The Looking Glass Chapter Five

This is a pretty long chapter, and I think that some of it will be cut when I go back to edit... but ya'll want more, so here it is! I'm going to put the links to the previous four chapters at the bottom of the post in case you need them. =D

Chapter Five

The mirror was covered with dust, so Holly quickly opened her backpack and pulled out a shirt to use as a dust rag. She cleaned the mirror without a second thought to the cleanliness of the clothes she was supposed to wear the next day. Jared looked around the dirty room.

"Well," he said, "This is the first sign I've seen that the story isn't true."

"What do you mean?" Holly asked in confusion, "This is the first proof I've seen that it IS true! Here's the cottage and here's the mirror!"

"Maybe grandfather was wounded and had dreams about the mirror," Jared said, his voice full of disappointment. "I just don't see how a magical mirror could let itself become so filthy!"

"Well let's test it!" Holly exclaimed. "There's the desk over there! I'll see if I can get the other mirror out." She stepped over the the dusty, cobweb covered desk and pulled on a drawer. It came open easily, but nothing was inside. Holly's gaze fell on the center drawer of the desk. The only drawer with a keyhole. Of course! The magical mirror would be locked up! If it was still there, of course. Holly pulled on the drawer, but it was locked. Jared came over.

"I guess we should have known," he said. "There's no way that it could be true, and even if it was true, there's no way that we could actually get to Aeroth."

"So you're just giving up?" Holly said, almost angry.

"Hols, we can't just break someone else's stuff!"

"It doesn't look like anyone will be needing any of this! It's been here for ages!"

"But it still doesn't belong to us!"

"If you break it, you buy it. I don't mind paying for a broken old desk if I can just get into another world! What's your problem anyhow?"

"What you said in the forest is right, Holly, we don't know what's waiting there. I feel responsible for you! We don't even know how to get home, and in a magical land like Aeroth, there's a good chance that we might end up being killed before we could actually find out how to get home!"

"Look, on the plane I thought about the mirrors, and I realized that it would be easy to take the little mirror somewhere else. Then I thought, 'Maybe the little mirror doesn't matter. Most of the magic would have to come from the bigger mirror, right?' So I brought a little mirror." Holly reached into her backpack and pulled it out, holding it out to Jared. He hesitated, but finally took it in his hand.

"How about I go, find out how to get back, come back, and then we can both go?" he asked, "I really don't want anything to happen to you!"

"By the time you get back, I might have starved to death or something. Just do it and I'll come in a minute!" Holly said with exasperation. "Remember what the woman said? It's a world of happily ever after! If everyone who got there was killed, then nobody would be happy!"

Jared nodded and walked over to the mirror. Turning his back to it, he raised Holly's mirror. Holly leaned forward in anticipation as Jared looked into the mirror. Holly had been expecting to be frightened by Jared's disappearance, but instead she found herself jumping back against the wall as Jared howled in pain. His terrifying yell was followed by the little mirror shattering into millions of pieces. Holly stood there shaking, flattening herself against the wall in fear as Jared stood there looking dazed. He held his hand up and looked at it, his face contorted with pain. Holly saw blood running down his wrist.

"Jared! Are you okay?" She finally found the nerve to speak. He stepped towards her and gulped.

"It's magic for sure," he said, his voice choking with fear and excitement. "I think I saw a glimpse of Aeroth before everything went wrong." He held his hand towards Holly and she gasped. The handle of the mirror had burned his hand, and Jared was bleeding as well. Holly grabbed the shirt she had used to dust the mirror and turned it inside out. She pressed it against Jared's hand, soaking up the blood. They stood there in silence for several minutes. There didn't seem to be any words to say. Suddenly Jared whirled around and kicked the bottom of the desk. Holly heard the sound of splintering wood and watched Jared kneel down to see how much damage he'd caused. He pounded the wood with his fists until there was a loud crack. Holly tried to swallow her nervousness as Jared slipped his hand into the hole and felt around inside it. He slowly pulled his hand back out, holding a mirror.

"It's still here," Holly breathed. Jared nodded, and smile spread slowly across his face. He glanced down at his injured hand and said, "I guess we should wrap this up before we go." Holly nodded as he reached for his backpack. He pulled out a bandanna and handed it to her.

"Let me clean it, first," Holly said, grabbing her water bottle. She poured the water over his hand, cringing when Jared winced. Suddenly Holly said, "Jared, do you have a flashlight?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I can't see very well 'cause it's so dark in here, but it looks like..." Holly's voice trailed off.

