The wheels grated on the rocky ground as we began our journey from the walls of Silyra, leaving behind the towering ramparts and imposing towers of the city.

As the cart moved along the bumpy path, the landscape slowly changed. The scorched hills of Silyra transformed into open plains, dotted with groves of trees and winding streams. The sky, once dominated by dark clouds, now opened up to a vast horizon full of sparkling stars. I was partly relieved to know that the entire kingdom had not been affected by the Blaze. That's what the whispers I had heard called it.

Despite my hopes, the temperature began to drop, enveloping the countryside in a veil of nocturnal coolness. I wrapped my cape around me, huddling against the biting cold seeping through the holes in the cart's canvas. The nights of travel promised to be long and challenging, but I knew it was the price to pay to reach my goal.

Huddled in a corner of the cart, I reached out from my cloak to grasp the small jar I had brought with me, along with several sachets tucked into my belt pouches. Carefully, I stirred the jar borrowed from Finnegan, filled with shimmering starlight oil. The lid creaked as I turned it. I carefully added firefly powder through the liquid and dropped three rose petals that Lirael had kindly grown for me in a vase, since those in the village had all been destroyed by the Blaze. I grabbed the last sachet from my pocket and slid my fingers inside to take a pinch of moonlight powder, immediately closing the jar to shake it between my hands. The ingredients mixed, and instantly, a glow began to dance through the liquid. A few seconds later, the light was such that it illuminated the entire cart, and it would do so for the next hour.

I straightened up and grabbed my pouch, where I had stored some documents I might need about the Legend of the Mythic Stones of Aldarion and some communications regarding the boy who had been found. I had already read a good part of the Legend, which was mostly an extended version of the one told by Daenella, and didn't bring me much additional information. Some pages had been torn from the book, and I sincerely hoped they weren't too important.

I reviewed one of the letters sent by King Galen's messenger, which resonated like a riddle in my mind.

For King Galen – Confidential

Your Majesty,

At your request, the boy has been rendered harmless. His whereabouts are unknown to all, including myself. The Harpies are on their way.

Respectfully,

Jillian

I moved on to the second one, which this time was written in a handwriting that reminded me of Dreid's. It wasn't her, of course, since she wasn't in the kingdom yet at the time of this message, but I easily deduced that a Harpy had sent it.

“In a kingdom where silence reigns,

Look for the one who mourns the light of a star,

Under the murmurs of messengers, where power has fled,

In the shadow of his throne,

Forgotten, power waits, alone and without a crown.”

I had read this riddle several times in my head, but I couldn't understand its meaning. "In a kingdom where silence reigns" might refer to the Kingdom of Gethia, where King Siorlas ruled. His name meant "quiet," which could fulfill part of the riddle. The rest, however... The one who mourns the light of a star was definitely the boy... but why was he mourning it? Who were the messengers? And above all, what did power and the throne represent?

No matter how much I racked my brain, I couldn't put together something that made sense to me. I had seen so little of the world... I hoped someone out there could help me find a new hint.

I moved on to the third and final missive.

For Queen Rosalind – Confidential

He is alive.

I turned the letter gently, frowning, but nothing else appeared. I slowly slid my back over the ink forming my mother's name, my heart heavy. She was communicating with someone... Someone who knew about the boy, and she had undoubtedly been looking for him. But had she found him?

I approached the missive to my light source, and barely discerned the shadow of a symbol. My breath caught for a moment. It was the same symbol I had seen on the letter in the Legend room, as well as on the gold buttons of the cloaks on the painting hanging on the wall. The four ends of a circle were pierced by a diamond whose tips resembled arrows, and the wings of a dragon rose in the center. There was no doubt in my mind that the Black Dragons were connected to all of this. One of them had sent this letter to my mother, but were they also the ones who had locked up this boy years ago? If so... why lock him up, and then provide this information to Queen Rosalind?

Lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice the glow in the cart dimming, and slowly, my eyes closed to let my mind venture into nightmares I hoped would never come true.

~

In the distance, the dark contours of the Edaryn mountains were etched against the starry sky, their imposing silhouette looming on the horizon. After three days of travel, where I had barely had time to stretch my legs between the old curmudgeon's occasional deliveries, I was relieved to finally see the end in sight. Yet, there were still kilometers to traverse, and I needed to find shelter for the remainder of the night…

Guided by the moon's silvery glow bathing the countryside, I disembarked from the cart and set out to find a safe place to spend the night. The woods of Edaryn were known to harbor all manner of creatures, some benevolent, others more sinister. But in the darkness of the night, distinguishing friend from foe was challenging.

Recalling the survival lessons Draven had taught me, I sought out a secluded spot elevated from prying eyes. Soon, my gaze fell upon a calm river, its peaceful waters glimmering under the canopy of a towering tree… It would be perfect.

