 
The Last Golden Rose

By A.S. Morrison

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2013 A.S. Morrison

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1: Maows's Story

Chapter 2: Leaving Childhood Behind

Chapter 3: The Coming of Age Ceremony

Chapter 4: Start of a Journey

Chapter 5: Progress Report

Chapter 6: Meeting Mitchum

Chapter 7: The Rough Dogs

Chapter 8: The Secret Wonders of Parli

Chapter 9: The Second Palace

Chapter 10: Stone Faces

Chapter 11: Back to Rerum

Chapter 12: Gaining Support

Chapter 13: Town of Memories

Chapter 14: Mitchum's Plea

Chapter 15: Forest Maze

Chapter 16: The King and Queen of Parli

Chapter 17: Dinner

Chapter 18: Hall of Statues

Chapter 19: Change of Plans

Chapter 20: Occupation

Chapter 21: A Call to Greatness

Chapter 22: General Quinn

Chapter 23: The Tunnel

Chapter 24: The Last Golden Rose

Chapter 25: Only the Second Battle Ever

Chapter 26: Defining Success

Chapter 27: Something's Missing

Chapter 28: The Forgotten Room

Chapter 29: Righting Wrongs

Chapter 30: A friendly Reunion

Chapter 31: The Sword of Ijnus

Chapter 32: Just Passing By

Chapter 33: Meeting Oldo

Chapter 34: Magic vs. Magic

Chapter 35: Swords and Roses

Chapter 36: One Last Memory

Chapter 37: Making a Difference

Chapter 38: The Gloves

Chapter 39: Family Reunion

Chapter 40: The Ball

# Prologue

The guard gripped the hand rail and yelled down the stairs as loud as he could. Behind him the patter of footsteps mixed with the sound of metal bars clanking loudly.

"Quick, they're escaping. They broke out, they—"

A foot came swiftly to the back of the guard's head.

"Shut it." Came a harsh voice.

The guard fell unconscious down the stairs. As he fell, a tall man came down from the stairs above; his face showed with deep hatred of everything around him, his black eyes were cold, dark, his mouth stretched down to an everlasting frown. He wore a plain yellow tunic, same as most everybody else in that building. He turned to the other man in the staircase.

"Is that all of them, Gyrd?" He asked with authority.

"He was the last of them, sir." Gyrd pointed to the man who now was curled up at the bottom of the stairs several floors below.

"Put him in a cell then. Tomorrow we show the world what we've done."

Gyrd quickly ran down the stairs towards the guard's body. The man who gave the orders started slowly down the same stairs. Halfway down he paused at a window in the wall. The window had vertical bars on the sill. The tall man with the cold black eyes looked out. There, far off, past the rough sea pounding on the rocks far below, he could just make out a mass of land. It glinted beautifully in the evening light. A strange and satisfied smile crept over his face.

# Chapter 1: Maows's Story

The winds of change blew on the great island of Parli. It came in gusts from the mountainous region in the north, caressing the dark and sometimes ominous mountains with its soft, yet cool breeze. The wind moved through the palace gardens in the center of the island, to the bay in the south. As the wind blew the day waned, sun setting, into night. The darkness crept slowly across the land. And with it, the idea of sleep, dreams, and the steady promise of a new day.

The people of this island were not unlike people in places in our world. They may have been a little smaller, or maybe a little more elegant, but still not unlike our own. They went to bed when the sun set, and awoke when it rose again. Some believed in the spirits of the land, and respected their judgment. But just like our world, they differed in a great many ways, and it made them stronger.

Violence was a rare tongue in the Bay Region, in the south of Parli. It was known by few, and spoken by fewer. The people of that region believed in a non-violent life. They worked in the fields, growing plants, they worked in the bay, catching fish, and they worked in the towns, educating the young to do the same.

It was not yet night in the small town of Rerum in the southwestern side of the Bay Region. The sun was not yet completely below the horizon, giving the townsfolk several more minutes of light to complete their day. There was a tradition that once a month, on any given day, the young people of Rerum would gather in the center of town to hear a story from one of the town's elders. On this particular night, the elder was old Mr. Maows. He was the oldest of the old, and a very wise man. He had seen many things in his life, and knew of matters unheard of to most.

On this night he had the youth of Rerum gathered around in a half circle, while he sat in a finely carved chair in the center. He looked around at the children; their eager, young eyes glowed with affection for this man. They knew nothing of why they should admire him; all they knew was that they should. It was the right thing to do. Maows looked around in the dim light at all the children who had shown up that night. A pleased smile crept onto his face as he settled into his chair.

"Now then," he began, in an old and shaky voice. "I suppose you all know the story of the roses." He said, thinking aloud.

"One for every region." The children answered in Unison.

"Very good young ones," Maows said, impressed, "I'm glad you remember our last meeting." He sat back in his chair and thought about what story to tell. _I could talk about the palace, but they already know that story. I could talk about the mountains, but again, they already know that one._ He straightened himself in his chair. _Wait, I've got it._ Maows scanned the audience, looking for two children in particular. He found them in the back of the bunch, one on each side of the gathering. He leaned close so as to talk to the group without speaking too loudly.

"I'm going to tell what happens when—" He quickly looked around in all directions, to make sure none of their parents were in earshot. Everyone trusted Maows, and nobody would expect him to tell a story they didn't approve of.

After seeing that no one was in sight, he looked back down to the children. "I'm going to tell you what happens when you turn fourteen." A murmur of excitement grew within the youngsters as they looked to their peers, all surprised. All but two looked happy, and these two were the ones Maows wanted to make sure were listening.

Only those who were about to turn fourteen were able to know what happens when the age comes. And in this half circle of children, only two were old enough to hear what was to occur. In fact, both these children were about to find out for themselves what was to happen. For both of them were to turn fourteen the next day.

Maows straightened back up once more. "Mith, Ludus, why don't you two come to the front of the group, right here in front of me. You're the two that need to hear this the most." They both moved around the group of smaller children until they were right in front of Maows.

"Are you sure you should tell them, sir?" The girl named Mith asked. "They aren't to know until they get to our age." Mith was rather tall for her age. She had long golden blonde hair, with beautifully blue eyes. She wore what all girls about to come of age wore, a flowery, flowing dress, orange for her family's color, with a large ribbon as a belt.

"Yeah, and besides," came the boy, Ludus. "We had to wait all this time, so should they." He was average height for his age—which made him the same height as Mith—and had short blonde hair, with bangs that rested halfway down his forehead. He also had blue eyes, with a constant look of determination in them. He wore what all boys wore when nearing the age of fourteen: A tunic, blue for his family's color, that reached to his knees and a belt made of woven willow twigs.

"Young ones," said Maows quietly. "Don't you want to know this information more than anything in the whole world?" Maows asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes we do," Came Mith. "But we had to wait, and so should they." She pointed back at the children behind her. They had already begun to converse with each other in hushed tones about what they were about to hear. They paid no attention to the conversation in front of them.

"Young ones," Maows put an old hand on each of their shoulders. "The time for secrecy is over; I feel the spirits telling me that it is time to tell them the truth. Now sit down and let me tell the story."

Mith and Ludus sat down reluctantly with an anxious look to the other.

"Children!" he called to grab the attention of all those whispering. "It's time for the story." At once the gathering settled into silence. The children looked at Maows with utmost eagerness. "To begin this story I must first tell you that these two," he nodded his head toward Mith and Ludus, "were to hear this information for the first time, tomorrow. But now they will hear it for the first time with you." The silence seemed to grow as the children leaned forward to hear Maows better. "This story, or information for two of you, will take us to places you have never even imagined, past the boundaries of the bay, into the unknown." The entire crowd sat with mouths agape in awe. Maows decided to add a little more to the mood. "Once in the unknown, Mith and Ludus will be able to experience things once thought to be legend. Soon they will be able to leave and come whenever they please, and with no permission." Maows decided now was the time to begin the story. The mood was perfect; all the children were too amazed to even think of speaking. Even Maows, who knew for a long time the things he was about to tell, seemed to be growing more excited.

"Our story begins in a place where other stories that we elders have told began. And that place is right here, in this very square. Every time a young one, just like you all, turns to the magical age of fourteen; he or she learns what they must do to become adults." Maows looked out into his audience; they were hooked on every word. "Once the new fourteen year olds come here we go right over there." He pointed to a small hut only ten yards behind the gathered children. "Once there we take them into our confidence that they will never tell anyone that is younger than them what we tell them. And then too become an adult they have to. . ." He paused, looking around once more at all the eager faces. They looked so eager to hear the story that Maows almost felt a little disappointed inside, for he knew that the story was really not all that exciting. So he decided to add a little more to it. He stood up from his chair as to get a better view of all present, and to make his story all the more dramatic. Every now and then he would sneak a look at the setting sun. The children had to be home before dark or he, despite being the head elder, would be in trouble.

He continued his story, his voice surging and fading. "We tell them that they must go from this, our lovely home in the Bay Region, and journey to far off lands. They have to make it through the Rough Region to our west, without any guidance, without any food, without any hope of return. This is where they must dig deep inside themselves to find out just what kind of man or woman they will become." He paused once again. All the children looked as if they had never heard such a wonderful, yet terrible story in all their lives. "Once across the rough and treacherous terrain that awaits them there, they come to the magnificent Merchant Region where their destiny is determined. In the land of the merchants they have to find a secret token to return to the elders here, if they cannot find it they may never become adults." He flung his arms wildly around to make the story even more dramatic. "Then they have to return through the Rough, and make it back in one piece." All together the children gasped, even Mith and Ludus. "And if they make it back alright, they then can become adults. And of course you all have seen that ceremony before." But he could not end his story just yet. "And all this has to be done at _night_ " There was another gasp through the audience. Some almost fell backwards; others covered their mouths with their hands. No child was allowed out after dark, it was considered too dangerous. The elders told every child that the reason was because the spirits were out at night, and it was horrible luck to actually see them. Whether this was true or not, no child knew. They just knew that if the elders said it, it must be true.

Maows sat back down, panting. He hadn't been that worked up in some time. He looked to the sun and saw that it was almost completely below the horizon to the west. "That's it for the story tonight, kids. The sun is almost to bed, and so should you, you don't want to be caught by the spirits." At once all the children stood up and thanked Maows for the story. Some looked timidly at Mith and Ludus. They then ran their separate ways home, very quickly, so they could make it back before dark. Soon Mith and Ludus were alone with Maows.

"I'm sorry to question your judgment sir, but why tell such young ones this story? It was meant for older ears." Mith asked, trying to sound calm. She got a little scared during the story.

"Young one, don't worry. Looking at all their eager faces, I may have added to the truth." Maows said kindly. He struggled to drag his chair towards the elder's home, which was a small hut, just as all the other homes were in Rerum.

"Sir," Began Mith, but Maows stopped her.

"Young Mith, the night is near; it is time for you to return home."

"Yes sir, but I just was wondering . . . about that story?"

"All will be explained tomorrow. Now is the time for sleep and dreams." They were getting closer to the elder's hut now, they could clearly see it's finely carved door through the waning twilight.

"Goodnight." And without another word Maows walked to the door of the elder's home, and disappeared inside, leaving the two children outside, alone, in the near dark.

"I'll see you tomorrow then." Ludus called to Mith as he started running towards his home. Mith stood outside the elder's hut for several more seconds before running to her own home.

# Chapter 2: Leaving Childhood Behind

As the day broke, the people of Rerum started out of their small huts, and into the morning sun. The slight spring breeze rustled their tunics, dresses, and hair as it flew in from the bay, where a great black stone sat one mile out in the center of said bay, causing much wonder in the children, but caused no emotion from the adults, who all knew the dark secrets it held.

One such person leaving their small home was Mith. She closed the wooden door behind her as she made her way to the beach. She passed the other huts through town with a feeling of dread for the ceremony later that same day. Thoughts swirled through her mind as she walked. _Why must it be a public occasion?_ Mith had seen many coming of age ceremonies, and loved every one of them. But now that it was her turn, she was frightened. Her eyes were fixed with a look of complete serenity, but her body shook with anticipation.

"Why hello, Mith."

Mith stopped abruptly, she was so fixated on her thoughts she almost forgot she was still walking through town. Mith looked around to see a bright eyed older gentleman staring merrily at her.

"Oh, hello Mr. Tyurd, how are the birds?" She looked at her feet as she talked.

"Very well, thank you for asking. So, today is the big day, excited?"

Mith looked past the man into the yard around his hut. It was closed off by a two foot tall wood fence. Inside the fence twenty small black chickens could be seen. Mr. Tyurd was a very prominent chicken farmer, who sold his birds to towns all over the Bay Region. He was happily ignorant to the fate of his birds.

Mith avoided the question, "I have to be going now, sir." She continued her walk, eyes down, toward the beach. She did not feel much like talking to the gentleman and did not want to seem rude by answering the question she had not yet answered to herself. Mr. Tyurd nodded as she walked away and turned back to his chickens.

Only two sat on the beach that day, Mith, of the Hardel family and young Ludus, of the Tinn family. They sat silently, gazing at the great black rock in the bay, at the water, which dazzled beautifully with the sun's sparkles, and at the pink quartz sand, that felt warm and safe, under their feet.

The silence was finally broken by a simple, yet powerful question.

"Are you ready?" Ludus asked Mith in a whisper.

"Not yet. Are you?"

"I've thought about this for a while, and I don't think I'll ever be ready. I mean look at the young ones of the town, and then look at the adults. There's so much difference. I don't see how we can change into that just by going to the Merchant Region and back." Ludus explained, rather nervously, he wasn't used to sharing his feeling with anyone.

Mith looked to Ludus, her blonde hair blowing in the breeze. "I've seen the difference too, but I don't think that the change happens because of the journey itself, I think it has more to do with the complete change in the way we think when we go." Ludus looked puzzled; Mith continued with a sigh, "Think about it, Ludus, we will be out at night, tonight, for the first time ever. We will be without our families and friends for the first time, all we will have is each other, and we both don't know anything about journeying or about how to get to a certain place and back."

Mith was silent for several minutes before finally speaking, "We'll be alright; I don't think they would send us on a journey unless they knew we would be safe."

Ludus had worry written on his face, "But _how_ do they know we will be safe?"

"They're the elders, they just know."

Mith's certainty was too much for Ludus; he wasn't as optimistic as she was. Mith knew bad things happened in the world, but she also knew that good things can come from them. Ludus on the other hand, was still learning that bad things happened, and was therefore worried over small things.

As the two sat, they began to hear voices far off, coming closer. They knew who it was, even at that distance; they could make out their parent's voices.

"Hey, you kids." Ludus's mother called as she came closer. She was one of the older women in the town, in her mid-fifties, but still had a young radiance about her. She had recently been asked to join the elders, but declined since she was still raising Ludus. Her long, curly, blonde hair blew over her left shoulder as she walked towards the kids. She wore a white dress, patterned with small birds embroidered all over.

Walking right beside her was Ludus's father. He was of average height, several years younger than his wife, and sported a short, rough beard. He wore a white shirt, tucked into gray pants that were much too wide for his thin, yet muscular legs. Oftentimes known as the master of the bay, he was an expert fisherman, and, with the students at his fishing school, caught at least half of the fish eaten in Rerum.

Mith's father was walking towards the beach beside Ludus's parents. A huge smile covered his face. He wore a blue shirt and gray pants, the same kind as Ludus's father. A successful thirty-four year old, he made his living building huts for the new adults in the town after they got back from their journeys, even though it would still be a few years until they were ready to occupy them. Recently widowed, he was usually found on the beach near sunset. This was the first smile Mith had seen on her father's face since her mother died almost six months before.

Ludus jumped up and ran to his parents, who embraced him in a long, loving, hug. Mith's father walked casually up to Mith and put his arms around her.

"Your mother would be so proud of you right now . . . if she were here." He whispered into Mith's ear.

"I know." she whispered back.

Mr. Hardel released his daughter, "whelp, it's finally here, your big day. How do you feel?"

Mith looked up at her father, the big smile was gone, but he still looked happier than he had been in a long while. "I feel great, a little curious as to what might happen, though."

"Only a little curious?" Mr. Hardel chuckled, "In the weeks leading up to my journey, I wanted so badly to break into the elder's home and find some clues."

"Are you serious?" Mith asked, shocked. "I never thought you'd be the one to break rules."

"Oh, yeah, I was quite the troublemaker before my journey." His voice grew with nostalgia, "But then I met your mother, on the journey I might add, and she mellowed me right down."

"Yeah, I remember that story"

Mr. Hardel changed the subject, he looked to his daughter lovingly, "How about this, huh. After today you will be on the road to being an adult, pretty crazy right?"

"I guess so." Mith said sorrowfully.

Mr. Hardel nodded his head in understanding, "Not ready to leave childhood behind just yet, huh?"

Mith looked down to the pink sand as she spoke, "I don't think that I want to grow up yet. I mean who's to tell me that I _have_ to be an adult when I come back, can't I still be a kid for a while longer."

Mr. Hardel sighed deeply, "Let's sit down for a minute Mith; I want to tell you something." Mith agreed and sat down with her father in the sand.

Behind them Ludus was still in an everlasting hug with his parents. "How about that," Mr. Hardel said, pointing over to Ludus and his parents, "That's love right there." he mused. He turned to Mith, who was laughing. "Anyway, I need to tell you a couple of things before you go off on your journey."

"Like what?" Mith asked, wondering if he was going to say the same things that Maows said the night before.

"First off," he began. "I would like to tell you to be careful; it's a dangerous world out there. Not that I don't think you can't handle it, it's just that all your going to have is the help of Ludus, another fourteen year old. And the places you will be going through are going to be dangerous, filled with bandits. But don't be scared, most of all don't show fear. The people you meet will feed off of your fear." He paused; looking for some reaction to his story on her face, there was none. Her face was placid, listening intently. "I want you to be strong, stronger than you ever have been. Anything can be thrown at you on this journey, anything at all. And you need to be ready."

"I know." Mith said quietly, she looked to the sand as she spoke.

"Most importantly," Mr. Hardel continued, putting his hand on Mith's shoulder reassuringly. "I want—no need you to be patient." Mith looked up, surprised. Her father continued, "You've never been on a journey this long before. Before this, the longest away from this town you've been is to the nearest trading post, only an hour away. This journey may take you days, and you have to be willing to continue. Every couple of years, there's someone who comes back after only a couple of hours, and I don't want that to be you."

"I didn't know that." Mith said, wondering why she had never noticed, or even heard about this happening.

Mr. Hardel could sense what she was thinking. "We don't tell the younger citizens about it. In fact—as you already know—most of what happens on the journey is completely secret to all those who have yet to turn fourteen."

"Why is that?" Mith asked suddenly. "Why can't we know until the day of the event? That seems kind of mean doesn't it?"

Mr. Hardel laughed quietly to himself, "You make a good point. That's a question you're going to have to ask Maows. I personally think that it's to keep kids interested, they are always thinking about deep dark secrets, which in reality aren't that deep or dark, but if we told them that it would dampen their anticipation for it."

"Yeah, it's not that dark." Mith said, absentmindedly.

Mr. Hardel looked at her suspiciously, "You think so, do you?"

Mith was suddenly nervous, "Umm, well, no, I was just caught up in the conversation. I don't actually know anything about the journey yet."

"No, I didn't think you did."

Ludus sat down beside Mr. Hardel, "So, what's happenin', sir." Mr. Hardel was the only adult, besides his own parents that he felt completely comfortable talking around. It wasn't because Ludus was friends with Mith, but because her father was always over for dinner. Mr. Hardel, though younger than Ludus's parents, always tagged along with them when he was young, after he first moved to Rerum, many years before.

"Hey, Ludus," Mr. Hardel said, now turning to Ludus, as his parents sat down opposite the three already sitting. "How are things with you?"

"Oh, pretty good I guess, can't complain much." Ludus answered, sifting sand through his hands.

"Are you worried about the journey, too?"

"Well, yeah. Shouldn't I be? It is a new experience, something I've never done before."

"Just don't let it take the better of you, alright." Mr. Hardel said, putting his hand on Ludus's shoulder.

"Don't worry about our Ludus," Mr. Tinn said proudly. "Our Ludus can take care of himself, can't you, boy?"

Ludus looked happily up at his father, "Absolutely, dad, I'll be the bravest ever."

Mith rolled her eyes, nobody noticed.

"And if you do get scared, Mith will be there to help you." Mrs. Tinn said, smiling sweetly at Mith. "Isn't that right, Mith?"

Mith looked to Mrs. Tinn, "Oh, of course, ma'am." There was slight sarcasm in her voice.

"Oh my," Mrs. Tinn said loudly over a gust of warm air, "would you look at the sun, it's almost time for the ceremony."

Everyone squinted up to see the position of the sun; it was almost ten degrees above the horizon.

"My word, you're right." Mr. Tinn exclaimed, jumping up. "You two have to be at the ceremony very soon." He now turned to the kids. "Quick, you two, go get ready, we'll meet you at the ceremony."

Ludus and Mith got to their feet, and ran in the direction of their huts. They were soon out of sight.

Mr. and Mrs. Tinn started towards the elder's home, where the ceremony would be, when Mr. Hardel called for them.

"Excuse me." He called to them, "Can I speak with you a moment."

"Go on ahead of me," Mr. Tinn said to Mrs. Tinn, he then turned to face Mr. Hardel, who was getting up from the sand.

"What's the deal, Thurmin?" Mr. Hardel asked, "Didn't you tell Ludus that this could be dangerous?"

Thurmin Tinn slowly stepped toward Mr. Hardel, "Hey, listen, Kip, I just wanted to give the kid some confidence."

"I agree he needs confidence, they both do, but he needs to know that this could be dangerous. You know as well as I that there are bandits and thieves and wild animals out there in the Rough, and they both need to be ready." Kip Hardel said, trying to sound as pleasant as possible.

"Look, old boy, I know that, but it looked to me that you gave Mith enough danger talk for the both of them."

"Excuse me?" Kip inquired, his anger rising.

"Watch your tone with me, Kip. We live in a town that doesn't believe in that sort of tone." Thurmin Tinn warned, taking a step back.

"That's another thing you know as well as I do, I wasn't born in this town, I moved here when I was eleven, you remember, and my job takes me all over. I've seen the real world outside of this town; I know what kind of people are there." Kip advanced closer to Thurmin.

Thurmin was now going backwards in full strides, his hands were held out in front of him, gesturing for Mr. Hardel to stop. "I'm sorry, Kip, but today we shouldn't be arguing, we should be happy, so why don't we head on down to the ceremony and be there for our kids, the way we should be."

Kip stopped his advance on Mr. Tinn, "Alright, you go on ahead, I'll be there in a minute; I just need to cool down."

"Sounds like a plan." Thurmin said, relieved that Mr. Hardel stopped coming towards him.

Without another word, Thurmin Tinn turned and walked away, heading for the ceremony. Kip Hardel sat back down in the sand and stared back out into the bay. He couldn't see it from where he sat, but two boats had just left the giant black rock.

# Chapter 3: The Coming of Age Ceremony

The sun had risen only slightly since Mith and Ludus were sitting on the beach. Everyone in Rerum knew the sun very well, and when it got to that particular point, about fifteen degrees above the horizon, they knew it was time to get to the center of town. They started arriving at the Elder's home only minutes later for the ceremony. The only people who weren't there at that time were Mith and Ludus themselves, but it was tradition for those in which the ceremonies were for to arrive just a little after everyone else.

The townsfolk were all dressed in specific colors that corresponded to their family name. Over thirty different families formed the town of Rerum four hundred years before on an unknown day. As the years past many of the families moved away or died out, leaving only ten families that lasted. Each of these families had a certain color flag that hung in the Elder's home. The Tinn family's flag was blue, while the Hardel family flag was orange. The Elder's all wore black, which was considered to be the color of wisdom and age.

Mith and Ludus paced back and forth along an empty street near the ceremony sight. The familiar dirt roads they currently treaded never felt so unfamiliar. Their minds wasted no time in thinking thoughts that might normally be seen as restricted by the adults of the town. Fear of the anticipated event capped off a ring of emotions that also included nervousness and one simple emotion that Mith and Ludus had no recollection of, _anxiety._

Their pacing quickened as the new emotion took over their minds, keeping them from realizing the great joy that should have been felt by two fourteen year olds about to take their first step to becoming adults. As they paced, noises from the ceremony reached their ears. They had heard it before, they had been a part of the noise many times, but now it was different, each noise seemed out of the ordinary to them. The laughing was now bizarre, the talking seemed curiously dark. It was the same talking and laughing that the kids had heard time and time again during these events, although now, it was different to their ears. Several minutes passed before the silence between the children was broken:

"I believe it's time." Mith said suddenly to Ludus. Her voice was serene, though she looked quite tense.

Ludus stopped his pacing and glanced at Mith, to him she appeared frantic. He had never seen her anything but composed. "We should probably be getting there then."

Mith nodded, and together they made their way to the center of town, where the ritual was being held. The short walk to the elder's home was one Mith and Ludus had taken many times in the last fourteen years, though this time it was different.

Ludus found it hard to walk, his mind racing. He thought of all the things that could go wrong. If he tripped in the crowd, or if he somehow forgot his own name when Maows was to ask for it. He wasn't sure if he would ever come back if that were to happen, he may just as well find a nice cave to live in somewhere along the way, at least it was better than living with embarrassment all his life.

Mith worried about other things then Ludus. She found it hard to walk also, except her reason was that she was very shy, and being in front of a very large crowd was the only real thing that she was afraid of while growing up in Rerum. Her legs shook violently while she walked. Her hands were clenched as fists, but they too were shaking. To try and fight off the feeling, she did exactly what her dad taught her to do in situations like this one. She took several deep breaths, exhaling slowly. Mr. Hardel told her many times that doing that would calm her down. It worked at first, although once she started thinking about the crowd again, her fear came right back.

In moments Mith and Ludus were standing only feet from the back of the crowd. Being shorter than most of the adults they could not see anything, save for the high stage that had been erected directly in the center of the square. Standing on the stage was Maows, in the middle, and behind him stood the other four elders, every one of them old and regal, but none as old and regal as Maows, himself. They all wore magnificent robes, colored in the elder colors, black, gold, and silver. The four elders behind Maows wore gold or silver robes, depending on their choosing, each having scenes from their jobs as elders embellished in thin lines of black thread that resided on their backs, wrapping around their entire robes. Maows wore black robes with a huge songbird, made of gold thread wrapping its way around his robes.

Mith and Ludus stood, pondering what to do, in the back of the crowd when, suddenly, Maows's voice boomed over the crowd of spectators. He may have been old, but his voice carried very far.

"They are here." He bellowed, spreading his arms wide and turning his head in all directions so as to see everyone.

All the faces in the crowd swiftly began looking all around to see where Mith and Ludus were. Finally they spotted them on the south side of town square, directly outside of the massed huddle of people. Clapping started gradually, and then exploded into applause all around. All eyes were now focused on them. Mith found herself feeling nauseous, while Ludus's attitude completely changed. One moment he was scared of embarrassing himself, and then, as soon as the eyes were glued to him, he became fearless, the center of attention and loving it.

"Clarin, would you please escort the young ones up to the stage." Maows said to one of the elders behind him.

Clarin was currently the only female elder. Her main job as elder was to instruct the children of Rerum. She took her job seriously, never missing an opportunity to teach outside of the classroom. Considered the smartest in the entire Bay Region, she strove to keep the children studying, learning, and not causing trouble.

Clarin nodded to Maows and started down the stairs into the crowd. A great tree shone brightly in black on the back of her robes. She was of slightly below average height for a woman of her age, and most could only see her short, curly, salt and pepper hair as she moved fluidly through the crowd toward Mith and Ludus. The crowd parted for her, she reached the edge in seconds. Once with Mith and Ludus she bent slightly to be in eye line with them. The crowd abruptly became silent.

"Are you ready?" she inquired gently, her voice soothing.

Mith and Ludus glanced at each other, nodded, then looked at Clarin, and nodded.

"Great, after you then." She stood up straight, and extended an arm, motioning for them to go on ahead of her through the still parted crowd of onlookers.

The kids moved into the throng of citizens. Ludus walked slowly, gazing upward into the faces of those watching them. He felt stronger than ever, though he kept it inside. Mith found it hard to look into their faces; instead she stared straight ahead, to the stage they were heading toward. Clarin moved leisurely behind the children. A constant warm smile shone brightly on her kind face.

Mith and Ludus crept up the stairs onto the stage and slowly turned around to face the entire town. Clarin took her place once again with the other elders. Mith's senses became dull when she saw the size of the crowd. She was entranced, her eyes grew large, and she couldn't remove them from all those who stared intently at her. Ludus soaked in all the glory of being in front of the biggest crowd he had ever seen, he was certain it was a bigger turnout then with any other ceremony.

"Now that we have the journeyers we can begin the two hundred forty fifth Coming of Age Ceremony in the town of Rerum, in the region of the Parli Bay, on the great island of Parli." Cheers erupted once again from the crowd, but even with the noise, Mith was not awakened from her trance. "I now call on the two we are here to see. Please present yourselves to the town." He nodded to Ludus who knew exactly what to say.

"I, Ludus Tinn, am ready to begin my journey to adulthood." He announced to the crowd, who once again was quiet. "I will protect my family's name and the name of the town of Rerum in my quest to find strength and wisdom for the future." As he finished the mass of people began clapping.

"Wonderful, just wonderful Ludus." Maows shouted so everyone in the applauding audience could hear. Ludus smiled broadly and took a step back, leaving Mith and Maows alone to face the mass.

"Your turn." He whispered to Mith. She snapped out of her trance and looked up to Maows, who nodded at her to begin. She looked back at the horde of people staring at her. She tried to talk, but she could barely open her mouth.

"I. . . I . . ." She stammered.

"Louder." Maows whispered.

"I, Mith Hardel," she said, still rather quietly, "am ready to begin my journey to adulthood. I will protect my family's name and the name of the town of Rerum, in my quest to find strength and wisdom for the future." The clapping began again, but Mith believed that it was not anywhere near as loud as it was for Ludus. She scanned the audience, and finally found her father near the front, only yards away from her. He was beaming at her, clapping vigorously. Mith could not remember if she had ever seen him that happy, even when her mother was alive. She became embarrassed and took a much larger step back then Ludus had.

"As you all know," Maows started, "I will know take the fourteen year olds into the elder hut where I will tell them what to expect on their journey." The crowd exploded once again with applause. Maows then turned and led the children past the other elders, who spoke words of encouragement as they past, and led them down the stairs, and straight into the Elder's Home, which was directly behind the stage. This was the first time that Mith and Ludus had entered the home. A smell of leather and age entered their noses as they crossed the threshold. The last elder in closed the door behind them. The world was suddenly quiet; the crowd noise was completely shut off.

The hut was bigger than it looked from the outside. It consisted of two rooms, the main chamber, which they were in now, that had five small chairs, one for each elder. This room was used for town meetings between the elders. The other room in the hut, which Mith and Ludus could not see due to a carpet concealing the entrance to it, was the sleeping chamber where Maows slept every night, the other elders still slept in their own personal huts around town. Once inside, Maows put one arm around Mith's left shoulder and another on Ludus's right shoulder, and then told them what they had been waiting to hear their entire lives.

"This is the elder's home, a place which most are unable to see but once in their life, unless they get chosen to be elder's. That one time, is now. As you already know, you will be traveling outside of our great region. Now, what you did not know, at least until last night, is that you will be traveling through the Rough into the Merchant Region." He paused to catch his breath; he was tired from all the yelling. The children looked to each other nervously, then back to Maows. "Once there, you will immediately return, going again, through the Rough." Maows took his arms off of their shoulders, then walked over to one of the five chairs, and sat down. Once he sat down, the other elders took their seats around him.

Ludus's hands tingled when he looked around the small hut. This was the most sacred place in all of Rerum, and as far as Ludus knew, all of Parli. His mind wandered to all of the people who had been in there before, all the fourteen year olds like himself and Mith and all of the previous elders who had resided there. Mith on the other hand was not so impressed, she liked being there, but she did not see it as a magical place like Ludus did. Her father had told her of many other places on the island that were of greater importance. She glanced around timidly, admiringly, but that was about all.

"Any questions?" Maows asked.

Mith was the first to speak; she had regained her normal fearless attitude now that she was not in front of a large crowd. "Is that it, sir? Is that all we need to do to become adults? Not that I'm complaining, but, I always thought we would have to battle something. Prove our worth, just in case any enemies came here."

Maows looked at the kids, bewildered. "Battle? There are no battles; peace is the answer to all problems. That is what we taught you, is it not?"

"It is sir." interjected Ludus.

"Then why would we make you battle anything? We believe in peace here, you both know that."

"But sir," Mith was getting eager now, "Ludus and I both thought that adults had to be strong."

Maows sighed deeply, nodding his head in understanding. "I get it now. You both thought that since adults are older, and appear stronger, they must have had to battle something in their past." The children both nodded, "Well, let me tell you something. They are strong mentally, and that is all you need in this town of peace. There are no enemies; there are only problems that the mind needs to solve. Do you understand?"

Mith and Ludus looked to each other; both having a look of confusion on their faces. They had heard all their lives that peace always triumphed over violence; that anyone who believed differently would be sent to the great black stone in the bay.

"This journey is not to have you grow physically, time will do that. It is to have you grow mentally."

"If there are no enemies, then why do we still hear stories of the great black rock? The same black rock that you taught us had powers to destroy violent tendencies in those who wish to harm others?"

Maows looked to Allard, one of the other elders, to answer the question. Allard was the second oldest of the elders, he was the tallest of the citizens in Rerum, and despite his age, the strongest. He had unusually hard features that made it look as if he had seen many things in his life before becoming an elder. His eyes showed a constant, almost angered look to them. His robes had a big, tall rock on the back, which looked eerily like the great black rock that the conversation currently was held around.

"The rock is exactly how you describe it." He said in an unnaturally raspy voice. Mith and Ludus both jumped, they had never heard Allard speak before, he was usually the silent one, always in the back. "But I assure you that its use is much exaggerated in the present day. It has not been used because it does not need to be used, because there are no more enemies in this great land." Allard had only one emotion in his voice, impatience.

Mith looked straight into Allard's cold eyes disbelievingly, her father had taught her better than to believe that there was _no one_ in all of Parli that wanted to hurt them. "But my dad says that—"

"Your father is not from this town, therefore his methods are wrong." Allard interrupted.

Mith jumped forward, she was known to have a hot head, though no one expected her to lose her cool in the presence of the elders.

"Excuse me." She almost shouted at Allard, "You cannot talk about my father like that. He's twice the . . . anything you could ever be."

"Mith Hardel!" Maows roared. He raised himself halfway up, hands clenched tightly on the arms of his wooden chair.

The room was suddenly silent; nobody had ever seen Maows so angry. Face red, eyes bulging, he would of looked comical in any other venue. The remaining three elders who were not involved looked as if they were trying to push their chairs as far away from the scene as they could. That added an even more ominous tone to the room.

"Allard, would you please sit down." Maows asked trying to remain calm, he had now sat back down himself, and his hands were still clenching the arms of his chair very tightly. Allard did not take his cold dead eyes off of Mith as he edged himself back and sat down in his chair. Mith also continued to stare at her new adversary, though she was now deeply embarrassed and scared.

"Now then, we are here for happy purposes, and I will not tolerate this kind of rude and selfish behavior in my town, least of all in this sacred house." Maows looked to Allard with an expression that seemed to say: "See, this is why I do not let you talk." Maows then looked to Mith with a much different expression. This one was much nicer and reassuring. After what seemed like hours to Mith, Maows took his hands off of his chair and set them in his lap, evidently trying to forget the whole mess. Maows now turned his attention to Ludus, who had been watching eagerly at the unprecedented event which just took place before him.

"Young Ludus, do you understand what I was trying to say about growing mentally." Maows asked Ludus, his voice returning to its original tone.

Ludus stared at Maows, for a moment he had completely forgotten what Maows had been saying. Then, after remembering, answered, "Oh yes sir, I do."

Maows clapped his hands together, "Very good, Ludus." Then to the rest, "I expect that that concludes our little meeting here, Clarin, would you and the other elders take Mith and Ludus here to the edge of town so that they may begin their journey to adulthood."

"Absolutely, sir." Clarin answered. The other elders then stood up, replaced their chairs back to their original positions, and led Mith and Ludus out of the hut. Mith made sure to look at Allard one last time before exiting the hut.

As Allard began to walk to the door of the hut, behind the other elders who were escorting Mith and Ludus, Maows caught his arm.

"Not quite yet, Allard, I need a word with you." Maows said, smiling. He continued to smile until the last elder shut the door behind them. Then, as fast as light itself, the smile turned to a menacing glare, which no one but Allard was left to see.

# Chapter 4: Start of a journey

The hut door opened to a round of applause from those waiting outside. The cheering once again lifted Ludus's spirits, while diminishing Mith's. She looked all around the crowd for her father. At first she could not see him for the mass of people crowded about, then, through the crowd to her left emerged her father. Mr. Hardel was smiling broadly, almost laughing with merriment. He walked right up to his daughter, bending down to whisper in her ear:

"Congratulations." Was all he said, but that one word lifted her spirits like nothing else could, all the fear and nerves washed right out of her mind.

Ludus's parents had also found him, and were walking beside him, occasionally patting him on the back. The elders led the way to the edge of town, with everyone else following. Mith and Ludus could not see anything but the crowd of people around them, and therefore did not have any idea when they would get to the edge of town. After several minutes of walking, the gathering suddenly stopped. Ludus almost walked right into the person in front of him, but caught himself just in time.

Clarin turned to Mith and Ludus with her ever glowing kindness. "You go on ahead." She said to them. Ludus bid farewell to his parents and walked past Clarin to the front of the crowd. Mith gave her father a big hug, then followed Ludus. She looked back to Mr. Hardel, her face showed the worry of leaving home for the first time. Mr. Hardel tenderly motioned for her to go forward, Mith nodded and continued to the front until she was right beside Ludus.

The sight of the desert caught Mith off guard. This exact spot was where the Bay Region ended. The lush green grass of Rerum abruptly stopped; beyond it was a vast landscape where nothing grew. Brown rocks were scattered across the barren land as far as the eye could see. This was the Rough Region.

Mith and Ludus took their last step before entering the Rough. They both looked to the crowd, Ludus showed enough victory for the both of them. Another cheer came up and died down rather quickly, for a familiar voice came from somewhere in the crowd, yelling so all could hear him.

"Mith and Ludus will now continue their journey, good luck to you both." Everyone turned to see Maows standing near the left side of the mass. Allard sulked beside him.

The gathering now took several steps back, giving room for young Hardel and young Tinn. But they did not move right away, they continued to look into their town, their region, not finding it in them to be able to go just yet. Mr. Hardel stepped forward and motioned with his hand once again, this time for them to continue into the Rough. Both nodded to him, turned, and took their first step into the Rough Region.

The transition was unmistakable. Mith gasped and immediately held her breath. Somehow that one step changed everything. The warm and inviting feeling she always felt in Rerum was gone, replaced by an arid, intense dry heat. The wind blew into her hair and face, she turned, expecting to see others' hair moving, but no one else's hair moved. Not one person in the crowd, who stood just feet away, was showing any signs of feeling the wind. That one step not only took Mith and Ludus out of the Bay Region, but seemingly transported them to another world. Mith turned to Ludus to see if he had felt anything. Ludus did not look changed, he was too busy keeping the crowd entertained by stomping his feet in the desert floor to the cheer of onlookers. Mith was about to ask someone what was happening until she noticed Ludus's hair was also moving in the wind. Mith looked from Ludus, then to the crowd, then back at Ludus. It was increasingly eerie to her, seeing Ludus's hair blow about, then turn to see the crowd who stood with no wind on them.

Then another strange phenomena took place, the crowd began to get quieter. Mith turned to Ludus, who finally began to notice something was wrong when those cheering for him began to go quiet. He turned to Mith, who stood stark white, staring with wide eyes at the crowd gathered just feet away, still cheering as if nobody had noticed the changes. Ludus then looked to the crowd himself, and became almost as pale as Mith was. For the crowd was starting to grow smaller. Every person was shrinking, and behind them, the town was shrinking as well. Mith and Ludus stared in horror as everything and everybody they had ever known grew smaller and smaller, until they finally disappeared. Immediately they both made a charge for the grass, but stopped abruptly. They knew that they could not face their families if they went back so soon. In the crowds place was a view of the Bay Region as the children had never seen it before. Rerum was gone, completely gone. The grass remained, and past that the water could be seen sparkling near the pink beach. Mith called to her father for help, while Ludus battled with his thoughts for nearly ten minutes. Finally Mith decided it was hopeless and sunk down to the ground, Ludus followed.

"Why did they disappear, where are they?" Ludus asked, he was in no way trying to hide his fear.

Mith took a long time to speak, she was pondering all possibilities before finally answering, "I have no idea."

"Well . . . we have to do something, don't we?"

Mith thought out the possibilities again before answering. "I have a strange feeling that this was supposed to happen."

"What's that supposed to mean." Ludus inquired, he was now shaking with nerves and fear.

"For one thing," Mith began slowly, so as to make sure Ludus could follow. "Maows did tell us that we needed to grow mentally, and this seems like a good way to ensure that."

"What's the other thing?"

"Oh, I don't know, I just like starting sentences that way sometimes."

Ludus looked around again in a failed attempt to see Rerum again. "That sure does seem like a mean thing to do, I always heard they were supposed to tell us what was going to happen."

"I heard that too, but I guess that we wouldn't grow as much if we knew everything that was going to happen." Mith said not looking at Ludus, but looking at something that had caught her eye up ahead. "Do you see that?"

"See what?" Ludus looked ahead and immediately saw what Mith was seeing. About thirty yards away from where they now sat, was a small shelter made with a carpet resting on top of several large rocks. Lying face down under the carpet's shade was a man. Mith pointed at him, and together they made their way over, in hopes that he may have some answers for them.

Within seconds they were standing over him, not sure of what to do, Ludus knocked on the carpet. The man jumped up onto his knees, his head pushing on the carpet. The sight of his face forced the kids back several feet. His face was caked with a combination of black and brown dirt. The man had a brown beard that hung down to his chest, in which Ludus was sure he counted several rather big spiders. An ancient and loose fitting shirt hung around his shoulders down to his knees. The man's eyes squinted up to the kids, though never actually focusing on either of them.

"What you wat?" The man asked, his voice was low, almost bass.

"You mean, 'what do you want?'" Mith corrected him.

The man looked up in incredulously, "Excuse me, missy, but I do't like 'N'."

Ludus rolled his eyes, "You just used—"

"Aaaagh, I do't like to hear it either." The man interrupted.

"Do you think you could tell us your name, sir?" Mith asked sweetly.

"Why yes, missy, I might just do that."

"Well, what is it?" Ludus asked, starting to get annoyed.

"I said I might tell the missy." The man answered, waving his hand for Ludus to keep quiet.

"Can you tell me, then?" Mith asked even more sweetly.

"Orman's the name."

Ludus had enough of this guy already. "There's an 'N' in your—"

"Aaaaauuurrrrrgggghhhh!" the man screamed. Mith and Ludus took several steps back; Mith quickly checked for escape routes, which in the desert would be anywhere she decided to run.

"Can you help us with something, Mr. Orman." Mith asked bending down to be near Orman's eye range, despite being several feet away now.

Orman began to sift sand through his hands and watched it fall to the ground. "I suppose missy."

"Great, can you tell us why everyone in Rerum disappeared?" She gestured back to where the now empty Bay Region began.

Orman looked to where she was gesturing and stared for a while before responding. "You just came from there?"

"Yes we just did about two minutes ago."

The man nodded, "It happes all the time, youg people, aroud your age, always wader over the boudary."

Mith finally saw progress, "You mean this happens a lot." The man nodded. "Do any of them ask you this question?" The man shook his head 'no'. "You said something of a boundary, how does it work?"

Orman turned his head to the side, his mouth hanging creepily open, eyes bulging wide. "I do't have a idea how it works."

Mith sighed in defeat, "Alright, thank you, we will be going now."

Mith looked around for Ludus, finding him some ways away studying the division between the two regions. Mith walked up to him and studied the boundary with him.

"Orman said that he doesn't know how this works."

"That's a shock." Ludus said sarcastically.

"So what should we do then?" Mith asked, though she already had an answer.

"We should probably start on our journey, and get as far away from that guy as possible."

"That's exactly what I was thinking." Mith said, already walking away from the grass and the Bay Region. Ludus followed close behind.

"Bye bye, missy. Bye bye guy. Have a good trip to owhere." The man began to laugh loudly and uncontrollably. Mith and Ludus waved, but did not stop as they walked past him. Orman watched until he saw that they had completely gone, and then he lay face down in the sand once again, still shaking with laughter.

# Chapter 5: Progress Report

The salty sea breeze blew through the iron barred windows, then down into the large mess hall of the Parli jail. Sea birds could be heard flying around the high walls, squawking their disapproval of not finding the usual food set out for them by the jail's cooks. The noises added to the bleak appearance of the mess hall. All tables removed, the hall stood completely vacant. The walkway used for its aerial view of the hall, about half-way up the high brown walls, was strangely void of guards. Its metal railings, usually vibrating and clanging from hits by wooden rods, now stood completely still.

The stillness inside the hall would not last as a tall thin man walked in. The tall man's plain yellow tunic was replaced with a blue tunic that hung too short, just below his waist. Under the tunic he wore tight white cloth pants too small for him, ending below his knees. The man continued into the hall until he was directly in the center of the empty room. He stood in that spot for several minutes, before walking around the perimeter, looking in all directions, and occasionally stopping to kneel down and take in the view from the floor. As he did this, footsteps could be heard from the hall, before another man entered.

"Master Oldo." The man called from the threshold of the hall.

Oldo stood up and peered over to the man who wanted entrance. "Come in, Gyrd, I have been waiting patiently for your return." Oldo's voice was low, soft, almost soothing.

Gyrd jogged over to where Oldo was standing, his shoulder length black hair bounced behind him. Gyrd still wore his plain yellow prison uniform, sleeves rolled up, revealing crudely made tattoos that littered his arms, most having no actual design, just splotches and random shapes.

"I have news, sir." Gyrd said through dirty, and in some places, missing teeth.

"Were we successful?" Oldo asked.

Gyrd nodded his, eyes wide, his mouth curled into a rather distasteful grin. "Yes sir, my crew and I have taken the first rose. I was the one who actually removed it. The others were not in the region at the time, as you requested."

"Which region?"

"The Merchant."

Oldo nodded slowly, "And where is it?"

"My crew is currently taking it to the desired spot that you picked out for them." Gyrd answered, smiling wider now then ever.

Oldo continued to walk around the hall, once again looking around at the walls and at the floor. "What do you think? Do you think I should put the statues in here, create a museum for the future?"

"Uhh, sir, we did not bring back any statues." Gyrd whispered nervously.

Oldo spun around, his eyes suddenly hard; his mouth in a grimace, but still his voice remained soft. "I realize that, but I am planning to eventually bring some here. Do you think this is a good spot for them?"

"Oh, yes indeed sir, absolutely, sir."

"Stop saying 'sir'. I am not anybody's 'sir', alright?" Oldo said while continuing his walk around the big hall.

"Yes, s—I mean, yes."

Oldo walked completely around the hall, while Gyrd stood still near the back wall. Gyrd watched Oldo, wringing his hands nervously the entire time. Once finished, Oldo motioned for Gyrd to follow him to the entrance.

"Let's take a walk, Gyrd, I want to see somebody." Oldo declared as Gyrd now stood beside him.

"Yes, let us do that."

The two exited the mess hall into a large hallway covered by bricks. They ambled through the corridor side by side until they reached a wooden door about half-way down and to their left. They entered and started up a large metal staircase that twisted and wound its way up to the very top of the prison, eighteen stories above where they now stood on the ground floor. There were landings on each floor. The two recently escaped inmates exited the stairs on the seventeenth and final floor of cells. They marched down the black hall, peering into each of the metal barred cells, now all empty, until they made it to one in the middle of the seventeenth floor. This particular cell was not like the others on the floor. This one had a concrete door with a small metal rectangle at about eye level for Gyrd, below eye level for Oldo. Gyrd grabbed the handle and pulled at the metal slot until it was half-way open. From there Oldo reached inside and grabbed a handle that was just below the slot, and also grabbed a handle on the outside of the cell. He twisted them both upward, and the door slid open. The cell was entirely made of concrete; its walls were rough, concrete protruding awkwardly. There were no lights in the cell, and the man who currently rested on the hard, uneven floor, put his hands up to shield his eyes from the bright light that washed in. The man on the floor wore a yellow tunic much too big for him, his hair matted down, his face covered with sticky dry blood, he looked like a real inmate of that prison.