"It looks like what?" Jared pulled his hand away from her and looked closely at it. Holly knew that she had not been mistaken when he gasped. The cut started at the base of his baby finger and went in a straight line down to the base of his palm where a diamond shape had formed with a circle directly in the middle of it. Jared shook his head as if to clear his mind, then looked at Holly as she finished tying his bandanna around his hand.

"I'm pretty sure this is going to work this time. You ready?"

"Absolutely!"

Jared stepped to the mirror again, lifted the smaller mirror - this time using his left hand - and disappeared! Holly gasped and jumped when she heard a clunk behind her. Puzzled, she turned toward the desk. It took a moment for her to realize it, but she found that the desk was no longer broken! She groaned. The mirror! It wouldn't go to the magical land with Jared, so it had returned itself to the desk, fixing the desk on it's way in.

"I really don't want to break the desk again," Holly said aloud to no one in particular. She put on a stern face and glared at the desk. "Open Sesame!" She cried. Nothing happened. "Argh! I'm going to get to Aeroth if it's the last thing I do!" Holly kicked the desk viciously, and the mirror fell out. Holly half expected it to break, it landed so hard, but it didn't. Holly scooped it up and looked in it. "Am I pretty?" she asked saucily. The image in the mirror rippled and Holly almost dropped it. It's laughing at me! Holly thought as she raised it once again. She lined it up so that it was parallel with the mirror behind her, then risked looking for her reflection. She suddenly felt weightless and lightheaded as she saw a flash of color before blacking out.

As Holly slowly regained consciousness she became aware of waves crashing on a shore. She opened her eyes and at first all she could see was white, but it slowly faded to blue, and she realized that she was lying on her back on a sandy beach. With this realization, Holly sat up quickly. She was in Aeroth! She glanced around and saw Jared down on another section of the beach, looking around.

"Jared!" she called. He looked at her and waved. She ran towards him. "What are you looking for?" she asked.

"I could've sworn there was someone here when I first got here. I thought I heard laughter, but it stopped and everything got quiet."

"So what are we going to do?" Holly asked. "We need to find out about Gem, but what comes first?"

Jared laughed and said, "We should find someone who can tell us how to get home! Knowing that just might come in handy. Who knows? Our quest to get home could end up being our entire adventure here!"

Holly wrinkled her nose and said, "I hope not." She found herself peering over Jared's shoulder towards a line of bushes on the beach. Had she just seen movement? "Jared," she said, "I think there's someone over there."

Jared turned and looked, calling out, "Hello? Is someone there?"

A beautiful young woman stepped slowly out. She was wearing a flowing white sleeveless dress with a gold sash, a golden band around her head. Her hair was a long, luxurious blonde with perfect waves. Holly couldn't help but be a bit jealous and wondered if the girl was a goddess.

"Hello," the young lady said, her voice full of laughter. She turned her palms upward and extended them slightly. Holly was sure that this gesture meant something. Perhaps a show of friendship?

"I'm sorry," Holly said, noticing that Jared jumped when she spoke, "but we're new here and we don't know anything about your land or your customs. In fact, we were hoping we could meet someone to show us around and maybe tell us how we can get home when we're ready to go."

"Where are you from?" the lady asked, her laughing voice taking on a musical quality.

"We're from another world. The planet earth." Holly responded. The woman looked taken aback.

"How did you get here?" she asked in suspicion, the laughter leaving her voice, but the music growing.

"Through Snow White's looking glasses."

"Merry came back to Aeroth shortly before her death over fifty years ago, and she brought the key with her." The lady's formerly pleasant look had turned dark and she said, "Show me your hands."

Holly lifted her hands in the way that the young lady had and said, "By the way, I'm Holly and this is Jared. What's your name?"

The young woman didn't answer, but looked at Holly's hands. She then said, "Mmm. What about you, Jared?"

Jared looked puzzled, but showed the young lady his hands. She gasped and said, "Of course! There could be no other way. I will not tell you my name now. I don't wish any sorcerer to have any claim on my acquaintance." She turned on her heel and began to walk away, but Holly didn't want her to go.

"Wait! Jared isn't a sorcerer! Have you never seen a burn in your life?"

The woman returned hesitantly and said with a voice almost angry, "The burn does not concern me! Are you truly ignorant of the mark on your hand?"

