Ugh! First your brothers, now you," Morgana criticized, drinking a glistening purple liquid. "Now I can understand it. Click, I've got a portrait for my collection, next the heads."

"Wait, the requirements were to bring the heads, but it wasn't specified whether they should be dead or alive," Ciara stated. "Do you want us to take this dangerous creature back to Askia alive?" Arc questioned. "Yes, that's right," Ciara affirmed. "No, pleassse don't take me. I have a sssick father and an elderly mother who depend on me. I can give you another chimera," pleaded the serpent head.

"I am called Chimni. And I'm from Chimdia. I ssstill live with my parentsss," the chimera's heads spoke, fear evident in their voices. "You are a disappointment for a chimera. Speak only with your cowardly lion head from now on. I don't want your butt speaking," Morgana snapped at Chimni. "And where is this Chimdia?" Ciara questioned the chimera. The serpent head pointed toward the waterfall.

"The gateway is over there. Chimdia is inside the mountain," chimed in the lion head. "What brings you humans to Malagan Mountain? No human ever comes here."