"Hello, Mr. Guard, how are you today." Oldo asked blissfully.

The man did not answer, but he did unveil his eyes to the light. Squinting he took a look at the two in the doorway.

"Talk, fool." Gyrd ran towards the guard in the cell, but Oldo caught him by the neck just in time and pulled him back out of the cell. Then he entered the cell himself and closed the door from the inside, leaving Gyrd to look in from the hall.

Oldo kneeled down beside the guard. "I have a question for you—well actually it's more of an offer for you." He paused to see the effect of what he said on the guards face, it had no effect, Oldo continued, "I want you to join our cause here, give up this idea of nobleness that you have and," Oldo picked up a metal dish that lay beside the guard, "we will give you food. How does that sound?"

The guard never looked up, "Convicts uprising in a jail, jailing the guards. It's never been done before. You probably even put the cooks in these." He pointed to the floor of the cell.

"Join us, once we get all the roses I'll let you go, even back to the island."

The guard still did not look up. "Convicts uprising in a jail, jailing the—"

Oldo brutally grabbed the man's throat, tilting the guard's head back till he was looking directly into his face. "If you do not join us you will . . . you will . . . die in here." Oldo was not accustomed to using the word 'die'.

The guard looked directly into Oldo's black eyes. "You will never get all the roses, they are too well hidden." He choked under Oldo's grasp.

"Really," Oldo tightened his grip on the guard's throat. "We already have one, and one coming soon."

The guard sputtered several times before he was able to speak, "Four out of five will not give you an empire, the last is hardest to find."

Oldo relaxed his grip, "I take that challenge."

"You will never convince criminals to join you."

"Won't I? Everyone knows those in here never get out. They have nothing to lose and so much to gain." He slammed the guards head against the floor and got up. Twisting one handle while Gyrd twisted the other, the door slid open and Oldo slipped out, slamming the door once on the other side. "I will return when I have all five." With that Oldo slammed the metal slot, leaving the guard in complete darkness once again.

# Chapter 6: Meeting Mitchum

"Are we ever going to get going, _to get anywhere_?" Ludus complained as he climbed over a large rock.

"Why do you choose to complain so much, Lu" Mith inquired, walking nearby Ludus with her head down, and her hands held on her head.

"Look at the time, we better find someplace to sleep or we will be caught out at night." Ludus looked up at the sun, which was now settling near the westward horizon directly in front of them.

"That's the whole point; I believe seeing the spirits when they come out tonight will help us, we can ask them where to go." Mith said excitedly.

"Wait a minute, is there any other reason that you want to see the spirits."

"What? No, I just want them to help us." Mith said shyly.

"I got it." Ludus announced sounding superior, sitting down on another rock he decided to scale. "You think your mom will be one of the spirits, don't you?"

"What? No . . . I . . . no." Mith looked away quickly.

Ludus jumped down from the rock, "Humph, whatever." He continued walking, deciding it best to drop the conversation. Mith walked with him, several yards away and behind.

As the sun began to set, the endless sand and rocks took a different look as the light changed and the shadows got longer. Mith and Ludus had to look at the ground the entire time, taking only swift glances up as the sun was directly in front of them. Mith saw several tents and shelters being erected far away on either side of them, wanting so badly to see her mother, she decided against asking any of them for help. The sun took a long time to sink below the horizon. While the minutes ticked by, Ludus complained loudly and frequently of a splitting headache caused by the sun's bright glow on his eyes, he usually was not the type of person to complain very much, but as this was his first time out of his element, he did so quite often.

Night came before long. Mith and Ludus stood completely still, staring around wildly in the darkness. Everything was different, they were different. Somehow in the moments after the sun completely fell behind the horizon and the night took over, Mith and Ludus had grown older. Not just minutes older, but years older. They did not see themselves anymore as two kids from Rerum, but as two young adults of Parli.

The stars sparkled cheerfully down to them from millions of miles away. Mith was astounded at the amount of stars in the sky. She craned her neck all the way back to see, and almost fell backward as she tried to see all the stars at once.

"Hey, Lu, Let's sit a minute." Mith spoke with awe, carefully, as if all the stars would hide upon hearing her.

"What?" Ludus nearly shouted. "You want to sit, we have to keep going, it's creepy out here, look at all the stars, there staring at us."

"Are you stupid, or just incredibly unintelligent?" Mith inquired hastily.

"Isn't that the same thing?"

"The universe is infinite. Don't you listen when Clarin instructs us?" Mith was getting rather annoyed. She decided to sit on the ground, knowing Ludus would have to sit since he did not want to travel on alone.

"I listen, most of the time. If she wasn't so boring I would be able to listen more." Ludus answered, he came and sat down next to Mith.

"She's not boring, she's actually very animated, it's hard to not want to listen and learn. Plus she's very kind, and generous, and—"

"Alright, I get you like Clarin, let us move on." Ludus interrupted.

Mith's face reddened, though Ludus could not tell in the dark. "Oh, right, I just get carried away when I get excited. Excited about the night, I mean. Not about Clarin."

"You do not have to apologize to me, Mith." Ludus shook from a cool breeze. "Wow, it's getting cold out, or did Clarin tell you that would happen too."

Mith at once started to defend herself, but suddenly realized that Ludus was just joking. "As a matter of fact she did, she told us that the Rough gets colder at night because of . . . of . . ., well I don't actually remember that part."

"That's cool, I don't either. I guess the only thing to do now is wait for the spirits."

"They should be out soon; I thought they would be out now." Mith looked over her shoulder hopefully, but found nothing there.

The two sat quietly on the sandy ground as the night grew longer. The air grew colder every minute, after ten Mith and Ludus began shaking, their teeth chattering. After twenty minutes their breath came from their mouths as great white clouds. At the same exact moment the two jumped up and began walking again. Huddling together they made their way blindly into the darkness. Unable to see the rocks protruding from the ground, they stumbled and even fell several times, but each time they got back up and continued on.

"I knew it was going to be cold, but I had no idea how cold it would get." Mith said, clouds expelling from her mouth with every word.

"Maybe they don't come out in the Rough, maybe their only in our region." Ludus offered.

Mith dismissed the idea, "No, they have to be here, Maows told me they'd be here."

"When did he say that? I never heard that." Ludus said. A huge gust of wind chilled them to the bone, they huddled closer. A terrible feeling joined the wind. The kids were now being pelted with grains of sand, and even small pebbles. The pain was immense; instinctively they tried to hide their faces, but could find nowhere to hide them.

"They will be here, I promise." The wind was blowing so strong Mith had to yell so Ludus could hear.

"Mith, we need to find shelter, we'll freeze out here if we don't." Ludus screamed at the top of his lungs, even then Mith could barely make out the words.

"I promised they would come."

"You promised? Who did you promise?"

Mith froze, literally and figuratively. Ludus stopped as well, he looked deep into Mith's eyes as best he could in the darkness, but could not make the connection; Mith was hard to read.

"I promised myself that I would see her again. I promised myself I would see my mother again." Warm tears fell from her eyes, only to be blown off her face.

Ludus tried to understand what Mith was going through; he tried so hard to feel her sadness. It did not work, though for the first time in his life, he found the words to say to somebody that was saddened.

"You will see your mother again one day, I promise _you_ that. But for right now we have to keep moving."

"Are you sure? Are you absolutely positive?" Tears continued to pour, now more than ever.

Ludus tried to grin through the brutal wind, only able to find a strange grimace. "Positive." He affirmed.

Finding the cold wind too hard to bear, he held Mith tightly, and continued to walk onward. She in turn held him tightly, and together they inched their way into the darkness and towards the hope of warmth. They found strength in each other, they moved as one. Heads held down, hair whipping in all directions, they continued. Footsteps vanished into the night, all heat gone from the world, they continued.

More than once they found terrible thoughts in their minds that had been so carefully trained to never think of such things. Now suspecting the worst, Mith looked up into the wind, at once she gasped.

"Ludus, Ludus, look up ahead." Mith shook Ludus with what strength she had left.

Ludus looked ahead too, and also gasped. For up ahead a glow could be seen, hanging in the air. Blocked for the most part by what was assumed to be a rock. Numb or not, they ran directly for the glow, somehow avoiding every rock as they did so. Within seconds they came around the giant rock, only to find another rock in their way. Continuing around the rock an opening appeared in a crack before yet another rock began. They squeezed inside and fell straight to the ground. Warmth radiated around the two freezing and worn bodies, all but sending the bitter cold into a memory.

Mith was first to look around the small structure. She first spotted the warm; friendly brown walls alit from a fire's natural glow. Then she spotted the fire, only feet from where her head lay, it crackled and popped majestically. Then, last of all, she spotted a strange man sitting near the fire; he too was only feet away. A look of complete surprise was held fervently on his face as a crudely shaped wooden spoon dangled half out of his wide open mouth. In his hands he held a wooden bowl, constructed much better than the spoon. The man wore brown trousers and a brown shirt, though it appeared to Mith that the shirt must have originally been white. The surprised man also wore a pair of black shoes, made from a material Mith was not accustomed to. Sitting with legs crossed, the man stared back at Mith, the spoon finally falling from his mouth, landing with a splash into the bowl.

Mith got to her knees, straightening the folds of her dress. Moving on her knees, she got closer to the fire and put her hands out to warm them. Ludus got up as well, staring at the strange man nervously.

Mith was first to speak, "Excuse our entrance, sir, may we stay here for a while?" Her body continued to ache from the cold and sting from the sand.

The man stared at the two intruders with uncertain eyes, watching intently as Ludus inched nearer to the fire. "Pretty nasty out there, huh?" The man said.

"Yes sir." Mith answered.

"Yeah, sure is." The man whispered, more to himself than to anyone else. He carefully slid one of his hands (the one not holding the bowl) through his short, dirty, dark brown hair. His eyes stared wide, as if transfixed on Ludus, who tried hard not to look away.

"Say, what's your name, Skippy?" The man asked of Ludus.

"Ludus." He answered.

"Nice to meet ya Skippy, and. . . uh. . . what's your name miss."

"Mith, sir."

"Ah, Skippy and Mithsir, it's nice to meet you both."

Mith laughed uneasily, "No, no, it's Ludus and Mith."

"Alright then, Mithsir, I promise to get it right next time." The man smiled kindly.

"Why don't you give us your name?" Ludus inquired.

"If I give you my name, you might find me later, and I don't want that. Just call me Mitchum. Or if that does not suit you, call me Mr. Quinn."

"Then it's nice to meet you Mitchum Quinn." Mith said, nudging Ludus to say the same, he did not.

Mitchum scoffed sarcastically, "These are not exactly the greatest of circumstances to meet someone, if you do not mind me saying Mithsir, but I agree that meeting you is the highlight of my night. Well, just above me finding wood to do this." He pointed to the fire crackling before them. Mitchum put down his bowl, clapping his hands together. "So, why would two Bay Region kiddies be running around out here unsupervised? It can't be that they remain so obtuse in those towns, still putting youngish people at risk of dying in the great big Rough, eh?"

Ludus looked up quickly, "How did you know we were from the Bay Region?"

"Why, it's written all over your face Skippy, quite literally to be honest."

Mith and Ludus looked at each other uncertainly, then back at Mitchum. "All over our faces, what does that mean?" They asked together.

Mitchum sighed loudly, straightening his legs out in front of him. "My goodness, they do not teach you anything do they?" The strange man waited for a response, but none came. "It's your hair, kiddies. It's your eyes. It's your clothes. Do you understand now?"

Once again Mith and Ludus looked at each other in confusion, then back at Mitchum. Not wanting to sound unintelligent they waited for him to tell them what he meant, instead of them asking. Mitchum Quinn picked up his bowl, pulled his spoon out, and went back to eating whatever was inside. After a long time of this he put the bowl back on the ground and continued to talk.

"Listen, kiddies, I am not here to be the teacher you never had, but I will give you one lesson." He paused to build up tension, and then continued. "Those from the Bay Region all have one thing in common; they have blue eyes, blonde hair, and wear ridiculous clothes."

Ludus looked immediately at Mitchum's shirt, "It's not as ridiculous as what you're wearing."

"Wait a minute," Mith cut in. "My father's not from the Bay region, yet I still have blonde hair and blue eyes even though he has brown hair. How do you explain that, Mr. Quinn?"

Mitchum rubbed his chin, and then responded, "I would ask you if your mother was from the Bay, but it doesn't matter. As long as you were born in the region you will have blonde hair and blue eyes. Genetics has no effect on those traits on this island."

"My mother was from the Bay, I did not even consider that." Mith whispered dolorously "My father is one of the few at home with brown hair". She laid her back on the wall of stone behind her. "Hey." She suddenly yelled out. "Where are the spirits at? You know the ones that should be here, guiding us." The words could not come out of her mouth quickly enough.

Mitchum's face grew stern for the first time, "I'm sorry Mith, but there are no spirits."

Mith's heart sank, her hands shook slightly as she tried to fight back tears. She looked to Ludus, who suddenly seemed interested in watching the fire. "No, they're supposed to be here. Everyone told us they'd be here. Where are they?"

"You both are from Rerum?" Ludus nodded silently, still looking into the fire. "I see. I'm sorry, Mith, but . . . they lied to you. I cannot say why they tell those stories; it only leads to disappointment, especially if. . ." He looked to Ludus, "A relative?" Mitchum whispered, almost without sound. Without looking away from the fire, Ludus nodded.

"They would not lie to us." Mith chocked through teary eyes. She turned her body to face the wall.

All was silent for a while. Mitchum could not find the words to consol Mith. He finished his bowl of odd liquid quietly, occasionally looking from one Rerumese to the other, then back to his bowl. He could not see Mith's face, but he could see her body shaking while she cried. Ludus did nothing but face the fire, his eyes closed and his mouth in a frown. Then, Mitchum thought of something.

"I know." He cried happily, "Have you eaten yet, because I have food." Ludus opened his eyes and looked for the food, but found nothing. "No, no, it's right here." Mitchum pulled a large stone bowl out from behind the fire. "Its soup, I made it shortly before you arrived. Do you want some?"

"Absolutely, I am starving; we have not eaten anything in forever." Ludus looked to Mith; she had not reacted to hearing of food. "Mith." Ludus whispered, inching closer to her. She did not answer, Ludus decided to leave her alone. He walked around the fire and sat in front of the bowl. Inside was a green liquid with lumps of some kind bobbing at the surface.

Mitchum saw the disgust on Ludus's face, "don't worry, they're potatoes, I picked them up in Merchant Square this morning. I do not have anything but this spoon to eat it with."

"That's alright; I can just drink it out of the bowl, if that's alright with you, Mr. Quinn."

"I do not mind, but save some for her." he pointed to Mith, though since she was the only 'her' it was obvious for Ludus who he meant.

Ludus drank half of the soup out of the bowl, and then put the bowl near Mith.

"Can I ask you a series of questions Mr. Quinn?"

"I suppose Skippy, but nothing about my past."

"Were you born here? Not to seem rude, but you are very different than the first person we met out here."

"That is about my past Skippy, but I will answer it anyway." Mitchum sighed deeply. "I was born in the Forest Region; do you know where that is?"

Ludus contemplated for a minute before responding, "I believe it's on the other side of the Bay Region, to the Northeast, right?"

Mitchum nodded, "That's absolutely right. Anyway, I grew up there; it was a wonderful place to live." He looked up at the stars that hung in the air. Watching them he continued, "I moved away when I was nineteen, everyone was pressuring me to do something with my life, wanting me to be some great person just because I had what they called 'potential'." He laughed, "Potential, everyone has that, not just me. They just wanted to control me, that's what it was. Everyone there wanting things from me, to help them, to teach them, I didn't want any of that, so I left."

"Did you ever go back?" Ludus asked.

"No, still haven't."

"I'll bet they miss you."

"Ha, like they would."

"You can't just leave and never go back, your family's there."

"They drove me away, why would they want me back?"

"Because they are still your family, they still love you."

Mitchum looked at Ludus morosely, "Just because you grew up like that does not mean everyone has."

Ludus had no response, so instead he changed the subject. "Where did you go after that?"

"I enrolled in the guard school on the edge of the region, near the palace, which is a region in itself. If you do not know, that is where the king and queen live. I finished up school there and became a full guard, protecting the palace from the forces of evil." Mitchum was becoming exceedingly nostalgic as he reminisced. "In addition the palace still has full magic so it was quite fun."

"The palace has what?" inquired Ludus, who was now very interested.

"I am very glad to hear that Rerum hasn't changed much, still refusing to teach anything important." He said sarcastically.

"What magic are you talking about?"

"Do you know what all the regions are?" Mitchum asked, completely ignoring the question.

"Yes, there's the Rough, the Bay, the Forest, the Mountain, the Merchant, and the Royal." Ludus counted off on his fingers to make sure he got them all.

"Good."

Ludus waited for Mitchum to continue, but he did not. "Is that it, aren't you going to tell me about the magic?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"It is very late, it would be a good idea to get some sleep, so as to start early; I need to get you two to the Merchant Region."

"You're going to help us?" Ludus asked in disbelief.

"Yes I am; it's clear to me that you need to learn a little more about this world before you go back to your lives in Rerum."

Ludus was about to tell Mitchum that they were supposed to complete the journey on their own, but he did not. At the moment he was mad at Maows and at all of Rerum for telling them lies all their lives. So he decided that having a guide would be just enough to get back at them.

Mitchum gave them his mat, Ludus put that near Mith, hoping she would take it. After waiting for several minutes to see if Mith would take either the mat or the soup, Ludus curled up on the ground and went to sleep. Mitchum waited several hours more, until the fire died, and then went to sleep. The small structure got cold very fast, but by that time it was near daybreak. Mith and Ludus lasted through their first night.

#  Chapter 7: The Rough Dogs

The night had not been so bad, even after the enclosure became cold. Ludus went straight to sleep; he had been very tired and needed rest. During the night he had a very strange dream. In the dream he and Mith had arrived back in Rerum, though Mitchum was not there. Everything was different than it had been when they had left. The town was so small, and Mith and Ludus were giants. They walked around the town trying not to step on anyone, which was very hard. Soon they found Maows and the other elders on the beach, pushing a small wooden boat into the water, the same kind of boat that the fishermen used. Mith and Ludus kneeled down and asked the elders why they were leaving, but the two giants could not understand the answer, for some reason the elders were now speaking a different language. The giant Mith and Ludus asked over and over again, but it was to no avail. The elders got in the boat and appeared to be heading straight to the giant black rock in the bay. They watched the elders as they rode in the boat the entire way. Once they got there the giant black rock began to move, lifting out of the water, revealing that the rock was just a big hat. This giant was many times the size of Mith and Ludus, he had a sinister appearance. His eyes were cold and dark, he wore an everlasting frown. The giant rose until he was over one hundred feet out of the water, and still his legs were submerged. Then, before Mith and Ludus could react, for it was clear that they were the only ones who could stop him since they were also giants, the huge man lifted his left arm, and brought it down with a crash right on the small boat coming toward him. The elders had been crushed. The smaller giants tried to scream but only a muffled sigh came from their mouths. They watched unable to move, as the bigger giant came closer. He took huge steps through the water as he came nearer and nearer, Mith and Ludus could not move; they seemed to be frozen. Within seconds the man was in front of them. He raised both his arms up, one over Mith and one over Ludus. His arms came down with a crash.

Ludus jolted awake. He was sitting up on the sandy earth, which was very warm under the midday sun. He looked up and had to shield his eyes, the sun was directly over the enclosure. Blinking several times, he looked around to see where everyone was. Mith sat beside him, only a few feet away, she had the wooden bowl in one hand and the spoon in the other, and she was staring at Ludus, concerned. Mitchum sat across the way, on the other side from where the fire had been the night before, he looked as if he were trying to get away, but was stopped by the stone wall. He picked up a big stick that he used for walking, and looked at Ludus as if he were completely insane.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Was I screaming or something?" Ludus asked. Mitchum shook his head. "Then why are you looking at me like that?"

Mitchum shrugged his shoulders, putting down the walking stick. "I look at everyone like that."

"Are you alright? You looked scared when you awoke." Mith seemed to look right past Ludus as she spoke.

"I'm fine. How are you doing, feeling better?"

Mith did not answer; she acted as if she had not even heard the question. She continued to eat what was in the bowl.

"What is that?" Ludus nodded toward the bowl in Mith's hand.

"Mitchum made it. What is it again?"

Mitchum smiled tensely, "Uhh, you may not want to know."

Mith shrugged and continued eating. Ludus moved closer to see what was inside. It was some sort of yellow liquid with what looked like dark brown dumplings floating in it. Ludus got even closer and smelled the food. It smelled great, like spring flowers. Ludus's eyes widened in surprise and smelled again. The aroma massaged his brain, his muscles loosened and he almost fell over.

"Wow, that smells good, you got any more?" His voice seemed to go through a tunnel just to get to his own ears.

Mitchum sat uneasily in the corner, "It looks like you got the full effect of the lalushah, huh?"

Ludus's head fell strangely to the left, "The what?" He sighed dreamily, as if becoming infatuated at the smell of the food.

"Yeah, well, I figured you kids might be hungry when you woke up, so I made breakfast with what I had, and. . . well . . . just don't tell your parents."

Mith looked into the bowl, swirling the contents with the spoon, "Mitchum, what is this? I think I should know since I have been eating it."

Mitchum picked up a brown bag that sat beside him. The bag was made of a type of fiber popular in the Merchant Region, derived from a common plant there. It had a large strap attached to it so the carrier could sling the bag around their shoulder. Mith had not noticed the bag the night before, and immediately assumed it was behind Mitchum the whole time. Mitchum sorted through the bag, taking things out, examining them, then setting them on the ground.

"This here is a special type of onion." Mitchum explained as he looked over the onion in his hand, it had a yellow skin. Neither Ludus nor Mith had ever seen an onion like it. "It is only supposed to be eaten raw, because when cooked it unleashes a vast array of strange," he looked to Ludus who was looking back at him with wide unfocused eyes, saliva flowing down his chin, "and powerful fumes that can cause . . . well . . . that."

"Leafy Brain." Ludus suddenly shouted.

Mith jumped, looking at Ludus angrily. "How come I am not like that?"

Mitchum thought for a second, "I guess you have to smell it like he did, all up in its face and all."

"Is it going to wear off?" Mith asked hopefully.

"Immy Mcimmy." Ludus yelled, and then broke out into laughter.

"It should be over soon, just ignore him until it is." Mitchum picked out a ball of dough from his bag. "This is what else is in there, this and water. The onion is what makes it yellow, I think."

"You think? You're not sure whether or not the onion makes it yellow?"

"Bottom healer."

"I hope so, I did not put anything else in – wait a minute, and here it is." Mitchum pulled a small blue leaf out of the bag, it looked as if it had been in there a while. "This leaf is what will help young Skippy. Ya see, this leaf is grown in only one garden on the entire island, and that garden is in the courtyard of the palace." Mitchum stopped to let his knowledge filter into Mith's brain.

Mith walked over and took the leaf from Mitchum and smelled it, then gave it back. "Why is it blue? I have never seen a blue leaf."

"They don't have any in the Bay Region."

"Yippy Yoddy."

"We need to work fast." Mith helped Mitchum to his feet, and then pushed him towards Ludus.

Mitchum dropped to his knees directly in front of Ludus, bringing the leaf up to his eye level. "I need you to eat this Skippy, it will help you." He made sure to speak slowly.

"Darking Flops."

"That's it." Mith snatched the leaf from Mitchum's hand and shoved it into Ludus's gaping mouth. After several minutes of chewing it, he came back to reality. His eyes refocused and he closed his mouth. Even after that it still took a minute for Ludus to figure out what was going on.

"Whoa, what happened?" Ludus rubbed his eyes and wiped the saliva off of his chin and neck.

"That is what happens when you smell things you shouldn't." Mitchum said with a fake disappointment in his voice. "So, you ready to go now? The day is only so long, and I do not feel like getting buffed by a sandstorm tonight."

With that Mitchum grabbed his bag, threw it over his shoulder and put a wide brimmed hat on. He then picked up his walking stick, and headed for the exit. It was a tight fit but Mitchum managed to squeeze through the small opening that he made in the rocks. Mith and Ludus walked right through the opening. The three stepped out into the desert and took a look around. Just as the night before there was nothing in sight. The sea of brown sand and the occasional rock poking out of the ground went on as far as the eye could see. The wind blew softly through the land.

Mitchum led the way away from the enclosure in the same direction that Mith and Ludus had been traveling before they found shelter. Mith walked on one side as Ludus walked on the other. Now walking next to him, Ludus was very surprised to see how tall Mitchum really was. Ludus, and Mith who was the same height as Ludus, only came up to Mitchum's elbows.

The group walked on through the desert for some time without incident. Walking on the sand was hard for Mith and Ludus. They seldom walked on sand in Rerum, only doing so when they went to the water's edge. Having to walk on it for miles really strained their legs. In addition to that, the sand was very hot. Their tan moccasins and boots, made with leather from indigenous deer, absorbed some of the heat which burned their feet. Even with this they continued without complaining, even Ludus, who was now all for complaining when things got rough.

They walked on, thinking to themselves of the wondrous events that would happen when they returned. One year, when the fourteen year olds returned from their journey, the town had a huge party and invited everyone. Of course that was the first journey where more than ten kids went, and all came back. But it was still a great party. The food was great, the entertainment (a hastily made up band of the parents of those who returned) was also great, even the weather was great.

On another occasion the town came together for the return of the soon to be grownups. Except that time there were eight, and they all came back with presents from the Merchant Region, though Mith and Ludus did not know at the time where the presents came from. Maows and the other elders threw them a party, and again the whole town was invited. Maows even invited some people from a nearby town called Tuppon. It was the first time the younger kids, including Mith and Ludus, had seen people from other towns, save for the occasional traveling salesman who at once would have been sent away by Maows.

Mith had never understood why Maows would never let anybody into the town. It seemed rude to her, the elders always preached about being nice to others, always treating them with respect, yet, as it seemed to Mith, the niceties ended at the boundary of the town. She could now understand suspending beliefs when it came to the Westward boundary of Rerum, where the town connected to the Rough Region. Mith thought about this for a while longer before deciding to ask Mitchum about it.

"Mitchum?"

"Huh." He grumbled upon hearing his name.

"I was just wondering something." Mith said, more to the ground then to Mitchum.

"What is it?"

"Have you ever been to Rerum? I mean, the way you were talking about it made it sound like you had." She asked, not sure if it was a stupid question or not.

"Yeah, I've been there, a long time ago."

"Really, I thought you lived in the Forest Region."

"I told you already, I moved away from the Forest, moved to the palace. It is when I left the palace that I bumped into your little town, before that I knew it from reputation only." Mitchum sounded as if he would rather talk of anything then when he went in Rerum.

"No, what you said was that you enrolled in the guard school after you left the forest."

Mitchum finally looked down at Mith; she was looking back with a great intensity in her eyes. He then looked to Ludus, who was listening eagerly. "I did not know you were listening last night."

"I heard the whole thing." Mith said, indignant that Mitchum should doubt her listening skills.

Mitchum rubbed his temples, sighing. "I suppose I should tell you this story then, huh." The kids nodded. "When I left the palace I traveled a while through the Bay Region, hoping I could find a place to live there, since everyone knows it is a rather good region to get settled in, if you can please the townsfolk. After trying several towns, and not liking any of them, I found Rerum. It was a nice place, small, right on the bay. I praised my good fortune and immediately tried to find out who was in charge. Unfortunately for me, I arrived at night and there was nobody around, so I started knocking on doors. Nobody answered of course so I slept on the ground for the night. When I awoke I was tied to a chair in a hut, which I would later find out is the elder's home." Mitchum suddenly stopped walking. "Is the mouse man still the head elder in Rerum?"

Mith looked to Ludus, they both laughed. "You mean Maows, and yes he is still the head elder."

"Alright, good, so you know who I am talking about." They continued walking, "Anyway he was something else, very mean, that guy. He started asking me a whole bunch of questions and wondering why I was there and all. I told him I was trying to find someplace to live, and do you know what he did, he left me there, tied to that chair."

"Wait a minute, here." Mith interrupted, "That doesn't sound like Maows, he would never tie someone to a chair; he protects us.

"Exactly, he protects you from foreigners. He loves anyone who already lives there; he just hates everyone who does not. Anyhow, I was a captive there for over a week, and some other elder, a really mean looking one, only gave me bread to eat."

Ludus nodded, "That's Allard, he is a real meany."

"Yes, well, I ended up being saved by some nice man. One night some strange man crept into the elder home and saved me. I was very surprised seeing him out at night, especially after Maows had told me that nobody in that town goes out at night. But nonetheless the man saved me; he brought me to the edge of town and told me I would have better luck in the Merchant Region. But after I got here, I realized I liked it here better."

Ludus looked to him in disbelief, "You liked it here better than the Merchant Region? How bad is that place?"

Mitchum laughed, "It is not that bad, I just like being alone."

"Did that man give you his name, the one that saved you?" Mith asked.

Mr. Quinn scratched his chin, "I do not recall, but I believe it started with an 'H'."

"Hardel?"

"That's it."

"That's my dad." Mith almost shouted with excitement, "That's great; I knew he would do something like that. But wait, how long ago was that?"

"About seven years ago."

"We were little." Ludus said quietly.

"Skippy, you're little now." Mitchum joked as he wiped sweat from his forehead. Mith laughed, though Ludus was not amused.

"I was scared, then. If it weren't for your dad Mith, I may have been sent to the jail or something."

"The what?" Ludus chimed in.

Mitchum stopped again, a look of fear on his face.

"The what?" Ludus repeated.

"SHHHH." Mitchum waived his hand wildly to get Ludus quiet.

"What is it?" Mith whispered.

"A Rough Dog." Mitchum whispered back.

"A what?" Ludus asked loudly, looking for the dog.

"Shut up."He then pointed directly in front of them. There, only fifty yards away, stood a large, skinny dog with a light brown coat. The kids had almost not seen it; its hair looked surprisingly like the sand. The dog stood completely still, watching the travelers intently.

"This is called a Rough Dog. It is one of the only animals that live in this region."

"What do they eat?" Mith asked, not seeing anything in sight that was edible.

"Travelers."

Ludus began to shake with fear, "They would not send us out here if it were dangerous. They would not do it."

"Look at how he watches us. He would have attacked by now, but there is only one of him and three of us."

"Mitchum." Mith tugged on his shirt.

"They hate being outnumbered, so they work in packs."

"Mitchum."

"Usually one will stand and try to look innocent while others form a circle around the prey, once the circle is complete, they attack."

"Mr. Quinn!" Mith shouted finally. Mitchum looked to her. Her head was on a swivel, looking in all directions with innate fear. Mitchum also looked. Dogs were appearing in all directions, closing in.

"There's the circle." Mitchum said, clutching his walking stick closely to his chest. "On the count of three we run. One –" Ludus took off, running straight for the one area (a little to the right) that the dogs had not yet closed off. Mitchum sprinted after him, Mith behind him.

Immediately the dogs sprang into action. They closed in on all sides, as fast as their skinny legs could carry them. Ludus was a fast runner, and managed to get out of the circle unharmed, with only one dog chasing him. All the others went for the main prize, two is better than one, the dogs closed in on Mith and Mitchum.

"What do we do?" Mith shouted, trying keep up with Mitchum.

"This." Mitchum swung the walking stick and took out three dogs that had leapt at them from the front. The dogs hit the ground hard, still more came, faster now than ever. Mith and Mitchum ran straight as fast as they could, but it was not fast enough, the dogs closed the gap fast.

"Stick." Mith shouted.

Mitchum threw it to her, just in time. She caught it and spun around. A dog jumped at her, its mouth hitting wood, not flesh. Mith pounded the stick into the ground, there was a crack, the dog immediately let go, its mouth bleeding. The dogs had separated into two groups, one group going after Mith, the other group going after Mitchum, with one still after Ludus, who ran in zigzags, too fast for it.

"Hey." Mitchum shouted. Mith threw the stick back to him. He had been cornered by three dogs. Upon catching the stick, he swung it down, onto the back of one dog, then around to hit the other two. But still more were coming after him. He looked to Mith and saw two were leaping at her at once.

Mitchum threw the stick, knocking one out of the air just as Mith dodged the other. She picked up the stick, waited for the dog to pounce, then came down with a devastating blow. A loud thud came as the stick made contact with the dogs head. The other dogs that were after her now ran toward Mitchum, knowing that he did not have the stick.

Mith ran to help Mitchum. A dog, which had been thought down and out, reached its head up and bit down on Mith's dress, only inches away from her leg. Mith screamed, though nobody could help her. The Rough Dog, who had been hit hard on its back, could not get up. It dragged Mith to the ground, and towards it. She picked up the stick, which she had dropped when she fell to the ground, and started bashing away at the dogs head, the dog did not let go of the dress. The dog finally tore a piece of the dress away, now putting its mouth around Mith's leg. Just before it sank its teeth into her flesh, Mith kicked the dog as hard as she could in its throat, then came down with one more hit from the stick. The dog's head hit the ground. Mith sat in shock for only a moment, before remembering Mitchum was still in trouble.

Mith picked herself up off the ground and looked around for Mitchum. Her heart was beating fast. She had become disoriented from the fight; it took a moment for her to find him. He was some twenty yards away, five dogs all around him, poised for attack. They snarled and barked threateningly, taking small steps toward Mitchum, taking away any way of escape. Mith walked toward the scene slowly, afraid any sudden moves would make the dogs attack. She raised the stick as she neared; the dogs had not seen her coming.

At once the dogs leapt at Mitchum. He grabbed one by the throat as Mith knocked one away with the stick. The other three landed on his back and knocked him to the ground. Everything was chaos. Sand was being tossed all around as Mith came down with the stick on everything that moved, knowing there was only a twenty-five percent chance that she might accidentally hit Mitchum. One dog was thrown from the mess, then another, and then another, until it was just Mitchum lying on the ground, still Mith attacked with the stick.

"Stop hitting me!" Mitchum shouted. Mith finally realized what she was doing and stopped.

"Where's Ludus?" They both looked around, squinting in the sun, and then spotted him. He was standing with his back against a large rock; a Rough Dog steadied itself only feet away.

"Ludus, catch." Mitchum took the stick from Mith and threw it to Ludus. Ludus put his hands out, but the stick bounced off and hit the ground. The dog looked quickly at the stick, then back at Ludus. Ludus dove to the stick, the dog jumped. Young Mr. Tinn closed his eyes and waited for the pain, though it never came. He opened his eyes to see Mitchum on the ground wrestling with the dog. He had his hands around its throat, tightening his grip until the dog was unconscious. The dogs that were not lying on the ground fled, they knew it was a useless fight.

Mitchum sat up, breathing hard. Mith came over and sat between the two of them. She examined the tear in her dress. It was not as bad as she had originally thought, but she did not like the idea of walking around the Merchant Region with a bite taken out of her dress. She looked around at the dogs that littered the ground. One by one they got up and walked away. None came near Mitchum, they were still afraid of what he would do to them. Ludus looked down at his hands sadly, then to the stick on the ground. He could not believe that he missed the catch.

"That was fun." Mitchum said while getting to his feet. He wiped sweat off his forehead with his sleeve and re-adjusted his hat. He reached into his bag and pulled out a brown jug filled with water. The water was passed around, and then put back in the bag. Mitchum picked up the stick, wiped some sand off. "We ready?"

Mith got up and stood beside Mitchum. She looked back to Ludus, who still sat on the ground. He got up after a while, and without saying a thing, followed behind Mitchum and Mith toward the Merchant Region. The rest of the day passed without external problems. Though internally there were problems all around.

Mith walked quickly alongside Mitchum. Feeling light headed and overheated, and having a terrible headache from the sun which was starting its descent, she felt worse than she had in a while. The shocking truth still resonated in her head. The thought of never seeing her mother again drove stakes right through her soul. All her life she had the notion that if ever someone she cared about died, she would always be able to see them again at night, when the spirits roamed the land. There was now emptiness in young Mith, and with every step it grew larger, engulfing her hopes and dreams of what she wanted to do once home. Now the only thing that mattered was walking, continuing onward no matter what the cost. The sand continued on as far as she dared look, but that was alright with her now. She did not have anything else to keep her going except for the sand under her feet. Her mind was now set, she would continue walking until the sand run out. Then once it did, she would find a new ground to walk on until that one ran out, and so on until she was back at home, walking on the pink sand and the green grass, with her father.

Ludus walked behind, he too was caught up in his own thoughts. He stared in a numb disbelief at his own hands _. How did I miss that catch?_ He quickly imagined what would have happened if Mitchum had not jumped in. He pictured himself being torn apart while Mith looked on, terrified. He had seen death before, knew of its power. Once while at the beach he had seen a crab being attacked by a sea bird. The poor crab fought valiantly before succumbing to the more valiant bird. He remembered the crabs last moments very clearly. The bird threw its beak down into the crabs shell. It could do nothing, and within only seconds the crab was motionless, dead. Ludus was with his father that day. Mr. Tinn told his son to not be scared, for he was witnessing the continued life of one over another. Ludus was scared then, and still was, of going suddenly motionless. Ludus continued to think, and stare at his gloved hands. Finally he took the gloves off and threw them on the sand out of rage.

Mitchum walked in front, beside Mith. He pulled his wide brimmed hat down to block the sun. He thought of the past as he looked to the kids he was now helping. He also thought of what might have happened to Ludus had he not been there to help. He then thought about Rerum, Mitchum now hated Rerum with a passion almost unknown to him. He considered Rerum a place of fools who treated children as if they were inferior and lacked the ability to learn and process the true horror of life. And life in Parli was much better than it was in . . . well. . . Mitchum did not know enough of anywhere else to finish the thought.

These type thoughts continued on through the day. Nobody talked; all were too consumed in his or her own head. Then, after hours of walking, with sore legs and aching backs, they came to a small wooden sign. It was more of a block of wood than an ordinary sign. It sat on a wooden pole that was stuck in the sand. The words were carved into the sign, and then brushed over with white paint. It appeared to be very old, for it was no longer a square board with words, but more of an oval board battered from centuries of sand storms. The sign read: _Here is the end of the Great Valley-Marsh_.

Mith looked around with doubt, "Valley-Marsh it says, people here are certainly optimistic."

Ludus looked beyond the sign, about three feet after the sign the sand suddenly stopped, after that grass took its place. Relieved to see the grass he ran ahead and sat down on the grass with his feet in the sand. Mith joined him.

"Wait." Mitchum suddenly shouted. Both Mith and Ludus looked up in shock.

"What is it? We made it, we are here." Mith said, shaken slightly from Mitchum's scream.

"Something is not right." Mitchum looked wildly around as he said this.

"What could not be right? If anything is not right its how the people there," Ludus was referring to the fact that he was now in a different region, "think that they live in a valley and a marsh." Both he and Mith began laughing.

"Stop it." Mitchum snapped, "This is not right."

"What is not right?" Ludus repeated.

"First off, Valley-Marsh is the old name for the region, I'll tell you about that later." His voice showed proof that he really did not want to tell them about it later. "And secondly, don't you two remember when you entered the Rough that your region vanished behind you?"

"I do remember that." Ludus announced, proud of himself for remembering, "We asked someone how it worked but he did not know."

"It's magic." Mitchum whispered.

Mith considered asking Mitchum what he meant by magic again, but decided not to.

"The magic is gone."

Hearing the sadness in Mitchum's voice as he spoke, the kids became serious at once.

"Mr. Quinn, we cannot possibly know what you are talking about unless you tell us." Mith said apologetically.

"Yes, yes, I know, I'm sorry. It is just that . . . never you mind." His face suddenly changed, a smile appeared. "Let us continue, that way you might make it home by morning if you hurry."

Ludus jumped to his feet. "Now we're talking, Mitch, let's go."

Mith looked sadly at Mitchum; she could tell he was hiding something. Though not wanting to start an argument she got to her feet and followed. As they walked through the grass, which did feel good compared to the sand, she kept her eyes fixed on Mitchum. He did not notice her gaze, keeping a look of confusion and dread on his face.

The Merchant Region was different, though not as different as Ludus and Mith had hoped. The sun's intense rays did not dissipate as they walked farther in, the heat did not either. The only difference that could be seen was the ground. The green grass felt much better under their feet, though it did look as if it had not seen water in a while. Mith wondered how the grass had survived with such strong heat. All her life she had heard stories, or rumors of the place fourteen year olds went to. The stories were told from other small children who overheard their parents or older siblings, so Mith was not sure how much of it to believe. Even so, most of the stories had one thing in common, and that was the weather in the region. It was said to be very similar to that of the Bay Region, which did not make sense to Mith now. Had all the stories been false, just so the smaller citizens of Rerum believed them? Then again, did anybody know the children were listening? And finally, could Mith believe anything she heard from anybody in Rerum? They seemed to lie about other things, why not about everything? Mith continued this negative train of thought for as long as it took them to arrive at the entrance of the first town.

# Chapter 8: The Secret Wonders of Parli

At first just wood board rooftops were visible behind a large hill. As the travelers scaled the hill, more and more of the buildings became visible until the ground was seen. The travelers now stood only yards away from a wooden fence that surrounded the small town. The buildings were on average only one story, with only several two, and one three. The entirety of the town was made of wood, from the buildings themselves, to the road connecting them. The travelers now were at an entrance to the town, standing still, listening intently. For there were no sounds inside the town called Brickem, named for what the town sold, not for the structures which were clearly not made of brick. Neither person nor animal was seen in the streets, or heard from the houses. The absolute silence pushed even more fear into the mind of the tall guide. He slowly stepped onto the wooden street. The boards creaked eerily in the desolate town. Mitchum cautioned the other two with him to not follow. Continuing his slow tread, the tall man set off to the first house on the left. He approached a window cut into the wood, and peered inside.

It was a small room that he looked into, a kitchen. A table sat directly on the other side of the wall, several chairs around it. On the opposite wall was a small kettle, and under the kettle lay sticks that showed evidence of having been previously lit by flames. Mitchum began wondering why someone would start a fire inside of a house made entirely of wood. But just before the thought progressed in his mind, a shiver of fear flew down his body, for in one corner of the small kitchen, halfway through a doorway to another room, stood a man. He was staring steadfastly at Mitchum with a strange smile of satisfaction.

"Excuse me sir, but I was just wondering why –" He froze midsentence, abruptly realizing a horrible truth. The man in the house, standing in the doorway looking directly at Mitchum, was not moving a muscle. He could have been easily confused with a statue, though he looked too real. Mitchum quickly looked back at the children, who still stood just inside the town. They gazed back, wonder illustrated their faces. Mitchum swiftly looked back to the man in the house. Deciding quickly what to do, he jumped through the window and onto the wooden table. He jumped down from the table and advanced straight for the man in the doorway. Outside he could hear the creaking of boards and looked back to see both Mith and Ludus at the window.

"Go back." Mitchum pleaded, standing in front of the statue like man, hoping they would not see him.

"What's wrong with him?" Ludus almost shouted as he realized what Mitchum was hiding. Deciding it useless to keep them in the dark, Mitchum moved away from the man, and helped the kids in through the window,

"I have a hunch, but I plead it is not so."

Mr. Quinn immediately attempted to unravel the mystery himself, while the kids seated themselves at the table, watching fixedly. He began by feeling for a pulse. There was one, extremely slow, but it was there. Next he tried to wake the man up by calling to him, and then softly hitting him, this did not work. All out of ideas, Mitchum turned hopelessly to the kids.

"I would check the rest of the town, but I am certain it is more of the same." He bit his lip. "How could this have happened? I was certain it could not."

Ludus threw his hands up in the air, "What in all of Parli are you talking about? You have not told us anything. And you talk of Rerum being secretive."

Mitchum waved his hand for Ludus to stop, "I know, I know. I expect it comes to me teaching you in only minutes what you should have been learning about for years."

"And what is that?" Mith asked.

"The history of Parli." Mitchum responded bleakly.

"We already know that."

"Not in its entirety."

Silence took over once again, Mith and Ludus wanted to hear of the true history, but the thought of sitting in a room with a man that appeared to be frozen in time was not their idea of a good time. Mitchum did not sense their distress, having so much of his own.

Mitchum cleared his throat, thought for a minute on how to begin, and then said: "As you should already know, we live in the year four twenty-six, but what you may not have known is that the history of this island goes back farther than that." He took a look at his listeners, they were already captivated. Either that or they were trying to look captivated so as to get out of that house. "The history starts hundreds, even thousands of miles away from here, in a place called Memoria. Memoria is a huge island, much more massive than Parli, and on the other side of the world. Well, anyway, this place was engaged in a great war, the greatest of all time. The regions of Memoria began to fall by the evil Hulius. A man said to be so evil, death did not want anything to do with him, and so the story goes he was well over two hundred at the time of the war. As all hope is lost of regaining peace to the now terminal continent, five of the remaining regions, they had many more than that, each sent a lord to find a new home. These lords and ladies were handpicked by the leader of the resistance. They had to be the noblest, bravest, and strongest of all the land. Their names were: Portur, Altis, Rerum, Lwid, and Ijnus. (And yes, if you were wondering that is the same Rerum that your town is named from.) That is three men and two women in case you could not hear the gender differences in their names. With them go two boatloads of people (a lot of which are children) who are to help the new place get started. They are each sent in a different direction, hopefully to each find a new place to live. But before they set out, the three lords and two ladies were entrusted with something very special."

"What is it?" Ludus blurted out.

"That Ludus, is an excellent question. Because what they were entrusted with is the reason why the war was even fought. They were entrusted with magic. You see, Hulius may have been immortal (supposedly), but he did not have the magic that fueled all of Memoria, so he planned to take it. Once he was caught trying to steal it, he did not by any stretch call a quits. He somehow gathered up massive forces in a short period of time and took over Memoria, then went to take the magic by force. Unbeknownst to him, the other side, the good side, also had an army. The fight was on, and it lasted many years, until the side of the five lords was depleted. Fearing the magic getting in the hands of Hulius, it was given to the lords, and they were sent away. They got attacked when they left, but made it out alright. Those who left never returned, and had no idea what happened to Memoria after they left. Those people are our ancestors."

"Hey, the names, the first letter of each spell Parli." Ludus announced to the group. He had already forgotten that only feet away was a frozen person.

"Very good, Ludus, anyway, back to the story if you do not mind. The whole point of the boats leaving at the same time from different places is so they would inhabit multiple islands, so that even if the evil forces were to follow they would never destroy all of them and get all the magic. Each of the lords and ladies arrived at an island at different times, making camps and starting up societies where each of them were at." He paused to catch his breath; he had been talking very fast out of excitement. The history of Parli was Mitchum's favorite story and not even a dire situation could keep him from getting hyped up from telling it. "The story does not end here; in fact it is just now getting good. So after about a year of thinking they were alone on an uncharted island, each lord finds out that all the others are on the same island. It turns out there are only two landmasses in the world, Memoria and Parli. So instead of fighting and causing another war, the five leaders decided to split the island into six parts, one for each and one for all, thus creating the five regions and the palace grounds. But still the story does not end. Now when all seemed happy, they realized they can do something about the fact that the entire island is a desert. The leaders get together and plan something extraordinary, that being a complete change of landscape. Now you might be wondering how that is possible." He looked to see if they would ask, but they did not. "They have magic, remember? It grew inside of them and took shape around their personality. They then made up their minds to create an island of their choosing using magic. Each went into their own region and placed the entirety of their own magic into the ground. The result is an island suitable for anyone. In Lord Portur's region hills and grass took over. In Lady Altis's region, a forest grows tall and strong. In Lady Rerum's region grass grew all around the already large bay. In Lord Lwid's region, mountains were born. And finally, Lord Ijnus's region was split in two, straight down the middle, into half valley, half marsh. All the landscapes came to a point under the palace."