Jared looked at his right hand and said, "I have no clue what it means, but I'm no magician or sorcerer."

"The burn?"

"I got that at the same time as the cut. Look, why don't you let me tell you how we got here. You'll see that you have no reason to fear us." Jared looked puzzled as he inspected his hand and suddenly turned to Holly and said, "Part of the cut has disappeared!"

Holly came over and looked. There was no longer a line from Jared's little finger down to the little diamond on his hand. The woman stepped closer and looked, too, while Jared began their story by retelling of his Grandfather's visit. When he had finished explaining their entry into Aeroth, the lady took a deep breath and said, "Perhaps I am a fool for trusting you, but I will. My name is Triesta, and my father is one of the oldest living beings here in Aeroth. He may know about Gem, and I will ask him about her if you wish."

"That would be great!" Holly said happily. "Where do you live?"

"I belong to the Emerald Pond," Triesta said, gesturing behind her a bit, "I came down to the sea for a little peace and quiet, but found you here."

"What do you mean? You belong to the Emerald Pond?" Holly asked, puzzled.

"Then you truly don't recognize what I am?" Triesta asked, her laughing, musical voice betraying surprise. Holly and Jared shook their heads. "I am a naiad, and Emerald Pond is my native water."

"You live in the water?" Holly said with surprise, "Could I do that, too?"

Triesta laughed her musical, beautiful laugh again and said, "Your fairy godmother could allow you to for a short time. But you probably wouldn't be very comfortable. See, a naiad does live in the water, but in a way we become a part of the water. You would never be able to do that."

"I have a fairy godmother?" Holly said in surprise. "How can I meet her?"

"Most of the time you have to wait until they feel needed and they come of their own accord, but perhaps if you learned of your Maeolyn, you could call her to you."

"What's that?" Holly asked.

Triesta rolled her eyes and said, "You two need a crash course in Aerothian terms and ways! The problem is that I must return to my pond soon, for I need water in the way that you need air."

"We're right next to the ocean, why can't you use that?" Holly asked.

"The salt in the water makes it impure," Triesta answered. "I'm sorry that I cannot help you, but I will call someone who can." She reached into the fold of her dress and pulled out a shell. She blew into it and a low, peaceful note filled the air for a few seconds. Triesta turned to Jared and said, "Lester will tell you anything you need to know. There is one thing that you should know before I turn you over to him, however. In our land it is a custom to greet a new acquaintance by extending your hands. A person's hands tell a lot about them, you know. Holly will be accepted everywhere in Aeroth, but Jared will have more trouble because he has the Sorcerer's Star." She held up a hand for silence as both Jared and Holly opened their mouths to ask questions. "Jared, though I know you meant no wrong by it, your attempt to use the other mirror was an attempt to manipulate magic. There is no greater crime in any of the worlds, but most of those who have the Sorcerer's Star are not punished because the people fear them."

"Why is it called a star?" Holly asked, "It's a diamond!"

"As sorcerers continue to use magic for their own purposes and manipulate it into doing their will, lines will burst from the center diamond. Jared experienced this when he used the wrong mirror. But when he chose to use the correct mirror, the line disappeared because he was no longer messing with that particular branch of magic." Triesta looked up to the sky and said, "Ah, here comes your help. I hope you two have a wonderful journey. If you come back here in the morning, I would love to speak with you some more. Perhaps if you find you need to quest, I can accompany you through the waterways."

"One quick question," Jared said, "If I don't have any lines in my star, perhaps people will be more accepting?"

"More accepting than they would be if you had several lines, but the Sorcerer's Star sets apart all those who bear it. They say that Rexxaldo has so many lines in his star that they wrap all around his hand, an intricate yet deadly design."

"Rexxaldo?" Holly asked.

"I must return to the waters," Triesta replied, "Your questions will be answered by Lester."

"It was nice meeting you!" Holly said happily, and Jared nodded.

Treista looked at a seagull who had landed nearby and said, "Lester, please help these two humans. They are quite ignorant of everything Aerothian, and they will also need lodging for the night."

"Righto!" the seagull said, "Pleased to help in any way I possibly can! I'll take them up to the Beanstalk. I'm sure there will be room there for them."