Gathering dry wood to fuel the flames of a fire, I prepared a simple meal from the provisions I had brought along. As I settled down to eat, the crackling of the fire and the soothing murmur of the river created a comforting ambiance in this wild and unknown world. I remained vigilant, aware that the dangers of the night still lurked, their avid eyes hidden in the shadows.

After eating in silence, I sat by the fire for a few minutes, pondering the next steps of my plan. If I wanted to reach Edaryn in less than a day, I would have to venture into the unfamiliar woods, undoubtedly teeming with dangers I could not fathom. Or, I could skirt the edges of villages and make my way to the kingdom via the roads, but it would have taken a few more days. However, it had already been three days since I left Ethria, and while I had taken precautions regarding my father, I couldn't risk being recognized by any members of the Guard.

As my eyelids began to grow heavy, I extinguished the remaining embers of the dying fire and packed away my few remaining provisions in my bag. Once the embers had cooled, I gently swept the ashes into the river to leave no trace behind. Agilely, I grabbed onto the trunk of the towering tree and began to climb. It was thick enough that my arms couldn't encircle it, and dense enough that I could grip the branches after a few moments of scraping my fingers against the bark. I chose a sturdy enough branch to settle on and used the straps of my bag to secure myself.

Only when the pounding of my heart returned to a normal rhythm did I finally drift into sleep.

~

My nightmare slowly dissolved into reality as something pressed against my face. My eyelids fluttered, adjusting to the faint daylight, and I found myself face to face with two large, globular eyes just inches away. I attempted to rise but, forgetting my posture, I staggered sideways, barely catching myself on the branch near my head, using the straps of my bag to pull myself up.

Panicked, I vigorously shook my head to rid myself of the creature still staring at me with its enormous eyes, which seemed to repel each other like opposing magnets. Once my balance was restored, I ran my hand over my head to push it away, and a suction sound indicated it had placed its slimy feet on my forehead like suction cups. It missed the branch by a hair, and its long tongue curled around it to prevent a fall of several meters. Amazed, I watched as the creature dangled under the tree, slowly pulling itself back up before climbing and fixing its gaze on me once more. We stared at each other as if neither of us knew what to do other than scrutinize the other. It resembled a small golden lizard, its shiny body covered in a slimy substance that seemed to slide over its skin. Its feet left wet traces behind it. It emitted a faint chirping noise. My heart, which had been on the verge of bursting out of my chest a few seconds ago, calmed slightly. With furrowed brows, I straightened up and smiled.

“Hey there,” I whispered, trying not to frighten it.

Suddenly, spikes pushed out of its slimy skin, and it opened its mouth wide, revealing thousands of tiny teeth that rolled around in its mouth at a dizzying speed. I screamed, and out of reflex, kicked it, my boot protecting me, propelling it into the river a few meters below the tree. I let out a long sigh, my teeth clenched, when the same small chirping sound echoed above my head, repeatedly. I cautiously raised my head to discover hundreds of these creatures clinging to the branches of the tall tree. Their tiny globular eyes were all fixed straight at me, and their skin shimmered in all colors.

Without waiting, I hurried to undo the straps of my bag and free myself, when one of them jumped on my shoulder, which I shook vigorously and knocked against the trunk of the tree. The creature let out a scream of pain, and its suction cups released me. I managed to remove one of my straps when two others climbed onto the branch and rushed in my direction. I grabbed one of the daggers from my pants and swung it in front of me, slicing through one's tail and the other's head in passing, green blood exploding around. In panic, unable to extricate myself from the belt, I cut it, and my bag fell heavily to the ground. I scrambled to my feet, more creatures closing in on me like spiders racing toward trapped prey. I crushed one with my heel, its spikes getting out just before to protect itself and pierce me under my foot, through my boot. I stabbed another, plunging my blade into the tree's bark. Another one, just before I could grab its tiny throat and toss it into the air, fiercely bit the back of my neck, and a sharp pain elicited a groan from me.

Glancing down, I discovered my only means of descent without breaking both legs was covered in the semblance of lizards attempting to devour me. I begged my brain to work faster and mechanically turned my head to the left. With a sigh tinged with disdain and apprehension, I took a leap and launched myself to the other end of the branch I had slept on moments ago, plunging into a fall of several meters before landing in the river, which was now more turbulent than the day before, without hitting any rock, fortunately. The current carried me gently, and I watched the bag I had dropped, then the creatures rushing to the ground to devour the few fruits I had left.

I considered waiting to retrieve the rest of it, but ultimately let myself be carried away by the river, which would gently guide me back to my starting point towards Edaryn.