"It takes the entire magic supply for that to happen?" Ludus asked.

"Not quite, it only took half for the land to change. The other half made the entire island magical."

Mith finally spoke, "I thought it was already magical, that's why it is still—wait a minute, why is the Valley-Marsh no longer magical?"

Mitchum chuckled, "I will tell you, hold on. Half of the magic was absorbed into the land, making it unusual for the people to be affected by it, not counting the fruit that come from the trees planted in the magic soil. The other half of the magic was not absorbed into the ground, causing it to be in the air. All around there was magic, the trees were magical, the ground was magical, and even the wind, which is said to sing as it raced through the land. But of course all goodness cannot last. As with on Memoria, someone on Parli became magic-hungry and that person was lord Ijnus. As the years passed he wondered why he was not able to have his magic in his control (he had evidently forgotten that he too agreed to put it in the ground years earlier). It should have been a real give away that he was bad, since his was the only region to become two different landscapes, showing that his personality was also split. He gathered forces of his own, just like Hulius did, and attacked his fellow lords and ladies. Ijnus took all of the magic out of his region, and put it into a single sword, turning the great V-M back into a rough desert. If you learn anything from this story, Mith and Skippy, learn this: Nothing good can come from turning against those who trust you. That is exactly what Ijnus did, and he paid for it dearly.

"Once the other lords and ladies found out about his treachery, they knew they would be no match for him without their magic. As a result they took half of the magic out of their own regions. This left their regions still with the mountains, or the forest, but took the magic out of the air. It is not known why the lords and ladies did not just take the magic back and put it back into their bodies; some say because they were old and could not control it as well. Instead they also put it in swords, perhaps trying to keep things equal. When Ijnus put his magic into the sword, it was capable of much more than a regular sword. Ijnus made it all the way to the castle, fighting the guards on his way. The guards' swords were no match for the magic in Ijnus's. The sword fights ended with one blow, for whenever the magic sword hit a regular one, the regular one burst into tiny fragments. Once all the guards were defeated, Ijnus turned his sights on the other leaders. He was so disillusioned by that point that he actually thought he could kill all the other four. Was he ever wrong, even with only half power in each sword, the other lords and ladies overpowered Ijnus and sank their swords deep into his flesh at the same precise instant. Ijnus, and his hope to become sole ruler, had died. But it was not just any death; Ijnus disappeared in a puff of smoke after the battle."

"Really, how did that happen?" Ludus's face had a look of complete awe.

"No one knows. Some say he was magically trapped into his sword, others claim the lords and ladies just did not want people to know what they did to the body. Anyways, all those who fought for Ijnus recognized that it was a futile fight and surrendered. But the sword was still magical, and there had to be a decision made about what to do with it. Fearing the likes of another rebellion, the rulers took the sword and, instead of putting the magic back into the land, they kept it in the sword."

"Why did they not put it back into the land?" Mith asked, becoming so enthralled by the story that she was leaning forward on her chair, causing the wooden back legs to rise into the air.

"The remaining lords and ladies believed that all those who fought against them were products of the Valley-Marsh region, so they banished them back there, making sure that they lived in a desert as punishment. That is why there is a belief that the inhabitants of the Rough Region are still bandits and thieves, which in fact is completely false." Mitchum sat back with his back against the wall, right next to the window, and sighed. Then, remembering that he had not finished the story, jumped up. "Wait, I'm not finished yet." He sat back down and continued. "The lords and ladies were very paranoid from that day forward. Fearing a rebellion from their own regions they altered Parli forever. Instead of removing the magic from the swords and returning it to the land, they used the magic to transform the swords into roses, which was Memoria's sign of peace. From then on half of the magic was encased in magic golden roses. Once finished with their own, they planned to turn Ijnus's sword into a rose, but it did not work. The roses were put on display in each region, so all could see."

"What about Ijnus's sword." Mith asked.

"Ijnus's magic was special just to him, nobody else could use it."

"So what did they do?" Ludus interrupted.

"They hid the evidence that there was ever evil in Parli. They hid the sword deep under the ground below the palace so nobody would ever find it and use the dark magic. The strange thing is, though, the sword's magic kept the small area around the palace completely magical."

"How is that strange?" Ludus interrupted once again.

"It is strange because the roses did not make the land completely magical. As long as the roses were on display the land stayed the way it was, as in it did not turn back into a desert, but it also did not make it completely magical again, so it seemed it had no effect, but the sword kept the Palace Region fully magical, possibly because of its small size." Mitchum paused once again, this time to build suspense. "This lasted for years, but still the story continues. About thirty years after Ijnus's death, the truth came out about the roses. One day a small boy, younger than you," he pointed to Ludus, "took the rose from its resting place as a prank on the leader of the town that held it. Immediately all in that region, it happened to be this very region, froze in time, with the exception of the boy. The boy was very scared and at once returned the rose to its holder, and immediately everyone was back as if nothing happened. The boy explained it to his father and the roses were deemed too dangerous to be kept around. The only problem with that is, the lords and ladies were deceased by then and nobody had the courage to break the rose since they did not know what would happen. The reason that the people then came up with was that the roses had some dark magic. At first nobody could explain that, and then it became clear. When the lords and ladies killed Ijnus, their dark intentions turned to dark magic. And this darkness transferred to their magic supply, and after that, the roses.

"The magic golden roses were now feared throughout all of the regions. As a result of their fear the roses were hidden away, the whereabouts told to very few, the mountain rose was the only that had been hidden by the Lord himself, which is why it is the hardest to find today. The new leaders of this land, who were a queen and king chosen by Lord Rerum, the last to survive, knew the location. As the years past, fewer and fewer knew of the roses. But the stories never died, and neither did the roses, they still exist, still hidden away."

"Someone else knows where the roses are, at least this one." Mith shuttered at the thought as she said it. "Why are we not frozen, Mitchum?"

Mitchum nodded gravely, "The freezing only occurs as the rose is lifted off of its holding place, a golden plate once used in the palace dining area. The person who takes it off and those outside of the region are not affected. But as you can see, the people never unfreeze unless the rose is replaced in the region."

All eyes fixed on the frozen man in the doorway. His smiling face and wide eager eyes saddened those in the room. He was clearly happy about something, perhaps the quality of the day he had lived in when it happened. Now he was frozen, and no one present could quite grasp the idea that this man may never be returned to normal, never see the sky he was so intently staring into through the window.

"Who could have done this?" Mith's voice was utterly cheerless.

"I can only think of one person that would truly be capable of such a heinous crime, but I have doubts."

"Who is it?"

"A man I once was friends with, a man that was sent to the jail in the bay. He is a man with no boundaries unsalable for him, no matter how many are thrust in his way. His name is Oldo. He was a guard for the palace, just like I was. We shared similar ideas; we each wanted to force towns like Rerum to open its doors to the rest of the island. We each had envisioned a Parli with no boundaries. The only difference between us is that he used force and fear to get what he wanted. That is why he was fired from his job and sent to the jail in the bay. He threatened to kill the prince because he did not believe in what the prince spoke of, keeping Parli the same, without changes. Whether or not he actually was going to attempt an assassination is unknown, but the threat was very real."

"You mentioned a jail in the bay, correct? You cannot be talking about the great black rock are you?" Ludus asked.

"Right off the coast of Rerum, that is exactly what I am talking about."

"Oh, alright." The news did not come as a shock to either Mith or Ludus. After what they had heard they did not believe there could be any more shocks in the world.

"Mitchum looked around the room, "You stay here; I need to see if there are bedrooms we can stay in for the night."

"What are you joking? What if whoever did this comes back?" Ludus protested.

Mith's jaw dropped, "That is so wrong, to take use of this poor man's house like that."

Mitchum looked so stressed now, it was a wonder he did not yell at the kids. "Look, Ludus, if Oldo really did do this, he is not going to be sneaking around this town looking for people sleeping in beds they are not supposed to. Knowing him, he is long gone by now, probably demanding something at the palace in exchange for the rose. And Mith, I am sure that this man does not mind us staying out of the cold tonight by sleeping here. One thing I forgot to mention, the rose does not just freeze the people, it also freezes the remaining magic in the land. This place is already starting to turn back into a desert, that is why the sun is so intense and the boundary between the regions is gone."

No one protested any longer, deep down they both knew they now needed to listen to Mitchum no matter what he said. They sat silently while Mr. Quinn went through the house arranging matters. Minutes later he came back. Beds were found and set for Mith and Ludus. There was nobody else frozen or unfrozen in the house. Mitchum made the kids go to bed very early that day, even before nightfall. He did this so that they could sleep off some of the initial fright caused by the story, and so he could explore the rest of the town and decide their next move.

Mith and Ludus obliged half-heartedly. The house was incredibly different than those in Rerum. First of all, it was not a small shack, but an actual house. The beds were not mats, but beds that sat off the ground, filled with feathers (luckily no one was allergic) and the pillows were as well. The kids went to bed on one condition: if Mitchum took turns sleeping in each of their bedrooms. Mith and Ludus finally got to sleep almost an hour later. They did not realize then, but they were wrong before. There would be one more shock, more devastating than all the rest combined.

# Chapter 9: The Second Palace

Oldo sat calmly behind a giant wooden desk on the bottom floor of the jail in the bay. The room was small; the floor was covered in bleached animal skins, the walls painted light blue. Various items lined shelves that wrapped their way around the entirety of the little room. A small wooden ball sat on the shelf, blue covered the ball except for two splotches of brown, one on either side, one bigger than the other. The name plate on the desk read: _superintendent._

Oldo swept over the room with his eyes for the twelfth time. It was exactly as the last time he looked, nothing had changed. Something should have been different; there should have been a man by the name of Gyrd standing before him, reciting the complexity of his latest act of defiance against his homeland. Oldo should be looking at Gyrd's tattoos, disgusted. He should be thinking about the waste of time and energy that went into giving that man tattoos that had no meaning or shape. He should be doing all of this, but he was not, for Gyrd had not arrived from his task as of yet, and that unsettled Oldo. Time was scarce now; he could not hope to fool the palace for much longer. Soon even they would realize that something was not right. Even they would have realized that trouble was afoot.

Oldo scanned the room for the thirteenth time, paying special attention to the door. The wooden door had not moved for several hours, which was not right. Where was Gyrd? Where was news for him, Oldo? How much longer did he have to pretend to be interested in Gyrd before he dismissed him to take his rightful seat on one of the thrones of Parli? What would the king and queen say when he, Oldo, marched into the palace with all the magic? Would they be frightened? Of course they would be; they would surrender immediately. No blood lost, no lives taken. The perfect take over.

A noise. Oldo shot a look at the door. Just someone passing, not entering. Oldo continued his thoughts on the palace. Would they fight? Would they risk it all just to stop a resurrection of old ways? Yes, that is all it is, a resurrection, nothing more. To go back to the ways of Memoria, to live the life he always dreamt, to live the life of Hulius, to live the immortal life. See the world, dive the seas, it would not matter how long it took or how dangerous, for he would be immortal. But would all the magic grant immortality? Why not? There are no stories saying it wouldn't.

Oldo closed his eyes to imagine his taking over of the palace. What a delightful sight. He walks in, glowing with power—and magic. The king and queen take one look and know their rule is over. The palace is for Oldo now, all for him. But wait! The palace all to Oldo? Would others get mad? What others, the thousands of statues? They will be statues, they matter not. But just in case, perhaps another palace, a second palace, a smaller palace. No, a better palace, a safer palace. But where? Why it would be right here, of course. Out in the bay, would there be a better, safer spot? No, never, the jail is to be the palace, a better palace. _My palace._

Oldo opened his eyes. He could not suppress his grin. His hands shook with excitement under the desk. Forgetting entirely about the door and Gyrd, he got up from the hard wooden chair and paced the small room. In his excitement he banged his hands down on the wooden desk. The small blue and brown ball fell to the ground. Oldo did not notice.

#  Chapter 10: Stone Faces

Mith dreamed of her mother. She could see her face with its usual smile. Her mother had been dead only six months, but Mith saw her in dreams frequently. Loria Hardel had been a traveling saleswoman. Mith was not sure what she sold, but she was sure that her mother traveled the island over half of the year. She would return for the last week and a half out of the month, and then leave again when the new month started. Mith liked these dreams; she felt they were the only things keeping her mother in her life.

The night grew colder with every step Mitchum took. The boards of Brickem groaned through the silent air as he made his way from house to house. A strange horror filled him with every person he saw. Each of the stone faces looked back at him through their empty gazes. More than once he stumbled backward after seeing someone only feet away. It took only a moment for him to deduce if it was a frozen person or enemies come to collect something from the town. Every single time it was just a stone face staring back.

_Finally_ , Mitchum thought, _the last house_. He walked carefully up the board walk to the last house he was going to check. He still was not sure what he was looking for; he knew that no one was there. But there was still a part of him, very small, that believed that someone was immune to this curse. This particular house was the mayor's house, and was the biggest of the town. It stood three stories tall and had a balcony on the second and third floor. Often considered the most beautiful of the overall dull houses in Brickem, it stood a ways back from the rest of the town. Mitchum had only seen the house from the outside in his many times to Brickem and had never actually been invited in. He knocked on the polished wood doors out of habit and then continued inside. Lucky for him the door did not have locks; instead it had doormen that stood just inside at all hours.

Once inside Mitchum took a look around, making sure he left the door open to let in the light from the stars, which since there is no moon over Parli, are bright enough to see by. The entry way was small, and led to a narrow hallway. The tall man with the shoes made from reptile skin bowed to the doorman and walked to the end of the hall and into the main parlor. It was like nothing he had ever seen; a three story house made almost completely of wood. The middle of the house was a giant room that rose to all three stories; Mitchum could count the doors on all the floors, four each. A winding staircase stood in the middle of the house, with a landing on the second and third floor. The stairs continued onward to the ceiling which was made of glass. The stars shined brightly down into the house leaving no reason for the door to be open. A red carpet covered the floor, while the wood walls were painted the same red.

Mitchum searched through all the rooms on the first floor, the kitchen, meeting room and two guest bedrooms. Then he came to the second floor, consisting of two more bedrooms, a library, and a bathing room. Finally he came to the third floor; the first three rooms were offices of some sort. He saved the mayors bedroom for last, he knew which it was from the sign on the door that read: _Mayor's bed chamber, no entrance._ Mitchum pushed the door open. The bedroom truly showed how Brickem was a town against material objects. Only two things stood in the room: a plain wood desk and a plain wood framed bed that stood near a window. The bed had a mattress and pillow that were filled with feathers. Mitchum admired the mayor's modesty and turned to go, then flipped back around to look upon the bed. He had noticed that no one lay in it. Where was the mayor? Mitchum was certain he did not see him in any other room; he had searched the entire place and seen no one.

He walked around the room and peered under the bed and behind the desk, but still found nobody. Fearing the worst for the mayor, Mitchum took a quick look out the window. And there he found the mayor. Mitchum ran out of the room, down the stairs, and through the back door in the kitchen to the backyard. Mitchum wondered how he had not seen the mayor through the backdoor just minutes ago when he was looking through the kitchen.

Mitchum stepped onto the boarded walkway and into the starlight. The backyard of the mayor's house was one of the only parts in all of Brickem that was extravagant. It was not really a yard, but a lake. A lake equal size to the house it was hidden by. It glowed mysteriously from the fish that lived in its deep waters. Mitchum walked up to the edge and peered inside. Small glows that were actually fish lay motionless on the bottom. The water was so clear and the fish so bright with their red glows that it was easy to see them. Mitchum watched the fish with sadness in his heart. Seeing those fish glow so brightly without the ability to help themselves made him shiver. Somewhere deep inside he feared this to be the fate of the future. If someone really did steal the rose this might be what the entire island would look like before long, an island of statues. Mitchum shook the idea and turned his attention to the mayor.

"I am truly sorry to have to meet you in this state." Mitchum said softly, meaning every word. The mayor's rounded face stared blankly ahead. Mitchum looked with certain disgust into the mayors brown eyes. "My name is Gai Mitchum Quinn, but I go by Mitchum. If you can hear me, I want you to not worry, I will find who did this, and I will stop them." He touched the mayor's cheek with his hand and immediately withdrew it. His face was hard and cold, he was truly a statue.

Mitchum went straight back into the house without another look at the mayor. He fought the fear in his mind with thoughts of defeating Oldo, his old friend (if that really was who did it). The parlor and entryway were the same as before, but Mitchum took one last look before shutting the front door. He pulled his wide brimmed hat down and stepped onto the boarded walk.

The air was almost as cold as the Rough Region when Mitchum arrived back at the house where Mith and Ludus were sleeping. Once inside he headed up to the bedrooms. He checked both, Mith and Ludus were both asleep, he grabbed a blanket from the master bedroom and spread it out on the floor in the hall between the two rooms. His hat and bag came off, and Mitchum lay down on the blanket. He watched the boards of the ceiling while continuing to think of the current dilemma. He had no proof as of yet, but was almost certain it was Oldo who caused the mess. Mitchum would never forget the last time he saw Oldo, and the things that were said.

". . . You said you thought like me!" Oldo had yelled as he was dragged off through the palace gates some ten years before. "You would have been in my council, you would have lived." He had screeched as the other guards took their estranged former co-worker away. Oldo's guard hat hit the ground but nobody stopped to pick it up. "I will get you, do not think I will let you go now, do not think that you are safe."

Mitchum had waited until the guards and Oldo were out of sight, then he went over and picked up the guard hat that had fallen. He stared at the mud on it for only a second, and then carried it back into the palace. A huge tree that grew inside the yard of the palace grounds turned to Mitchum after just having watched Oldo being taken away.

"That was scary, you should watch out for him." The tree said in its deep voice.

"No need." Mitchum responded without looking at the tree. "He will not be bothering anybody where he is going."

Mitchum went through the palace doors without another word to the tree. He felt strangely hollow. The palace's ornate entranceway expanded out before him. It was a hard reality to swallow for Mitchum; his best friend had turned out to be some kind of lunatic bent on taking power for himself. Mitchum turned a corner and arrived at the guard's headquarters. Many desks were cramped into a small room. A door on one wall led to the changing area where the guards could change into their uniforms, pants two sizes too big along with a jacket that ended at their knees. Everyone thought it was the ugliest color scheme ever; the jacket had five different color patches on it, one for each region, while the pants were solid purple, the hat orange. The small room was deserted, as he knew it would be. He placed the dirty guard's hat on a desk and sat in a chair near the small window on the far wall. He looked out the window as he attempted to clear all thoughts.

Now, ten years later, Mitchum tried once again to clear all thoughts from his mind. But just like that day long ago it was almost impossible. He stared at the natural designs in the wood over his head, but still the thoughts would not go away. The morning came before long, and Mitchum awoke with the feeling as though he had never actually gone to sleep.

#  Chapter 11: Back to Rerum

The usual sound of business and bustle that came with early morning in Brickem was famous throughout Parli. Some people could only imagine the sound of carts and wagons being hauled across the wood boards, the shopkeepers opening their shops of pastries and warm drinks, shouting merrily to the venders across the way to signal the start of a bright new day. Later in the day the smell of cooking bricks would wash over the town and mix with the smell of the noodles freshly made for lunch. Some say that is the true smell of Brickem, if a town were famous for a smell, it would be Brickem and that smell. Once the children got out from school their joyous laughter could be heard from every window where clothes dried on a line. The owner of these clothes hung almost half out of the window with a cup of warm cider in one hand and a bowl of noodles in the other. Then came night, when the children and carts quieted till the next morning, when the smell became a mixture of freshly cooked bricks and potato soup, when the new sounds were made in the house, where the families all sat around extremely dangerous fires built right on the wood floor of the kitchen. These people were not ignorantly bliss like the Rerumese, these people knew of the dangers, but believed love and food overruled the thoughts of any harm. These people never knew the evils their fellow citizens of Parli were capable of. These people only knew of hard work in addition to the comradeship felt between the other towns in the Merchant Region. But now all in Brickem, along with their comrades in all the other towns, were frozen in time. The usual bustle and smells were not present on this morning. The green grass was now completely replaced with brown sand. The wood grew hotter with every second; danger was near for the buildings in Brickem.

Mith had been awake for some time now, as she stared out of the second floor window to the house across the way. She had been startled awake by the warmth of the new day. All night she tried her hardest to stay warm in the soft blankets of the bed she slept in, and then suddenly she awoke after kicking the blankets to the ground for it was too warm for them. Mith looked up to the sun and deduced it was still sometime before midday. She looked back to the window of the house across the way. There was a clothesline that connected the two, with a pair of tan pants still hanging on it. But that was not what she was staring at. Across the way a young woman, about the same age as herself, was leaning out of the window, a red clay bowl in one hand while her other hand was pulling at the clothesline. Mith watched in hopes that the girl would move, but she did not. The girl wore a dark red shirt, far too big for her, possibly a night shirt, possibly just the fashion. Finally Mith turned away from the window and sat down on the bed. She took a look around the almost empty room, when she began to smell something, it was food of some kind, she was sure of that. Young Ms. Hardel put her shoes back on and departed the room to investigate. A small feeling inside her hoped it was the man downstairs, after somehow unfreezing.

Mith passed the room Ludus was in and saw him still sleeping. The blankets on his bed had somehow flown across the room and were laying some ten feet away from the bed. Ludus was on his stomach with his limbs all facing different directions. Mith could hear him snoring softly into the feathery mattress. She smiled in knowing Ludus was still moving, and then carried on to the stairs. With every step down the smell grew stronger. As soon as her feet hit the first floor she could see smoke coming from the kitchen down the hall. She walked into kitchen and immediately coughed; nothing could be seen through the smoke, except for two shadows. One stood completely still only about a foot away in the doorway, the other moved around the fire and became clear right in front of Mith.

"Good Morning, do not worry; it is not what it looks like." Mitchum smiled dully as he said this. "I am not trying to burn anything down; I was just trying to get this cooking thing right." He pointed to the kettle over the fireplace, which was still out of sight for Mith, though she could now see a small glow from the fire. "I do not think I did it right, though, huh, maybe I should try something else."

Mith's eyes started burning and she left the room and went out the front door, Mitchum followed after pouring water into the fire pit. They took some deep breaths as Mith rubbed her eyes until she could see again.

"I am going to see if I can find some food, I will be right back. Try to get Ludus up while I'm gone." Mitchum said as he started away toward the next house.

"That's stealing." Mith protested.

Mitchum flipped around to see Mith's red eyes and frown. "Look, if you haven't noticed these people are not exactly in need of the food. And if they stay frozen a while the food will go bad, so really we are saving them from bad food." And with that Mitchum headed for the next house. Mith stood with arms crossed awaiting his return.

As Mitchum was rummaging through the houses again, Ludus came outside yawning. "Smokey in there, hey, where is Mitchum?"

"Looking for food." Mith did not sound pleased.

"Oh, good, I am super hungry. So, how was your sleep? I thought the bed was so awesome, I fell right to sleep, I think."

"I slept." Mith sounded even more agitated as she watched for Mitchum to return.

"That's nice, it really is. Hey, you know what? We should ask Maows if we can get some beds like these. Do you think the other fourteen year olds ever slept in the beds, I think we may be the first ones. All the other ones probably did was touch the sign at the end of the Rough Region and go back, but where did they get the coins I wonder. . . Whoa, look at all the sand."

"Do you ever listen?" Mith snapped. "Mitchum said that this region would turn into a rough. As for your other problems, just stop talking."

Ludus had known Mith for some time, and knew she sometimes was hard to get along with, but he had never heard her like this. It seemed to Ludus that she was taking everything very serious, while he just let it roll off of him and tried to not think of it. He thought this strange since Mith was mostly an optimist, while he was not. The two became quiet and did not talk again until Mitchum returned some time later.

"Well," he said as he returned. "I got provisions, enough for the way back."

The three went to the window they climbed in the night before and divided the food. Mitchum had found about a dozen hard pastries, three potatoes, and a loaf of bread. Mitchum also brought a large glass bottle from his bag and shook it, it swished with fresh water. They divided the bred and pastries while Mitchum took the potatoes to make soup again later that day.

"That should do us until I get you back to Rerum."

Mith started to protest this as well, "What do you mean 'until I get you back to Rerum'. I am not going to let you find this Oldo guy by yourself."

Ludus nodded in agreement.

Mitchum shook his head, "Not a chance, you do not know what this guy is capable of; I am not letting two kids from Rerum, of all places, to help me find the guy who did this."

"And why not? We are just as much a part of this now as you are, besides, we cannot be the only ones on the entire island that know about this, I am very sure the palace has already sent someone to find him."

"If he is not already at the palace making his demands, look here Mith, Oldo, if he really is the one who did this, is a dangerous person without the magic; just imagine how dangerous he is now."

Mith's voice grew with every word, "You think we're too young, don't you? You think we will get in the way. Well guess what Mitchum? We are not too young, and we could really help you."

Mitchum lowered his voice, "I never said you were too young, I never even thought that. You two need to get home, you two need to be there in case something happens there."

Mith's face dropped, she had not even thought of the possibility of the same thing happening in the Bay Region. She took several steps back as if being hit by an invisible blow. Ludus looked on, too afraid of them both to interject his own ideas. Mith opened her mouth to say something, but the words did not come out. She now knew Mitchum was right, that she needed to be in Rerum with her father, just in case. Mith dreaded the idea of being frozen, but she would rather be frozen with her family then to have to see her family frozen while she was not.

The case had been decided, without any more arguments the three took the first steps back to the Bay Region. Each looked back to the town of Brickem with different yet similar reflections. One final glance would have told the entire story. Sand now flooded the town, no grass remained. The houses and shops stood still and quiet, though through the eyes of the travelers they stood bare and ravaged.

The young ones walked once again, this time back the way they had come, this time without the pride of reaching a mile stone in their lives. This time they walked with awareness they never attained before. The awareness that there are those out in the world that would wish harm, with the awareness that their home town may not be the greatest place in all of Parli, and right now, at risk of being attacked by someone who does not even have to step foot anywhere near it. Yet even with this new awareness they walked braver than ever before, for now they had a weapon just as strong as a golden rose, they had knowledge. They had the knowledge of the past and the present, not much, but still more than they had before. And they began to crave it, the more they walked, the more they wanted to learn. On and on over the sand of the roasting desert they continued, and with the heat, their minds grew. With one look to the other, they knew that the same thoughts arose in their minds at almost the same time. Even if Oldo had roses, even if he was the most powerful being in the world, at least Mith and Ludus could learn as much as they could, and become just as powerful as Oldo, perhaps not as magical or as strong, but just as powerful.

After an hour into the Rough Region with complete silence, Mith and Ludus began to ask question after question to Mitchum.

". . . Will Oldo be able to use the magic? . . . You said the food was magical? . . . Any chance we could go to the palace to make sure they know? . . . Does Oldo know where the bay rose is? . . . Anybody else hungry?"

And Mitchum had an answer for every one of them. "Oldo will not be able to use it directly, he will have to put it somewhere . . . The food is magical, but it is such a small amount that so far there is no evidence showing it would affect anybody . . . I am sure the palace knows . . . Oldo does know where the rose is, all the guards knew the locations, except one . . . Yes, I am very hungry."

Mitchum pulled the water and bread out of his bag and passed both around. Each had a swig of water and some bread, and then continued walking. Mith and Ludus continued to ask questions, and Mitchum answered, he was actually very pleased with their attentiveness and was happy to oblige with the answers. Every now and again somebody who lived in the Rough Region would pass, though thankfully no rough dogs were seen. The people were much like Orman, though some were cleaner. No one expected that these people were in any way involved, Mitchum knew that the citizens there would not stoop so low. Overall the mood increased, Mith almost laughed at a joke by Mitchum about his tenure as a guard for the palace. She figured he was just trying to get their moods up.

". . . and the king was standing right behind him the entire time."

All thoughts of the dangers possible for Rerum did not reappear for some time. Mith and Ludus seemed to have forgotten about it all together, or at least made it seem that way. Mitchum suspected that they were just pushing it to the back of their minds because it was such a terrible thought. The sun raced across the sky that day, every time one of their eyes looked up to see where it was, it was at least three degrees farther across then it was the last time they had looked. With every question came a story, and with every story came a joke. In just one day Mith and Ludus learned more about the world they lived in than any other day in their entire lives.

Before any one of them could quite believe it the sun had reached the western horizon and began to sink below, night was afoot. Mitchum estimated that they were over half way back and made a decision to continue just until they found the shelter they had slept in two nights before. It took almost another hour, but they did make it. The air had gotten colder after the sun set, and it was hard to see anything in the dark, luckily the sandstorms had not started until after they were within the enclosure.

The shelter was the same as it was the last time they were there; they still had to squeeze through two huge rocks to get inside. The interior looked as if it had not been touched; the small fireplace Mitchum had built was not missing one burnt stick. Mitchum, who was first inside, put his bag down carefully and sat in the exact same spot he had sat in when Mith and Ludus stumbled in from the cold two nights earlier. The kids also sat in the same places they had sat in before. As soon as all were seated Mitchum lit another fire, using new logs he had found in Brickem. The fire exploded with life and warmed the shelter immediately. All looked into its red and yellow flames with a wary eye.

Mitchum glanced around at the two from Rerum he had met only a few nights before. He felt as if he had known them for much longer, at least a week. They certainly seemed older, when he had first met them they were full of innocence and false beliefs, but now they were stronger, their eyes showed reality instead of wonder. Mitchum felt suddenly very sorry for Mith and Ludus. He had, without really meaning to, ended their reliance upon their town. He had taken them under his wing and told them many truths, and he was certain to be telling them much more. His mind flashed back to the moments after he met them, they were happier. He knew it was not his fault that they were not happy now. They looked content on the outside, but Mitchum could sense the trouble within. They were scared, scared of finding their home the way they found Brickem. He did not dare say it out loud, but Mitchum was almost certain that if Oldo really was the culprit behind the rose snatching, then the entire Bay Region was already a frozen desert full of statues.

"Hello."

Mitchum was so consumed with his own thoughts he did not hear that someone was calling him. He came back to reality and saw Ludus staring at him, worried.

"I'm sorry, I was thinking. What is it?"

Ludus looked to Mith, who was sifting sand through her hands, and then back to Mitchum. "If Rerum is frozen when we get there can we come with you anyway?"

"Yes." Mitchum whispered.

Ludus said nothing else; instead he put his head against the cold stone wall and looked up until he could see the bright stars above. Mith curled up near the fire, said goodnight, and went to sleep. All three felt awfully tired, and within twenty minutes Ludus was also asleep. Mitchum watched Ludus's head hit the sand, and then gazed back into the fire. It cracked and spit while throwing shadows across the shelter walls. He tried to stay awake, but it was impossible, within only a few minutes, he also fell asleep.

Mitchum awoke before the sun the next morning. He jolted awake after a dream in which Oldo's face appeared over and over again. He sat up and rubbed his eyes and brushed the sand from his hair while reaching around for his hat. He put it on and grabbed his walking stick. His stomach hurt, he did not usually go to bed without eating. As he looked for his bag, something caught his eye. Mith sat against the opposite wall, her head on her knees, arms around her legs, staring steadfastly at him. He stared back for several seconds, not quite sure if she was actually staring at him, for it was much too dark to tell yet.

"Mith, are you awake?" Mitchum whispered, so as not to wake her if she wasn't.

"The fire died over the night." She whispered back. "It's very cold."

"It is, isn't it?" Mitchum answered, realizing for the first time that his feet were numb with cold.

"White things fell from the sky after clouds took over, but the fire was still going then."

"Most likely so, that's called—"

"Snow." Mith said quickly, with no emotion in her voice.

"Yes, do you have snow in Rerum?"

"No."

"But you learned about it."

"Not until it fell."

Mitchum tried to focus on her face, but it was still impossible. He desperately wanted to know what expression she was giving him. She sounded agitated for some reason. As he was guessing the look on her face, Mith pulled out something from the sand behind her. It crinkled as she lifted it.

"I found this in your bag, I did not mean to search your personal belongings, but the fire began dying and I was looking for more wood. I did not have the heart to wake you." Mitchum had immediately recognized what she was holding. Mith searched through the various papers in her hands, going through them one by one. "You're a teacher? Or do you want to be a teacher?" She awaited an answer but none came. " _Lessons for the dumb; or how to teach the ridiculously impaired Rerumese._ " Mith read. " _By G. M. Quinn_."

Mitchum nodded sadly, "I'm sorry you had to see that, let me explain. It was written in protest, I was going to give it to Maows, to show what I really think of Rerum, and you know I don't like the place."

"Really, that's interesting." Mith said cynically. "But I don't think so, because on the last page you wrote a note to yourself, do you know what it says?" Mith paused, but again did not wait for an answer. "It says that it was to become a pamphlet read by all in Parli, except of course in Rerum. And how would anybody from Rerum know, seeing as how _we_ never let anybody into town. But even I have to admit that the story of the great Mitchum, as he is called in the story, teaching a very dim boy and girl from Rerum is hysterical, and historically accurate. And look, the boys name is Skippy, just like what you call Ludus."

Mitchum had been staring at his shoes while Mith spoke; he waited until she was done to defend himself. "Mith," he said tenderly, "I am so sorry, I wrote that story before I met you, I never meant for you to find it."

"I know why you took us to the Merchant Region. You wanted to get more ideas, and why not, we were the exact matches from the story."

"Mith."

"In the first lesson you teach the kids what snow is, it's strange that I find that one just as the snow falls. It is also interesting that I finished the story right as the fire finally died, as if the spirits are real." Her voice shook slightly with anger, "Did you lie to us? Was all of it a lie or just a lesson for the stupid?"

"Mith, I wanted to help, I still do."

"Have you helped others to Brickem?"

"Mith, you're probably tired, why don't you get some sleep and I will tell you later what this all means. Trust me it is not as bad as you seem to think it is." Mitchum laughed, trying to calm Mith down.

"Is it funny? Are we funny?" Mith stood up and threw the papers back at Mitchum. "I believe that we can find the way back ourselves, come on Ludus."

Mitchum was surprised to see Ludus was also awake, and had been the whole time. The dark shape that had been Ludus disappeared out of the shelter, Mith following. He got the impression that Mith and Ludus had organized what they were going to do before he had even woken up. _They must really think that the Bay Region is alright_ , he thought to himself. Mitchum got to his feet, trying to grab Mith before she could go, but realized it would be best to let them go, for now. He decided to start after them a minute later and follow. Under any other circumstances he would have let them go back to Rerum and never follow them; he was not the type to want to explain things to those who are mad at him. But under these circumstances he had to make sure they would be alright all the way back, and possibly after that.

After standing in a shocked awe for a moment, He bent down and picked up the pages on the ground, put them in his bag where they were before, and headed out of the shelter. The cold wind blew right through the dirty white shirt and brown trousers. _Why do I never where warm clothes?_ Mitchum asked himself. At first he could not see Mith and Ludus, but then spotted them running ahead. He sighed and started in a jog after them.

Over the next half-hour or so Mitchum ran after Mith and Ludus, making sure always to stay far enough away that he could see them but they would not be able to see him. He could not believe what had happened. Somehow he had become the villain; he had become the one to be scared of and not Oldo. It did not make sense to Mitchum that two young kids had managed to escape out of his presence just because of a misunderstanding. He knew he had to protect them but as he ran behind them he wondered if he really should. Over the last ten years he had managed to stay away from danger, of all forms. And now he was right in the middle of it. It would have been easy to just stop and live the way he had been before he ever met those kids. Mitchum fancied himself a nomad, moving from place to place and only stopping to chat when someone had food for him. He had explored all the regions in the last ten years. He met thousands of people and was even considered a hero once or twice. It would have been easy for Mitchum to go back to that life; all he would have to do was stop running.

Mitchum did stop running, not because he wanted Mith and Ludus to get away, but because he did not have the strength to continue to run in the cold after all of the walking the day before. Instead he walked quickly, trying not to get too far behind. But when he looked up he could not see them. He looked in all directions to see if they had gotten off course, but they were not in sight. Mitchum kept walking, with hopes that he would eventually see them soon.

The temperature started to rise with the sun as Mitchum walked, before long he was almost certain he would vomit from being light headed. But he did not stop, he continued, after about an hour, though it seemed to him to be at least three, he noticed something odd in front of him. At first he thought it was the heat playing tricks on his mind, but then he realized what it was. About a half-mile ahead Mitchum saw green mixed with brown. As far as he could see to the north (the left) and the south (the right) Mitchum saw sandy grass. Then it became clear; the Bay Region had lost its rose. Despite the headache he had he started running again. As he got closer he could see clearly where the barrier had been, and into the town of Rerum which was directly ahead. Mitchum slowed as he neared the edge of town. Just before he stepped into the Bay Region he heard a voice calling his name. He turned quickly around in hopes that it may be Ludus, but it was not.

Standing only ten feet behind Mitchum was an old man. It was hard for Mitchum to distinguish the man's features due to a heavy coating of dirt on the man's face. He had a beard that fell to his chest. He wore a very old, very loose shirt.

"Oh, hello Orman." Mitchum said, squinting through the bright rays of the sun. "I don't suppose you've seen two children pass, have you?"

Orman's eyes widened as if asking: "Do you think I'd be standing here if I hadn't?"

Mitchum looked on Orman with a particular disgust he saved specifically for him. "Well, did you or didn't you?"

The dirty man began nodding very slowly. This, in addition to his eyes bulging gave him the look of a madman. "I did see them. The boy with the grim expression almost crying and the girl who looked too scared to cry. Yeah, I saw them here only minutes ago. They ran right into that crazy town." He went up to Mitchum and put his head on Mitchum's shoulder. "You know what, that town just appeared yesterday. Just-poof-appeared, no explanation or nothin'."

Mitchum pushed Orman away from him. "Did you speak to them at all?"

Orman rolled his eyes around, thinking. "Not this time, I couldn't bring myself to, especially after I saw how upset they were—I was over there." He pointed to a pile of large rocks with an old carpet resting on top of them, some thirty feet away. "By the way, when are you going to pay me for my services? I set up my home right on the edge just like you told me. I talk to the kiddies just like you tell me. And I report what they say to you, and you still haven't paid me. It takes a lot for me to look and sound crazy."

Mitchum waved his hand for Orman to be quiet, "I know, I know. Once the pamphlet begins to sell I promise I will pay you. But don't talk about that right now, that's the reason I lost track of those kids. I'm trying to protect them."

Orman started laughing, "Protect them from what?"

Mitchum grabbed Orman's chin through his beard and thrust it in the direction of Rerum. "Do you see that? Do you know why that is there today but not before?" Orman shook his head, "It is because of a person that is very dangerous. And when those kids, who I know have better sense than they displayed earlier, go running to a town that they do not know anymore, it freaks me out. I need to protect them." He let go of Orman's chin. "Do you want to go with me? I have to find them."

Orman shook his head. He then sat on the ground, arms crossed. Mitchum took this to mean that he was no longer welcome. He turned and headed into Rerum without another look back.

# Chapter 12: Gaining Support

The Rough Region had one main town, a small village of fishermen and their families that stood on the ocean in the south of the region. These South Roughs, as they were known, had as bad a reputation as those who lived in all the other parts of the region because of the name of their town, Ijnus. But the inhabitants of the town were nowhere near as eccentric as their northern counterparts. Most who had ever heard of the town of Ijnus had automatically assumed that they must be followers of the traitorous lord. This was not the case, the only reason they kept the name was because they believed that something in the region should have the name of one of the original leaders of Parli, who they believe history has given a bad name.

The day was hot and sunny, just like any other in the town of Ijnus. Waves could be heard lapping against the stones on the beach only several hundred yards away, directly behind the stage where all the towns' citizens were preparing for a guest speaker. There was no news on the identity of the man that was going to be speaking. The only news that got around was that he was very important and that he needed the entire town in attendance. An opportunity such as this did not come around often. The stores closed and the schools were let out for the day. Rumors spread around that the speaker represented the palace, and that the king and queen of Parli were in dire need of the town's help.

Whispers mixed with an air of suppressed excitement as a man with many tattoos took the stage, some thirty minutes after the crowd gathered. Many who looked on to this unusual man saw only the tattoos and shuttered at the sight of them, seeing him as a ruffian that had no business in their town. Some looked onto the man with a respect, a respect that they themselves could not put a name to.

"Thank you all for coming today." The man with the tattoos yelled so everyone could hear him. "My name is Gyrd, and I represent a noble lord who traveled on foot, by cart, and by way of the mighty sea to speak with you." Gyrd paused after each mode of transportation to build effect. "But do not be deceived by his posh nature, he is the humblest of persons, and the mightiest of leaders." He paused once more hoping to get a cheer. The townsfolk did not cheer; the majority was staring at Gyrd through suspicious eyes, arms crossed. Gyrd continued, "My lord hails from the town of Patricius, where he is leader. He fought a war against the might of Twiir, while none of the enemy survived. He allows those under him to pick the berries from the trees in the fields of yuppo."

The crowd below Gyrd spoke in hush tones, some laughing. "The town of what? . . . War against Twiir, where is that? . . . I've never heard of Yuppo . . ."

Gyrd knew he was losing the interest of the crowd and decided to hurry up the introduction. "Without any further veneration, I give you Lord Oldo."

There was not a sound as Gyrd made his way off of the stage.

"Veneration?" Oldo spat as he passed Gyrd on the stairs of the stage. "Do you even know what that word means?"

Gyrd shrugged his shoulders apologetically.

Oldo jumped the last three steps onto the stage. He walked to the middle as those watching picked apart every detail they saw. Oldo now wore a plain blue jacket that had three silver buttons running down from the collar to the bottom. His pants were the same shade of dark blue, carefully creased. Blue shoes and a blue belt could also be seen. His hair was covered with a small green cap. A nametag on his jacket read: _Allard_.

Oldo, rather annoyed that he did not have a stronger introduction, started to speak. He did not need to yell, his voice was one that could travel over the entire audience at a normal level.

"Good morning to you all. My name is Oldo. I do not expect you to have heard of me before today, though I would be greatly honored for you to listen to what I have to say." Oldo began to pace the stage as he talked. "It matters not who I am or where I hail from, it only matters what I am asking for you to do. I am asking you, every one of you, to join me in my cause, a cause so noble and original that it will be remembered as history, throughout history. On this occasion is the chance for all of you to become something more than just a person, a person who will live and die for a wage and a good standing in town." He stopped pacing and pointed at the crowd. "Would you not rather be immortal, live everyday knowing that whatever does happen you will be remembered? We strive as people to be remembered, and I am giving you that chance. Take it, take this opportunity and rise above those who push you down. Rise up above those who keep you in this town. Rise up above those who have no idea you exist. Because to them," Oldo raised his finger so it was facing northward, "to them you are just a mass. Rise up and show them that you are not just a mass, but a group of individuals. Make them feel the force of hundreds of individuals pressing down on them. Make them feel your power over them. With me you will show them, make them witness your might." Oldo stopped to catch his breath. The majority of the crowd was continuing to stand motionless. But Oldo noticed a small group of people on his right that were muttering excitedly to each other. He realized it was that small group that had listened and planned on listening to more. Oldo quickly made his way to the right side of the stage and continued his speech to that group only.

"Yes, you see it don't you, you see the enemy?" Oldo asked, speaking quieter this time, speaking only to those near him, the only ones who continued to listen. "The enemy lives in the palace. The enemy marks you as thieves and bandits, but I know better. I know you are not thieves and bandits, I know that you are all hard working individuals that want more than a fisherman's life to call your own."

The rest of the crowd, upon hearing that he was no longer speaking to all of them, started back towards their ordinary lives. Oldo noticed that the crowd was dispersing and waited until he was alone with the small group who listened. It was a smaller group then he had originally thought, comprising of only five or so individuals. They had a different look then everyone else who had shown up. These people were overall younger with several that appeared to be teenagers, but one appeared to be in his twenties.

The entire time Gyrd tried, to no avail, to keep people from leaving. He jogged from person to person waving his hands in their face, starting stories about Oldo that were nowhere near the truth.

"One time he wrestled a massive deer. . . I do not lie, he really did. . . It was massive . . ." Gyrd gave up after only a minute and returned to the stage to hear what his master would say to those who stayed.

Oldo sat down on the edge of the stage and continued, "Thank you for staying and listening. I know for certain that this is a huge step for your lives. From now on . . ." He stopped. One of the people from this group, a muscular boy who was possibly eighteen, had his hand raised; a look of expectancy crossed his face.

"Yes?" Oldo asked uncertainly.

"Enough with the fluff, we get it, what do want us to do?"

"Uh, Fluff?"

The boy nodded as if his point were clear without his explaining. "Fluff, as in cool and most likely unrealistic things you just spouted to get us to listen. Well, we're here, so just tell us what you want us to do."

Oldo looked to Gyrd for assistance, Gyrd shrugged. "Young man, I will tell you in due course, but for now—"

"If you do not tell us now we're just gonna leave, so how 'bout it man, you gonna tell us or what?"

A black haired girl nearby nodded. Oldo found it odd that she was in Ijnus, since her hair said mountains.

Oldo was not used to this sort of attitude; it took a moment for him to collect himself. He was not sure how to sugar coat what they were about to do anymore.

"Steal roses, take statues, kidnap royalty, live as anything we wish."

Faces turned to one another with strange expressions that Oldo at first took to mean they thought he was crazy. But then an expression came about that he could recognize easily, excitement. He then knew he had something more important than just their attention, he now had their interest.

# Chapter 13: Town of Memories

The sun rose higher in the sky, it was not yet midday. The rays were different on that particular morning. The usual warmth that inspired good thoughts was replaced by intense heat that only led to terrible thoughts of what could have been done. Those who would see the region in its present state would believe that they could have done something. The traveling merchants who rode on their carts into the each region would believe it the most. "If only I had come yesterday, I could have stopped whoever did this." They would say, not even remembering that they had no idea where to find the rose. And even if they did find the rose they would have no idea what to do with it.

Sand blew over the dying grass that covered the Bay Region. The processes had begun, soon no green would remain. Every town was now the same, silent. Rerum was no exception. Despite the years that the elders tried their hardest to keep Rerum different, to keep it solo from the rest of the region, despite all of their efforts the town of Rerum was finally just like every other. The houses stood still and useless from the heat that penetrated without end. The townsfolk stood or sat or lay just as they would in a painting. As if that small part of the world rested under an artist's brush, unable to escape their eternal positions that the painter had decided for it.

Two lonely and sad kids retraced steps from their childhood, looking into houses that once gripped their senses with the smells of baking pies and cooking stews. Now these houses were dreadful to look at, only the memories remained. That's all the entire town was now, a town of memories. Grand recollections became grave scenes of loss. Even though the sights of the buildings were horrendous now, it was not as unspeakable as the sight of the people. Every time one of the two kids caught sight of one of them they froze where they stood and let out a gasp of surprise, for they recognized every one of them. Eventually they arrived at the places they feared most of all, their homes.

The door read: _Hardel Residence._ Mith kept her eyes glued to the door as she pushed it back, revealing the small shack she called home. The smell of the air was refreshing, though it lasted for only a moment. After taking a deep breath she looked about. It was in the exact same format as she had left it several days prior. She looked up to the ceiling and saw the straw that was formed into a roof. A mat lay in the center of the wood floor; Mith knelt down and felt its bristles with her hand. A table stood on one side of the hut while a large bowls sat on it. Mith looked around the hut from where she knelt on the mat. She saw three sets of blankets over more mats that her family called beds; one had much more dust on it than the other two.

Mith began to feel relief, something she had not felt in a while, when she did not see her father in the hut. _Could he have made it out of town, out of the region?_ She pondered as she headed for the door to look for Ludus. Half-way back to the door she froze. For about a second she could not even move. Her eyes had found her father. He was sitting next to the door, his hands on the ground between his legs. His face showed certain peacefulness. His head was cocked to one side and his eyes stared upward, toward the ceiling.

Mith stared at her father for a moment before rushing to him. She knelt beside him, putting her arms around his head. He was cold to the touch, as if literally frozen. The young girl stared into her father's strong, yet calm eyes looking for some kind of reaction.