"Thank you," Triesta said, somehow making a beautiful song of the two words. "Lester, Jared has the Sorcerer's Star, but he doesn't mean any harm. You must not let him be troubled because of it." Triesta waited while Lester cocked his head and flapped his wings. The bird nodded and winked, then Triesta said, "I hope very much to see you soon!" With this, she turned and went swiftly down the beach.

"Well now, if you'll just follow me now," the bird called cheerfully, "I'll get you to the Beanstalk Inn and you can get some clothes."

"We're already dressed!" Holly protested.

"If you insist on looking like that as well as bearing the Sorcerer's Star, I would suggest that you avoid contact with any sane creature." Lester squawked with flap of his wings. Then he lifted off and circled around the pair before heading down the beach. Holly ran after him, pulling Jared behind. Soon they had left the beach and were heading down a cobblestone road. Several people stopped and stared at the two, making Holly feel uncomfortable. They soon left the little village and came upon a tiny cottage. Above the door was a sign that said, "Vacancy" Holly smiled.

"That cottage doesn't look big enough to have a vacancy!" She exclaimed.

"Oh," Lester said, "You're not staying in the cottage. That's just the office."

"Then where are we staying?" Jared asked.

"On the beanstalk of course!" Lester said, "Have you ever heard of Jack?"

"As in Jack and the Beanstalk?" Holly asked. "Yes, we have."

"Well that beanstalk took quite a bit of work to get chopped down. It was big enough to support a giant's weight, you know! The base of the beanstalk has been smoothed off and turned into the foundation for the beanstalk inn."

"That's incredible!" Holly said.

"Hello there!" Lester called. The door opened and a kind looking woman looked out.

"I need two rooms, please," Lester said, "One for the lady and one for the gentleman. I'll stay in the gentleman's room."

"How will you be paying?" the woman asked.

"You may charge it to the account of Sir Trieso."

The woman looked very pleased and said, "Any friend of Trieso is a friend of ours. Hello, sir, m'lady. I'm Louise." She extended her palms, Holly and Jared following suit. Louise gasped when she saw Jared's hand. "Well, now," she said slowly, "If you don't mind, I'll send a messenger to get Trieso's approval before I admit you. Any friend of his is welcome here, Star or no Star, but if you're just using his name, I'd rather not be lettin' you in."

"Of course, of course," Lester said, "There is a messenger coming shortly who will bring a note from Trieso. In the mean time, we will go and find some decent clothes."

Lester took off and Jared and Holly followed. "Lester," Holly called, "Who is Trieso?"

"Bless my soul! Triesta didn't tell you? He's the Lord of the Archen Sea and it's islands. Not to mention one of the oldest beings of Aeroth!"

"Her father?" Jared asked.

"Yes," Lester said, bobbing his head up and down.

"Can you tell me about what Maeolyn is?" Holly asked, still wanting to meet her fairy godmother.

"It's the bond between two beings. In the case of your brother and yourself, your bond is family."

"What about with my fairy godmother?"

"It would be something that both of you love. In many cases this is a favorite food or a favorite story. I suppose your next question will be to ask how you can discover the Maeolyn between your fairy godmother and yourself?" Holly nodded. "Well," Lester said, "When you find yourself enjoying something immensely, you can put your hand to your head and say, 'I wish you were here to enjoy this with me.'"

"Why put my hand to my head?"

"Dear me, child, don't you know anything about fairy godmothers? They know your thoughts. That's why they often appear when you are most distressed. Putting your hand to your head signifies that you're directing your thoughts specifically towards her."

"Can they read anyone else's thoughts?"

"First of all, they do not read your thoughts. Your thoughts are as much a part of them as their own thoughts. They could not stop knowing everything about you if they tried. But to answer your question, unless a fairy godmother had the Sorcerer's Star, there would be no way for her to know anyone's mind but her own and that of her child."

"Ok. Thanks for answering my questions. I have one more. Can I know my fairy godmother's name before I meet her?"

"Yes, if you find a butterfly and whisper your own name to it, it will tell you the name of your fairy godmother."

Holly smiled and said, "I'll have to try that!"

Two hours later, Holly and Jared found themselves wearing Aerothian clothes. Holly had been quite relieved that she wouldn't have to wear a dress. Though Aerothian clothing seemed stuck in the medieval ages or something, women were allowed to wear men's clothes if they had a good reason to, and going on a quest was a good reason. Holly looked at Jared and laughed. "You should've been born a thousand years ago!" she laughed, "You look great!" Jared was wearing a black vest with a white shirt underneath it. Loose black pants and a pair of tall boots completed his ensemble.