"Why? Why did they do this to you, to everyone?" Mith did not even try to hide the panic and sadness in her voice. She wiped away several tears from her cheek and looked back to her father. "Come back, come back, I still need you." She looked into his face one more time before burying her own into her father's shoulder. The tears began to flow down her face and onto Mr. Hardel.

"I-I never told you how I felt about mother's passing." Mith said into her father's shoulder. "I wanted you to think that I was stronger than I was. I never wanted you to know that I was so hurt. Please forgive me; I never wanted to make you think I didn't care."

There was a knock at the door. Mith wiped the tears from her face and looked up. Ludus was standing in the doorway; his expression showed that he had also just found his parents. Mith slowly took her hands off of her father and stood up. At first she felt light headed, she put her hand on the wall to steady herself.

"I think that it is time to go find Mitchum . . . and apologize."

Ludus nodded in agreement. He noticed that Mith looked completely drained, her face was sullen and her eyes showed complete devastation. But despite the way she looked, she stood and spoke with a bravery that he had never seen in her. The bravery spread into his body, and his own sadness melted away in its fiery grip. He knew his parents and everyone else were not dead, just frozen in time. This knowledge made it possible for him, and Mith, to continue on. Deep down the two of them both knew that they were now in a minority in the Bay Region, they were still moving. And it was now up to them to go to the palace and help with the fight that they now knew would come. Mith joined Ludus at the door and gave one final look to her father. _Its time, time to fight back._ She left the hut before she could start crying again at the sight of the man on the floor that she loved so much.

As the two kids started in the direction that would lead them out of town and back into the Rough Region, Mitchum appeared from behind a shack. As if possessed by a spirit other than their own, they launched themselves in his direction. At first Mitchum thought they were going to attack him, and thought of running when he decided to stand his ground. He was very surprised when he received hugs instead of a punch from them. Mitchum looked down at the children, he suddenly felt much more sympathetic than he already was. He took them in his arms and hugged them tightly. _It's strange_ , he thought, _how a four day relationship can bring people so close._

"We are so sorry, we weren't thinking, we will never question your ideas again." Mith and Ludus talked together, begging for forgiveness.

Mitchum lifted their heads up so their eyes met with his, "It is alright, do not apologize. If anyone is to do that it should be me. When I first met you I had created a stereotype of those from Rerum in my mind. And you two showed me that I was incredibly wrong. I will never again write in the pamphlet, as long as you two do not run off again." He smiled and let them go.

"We will never ever run off again." Ludus exclaimed. Mith nodded in agreement.

"Well alright then, it looks like we need to be heading off to the palace now. But first, you two might want to change."

Mith looked down at her dress, shocked at what she saw. She had not realized how dirty it was. It had dirt and mud splotches everywhere, and a tear where the rough dog tried to eat her. Ludus also had mud and dirt all over his tunic. He tried to argue that he looked fine, but Mitchum gave him a stern look, and Ludus quickly ran back home to change. Mith did the same.

The Hardel's kept their clothes under three separate floorboards in their hut. Mith went to her own and threw open the board and began searching for clothes to wear. She was careful not to look at her father, though now she was not as sad, she knew that he would get well again, she was certain of it. Mith chose a light blue shirt and a pair of black pants that her mother had brought from another town. After changing into her clothes, she went to where her mother's clothes were and took out a pair of tan moccasins. It was the first time anybody had been into her mother's clothes since her death. From there she went to her father's clothes and looked for something to wear. Her parents were to be with her on her first journey to the palace. At the very bottom of his clothing hole Mith found a brown vest she had never seen before. It was a heavy vest that she knew would keep her warm at night. She put it on and looked into the small mirror that hung on the wall. She thought she looked alright now; at least she was not as dirty. All the clothes were too big for her, the vest hung down to her knees but she did not care.

Once changed she met Mitchum back outside where Ludus was also waiting. He had changed into a black shirt and gray pants, which he said had once belonged to his father. He had to tie a rope around his waist to keep the pants up. He also wore moccasins, but his were black. Mitchum told them it might not be wise to wear so much black and heavy clothes in the heat, but they insisted that that was what they were to wear.

Mith and Ludus said one final farewell to the town. They both wanted to leave immediately, and get back as quickly as possible, once the rose was returned. Together the three travelers started back on their journey, this time headed to the palace.

They made it only ten paces before they stopped in their tracks. Up ahead a man appeared from behind a hut, as Mitchum had earlier, only this man was holding a sword.

"Finally, I've found you, Gai. Do not move or we will attack."

Behind the man more people appeared, and behind them even more. Within seconds they were surrounded by people on all sides, all holding swords.

# Chapter 14: Mitchum's Plea

Everyone in the crowd wore a black shirt and black pants, except for the man who spoke to Mitchum; he wore a yellow shirt and yellow pants. Mith guessed that his attire meant that he was of higher ranking then the others. At first glance she wondered if this man was Oldo. But after further observations she concluded that he was not evil looking enough. She imagined Oldo to be at least a head taller than any person she had ever seen, with glowing red eyes and teeth that were too big and sharp to stay in his mouth.

"I knew we would find you if we looked hard enough. Did you really think you could get away with a plan so absurd?" The man looked from Mitchum to Mith and Ludus, then back up at Mitchum. "And you decided to get a couple of hostages I see. It is alright now, kids, you're safe."

"No, no, no. You have it all wrong, they're not hostages; we're traveling together. We were actually on our way to the palace to tell you who did this."

The man stepped forward, holding his sword out in front of him. "Are you trying to tell me that you did not do this? Then who did?"

Mitchum stepped forward, the man waved his sword around threateningly. "I did not do this, it was Oldo . . . at least I think it was Oldo."

The man tapped the sword against his chin, "Oldo, hmm, maybe it was Oldo. Alright, you're free to go. I knew it wasn't you anyway."

"That's it, you're not even going to ask why I think it is Oldo?"

The man tapped his sword against his shoulder and frowned, "Quinn we've known each other for years; do you really think I ever expected you to be able to do something like this? Now Oldo, him I can see doing this."

"I'm not entirely sure if it is him, we need to check." Mitchum said, sounding very relieved to not be a prime suspect.

"No, it is him."

"What do you mean, are you sure?" Mitchum asked.

The man nodded, "We lost contact with the prison, every boat but one we've sent did not come back. The one that did said that they saw Oldo leaving with somebody they did not recognize. And just like any other good scout they came to me first instead of trying to capture the escaped convict." The man suddenly looked around at the crowd still gathered around. "Hey, people, let's start finding clues alright?"

The crowd began to disperse and search the town. The man who was talking with Mitchum, general Turff, introduced himself to Mith and Ludus. Upon hearing that they were from Rerum he promised that he would do anything in his power to stop Oldo and restore the town to the way it was. Mitchum explained to Turff that the Merchant Region was also frozen, which came as shock to him. Turff insisted that they recount their entire journey to him. Occasionally the general would make remarks such as "Oh, I see" or "that's interesting" as Mitchum retold the events of the last several days.

"And did you by any chance see anyone unusual on your way here?" he asked.

Mitchum thought for a moment before responding, "No. Listen, Jord, we need to find these kids someplace safe to stay while you look for Oldo."

Jord Turff shook his head, "No, no, Mitchum. We are going to get Oldo as soon as we are done here. I'm going to send some of the guard out to the jail to pick him up and end this silly thing."

"You can't do that, you already know he has two of the roses. That is a lot of power in his two hands. The safest bet now is to go back to the palace and wait for him there, if he wants all of the roses he'll have to go there eventually." Mitchum argued.

Jord Turff paced around twirling the sword around. "Interesting idea, the palace is the only safe place left now."

Ludus stepped forward and addressed general Turff before Mitchum could stop him, "Why is the palace the safest place, why not the Mountain Region."

Turff looked at Ludus as if he had never seen anybody like him. "Do you know who I am, son? I am a general of the Parli guard." He pointed to a seal on his chest that read: _Parli guard,_ and had a picture of the island on it. "And I will not be talked to in such a manner, in fact I am the only person standing in the way of Oldo's mad dash to power."

Ludus was not in the least bit threatened, "And we see how that's been going so far, good job." He was unaware of why he would say such a thing, and did not notice how it sounded until he saw how Turff reacted to it.

"Wh-what, Gai control him."

"Control me? Your job was to control Oldo, and you failed. Now my home is a rock garden."

Mith stepped back, out of the way. She was hoping not to get noticed. Mitchum stepped forward and tried to restrain Ludus by putting his hands on Ludus's shoulders.

"Ludus, that's enough, the general was not aware of the situation in its entirety until just now."

Ludus shrugged Mitchum away, "That's another thing, how are you supposed to be the head of the guard if you do not even know the whole situation." His anger was rising, he could not control himself.

Turff did not reply, he simply nodded his head and walked away, into the nearest hut where a guardsman had been trying to get his attention. Mitchum turned to Ludus with a look of surprise.

"What in Parli was that?"

"I don't know, I was mad, I mean look at this place; this is my home."

"Alright, but you're going to have to apologize, I hope he will still take you to the palace."

A guardsman, the one who was trying to get the attention of Turff, came up to Mitchum and began talking in hushed tones. After about a minute of talking he shook Mitchum's hand and returned to the hut. Mitchum then turned to Ludus and Mith to tell them what he said.

"We are going to the palace in about an hour; we just have to wait for them to finish checking the town for clues."

Ludus shook his head, annoyed. "Wait an hour for them to stare at our family and neighbors."

"What is it with you, today?" Mitchum asked, trying to sound nicer than he felt.

The next hour passed longer than most hours seem to. The heat increased as the entirety of the present guard and the three travelers watched grass shrink into the sand that grew out. Beads of sweat covered the foreheads of all present. Ludus, still mad, watched the shadows grow longer of the guards that ran back and forth between huts still looking for clues. Clues both Mith and Ludus knew they would not find. Nobody had anything to hide in Rerum. At one point they caught a conversation that two guards were having nearby.

"Are you sure this is the leader's hut?" One guard asked the other.

"Yeah, I'm sure; I think that's what that old guy is sitting on the floor."

"Maybe you're right, well catalogue him anyway."

Mith and Ludus were appalled by what they were hearing, but Mith realized that it had to be done and shrugged it off. Ludus on the other hand did not like the way they talked at all and whispered under his breath at how mean the Parli guards seemed to be. _These are the ones supposed to protect us from Oldo? He'll have the entire island by dinner._ Once the hour was over a female guard came up to them.

"It is time for us to move along, if we leave now we can make it to the Royal Region by morning."

"Sounds good," Mitchum said as he got to his feet and dusted off his pants, "ready, all?"

Mith and Ludus got off the ground and followed Mitchum who followed the guard. They walked to the edge of town where a group of Merchant Region horses were strapped to large carts, all having a tent on them. The horses were said to be the largest in the world, and the strongest. Each horse was dark brown with a white mane. The guard took them to one of the tents and allowed them to crawl inside and rest for the trip back. As Mith crawled in she saw the rest of the guard lining up in their black uniforms, she noticed the determination in most of their faces, as well as the youth that radiated from them. The average age seemed to be only eighteen or even younger. Some looked no older than herself, but she was a bad judge of age.

The tent was cooler than the outside, which was refreshing. The cart they were sitting on, though, had many splinters. Most of which seemed to end up in Ludus's hands throughout the trip. Noises could be heard from outside the tent, mostly Turff calling out the orders to return to the palace at speed five, whatever that was, several minutes later they were off, and the cart's wheels rolled along the sand that now covered the entire region. Early on a young man only two years older than Mith and Ludus joined in the tent complaining of nausea. He started up a conversation with Mith, who he thought was cute and was soon laughing at everything she said, though she never said anything funny. After a while Turff poked his head into the tent telling the young guard that he should return to walking since his "insane laughter" was proof he was better.

About an hour later another guard scrambled into the cart, this one a young lady only three years older than Mith. She suffered from a very bad headache. That is when Mitchum realized that they were in fact in an infirmary cart. Ludus tried to strike up a conversation with her, feeling slightly jealous of Mith from the attention she got from the last person in the cart. The girl was in a worse shape than the nauseated boy and eventually told Ludus to "shut it". He sulked for much of the remaining trip.

Every couple of minutes Mith would sit on the edge of the cart and survey their surroundings, calling them back to the others inside. For every place she described, from strange looking rocks, to full towns they passed through, Mitchum knew exactly where they were. When asked by Mith how he knew so much about the Bay Region, he simply answered by saying: "I travel a lot."

Ludus was not the least bit interested in the areas they passed through, claiming a headache caused by being in a cramped space. He sat in the far corner, as far away as he could get from the others, and secretly thought about his hometown and his family. He thought about what he would do to this Oldo guy if he came across him. First thing he would do, would be to get him down to his level. When Ludus imagined Oldo, he imagined a seven foot tall bear like man with sharp claws and yellow eyes. The second thing he would do is knock Oldo's head against the ground several times. Ludus delighted in these fantasies and made up whole stories in his head, each ending with Oldo begging to be allowed to give back the roses.

In the late afternoon smells started wafting into the tent. And several minutes later an older man climbed into the cart and handed each of them a metal bowl with soup inside. It tasted very salty; the cook said it was packed with nutrients. Several brown dumplings swished around in the grayish soup. It reminded Mith of the soup they had had when they first met Mitchum. After a while of eating in silence Mith started up a conversation.

"Mr. Quinn, can I ask you something."

"No need to call me that anymore, we're all friends here now."

"Right, if we are friends can I ask you a few questions?"

Mitchum looked at Mith suspiciously, "Yes."

"Why did you leave the Forest Region? Were there any other reasons why you left, besides what you already told us?"

"What did I tell you?"

Mith hesitated, trying to think of exactly what he had said. "You said that people were trying to control you, that you did not want any of it, so you left."

"Right, I remember that." Mitchum took off his hat and spun it around his hands. "I told you then that I did not want to tell you much, and I still don't."

Mith put her bowl down and crawled over to Mitchum and sat beside him. "I know, but I want to know. You know about us."

"My past belongs with me and I plan on keeping it with me."

"Is there something you don't want to talk about?" Ludus asked from the corner.

Mitchum nodded, "Yes, and that is exactly why I will not talk about it."

Both Mith and Ludus found that it would be useless to continue badgering Mitchum on his past, so they stopped. Ludus went back to fantasizing in his corner, while Mith crawled back to the edge of the cart. She looked out at all the people in uniform following. Her thoughts wandered to Oldo. _I wonder where he is._ She imagined what he would do when he saw the entire palace guard coming after him. Mith laughed a little at the thought.

# Chapter 15: Forest Maze

Night came before long. Bugs swarmed around as they tried to find their habitat that was now gone. The land started to cool when the sun passed below the horizon. Soon the temperature would fall just as it did in the Rough Region. The carts rolled across the sand leaving long trails behind them. Most of the trails were then replaced by the footprints of all the soldiers walking behind them. Their rhythmic marching was the only sound, save for the occasional shout of Turff, or the grunt of a horse.

Mith had dozed off in the evening and awoke to find everything completely dark. The temperature had dropped and now she shivered uncontrollably. She turned over and groaned as her body ached from sleeping on the hard wood of the cart. She looked around, trying to figure out where everyone else was. To her left she could hear Mitchum's heavy breathing, he was asleep. She listened for Ludus in the corner but could not hear anything.

"Ludus, Pssst, Ludus."

No answer, she called again.

"What is your problem, I'm right here." A sour voice said in the corner.

Mith rolled her eyes, "Fine, you could have answered. What are you doing?"

"Catching a fish, what does it look like I'm doing?"

"Watch your attitude, I was just asking."

"Ask someone else then." There was a noise as Ludus shifted positions.

"You need to be more agreeable, we're going to the palace. Doesn't that sound fun?"

"Fun? Absolutely, leaving all my frozen family and friends to come and live someplace I've never been is so much fun."

Mith crawled over to Ludus, "Shut your mouth. And be quiet, Mitchum is sleeping. Stop being so negative, you know perfectly well that they will all be better in the end."

Ludus got to his knees and put his face directly in front of Mith's. "Actually, I do not know anything perfectly well. And stop living in some world where everything turns out great in the end. That world does not exist. Maows was supposedly keeping things from all of us to be protective. The only thing he managed to do was keep us unprepared for life."

"You take that back, Maows is great. I'm sure he will change his ways once he comes back, he just needed a reason to."

Ludus looked to Mith in disbelief, "What are you talking about? When he comes back, where did he go? A vacation? I'll bet it was nice. You have to stop living in some shrouded world of perfection. You believe everything the exact same way I do, the only difference is you think that if you believe something hard enough it has to happen. That if you cover the plain truth that is right in front of your eyes it may change. Well guess what Hardel? That is never going to happen."

Mith stared into Ludus's eyes as best she could in the dark. She had no comeback for what he had said, it was the truth. She never realized she made it so obvious to other people.

"What?" Ludus asked as he stared right back into Mith's eyes. "What is it? Nothing to say Hardel?" He waited for a response but there was none. "Never start an argument unless you have no way to lose." Ludus sat back down in his corner and closed his eyes.

Mith sat for a while longer and tried to find Ludus in the dark, but he was completely hidden. She then went back to the edge of the cart, and for the first time noticed that it had stopped at some point during her chat with Ludus. She looked out at a fire close by. Several guards crowded around the fire, warming their hands and eating soup from metal bowls just like she had earlier. As she watched them more fires sprang to life all around, each with five to six people huddled close. By the end of ten minutes about thirty fires were lit all around. She looked behind her and could see inside the cart by the fire's light. Ludus was curled up in the corner with his back to Mith. Mitchum was sprawled out along the left side of the cart, his head almost to the edge. Putting the argument out of sight in her mind in a way that only she could, Mith asked Ludus if he wanted to take a look around while everyone was eating. At first Ludus wondered if she was joking, but upon seeing the seriousness in her face he agreed.

They carefully got out of the cart, making sure not to wake Mitchum, and walked up to the first fire and sat down in an opening between two guards. They sat silently at first, just wanting to hear the conversations that went. The group they sat with consisted of three men and two women, all about the age of twenty-five. After introducing themselves they picked up the conversation as they had left it when Mith and Ludus arrived.

One of the men threw his hands in the air. "So I said to him, I said, 'you watch it, that's just a cadet'."

The other four laughed. Mith looked to Ludus confused, he returned the look.

"That's great, Vir, just great." One of the women said, still laughing.

"I know, right, he had no idea what I was talking about." Vir laughed.

"That makes two of us." Ludus whispered to Mith.

The two kids sat and listened for a while longer. Each of the others around the fire told jokes that the others found extremely amusing. Neither Mith nor Ludus understood any of them. All the jokes contained many words that they were unaccustomed to. Ludus felt that he was the butt of several jokes, but he was not entirely sure. It did not take long for them to decide to find a different fire to warm themselves by. They got up and said goodbye, then went around the other fires.

Most of the fires had a full set of people around them, so they continued until they were in the very back. There they found one with only two guards by it. They sat down in the sand between them and were immediately introduced to Bern and Lapp, two men in their mid twenties. Bern was thin and short, while Lapp was much taller and much bigger. Both had long black hair. They seemed very pleased to have new company. They too continued a conversation that had been started earlier.

"So Lapp, as I was saying, Turff seems to be off his somewhat bejeweled 'made from Merchant' rocker if you ask me." Bern whispered as if Turff might hear them from so far away.

"I know what you mean, Berny, I know what you mean." Lapp had a voice that was much higher than expected.

"Hey, little tikes, you say you are from that town we was in this morning?" Bern asked.

Mith nodded. Bern gave them a sad look and then changed the subject. "Once, when we were back home in the mountains we had a whole village disappear without a trace. Me and Lapp here were sad for days until we figured out there was no village there in the first place. What a relief, I tell ya."

Ludus suddenly wished he had sat down at any fire besides that one. Mith smiled kindly but was thinking the same thing. Bern and Lapp left the fire for a moment to take their bowls up to the wash cart. Ludus tried to get up but Mith pulled him back down for fear that they would seem rude. They returned before too long. Bern sat right next to Mith and Lapp sat beside Ludus, giving them no room to escape.

"How did you make friends with Mitchum anyhow?" Bern asked, trying to sound casual.

Mith answered: "We ran into him in the Rough Region, he was—"

"The Rough, why in all of Parli would he be in the rough?" Bern cut in. "That fella in the Rough, that makes me laugh." Bern laughed to prove his point. "He has more money and sense then to be in the rough, ain't that right, Lapp?"

"Yes sir it is." Lapp muttered. He was staring into the fire as if it held dark secrets that only he knew about.

Ludus chimed in: "He has money? How much?"

Bern reached over Mith and Ludus and hit Lapp on the arm. "How much would you say, Lapp, how much?"

"No idea." Lapp answered.

"Lapp is right, just about that much. Maybe more money, since his family is the biggest land rippers on the island."

"The biggest what?" Ludus asked.

"Land ripper, you've gotsta have heard of the Quinn's, who hasn't? They about a hundred years ago bought up the biggest plot o' land ever and rents it to everybody. Then they went in and taxed the livers till they gave back the land and moved away. The land is precious ya see. At least that's what they say. They rent the land to people and then tell them it is sacred land, and that they can only live there if they pay handsomely. It doesn't really make sense that people keep rentin, but that's the nature of things I guess."

Mith was shocked, "That's terrible, now I see why he left."

"Oh, that's not why he left. He left because his parents died and left him the whole thing. He didn't want it so he gave the land to the leader of his full o' trees village. His family was so mad that they ran him out a there. I even heard he had a girlfriend he had to leave."

"Why did he not just stay and fight." Mith asked.

"Stay and fight what? His family! You must be jokin', he is the youngest of thirteen or so, he is not about to fight nine older siblings just to stay put, no way. He got out a there and came to the Royal Region instead, the palace is the place to be. Then he became a guard."

"Why then did he stop being a guard?" Ludus inquired.

Lapp answered this one; he did not take his eyes from the fire as he spoke. "He was thought to have been an accomplice to Oldo. Oldo had a plan to kill the then prince and change parts of Parli for the better."

"What parts?"

Lapp looked from the fire and into Ludus's eyes. "You're from one, friend. Neither liked the idea of towns teaching what they wanted to, they both fought for a unified Parli where every region had to teach the same things. The only difference is that Mitchum just talked, while Oldo acted . . . foolishly."

"The funny thing is," Bern added, "Is that Mitchum is the one that turned in Oldo and his plans. But that couldn't stop people from believin' that he was a part a the plan himself. So he got fired while Oldo was sent to jail."

"Wow," Ludus sighed, "You do something good and you still get in trouble for it."

"Exactly." Bern agreed.

Mith asked: "When did this all happen?"

Lapp thought for a minute, "About ten years ago."

Ludus shook his head, "How does somebody get over something like that? Were they friends, Mitchum and Oldo?"

"The best of friends and that is what made it all the more difficult." Lapp answered.

"How do you two know all this?" Ludus asked.

"We were trained under Mitchum about ten years ago, we was young then." Lapp said, "You get to know someone on night watches, more than you ever wanted to. We kept up to date with the trial and thought it was incredibly hard to say good bye to him. It was nice to see him again."

"Why don't you go up and talk to him."

"Oh, we may tomorrow. But for now it is night, and we will have to continue early tomorrow. So we better get some sleep now." Lapp yawned and fell back into the cold sand.

"May we sleep here? There is no fire near the cart." Mith implored.

"Yes, indeed, not a problem." Lapp replied.

The four each found a spot that was not too uncomfortable and tried to fall asleep. Bern and Lapp fell asleep almost instantly. Mith and Ludus, who were used too much warmer climates, found it very hard to get to sleep. They lay awake with their eyes closed listening to the crackle of flames and far off conversations. Soon the conversations died away and all that was left was the feeling of complete security mixed with a feeling of dread from the frigid air. The stars stared down at them from light years away. Each twinkling its entire self in the night sky. Ludus inched closer to the fire and was soon only inches from the rocks set around it to keep it contained. Ashes fell all around him, hitting his pants and his shirt, and occasionally his skin. But he did not mind, he was slowly entering the world of sleep. And that was all that mattered to him.

A whistle blew several times, each in a different location, each time getting louder. The last one woke Mith with a start. She opened her eyes to the early dawn, where only a small amount of light was penetrating the darkness. All the fires were out and she shivered in the morning air. Looking around she noted how everyone was already awake and ready. Lapp was sitting beside her.

"I did not want to wake you until I had to." He said, smiling.

"Thank you." Mith yawned.

Mith looked for Ludus, who was still fast asleep. One hand on the rocks surrounding the now deceased fire and the other pushed under the sand. She pushed him over to his stomach, but he still did not wake. She clapped in his face and still he did not awake. Finally she pulled his hair and he awoke. He slowly opened his eyes and saw Mith sitting over him. Ludus sat up and looked around, rubbing his eyes. He got to his feet but still had a frown on his face from lack of sleep.

The rocks were collected and put into heavy brown bags which were then put into a cart. Sand was then kicked up over where the fires had been. In a few moments the troop started marching once again. Bern and Lapp took up the rear while Mith and Ludus followed behind. Mith walked briskly, keeping in time with the march. Ludus straggled behind, not fully aware as to what was happening. Orders from Turff were channeled back to them by those in front. Mith did not hear entirely what they were saying but she did catch snippets. From what she did hear she deduced that they were not far from the palace, and that they all had to stick together or else. She did not hear after that part and had no idea what the 'or else' was referring to.

After about a half an hour of walking shouts were heard from the front. More shouts were heard, each getting louder and more excited. At first she could not tell what they were saying, and then it made sense.

"Trees, Trees!"

Mith jumped, trying to see past the people in front of her. She could just see the tops of trees in the distance. Joy overtook her. She knew this was the Royal Region. It was hard for her to keep a very wide grin off of her face, not like she tried. Mith turned back to see if Ludus was as excited. The grin vanished. Ludus was over one hundred yards back, trudging along. She ran back to him, extremely annoyed.

"What do you think you're doing? Get up there with the rest of us." Mith yelled as she approached Ludus.

"I'm tired." Ludus whined. "I usually get to sleep dusk till dawn, not middle of the night to almost dawn. It's been days since I had a good sleep, it's catching up to me."

"Well, we'd better catch up to them before we lose them. Turff said we need to stay together."

"Oh, relax will ya. How are we going to get lost? There are tons of them and their all wearing b—"

He suddenly stopped talking. Nobody was in front of them, no matter how far they looked. All they could see was a dense coating of trees and then nothing.

"Look what you did, they already changed regions." Mith almost yelled, now running to get to the trees.

Ludus ran after her, "But wait, how did they disappear so fast, what's going on?"

"I don't know, just shut up and keep running."

They ran at full speed to the trees. Ludus was finally fully awake now. Once to the trees they stopped. A sign nearby read: _Royal Region: The true birthplace of Parli_. Together they crossed into the trees and immediately felt the difference. The cold morning air of the Bay Region turned to pleasantly warm air of the Royal Region. The trees swayed and moved as they pleased and Ludus almost swore that one had a face. Green leaves scattered the ground, each with perfect color. Mith could tell that the troop had been there, most of the leaves were crushed. They walked in the direction of the crushed leaves until they came to a clearing. The clearing led to a path that curved into the trees in both directions.

"Which way?" Mith wondered aloud.

Ludus started to the left and Mith followed. Soon the path led them into even thicker woods. A whispering could be heard here, as if the trees were talking to each other high above. Mith and Ludus knew that would have normally scared them, but something kept them calm. The only explanation that came to mind for Mith was that the Royal Region was the only region still fully magical. It was all new to them, being in a magical region. The air felt different, the smells were different, even the way they walked was different.

A fork appeared in the road up ahead, each way looked equally inviting. They stopped at the intersection and peered down as far as they could. There was no difference, yet somehow Mith felt that the left path was better.

"Let's take the left." Mith said to Ludus, already heading in that direction.

"Wait a minute; I think the right looks better. Look, there are crushed leaves on the right. They had to of gone that way."

Mith shook her head, "I don't know; I don't like the look of that. I do not know what it is but I think the left path is better. I have a bad feeling about the right."

"I have a good feeling about the right, so what are we going to do?"

Mith was about to agree and choose the right path just to please Ludus, but then something happened. Later in life she would say that it was the magic inside her interacting with the magic in the air. She looked down the path to the right and felt a strong sense of dread. It was moving closer. Pretty soon the feeling was so strong that she stumbled backward. Ludus looked on, unconcerned. Mith grabbed Ludus and told him that they needed to run down the left side as fast as possible, but Ludus had no feeling of dread and thought Mith was insane. As she was trying to get Ludus to move a man appeared coming down the path to the right. He wore black shirt with a multi colored jacket and purple pants that were too big for him. He looked as though he was one of the guards, but Mith was almost certain that none of the guards wore such an ugly jacket. He had shoulder length black hair and a look of loathing. Mith thought it was odd that he did not look absolutely splendid to be in a place so magical. Even Mith, with her feeling of dread, found it hard to be mad at Ludus for not moving.

"Hello there." The man called as he got nearer. He put his hand out to be shaken but neither shook it.

"Who are you, are you a guard?" Ludus asked.

"Why yes I am, I got lost and cannot find my way back to the palace."

"Same here." Ludus announced, "We can't find it either."

"Then why don't we look together." The man spoke with a suave sophistication.

"Sounds good to me. How about you, Mith?"

Mith did not want to agree, she thought the man had ulterior motives of some sort. She agreed however, since this man must have some experience with the forest.

"Alright." She muttered.

The three of them went down the path to the left, seeing as how the man had come from the right and not found anything. The path seemed to extend out indefinitely. The man let Mith and Ludus take the lead.

"So how long have you been looking for the palace?" Ludus inquired.

"An hour or so, I was on my post at the gate when I heard a noise and decided to investigate. Then I got lost. I think there is something about this forest that's strange, like it's a maze or something."

"And nobody told you it was a maze when they told you to man the gate? Or maybe when you got the job as a guard? Or maybe when you came to the palace in the first place to become a guard?" Mith asked suspiciously.

The man smiled at her, "Perhaps they did, I am not one for listening to instructions. It is my Ijnus's pride as it were."

"You're what?"

"My weakness, darling."

Mith did not take her eyes off the stranger for one minute, she was extremely suspicious. The three came to another fork in the road. It looked exactly the same as the last one. The stranger decided to take the left path stating that they would have to get to the palace eventually. This path seemed almost identical to the last one, but who can really tell in a forest the size of that one. The strange whispering that was going on high above seemed to grow louder and more excited. Ludus looked all around trying to find out where the voices were coming from. For the second time he thought he saw a face on a tree. Not a face like his, but wood in the shape of eyes. And a mouth that stretched across the trunk, with lips of bark. He took to the center of the path, as far away as he could from the trees on both sides. Before long they came to another fork in the road, similar to the last two.

"This just goes on forever doesn't it?" The man said, more to himself than to the kids.

"Maybe we missed it somewhere. If you retraced your steps you might find it." Ludus supposed.

"No, no, I already tried that. I ended up running into you two. I have an idea, why don't we split up. You two take the left path and I'll take the right. That way we will have to find it. And once one of us finds it we will come back here and wait for the other. What do you say?"

Ludus agreed for the both of them. The stranger put out his hand for Ludus to shake it and he did. He noticed a small grey shape on the man's wrist, a tattoo of sorts. After that they set off. Mith and Ludus down the left path and the stranger down the right path. They walked for only a minute before large golden gates sprang up before them. The gates rose fifty feet in the air at least, and were filled with articulate designs. Five total, five faces, one for each founding member of Parli. Through the gates a long road could be seen leading up to a magnificent palace. It looked as if it were made entirely of marble, with gold plating atop each of five spires. Slowly they made their way up to the gates. A man shouted from somewhere above.

"I see them, they are here." He shouted from his post atop the left gate.

The gates slowly opened without a sound and the two kids stepped through. The gates then closed behind them as Mitchum ran up the road to greet them.

"What happened to you two, we thought Oldo got you." Mitchum looked like a wreck from worry. He fell to his knees and hugged them both.

"We just got lost is all." Ludus apologized, "It was my fault."

"No need to worry, you're here now."

Mith and Ludus were a little surprised to see Mitchum so worried. It pleased them to see that he cared so much. They started to recount what happened when they remembered the stranger they met.

"We met someone on the way. He was a guard who was on post. He got lost and ran into us; he should be back at the last fork in the road." Mith told Mitchum.

"A guard? All the guards are on duty."

Mith looked to Ludus, they both were confused. "He said he was a guard, we traveled with him for a while, though we kept finding more forks in the road. He had on a multicolored jacket."

"Mith, there is only one fork in the road. And besides, no guard has worn a jacket like that since I was here." Mitchum said.

"No, there were several forks." Ludus assured him.

"The forest is magical, only those who do not mean harm for the palace can find it. If not it will send you back to the same place over and over."

Mith was now a little scared, "We don't mean any harm to the palace."

"I know, but that man must have. Do not go back for him."

"What, do you think he is working for Oldo?" Ludus asked.

Mitchum nodded.

# Chapter 16: The King and Queen of Parli

It was clear to Mitchum that the man Mith and Ludus met on their way to the palace was probably working for Oldo. He was told of the man's appearance and was certain it was not actually Oldo. Secretly he worried for the kids, and was glad that they ended up at the palace and not in the hands of that maniac. Mitchum was still not entirely certain that Oldo was behind the rose heist, despite telling everyone he saw that he was, and even Turff agreeing. He felt deep down inside himself that it was Oldo, certain that nobody else could have pulled off such an elaborate plan. Though really Mitchum had no idea what the plan really was. He guessed that Oldo was planning on taking all the roses and then storming the palace. But who would he storm the palace with? The inmates of the jail? Mitchum knew better than to think that about fifty criminals, or however many were there, could join forces for any goal, let alone put someone as devious as Oldo as their leader. And who was that man in the woods? Perhaps just some goon, though he was probably more advanced than that, seeing as how he was in charge of finding the palace. Mitchum tried to push these thoughts from his mind for the present time. After all, he was now back to the place that he had spent the best years of his life. He once hoped that he would spend the rest of his years there.

Mitchum led Mith and Ludus down the road leading up to the palace, pointing out various items on the way. On the right side of the road was a large garden, the biggest the kids had ever seen. Several gardeners were busy at work tending to plants and trees of all shapes, colors, and sizes. On the left side of the road was a large field that wrapped around to the back, following the palace wall that encircled it. This field was used for certain special occasions including the annual guard jamboree, a week out of the year when all the guards took part in activities and sports. As they approached the palace, the kids looked up in awe at the immense structure. They had not ever seen any building with such architecture and size. Only the jail on the rock came close and they never went near that. The doors to the palace were golden. Two guards on either side opened the doors as they approached.

The inside was even more spectacular than the outside. A large marble hall opened up to them. The ceiling rose up one hundred feet, with a giant mural painted across it. The magnitude of the picture took the breath right out of Mith, who was a fan of art. Ludus had no breath in him just from seeing the size of the hall.

"What is that supposed to be?" Mith whispered to Mitchum as they crossed the giant entryway. Mith probably did not have to whisper, though she felt it more polite.

"It's the flight from Memoria." Mitchum answered. "You see that part there?" He pointed to the rightmost side of the ceiling where land was, with large buildings painted carefully in the distance. "That's Memoria. And that there," he pointed to the middle of the painting where ships were crossing a wide sea. "That's the lords and ladies coming here. And that last part over there," he pointed to the leftmost side, where more land was. This land was bare and brown. "that's Parli."

The hall contained several large golden bowls that sat on the ground and were used to put fires in when night came. During the day, light came from high windows all around the walls. Three hallways extended from each side of the entryway. The small group headed for the one straight ahead. They left the main hall and entered a small corridor that stretched down to another large room. The corridor had a red carpet and pictures on each side of past kings and queens of Parli. At the end of the hallway were four pictures that were different than the others. While most of the pictures contained people that were older and more regal, these four had young people wearing strange robes.

"Who are these people?" Ludus asked. He was the first one who saw them, as he walked ahead.

Mitchum stopped and nodded at the pictures. "These are the founders of Parli. They're younger than the others because they were said to be rather vain, and did not want people to remember them as old men and women, but as young ones."

"Why yellow? And wait, there's only four. Where's the fifth?"

"Yellow is the color of Memoria. These portraits were made before they left for Parli. And can you really not guess why there are only four?"

Mith thought a moment, but before she could speak Ludus blurted out the answer. "Ijnus is missing. There's a space there, that's probably where he was."

Mitchum nodded and continued into the next room. This room was an exact image of the main hall, only on a smaller scale. On the ceiling was a mural in which no one needed an explanation to. It was Parli, split into the five regions. The Rough Region was not yet rough, but still the Valley-Marsh Region. It really was cut straight down the middle. One half was a valley while the other a marsh.

"You were right Mitchum, it is strange that nobody noticed the division in the Valley-Marsh Region and thought it was strange." Mith told Mitchum as she stared at the ceiling.

"I don't know if it was exactly a surprise that Ijnus turned bad. They probably knew that he was not exactly the greatest of people from the start. But you know what? Sometimes we believe what we want to about people we want to like, even if it's not true." Mitchum said. He was in a completely different state of mind now that he was back in the palace. He wondered how he ever could have left, and how he ever could have wanted to write a pamphlet on Rerum. Wisdom was plentiful in the palace, just being there made people think and act more sophisticated. At least that's what Mitchum thought.

Wooden doors were open at the end of the corridor. Beyond the doors was an even smaller, more decorated room. They entered and the mood changed. The stillness was almost elegant. Words left tongues upon entering the throne chamber. The floor and part of the walls were completely covered with a maroon carpet. This was the only room in the palace that did not have marble in it at all. Two golden thrones sat atop a small stage at the far end. Guards lined the walls, all wearing a look of solemn importance. Mith recognized many of the faces. Her eyes focused then on a man sitting in the chair to the left and a woman on the chair to the right. She was surprised at the age of the king and queen. They were no older than most of the guards. There was kindness on their faces and robes on their bodies. They both wore maroon robes, with a stripe of yellow on one sleeve. Nothing adorned their heads, save for their hair. Both the king and queen had dark brown hair.

The royalty stood as the three entered. A doorman came and escorted them up to the thrones. He walked stiffly in the presence of the monarchs. He then walked back to the door after leading them up to the edge of the stage, ten feet from the thrones. The king looked down at them and nodded, Mith and Ludus nodded back.

"Welcome to the Parli Palace. I am King Lwid the fifth." The king had a small rough beard.

"And I am Queen Altis the seventh." The queen said, nodding to Mith and Ludus. "It is very nice to meet you two. If only there were better circumstances. I am very sorry to hear of your home."

Despite Mitchum coming in directly behind Mith and Ludus, the king noticed him for the first time. "Uncle Gai, so nice to see you again. We are sorry for you as well, you practically raised me and then I go and fire you. Please accept my condolences, as you know safety is our first priority"

Mitchum nodded in response. Mith and Ludus exchanged surprised looks.

"Grand," the king continued, "we have been informed of all theories as to why the roses might have disappeared. And as you already are aware of we have summoned the backup militia to help. They are to leave first thing in the morning to search the jail out in the bay. As for you three, the finest of quarters are being prepared, but first, we drink."

The king took the queens hand and started back toward the wall. They paused as guards stepped aside, revealing a passageway into yet another room. The doorman jogged up to escort the travelers into the room after the monarchs. He was now allowed to jog as the monarchs were no longer present in the same room.

They entered the passage behind the doorman and came to the dining area. Compared to the rest of the palace this room was very modest. A small wooden table stood in the center of the room, draped on it was a purple embroidered tablecloth. Plates and cutlery were already on the table. Five finely crafted chairs were placed all around it. The walls were stone, as the throne room walls were. Another passageway was covered by translucent drapes on the right wall. Past this was the kitchen. The king took a seat at the end of the table while the queen sat on the right side, her back to the kitchen.

"Please sit." The queen motioned to the remaining chairs.

"Yes, please do, and who would like tea?" said the king as he picked up a large tea kettle with a small towel. Steam billowed from the spout.

The guests nodded and took their seats. Mitchum sat on the left side of the table while Mith and Ludus took seats on the opposite end from the king. They each asked politely for tea. King Lwid delicately poured out five cups of tea and handed them around. Mith carefully accepted the tea and examined the cup. It was small with small yellow flowers painted all around it. She tried the tea but it was much too hot. She tried to place it down but noticed there was nothing to put it on besides the tablecloth. Afraid someone would get mad, Mith held the hot cup hoping somebody would put theirs down first so she could see if it was alright to put it directly on the tablecloth. No one put their cups down; they all held them and drank slowly. The heat was becoming unbearable so she put the cup down and placed her hands in front of it, hoping nobody would notice. Only a second later the queen handed around napkins to place the cups on. _A bit late for that_ , Mith thought as she hurriedly picked up her cup again. A small tea stain was visible under where the cup had just been. Mith did not know what to do; she was almost certain that she had not spilled any. She put the napkin over it and placed the tea on the napkin. She hoped nobody would notice the stain.

"Now tell us young ones, what is your story?" King Lwid asked, leaning forward to hear.

Mith and Ludus nervously retold what had happened over the last few days, assisted by Mitchum. The monarchs awed and gasped at all the right places, making Mith and Ludus even more nervous. When they got to the part where they met Mitchum the king interrupted them.

"Now what in Parli were you doing in the Rough Region Gai?"

Mitchum looked anxiously around to Mith and Ludus, not wanting to tell too much of his past around them. But since the king did ask he had to answer. "My home life was a mess when I left, sire. I did not want to enter that world again."

The queen looked to Mitchum in wonder. "But what world is better than the one that dwells our family?"

"My queen, different families are from different worlds. The one my family lives is not the natural one. It was my personal decision not to return."

The queen pressed on, "Our families are still our families, and events in the past are often forgotten through the pain of loved ones dismissing themselves."

Mitchum had to take a second to decipher what queen Altis said. He remembered doing this many times when he was their personal guard. "Yes indeed that is the solid truth, but as I recall my family was not exactly in the mood to forgive my past actions. I have a scar to prove it."

Mith and Ludus quickly turned to each other and then back to Mitchum, looking for the scar.

"How sad." The queen said dolefully. "Years absent are a remedy unlike any other. By now your family might just have led to the cutting block all foul memories. While in the barn may remain only memories of your greatness in their eyes."

Mitchum nodded as a reply, he had only a fuzzy idea as to what she meant and did not want to speak further in case he was wrong.

"Now tell me, young ones, what happened next?" the king asked, trying to change the subject.

The kids continued their story and this time finished the retelling. Some memories brought back many emotions and were then told by Mitchum. He had a strong sense as to when those parts would come and started telling the story right as Mith and Ludus could not. The monarchs continued with their awes and gasps when the story got interesting. Once the story was completed there was a silence. And then the king asked:

"That man in the forest, did he ever tell you his name?"

"No, he just said that he was a gate guard." Mith told Lwid.

"He's no guard to this palace." The queen said, staring absentmindedly at the kettle.

"Either way you are safe now. Three rooms have been made up for you all in the upper levels. You remember the upper levels Mitchum?" King Lwid inquired sarcastically.

Mitchum smiled. "Yes I do, sir."

The king clapped his hands and the doorman came into the dining area. Quickly Mith drained her tea and rose with the others. They left the king and queen and traveled back through the throne room with the guards, through the smaller hall, and into the bigger room where the two hallways were. They went down the left hallway to a grand staircase at the end. The hallways' marble ceilings rose twenty feet in the air. The stairs were large and spaced far apart. Ludus felt that he was practically jumping to get to each step.

"What's on the second floor?" Ludus asked the doorman as they passed the landing to the second floor.

"You will have plenty of time over the next few days to find out for yourselves. The doorman answered.

"Really?" Mith was getting a little excited at the prospect of staying in the magical palace for several days.

"Yes, it will take that long to retrieve the roses and put an end to this silly game."

Shortly afterward they arrived on the third and final floor of the palace. The doorman led them along various hallways, getting Mith and Ludus completely lost. Large wooden doors were spaced along each wall. Ludus wondered what could possibly be behind so many doors, but decided not to ask. Instead he would see for himself in the morning. At one point they passed a room with doors that were very different than the others. These rose to the ceiling and were plated in gold, just like the doors of the main entrance. Two large bronze cauldrons stood on each side, a large fire crackled in each. The doorman stopped in front of these remarkable doors and turned to his audience.

"Sir," he was referring to Mitchum, "you may already know what is behind these doors. But as for you two," he lowered his gaze to Mith and Ludus, "never open these doors. You can explore all other rooms on this and the second floor, but never open these doors. And if for some reason you decide to not listen to my first warning, do not touch anything you see inside. Let me reiterate, do not touch _anything_ you see inside."

Mith and Ludus nodded. Each secretly planned on making that their first stop while exploring. The doorman continued onward, the rest followed. After several more twists and turns they arrived in a dead end with only four rooms. Three of these were to be their rooms. The doorman opened each door and showed them what was inside. Each of the three rooms was exactly the same. The carpet was a plush red. Drapes half covered a large window on the opposite wall as the door. A large bed sat against one wall, the blankets were a deep maroon.

"These are your bedrooms. The washroom is the other door there."

"The what?" Mith and Ludus asked at the same time.

The doorman raised his eyebrows, "It is where you bathe, and . . . Mr. Quinn can explain. Good night." And with that the doorman left.

Mith picked her room as the one they had been shown first. She approached the bed while taking in all the sights of her first bedroom. _This sure beats my mat_. She slowly put her hands on the bed; as if afraid it would disappear at any moment.

"What do you think?"

She turned and saw Mitchum leaning against the doorway. Beyond him she could see Ludus in the room across the large hall, lying on his bed.

"It's great; I've never seen a bed like this before. It is so much bigger than the ones in Brickem." Mith sat on the bed and was surprised at how soft it was.

Mitchum entered the room and sat on the bed beside Mith. "There is so much you can learn here. Make the most of it."

"I will."

Ludus came from his room with a huge smile on his face. "What a place this is. Do the guards get a room like this?"

Mitchum laughed. "No they don't. Theirs is much smaller. The bed is a smaller version of this one though."

Ludus liked the sound of that. "Nice, I might just have to become a guard."

"And not join your father as a fisherman?" Mith asked.

"Not that that sounds bad, but fishing is his thing. I'm sure you don't want to build houses like your dad."

Mith thought for a second. "That wouldn't be so bad. But like you said that's his thing. I'll find my own."

"Hey Mitchum," Ludus turned his attention to Mitchum. "How do you know the king and queen so well? Do all guards know them as you do?"

"No, I was in charge of their lessons for many years before they took the thrones. And then when they became the king and queen they requested that I be their personal guard. That lasted until I was sacked."

"Oh, that's nice. Give them so many lessons and then they fire you. You should have taught them that firing friends is not nice." Ludus joked.

"That time was complicated. Their lives were at stake."

"Alright, well I think I'm going to hit the m—bed." He stopped himself right before he said mat. He went back to his own room.

"I think I'll do the same." Mith told Mitchum.

Mitchum bid Mith a good nap and went to the last room in that small hallway. It had been a while since he slept on a bed of any kind. He lay down on it and sighed. _This sure beats the cart_. Mitchum looked out his window from his position on the bed. He could see over the palace walls and into the distance. Past the forest of the Royal Region more trees were visible very far off. _At least my family is safe . . . for now._

# Chapter 17: Dinner

Loria Hardel touched her daughter's head tenderly. "There's nothing in all of Parli that I'm going to miss more than your smile. Well, a close second has to be your father's lame jokes."

"Hey." A voice came from inside the hut. Mr. Hardel came out holding his wife's bag. "My jokes are anything but lame, isn't that right Mith?"

"Dad, all of your jokes are lame."

There was laughter all around, and then silence, the type of silence caused by a loved one leaving. Mith hugged her mother and said goodbye. Mr. Hardel hugged his wife and said goodbye. Loria Hardel bid a fond farewell and walked into the sunset, her golden blond hair blowing in the breeze. Mr. Hardel hugged his daughter close, not knowing that he would never see his wife again. Two weeks later a messenger arrived in Rerum to give the news of a fatal cave-in that occurred in the Mountain Region. A cave in that resulted in only one death, the death of Loria Hardel. In the six months since her death nobody had ever found out why she was in the cave. Mith had vowed that day that she would never do anything dangerous in her life. A strange promise to make, but Mith was sure that her father would not be able to make it through another death in his small family. Now Mith was involved in something dangerous, and she knew that she had to continue. Her father's life might be at stake.

Mith had awoken from her nap. It was dark in her room; only a small amount of light could be seen coming from the crack under the door. Mith rolled over to face the window, away from the light. She had been fighting tears since thinking about her mother's final farewell. Usually they would have come by now, but this time they did not. Mith knew she was becoming stronger, and soon she would not cry when thinking about her mother. She secretly wondered if that was a good thing. Would it somehow affect her love for her mother?

It couldn't have been too late, at least it did not seem like it was too late. Slowly she got out of bed and put her shoes back on. Then she went to the door and opened it very slowly, just in case it was really late. The palace was darker than it had been earlier; the only lights came from candelabras spaced around the entire floor. The light flickered a soft glow giving the area an ancient feeling. She looked around and then headed for Ludus's room across the hall. Opening the door she could hear Ludus snoring from his bead. Mith closed the door quietly and decided to look around a little before going to bed for the night.

A feeling of adventure stirred inside her. With every step she imagined she was one of the founding ladies back in Memoria, and with every step a follower of Hulius could jump out and grab her. With this train of thought the palace grew more sinister than it had appeared before. Danger now lurked around every corner, but it was alright because she knew it was a false danger. And then she thought more along the lines of present day. That she was Mith Hardel and that a minion of Oldo could be hiding behind any corner. This idea scared her a little too much and she tried to forget about it. But it is hard to forget a scary thought sometimes, and this was one of those times. Wishing that thought had never crossed her mind Mith wandered the halls nervously. The ceilings rose so high above her; there were times where she felt much smaller than she actually was.

After turning into several dead ends, which she was certain were not there earlier, she arrived at a room she wanted to see most of all. The giant golden doors reached the ceiling. Mysterious shadows were reflected from the large cauldrons a lit with fire on each side of the doors. Mith looked both ways and then tiptoed near the door. She looked both ways again and got even closer. Every step caused a barely audible sound across the marble floor. She inched closer and closer to the forbidden room. Her hands were now only inches from giant silver handles. Closing her hand around them, she pulled.

"Mith, what do you think you're doing?" Came a familiar voice down the hall.

Mith quickly let go of the handle and looked to see who was there. It was Mitchum; he was covered in shadows at the end of the hall. He came closer with a confused look on his face.

"The doorman told you never to go in there, it could be dangerous."

"Can't you just tell me what's inside? If I don't know I'm just going to get more and more curious."

Mitchum put his hand on Mith's shoulder and started leading her away from the doors. "It's a secret, Mith. What lies behind those doors is never to be known. There are things in there that should not be let out."

"Like what?"

Mitchum shook his head. "I cannot say."

"I won't tell anybody, I promise. I won't even tell Ludus."

"No, no, no, now just forget about it. Now if you're hungry you can go down to the kitchens and they'll give you something to eat. When Ludus wakes up, if he wakes up tonight, I will tell him the same thing."

"About the food or about that room?"

"Both."

"So where were you just now coming back from?"

"I was visiting some old friends and places. And I wanted to see if I could still navigate my way around this place, which I can."

"Did anybody remember you?"

"Oh, absolutely, I caught up with people I did not even remember until I saw them."

"That's nice. I think I'll go to the kitchens now. Where is it?"

"Go all the way down the stairs and think about food, you'll find it."

Mith stopped walking. "All I have to do is think about where it is, and I'll find it?"

"Yes, it's the magic that does it."

"I almost forgot about the magic. So does that mean if I want to get back to the room I just have to think about it?"

"That's all there is to it."

Mith thanked Mitchum for the information and started for the kitchens. At first she managed to get back to the mysterious room before she thought about the stairs. Next corner she turned were the stairs. After reaching the first floor she thought of food. She walked down the hall and instead of ending up in the main hall she came upon the kitchens. The ceilings in the kitchens were half the size of the ones in the hallways. This room, despite its size, was very spacious. About thirty cooking stations were placed around the walls. Only a few were being used at that time. She went up to one and asked the cook, who wore a white tunic, how she got food. The cook pointed to a staircase right next to the door she had come in and said that it was all up there. Mith thanked the cook and climbed the stairs.

On the second level were many tables scattered around. Each table originally had four chairs, but by now some had six and others only one. The place was a mess; the dinner rush had ended only minutes earlier. All four walls had counters organized by type. The entrees on one wall the deserts on another, while the drinks and salads also had their own walls. Mith first got a drink, there were many different kinds. There were glasses filled with all sorts of liquids, all different colors. Most of which Mith had never seen. She picked water to be safe and headed over to the entrees wall. A lady behind the counter asked her what she wanted, Mith asked for fish. The lady left for a moment and returned with a slab of meat on a plate. Mith had to ask what it was; she was not used to having fish given to her already prepared. The lady claimed it was a plaatip, Mith had never heard of that fish and wondered if the lady had any idea what that was either. After deciding that the fish was safe to try, she found a table with three chairs and sat down. There were not many people in the dining area that night. She heard from a guard passing by that they were all outside getting ready to march back to the bay in the morning. She stopped the guard and asked exactly where they were going. He stated that the orders from the king and queen were to go to the jail in the bay and capture Oldo. They would be leaving at first light.

Mith ate her fish, which was better than she had expected, thinking about the jail in the bay. She had lived so close to it for so long, not knowing that trouble brewed inside. After finishing her fish Ludus arrived at the table. Mith had not noticed him coming up the stairs, having been so deep in thought. Ludus did the exact opposite of Mith, getting food he had never heard of on purpose. He had a piece of meat on his plate the size of his head, with a large bone sticking out of it. As well as having a brown drink that Mith thought looked more like mud, though she was not about to tell Ludus that. Ludus then ran up to the dessert counter and brought back two bowls of chocolate pudding, another food they had never tried. He placed one next to his plate and the other in front of Mith.

"What is this?" Mith asked, poking the soft substance with the same utensil she used on the fish.

"No idea, just eat it. It looks good, doesn't it?"

"If you say so." She said with a frown.

Mith tried the pudding; it was like nothing she had ever had before in her life. It was so sweet. The kids had had sweets before. When they were good the elders would give them some sugar. But this was so much better than just the sugar. There were more flavors in it than that. She could not tell what the flavors were, but they were good. In fact it was great, stupendous, amazing. It was as many superlatives as Mith could think of. She downed it in seconds and almost ran to go back up to get more. Ludus looked after her, surprised. He would have gotten a second bowl also, despite having not even tried his yet, but he was currently trying to tear through his giant meat with just his teeth. Mith returned and ate the second bowl.

"The man up there says it's called puden or something like that." She recalled, missing her mouth with her fork and spreading pudding on her cheek instead. She wiped it away with the fork and ate it anyway.

Ludus watched as Mith got a third bowl and then tried for a forth. Then she complained that the man said she had had enough. It reminded Mith of when Ludus had smelled the onion Mitchum had cooked, but she did not care. Annoyed, she decided to wait until morning and have more for breakfast.

"I think I'm going to head back up now." She told Ludus as she got up from the table.

"Alrught ha fon." He said through a mouthful of meat.

Mith left the dining area and went back to the main hall. She could hear the militia outside setting up camp for the night. There was nobody around, she found this odd. Instead of returning to the stairs Mith went to the main entrance and peeked out. The doorman nodded to her as she reached the door. The land outside was covered with people in black standing around tents. No fires burned as with the night before, the temperature here was much more pleasant. Mith closed the doors and returned to bed for the night.

Ludus finished his food after a while but did not go back up immediately. Instead he continued to sit and drink more of the brown liquid in his cup. It was good, whatever it was. The room was almost deserted now; even the people behind the counters had already left. The extra food had been placed out for those coming up late. Only a few militia guards remained, they sat in a far corner. Every so often Ludus would peek over there to see what they were doing. He noticed Bern and Lapp were amongst the group. Something about the situation made Ludus feel like a real adult for the first time. Sitting alone in a mess hall with soldiers does that to people.

Ludus turned his head to face the guards and nodded. Lapp nodded back, he was the only one who actually noticed anybody else was in the room. Ludus waved and Lapp did the same. Lapp raised his cup and Ludus did the same. Then Bern called to Lapp and he looked away from Ludus. The lights dimmed as some of the candelabras were put out as a suggestion for everyone to clear out. Ludus took the hint and left, leaving his cup and plate on the table as everyone else had done.

Candelabras had been put out all around the palace. The walls seemed to move with ghostly shadows dancing all around. Several times Ludus thought he saw people in the halls. With a second glance he realized nobody was really there. He imagined what it must have been like four hundred years ago when the palace was new and the lords and ladies were living there. The idea spooked him a little and he decided to run the rest of the way to his room. While running the palace really came alive, shadows created figures on every wall. Ludus ran faster every time he saw one. Shadows started looking like tall hairy beast men, and Ludus was sure every single one of them was Oldo. Finally he made it to his room and caught his breath outside the door.

"What happened to you?" Mith asked from her doorway across the hall.

Ludus looked at Mith and was surprised to see her wearing pajamas. "Where did you get those?"

"On my bed, I'm sure someone left something for you too." She said, drying her hair in a towel.

"Where's the wash room?"

"Full of questions aren't you? Didn't listen well to the guide?"

Ludus gave her a scowl. Mith returned the look and pointed to the door next to hers. "Mitchum is in there now, so you are going to have to wait."

"I'll wait till morning. Good night." Ludus went into his room and shut his door behind him. On the bed was a pair of pajamas just like Mith had on. It was a loose fitting shirt and pants set, each having splotches of five different colors on them. Ludus was certain it was the ugliest color scheme he had ever seen. After changing he threw his dirty clothes on the floor near the door, hoping if someone sneaked into his room they would trip on the clothes before reaching him.

Later that night Mitchum sat on his bed waiting for his hair to dry. He grabbed his bag from the floor and peered inside. Various things were scattered about. He took out the bowl and spoon, a small pan, a jar of dumplings, and some paper. The paper felt odd under his fingers. He opened it and read aloud what it said.

"Lessons for the dumb: or how to—"

He could not continue. He felt extremely embarrassed about the whole thing. In a sudden rush of anger he ripped the paper into as many pieces as he could and took it out into the hall. At the first fire bowl he dropped it in, wishing he had never even thought of writing it.

# Chapter 18: Hall of Statues

The large mess hall in the Parli jail had changed so much since the last time Oldo had been there. It was now crowded once more. Not with criminals in yellow tunics but with people from a small town by the bay. They stood or sat or lay without a thought as to where they were or what they were doing there. They could not see the dreary walls around them, nor hear the birds circling outside looking for food. They could not even smell the sea breeze lofting through an open window high above.

Oldo stepped around one statue and gazed down into the eyes of another. It was an older man; in fact he was very old. He sat on the floor and looked upwards. Something seemed almost regal about this old man. Oldo nodded to him and continued on to the next statue as someone ran up behind him. This person stood behind Oldo and waited for him to acknowledge his presence.

"The magic is so strange isn't it?" Oldo said dreamily as he stared at the statues. "Take away a small object out of an entire region and this is what happens to those in that region. I'm not really sure how it works, but I guess that's why they call it magic. It can't be explained by natural laws."

"Sir, a new batch is arriving as we speak. Where do you want them?"

"I don't know. I'll get someone in here to push these here closer together, then we will be able to fit more."

"Yes sir." The person ran back out of the mess hall.

Oldo studied a few more statues before someone else came into the room. Just by the way this person dragged their feet across the floor he automatically knew who it was.

"Gyrd, back so soon?"

"Yes sir I am." Gyrd had a cheerful sound in his voice.

"Good news?" Oldo asked looking to Gyrd for the first time. "By Ijnus, are you still wearing that ridiculous thing? It looks horrid on anyone. It looked extra horrid on me."

Gyrd still wore the old palace guards' uniform with the multi colored jacket and oversized pants.

"Yes sir I am. But I have good news. There is one less rose to worry about."

Oldo lost his evil grimace for a moment in awe. "Only one remains. The mountain rose. The last golden rose."

"Are there not two remaining?"

"No, Ijnus's sword was never made into a rose. It is still a sword somewhere under the palace. But we can worry about that later. Only one rose remains. My new orders are to have all our troops go to the mountains. And I mean all of them, even those new recruits from the Rough Region."

Gyrd shook his head. "They are not trained yet. We should only advance to the mountains with those that are."

Oldo grabbed Gyrd's jacket. "You do as I say, and I say take them with you."

"Yes sir." Gyrd apologized.

"Where are the roses now?"

"Placed exactly where you said they should be . . . sir—Oldo."

Oldo let go of Gyrd's jacket and told him to leave. Gyrd obliged and jogged out of the mess hall. He left out the part where he was unable to find the palace. Once outside again he looked to the boat they had stolen from the harbor. It was resting just off from the rocks. Gyrd reached into his jacket and felt the pedals of a rose hidden deep in his pocket. A satisfied smile crossed his mischievous face.

# Chapter 19: Change of Plans

The sun reached into Mith's room through curtains. It slowly and stealthily moved from object to object, covering them with its bright glory. It continued until it came to an object different from the others, a living creature; a person to be exact. The light quivered for just a second as a cloud passed in the sky, and then it continued its path to give light to the world.

Mith awakened as the sun's first light reached her eyes. She lay in bed for a bit taking in the awe inspiring feeling of waking up in a large soft bed full of blankets and pillows. It was an odd feeling, but a good feeling. Suddenly she remembered that the troops were leaving at first light and jumped out of bed and ran over to the window. The plush carpet felt great under Mith's feet. She pulled the already open curtains even wider and looked out. Her window was over where the garden and field met. No one was out there apart from some gardeners tending the flowers. Mith figured everyone had left already for the bay and closed the curtains.

The room looked different now in the light then it had in the dark the night before. Mith could make out very fine designs on the bedposts and see the same designs quilted onto the maroon blankets. On the edge of the bed were cloths that had been set out during the night by someone. Mith felt a little strange at first knowing that someone had been in her room while she slept, but shrugged it off. The clothing consisted of a maroon blouse and a maroon skirt that came to just below her knees. Along with a pair of moccasins that had the five colored splotches that the strange man in the woods had on his jacket and that she had on her pajamas. Mith was not sure who thought that blue, green, purple, yellow, and black would make a great combination; especially considering the green looked to her like bile. Mith changed into her new clothes, though looking at the excess of maroon as unnecessary. After changing she carefully made her bed up to look like it had before she had gotten into it and then folded her pajamas and put them in the center of the bed. Once finished she left for the washroom.

Ludus woke from the closing of the washroom door across the hall. He yawned and jumped out of bed before he knew he was even awake. He tottered for a second and threw his hand against the wall to keep from falling over. First thing he did was to go to the window and close the curtains. Then he took a look around the room. It was a nice room. He noticed that during the night he had kicked off all of the blankets from his bed and managed to bring up the sheets that he had been sleeping on. This was a feat as they were tucked deeply under the very large mattress. He scratched his head for almost a minute, his hand circulating across his scalp and then went to pick up the blankets. After tossing them onto his bed he noticed clothes on the ground. He wasn't sure why they were maroon but he put on the shirt and shorts anyway. At first he wanted to throw the five colored moccasins out the window but then realized he did not know how to open the window in the first place. Plus he thought it might be taken as rude.

Ludus sat down on his bed looking over himself when a knock came at the door. He shouted a "come in" and lay down on the bed. Footsteps could be heard coming across the carpet as Ludus lay back and stared at the marble ceiling. The bed shifted as someone sat down beside him. He got up and greeted Mitchum, who also was wearing a maroon shirt. Mitchum was wearing maroon pants instead of shorts.

"There's been a change of plans." Mitchum apologized.

"Was there a plan to begin with?" Ludus asked through narrowed eyes.

"I was just down talking to the king and queen, and they have ordered that you don't leave in case you are needed."

"Needed for what?" Ludus asked.

"When you go to the mountains."

"The where?" Mith said, appearing in the doorway.

Mitchum beckoned her to sit next to Ludus on the bed. She came, looking at the clothes on the floor and the messy bed as she did.

"Let me start from the beginning. Scouts were sent from here late last night to make sure the way was clear to the bay. They came back this morning before dawn telling about large numbers heading to what they are guessing is the mountains, all wearing yellow. They are fairly sure it is the mountains since the forest has since vanished."

"Oh my." Mith said under her breath. "Yellow is Memoria's color."

"That's why the inmates of the jail wear it. And why they made it the color of the generals."

"What does this mean?"

"That means one thing. Oldo is on the way to the mountains to take the last rose."

"One question, why were guards not sent to the forest to protect that rose?" Ludus asked.

"There are not many guards. I would say only five hundred total, and I am not talking just palace guards I'm talking recruits from the various regions when it was found out that roses were being taken. It was hard for them to act here, not knowing where to send the troops. To which region they would do more good. It was a mistake, but let me explain something to you. This island has not been under attack by anything for the last four hundred years. The last time war strategy had been used it was long before anybody currently alive was born. Mistakes happen when there have been lapses of time as long as those. But let me tell you something else. When this whole situation gets resolved, there will be people to turn to in case something like this ever happens again."

"What if this never gets resolved?" Mith asked; a little worried.

"You mean if Oldo . . . uh . . . wins?"

"Exactly, I mean, he's gotten this far. He has large numbers, what if he really does win? As the days go by and more roses vanish it looks like he has most of the power. And let's not forget, the lives of most of the people on this island are now in his hands. He has their roses, their life source."

Mitchum nodded gravely, "You are absolutely right, too right in fact. They—we have a much more important role for you two."

"Which is?"

Mitchum cleared his throat. "The reason why we think Oldo is sending forces to the mountains and not just a few people to grab the roses, which is the believed way he got the others, is because the mountain rose is the hardest to find. High level guards only have a general idea as to where it is. It is believed that the numbers Oldo is sending are so the leader of the Mountain Region gives the rose to them through fear."

Ludus was becoming impatient. "But what does this have to do with us?"

"The Mountain rose is said to be found inside of a particular mountain, hidden down a long and winding tunnel. And that the entrance is very small, so no ordinary adult can fit through it. Meaning only a child can. At least that is what I was told."

"They don't have children in the mountains?" Ludus inquired.

Mitchum sighed, "Listen, the king and queen have specifically asked for you two to be the ones that retrieve the rose. They are the only two besides the leader of the mountain village of Lwid that know how to get to it. And since you are already here they can teach you how to get to it. Look, it is a huge honor to be chosen by the king and queen to do anything. If this turns out well, you will be treated as heroes, the saviors of Parli."

"Just one more question." Mith said. "If the mountain rose is so safe, then why do we need to get it?"

"Because if Oldo is sending people to the mountains to find it, we can freeze them there and end this a lot faster."

Mith thought it over quickly in her mind. She liked the idea of helping the monarchs, but was frightened to even think about being a savior. Her shyness had gotten in the way before, when she was standing in front of the crowd in Rerum only days before she felt as though everyone expected something from her. If only there was a way to help save Parli and never be noticed. Mith knew that she would do it though, she imagined telling her father about it. It would make him proud. She firmly decided that she would do it for him and for all of Parli.

There wasn't much to do after that. Mith and Ludus wandered about the grounds that morning. They greeted some of the guards who would soon be on their way to the mountains. It is there that they met a woman named Zing. She was the one who personally taught the guards during their early stages of training. She was rather young, only about thirty, and had dark brown hair. There was an edge to her that Mith and Ludus picked up on instantly. It appeared to them that none of the guards wanted to go near her, and tried to get away as soon as they saw her.

Around lunchtime they went back in the palace and started for the mess hall. The troops who were outside were now on their way to the mountains, leaving the mess hall almost completely empty. Only one person remained, that person was Mitchum. He sat alone in the very center of the hall, his head in his hands. Mith and Ludus went straight to that table and sat down.

"What's wrong, Mitchum?" Mith asked as they took their seats.

Mitchum looked and was pleased to see who was with him.

"Is anything the matter?" Mith asked once again.

"What isn't the matter? What's one more thing atop an already giant pile?"

"Is the army alright?"

"What army? We have five hundred barely trained guards to face Oldo. And this time we are actually certain it is Oldo."

Mith corrected him. "Five hundred barely trained guards against a large number of escaped criminals."

"That's true, but not entirely anymore, now he has help. Either way it will be only the second battle in Parli history."

"How do you know it is actually Oldo this time? And did you say 'help'?"

"We—the king and queen got a letter attached to a glove from one of the scouts that were sent out. It was written by Oldo, he mentions himself several times. He also mentions that he has recruits from the Rough Region. . . I don't know why I feel so strange; I knew it was him the entire time."

"You probably feel odd because he was a good friend of yours." Mith said, standing up. "I am going to get food now, I will be right back. But can you please promise me something?"

"Promise?"

"Promise me that when this is all over you will go see your family again."

Mitchum rubbed his temples. "Why would you want me to do that?"

"Family is very important, just please promise me."

"Alright, alright Mith I promise."

Mitchum did not sound like he was really into it but Mith was alright with that. Ludus joined Mith in getting some food. They looked back to Mitchum once at the counters and saw that he had his head in his hands once again.

"Poor Mitchum, it must be tough for him." Mith sighed as she chose a drink from the beverage counter. The liquid was pink but she was too tired to care this time.

"He's not the only one who has problems now, did you forget about what we are going through?" Ludus also took a pink drink.

"I did not forget; it just seems that our predicament will end better." Mith made her way to the entrée wall and picked a salad with fruit all over it.

"No problem ends unless we take charge to end it. I learned that from your father last year. Remember when I helped him make one of those houses in that career program?"

"I remember that." Mith hated being reminded that Ludus spent time with her father, she had wished it had been her that had gotten to build houses with Mr. Hardel. She had been assigned to fishing with a friend of Mr. Tinn.

"We have much more of a reason to find this Oldo guy. I for one can't wait to go and get that rose before he does."

Ludus went back to the table after getting another large slab of meat that he had never heard of while Mith went to get a desert. She came back with two cups of pudding along with the rest of her meal.

"Aren't you going to eat anything, Mitchum?" Mith asked after returning to the table.

"No, no I already ate. In fact I'm going up to the room to get a nap in before it gets too late." He left without another word.

Mith and Ludus ate their food and then took a self-guided tour around the palace. They stayed away from the mysterious room with the golden doors since they promised Mitchum that they would. Instead they toured the first and second floor, which was just as interesting. They found the guard workroom which still had a portrait of Mitchum on the wall. It hung above the caption: _Most accolades._ He looked much younger in the painting and Mith had trouble seeing it as him at first.

For several minutes they did not find anything, and then to their surprise they found the royal bed chamber. Too afraid to even take one peek for fear the monarchs were actually in the room, they took off down the hall. The second floor was filled mostly with office rooms and the occasional bed chamber. At one point Ludus saw Zing coming down the hallway at them and quickly turned around and took another path. The magnificence all around never got tiresome, despite the fact that it was the same magnificence everywhere they turned. Almost every wall, ceiling, and floor was marble. Every candelabrum looked the same, and every person dressed in maroon, which they found out to be the color of that particular monarchy.

The day soon turned to night and the fires lit themselves. Mith and Ludus were immensely tired from the strenuous day and went to their rooms shortly after dark. They dressed and got ready for bed, and then wished each other good night. Mith closed her door behind her and went to bed. Ludus left his open and stared out the window. He wanted so badly to see the water again, he missed it dearly. From his window he could just barely make out the water far off in the distance, but it was not the same.

Ludus got to his knees and opened his window. The rain had stopped sometime during the day. All the stress of the last few days seemed to come out as he sat there alone. He gazed at the stars. They were closer than they had ever been for him, and yet still farther than he could ever imagine. The sights of the universe were still so new for Ludus; even the night was new for him. The night brought the fear and anxiety about his home back to mind. There was suddenly a knock at his open door. Mitchum came in and sat on the bed behind Ludus. He got up and joined Mitchum on the bed.

"What are those? The stars I mean, what are they really?" Ludus asked quietly.

"You know, don't you?"

"I never know what to believe anymore. I could have been learning false information my entire life and not even know it."

Ludus sounded slightly depressed. Mitchum moved closer to him, trying to comfort him. Ludus moved away.

"Most of those things in the sky are suns just like ours."

"What else is out there?"

"Well, I'm no astronomer, but I do know that a few of those are planets."

Mitchum noticed that Ludus was trembling and tried to put his hand on his shoulder. Ludus jumped up from the bed and went back over to the window, to close it. Right before he shut the window he noticed a particular tree just outside the palace wall. A wave of shock went through Ludus as he was once again almost sure that he saw a face on the tree. Its bark was slightly aglow from a fire burning in the garden. On that bark Ludus almost made out a mouth and eyes. After shutting the window he quickly closed the curtains. He then sat on the floor against the wall. Mitchum could somehow sense that Ludus might be crying. His senses were more tuned in while being amongst all the magic. He wanted to go over sit with him, but he knew Ludus would just move away again.

"The stars have been in the sky for . . . I suppose forever." Mitchum said dreamily, trying not to look at Ludus.

"How do we know? There was nobody alive back then."

"I'm no astronomer; you'd have to ask one."

"Where does magic come from?" Ludus whispered.

There was silence for a long time. Ludus was about to restate the question when Mitchum finally answered.

"I know of only what is passed down. Stories told in these halls say of magic appearing for the first of our kind. According to those the magic came from a being that was here before our earliest ancestors. That being was the last of its kind, and was dying. Magic does not prevent fate. The being gave the magic to those who would then inhabit the planet."

"How did it get in the hands of the lords and ladies?"

"After many years of fighting over who gets the magic, the rulers of Memoria entrusted it to a small band of intellectuals who would know what to do with it. They put the magic in a place where nobody would find it."

"Where?"

"No one in Parli knows; that information was lost through time. And then, as I told you before, Hulius went looking for it, and the lords and ladies were then sent away."

Silence ensued, each thought about the magic. Ludus wondered how accurate a story passed down for centuries could be. Mitchum wondered whether he had told the story correctly. Ludus had tried to keep his inner feelings inside, but it became too hard.

"How is she so calm and optimistic?" Ludus whispered, for some reason unknown to him he was becoming angry.

Mitchum stared at Ludus, concerned.

"She is always saying we'll figure this out—that we'll win—that everything will be alright."

"I know it's hard to see the bright side of things sometimes."

"But she always sees the bright side. How can anyone be so confident?"

"She has faith."

"WHAT'S FAITH!" Ludus suddenly yelled.

Mitchum was shocked to hear Ludus yell, but knew it was probably for the best that he get it out of his system. "I know it is hard." he repeated quietly.

"What's hard? My family is frozen, my friends are frozen, and I'm here so far away without any idea of how to help them, or myself. What's hard about that and what do you know about it?"

"Ludus –"

"We are all stuck with no way out. Oldo will come and defeat all of the guards. Which if you did not know, the guards are no more trained to fight than I am. Who builds a society up that has no way to defend itself? The lords and ladies asked for this when they decided against violence. But of course they are not here to see it all come down on our heads."

"Ludus, that's enough."

"No, it's not enough. We have to be brave for their mistakes. We have to fight for their follies. We have to--"

Mitchum stood up from the bed. Ludus was instantly quiet. After a while each decided the conversation was best kept for another day. Ludus felt ashamed at the way he talked and wanted to never think of it again. But he knew that would be hard, every time he wanted to forget about something he would usually think of it over and over again.

Ludus bid a goodnight to Mitchum and went to bed. He lay awake for some time thinking of Memoria and of magic. When he finally did fall asleep he dreamt of talking trees in a burning forest. And in that forest was Ijnus. Ludus had never seen a picture of Ijnus, but somehow he imagined that his mind's likeness of him was accurate. He pictured him as a tall man with a short black beard and mean eyes. A grimace forever stretched across his aged face. In the dream Ijnus stood amongst the fire, beckoning Ludus to join him, almost feverishly. Ludus would not join; he knew his allegiance was to Parli. Ludus awoke the next morning with the image of that Ijnus seared in his mind.

# Chapter 20: Occupation

The town of Lwid stood near the entrance to the Mountain Region, in a flat area between two high rising cliffs. A narrow path known as Ice-Fill Path leads to the town that the region founder created. The path was usually filled with snow or ice as the name suggests, but now that it was summer the path was filled with dirt and rocks.

Lwid itself was just like all the other towns in that region. The homes and businesses were cut into the two cliffs on either side of a large town square at the end of Ice-Fill Path. Some homes rose up three stories; all that could be seen of them were windows and doors. During the colder months mountain deer hides were used to keep in the warmth. The hides were also used to pin family seals above the doors. Each seal was similar, a circle with a custom design inside. Businesses had seals that represented what was sold there. The Lwid town square consisted of a large barren area where town activities took place. Small shrubs and grass sometimes sprang up in late summer.

Each family looked slightly different from one another in the town. When Lord Lwid came from Memoria he was sent with two boatloads of people from all other parts of the nation, while the other lords and ladies were sent with people from the surrounding areas from where they were from. Lwid liked the idea of taking many different people with him. He often called the Mountain Region the conglomerate region.

The town itself was the hub of the entire region. Many travelers pay their respects to the namesake in a cave at the far side of the square where a stone statue of the lord resides. Many of the merchants from the Merchant Region come to Lwid to pick up merchandise to sell back home. In fact, Lwid is where Mith's mother was headed when her body was found in a cave near the Bay-Mountain-Royal borders.

On this particular day the citizens of Lwid were greeted with an unpleasant surprise. A group of about two hundred people all dressed in yellow marched their way into their town square. They were led by a man who wore a five-colored jacket with rolled up sleeves and oversized pants, his shoulder length dirty black hair flowing behind him. He had tattoos in random shapes up and down his arms. The strange man had a small rope around his neck attached to a large black pouch. It was obvious that he was hiding something inside it with the way it was held, but nobody knew what it was.

The Lwidians ventured out of their homes and businesses to take a look at the ensemble. Some laughed at the sight of such a messed up group of people all wearing the same thing. Others, who knew by what they wore who they were, did not laugh. They assumed it had something to do with the other regions turning into deserts. They had decided that the roses must have been taken, but did not want to take their claim to the palace. They thought that they had nothing to worry about since nobody, not even any of them, knew where their rose was. When Lwid hid the rose he dug out hundreds of tunnels all over the mountains, and hid the rose at the end of one of them. The only ones who knew which tunnel led to the rose were the king and queen in the palace to the southwest.

The leader of Lwid, and all of the Mountain Region, was an old man named Azmi. He usually slept in on days where he did not need to travel but found it hard on that particular morning. He had awoken when he heard the sound of hundreds of feet approaching. After dressing he made his way to the square to see what the fuss was about. He wore long green robes, faded from age.

"What is the meaning of all of this?" He asked the man in the five-colored jacket. Azmi was followed out by several especially large, especially mean looking body guards.

"I am Gyrd, who is a servant of Oldo, the future leader of the island."

Azmi looked to Gyrd in disbelief, he had never heard of such an insane thing in his entire life. "You are mistaken; your master is never to be leader. Where are you from? These people look as if they are from the jail."

Gyrd paced in front of Azmi, as he had seen Oldo do on occasion. "Give me the rose and nobody loses their life."

"My sad friend, I am sorry to tell you that the rose will never leave these mountains. I do not even know where the rose is. Only the king and queen know."

"I think you're lying."

"You can think anything you want, but the truth is that I do not know where the rose is." Azmi was beginning to get worried. Not for the rose, which he knew was safe, but for his people. He believed that the strange man in the old guards clothes was not in his right mind and would soon attack.

"Then it looks to me like I need to visit the king and queen. But I will stay here for the time being." Gyrd looked to the mountains up above him and then back to the town around him. "I like this place, I will live here for now. You will provide my helpers here with shelter and food and in exchange I will not kill any of you."

"Excuse me, end our lives? You cannot come into a peaceful town and say such things. We have no weapons."

"But it is the fact that you have no weapons and are peaceful that we can do this. Now where is my shelter?"

Azmi fought back the urge to yell at Gyrd. Instead he chose the passive way and led Gyrd into his home. The bodyguards with him urged Azmi to reconsider, but he quietly told them that everything was going to be alright. Once inside Azmi secretly told his most trusted guard to rush to the palace for help. The man agreed and silently left the region using a small path that few knew of.

# Chapter 21: A Call to Greatness

Sunlight broke over the desert that was now most of Parli. It came from the east, where the forest had been, and continued until it was over the palace walls. The rays passed over the strange people in the Rough, who still slept from their long night. It covered the mountains and continued to the desert where the merchants once roamed, and now were still. Their cold faces did not warm under the sun's heat, their bodies untouched for days, waiting for their life source to be returned.

Most in the Rough had no idea what was happening to the rest of the island. Communications rarely came to them for anything, and now was no different. Some did not even know that the rest of the island was slowly turning to desert. Had they of known they probably would have wanted to help. But the king and queen believed the old stories that everyone down there was a thief or beggar. They believed it because that is what was taught to them.

The original lords and ladies created the rumors of the Rough's people when they thought their power over them was in jeopardy. After Ijnus met his end to them, they thought to return the power from Ijnus's sword to the ground in the Rough, but could not. They soon realized that dark magic cannot be used by anyone except who turned the magic dark in the first place. Since the lords and ladies could not use the magic from the sword to re-energize the Rough, they said that they did not want to. They claimed that it was because they did not trust those in the Rough Region. Together they feared that if anyone believed that they were not absolutely powerful, then another coup would occur. The magic is still locked away inside Ijnus's sword, which is hidden somewhere in the palace. Where it is only the original lords and ladies knew.

When the sword was first placed in the palace strange things happened. It had never been fully magical as the other lands were, having been created out of a small patch of land in the center of the island that was void of magic. For some reason the magic that the lords and ladies had put into their respective regions did not reach into that piece of land. When the sword did make its home under the palace trees came to life. The trees were mean, and often fought with each other. But over time the trees became less and less mean and started to like each other. There was never an explanation given to the trees' change of heart, but some past royals think it had something to do with the magic from the sword.

Mith and Ludus met up to go down to breakfast together. Halfway down the hall they saw the king and Zing rushing towards them.

"It's time," he took a break to catch his breath, "time for the real thing.

# Chapter 22: General Quinn

"Sir, they are not at all ready." Zing protested as nicely as she could.

The king shook his head repeatedly as he scratched his small rough beard. "There is no time, the battle has already begun."

Zing froze, "The battle. There is a battle, sir?"

"I'm afraid so. Only the second battle on our island. It is imperative that the children go immediately to the mountains to retrieve the rose." He turned to Mith and Ludus. "Have you heard of your mission?"

They nodded.

The king continued, "Now is the time to be strong, all of us. If I may Zing, I would like to give you the task of taking these two to where the rose is. I have the path in my mind, and can interpret it to you."

Zing quickly glanced at the children before asking the king: "Why not Mitchum, sir, he knows them much better than I?"

"Gai has been promoted to the rank of general. As we speak he is getting ready to leave for the battle with our remaining palace guards to help General Turff."

"He's where?!" Mith suddenly exclaimed, forgetting who she was speaking to.

"Parli needs his knowledge and courage, Young Mith."

"May we see him, sir?" Mith asked sadly.

"Yes you may, but be down ready to go in five minutes, the both of you." The king bowed and went away.

Mitchum was in his room, standing with his back to Mith and Ludus inspecting his appearance in a mirror that had been brought up for that reason. He noticed the distraught children in the mirror and turned to face them. He looked the part of a fine general. His brown hair had been cut and combed to one side. A yellow general's tunic fit him perfectly. When they entered he had been tightening the strings at the collar. The word _Quinn_ had been sewn into the collar in black thread.

"What changes in the last few hours, eh?" He tried to sound cheerful, but a certain gloom was etched into his voice. Mitchum fell to his knees to be at eye level with Mith and Ludus. "I know you two will find that rose and set everything right. Where there is danger, there rise heroes. And I know you two are those heroes, all you have to do is believe in yourselves and in your abilities."

Mith lost the feeling of hope for just a minute; she was scared for herself and for Mitchum. "How did it start, the battle?"

"Our people went to the town of Lwid hoping to find it safe. Instead they found hundreds of yellow suited soldiers inhabiting the town. Turff tried to settle the mess with words when rocks began to be thrown. After that fighting occurred and then swords appeared."

Ludus whispered: "They had swords?"

"From what I heard they were swords from the Rough Region. Which means one thing: They really have recruited from the Rough."

"Do you think you can win the battle?" Mith asked quietly.

Mitchum grabbed her shoulders. "I know we can, but we need help from you. What you are to do is simple. When we are all fighting and trying to win the battle, you two will go and find the rose. At about the time that we think you should be near finding the rose we will back up to the Royal Region. At the time that you should find the rose we will fight on the border, the bad guys on the mountain side and all of us on the royal side. That way we will be safe and they will be frozen when you take up the rose. It will be a tough job, but I think we can do it. After all we are fighting several hundred escaped convicts with several hundred trained guards."

"We may not find the rose in time though." Ludus pointed out.

"Ah, but the king and queen know exactly where it is; they can tell you an exact path that will get you there right as we cross the border of the two regions. Remember, taking the rose is not so we have it; it is so Oldo does not. We believe that he has many people out right now looking for it. It is cleverly hidden. The mountains have hundreds of tunnels leading to dead ends, one leads straight to the rose."

"Will we ever see you again?"

"Absolutely, nothing will ever keep me away from you two." He hugged them both, one arm around each of them. "You two are my family now; you have taught me so much over the last couple days."

Ludus thought of how he yelled at Mitchum the night before, but quickly pushed it from his mind. "You have taught us much more than we ever could teach you."

"I will miss you two, but we will meet again."

The general got to his feet and turned away. The children could see him wipe something away from his cheek. Mith and Ludus looked to each other, both expressing looks of sorrow and anxiety. They sighed as one and nodded. It was time for them to be strong once again, and they now knew how to. The past several days had strengthened their will and their resolve. But it was not over yet. They knew what they had to do and were willing to do it.

The sad children wished Mitchum the best of luck and left the room to get ready. Small backpacks were waiting for them outside their doors after they finished getting ready.

Ludus ran down the hall heading for the stairs, Mith took a moment to mentally say good bye to her room before doing the same. Once in the main hall they saw Zing standing near the doors speaking with the king. As they walked up the king walked away. Zing had a look on her face as if to say: "now or never, let's finish this."

"I hope you cleaned up a little." Zing said almost sarcastically.

Mith and Ludus nodded. And then the three of them stepped out from the safety of the palace into the midday sun.

# Chapter 23: The Tunnel

General Quinn watched the two children he had grown to love leave the palace grounds. On the surface he appeared calm and ready for the task at hand. But deep inside he couldn't help but think of those two kids leaving. How they had changed him, he would probably never tell. But he did not have to tell, some people saw the change as soon as they saw Mitchum. One man in particular could see the change very well. He was a guard who stood at the doors to the palace, and he had known Mitchum when he worked there years before. As soon as he saw old Gai he took notice to his posture straight away. Last time he had seen him, Gai Mitchum Quinn slumped from the lack of care for his own body. Now Gai walked upright with certain swag in every step. The old guard thought of speaking to Gai as he left the palace for his regiment that waited outside, but decided against it. He did not want anything to take away from Gai's concentration. The old guard thought himself the lucky one now. Old guards were the only ones to stay behind in the palace and not fight.

The general stepped out into the midday light. Right in front of the general stood one hundred or so men and women, all looking up to him. They stood in no particular order and did not even wear the same uniform. Some wore the extra uniforms that the other regiment kept in reserve; others simply wore any old thing. Mitchum made a mental note of what he saw. It was a great sight, one day he may even reminisce with some of the people around him. Most of them that were there had made it out of their regions before they froze, while some had come that morning from the mountains, after sneaking past yellow clad watchmen. No matter how they got there or where they were from they would be treated the same. Mitchum wondered how he would speak to them; he wanted to make a good impression without being thought of as overbearing or negative. He cleared his throat and looked out into the crowd with an expression that he thought would belong to a leader. He looked from one person to another as he spoke.

"Welcome to the backup guard, we will begin our journey to the mountains in short. First, however, I would like to say a few words." He took a step closer hoping it would give a look of wanting to be near them. "I know that most of you are not trained and have really no idea of what to do when we get to our destination. After this mess gets cleared up I promise that a more suitable militia will be organized in our great land. But for now . . . this is what we have to work with. I do not know your weaknesses and strengths; in fact I really do not even know mine yet." Immediately he wished he had not said that last part. He did not want anything to make him seem weaker than he already appeared. His hands were sweating and his voice shook as he spoke. "We must hurry, the faster we get to Lwid the faster we can return home. The fight will be messy but do not lose faith in your own abilities. It is your want and need to return Parli to its former greatness that will help us win."

Mitchum looked throughout the crowd hoping to see somebody connecting with his speech. To his horror most were not really even listening, or at least it appeared that way to him. Some were clearly not paying any attention as they were talking or turned the other way. He knew this was not an organized bunch, but he had no idea they were this disorganized. There was one person that the general kept looking back to that did not even appear to be awake. Feeling disgraced, Mitchum stepped from the stairs and led the small group that had been listening to the gates. The others took the hint and followed. A knot formed in the pit of his stomach, he worried greatly over the idea of what might happen over the next few hours. It would be no surprise to the general if over half of his group did not even make it to the mountains. The only thing he knew for certain was that these people who he had to lead had no idea what a battle was going to be like. The sad part, he thought, was that he really did not know what a battle would be like either. He imagined the _real_ guard in the mountains fighting at this very moment. He then thought that when his group appeared the whole battle would be lost. With no real weapons, save for clubs and stones, they really did not stand a chance. There was a small part of Mitchum that wanted to go back into the palace and tell the king and queen that he was not the man for this surely arduous job. But he did not; he knew that they had chosen him for a reason, and he greatly respected that reason, whatever that might be.

It took time, but the group of misfit soldiers made their way out into the forest surrounding the palace. At first the general felt that he was leading a tour group. It annoyed him greatly, but he needed to keep his cool the best he could. He turned in the direction of a tree nearby when he heard a strange noise. It sounded as if the bark of the tree was literally moving in small waves to get to ground level. Mitchum nodded towards the tree's bark face once it had moved down to him.

"Some group you have hear, Gai. The network has been talking of your promotion, congratulations."

The network was the effect where each tree heard what was happening inside the palace grounds before most people did. It started from a potted plant inside of the king and queens bed chamber that would secretly relay messages to the trees inside the gates, who would then tell it to the trees outside the gates.

"I'm glad to hear that the network still works. Have you heard any news on Mith or Ludus?" Mitchum asked with a whisper, not wanting anybody else to see that he was speaking to a tree. Most people did not know that the trees could speak. Mitchum was one of the few alive who knew the trees' secret.

"Oh yes, oh yes, much news to be told." The tree sighed in its deep voice. "They are still in our woods as we speak. The girl seemed sad when she past beneath me, the boy seemed even worse off. And by the way, the boy seems to think that we trees can watch him."

"They can be trusted, you can tell them if you like." Mitchum started away from the tree while the group followed loosely behind.

"We do not like." The tree mouthed to Mitchum as its face retreated back up its thick trunk. The tree's face then quickly came back down the trunk as if it forgot to tell Mitchum something very important, but Mitchum had already turned away. The tree told the next tree which told the next tree. Soon the message was obscured into oblivion and Mitchum never found out what was so important.

Zing was a great leader and secretly wished she had been promoted to general instead of Mitchum. It is not that she disliked Mitchum, who she secretly admired for his strength and courage, but she felt robbed. Instead of her dream job she was escorting two children to a cave. The thought never occurred to her that this job might be even more important than the one that Mitchum had been given. Occasionally she would look down to the two kids with a look of distaste. It was not meant to look nasty, though when Mith caught the look it appeared to her that it was nasty.

The three came to the end of the Royal Region within minutes and faced something Mith and Ludus had seen several times already on their journey, a boundary. Mountains could be seen and a sign read:

Now leaving the Royal Region, Mountain ahead

The three stopped in front of the sign and took a deep breath in unison.

Zing went first into the next region, followed by Mith and Ludus. The small group was standing in a clearing at the foot of a giant mountain to their left and another giant mountain to their right. Directly ahead was a narrow path between the two mountains that looked as if it was only wide enough to hold two or three people standing side by side. Small vegetation grew within the path. The mountains rose indefinitely into the sky. The tops were covered by a thick coat of clouds that stretched over most of the region at that moment. Snow was visible several thousand feet up on each mountain. Zing did not wait to let anybody take in the sights; she quickly started down the narrow path.

"Hurry up, quickly now there isn't much time. We have a long way to go." Zing called back after realizing she had walked several yards without anyone following.

Mith and Ludus had to almost jog to keep up. Zing walked very fast. There were multiple times that Mith or Ludus tried to ask a question but Zing did not let them. Every time one started to speak she would cut them off.

"Hurry up . . . No time . . . Stop asking questions . . . Long way to go . . . Can you walk any faster?"

They followed the path for only a few minutes. Zing turned off onto a side path that was even narrower. This trail actually cut into a mountain, it slowly gained elevation. Sometimes they had to climb to get to the next tier of the trail. The rocky route lasted for about half of an hour before widening out. Once it did Mith had to catch her breath, not from the climbing but from the view. They stood several hundred feet in the air on the side of the mountain.

Without warning a dense fog settled around them as if it was called on by some unknown force. It got to the point where they could not see five inches in front of their faces. Zing had to continually call to them to make sure they were going in the right direction. They had never seen anything like it in the Bay Region; they did get fog on occasion, but never that dense. Mith and Ludus held onto each other to keep from getting separated. There were many times when one had to help the other one from falling after stepping on a loose rock. They wanted a break from all of the climbing but Zing kept them moving. She would not let them stop for any reason; the urgency in her voice was slightly frightening.

The higher they went the colder it got. The temperature dropped faster than it does at night in the Rough. Their breaths mixed in with the fog only moments later. Something appeared to be off with how things were happening. An ordinary fog never came in so quick, just as the temperature never really dropped so fast. Mith was just about to try and ask one more question when Zing answered it.

"Keep calm; this is the magic at work. Lwid took extra precautions when hiding the rose. When anybody gets within a certain distance strange things begin to happen. Just stay close and stay warm, we'll get there before you know it."

More walking followed, both Mith and Ludus tried hard to figure out where they were compared to what they saw before the fog settled. They deduced from the path they took, that they must be on a trail heading up and around the mountain. Three or four times they passed small caves in the rock. They could tell that they were caves when their footsteps echoed into a certain direction. For all they knew they could have been near the edge as well. Though the mountain was very broad and they were nowhere near the edge, but the fog kept them from knowing for sure. Each time a presumed cave was found Mith got tense and gasped.

The temperature continued to drop as they scaled the side of the mountain. Their muscles grew weak from the overuse. They were extremely tired now and wished for a break. The only reason they did not stop on their own was because they feared getting left behind by Zing. On the verge of passing out a voice came from slightly above them.

"Stop." Zing suddenly announced. She held her hand out and Ludus ran into it. "We are here." She slowly moved her hand from in front of Ludus to point to a small dark opening several feet away. "This is the cave where the rose sits."

Ludus asked: "How are you sure?"

"Watch."

Before their eyes the fog rose. Just as fast as it appeared it was gone. They did not realize right off but the temperature had risen back to its normal range, which was still fairly cold.

"What happened?" Ludus asked as he took in the new environment. They were now at least six hundred feet above the ground. Mountains rose up in all directions; he had no idea in which way the Royal Region was from that point. Noises could be heard far below to their right. Ludus wondered if that was the battle.

"You happened. There is more than one reason why the king and queen chose you two." Zing said with a smile, happy to have found the right cave so quickly. "The rose's cave will only freely show itself for the ones that the king and queen choose to get to it in times of hardship. Normally this cave cannot be seen. Only because you are here does it show itself. You can tell by the size of the entrance. All of the other caves that were created to confuse those looking for the rose are several feet across. This one is clearly bigger, much bigger. It is not just a cave but a tunnel. I realize how all of this may seem strange to you. I do not know how it works, really. But it is part of the magic of Parli and it's alright with me. Everything else you have heard about it being small is to confuse those looking."

"It was destiny." Ludus whispered.