Jared rolled his eyes. "These sleeves are way too loose! There's enough material in each sleeve to go all the way around me!" Holly smiled as they walked on, enjoying her tan breeches, buckle shoes, and long white shirt that laced up the front. Her shirt was loose, as well and was long enough to almost qualify for a short dress. She had selected a black belt to wear around her waist, keeping the dress-like shirt from looking too big and saggy.

Lester was sitting on Jared's shoulder, telling him which way to go. Holly heard Jared say, "Why did Triesta think we'd know that she's a naiad?"

Lester said, "A person's eyes and hands are the most important things about them. A naiad's eyes would be blue and have characteristics like water. It's a bit difficult to explain, but you'd know what I mean if you saw it. An elf you can usually recognize because they're so tall, but a young elf would be the size of your sister. You would recognize one by looking at their eyes, as well. Though with an elf, you can't just look once. You have to talk to them, and you will see their eyes change color with their mood."

"Is there anything else we should know about a person's hands?" Holly cut in.

"There is a little mark on the right palm of anyone descended from the great King Richard. That is how we always know that our kings and queens are royalty. If a king dies with no current family, we can find his relatives by the mark on his hand. The third and last thing to look for on a person's hand is a red rash on either index finger. This symbolizes someone who can create magical instruments such as mirrors, wands, slippers, lamps, or carpets. This is the rarest mark in Aeroth, and some say that those who bear it are going extinct."

"Do you have to develop this special talent, or are you born with it?" Jared asked.

"You are born with it. Usually those who bear the mark are born to parents who shared a perfect love and found each other without the aid of fairies, fairy godmothers, seers, spells, genies, or any other thing."

"And this form of true love is really so rare?" Jared asked.

"It would surprise you to know how rare." Lester said sadly.

"I just thought of something!" Holly exclaimed, "If this is the land where everyone finds their true love, does that mean that no one on earth ends up with a perfect match?"

"Not at all," Lester replied. "Sometimes those who visit here will dream of a person on earth, meaning that they need to go there to find their one and only. And that thing you call 'luck' on earth certainly runs rampant. Many of you human beings find the one that you are supposed to be with even though you don't have even the most primitive of magical spells and whatnot."

"Am I too young to find my true love?"

"Holly!" Jared said in surprise, "What are you thinking?"

"As long as I'm here, I may as well figure out who he is."

"I don't think so." Jared replied. He smiled and added, "But it couldn't hurt for me to try and find mine, right?" Holly stuck her tongue out at him and skipped ahead as she saw the Beanstalk.

"Lord Trieso himself came down from Mistral Palace and delivered a recommendation!" The landlady said excitedly. "I never would've thought I'd ever speak with his Lordship!" She extended a roll of paper to Holly. Holly took it excitedly and read the recommendation. It had a big, fancy signature at the end and said that the bearers of the note were friends of his and were to be accepted by any who wished to find favor with the Lord.

"Is Lord Trieso a naiad, too?" Holly asked.

"No, no indeed!" The kind woman said, "He is as human as you or I. He has been counselor to the last two kings because of his wisdom. His wife is a Naiad, though. The beautiful Lady Lena. It is said that his daughter, their one and only child, is nearly as lovely as her mother. But not too many people see her anymore as she is tired of the young men seeking her favor and attention. Her words carry great weight with her father, so her approval or dislike could be taken to the King himself! Every young man who wished to be a knight was seeking the favor of young Triesta until she went into hiding."

"So naiads and humans can intermarry?"

"They can, but it doesn't happen very often. In the case of Lord Trieso and Lady Lena, they were matched from the beginning."

"How did they meet? Does Triesta have the rash on her finger?" Holly turned in surprise as she heard fluttering wings behind her.

"Ah," Lester said, "I apologize. I didn't tell you the proper name for that. It's called the Ryleiss."

The landlady nodded at Lester's explanation and said, "No, Triesta would not have the Ryleiss. Her father Trieso had caught a troll and wished that he would meet his true love within one year of his catch."

"Trolls give wishes?" Holly asked, wrinkling her nose.

"Yes, of course they do! Don't have trolls on earth?"

"No, we don't."

"What a shame! Well, now, I suppose I should take you to your rooms. You must be tired from your trip and everything that's happened to you today."

"I don't feel too tired," Holly said, "But I suppose a nap would be nice."