Zing nodded. "Exactly, that's the way to see it. Now I need to tell you what to do. It's pretty easy from here on out. All you have to do is go in there and get the rose. It is hidden at the end of this tunnel, deep inside the mountain." A gust of wind blew and Zing had to wait to speak until it went. Once it passed she continued. "There are no paths to choose from, there is only one. The trouble comes in getting past several key hurdles. Lwid was considered a genius, so do not expect getting to his rose to be easy. Oh and one more thing, take this." Zing took a pouch on a string from her pocket and put it around Ludus's neck.

"But if the king and queen wanted us to get it shouldn't that stop the hurdles?" Ludus asked, feeling the large pouch made from animal hide.

"No, the things that will happen to you in this tunnel will happen regardless. It is just in case the king and queen chose someone that is not strong enough to be worthy of the rose."

Zing looked off into the distance in the direction where the noises were. Screams could be heard, some closer than others. "I need to leave now. The rest is up to you. While you are finding the rose I need to go and tell Mitchum and the others to get to the boundary. I am not sure how a battle will work from both sides of the boundaries since we cannot see on the other side, but that is how we were instructed." Zing turned to Mith and Ludus. "I am sure that you will find the rose. You were chosen for the strength that the king and queen saw in you. Do not let them down."

Zing slowly started away from them before she disappeared into the fog that came down around her. Mith and Ludus were now standing alone in a pocket surrounded by fog. The entrance to the tunnel loomed in front of them. Ludus took a deep breath and started towards it. He noticed something strange and turned around. Mith was standing in the exact same spot as she had when the fog cleared. Her face showed fear unlike Ludus had ever seen on it. Her eyes were wide and he could clearly see that her breathing was quick and shallow.

"What's wrong? Come on."

She made a slight whimper and moved away from the entrance. She then put her hands around her head and looked away.

"What is it, why won't you –" Ludus suddenly realized what was wrong. He remembered that Mith's mother had died in a cave-in only six months earlier. Ludus had never really known Mith's mother. But from what he heard he knew she was really something. He had seen Loria a number of times and each time everyone around her had a huge smile on their face. When the news broke in town of her death Ludus was shaken up just as everyone was. He knew perfectly well that he had never experienced anything like Mith had with her mother. He also had no idea what it was she felt now, but he had to get her into the tunnel. Slowly he neared her, thinking quickly on what to say.

"Mith, we need to go." Ludus whispered, soothingly. He touched her shoulder and felt her shake. "Mith, we have to go." He insisted.

"No." Her response was barely audible.

"It's going to be hard, there's no reason why it won't be. But you need to come with me."

Mith shook her head. She moved away into the fog. Ludus could no longer see her, but he knew where she was. He slowly followed her. The cave entrance shrank into nothing when they were away from it.

"Mith, we need to hurry. I don't know what you're going through, and I know I can't even try to imagine. Let me help you through this, I cannot leave you here." Intensity was heard in his words.

Ludus could hear her moving around in the fog nearby. Finally she spoke.

"I should have known it was going to be like this. I'm so sorry, but I just can't do it."

"You have to, we both have to. There is no turning back now. This is what the king and queen needed us to do. I know you want to help stop Oldo, this will help." Ludus closed his eyes; he thought it would help him channel his emotions so he could say what he needed to. "This will help save our home, our friends, our families. Right now they are . . . frozen. If you come with me we can get the rose and get one step closer to saving them."

"This is only the first step, what about all the other ones we still have to complete? And what if we can't do it?"

"Don't say that, now you sound like me."

"We don't _really_ need to do this do we? Zing said herself that Oldo will never find the cave. He does not have permission from the king and queen."

Ludus opened his eyes. "Mith, listen closely, what do you hear?"

Mith listened. She heard several shouts coming from the base of the mountain. After the shouts came some other noises that she could not quite identify. "I hear people."

"Exactly, that's the battle being waged _right now_. If Oldo wins that battle he can go into the Royal Region and walk right into the palace. All of the soldiers available right now on the entire island are in that fight. If they lose because we did not get the rose and freeze the escaped inmates, who knows what will happen."

Mith moved slowly toward the cave. Ludus's pep talk made her feel better. Not for the fact that it was a good talk, but that it was Ludus who was trying to help her. The fog cleared away and the tunnel entrance appeared once more. Ludus saw this and joined her at the entrance.

Mith looked sadly at Ludus. "You are right. I hate to admit it but we do need to get going." She looked away. "My parents would _want_ me to do this."

Side by side they entered the tunnel

# Chapter 24: The Last Golden Rose

A cool breeze blew from the tunnel as Mith and Ludus entered. Their feet hit the cool wet ground as the noise echoed through the cavernous depths. The light from the outside penetrated only several yards in. Everything beyond that was completely black. The ground they stood on was not entirely flat; several stalagmites grew up from the floor. Above them stalactites hung to the ceiling. Also on the ground were two long, thick pieces of wood. Near the top were metal fans pointing upward. Ludus picked one up and a flame suddenly erupted to life at the top. Once the flame was lit the tunnel entrance shrank to nothing. Mith let out a gasp and quickly picked up the other stick. Hers lit up also. The torches only lit a few feet in each direction, so the journey would have to be made slowly. Dripping could be heard all around along with the far off _clack clack_ of their echoing footsteps.

Ludus wasted no time in started forward. Mith came slowly behind. They both waved their torches in all directions as they walked to make sure they saw everything on their way. The tunnel was about ten feet wide while the ceiling stayed at about seven feet high. The floor had many stalagmites and required the fourteen year olds to swerve this way and that to avoid them.

Drip . . . Drip . . . Drip . . . Clack . . . Clack. . .

The floor started into a slight angle downward. Occasionally one would stop, seeing something strange in the fire light. Most times it was just a shadow or their eyes playing tricks on them. Following the shock they continued downward. The temperature had warmed up now and it was quite comfortable, for a tunnel inside of a mountain.

Calmness was felt all around. Neither person felt much like talking. Their concentration rested on finding the hurdles that Zing had mentioned as well as finding the rose. Ludus wished he had asked how long the tunnel was, although he doubted that Zing would have even known. Both of them were really getting tired now. The day was only just now getting into the late afternoon and they already had a long trek up a mountain. They breathed deeply wishing that they had water. Shortly after thinking of water a large rock basin was found filled with water. Mith wondered if that is where the dripping came from, but she did not see any water dripping into the basin. Ludus put his hand in the water to test it; it seemed alright so he drank some. It was really good water, the best he had had in a long time. Mith saw and came over to have a drink. She also thought it was exceptional tasting. When they were full of water they continued. Their bodies felt better after the water break, but they were still tired.

"Hey Lu." Mith whispered after a long while of walking.

"What's up?"

"What do you think the rose looks like?"

"Oh, I don't know, but I hope it's easy to spot. I kinda imagined it shining really bright."

"Yeah, that's what I imagined too. Maybe it's in a whole area made just for it. You know, not just sitting on the ground or something like that."

Drip . . . Drip . . . Drip . . . Clack . . . Clack . . .

"I guess we'll have to grab it together, to make sure none of us get frozen."

Mith nodded. "That's a good idea."

The conversation fell apart and they walked on in silence. Ludus held his torch as far in front of him as he could. Mith kept looking behind her. She had a strange sensation that someone was watching her, but then again she got that most places. Ludus also felt that he was being watched, but he was used to it now. Ever since he first arrived in the palace he felt as though he was being watched all the time. Ludus tried again at a conversation.

"So what's the first thing you are going to do when we get back home and everything is alright?"

Mith liked the new optimistic Ludus. She smiled and answered. "First I want to have a day with my dad. I think that would be nice. Then I want to hang out with some of the other kids in town." She had pushed the incident at the entrance to the tunnel from her mind, she now felt much happier.

"That sounds nice. First thing I want to do is ask Maows why he and the other elders lied to us for so long. And then I want to tell our story to the youngins and see the look on their faces as I tell it. I'll bet it is the same look we had on our faces when Mitchum told us about Memoria and the founders."

Drip . . . Drip . . . Drip . . . Clack . . . Clack . . .

"I am sure Maows has been asked that question many times. The thing I want to know is how they kept this much stuff secret. You'd think someone coming back would have told us something."

"It's the idea of knowing something someone else doesn't, old Mith. When the other fourteen year olds came back they felt like adults and didn't want to be associated with those who know so much less. At least that's how I see it."

The tunnel curved to the right as the floor dropped slightly.

"Well, perhaps you're right. Hey, you know what? We have been on a trip that blows any other out of the water."

Ludus laughed a little nervously. "Right-O, just imagine what the fifteen and sixteen year olds are gonna say when we tell them about this. They probably won't even believe us."

"They will have to when we get escorted home by Mitchum and possibly even the king and queen."

"If Maows even lets them in."

"Exactly, but he should."

Mith suddenly stopped. Ludus was looking at her when she did and saw the alarm on her face. He turned slowly to see what she saw, afraid to look. When he saw it he almost dropped his torch.

A man stood before them in the tunnel. At least it looked like a man. He seemed to be different than any person they had ever seen before. He wore long green robes of impeccable quality. The shade of green was picked out by Mith immediately. It was the exact same shade as the green in the palace, the green that looked like somebody had thrown it up. The man was only slightly taller than Mith and Ludus, and was rather large. He looked past them as if not seeing them at all. The strangest part of all was that he flickered just as the flames did. He spoke with an accent that they could not place. It was similar to their own, but stronger and different.

"Good day." The man called out as if speaking to someone far away. "My name is Lwid. You may have heard of me. I trust that you have been chosen by the royalty of Parli and are here to take the symbol. Whatever the reason may be I ask that you rethink your plan. The rose was put in its spot not to protect it but to protect you. The magic inside the rose is stronger than can be imagined. Trust me, it was once in me. But if you still must take the rose I ask you to be careful. I have placed several obstacles in the way of you finding it. Only truly strong beings can take it." Lwid gave a strange nod. "But seeing as you were sent by the royalty, you must be that person. And I should probably tell you, I've been said to have a very strange sense of humor. Good luck."

Ludus turned to Mith with a look of surprise. He then turned back to Lwid. "Are you really here?"

Lwid did not answer. Mith went around to the side of him and waved for Ludus to come over. He did and saw that Lwid was flat, only an image. Slowly he moved his hand toward the image but Mith caught his arm and brought it back down. The image flickered and disappeared. There was no sign that it had ever been there. Ludus felt good that he had just met one of the original lords and ladies, even if he was just an image.

From that point on the two of them strode very carefully. Not knowing when and where the obstacles would be was perhaps scarier than the obstacles themselves could ever be. They took one step at a time, making sure their foot was securely flat on the ground before moving the other one. With each step they expected something to happen, perhaps a rumble or a noise to warn them that something was about to occur. Ludus ran the last part of the message in his head over and over again. He was not sure what Lwid having a strange sense of humor had to do with anything.

The tunnel's floor turned a much steeper angle. The kids had to watch out to make sure they did not slide down into the darkness. They lay back and used one hand to steady themselves while the other held the torch. The steepness grew more and more until they felt like they were practically climbing down a wall. Finally the floor leveled out once more and they stood up. The first thing Ludus noticed was that the stalactites and stalagmites were gone. The rocky and uneven floor was replaced by smooth brown stone. Ludus knew this to mean that the obstacles must be starting soon. He took several steps carefully, looking back to see Mith doing the same.

After several minutes Ludus saw something strange. He had waved his torch in the direction of the left wall and saw a green stone embedded in the wall. The appearance of a green stone was strange to him so he got a closer look. For a moment he forgot about the obstacles and neared the stone. The light from the flame shone off the stone's glossy surface. Ludus could see himself in the rock. His hair appeared matted down on his forehead from sweat. The temperature had risen since the floor dropped down. His finger moved slowly toward the shiny stone. Mith noticed what he was doing and called to him. Ludus did not notice, his finger moved ever closer. Mith called again but realized it was useless. She started towards him. Ludus's finger was now only an inch from the stone. All of a sudden a large ghostly face appeared over the rock. It laughed heartily in the second that it was visible.

Ludus launched himself back and fell to the floor. His torch immediately went out upon hitting the ground. He breathed heavily and looked back up to where the face had been. The stone was now gone.

"F-f-f-face." Ludus stammered.

"I saw it. It was probably one of the obstacles. Now we only have half of the light we had before."

Ludus picked up the torch but it did not come back to life with fire. He tapped it on the ground, and then tried pounding it on the ground; he then tried to light it with Mith's. Nothing worked, he had dropped the torch and now it was useless.

"Sorry." Ludus sighed gloomily.

"Don't apologize to me. It's alright; I probably would have done the same thing."

"No, you wouldn't have. Only I would have done something so stupid."

"Don't say that. We need to keep going."

Ludus was glad to hear that Mith wanted to keep going and followed closely behind her. The difference in light was clearly visible. Now they could only see about five feet in front of them. He felt ashamed and was happy to be bringing up the rear so Mith could not see him. Mith liked leading; she no longer felt the strange feeling that she was being watched from behind. She walked much faster than Ludus. Every now and then Ludus would make a small noise when he thought she took a step too quickly. He did not want the same thing to happen to her.

Drip . . . Drip . . . Drip . . . Clack . . . Clack . . .

The ground changed color again. This time it was a yellow stone. It looked as though the floor now had a brick pattern. The walls still looked the same as when they had entered the tunnel. Ludus opened his mouth wide and moved his jaw around trying to combat the feeling that his ears were fogged. He had no idea how far they were now into the mountain, but he figured they were over half way.

"Hey, Mith, be careful where you step."

"I know, Lu, don't worry."

"Alright, but we don't know what the next obstacle is."

"That's fine, it will come up and we'll get through it. We have to."

"Sounds good, I'll be right behind you the whole time."

"How brave."

"You'll be brave for the both of us."

The sound of the echo changed pitch on the new floor. It seemed to be denser. The noise kept Ludus on guard. He continued to look about in all directions. The darkness all around pressed in on the light, as if it wanted to extinguish its brilliance and make the tunnel completely dark once again. The fire crackled and spit. The dripping continued, louder this time. With each step it continued to get louder. Added to the dripping was the sound of running water. Quiet at first, but just as the dripping it grew with each step.

Both were anxious, both tired, neither wanted to quit. Each time they thought of resting the idea of their frozen families and friends came to mind. That created an extra force that pushed them onward into the darkness. Both were on the lookout for anything that might be the next obstacle. When it did come there was not much time to do anything about it.

Another person became visible in the fire's light, then another person, standing right next to the first. Mith and Ludus were only a little shocked when they saw the people. At first they thought they had come to a giant mirror. In the fire light appeared a second Mith and Ludus. The second set looked exactly as the first, the same clothes and the same expressions. The only difference was that the original pair had a torch between them, the new pair did not. Ludus stared at his double, watching him carefully. Mith did the same with her own double. She was surprised to see how dirty her double appeared, hoping she did not look the same.

"My name is Ludus." The new Ludus said mechanically.

The real Ludus nodded slowly. "As am I."

"Negative, I am the real Ludus."

"Alright, you are the real Ludus."

The other Ludus then walked past the real Ludus and out of sight. The other Mith looked to the real Mith.

"My name is Mith."

"Sure, whatever."

The other Mith then walked past the Real Mith and out of sight. The real kids looked to each other.

"What a strange obstacle." Mith sighed, happy it was not harder. They started walking once again in the direction of the water.

"Maybe Lwid thought we would fight them or something."

"Guess we outsmarted him." Mith stated.

The floor changed colors once more. This time it was a deep purple with a very clear brick pattern. The echoes of the footsteps changed once again. This time the floor seemed very thin. Ludus was more confident now and walked with ease and quickness. He imagined the battle going on outside. He wondered how Mitchum was doing; he was probably there by now fighting in the fray. Ludus did not know how a battle would look. The version he saw in his head had a lot of wrestling on the ground and strength contests to determine the winner. Mith saw the battle as slightly closer to what it actually was. In her mind it contained the throwing of rocks and shouts of whose rocks were better. Both had it wrong, but their minds were more at ease with their versions.

A rumble was heard from somewhere below them. They looked at each other, horrified. They had only one idea as to what that sound was. Something cracked behind them. They looked back but could not see anything due to the oppressive darkness. The rumbling had grown very loud, and it continued to grow. Instinctively they started to jog into the dark, looking behind them as they did. And then they saw it. The floor was crumbling into an abyss beneath them. They started into a full sprint. Ludus found it hard to take his eyes away and was far behind Mith when he started running. The crumbling floor chased them down. It was gaining on Ludus very quickly. He could barely see where he was going. The torch was being thrust around by Mith as she ran. Ludus could see her up ahead and traveled in that direction.

He ran on the edge. Ludus could feel the floor starting its fall beneath him. Miraculously he stayed upright as his feet moved across bricks that were falling as he ran across them. The light stopped moving in front of him. Mith must have found the end. Right as Ludus was about to reach Mith, who stood on the original tunnel floor, he fell with the bricks. He caught onto the edge of the rocky ledge and hung on for his life. Mith kneeled down to help him but could not get him back up with the torch in her hand.

"Help me." Ludus yelled. He could feel his hands slipping.

"I'm trying." Mith yelled back. She pulled on his arm but it was no good. She looked from the torch to Ludus and made her decision. She dropped the torch, which went out, and pulled Ludus up with both hands. Slowly he made it back onto the even ground.

Nothing could be seen. Mith and Ludus lay on the rocky ground breathing hard. The darkness pressed in on their eyes. All they could tell was that they were on the edge of a cliff, and that they were near each other. Nothing else was certain. Slowly they sat up.

"Thanks . . . I owe ya one."

"You already helped me out."

Ludus gasped. "Hey, you see that?"

"What?"

"That." Ludus pointed and then realized Mith couldn't see his hand. "There, up ahead. That light."

Mith looked. Sure enough there was a small light some one hundred yards away. It was very small but it cut through the darkness easily. She stood up and stepped in its direction. Ludus followed. Something about that light was deeply interesting to them. They both thought the same thing but kept it to themselves for fear they were wrong. Carefully they walked towards it, hands out with a foot making sure there was actually ground beneath them. As they got closer they saw that what the light came from was a small object. Excitement filled them as they walked a little faster. When they were only twenty yards away more light came. It was as if someone slowly lit candles all around them. Their environment showed itself in this new light.

Together they were standing on the edge of a room inside the tunnel. The cavernous walls and ceilings did not change. What changed was the floor once again. But this time instead of brick it was grassy. It was as if they were standing in a small meadow inside the mountain. Water flowed in a canal cut in the center of the grassy floor. Short walls with large chunks missing were seen here and there around the room. The remains of columns stood in various places. The rest of the columns were nowhere to be seen, making Mith and Ludus feel that the ruin design was done purposefully. In the center of the grassy area was a neatly cut stone. Writing was on the stone, but Mith and Ludus did not even notice at first. Their eyes were glued to what sat on the stone. Atop of a golden saucer floated a golden rose. The last golden rose. A silver mist swirled and circled around it.

The greatest feelings erupted from the tired young travelers. Ludus lifted his arms in celebration while Mith jumped around. They laughed, they shouted, they almost cried. Ludus gave Mith a giant hug and they jumped around together. When he let go they saw something that dampened their spirits. The other Mith and Ludus had appeared right next to the rose. They had not been their only a moment before. Ludus took a step forward. The other kids swiftly moved their arms up to where their hands were both around the rose. Ludus stopped; hands up for them to halt.

"Okay, I stopped. What is it that you want?"

"We are the real Mith and Ludus." They said in unison. "We will take the rose to help stop danger."

"No, we are the real Mith and Ludus." Mith said slowly.

The other ones shook their heads. "No, you said that we were."

"We did, but we did not know what to say. You see we really—"

"You lied?" The fake pair asked.

"Well, no, we just did not know what to say." Mith tried to explain.

"You lied?"

"No, no, we did not."

"You lied?"

"Yes, we lied." Ludus suddenly shouted.

The other Mith and Ludus slowly took their hands away from the rose. Everything stayed the same for a moment.

"You tell the truth." They said as they turned around and walked away. They disappeared through the wall on the far side of the room.

Ludus sighed again and hunched down. "You see, you just need to know what to say."

"How did you know that would work?"

"What you were doing wasn't so I tried my own way."

"Lucky gamble."

"I call it knowing what to do."

"Whatever, let's do this." Mith stepped into the grassy area heading for the rose.

"Wait." Ludus called to her.

"What is it?"

"Look where we are. We are in the chamber of a golden rose."

"And we need to pick it up so come down here."

"Only a few days ago we only knew the stories that Maows told us. Remember those?"

"Yes I do, now come on."

Ludus waited just for an instant. He wanted to take in the sight and the feeling he felt at that moment. Then he rushed down to where Mith was. After jumping over the water they were right in front of the rose. The light it emitted was incredible. It was so bright for something so small. Ludus put his hand close to it and felt a warm radiation from it. Mith put her hand up to it as well.

"Do you think everything is going as planned?"

Ludus smiled nervously. "I sure hope so. The only way to find out though is to take the rose."

"Ready? This is it. One . . . Two . . . Three . . ."

Their hands clasped around the rose. Ludus grabbed the stem while Mith grabbed the bulb. Together they carefully moved the rose from over the golden saucer it hovered over. Nothing changed until the rose was completely removed from above the saucer. As soon as the stem crossed over the ground everything changed. The silvery mist vanished and the entire tunnel groaned. Wind blew all around and Ludus was considering putting the rose back until he saw Mith's face. She was so determined to hold onto the bulb of the rose while the wind blew. The wind died down, nothing else had changed.

# Chapter25: Only the Second Battle Ever

As Mith and Ludus had been alone in the tunnel, ice-fill path had never been so crowded. Every square inch was taken up by someone in a guard uniform, in a prison uniform, or in a mountain poncho which was now symbolically the uniform of those fighting from Lwid. The battle had spread from the town of Lwid, through the path, and into the clearing next to the Royal Region. The guards had their backs to the region boundary and tried hard not to be pushed through it. Most were Turff's troops while some had come with Mitchum. Mitchum was right to think that some would abandon on their short journey. As they got closer the screams and shouts got louder, and Mitchum's regiment grew smaller. The idea of fighting was really too much to bear when it came to it.

On all sides blood and sweat poured onto the rocky ground, though no one was dead. The idea of actually killing someone was unthinkable to most in the battle. A large amount of the actual fighting consisted of one-on-one sword fights that ended when one of the competitors fell over. Nevertheless there were some who grasped the idea of an all-out battle, those few swung their swords and aimed their rocks at anything that moved. Sometimes they even hit people on their own side.

The mountains themselves seemed to groan in agony over the battle going on between them. It disrupted nature itself. Mountain deer could be found running through the crowds hitting anything in their way with their giant antlers. Regardless of the inability to kill each other, few had a problem with taking out a deer. Several were found dead around the various parts of the battlefield.

General Quinn moved from left to right as his opponent twirled their mid-length sword in their hands. Sweat ran down every part of his body, especially his hands. He gripped his own sword, a long royal sword, but it continued to slip under his grasp. The large man in the yellow jumpsuit ran at Mitchum, sword aimed high. Mitchum blocked the hit. The man stumbled backward. The general threw his sword down and tackled the large man. The man hit his head on a stone and was immediately knocked out. Mitchum got to his feet, hoping he did not kill the man, and ran for the next fight. Turff saw the action and commended the general from far-off. The two officers exchanged a quick glance before continuing.

Mitchum saw something in Turff's eyes that he had never seen, fear. As he ran to find someone else to fight he looked in the eyes of everyone he saw. They all were the same, fearful. A thought gripped him: Why were they fighting? How could it be that no one wanted to fight yet they all fought? Mitchum wondered how anything could be so important to die for. Several days before he probably would have said that the roses were worth dying for. But now in the thick of danger he could no longer see how. There was nothing inside of him anymore to keep him in the battle. He shot a quick glance at the sign telling the end of the Mountain Region. A large part of Mitchum wanted just to run at the boundary and never return. The desert had not been so bad; at least he was not afraid of dying there. A large rock hit the ground only feet from Mitchum. He started toward the border.

Bern lay nearby as Lapp tended to a giant gash in his arm caused by an enemy sword. They both watched helplessly as one of their commanding officers simply walked away from the battle. Lapp wanted to rush to him but could not find any reason to stop him. Though he tended to Bern, most injured were much worse off. Some would need limbs amputated while others would be lucky if they survived. Out of all the people fighting for the good of Parli, it was Mitchum who they saw as least likely to desert. But now it was clear that he was. He had gone to a jog as a sword landed nearby.

General Quinn was so close to the border when he finally stopped. Something deep inside kept him from leaving, regardless of how badly he wanted to. He imagined what the king would say after hearing that his newest general had fled shortly after arriving in battle. Mitchum could no longer do it. The thought of dishonoring his superiors kept him from leaving. He just had to find the will inside himself to turn around and continue. Then he found it. Mith and Ludus entered his mind. They were somewhere right now deep in a cave and needed him to be strong. The general turned around to see a short frizzy haired woman in yellow running to him with a sword over her head. Mitchum suddenly was brimming with emotion. As the woman got close Mitchum jumped in the air and kicked his opponent in the face. She fell to the ground and so did he. It had been years since that move was last in his arsenal, this time it resulted in several pulled muscles.

# Chapter 26: Defining Success

Gyrd took a swing; his opponent blocked the hit and took a swing of his own. Gyrd blocked it, but stumbled backward. The sound of metal clashing with metal was all around. Every few seconds it was joined by the yelling of orders or the screaming of pain. Gyrd took his stance and thrust his sword straight at the gut of his opponent. His adversary dodged and pounded Gyrd's hand with the hilt of his own sword. Gyrd fell to the ground awaiting the final blow. He closed his eyes; there was no time to think.

After waiting several seconds he noticed the most peculiar thing: all sounds had stopped. There was no more calling of orders or screams. No more running of people all around him. In fact the only sound he heard now was the sound of his own heavy breathing. Slowly he opened his eyes. A sword blade rested only an inch from his nose. Quickly he backed up and smiled from relief.

He could feel blood on the side of his face but that did not stop him from shouting with joy. The rose had been taken, and he the only one left to enjoy it. The only one besides whoever took the rose that is. He knew that with enough people looking someone was bound to find it. He wondered who actually took it. Was it the young man who stole that one book from that one person? Or maybe that one woman who refused to offer the palace guards her room for the night. Though it could have been the older man who ate the food that wasn't his, he might have been the one. Gyrd did not have an idea as to what their names were; he only knew them by how they got put away.

He stood up and looked around, the sight was very strange. Every person there had the nastiest looks on their faces as they tried to hurt those wearing a different color. It amused Gyrd to see them like this; it was like he was in an outdoor museum. He finally knew what Oldo saw in keeping some as statues. They would give any person a look of superiority. He could see it now: when Oldo became leader everyone would know who the important people were. They would have statues in their entryways, maybe even in their gardens. The thought amused Gyrd even more than the frozen people did.

Gyrd felt inside his pouch at the rose he had taken from the forest. It saved him this time, and was now free to be returned to Oldo. He took one final look at the hundreds of statues and simply stepped into the Royal Region. The battle had, for some reason unknown to him, taken a turn toward the Royal Forest. Gyrd entered the next region and peered around to see if anybody had actually made it through and were not frozen. Two people had actually made it, one person in yellow and one in black. The one in yellow had the one in black by the neck and was hitting them with the hilt of a sword.

"Hey, hey, hey you can stop now the battles over."

The girl in yellow looked up. Her name was Vensa, though she was known by Gyrd as 'the young lady who joined in Ijnus. She dropped the palace guard; who moved around in pain but did not get up. Vensa looked at Gyrd expectantly. He was taken aback by her readiness to follow him.

"Uh, aren't you going to ask why the battle is over?" He could not help noticing the blood stains in her black hair. He also could not help but notice her black hair. She was from the Mountain Region.

"I trust my leaders."

"Thank you, but I will tell you anyway."

"I do not need do know. I just need to know what I am to do next."

Right, well, go to Oldo and tell him that things are going as planned and that we need the remaining troops that are in his new palace. We will need help to take out the old palace."

"Sir, getting to master Oldo will take at least a day by foot, and I am without food and water."

"Yes, sorry, I forgot. Besides I already sent someone with a prisoner, they probably took the last of the horses. You will come with me. The faster we do this the better. You see we will take the sword from the palace. I believe I can get in now because I have . . . well I have a way in. After we take the sword the entire island will belong to Oldo and me."

"May I step out of line to say something to you, sir?"

"Yes, absolutely, speak your mind."

"It seems to me that this entire engagement consists of poorly thought out plans on both sides with the winner being whoever does not screw up as much in the final act." Vensa stated frankly.

Gyrd did not know what to say, so he simply said: "But this was a victory."

Vensa shrugged. "How do you define success? If it is with the freezing of all of your troops then we have succeeded."

Gyrd was starting to sound annoyed. "I define success by having an opportunity to complete my mission. I can still complete my mission with or without the troops. Oldo asked me to take the last rose. Somebody of ours has the rose. I told all of them to go straight back to Oldo with the rose. All that is left is the sword. And I will take that tonight. Imagine how that will look, girl. Just imagine us walking in to Oldo together, someone with the rose and me with the sword."

"How about the rose in that pouch?"

"Excuse me."

"To speak my mind fully I must say that the strategists on both sides are as useless as a sun with no heat."

"You do not have the right to –"

"When I heard Oldo speaking to me in Ijnus several days ago I heard someone ready to take Parli. But now I see that he spoke great words but does not have any war skills. Not that that is surprising. The last time a battle occurred my lord Ijnus was in it."

Gyrd looked at this girl through narrowed eyes. "Who are you?"

Vensa ignored him for the moment. "We saw Ijnus's spirit in Oldo. We believed that he was the next to try to take this land."

"The next?"

"There has been more than one trying to take back Parli for Ijnus. It's just that Oldo is the first to come from another region other than my own, and the first to actually get anywhere."

Gyrd felt outmatched by Vensa's verbal skills. "You are from the Mountain, not the Rough."

Vensa ran a finger through her black hair that came down to her shoulders. "I was born in the Mountain but at a young age I found myself connecting with the travelers from the desert. They spoke to me, literally and figuratively. I felt a bond with their free lifestyles and their open societies."

Gyrd was about to speak when four people came out of the woods. All four had the same hair color, a sandy brown of the Rough. They each wore the yellow jumpsuits that had become the official battle wear of Oldo's soldiers. Though, unlike the others, they had customized their uniforms. A large and muscular young man had his sleeves torn off and one pant leg torn to the knee. A scrawny boy had one sleeve torn off past the shoulder, making him look as if he were wearing a toga. The oldest looking one, a man in his mid-twenties had cut out several pieces of is jumpsuit on various places around his body. The last newcomer, a young lady about the same age as Vensa, had torn her uniform almost completely in half at the waist. She wore a white shirt and had the top part of the uniform hanging behind her. The four came up to Vensa and stood behind her.

"What have you done to your clothes?" Gyrd asked feeling annoyed that he had not thought of customizing his own uniform.

"Vensa, look what we found." The large muscular boy said. "We got some meat. The forest is full of little rabbits. We got a lot because we didn't think one was enough for each of us, seeing as they are so scrawny." His voice was deep.

"We sure did, we sure did, we really did." The scrawny boy said. He was jittery and looked in about thirty directions in the time it took to say one sentence.

"Good, very good." Vensa nodded happily. "That should do nicely tonight."

"Creen thought that you wouldn't like them." The girl said of the older one in the group. "But I knew you would."

"Hey!" Gyrd suddenly shouted, feeling that he was losing power every second. "Explain yourselves."

Vensa took a step back to be right with the others. "You want to know of us? Sounds good, I'll tell you. This here is Creen." She put her arm around the older group member. He waved at Gyrd. "He joined only a few months back. Hails from the north desert, he came to Ijnus to follow our great lord after his wife ditched him for some rich old man."

Creen dropped his head at this. "''Tis true, 'tis true."

Vensa moved over and put her arm around the fidgety boy. "This here's Gubba—I didn't name him—He's our weapons master. His dad is a blacksmith and makes us some knives on his off time. He's an older member, joined about three years ago."

Gubba pulled a knife out of his boot and twirled it around. On one side was carved the head of a dragon. "My dad l-l-l-likes what we d-does."

"He sure does, Gubba." Vensa moved over to the other girl. "She's Hordna, don't let her looks fool ya. She may look good but she never acts good, member since age twelve—so about four years."

Vensa moved onto the last one, the big muscular young man. "Lastly here's Hatchet. If I were you I would not ask how he got that name. Me and him started the club about six years ago. And that's pretty much it."

The look on Gyrd's face was one of awe and fear. He had listened carefully just in case he got a chance to introduce these kids to Oldo. Just in case he could say that he put the group together. While listening, he couldn't believe what he was hearing. All his life had been spent in the Rough after he moved from the mountains, and he had never heard of a group of kids becoming some sort of dangerous club. Most in the Rough were really actually nice. Those long hours when he and Oldo planned this whole takeover he never mentioned that for fear Oldo would not make him the leader of the Rough.

"What club is this exactly?" Gyrd asked quietly, his secret plans seen in his eyes.

Vensa stepped up and smiled with cruelness never shown on even Oldo's face. "We are formerly known as: Ijnus's minions. But now you can call us: Oldo's minions. We will do anything for the success of master Oldo, even follow his insane orders."

The mountain half of the boundary came down, revealing the statues on the other side. Oldo's minions looked with pleasure at the frozen faces. Not even Gyrd had looked with that much pleasure. He breathed deeply and reminded himself that he was in control of them, not the other way around.

"Our next step, minions, is to take the palace. I have a rose and can finally make it through this maze of a forest. Tonight we feast on real food."

Vensa cleared her throat: "We want something."

"Like what?"

"Just a little something when this is all over, for our hard work."

"Like what?" Gyrd repeated.

"Maybe like a region of our own, right guys?" The minions whistled their approval. "Someplace that we can control, like the Rough."

"No, no, no, the Rough is mine. If you do help out greatly, and this is not final I still need to talk it over with Oldo, then perhaps you can have the Bay."

Hatchet called out: "That's perfect, Allard lives there."

"Who's Allard?" Gyrd asked, feeling stupid that he did not know.

"Allard is the person who sends everyone to the jail. He has the final say on who goes in and who comes out. Let's just say, not many come out."

Gyrd made a mental note of this Allard fellow. "Now is the time to go." He felt the rose in the pouch and headed off into the direction of the palace. The minions scared him a little but he knew they would make great followers or great scapegoats, whichever was needed first.

Hatchet and the others did not take after Gyrd right away. They waited for Vensa to decide what to do. When she started in the same direction, everyone else followed. The minions looked at each other with excitement, a disturbing blood thirsty excitement.

# Chapter 27: Something's Missing

Waves gently crashed on the rocks that made up the small island in the Parli bay. Few were currently in the tower now known as the second palace. One's name was Oldo, and he sat alone in his office. A small wooden ball in his hand, he thought of what was possibly going on at that moment. Just seconds before he had arrived in his office, he had watched the mountains start to shrink back into the ground. The battle was over, his battle was over. He knew he could have gone and enjoyed a nice beating of a palace guard. Who knows, he might have even had a chance to knock one of his old friends around. The idea made him smile. It was the first thing to make him smile in some time. The job at hand was a much harder one than he had initially expected. When the thought first occurred to him to take all of the roses it seemed easy enough. The only one that was ever going to be a problem was the Mountain rose. He never actually knew the location for that one. In addition there was something else about that rose. He could no longer remember but he knew it was important. It did not matter now as he had seen with his own eyes the mountains shrinking.

Gyrd must have done well. Immediately his thoughts went to the roses that were upstairs. There should have been three up there. For an instant he was about to go up and check to make sure there really were three up there, but then he thought of all of the jail guards and cooks that were locked up on various floors. He felt safe about them being locked up. The only way he had gotten out was because the person who gave him food trusted him and left the cell door open while he got the food ready. Since Oldo rarely gave the new inmates food he knew they would not get out. This idea made him smile again.

It had been almost thirty minutes since Mith and Ludus had taken the rose. Luckily for them there was an exit out of the rose chamber so they were not in the mountains as they shrank. The exit had led them to the other side of the mountain they first entered. It was disguised as just another fake cave to mislead those looking for the rose. Once outside Ludus thanked everything he could find that he made it out alive. The temperature was already above normal and sand could be seen on the ground. It had taken another few minutes for them to get back to ground level. Ludus noticed that there were no more screams or yells. He hoped for the best but could not help feeling anxious.

Mith took the lead this time. She felt the pouch that Ludus had given her to wear the rose. He did not trust himself with it; he thought Mith was much more dependable. She felt more respect for Ludus now then she ever had before. Before they left Rerum together she thought of him as a bit of a jerk. What she did not know was that Ludus knew he was a bit of a jerk. It had only been several days, but they both were different people then they were back then.

Before long they had come across the town of Lwid. The sight frightened them even more than when they first arrived in Brickem. So many soldiers from both sides lay on the ground as if no one even cared about them after they fell. So many more were engaged in battle at the time of their freezing. It was clear to them now that the execution of the plan had been a complete failure. Not only did it look like none of the guards made it out but it looked like no one at all made it out in time. The first person Ludus recognized was Zing. She was standing near some fallen soldiers. She had a sword in her hand and appeared to be in deep thought when the rose was taken. It took a long time for them to get through ice-fill path, it was overcrowded. Not wanting to touch frozen people, they strained themselves to get by them and their swords to get into the clearing. Ludus had been keeping tabs on who he saw frozen. It pained him to see Bern and Lapp so close to the border.

Upon seeing them Mith took the rose from the pouch and tried something she had wanted to try all week. She waved the rose all around them, touching them with it, tapping them with it. Nothing worked, it was useless. The only way to get these people back to normal really did rest in defeating Oldo. Mith wished she could go back and place the rose where it was but she knew that would never work. By the time they got back it would be hard to find the saucer.

Ludus looked at the face of every person he could find. He noticed something in all the faces, fear. It was as if they knew that they were about to freeze in time. To his surprise the inmates really did not look that different from any one else. They were just regular people like he was. Their bodies similar, their faces similar, he could not see even one difference besides what they wore. He turned in the direction of Mith and saw her trying to drag someone across the ground. She was having no luck; all of the frozen people were extremely heavy. He went over to her.

"Mith, there's no point, they will not move."

She let go of the frozen person and looked about hopelessly. "What happened? Why did nobody make it?"

"Not so fast, I haven't seen Mitchum. He may have made it out.

The boundary had fallen; the trees of the Royal were only yards away. They made it into the forest and started back toward the palace. Nothing would have kept them in the mountains now that the desert was about to settle in. Hoping to find someone familiar, their heads were on a swivel to see as much as they could. Hope was all they felt like they had left now. The rose hanging from Mith's neck did not mean much now that there was a possibility of being the only ones left to fight for Parli.

The trees continued their usual noise that sounded like chatter. This time neither even mentioned it, really they did not even notice. They kept with the left path as they did last time and could tell they were nearing the palace. Their heads held low, they thought of what could have been. Everything could have been much better. If the plan had worked then Oldo would soon be defeated. Mith thought about how everything would be alright after Oldo was defeated. She tried to remember if there was a plan for after they got the rose but she could not remember one. She started to believe that none had ever been made up. What happened from then on had to come from Mith and Ludus. That did not feel right for Mith, leaving the fate of an entire island up to two fourteen year olds who did not even know the history of their home until just a couple of days before. Mith hoped that the king and queen would still be at the palace, but she was starting to doubt their ability to come up with strategies, especially after the debacle of the last one. She was about to ask Ludus if he had a plan when he suddenly let out a yell.

Ludus jumped back, staring transfixed at a tree nearby. Mith looked at the tree and also felt a wave of shock. The tree appeared to have a face. Eyes and a mouth could be seen as holes in the bark where the trunk showed through. At first it seemed just a coincidence, if the eyes had not blinked and the mouth had not closed and then reopened.

"Mith, Ludus, you have to hurry."

Ludus was still backing away and was almost to the trees on the other side when he realized they could also have faces and returned to the center of the path. Mith was intrigued and got closer to the tree.

"How do you know us?"

"The system, my dear." The tree boomed.

"What's that?"

"No time for explanations, you have to hurry and get the sword before those other humans do."

Mith's eyes narrowed: "What other people? And how do you know about the sword?"

"Those people in yellow that came by just before you. They talked of Oldo, the ex-head guard. They talked of taking the sword; you have to find it before they do."

Mith could tell there was distress not only in the tree's words but also on its face. "I'm sorry but nobody knows where the sword is. And I would not worry about anybody in yellow. They cannot get to the palace while thinking ill thoughts about it."

The trees face moved from left to right just as a person shakes their head. "No, they got to the palace . . . they have a rose, the magic counteracts the magic of the region. You must find the sword before they do. You must know that inside the sword is Ijnus's full magic. If the wrong people get that it is all over for all of us."

"A rose? That must be Oldo. Alright, we'll try to find it, but it will be hard."

"Wrong, wrong, Oldo was not with them. They looked dangerous, hurry, darling."

Mith thanked the tree and grabbed Ludus to go. He looked sick from watching the tree talk. Mith felt a jolt of courage inside of her. Slowly a plan was formulating in her head. Shortly after leaving the tree it called to them.

"Wait, wait, I must tell you something."

Mith went back to the tree, leaving Ludus where he was. "Yes, what is it. Is it about the sword?"

"No, no, I have news of Mitchum."

Mith felt excited again. With Mitchum everything would become easier. "Where is he?"

"I, I do not know. I just have to tell you something I was going to tell him. I was going to tell him that the rulers of Parli only sent him as general to stall for time in the battle. They have fled to the desert in the south and wanted to make sure everyone but who they were taking with them were out of the palace. It is terrible, terrible that Gai was sent to battle for no reason, terrible."

Mith's excitement fell to the ground. She had trusted the king and queen and now felt horrible at what they had done to Mitchum. He was sent into harm's way just so they could get out with nobody seeing them. Now there would be nobody in the palace to help them find the sword. Mith thanked the tree and left, feeling worse than she had before. There was still a glimmer of hope inside of her, she did not see Mitchum in the battle and hoped beyond hope that he had escaped and was waiting for them somewhere. She explained to Ludus what the tree had said and led the way toward the palace. Her courage was still there, but it was now joined by anger. This mix of emotions made her feel like she was able to take on whoever was in the palace looking for the rose. _Whoever you are,_ she thought _, you better be ready because we are coming to take the sword and end this once and for all._

# Chapter 28: The Forgotten Room

Vensa admired the large mural of the first comings from Memoria. The detail in every part of the painting spoke words to her. Never in her life had she seen a painting on such a large scale. Reds, blues, greens, yellows, and every color imaginable made its way onto the ceiling if one only were to look for them. The details on the boats and on the tiny people in those boats must have taken months just to finish. She wanted so badly to get up there and see it from close range, but there would be no way to do that. The only thing she did not like was that of all of the boats in the picture, Ijnus's was the smallest and farthest away. She knew it was his because she heard a story where he had kept his yellow flag up until they arrived in Parli, and only one boat had a yellow flag up in the picture.

She moved her eyes from the painting and looked down each of the three hallways. Each of the minions had been sent down a hallway in groups to see if they could find the sword on the first floor. Creen and Gubba had been sent down the left, Hordna and Gyrd were sent to the right, Hatchet was sent straight ahead. She now saw Gyrd as a boss and as a fellow minion. He fit the club well, but she doubted his faithfulness to it. He seemed too close to Oldo to become an official member. To her the best part of the minions was that they only had a desire for what was best for the group, and taking over Parli was the right thing for the group. Her footsteps echoed loudly in the deserted palace. While glad that there was no one to worry about spoiling their search, she was also sad that there would be no real difficulties.

She felt her dirty black hair. On so many occasions she planned on dying it brown. Creen once told her of a plant that could do the job, but each time she came close to making the decision to dye it she stopped. There was a part of her that liked being different, and not many people in the Rough had black hair. Sure there were the people who were down on their luck and traveled into the Rough looking to be alone with their problems, but she rarely ran into them. Secretly she wondered where a washroom was and if she had time to quickly take a bath. The others might notice so she decided against it. If one minion was dirty, they all would remain dirty. Vensa heard a noise coming from outside. She had left the main doors ajar. Quickly she hid behind a giant bronze bowl that sat on the edge of the room.

Mith and Ludus scrambled up the stairs to the main doors of the palace. Their legs were heavy from all of the day's activities but they moved on anyway. Surprised to see the doors left open, they slowly and quietly slipped in. Not wanting anyone to know of their entry they continued through the main hall on alert. Moving their feet across the floor without lifting them was the only way to quiet the echoes. Hunched over they made it through the main hall and into the corridor to the next room. Mith had an idea of where to start: in the king and queens study. Ludus felt that he was being watched, but he always felt that in the palace so he disregarded the feeling. He did not notice the girl who came out from behind one of the bronze cauldrons to watch them. Through the corridor they could walk normally thanks to the carpet softening their steps. The whole time Mith wished to find the study. By the end of the corridor they were right in front of stairs leading to it.

Two desks stood on opposite sides of the room. In between the desks were various tables holding papers, strange metal instruments, or nothing at all. The chairs next to the desk were plated in gold and had red velvet cushions on the seats. At the far side of the room was a tall bookcase filled with large, colorful, old books. Mith had a good feeling about the bookcase and headed there first. She started taking books off of the shelves and then putting them back, hoping that would do something. Ludus on the other hand went to the desks looking for a switch of some sort. After several minutes he gave up and went over to Mith.

"I really don't think it's in here." He told her while she lifted a rather large purple book out of its place.

"I doubt it would be in here. I'm looking for a secret entrance to a tunnel or something."

"One quick remark I think you should hear: Did you ever think that it is somewhere the king and queen do not go much? I mean they never even knew where it was."

"Maybe they lied."

Ludus had not thought of that. Ten minutes ago he would have called someone loony for saying the king and queen might lie to them. But now he thought most people the same, all liars. The thought only occurred to him because he knew what they did to Mitchum. After being lied to by Maows and the rest of the elders he should have seen it coming from the leaders of the leaders. In fact even Mitchum had kept things from them at one point or another.

Sometime later Mith had agreed that the sword would probably have been hidden somewhere a little more secretive. They left the study quietly, not wanting to be seen. It was hard to even think of moving around in the palace knowing that they could be captured at any moment by the enemy. Back down the corridor Mith turned to face the way they had just been and wished to see the stairs to the next floors. Upon exiting the corridor the stairs were right in front of them. They climbed up to the second floor but only stayed for a moment. Footsteps could be heard from somewhere nearby. They ran up the stairs to the third floor. Mith decided that they should split up so both would not be captured if it came to that. They would meet in Ludus's room in a half an hour.

Ludus did not believe that the entrance to the sword chamber would be all the way up on the third floor so he merely skimmed through the rooms, mainly trying to stay away from those who also were looking. He made it back to their rooms early and headed straight to the washroom. He took a quick bath hoping nobody would come in, luckily nobody did. Afterwards he went into his room to wait for Mith.

It had not been five seconds after leaving Ludus that Mith got another idea. She closed her eyes and wished to see where the sword was hidden. She turned the corner but nothing special happened. Instead she had just found another hallway. Half way down the hall she stopped in front of the room she had wanted to go into since first seeing it. Fires gone from the two large cauldrons on each side of the gold plated doors, she had come to the room she was told never to go into. She looked up all the way to the ceiling. Excited, she tried the handle, locked. She closed her eyes and wished to be let in, still locked. Then she tried something different. She wished to defeat Oldo. She wondered if the thought sounded too negative, but it did not matter because the doors opened.

Mith smiled at her luck and opened the door. It was extremely heavy. A strange mist emitted from the open door. The words from the doorman came to mind.

" _Never open these doors. You can explore all other rooms on this and the second floor, but never open these doors. And if for some reason you decide to not listen to my first warning, do not touch anything you see inside. Let me reiterate, do not touch anything you see inside."_

She was now hesitant on entering after remembering what she had been told, but knew that she had too, if the sword was somehow behind these doors then she must go in. Having never been given a good reason why she should not touch anything she wondered if that had been a lie too. She doubted it; the doorman seemed like a good person. Quickly she disappeared into the mist and shut the door behind her.

At first nothing could be seen, Mith looked all around but the mist was too thick. Slowly the dimensions of the room took shape, as though it was being created right before her eyes. A pale floor took root under her feet as a high ceiling came into view above. In each corner columns stood, with yellow and orange stripes twisting up them. The mist cleared slightly but still swirled all around. Mith took a step into the room and looked for a clue as to what the room was used for. As far as she could tell it was completely empty. Mith began to feel isolated in the misty room. She looked back but could no longer see the door. She was about to try the handle when she got the feeling that somebody was watching her. It was so strong that she was certain there was somebody only inches away. She turned but nobody was there. Turning all around it felt as if somebody was right behind her no matter what way she faced. Her breathing grew shallow and heavy from the moisture in the air. Her hair was wet, her clothes were damp, and all she wanted was to get out of the room.

Rushing back to the doors she tried them again and again but they would not budge. The realization of being trapped in the room sent fear throughout her body. She could not help but shiver. The wetter she got the colder it seemed to be. Wrapping her arms around herself she prayed that Ludus would find her. She was now certain of why nobody was allowed into the room, it seemed to be some sort of ice box. But why couldn't the doorman have told them that? Was it so bad to have a large ice box?

Mith looked up suddenly, she had heard voices. Relief filled where the terror had been, somebody was there to save her. The voices continued. There were many voices now. But just where were they? She turned around several times but could not see anyone anywhere. The voices grew to a feverish pitch causing Mith to close her eyes and thrust her hands over her ears. The relief left as quickly as it came. The voices continued for several seconds and then . . . silence. She took her hands from her ears which were still ringing. Only one soft noise remained. Somewhere in front of Mith was the sound of rustling cloth. She opened her eyes and looked. Through the mist a shadowy figure could be seen. The person wore a garment that blew as if in wind, though there was none. The mist that blocked the person slowly moved down revealing hair, golden blonde hair blowing without a breeze. A head appeared shortly after.

All thought immediately fled from Mith's mind. She was no longer aware of anything but what was right in front of her. Her body shivered uncontrollable, no longer from the cold air but from sudden shock. Through the mist a slender body emerged and then was hidden once more. Cloaked in a long purple dress, only the head remained in clear vision. Mith stepped forward even though she could no longer feel her legs. With all her might she wanted to run and grasp what stood before her. There was a need to be in that woman's arms, to be held and cared for and told that everything was going to be alright. She could not even remember why she was in the room. Nothing outside that misty chamber mattered at all to her. Tears filled in her eyes and ran down quivering cheeks. She opened her mouth but nothing came out. Her voice remained in her throat, stuck. Whether it was afraid to come out or just shy she did not know. The woman smiled gently. For six months now Mith had longed to see that smile, the smile of her mother.

Loria Hardel's smile was full of pity for her crying daughter. She stood half covered in mist, wanting nothing more then to run to her daughter and tell her that for the moment nothing mattered. This one instant would be their own to love and cherish for eternity. To remember and tell about to everyone that had ever mattered to them. At the same time a star shines for all, Loria was just for one.

"Dearest Mith, how beautiful you are." Mrs. Hardel whispered.

The trembling girl tried and failed to speak once more. Instead she mouthed "Hi" and rubbed her eyes. Her mother was still there, smiling down at her. Mith did not know why her mother was there, or how it was even possible, but for now she did not care. The only thing that mattered was the fact that she was there.

Loria walked forward, she stopped right in front of her daughter. "I'm sorry I was not there to see you off. I'm so sorry that I cannot come with you now. But you have done so well, both you and Ludus."

Mith controlled her sobs and looked into her mother's eyes. They shone as they had as long as Mith could remember. She raised her hands, without thinking she almost touched her mother. Only an inch away she stopped and recoiled. The words of the doorman once again filled her mind.

". . . _do not touch anything you see inside."_

"I'm sorry." She muttered the words with effort. "I can't."

Mrs. Hardel nodded sadly. "We don't have much time. I can only stay for a brief period."

As time passed Mith became more aware of her surroundings and of the possibilities of what was going on. "Mom, how are you here? How am I actually talking to you?"

Loria moved her head around. _"_ It's this room. I once heard of it through a town I passed through years ago. It's called the Forgotten Room. It has the power to reunite those who come in with those who have . . . well, who have passed on."

Mith tried to laugh; only a sputter came out. "Dad would love to be here."

"How is he? Is he alright?"

Mith swallowed hard, trying to delay her tears. "He's frozen.

Mrs. Hardel nodded. "You will fix this. I know you can."

"Nothing will work without the sword. We have to find it and use its power to defeat Oldo. I really don't think that one rose will stand up to three on its own."

Mrs. Hardel reiterated words that she told Mith many times. "Believe that you can accomplish anything, and you will be surprised at the results."

Mith wiped tears away and looked at her mother longingly. She never wanted to leave this room. If only her mother could come along. Mith wanted to ask so many questions but was not sure if any could even be answered. In the end she chose not to ask any that had to do with death or dying.

"Where are we? Are we still in part of the palace?"

"I don't know, all I know is that a person who comes in here can make contact with the one they most dearly miss."

"And if they don't miss anyone?"

"No idea."

"How did it happen?" Mith asked slowly.

Mrs. Hardel smiled sadly. "I had just made it into the Mountain Region, from the Merchant, and needed a place to stay out of the rain. I found a cave and went in; it was only moments later that the ceiling fell in."

Loria looked behind her as if someone was there that Mith could not see. "It is almost time; I must soon return."

"No, not yet, you just got here."

"Mith—"

"Don't go, I still need you."

"Worry not, dearest Mith. I will never really leave you. Wherever you are I will be there too. You remember the stories of the spirits? This is the only place where we can be seen, but we are all around at all times. Through danger and through peace I will be right beside you, helping you, caring for you, cheering for you. And when you talk to me, I will hear. Nothing in the world would make me miss your life. You can tell your father that I will never miss anything."

The mist came and began swirling all around Loria, from the ground up. Soon her legs disappeared, and then her arms. Mith could only watch as her mother started to disappear from her view once more.

"I love you, mom. I love you so much. Please don't go."

"I love you too, Mith. I love you more than anything, never forget that."

The mist rose up around her body. Mith took one last look at her mother before she was gone. She closed her eyes and fell to the ground, crying and shaking. While she wept, the fog cleared away.

# Chapter29: Righting Wrongs

The minions had tried and failed to find anything on the first floor. They arrived again in the middle of the first chamber where Vensa was waiting. With nonchalant voices they told of their failed searches. Each wanted to say that the sword was probably hidden in the one place they forgot to check. Hatchet had been on the second floor and told the group that he had not found anything on that floor either. The minions each believed that there would be some sort of obvious clue as to where the hidden item was. They knew the stories of how the sword came to be, it was their favorite Ijnus tale. With eyes full of nostalgia they recounted where they were when they had first been told the stories. But now, to actually be in the halls that their icon roamed, to be so near where his infamous weapon was stored, it gave them a rush that nothing else could.

Vensa warned of the two Bay children who appeared to also be looking. She told that there was one boy and one girl, both with blonde hair. All of the minions agreed, those kids were of no threat. They probably had gotten lost somewhere and were looking for help. She also mentioned that the girl had a large brown pouch around her neck.

Gyrd took interest in this. He asked about it but Vensa could not say what was inside. He wondered where the kids had come from. As far as he knew everyone was frozen all around Parli, except for the Rough. Then he remembered the two Bay kids he had run into in the forest. The descriptions Vensa gave seemed to match with those kids. But what of the pouch? He racked his mind to think why someone might need a large pouch to carry something in. The paranoia in him said it had to be the rose, while the intelligence in him told that no two kids from the Bay could ever not only find the rose but actually take it. He was feeling nervous now and wanted some way to get away from the rest of the group and look for them. Vensa scared him a little so he did not want to just walk away.

"Hey," Gyrd started nervously, "I'm going to go and find those kids to make sure they don't know anything important about the sword."

Vensa gave him a questioning stare. "Why, what do you think they know?"

"Oh, I don't know, I just want to make sure. The way you described them, I think I met them once."

"It was kind of a vague description."

"I know; I just want to check."

Creen suddenly laughed. "What were you their babysitter once?"

Hordna jumped in to the conversation. "Yeah, that's why he was sent to jail in the first place."

Creen screwed up his eyes in fake concentration and used a childish voice, jokingly imitating Gyrd. "Over here, kiddies, check out my sword. What do you say, should I attack the gardener?"

Hordna pretended to be Mith and Ludus. "Yay yay yay, down with the gardener."

Everyone but Gyrd laughed. He gave the others a scowl but nobody noticed. "You all are so immature." He turned from them and walked toward the corridor with the paintings.

Vensa stopped laughing long enough to call him back. "Hang on, Gyrd, they're just joking. By the way, why were you sent to the jail in the first place?"

Gyrd looked back long enough to shake his head. "It is none of your concern." He continued into the corridor.

The minions regained their seriousness and waited for Vensa to think up a new plan. She decided that they would now try the second floor, working their way up. In the end they would find it, they were bound to.

Ludus awoke slowly. He rubbed his eyes and yawned before realizing what was going on. Once he did he jumped up from the bed and looked out the window. The sun was slowly working toward the horizon, evening had set in. _Oh no, oh no, where is she?_ He thought _where is Mith?_ It was well past the half hour in which they were supposed to meet. Scenes came to his head where Mith had been captured by the other people looking for the sword. _How could I have fallen asleep?_ He paced the room several times trying to think of what to do. There was only one way to find her and he knew what that was. He had to look for her. He had to risk it all and go out of the room to look. Before leaving he put his ear to the door. Nothing could be heard so he ventured out. There was silence in the halls. Ludus looked in all directions after every step. The first corner he took had him arriving in the hall with the large gold doors. He remembered what he had been told and wanted very badly to check out what was behind those doors. Mith was more important to him at that point so he decided to try the doors after he found her.

Footsteps could be heard from down the hall he had just come. Ludus's heart quickly sped up. His head looked all over but there were no rooms he could duck into. The only one he stood next to was to the room he was told never to go into. Quickly he tried the handle, locked. The footsteps came closer. Ludus tugged on the handle over and over but to no use. The footsteps were growing louder. _Come on, let me in, I gotta get in!_ A shadow spread along the floor, the person was about to turn the corner. _Let me in, let me in, let me in._ The person's body appeared; he saw that it was not Mith but someone taller. Someone who looked rather familiar in the half second he saw them. The door opened; there was no time to think. He smoothly ducked into the room and closed the door softly behind him.

Ludus's breathing started to slow, although he was still on edge. He hoped the person would not follow him in. He backed up away from the door just in case. After several steps back there was a strange sensation that Ludus had not felt in several days. He looked down to see his foot in pink sand. _What in Parli?_ Ludus turned to see where he was. To his surprise he was on a beach and in a room at the same time. Tan walls rose high above him to a blue ceiling. In each corner of the room was a column with orange and yellow stripes running up and around. Salty sea breeze hit Ludus's face. It felt so good; it felt like home.

The pink sand lay across only half of the room. The other half was covered with water. All together it looked just like a small part of the beach that he visited everyday back home. After the initial wonder and shock wore off he began to really want to know what was going on. He turned back several times to make sure nobody followed him in, there was nobody there. His breathing and heart rate returned to normal after a while. There was no part of Ludus that wanted to leave that room. He reassured himself that Mith was alright and just got lost trying to find the sword. The amazement of where he was pushed everything else from his mind.

Ludus sat down in the middle of the room, right near where the water started. He decided that he would leave, but not after he first enjoyed his beach. At first Ludus thought the room became whatever the person entering wanted to see. But then he realized that what he really wanted to see was the sword, and that was not there. A quiver ran through him at the sudden thought that the room might be a trap. The doorman had said not to touch anything and Ludus had already touched the sand. He pushed these thoughts away as he pushed the others and continued to sit without care.

A slow buzzing of voices rose throughout the room. Their pitches synchronized into one long note. Ludus looked for the speakers but did not find anyone. The voices rose quickly and continued to rise. At once all the noise stopped. Ludus took his hands from his ears. A man now stood on the water. He walked closer and stopped several feet in front of Ludus.

Ludus took one look at the new face and knew the man was important. He had sandy brown hair and wore long red robes with intricate designs weaving in and around all parts. The man's face held a look of wisdom. He was clean shaven and had such a young face that he could have been sixty, though he looked no older than thirty five. The man rubbed his hands together and waited for Ludus to stand up.

"No time for slouching, boy, the girl is already where you should be." The man said, his voice smooth and deep.

Ludus stood up quickly. "Who are you?"

The man screwed up his face in thought for a second, and then answered. "My name is . . . is . . . Ijnus."

Ludus jumped back, suddenly afraid.

"Now none of that, boy, you have work to be done."

"And what's that, giving you your sword back?"

Ijnus shook his head, annoyed. "Ludus, you're smarter than that, use your head."

"How do you know my name?" Ludus asked in a shrill voice.

"I've been watching you ever since you first entered the palace. I saw your want to come in here so I tagged along until you did. I've been waiting for somebody to come in here for a while. When the girl came in I tried to get here but her mother beat me."

Ludus could not believe what he was hearing. Not only was he talking to a dead person, but he was talking to Ijnus, _the_ Ijnus. And Mith, she was alright, and she got to talk to her mom. Ludus smiled at the idea of meeting Ijnus. He had thought nothing could get any stranger than magical items allowing trees to talk and people to freeze. But now he was not only talking to the dead but also standing on his beloved pink sand.

"So Mith is safe then?"

"Yes she is, now we need to get onto more pressing concerns—"

"Such as where your sword is." Ludus interrupted.

Ijnus put his hand close to Ludus's face. Ludus did not recognize the sign. Ijnus removed his hand.

"I know you were warned about never touching anything in here, I was there with you."

"I never saw you there. In fact I never saw you anywhere before now."

Ijnus put his hand to his forehead. "I'm deceased, smart one. You cannot see me unless you are in this room. This is the Forgotten Room. It is the closest place one can get to the spirits. If I touch you then you will remain trapped in this room forever."

"Well that doesn't sound good at all." Ludus said warily and took another step back.

"Not at all, now I need to tell you something important. I know you have heard stories about me, stories where I am made out to be some kind of villain."

Ludus looked at Ijnus in disbelief. "How does turning on your friends and trying to take all power for yourself not constitute a villain?"

Ijnus sighed loudly. "Those stories are exaggerated. Believe me, you must, it is the only way to get my name cleared. You are my only hope of this. For four hundred years I have tried to get someone to listen to me. But every time someone comes in there is another spirit ready before me. Strangely enough there was nobody in here for you." He paused. "The real story was muddled by the others. I may have turned on them but I was not in my right mind. Since then I have thought about what I did and come to terms with my final moments. What I did was bad, but changing history is worse."

"How did they change history?"

"They said that I had a split personality, they said I was never in my right mind, they claimed my body disappeared in a puff of smoke when they really just threw it over the palace walls."

Ludus interrupted once more. "But the Valley-Marsh Region is proof, of the split personality part. None of the others showed two distinct terrains."

"I was confused; I did not know what I wanted. The magic turned the land that way because I was at a crossroads in my life. Not that the others weren't, it is just that I was the only one yet to put it behind me, and it showed."

"Alright I'll give you that; right now I feel the same."

"Not as much as your friend. Her mind is filled with doubt and confusion."

"How do you know?"

"When she entered this room it was murky. The room is only a reflection of your mind. And looking at where we stand, it appears you miss home very badly."

A little embarrassed, Ludus nodded. "So what, what do you want me to do? I still don't quite understand."

Ijnus quickly looked behind him as if someone was there. "There's no time left. I must tell you in haste."

"What do you mean 'no time' you just got here."

The water started swirling around Ijnus's feet. "Just tell the world that I'm sorry, tell them that I take full responsibility and regret my actions." The water jumped and swirled up Ijnus's body. "Ludus, finish this fool Oldo off. He means greater harm than I ever did. He must be stopped." The water was at his waste. "Your friend has already made it to the sword room." The swirling vortex was up to his chin.

"Wait, where is the sword room?"

Ijnus motioned with his head to the wall behind him. As the water rose over his head he shouted one last message. "It is up to the two of you to save Parli now."

The water splashed back down. Ludus was once again alone. He looked to where Ijnus had motioned and now saw a small hole in the wall. Ludus went to the water expecting to swim there. Instead the water lowered and disappeared, the sand followed. The room was now bare. The hole was small but Ludus just squeezed in on his hands and knees.

# Chapter 30: A Friendly Reunion

The second palace dimmed with the sun. Its inhabitants braced themselves for another miserable night. Most cells were filled with statues taken from various towns and villages around Parli, the rest were filled with the guards who once worked there. With no one now capable or willing to stop Oldo, his collection increased daily. He kept a small group of the less skilled inmates to be the ones who actually bring the statues to him. They were considered useless in battle for various reasons, including age. The birds had finally given up their food search and returned to the mainland. There was silence for the first time.

Oldo could feel the eventual leadership upon him. During the last couple of days he amused himself by talking with the statues, telling them of what life would be like when he was finally king, or as he liked to say: lord. Just the thought of being lord of Parli made him smile to himself. He would be the strongest ruler of all time, even stronger than Hulius. With all of the magic from the roses and, hopefully, the sword he would be unstoppable. He could have been almost there now, but he was not exactly sure how to extract the magic from the roses he already had. Over and over in his mind he tried different possibilities, all failed. He was too afraid to try those ideas on the actual roses. Perhaps the people of Parli would just bow to him when they knew he had them all.

Then the thought finally occurred to him: How was there going to be anybody left in Parli? Most of the people were frozen and could only awaken when their rose was returned to its resting place, the downside of having residual magic. Oldo paced all around the jail with those thoughts in mind. How could he bring them back? This sort of thing had never even been tested before, there was no rule book written for the magic. _Aaaah!_ An idea popped into his mind. When he became ruler _he_ would write a rule book for magic. It was the greatest idea he had thought of yet. And then when he was done being ruler he would give the magic and the book to somebody else to use when they ruled. _I think of everything_.

It did not even matter to him that most of his strategies really did not have back up plans, now it did not matter. Really it never mattered much at all; the opposing side had even worse strategists. He wished dearly that there was some sort of person he could turn to for this. An uprising had not been done in so long, and that was by one of the leaders. An uprising by a disgraced palace guard from a jail out in the bay, what a remarkable tale it would become. But still it was unmarked territory. Whoever came next would want to know how it was done, and then they would fix the problems and do it right. But an uprising in the future would be against Oldo's Parli. Thought this complex gave Oldo a headache, he decided to come back to that idea later.

One of the 'useless' statue collectors came in to the mess hall. He was much older than Oldo and had been in that jail for many years. He wore one of the jail guard uniforms. With him came two younger men that had been in the battle earlier that same day. One, the taller and younger of the two, had small specks of blood on his uniform. The other pushed a prisoner in front of him. The prisoner had his hands bound behind his back and was looking Oldo in the eyes when he approached. The prisoner was dressed as an officer.

Oldo looked to the prisoner, surprised. "Ah, you finally have joined me, Gai. I thought for sure I would see you in here eventually. Though, to be honest, I imagined you in a cell near mine, near the top."

Mitchum nodded, his face was gaunt from exhaustion and hunger. "Time has shown you no passion, Greb."

"Never use my first name, Gai, it no longer suits my needs of power. But it looks to me that you are just as greedy, I like your uniform. It must have been nice, kissing up to the prince like that. Now he is king and you are a general."

"You have been in here too long, your facts are wrong. I was fired just after you were."

Oldo grew annoyed by his old friend. "You lived free, look at where I ended up."

"How can you even think to be free after what you were planning?"

Oldo suddenly shouted. "I did not try to kill the prince!"

"You were found with a dagger in his study, no one is allowed with weapons in his study."

"It was an accident, I did not mean for that to be with me. You were my best friend, and not even you believed me."

"It is hard to believe you after all the talk of hating the prince."

Oldo began pacing in front of Mitchum. "Just because I said I hated him does not mean I ever meant to kill him." Mitchum was about to say something but Oldo cut him off. "Yes, alright, I had a plan written to kill the royal family, but nobody let me even try to explain."

"Explain what? That is a piece of evidence that needs no explanation."

"Gai, you only had eyes for control, and with me out of the way you could become that general. I don't even know why it comes as a surprise, just look at who your family is: the rippers."

Mitchum tried to break free from his bonds but he could not. "It had nothing to do with power, and do not bring my family into this."

"What else would it have to do with? I will never forget what you did to me, Gai. But where you lost me my job, I will make you lose your . . . your . . . your life."

"It's hard for even you to say. Face it, you never had the courage necessary to finish your plans, and you won't finish this one."

"Oh, but Gai, it is all but finished. I can see it from here, the mountains are gone. All the roses are mine."

Mitchum was about to tell how Mith and Ludus were the only ones who could have taken the rose, but he caught himself before he could. He would not be able to live with himself if something happened to those kids because of something he said.

Oldo smiled, he held out his arms wide. "What do you think of my museum? Does it fit the Quinn standards?"

The frozen faces all looked in different directions, but Mitchum could feel them all calling to him for help. He moved his eyes from person to person. Only feet from where he stood was a sight that made his heart sink. Mr. Hardel sat calmly as if still at home. Mitchum recognized him immediately from their one encounter so long ago. Mith's smiling face came to mind at the sight of the statue. He hoped they were alright, wherever they were.

"This is far below anything I ever thought you were capable of. Please just tell me why you did this."

Oldo pressed down his black hair and thought of a way to communicate his vision to Mitchum. "The people of this island are so predictable, they whine for the stars, and then when the night gives it to them, they cry for the sun. They don't know what they want, or how to get it. I can give them that."

"What Parli do you live in? The people have what they want. You just needed some reason to take all the power for yourself."

"That's it; I am done talking to you. If you are so brainwashed to believe where we live is perfect then you are no better than the royalty. We once thought the same, it seems time has softened your passion for a new Parli." Oldo said, gesturing for Mitchum to be taken away.

"I still want a new Parli, but I believe in showing people what is wrong by words written and spoken. All you are doing is turning the whole against you."

"Fine, Gai, you do it your way and I'll do it mine. Tell me when you make a difference."

Mitchum was dragged away from Oldo. He struggled against his two captors but to no avail. "You will not win, Oldo. Each step toward your vision of Parli is a step in the wrong direction."

Oldo tried not to listen. Instead he went back to studying his statues. Mitchum was taken from the mess hall and away. Oldo tried to continue the thoughts he had been thinking before Mitchum came in but could not remember them.

# Chapter 31: The Sword of Ijnus

The walls to the small tunnel that Ludus was now crawling through were rough on his hands and knees. The small canal was very long. Ludus had been traveling in it for almost ten minutes without arriving anywhere. It traveled downward with occasional curves to the left or right. A small opening could be seen far off now. Ludus was not exactly claustrophobic, but being in a tiny space for that long made him happy that he was finally near the sword. Several times he thought he heard a grunt or gasp behind him, but he could not turn and see if there was anybody there. He passed it off as his imagination and continued.

Eight minutes later he thankfully crawled out of the tiny space into a small room. A wooden door was the only thing in the room. He went through the door and breathed a sigh of relief. The first thing he saw was a sword. It was stuck in a small mound of dirt in the center of another small and plain room. The hilt was very ornate and had a ruby encrusted into it. Next he saw Mith standing nearby it. He ran to her.

"Oh, Mith," he gave her a big hug. When he realized what he was doing he recoiled, "um, good job finding the sword."

Mith looked different than she had when he had last seen her. Her face was shallow. It was obvious that she had been crying. Now she was smiling and as relieved as Ludus was.

"I did not know what to do, I was thinking of taking the sword, but then you would have frozen. I guess I should have left the rose with you."

"Thanks for not leaving me to freeze." He blushed slightly, though he was not sure why. "I thought for sure you were in trouble when you did not show up to the room. I would have been here sooner, but I fell asleep."

"So did I; back up in that Forgotten Room."

"I heard you saw your mom."

"How did you hear that?" Mith asked, slightly embarrassed.

"Ijnus told me."

"You met Ijnus?"

"Yep, he's actually not that bad of a guy anymore." Ludus suddenly looked behind him and mouthed "sorry" he was not sure if Ijnus was still with him.

Things looked to be finally turning around. The sword would fix everything. With something of full magic they might be able to bring their families and friends back. It was not certain though, there was no rule book for magic as far as they knew. Even if they would not be able to bring people back with the sword, at least they could go and take the other roses from Oldo. But then the problem of dark magic came to mind. Mitchum had told them that the reason Ijnus's sword could not be turned to a rose was because its dark magic could not be controlled by the other four. Ludus looked to the sword but saw nothing that might indicate dark magic.

The two fourteen year olds looked at each other with strange expressions the other had never seen. Each finally considered the other a best friend. Before now they would have told someone that they were just friends. Something about being underneath an almost empty region while standing next to a large magic source usually did that to people.

"We should probably do this now, huh?" Ludus asked.

"I suppose so." Mith replied.

"But what of the dark magic?"

"We have to try."

They walked up to the sword and took in the moment that they would remember for the rest of their lives. Slowly they each clasped part of the ornate handle. "Ready?" They asked at the same time. They nodded. "One . . . Two . . . Thr—"

"Stop!"

Mith and Ludus both let go of the handle right before they pulled it out. A girl stood in the room with them. She had black hair and wore yellow. Behind her five more people came into the already crowded space. One of the people they recognized as the fake guard they had met in the forest. The group all dressed in yellow surrounded Mith and Ludus. The first girl walked to them, her hands up.

"Let's not do anything too foolish now, kids."

"Kids, what does that make you then?" Ludus asked; his heart racing.

"I am Vensa, and we are the minions. Now if you would not mind we are here to take Ijnus's sword."

Mith grabbed the sword hilt. All of the minions yelped for her to stop. "Do anything and you all are frozen." She threatened.

Gyrd stepped up; he spoke with the soft voice he had heard Oldo use on people he wanted something from. "Please do not be stupid. If you take the sword we will –uh—kill you."

Ludus also grabbed the hilt. "You'll be frozen."

Gyrd shook his head and pulled a golden rose from the pouch around his neck. The minions gaped at it. "If you pull it I will kill you. Now let me pull the sword for my master. And while we're at it give me the rose around your neck, girl."

"I have a name, boy." Mith shot back.

The minions laughed at that. Each pulled out a dagger from their shoes or pockets and held it out in front of them.

"Only you have the rose. If we pull this it will be two on one."

Vensa went to Gyrd and put a finger on the rose. "Two on two."

The other minions all followed Vensa by putting a finger on the rose. Ludus took his hands from the hilt. Mith shot him an aggravated look. He returned it with a shrug of his shoulders.

"I'm sorry Mith, but two on five are not good odds."

"We have to try." She whispered to him. He replied with a wink. Mith hoped that meant he had a plan and also let go of the sword. "You can have it." She said and stepped away. Ludus moved his head in a way to show that she should go over and stand next to him.

Vensa and the minions all went up to the sword and took grasp. "Are we ready for this?" She asked them, they all nodded or said "yes".

While the others were busy admiring Ijnus's sword Ludus took the rose from the pouch around Mith's neck and put it behind his back. Mith asked what was going on with her eyes and Ludus nodded for her to relax.

Gyrd held his hand out. "Now the rose."

Ludus touched Mith's back with the rose. She put her hands behind her. Ludus shoved the bulb of the rose into her hand. "Take us to Oldo. We will give you the rose only if he unfreezes our friends and families."

Gyrd narrowed his eyes. "Who are you? Where are you from?"

"My name is Ludus, and this is Mith. And we are from Rerum."

"Ludus from Rerum give me the rose or you will not ever be leaving this room."

There was nothing else they could do; each knew there was only one way out of their predicament alive. Ludus took his thumb and pressed it as hard as he could against the rose, right under the bulb. The rose snapped instantly. It did not take as much pressure as he thought, though the sound echoed throughout the small room. Everyone looked.

What happened next Ludus would later call "the greatest feeling ever". A surge shot throughout their entire bodies. Every inch of them tingled and shook for only a second. Their bodies were instantly transformed. Tired and heavy muscles became healed of all fatigue. It was as if their souls were drenched in a wave of magic. And for one instant it felt as if their feet had left the floor. The parts of the rose in their hands pulled like magnets toward each other. Afraid re-uniting the rose would take the magic back from them; they put the pieces into their pockets.

Gyrd watched with fear as they absorbed the magic. The minions even stopped petting the sword when they felt the sudden change.

"W—what have you done? The magic, you took it." Gyrd said his eyes wide from disbelief.

The magic gave Mith and Ludus more courage than they ever had before. When Ludus spoke, he spoke fearlessly, as if to a cloud in the sky: "Take us to Oldo, or we will use our magic."

Gyrd saw a definite change in how the small blonde boy acted and was slightly afraid. "You have no idea how to use that power."

Ludus was about to respond when he felt a rush in his head as if moving very fast. His eyes lost focus of everything. Soon things came back into focus, but it was different. He was no longer standing in a room with Mith and Gyrd, but with many people he did not recognize. They were all outside in a desert. Several fires were burning in pits around the crowd. The people all stared at Ludus as if expecting something they had been waiting for. He tried to move but could not, he could not even talk, only watch. His eyes then moved without his control, back and forth scanning the crowd.

Suddenly someone came into view directly before him. It was a woman. She wore blue robes of the finest quality. Her mouth moved excitedly but Ludus could not hear her. Someone else was in his mind. They thought of the person and Ludus heard her name, Altis. She was much younger than in the picture he had seen in the palace. Her long dark brown hair went all the way down her back. Soon she left his eyesight. Ludus, or whoever he was seeing through, nodded several times and looked to his feet. He was wearing green shoes that were Lwid's terrible shade of green.

The eyes moved to the right and Altis came back into view, along with three others. One was Ijnus. He also looked much younger. He was quite handsome in his youth. A wide smile stretched across his face as he looked back to Ludus. Next to him was Altis and next to her were another man and woman. Immediately Ludus knew who they were. The woman was Rerum. She had long blonde hair and a good natured, pretty face. The man who stood next to her was Portur. He had dark blonde hair, almost brown. They all looked so happy for some reason. Ludus looked back to the crowd and spoke. He could hear his own voice; his voice was one he had heard in the mountain. At that point it dawned on Ludus; he was seeing the world from Lwid's eyes from many years before.

"For those of you that do not know me my name is Lwid, lord of . . . well that does not matter anymore. This land is ours now, all of ours. The horrible memories of our past are no more, but do not forget them. He made us weak, we will now be strong. He made us forget; now we will remember. Our past makes us who we are and we should accept that." He paused and looked to the other lords and ladies; they each waved their arms for him to continue. "I am sorry; I do not mean to dwell on the past. Now is the time for the future, now is the time for us all to come together as one. The others and I have come up with a name for this land, we call it Parli. It is our home from here on out . . ."

Ludus felt the rush once more and was transported back to the palace. He came back to his own senses with a gasp for breath. Nothing had changed in his absence, Mith still stood beside him as Gyrd still stood in front of him. The minions still stood around the sword, watching him.

What was that?

What!

Ludus looked to Mith. She was staring at him with wide eyes. Ludus had just heard her in his head. Gyrd looked at the two of them, concerned.

"Hey, you two, what's going on?"

They both ignored him and tried to communicate.

_Can you hear me?_ Mith thought.

_Yes,_ Ludus replied.

"That's it, take the sword." Gyrd barked to the minions.

"Everybody grab on." Vensa ordered. With all the minions on the sword they pulled. It took much effort for the five of them but the sword slowly came up. With one mighty grunt they pulled the sword clean from the dirt it sat in. A light shone from the dirt as the mound collapsed. A rumble was felt all around, growing stronger. A strange grinding sound was heard from above. Mith looked to Ludus, he seemed scared, but for more than the reason at hand. She tried to decipher the feelings in his blue eyes, but could not. She looked to the others trapped with them.

"Put it back!" Mith shouted to Vensa.

Vensa pointed the sword at Mith. "Never!"

The minions ran to the door with the others following. Hatchet led the way back into the small opening. There were no enemies as they heard a loud crashing noise behind them in the room they just left. Each climbed up the small tunnel as fast as possible.

_Mith,_ Ludus thought, _we need to get that sword. We can take it through the distractions._

_Let's think about that later._ Mith thought back.

This time around the tunnel did not seem quite as long to Mith and Ludus. It seemed that it only took a minute to get half way. The others felt that it was taking hours, and they still weren't there. Ludus took up the rear and could hear a strange noise beneath him, some kind of rushing sound. He tried to look back but could not. It grew louder and louder until the grinding and rumbling could not be heard. Without warning he was covered with sand pushing upwards. The sand engulfed all of them and shot to the exit.

Mith and Ludus held their breath with ease through the sand, the others were not so lucky. The minions and Gyrd felt about ready to burst when they were thrust from the entrance and onto the floor of the Forgotten Room. Sand shot from the tunnel and quickly started filling the space. Together they all ran for the large doors. The magic had not yet fully drained from the room; remnant magic started forming objects all around them. All the objects were transparent. Ludus saw his sand and Mith saw remnants of her mist. As he ran Ludus thought he saw a ghostly figure of Ijnus watching him. The figure seemed to nod as Ludus passed by. Other things that appeared were: the wall of a stone house, a small tree with no limbs, and a throne. Ludus did not have time to match each object with all of the people, but he assumed the throne belonged in Gyrd's mind.

The doors did not open when they arrived at them. Hordna and Creen banged their fists uselessly while Vensa waved the sword in front of it. Hatchet and Gyrd could not get to the doors, so they tried to shout orders from behind. Mith and Ludus felt that they knew what to do. They simply walked up and the way cleared. The others waited to see if they could do something. Mith and Ludus each took the handle and pushed as hard as they could. The door opened, whether from the magic or from the force was unknown. After everyone got out they closed the doors behind them. The only sounds now came from the people, each huffing and puffing except for Mith and Ludus.

"Thank you, but we are still enemies." Vensa said as she pointed the sword at Mith and Ludus. "Legend says all we have to do is kill you and the magic will come out."

Gyrd put his hand over Vensa's and pushed the sword down. "We need them alive, the magic may go into the floor and not into us. We are in no need to take chances."

Vensa lowered the sword but motioned for the other minions to circle Mith and Ludus. They took out their daggers and snarled. Only minutes before Mith and Ludus would have thought their appearance frightening, but now they were the frightening ones. The magic was still mostly unknown to them but they were certain that they could do more than read each other's minds.

_What do you want to do?_ Ludus asked through thought.

We need to get to Oldo; we need them to take us.

"Alright, let me tell you how this will work." Mith said to her captors. "We will go with you without a struggle to Oldo the coward, then –"

"How dare you call him a coward?" Gyrd spat.

"Hey, boy, do you see him here doing anything dangerous? I don't, he's back at the jail like he does not want to get his hands dirty. Now take us there and we can sort this out with him."

Gyrd frowned but did not say anything. He pointed down the hall and started walking. Vensa followed right behind while the minions took their positions around Mith and Ludus. Hatchet and Creen were in front, the ever twitching Gubba and Hordna took up the rear, daggers out.

The palace was no different since the magic was gone. The fires had been lit at some point by the magic and were still going. The strange shadows that Ludus had been afraid of several days earlier were back. They did not scare him now, now he saw designs and interesting patterns in them. The palace was built without using magic so it would not collapse without it. The only difference was that the hallways were back to the way they originally were, wishing to be somewhere would not work now. The stairs were found with some confusion as to which halls to turn down. Once on the first floor they went straight for the doors. Vensa ordered Hatchet to find food and he ran off in the wrong direction. While in the hall with the pictures Vensa knocked down the paintings of the other lords and ladies with the point of Ijnus's sword. Ludus thought of telling the minions how Ijnus really felt about what he did, but decided that could be used to his advantage later if he needed it to.

The main doors were still open; they were opened further so the formation could get out without giving a chance for Mith and Ludus to get away. Some sand had already gotten to the surface of the ground and was blowing in the night air. The temperature was already falling. It was hard to see in the dark, the bright stars were the only source of light except for a small amount emitting from the sword and the inside pocket in Gyrd's yellow uniform where he now kept the rose. He noticed this and pulled the rose from his pocket for more light. The rose shined down on all of them in the darkness. It proved a good light source, though it only lit twenty paces in all directions. There was silence as they waited for Hatchet, but a full conversation was going on right under their noses.

Hey, Mith.

Yeah.

I think we have some connection to Lwid now.

How do you know?

Back in the sword room I was suddenly transported back to when Parli was founded. The other lords and ladies were there, it was incredible. I could not hear anything but what Lwid said, though. He was giving a speech somewhere in Parli; I think it was right where the palace now sits. Then I was transported back as if nothing happened. Did you notice anything?

I noticed you suddenly gasped.

That was when I returned. My theory is that since we each got magic from the same source we now have a connection with each other and with Lwid.

That explains why we cannot hear their thoughts.

If I can see what he saw, I wonder what you have.

I guess I'll find out. When I do I'll tell you.

Hatchet returned several minutes later with a large sack. It took some time for him to find the kitchens but after he did he cleared out anything he could find that would not go bad over night. Gyrd had been mentally making plans and relayed them to the others.

"We will set out immediately for the bay. The last of the horses and carts was taken this morning, so we will have to walk. With rests it will probably take us two days to arrive." He turned his attention to Mith and Ludus. "And then the magic will be Oldo's."

Gyrd led the way from the palace grounds, the rose held high. The minions followed while encompassing the magical kids. Daggers extended, they tried not to talk for the first leg of the journey back. The forest had vanished and with it the chatter of trees. With every step the sand grew under their feet, soon it was as if in a desert. The temperatures dropped with the trees. Clouds emitted with every breath exhaled. Soon they all were shivering from the cold. The darkness pressed in on all sides of the glowing rose. Where the rose light ended the night began. Nothing could be seen outside of its rays.

Mith and Ludus wondered what new things they could do with the magic. Every now and then Ludus would try and shove Hatchet or Creen who walked in front of him, without actually touching them. It did not work but it gave him the idea to try and do things that he thought magical. After ten minutes he knew that he could not do, or did not know how to: fly, vanish, shoot lasers, warm the air, or freeze anybody around him. Being the first people since the lords and ladies to have magic inside of them made them believe that they were now capable of wonderful things, besides what was already figured out. Ludus tried to see another one of Lwid's memories, but he soon realized that it would be entirely random if it happened again.

There was no indication as to when they entered the Bay Region. With no forest trail they did not cross into the region where the sign was. After walking for an hour with no talk and very little light, Gyrd stopped for some sleep and food. Hatchet took some food from his sack and divided it out for everyone, Mith and Ludus got significantly smaller portions. They each received a piece of bread and a small clay bowl of water. Once finished, Hordna started a fire and started roasting rabbits; she was placed on first watch and was told not to let _them_ out of her sight. Mith and Ludus continued their conversation after everyone fell asleep.

_Have you found out what you can do yet?_ Ludus thought.

Not yet. How about you?

No luck, I've been trying everything but it isn't working.

I have an idea.

Mith looked over to Hordna. "Excuse me."

Hordna was staring at them the entire time. "Ya, what?"

"How old are you?"

"How old are you?" Hordna retorted.

"Fourteen."

"Oh," Hordna did not think that Mith would actually tell her age. "I'm sixteen."

Ludus jumped in. "That's young, why are you hanging out with these weirdo's."

"Me and Vensa are the same age."

Mith looked to the sleeping figures near her. Gyrd was farthest away and had the rose back in his pocket. Mith was trying to remember the names of the others that she had overheard them say. All she could remember was that one had a name that sounded just like something her father said when he got mad and another sounded like a cheese. She suddenly remembered.

"How about Gouda?"

"Gubba."

"Whatever."

"He's eighteen, Hatchet is seventeen, and Creen is twenty seven."

"Old timer." Ludus mumbled to himself.

"So why did you join?" Mith asked, not really wanting to know.

"I was born and raised in Ijnus so I knew of the strange, almost warship of the man, Ijnus. I wasn't feeling it too much until my mom died. My dad left shortly after and never came back, rumor is he killed himself. So anyway I was all alone and that's when I met Hatchet, he introduced me to Vensa and the rest is history."

Mith felt a sorrow for Hordna. "I'm sorry about your parents."

"You can't change the past; you can only . . . well . . . live with it."

The idea of simply living with her mother's death never occurred to Mith. She was no longer feeling as courageous as before, that was only temporary. Instead she felt just as she had before gaining the magic. Her mother's warm face in the Forgotten Room came to her mind. She wanted to see her again but knew she could not. The want grew for a moment and then subsided. Mith now felt courage on her own to try and live with what happened to her mother. She remembered quickly that Ludus had access to her thoughts and looked over to him. He lay on the ground, eyes closed. Mith hoped that he was not just pretending to be asleep so it would look like he did not hear.

Hordna brought her legs up and held her knees. The fire to her right lit up her features on half of her face. The other side remained in shadows. The cooking rabbit sat skewered over the fire. "Sometimes I wonder why I joined. But then the answer comes to me."

"What is it?"

"These people are my family."

Mith nodded slowly. "Family is important. I don't know what I would do without my dad."

"What of your mom?"

"No longer with us."

"I'm sorry."

"It does not hurt as much now. I saw her, in the Forgotten Room. You know the room that all the sand was in."

"I did not see anything in that room that was mine, both times we all ran in together."

There was silence. The fire crackled in the frozen night. Mith moved nearer to the fire to get warm. She sat next to Hordna. There was a rustling behind them. They both looked and saw Hatchet leaving the light into the woods with a dead rabbit in his hands. He came back several minutes later. Both Mith and Hordna were staring at him.

"What? It was the last one; I don't want it to go bad; I buried it in the sand." Hatchet then returned to his spot in the sand and went back to sleep.

Mith struck up another conversation. "That was nice of him."

"We aren't bad people."

"You have us as prisoners as we go to the place where your leader is trying to take over Parli. And if I am not mistaken there is blood on Vensa's uniform."

"Ok, so some of us are worse than others."

Mith decided it best to finally ask what was on her mind. "This may sound strange, but what do you know of Lwid?"

"Besides that you have his magic in you."

"Yeah, besides that."

"You'd have to ask Vensa to get the details, she knows about all of the lords and ladies. I only know certain things."

Mith pressed on. "Do you know of his abilities? Did he even have abilities?"

Hordna stared ahead as she spoke, the fire illuminating the half of her face that Mith saw. "Stories tell that they all had certain abilities and powers. Those stories are rarely told, I'm not sure why."

Mith knew the answer, whether by the magic or by some unconscious knowledge, she was not sure which. "They did not want others to try and take their magic. They were afraid of that more than anything, especially after Ijnus turned."

"Huh, I never thought of it that way." Hordna stretched her legs out in front of her and sighed. "All I know is that Lwid had some kind of power, they all did."

"You don't know what kind of power?"

"No, sorry."

The conversation ended abruptly. Gubba awoke and took his turn as night watch. Mith thought of asking Gubba some questions but thought he was the strangest of all the minions and decided against it. Not wanting to seem rude, she did not move when he sat next to her by the fire."

"Nice night, what do you think?" Mith asked to be nice.

"Yes, yes, well, no, maybe not, it's too c-cold."

Mith waited another minute before going back near Ludus. She watched Gubba for a while, his thin body twitched horribly. After a while Mith lay back and tried to go to sleep. The stars shone rather dimly down on her. Her eyes closed slowly while trying to count as many as she could.

The conversation with Hordna had changed Mith's perception of evil. She had seen the minions as evil, thinking that no good could come from those working for Oldo. But during her talk something changed in her opinion of them. Her final assumption was that they were not bad, just confused. Their love for Ijnus, which was strange in itself, made them think too much. When Mith thought too much she started doubting the original thought. Even when she thought of good things, it was poisoned when thought carried too far. Once she had seen a small crab on the pink sand beach of Rerum. The crab fought another crab and won, through the killing of the other crab. She had originally thought the first crab killed the second unintentionally, but after pondering the event for several days she had come to the conclusion that the first crab must have been evil. This perplexed her greatly. This path led to many headaches and heartaches when thinking of the second crab. The minions must be just over thinking their current position. They believe that they must follow Ijnus, but that means not following the path their hearts choose. So then they were not really evil. But then what is evil?

Maows described evil as anything that harmed another of its own kind intentionally, and that is what Mith believed. Now though, nearing sleep, she went back to that day when the crabs fought and found a new explanation. Perhaps the first crab was only protecting what it had, it's territory. Maybe the minions worked the same way. They were just protecting what they had, each other. When one believed something the others would follow. So when Vensa decided to follow Oldo, the others agreed through their familiarity with following Vensa.

This thought kept Mith awake, so she dropped it from her mind until the next day. She was not sure how a group of misfits had stupefied her. Finally Mith did clear her mind of the minions and fell asleep. Several times during the night she awoke and looked around. The first time Gubba was still by the fire, looking at the sky. The next time Hatchet was near the fire. The third time it was Vensa by the fire. She gazed upon Mith with unwavering eyes. After that Mith could not get back to sleep.

# Chapter 32: Just Passing By

The first glimpse of sunlight woke Ludus from his slumber. He opened his eyes but instantly the world went out of focus. Once again he felt that he was suddenly moving very vast. The feeling stopped and the world came back into focus. Ludus looked about knowing that he was again seeing everything through Lwid's eyes. It was a grey day; rain drops could be seen but not felt. Wind could be seen blowing through a woman's blonde hair that walked directly in front of him. Her hair was in a long pony tail, tied together with small strings. Ludus involuntarily looked up and saw the palace looming ahead. It looked much different now when it was new. It shined despite the lack of sunlight.

The doors opened as he arrived. Two doormen stood on either side, each wearing an orange tunic. The inside looked the same until he looked up. The painting had only just been started. The four people who were working on it were somehow floating near the ceiling. In the center of the room stood Portur, though significantly older than when Ludus had seen him the day before. He walked right up to Portur and then looked up once again.

"Better watch out, he looks tired!" Lwid yelled up to the floating painters. One looked down and waved.

"Don't say that, they know I won't drop them." Portur said. Ludus was not sure why he could now hear the others, but he liked hearing their voices. Portur had a relatively high voice for someone so tall.

"Oh, Port you take the fun out of everything." Ludus thought it funny that Portur had a nickname.

"Hey, gents." A voice Ludus recognized came into the room.

"Oh, hello Ijnus, you have a nice tour?" Portur asked, not taking his eyes off of the ceiling.

"Splendid if you do not count that each time we turned a corner we were back at the same place." He turned his attention to Rerum who stood nearby. "When your magic sets in this place we might actually find something."

Rerum scoffed. "Just be happy that I did not build this place using magic; that would be disastrous."

"More disastrous than waiting five years for it to be completed? We have ruled this island for ten years and yet now we finally have a true place of command."

"I told you before, Iggy, power is not about control."

Ijnus turned and walked away without saying a thing. A thought came to Ludus that he hated that nickname. The palace went out of focus and Ludus returned back to his own time. He wished that he could have seen and heard more, but he could not control anything about the memories.

Ludus shivered in the morning chill. The sun had not yet fully come from behind the horizon. Looking around he saw that Gyrd and the minions had already gotten ready to continue. Mith sat nearby on her knees and watched Ludus. She then stood up and offered her hand. He took it and got to his feet. The minions made the same formation around them as the night before. Hatchet passed around cooked rabbit to the travelers. Also just like the night before Mith and Ludus got significantly smaller pieces. Mith was not fond of rabbit and ended up giving half of hers to Ludus.

Gyrd set off shortly afterward, leading the group continually south toward the bay. Hordna and Gubba were now in front of Mith and Ludus while Creen and Hatchet were behind. Vensa walked beside Gyrd. Contrary to her best efforts Mith could not stop staring at Gubba constantly twitching in front of her. She did not mean to, it was just that he was the first person she had ever seen to do that.

Ludus on the other hand could not stop staring at Hordna. Ever since he heard her story the night before, while pretending to be asleep, he started to like her. He tried hard not to think too much because he knew Mith could hear. Hordna was probably one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen. Though while living in Rerum his entire life with the same group of people, it did not take much to get that distinction. He continually gazed upon her sandy brown, shoulder length hair. The way it blew in the desert wind was quite remarkable. Multiple times he had drifted over to be closer to her and ran into Mith.

Walk straight, would ya.

Sorry about that.