"I feel rather rude," Jared said, "We've talked to you and asked all of these questions, but we don't know your name yet."

"It's of no importance, but I'm Maggie." The landlady said, taking Jared and Holly's sack from them. They each had a change of clothes and a coat in their satchel. "We'll put some food in them before we leave tomorrow," Lester had said. "I'm sure we'll have to go on a journey to find Gem, so you two had better plan on doing a lot of walking."

Maggie showed them two rooms side by side on the second floor of the Beanstalk Hotel. She then opened their satchels and pulled out their clothes to hang them up. As she pulled out Jared's extra shirt, something fell out of it and she gasped. "Where did you get this?"

"I don't know," Jared said, puzzled. "What is it?"

Lester bobbed his head up and down, squawking. "You had it when I met you. It was in that silly little purse you had around your waist."

"Me? A purse?" Jared looked disgusted, but Holly, who had joined them at just that moment said, "Your camera!"

Jared's eyes widened and he grabbed the object off of the floor. It was a little wooden box with a lid on two tiny hinges. He opened it and gasped. Holly stepped away from him as he got a glazed look in his eyes. It was as if he was staring at nothing, but his gaze was fixed in the direction of the little box. He smiled, then laughed. Finally, he shut it. "Look, Holly. Open the box!" he exclaimed. Holly hesitated at first, wondering what it was that the box did, but caught Jared's enthusiasm and took it. She flipped it open and looked inside. Maggie cleared her throat.

"The memory boxes only work for those who own them. There is only one other in the kingdom to my knowledge. What did you call it?"

"A camera." Jared said.

"What a foreign word! Camuhraw?"

"Basically," Jared laughed, "But how does it work? It was like watching a movie of the favorite memories I've had over the last few years."

Lester flapped his wings and said, "Movie?"

"Uh..." Jared tipped his head back and thought for a moment. "It's like watching real life play out, but it's something that happened a long time ago."

Maggie and Lester still looked a bit confused, but Holly said, "Over the last few years?"

"It started with my first memory since I had the camera," Jared said in amazement. "I wonder if I can control which memory it takes me to, or if I have to wait for all of them to play."

"Try!" Holly encouraged him. "Maybe if you're thinking of a specific memory as you open it, it will go directly there!"

Jared looked at the ceiling, then smiled. "I think I have my memory." He took the box back from Holly and opened it. His gaze became startlingly fixed again, but his smile widened and he nodded his head before closing the box. "It's awesome!" he said. He turned to Lester and said, "The person who invented cameras on earth, would he or she have the Ryleiss?"

"Yes, but no one on earth would be able to see it. Your eyes are blinded by unbelief. When you two return to earth, you'll have more chance of seeing things like the Sorcerer's Star and the Ryleiss, but it's still somewhat doubtful. The unbelief of the general population has polluted the air."

"That's one of the coolest things I've ever seen," Jared said, almost to himself.

"We're honored to have you here, sir," Maggie said, "A wonderful magic box like that isn't something that everyone will get to see in their lifetime. I'm not sure how you came by that Sorcerer's Star, but I'm willing to trust Trieso's judgement and your honest face."

"Thank you." Jared said as Maggie turned and left. He looked at Lester. "So what are our plans?"

"We're going to sleep now. In the morning Maggie will provide us with a few days worth of food before we leave. Our first stop will be Emerald Pond. As Triesta graciously offered her companionship on this trip, and as naiads can be beneficial to a trip, we'll stop there to inform her of our plans before moving on. After that we'll head east to Mount Destni."

"Mount Destni?" Holly asked.

"While you two were getting your clothes together, I asked around. Gem lived in a little village off of Mount Destni. That's another reason it will be good to have a naiad with us."

Holly wrinkled her nose and said, "Did I miss something? Why is it good to have a naiad with us?"

"Bless me!" Lester said, "Naiads can turn into a mist if they must. They'd rather not do it in front of people, but if it's our only chance, I'm sure Triesta will do it. If we run into trouble, she can evaporate and then she'll be able to get word to all of the naiads of Aeroth within minutes!"

"Then you expect trouble?" Jared asked.

"Ah, I forget that you two are unfamiliar with everything about our land. Yes, I expect some trouble." Lester looked from Holly to Jared and said in a low voice, "Mount Destni is the domain of a man who is seeking to destroy the universes for his own evil plans. The man's name is Lord Rexxaldo."

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four