He thought it would be strange to try and explain to Mith how he felt about Hordna, especially considering he could not even explain it to himself. This was really the first time he ever had feelings like that for someone else. That is not counting the girl he once thought he liked back in Rerum. Her name was Wenda, and she was still a known friend of Mith. After he stopped liking Wenda he blamed his crush on the sandwiches her mother packed for her. He would often tell his friends that only a real crush can see past sliced tuna on rolls.

The heat set in quickly that morning. Now that the magic was gone, Parli had to go by the normal temperatures brought on by that time of year. It was almost the middle of summer, though normally the magic would regulate the temperatures. Ludus felt that it must have been nearing the boiling point. Secretly he wondered what melting flesh smelled like. It was a strange thing to think about, but it kept his mind off of Hordna. Mith entered his mind with a question.

Would you want to see Rerum still frozen?

Ludus was taken aback by the question. He had not actually thought that far ahead. Truthfully he still did not know where in the Bay Region they were. They had not yet passed any towns or people.

No, not really. I would rather wait until it's all over. Now I have a question.

What?

Why were you talking so much with Hordna last night? Do you want to change her to our side?

At first I did. But now I don't see how that would be possible. Just leave the planning to me. I'll let you in on what I come up with when we get to the jail. For now just try and find out what else you can do with the magic.

Alright.

The main concentration on Ludus's thoughts turned to the magic coursing through him. He tried and failed to bring on a memory. He had already tried several magical things the night before, which all failed. Now he was beginning to ponder the real meaning of magic. Perhaps the magic that he had was not meant to be used for external purposes. Maybe it was simply an internal force used to further advance the knowledge and well being of its host. But Ludus could not explain how Portur managed to levitate painters high above him. Unless it was only Lwid who had internal magic, meaning all five lords and ladies might have had different styles of magic. Or maybe it was the fact that Ludus got the internal magic, and Mith had the external. As far as Ludus knew she had not found out what she could do. The ideas swam around in his mind for almost an hour before his head ached too much and he went back to staring at Hordna.

The group stopped for lunch a while later. It was now around midday. Four of the minions ate with Mith and Ludus while Vensa and Gyrd debated the next move, after failing to find anything even related to a town. They heard bits and pieces of their conversation.

Vensa had said: "Did he take all of them . . . Do you know which way is south? . . . Why do you travel without a compass . . . Are you mocking me?"

Gyrd had said: "Do I look like I know the answer to that? . . . I believe we are going south . . . I don't need a compass . . . yes, I am definitely mocking you."

Mith liked the bickering and hoped it would eventually tear the group apart. Unfortunately Vensa apologized and let Gyrd remain in control of the path they were to take. Nobody bothered to ask the two people who actually were from that region on which way to go. Both Vensa and Gyrd considered Mith and Ludus to be unknowing of directions. Apparently it skipped their minds that those two kids had found the mountain rose and Ijnus's sword.

The heat was immense once they started to travel again. It would not have been so bad if there was any kind of shade. The water supply was dwindling so Hatchet put rations on it. Thirsty and tired the group continued through the sand looking for the bay. The bay of Parli was large and cut deep into the region, so it was strange that they had not yet reached it.

About an hour later a town was seen in the distance. The inhabitants had not been taken yet by Oldo, which surprised Gyrd slightly. The citizens of this town, to which no one knew the name, were ice cold to the touch despite the heat. The minions used their bodies as coolants, much to the protest of Mith and Ludus. After a while they decided that staying cool was the most important task. Ludus found a girl about his age and stood back to back with her. Her cold body instantly cooled him down. Mith found a boy about her age and did the same. Ludus looked over to Mith and put his arms around the girl's neck. Mith, not wanting to be outdone, did the same. Hordna came up to tell them to say that they were leaving; Ludus quickly withdrew his hands from the unknown girl.

As the day went on the formation around the captives loosened. Daggers were no longer needed and were returned to the boots and pockets where they were kept. Ludus managed to strike up a conversation with Hordna. It centered on their lives and Ludus learned a lot. He learned that Hordna had the same birthday as his mother. She knew how to shave sheep, and she also had once seen a creature that she described as being ten feet tall with antlers. Ludus had told her about his life in Rerum and his relationship with Mith, strictly a friendship.

Mith overheard most of the conversation and at first thought Ludus was trying to get Hordna on their side. After watching the way Ludus talked to her, she started to realize what was really going on. Feeling a twinge of jealousy that not even she could explain she looked for a boy to talk to. Creen was too old, Gubba too creepy, and Hatchet was having an in depth conversation with Vensa regarding a creature he had heard Hordna talking about.

"Yeah," he had said to Vensa, "antlers, like huge antlers."

"Is she sure it wasn't a big deer standing on a rock?" Vensa had said, disbelievingly.

"No, it was like a man or something, with antlers."

Mith decided Gubba would be a better candidate to talk to and started walking next to him. He still seemed strange to her out but maybe he wasn't as weird as he looked. She at first asked about his life, in which he responded by just smiling. Mith looked to Ludus and tried to hear his thoughts, but somehow he had managed to shield them from her. She tried to ask Gubba where in the rough he was from but could not get past the way he looked at her to continue. He had a look on his face that said: "I know what you are saying, but I really want to pretend that I don't."

Mith moved away and continued to make up a plan for when they would get to the jail. Gubba went over to her after a while and walked beside her. He looked over to her without looking at her numerous times. At once he spoke.

"How's the m-magic?" He smiled as he talked.

"Pretty good." She said uncertainly

"S-sorry about having to t-take it from you."

She could no longer talk to him after he said that. For the last few minutes she had looked past the fact that they were still enemies. It was in her nature to want to be friendly to everyone she met. She also still saw the best in people and thought their loosening of the formation meant they did not care as much to hold them captive. Although she knew it was her idea to be taken to Oldo by them. For the rest of the trip Mith walked alone.

Eventually water could be seen in the distance. It was a refreshing sight and everyone walked just a bit faster to reach it. The pink sand beach had not been altered by the lack of magic. Upon reaching the water there was a sigh all around. Their sweaty light-headed bodies suddenly felt a little less tired. The jail could be seen in the distance.

Ludus sat in the pink sand and ran his hands through it. The usual familiarity that came with that motion was missing. It was as if he had never actually looked upon the beach before. A wave of nostalgia swept through his body. The little boy that would spend hours on the pink sand was no more. Part of him wished for the return of that Ludus, the one that had far fewer cares. He looked at his hands as they were filled with sand. The person he had become in the last few days was not the person he had always known. The change was dramatic. Dirt and scrapes now resided on the hands that were once always smooth. A tear formed in Ludus's eye for the end of innocence. He knew that when he returned home he would be different, but to what extend he did not realize. Then he thought of what he had said to Mith outside the tunnel. He had told her that she had to be strong, and she was. Now was his turn. He formed a fist around the sand and watched it fall back to the ground. Mith saw the pain in Ludus and put a caring hand on his shoulder. He looked up to her and nodded.

Just thinking.

Mith helped Ludus up. He gave her a small hug. Over her shoulder he noticed huts in the distance. He pointed this out to Mith. They both knew that it was Rerum that they were looking at. Not wanting to attract attention to their home they pretended that they did not notice it.

_We are just passing by._ Mith thought to Ludus.

We will be back, by dark I hope.

Gyrd made up his mind as to what to do and led the group eastward along the bay, away from Rerum. Small waves lapped up against the pink sand as they walked. Ludus occasionally went to the water and splashed some on himself. It felt good, though bittersweet at the same time. Both he and Mith now felt nervousness that increased with every step. Traveling with Gyrd and the minions had not been so bad, though actually meeting the person who was responsible for all of their hardships was frightening. Ludus still thought of Oldo as a hairy beast-man, while Mith saw him differently every time she now thought of him. Secretly, Mith wanted to meet the man who convinced so many people to work for his goal. She believed he must have had incredible oratory skills for such a task.

Two wooden boats were found tied to a post on the beach. Gyrd knew that meant there were some of Oldo's less experienced workers nearby collecting statues or scouting. He found his own needs more important and untied the boats. The first boat was for Vensa and himself, the second for the minions and the children. Together they pushed off from the beach and headed for the jail.

The boats had two oars a piece. Vensa rowed one and Hatchet rowed the other. Mith and Ludus sat in the center of the second boat, surrounded by the minions who had once again formed the dagger wielding arrangement. In minutes they were half way across the bay. The boats rode smoothly across the blue murky-brown water. Closer and closer they came to the jail, more and more nervous became Mith and Ludus. A fish or two could be seen sporadically at the surface.

Barely five minutes later the boats arrived at the rocky island. It looked different from that angle. Mith looked up at it and for the first time really saw that it was a jail and not a rock. Barred windows could be seen disarranged throughout the floors. The silence was only broken by the crashing of waves on the steep rocks. Gyrd and Vensa jumped from the boats onto the rocks. Hatchet and Hordna had to help Mith and Ludus from the other boat. In an attempt to keep Mith and Ludus from fleeing, Gyrd did not tie up the boats and let them drift away.

Without a word he led the group to the small metal doors and into the building. The smell is what hit Ludus first. It smelled of ancient mildew and old bread. He coughed upon entering but soon got used to the smell. Gyrd turned to the children in the small stone-walled entryway.

"This way, dearest's, I'm sure my master wishes to meet you."

# Chapter 33: Meeting Oldo

The former office of the superintendent was filled with only one occupant. A former Parli guard of about fifty sat in the chair behind the desk, thinking. He flattened his short black hair, freshly cut for a more royal appearance. Thoughts came and went through his mind, each grimmer then the last. He thought of rebellion. The idea frightened him. He stood from his desk and paced the cramped room. There was a part of him that wanted to go back to his statues, where he felt safest. He knew perfectly well that it was a bad thing to want a museum of real people. One does not usually freeze someone by taking away their life source and not feel bad about it. Every now and then he would get nervous, thinking that somehow those statues would come back to life. Usually it was night when those ideas came. He sat back down and once again went back to his first thought.

Once he was king would there be a rebellion? The easy way to keep that from happening was to not return the statues to life. But what use is ruling when there is no one to rule? The thought led to dark places, most he was not able to comprehend before an even darker scenario came up. He wanted no more than to be a ruler that everyone could trust, and yet still be afraid of. Was that even possible?

This was the first time Oldo thought of the negative effects of ruling a mass that had their lives changed dramatically by being flash frozen and then returned to life. He did not like these thoughts at all but could not keep them from his head. The first phase of his ultimate idea (It could not really be considered a plan) had been completed without a backup. After all he did, supposedly, have all of the roses. The next phase required more of a delicate approach. He was not sure if he had any delicacy left in him. That had been used to gain the trust of that group of young ones in the Rough.

Perhaps it was too dangerous to even continue his dream of ruling Parli his way. Besides, how was he ever going to get the sword? He thought of all of the things he would have to give up if he decided to quit. An organized system of capital cities may never actually happen. Parli's need for an organized, and accurate, curriculum for teachers that would teach in schools instead of huts would also have to be put on hold. And finally his desire to create an athletic competition uniting the whole of the island would never be seen. Maybe it would be best to just apologize and continue with the dream he had given up on years before: finding Memoria. All he ever wanted was to be a ruler as smart and bold as Hulius without ever giving up his ideas of a uniform Parli. The roses were only to ensure his lasting success. With the full magic source that had run Memoria he was certain he could find the path to immortality and a never ending reign, just as Hulius had done. But again, maybe it was all just a dream that was never to be.

Oldo sighed loudly and stood up from his chair. He walked over to the shelf and picked up the small wooden ball he liked so much. The two main islands of the world could be clearly seen. Memoria on one side and Parli on the other, they looked so close together. If only they really were that close. He was about to place the object back when a knock came at the door. He jumped in shock.

"Come in."

The door opened and Gyrd entered. He was happy to see Gyrd, to tell him about his plans on setting things right again. It seemed instinctive that he quickly look, and frown, at Gyrd's meaningless tattoos. Then he looked at the man's face, he was smiling broadly. Oldo suddenly forgot what he was going to say in the glee that Gyrd was showing.

"We got it."

"Got what?"

"Everything you need to rule Parli."

Oldo must have looked confused so Gyrd beckoned him to follow. They left the office and went to the mess hall. The statues were arranged in rows, creating what Oldo called "the city". Gyrd led him through the "roads" to where the minions stood. The big male, as Oldo knew him, was holding a Bay Region girl by her hair. The Rough girl, as Hordna was known, had her arm around a Bay Region boy. The vulnerability and angst that Oldo had felt in his office suddenly vanished when he caught sight of the sword in the other girl's (Vensa's) hand.

Oldo pointed to the sword and asked nervously: "Is that . . . it?"

"That sword, Oldo, is the very sword that had been hidden for centuries." Gyrd was very pleased with himself.

"I looked for years and never found it. Where was it?"

"Hidden deep under a magical room on the third floor."

"The Forgotten Room, I never even imagined its true purpose."

"We found it for you with ease."

Mith suddenly shouted: "We found it!"

For the first time Oldo fully noticed the girl from the Bay. Her face was twisted with anger and sadness. Her cheeks were wet from crying. He stared at her for a time and noticed that she continuously took quick glances to something on her left. He looked in the direction but only saw a statue of a man sitting.

"Who are you?" Oldo asked quietly.

"Mith Hardel." She said, trying to sound as strong as possible.

"And why are you here Ms. Hardel."

"To defeat you."

The minions laughed but Oldo was not amused. He could see the determination in her eyes. She truly believed that she was to defeat him. He continued to stare into her icy glare. Never had he seen a young person with so much anger.

"Why is she here?" Oldo asked around.

Gyrd looked to Vensa to explain. "Sir, they have the last rose."

Oldo took notice of the bay boy. He had a very similar expression on his face as that of the girl. "Why have you not taken it from them?"

"They have the magic inside of them."

"I'm sorry, what?"

Gyrd stepped up. "They have –uh—the magic inside of them."

"I heard that, Gyrd. How did they do it?"

"Why don't you ask us?" Ludus said through barred teeth.

"Alright," Oldo bent down to Ludus, "how did you come to get the magic inside of you?"

"I'll never tell."

Oldo straightened up, annoyed. "Can somebody tell me what happened?"

There was a silence in the mess hall. Oldo looked from person to person, waiting for a response. No one wanted to be the one to tell the truth to Oldo. Finally Gyrd spoke.

"I believe they broke the rose, and from there . . ."

"Hmmm." Oldo smiled suspiciously and turned from the group.

"Sir, what should we do with the children?" Vensa asked.

Oldo put his hands on his waist some ten feet from them, turned away. "Leave me and the children. Gyrd, go and get me the roses."

Gyrd reached for his inside pocket but then stopped. He did not want Oldo to know that he had secretly taken one.

"Yes, I will go and get them."

Gyrd quickly left the mess hall heading for the stairs. Oldo turned his attention to the minions now. He told them to feed the inmates while he took care of the two kids. The sword was handed to him. Hatchet had a very sinister smile as he left them. Once alone Oldo paced in front of the kids.

"What do you think of my museum?"

Mith spoke bravely. "It is sick."

"To you, but to see the world wholly is to see through many eyes."

"There are no eyes left in Parli capable of seeing."

Oldo liked this girl; she had the attributes any follower of his should have. "Ms. Hardel, you could be so much more than you are right now, if you join me."

Mith uncharacteristically spat on the floor. "Mr. Oldo, you could be so much more than you are right now, if only you surrendered."

He merely laughed. "Prepare yourselves," he raised the sword, "to join your friends here."

# Chapter 34: Magic vs. Magic

Ludus could not believe the sudden change in Mith. It was as if something finally broke that was holding her back. She no longer had any restraints, and was showing it. When she spat on the floor Ludus almost cheered for her. Her strength radiated from her core and even he could feel it. It made him stronger just by standing near her. He looked at her hands, clenched; stance ready in case Oldo came with the sword to attack. It was now or never, he could feel that the final battle for Parli was about to begin.

Sadly he took a quick glance at Mr. Hardel sitting as a statue on the floor nearby. Mith had tried not to notice him sitting there, but her expression and tears said differently, luckily neither the minions nor Gyrd saw. Ludus tried now to pay attention to Oldo and not to the statues of those so familiar to him. Maows had been seen sitting near Mr. Hardel, and Tyurd, the chicken man, stood near both. Ludus had not seen his parents and was relieved that he was spared that.

Suddenly Ludus's vision became blurred and he felt the now familiar feeling of moving extremely fast. He wished it had come at any other time. The feeling lasted just a little bit longer this time. At once he stopped moving and found himself in a small hut, not unlike the one he lived in with his parents. It was a dingy little place with only a small table as furniture. The floor was made entirely of dirt.

This time his eyes remained at his own level, making him think that he had actually been transported back in time rather than seeing a memory. That all changed when his head moved without his consent. Ludus looked around the hut and could feel a pang of anxiety. He was waiting for someone to come through the small wooden door, someone who should have already been there. The view changed to a sitting position as his legs came into view and two arms wrapped around them. He stared at the door while terrible thoughts entered his head. The head he shared with a young Lwid.

All at once the door opened and a woman stepped in. Ludus tried to see out of the hut but could not control his eyes. The woman who he looked at was probably a lot younger than she looked; at least that is what it seemed to Ludus. She had long black hair and wore a simple brown dress made of animal skin. A sigh came from her as she closed the door. Lwid stood up and ran over to her. He threw his arms around her and buried his head in her dress.

"Oh, I missed you." The boy Lwid said sadly.

"It's alright, it's alright." The woman said soothingly as she stroked his hair.

Lwid removed his head from the woman's dress and looked up to her. Wrinkles could be seen on her sweet face. "Mother, are they coming? What did he say?"

Lwid's mother got to her knees and held her son's face in her shaking hands. "I believe it is time for you to join the others, to live with Chrine."

Tears blurred his vision. "What did he say?" Lwid asked sorrowfully.

His mother looked down. "He wants you."

The crying boy fell to his knees, weeping. "Why? Why does he want me?"

The woman hugged her son close, rocking him back and forth. "It is alright, you will be safe with Chrine."

"I don't want to live with Chrine, I want to live with you."

"I know, I don't want you to go either, but it is for the best. Chrine can keep you safe better than I can."

"Then come with me."

"I can't, if Hulius finds the house empty then he will attack the sanctuary. Everything our people have been fighting for will be lost."

Lwid put his head on his mother's knee and continued to cry. "I won't go, I won't leave you."

"But you have to. You have to follow your father as the lord of these estates."

"What estates?!" Lwid suddenly screamed. "Look at this place. I promised you I would not leave you alone."

"Little one, you have to go. You will learn the ways of Chrine and his protectors. Together you will keep the magic from _him_."

"It's not fair."

His mother put both her hands over his ears and pressed hard with her shaking hands. Ludus thought he could feel a slight rumble but was not sure, the definite sound of a falling rock came shortly after, and then another rumble. Lwid began to shake horribly. Several minutes later the crashing of rocks and rumbles of the ground stopped. Lwid picked his wet face up and looked at his mother. She was distraught, but looked on her son with sorrow and love. A slight smile started to form, but quickly fell away.

"The world needs you more than I do. With you the new set of lords and ladies will be complete."

Lwid stood up and hugged his mother again. The door opened and a middle aged man came in. He had a short beard and wore an outfit very similar to Lwid's mother, the only difference being a belt around the waist. His hair was a color that Ludus was unaccustomed to, red. He was looked on by Lwid with hate that Ludus could feel as undeserved.

"Are you ready?" The man asked.

Lwid looked to his mother. Once again she tried to smile but could not. She stood up and held her hands up to her mouth and kissed them. "Good luck" she mouthed. The old man pulled Lwid from the small hut. He looked back and saw his mother waving at him, tears in her eyes. As he was hauled off he could see her fall to the floor out of sadness. Ludus could feel that it would be the last time Lwid would ever see his mother.

Just as suddenly as the memory had come, it vanished. On the trip back Ludus felt worse than he had in a long while. At once he was back in the mess hall full of statues. Oldo stood ten paces away with a sword high in the air.

The steady madness had returned to Oldo. The trepid man who sat in his office was no more with the power of Ijnus's sword in his hands. He looked out at Mith and Ludus with eyes similar to those of rabid animals. Step by step he slowly came towards them, moving his body side to side as he did this. His mouth formed words without noise. He had the look of a man who was only moments away from what he had been waiting for his entire life.

"Do you even know the power that you have in your bodies right now? Can you even guess at how badly I have always wanted to be how you are now?" Oldo asked, his voice rising and falling with anger.

"I can only imagine what must go on in your mind." Mith retorted.

"You don't get it; you have no respect for anything, just like everyone else from the Bay."

"What I don't get," Mith said, ignoring Oldo, "Is why you would choose to turn on your own home."

"My home? This was never my home, but it soon will be. It will soon be as I always envisioned it could be."

"Which is?" Ludus asked.

"A unified Parli, a Parli where secrets are not kept by families from families. Basically I want to change the way your entire lives have been. Does that make me so bad?"

Ludus had to think about that, but Mith suddenly shouted. "Yes it means your bad, you're evil for what you have done. A better Parli can be made through our words and actions put toward a good cause."

"Evil is subjective, young Mith."

The scared fourteen year old girl took the hand of the scared fourteen year old boy and whispered a thought to him that he thought nuts. She whispered it again and again until he finally decided to try what she suggested. Slowly and carefully Ludus pulled the stem of the now magic-less rose from his pocket, watching Oldo every second. It still pulled as if a magnet. Mith took the bulb, now in many pieces, from her pocket and held it in her hand, it also pulled away.

"What do you know of this magic?" Mith asked.

Oldo laughed, "I know I will find out as soon as I deal with you. I'll take the magic and the new Parli will begin soon."

"Why do you even need the magic?"

"Who would listen to a disgraced palace guard about anything? You two are so naïve thinking that that Parli is some great place, it's terrible and no words are going to change something that has been stuck one way for four hundred twenty-six years. With the magic I will finally be taken seriously."

The crazed man was only three yards away now. He lowered the sword as if in slow motion, ready to strike. Then, at the same time, Mith and Ludus dropped the objects that they held. Once out of their hands they flew together and the rose vanished before it hit the floor. A sword had taken its place, a sword much like the one Oldo had. The only difference was that the new sword had a green stone in its hilt.

Without stopping to wonder about what just happened, Oldo yelled and came down with the sword. Mith had just enough time to pick up the other weapon and defend herself. The two swords clanged loudly as they hit. Mith was sent to the floor. Oldo steadied himself for another shot, this time at Ludus, who instinctively ran out of the way. Oldo ignored Mith for the time being and ran after Ludus. He would rather take on the one who did not have the sword.

Mith got up and watched Ludus run throughout the maze of statues. Oldo gained fast and Mith yelled for Ludus to catch. He turned right as she threw the sword at him. He quickly remembered his miss when facing the Rough Dogs and wanted dearly to make up for that mistake. With his hand held high he barely caught the hilt. Turning fast, he swiped at Oldo who was right behind him. Oldo blocked the attack and kicked Ludus to the ground, now going after Mith.

He ran straight at her, knocking down statues as he went. Ludus blindly threw the sword in her direction. He could not see her for the fact that so many of the statues were taller than them both. The sword hit the ground having never come close to its target. Ludus ran toward where Oldo was heading. He got a clean view right as the man with the sword came down on Mith.

Gai Mitchum Quinn sat idle in his uneven floored cell. Since he was imprisoned he had taken off several garments and now just wore the pants and an undershirt. He gazed drearily at the general's jacket in the corner where he had thrown it. It seemed to laugh at him cruelly. Mitchum laid his head against the hard wall and closed his eyes. He could feel his stomach growling from hunger.

There seemed to be nothing left for him now. His short stint at being a general had ended in complete disaster. What was worse was that even before he was captured by the strange man with the tattoos, and then given to two other people to be taken away, he had almost fled from his own troops. Mitchum looked on that as the worst thing he had ever done. He had been trusted by the king and queen; he had been selected specifically by them.

A knock came at the door. The small window was thrust open. A face appeared inside that was unfamiliar to Mitchum.

"Food." The person announced. A bowl of water hit the floor and entirely spilled out. A small piece of bread followed.

"What is this?" Mitchum suddenly exclaimed. "Is this how you feed your captives?"

The face in the window looked confused. "What do you expect?"

Mitchum got up and went over to the door. "I expect food with substance that will keep me alive and healthy, not barely alive and starving."

"Look that is what we have."

Behind the face in the window came a voice that he recognized. It was the man with the strange tattoos.

"Does anybody know what Oldo did with the roses? They are not where I saw them last."

Mitchum was not going to miss a chance this obvious. "I know where they are. I saw the room on my way up—when Oldo brought me."

Gyrd pushed Hatchet aside and peered into the cell. "Where are they?"

"I can only show you where they are."

"Never mind I can find them myself."

"You won't find them; I was even surprised by where they were hidden."

"Hidden? Why would they be hidden? You are just trying to escape."

Before Mitchum could speak another person entered the area. It was a girl, only a child. "Have you found the roses yet? Oldo is probably already done with those two Bay kids."

"I'll have the roses as soon as I can." Gyrd said; annoyed that Vensa was trying to tell him what to do.

A cold wave swept through Mitchum's body. "I won't try to escape, I promise. I just want better food. That is all I want, just let me take you there."

Gyrd knew that Oldo would not like to be kept waiting. After careful deliberation he got Vensa and Hatchet to take out their daggers. Then he opened the doors to the cell and led Mitchum out.

Mitchum led the way; Hatchet was right behind with a dagger drawn. Thinking fast Mitchum walked to the end of the hall. It was a dead end. He really had no idea where the roses were, but was willing to try anything to get away and help Mith and Ludus. He turned around, pretending that he had just taken the wrong way, and led the party to the other end of the stone hallway. There he found the door to the stairs. He opened the door and headed down.

"Do you really have any idea where you are going?" Gyrd asked angrily, his voice echoing.

"Hold on, sir, I am just finding my bearings."

"Well, hurry up."

He led the way into the next floor down. It looked the same as the one they were just on. Halfway through Mitchum stopped at an open cell. He entered the cell and turned to face the others.

"It is in here."

Gyrd looked the cell over. "I don't see anything."

Mitchum had to think fast. "When we passed by I saw that there is a secret space in the wall. That is where they were hidden."

"Hmmm," Gyrd studied Mitchum's face closely. "I wonder why you were even on this floor when your cell is one up."

"Oldo was going to put me on this floor, but it was full of statues already."

Gyrd made a look that meant he understood. "Alright, but if we don't find anything you will be sorry."

"More sorry than being in jail?"

The question was either ignored or not heard at all. Gyrd and Vensa checked the walls while Hatchet stared at Mitchum, dagger only inches away.

His mind worked fast to think of a way out. His eyes shot to the open door, then to the dagger in his face. The intricate patterns on the blade were clearly visible from such a close range. He thought of just running but he would never make it. Luckily they did not bind his hands. In only moments the two searching would realize there was nothing hidden in the wall. Mitchum had no time to think of what to do; he had to just act on instinct.

All of a sudden Mitchum chirped loudly like a bird. Hatchet jumped in shock and was instantly taken down. Mitchum grabbed his hands and kicked Hatchet's feet from under him. While he fell his attacker kicked the dagger from his hand and took it. Quickly Mitchum jumped over Hatchet's body and got to the door before Vensa, who was near it. The door was heavy but he managed to shut it before those inside could do anything about it.

"Hey, what do you think you are doing?!"

Mitchum looked through the small window. "I'm saving my friends."

Ludus shut his eyes as the sword came down on Mith. He waited for a noise, some sort of scream, but it never came. What he did hear was the shallow breathing of Oldo. Slowly Ludus opened his eyes. This time he really did cheer for Mith. She sat on the floor, hands up. Oldo stood over her with his sword stopped in mid-motion. She had finally found her magic.

Oldo raised the sword again and brought it down. Same result. He tried again. Still it did not make contact. Over and over he tried, but it never worked. Ludus noticed that Mith seemed to be getting weak from holding the invisible shield she created. He ran behind her and grabbed the sword that he had tried to throw to her. With the sword he went straight at Oldo. The shield did not affect Ludus as he swung the weapon. The two swords collided. Oldo was sent back. The magical sword shined brightly for a moment when it was hit.

The shield vanished. Mith got up, panting. Ludus grabbed her and headed for safety among the statues.

"Are you alright?" He asked, relieved she was not struck.

"Yeah," Mith panted, "how was that?"

"Amazing."

A scream was heard close by. They ducked just in time as the ruby encrusted sword came hacking through the frozen people. They really were like statues, the sword just bounced off of them. Ludus took Mith's hand and together they weaved through the statues and away from Oldo.

They stopped where they thought they would be safe; standing completely still among their fellow Rerumese. Allard was right next to them; he seemed to be looking at them with a frown. Next to him was Clarin. Her kind frozen face also seemed to be looking directly at them.

The familiar faces staring blankly at them gave Mith and Ludus the strength to continue. It gave them anger, something they rarely showed. For years they both kept their anger inside them, but now it burst from them. They finally realized that hiding and hoping was not going to help anymore. Now was the time where they had to take matters into their own hands. They were now the only ones who could.

Walking slow and determined they left the haven of statues and ventured onto the main path. Oldo stood some twenty yards away, his back to them. Mith cleared her throat and he turned around to face them. The expression of intense craving lasted for only a second, until he saw the looks on their faces. Oldo had never seen such anger from anybody, least of all two kids who lived in the Bay Region.

Ludus raised Lwid's sword vertically in front of him. It was heavy, but he barely noticed. As one they stepped forward toward Oldo. He started to back away, Ijnus's sword raised in defense.

"Want to play?"

Mith spoke cruelly: "Yes, we'll play."

# Chapter 35: Swords and Roses

It was nice outside. Creen enjoyed watching the small waves slap up against the rocky island. He had been put on outdoor watch and was not at all feeling left out. Of course he wondered what was going on inside, but he had no intention of going in and finding out.

Gai Mitchum Quinn raced down the stairs at full speed. At the next floor he sprinted through the halls looking for the roses. He was not looking very closely, he knew he had to find them but the biggest concern to him was the safety of Mith and Ludus. Nothing was on that floor so he ran back to the stairs.

Several floors down, he stopped suddenly in the middle of the hall. A thin twitching boy stood in his way. The boy took one look at Mitchum and pulled a dagger from his boot. Immediately the twitching stopped. He was now as still as can be, pointing the dagger threateningly. Mitchum recognized the dagger as being the same kind as the other boy had upstairs. He put his hands up and continued forward, slowly.

"I'm sorry, but do you know where the roses are?"

Gubba shook his head. Without warning the boy lunged at Mitchum. Mitchum twirled toward the wall. Once at the wall he stopped and stuck his leg out. The boy tripped and the dagger went flying. They both jumped for it but Gubba was faster. Mitchum came right behind and grabbed the boy's hand before he could attack. They wrestled on the ground for a while before Mitchum used his strength advantage and pushed the boy away.

He pulled out the dagger he had taken upstairs as Gubba got up. For almost a minute a dagger fight took place. It was similar to a sword fight but at closer range. Mitchum threw the arm he was not using behind him as he fought. It ended when Mitchum cut the boy's arm. Gubba dropped his dagger and was then caught around the neck. Mitchum dragged him by the neck to a cell nearby. After opening the cell he deposited the boy inside and shut the door.

"Don't worry; I'll be back after I defeat Oldo." Mitchum yelled as he raced down the hall.

He felt bad about cutting the boy, but knew he had to. The most precious thing in the world at that moment was time. At that very moment Oldo could be attacking Mith and Ludus. Mitchum was not sure why Oldo would be attacking them, but that was the way he felt. And until he learned for sure what was going on he was continuously going to feel on edge.

On the floor directly below was a plain wooden door. Mitchum opened the door and to his surprise he had found the roses. They simply sat in a bucket near the back wall with a couple of brooms. He guessed Oldo was trying to hide them in plain sight. Who besides Mitchum would ever even think of looking in a supply closet? He was so elated that he did not even hear someone walk up from behind.

"Halt." Came a female voice.

He turned slowly. Another teenager was only feet away. She had sandy brown hair and wore yellow pants and a white shirt. The yellow top of her jumpsuit was hanging down behind her.

"Yes?" Mitchum asked innocently.

"How did you escape?" the girl asked.

"I tricked some people into a cell and then I threw a twitching boy into another cell just now." Mitchum was too happy and nervous to lie.

The girl did not waste a second. She jumped high into the air and kicked. Mitchum grabbed her foot and spun it. The girl hit the floor. He quickly grabbed her arms and held them behind her as he pulled her to her feet.

"I need those roses and nobody is going to stop me."

Hordna disagreed. She jumped and threw her legs back, hitting Mitchum in the stomach. He let go and she ran. He was about to dash after her when she suddenly stopped halfway down the hall, turned, and ran back at him.

Mitchum swiftly grabbed a broom from the closet and swung when she came close. He hit her in the head and she fell to the floor. Panting, he bent down to pick her up and put her in a cell. As he got close she punched him in the face. He yelped in pain but was silenced when her foot followed onto his face. Mitchum fell back and Hordna went for the roses.

He was not about to let her get away and jumped up. He then used his favorite move that he learned as a guard, one that was just used on him. Mitchum jump-kicked Hordna against the wall, several brooms fell on her. He picked up the roses and shut the door behind him.

He felt even worse about knocking that girl unconscious, mainly because he kicked her in the face, but he had to. Without further ado Mitchum sprinted down the remaining flights of stairs. The roses were shoved into his pockets. He looked down at the gold flowers protruding from his pockets and remembered an old story that his parents once told him. In the story Portur wanted to test the strength of the rose he had turned his sword into so he broke it. Mitchum did not remember how the story ended.

A sudden thought that Oldo was probably in the mess hall made Mitchum get off the stairs on the second floor rather than the first. There was something there that could be of use to him.

Ludus caught the sword Mith had thrown to him and blocked Oldo's attack just in time. Oldo then turned and sprinted at Mith who stood a ways away. He did not want to attack the child with the sword; it was obvious to him that they both had extensive saber training.

Mith caught the sword that was hurdling toward her. She blocked Oldo's attack and went one up on Ludus by launching her own. Oldo dodged and ran for Ludus. Slowly they were taking control of the fight. They had not only led Oldo into a "road" near the back of the hall, but they were blocking both ends. While one had the sword the other would take a few steps toward Oldo. Thankfully for them Oldo had no idea that he was dealing with just a couple of kids with no experience. The way they worked together would have made anyone believe they had been specially trained for years.

Mith tried to use her magic and push Oldo off of his feet. It did not work, he just hunched over as if a strong wind had hit him.

Lu, catch.

Where?

Mith sent the sword far past Oldo's head. It came down at the right place for Ludus and he caught it by the hilt. He had no time to be scared. Every time it came his way he remembered that day with the Rough Dogs, when Mitchum had just barely saved him after he missed catching the stick.

The magical sword was reacting to Oldo's anger and was a glow with many different colors. Red came up the most. Each time he ran from Mith or Ludus to the other one he would let out a scream. For the first time Oldo did not scare them. For days just the idea of meeting him frightened both Mith and Ludus. Now they were in control, and they frightened him.

Steadily they got closer and closer to Oldo. They would shout things to the other, things that did not even make sense. "Where's the pudding? . . . My fish hurts . . . The sky is below me . . . I thought I was going never, I want to go never!"

Steadily Oldo grew more and more trapped and confused. The confusion led to full bewilderment. Though that did not last long, soon he cleared his head enough to see a better solution to his problem.

He knew Mith had some kind of magic shield, so his plan involved the boy. Several throws later, when Ludus was hurling it to Mith, instead of going after Mith he stopped halfway and headed back for Ludus. Mith could not throw the sword in time. She had to watch what happened.

Ludus dodged the first attack and was small enough to slide between Oldo's legs. He got up and ran to Mith. She stepped up with the sword. Oldo came barreling at them. Mith swung the sword, it clanged off the other and she fell back. Now Oldo did not have to run anywhere. He took aim and swung at Ludus. This time he did not even close his eyes.

A wild scream was heard from up above. All three looked in confusion. A large body jumped off of the railing of the guard's platform, holding a sword. Oldo instinctively threw his arm up to defend himself. The jumping man sliced Oldo's arm on his way down. Oldo dropped his sword and Ludus was there to grab it. Mith brought Lwid's sword up and Ludus put Ijnus's up. Oldo now stood completely still; three swords had blades only an inch from him.

"Greb Oldo, it is finally over." Mitchum said, breathing hard from running, but also from relief.

# Chapter 36: One Last Memory

Ludus did not have time to celebrate the victory. As the three of them were leading Oldo to the lone cell on the first floor his vision blurred once again. He was sent to the days of the founding of Parli, over four hundred years prior. After the last memory he did not want to see more and tried to fight it, but to no avail. This time his head ached from the feeling of sudden motion. When it stopped and his vision cleared he recognized exactly what was about to happen. This memory was just as bad as the one before it.

Ludus saw through Lwid's eyes the main entryway to the palace. It was dark inside; several fires were lit so that he could see. The first thing he noticed was the sword in his hand. It was the same sword that he and Mith had used to fight Oldo. Around the entryway stood other people, all holding swords. Their faces were much older than Ludus had seen before. The age could not hide the pain on their faces. The others each had looks of being completely distraught.

In the center of it all stood Ijnus, the sword he carried looked exactly the same as it did when Ludus and Mith found it. He had the most evil face Ludus had ever seen. It was twisted by paranoia and anger. The sword was constantly turning colors, from black to red and then quickly through every color imaginable. Behind him in the doorway were people watching with a dark backdrop of night. Ijnus ordered them to not help; he said that he could handle it.

Ludus tried to close his eyes, but had no control over them, he had to watch. The fight began. Portur jumped in to the ring the other lords and ladies created. A slow sword fight began. It ended quickly when Ijnus used the magic from the sword to throw Portur across the room. The others did not hesitate. Through Lwid's eyes Ludus ran to Ijnus, sword raised. The man deformed by greed and paranoia tried to defend himself, but was unable with four coming at him. Portur joined in, and together they took turns swinging. Ijnus blocked all hits. The others realized there was only one way to win. All at once they thrust their swords straight into Ijnus. He let out a scream and withered to the floor.

Lwid dropped his sword and fell to the ground. He looked into Ijnus's eyes as the final breath came. Nobody spoke. The only sound was that of the crackling fire. The other four walked away in a different direction. The battle was over. Ludus had the sudden thought come to him that there had been fighting outside, and many may be dead.

Only seconds later Ludus felt the now usual feeling and was transported back to the jail. Once back he stopped in his tracks. Mith, who was still holding a sword to Oldo's back as they led him to his cell, looked to Ludus, confused. She saw the look on his face and knew he must have had another memory. The cell was nearby, after they shut the door on Oldo, who was now eerily silent as he clutched his bleeding arm, she went back to Ludus.

"What was it?" She asked, not hiding her joy of beating Oldo.

"I saw it; I saw the end of Ijnus."

"Oh, well remember, he was sorry for that."

"I saw their anger, I saw someone die. They killed him—I mean I already knew they did, but actually seeing it was . . . horrifying."

Mith put her arm on Ludus's shoulder. "It's alright now, that was long ago. Look at what we just did, we beat Oldo and saved Parli."

Ludus smiled in relief. "I guess we did."

Mith nodded happily. "We sure did."

They overheard Mitchum speaking to Oldo through the small window in the cell. "Why Oldo? We could have changed things the way we wanted, through peaceful approaches."

Oldo could not be seen by Mith and Ludus, but they imagined he spoke with teeth barred. "Ten years and nothing, is that what you call progress?"

"True change takes time."

Oldo suddenly screamed: "Ten years and nothing! At least I was doing something!"

Mitchum shook his head sadly and closed the window. When he looked to the kids he smiled broadly. "You did it, you really did. How did you know about breaking the rose?"

Mith shrugged, she leaned on Lwid's sword. "We just got the idea suddenly. It was as if Lwid was telling us what to do before we even got the magic. But how did you know about breaking it? And who's did you break?"

"I once heard a story about it, I hoped it would work. And I have no idea whose rose this is."

The sword had a blue stone, and was presumed to be Altis's.

The three made it back to the mess hall and tried to think up the next move. First thing they would have to do is find the king and queen hiding in the Rough to tell them everything was alright. Mitchum took that job, Mith and Ludus did not want to even speak to them after what they did to Mitchum. The next thing would be to bring all the statues back to their regions and set the roses back. The Mountain Region would need a different approach, with all the statues of inmates to remove before the rose could be set back. After that everything would be back to normal for the most part. They decided to let the court of Parli, in which Allard was the head, to decide the fate of the individuals involved.

"It should all take about a week." Mitchum said after the plan was made up.

"Sounds great, but one more thing still puzzles me. How did you get past Gyrd and the minions?" Mith asked.

"The minions? What a name. I shut the first girl and the big guy in a cell. The small boy is also in a cell. And the other girl is in a supply closet, knocked out."

"And Creen, the older one?"

"I never saw him."

Mitchum looked around cautiously. Nobody was there. He told them to stay and ran out of the room.

Mith and Ludus went to the statues of the people they knew. It was still sad, even with the knowledge that they would get better. They walked around and counted the entire population of Rerum amongst others they did not know. The children younger than themselves were all huddled together in a corner. Ludus found his parents and stood with them for a while. He then went to Mith who was sitting with her father. He sat on the other side of him, putting his hand on Mr. Hardel's shoulder.

"Only a few days and he'll be back to normal."

"I know; it's just hard to see him like this."

She hugged her father. At first she thought it her imagination when he started to warm up. She took her hands off of him and he went back to being ice-cold. Slowly, afraid of what would happen, she put her hands on his shoulder. With Ludus on one shoulder and Mith on the other, Mr. Hardel came back from his slumber.

It was hard to tell the moment when he came back, but once he did he immediately fell backwards. Mith jumped on him, almost crying.

"Dad! You're here, you're alright."

"What? Of course I'm alright. When did you get b—where are we?" He got up to a sitting position and looked around at the other statues. "What in Parli happened?"

Mith laughed. "It's a long story. I'll explain later. First we have to unfreeze all of these people."

"Unfreeze? Mith what happened?" He noticed Ludus next to him. "Hello, young Mr. Tinn, how are you?"

Ludus was also smiling widely. "Oh, just awesome, thanks."

Mith and Ludus started around to all of the statues, using their magic to bring everyone back. Mr. Hardel got out of the way and tried to figure out where he was and what happened. All of the others did the same.

Mitchum came back into the hall with Creen in a headlock. "It's alright I got him, he was outside."

He almost let go of Creen in the shock he felt. Every person was up and walking around. He went up to Mith who was closest. She was talking in excited tones to a man Mitchum recognized.

"Sorry to interrupt but how did this happen?"

Mith put her hands up to show Mitchum. "We did this, me and Ludus." She looked from Mitchum to her father. "Dad this is Mitchum. Mitchum this is my father."

Mr. Hardel shook Mitchum's hand. "I believe we met once."

"Yes, and thank you very much for that, I owe you one."

"Well I owe you a million. Mith has been telling me about what's been happening."

"Oh has she?"

"I cannot thank you enough."

Mitchum nodded and excused himself. He went around looking for Ludus in the now very talkative crowd. He passed Maows and quickly went in the other direction. Ludus was found in deep conversation with two people Mitchum took to be his parents. The tall man in the hat stood watching, not wanting to interrupt another reunion. He looked around and saw that the story was making its way around. People talked hurriedly and exuberantly to each other. Something about that sight was comforting. All those people who had only moments ago been frozen, now up and about conversing and socializing as if nothing at all had happened, it was almost surreal. Mitchum took Creen and found a cell suitable for him on the second floor.

After closing the door he put his back to the wall and slid down to the floor. It was hard for him not to chuckle to himself. All the wonder and happiness downstairs made him think of his family. They were frozen somewhere in a desert that used to be a forest. For the first time in years he actually wanted to see them again, to be with them. To forget everything and sit down to one of his sisters amazing pies. Or go see his brother that always made him smoked meat just the way he liked. For the first time in years Mitchum took his hat off to the family he always wanted, and just now realized he always had.

# Chapter 37: Making a Difference

The party inside the jail lasted some time. Once everything was explained by Mith the partiers headed for home. Some boats were found around the small island and were used to take the people back to the mainland. It took long into the night, but eventually everyone was shuttled to the shore. The last ones into the boats were Mith and Ludus and their families. Mr. Hardel and the Tinn's thanked Mitchum many times, telling him that he was welcome anytime in Rerum. In return Mitchum thanked them, saying that the real heroes of Parli were Mith and Ludus.

The former general quietly left the mess hall. He walked slowly down the hallway leading to the stairs. With no real destination, Mitchum wandered through the jail. Along the way he went over the last several days in his head. He smiled to himself at the idea that he could have been oblivious to everything that just happened. If those two kids had not come into his enclosure that night then he probably would have still been in the Rough, Oldo would be near getting his kingdom. Fate amused Mitchum. Only a week before he did not fully believe or understand it. But now he really felt that he did. It was fate that got him fired ten years ago. It was fate that Mith and Ludus found him. And it was fate that he was taken to Oldo, if that had not happened then he would have been frozen in the mountains.

Mitchum heard footsteps coming up behind him and turned to see Ludus. They stared at each other for some time. Mitchum could visibly see the difference in Ludus. The first time he saw him he seemed cautious, just wanting to get the journey over with. But now he looked strong, unafraid.

"You really have grown, ya know."

Ludus nodded. "So have you."

Mitchum looked over Ludus. "Have your parents already left?"

"Not yet, I'm going with them—I had to come see you."

"Here I am."

Ludus went up to Mitchum and wrapped his arms around him. "Thank you, for everything. Just in case I don't see you again I wanted you to know that."

Surprised, Mitchum patted Ludus's back. "Thank you, for everything."

"Will we ever see each other again?"

"There's no way you're gonna get rid of me."

Ludus laughed and started back down to the mess hall. Mitchum watched him until he was out of sight, and then continued down the way he was going. By the time he came to a door marked: _superintendant,_ more footsteps came up behind him. He turned this time to see Mith.

"Thanks, you have no idea how much I appreciate everything you've done for us." Mith said.

"Same here." Mitchum found it hard to say more than a few words.

"Ludus told me that we are going to see you again."

"Hopefully."

Mith gave him a big hug. "I'll miss you. Please come and see us sometime."

"I will."

Waving, Mith started back down the hallway. Mitchum turned and went into the room. It was a small room, an office, with only a desk and some shelves. He looked about, finding a small ball on the desk. It was painted blue with two brown splotches, one on each side, one bigger than the other. He put a finger on the smaller one. _Parli, and . . ._ He put another finger on the bigger one, _and Memoria._ At that moment a knock came at the door. Mitchum put the ball on the table and turned around.

"Do you remember what you promised?" Mith asked, smiling in the doorway.

"No, what did I promise?"

"Let's just say, I can't wait to see what the forest is like."

Eventually only Mitchum remained in the jail with the inmates. The first thing he did was take Hordna out of the closet and put her into an actual cell. He picked up the sword that had the magic in it. For some reason it did not go into him, probably because he let go of the pieces of the rose too fast for it to go into him. He used the sword to unfreeze all of the remaining statues throughout the jail. He then feed the guards. Some of the guards needed medical attention and were treated by a doctor who had been frozen in one of the cells. The guards that were healthiest wanted to stay and help Mitchum with security. He would have nothing to do with it. He sent the guards home for a rest, they left reluctantly, not fully believing that he could secure the jail by himself. But they did leave, most too bad off to do much good anyway. Mitchum gave all of the roses and the swords to the last group that left, they looked stronger than the others.

By morning Mitchum was the only one left. He thought about taking the last boat but decided against it. He had instructed that last group to get a search party and find the king and queen hiding in the Rough, though it would probably be easier to wait until they saw the mountains rise and return to the palace. At first he was going to go and find them himself, but did not want to face them after what they had done to him. So instead he waited with the new inmates, the actual inmates.

During the next two days while he was by himself he looked over what had happened over the last week in its entirety. Only a person with a very imaginative mind could have ever thought a stranger series of events. It pleased him to know that he was having such an unexpectedly unusual life. The kind that someone might one day write about, he chuckled at the thought. Looking back on it he actually liked everything that happened. It was all done for a reason, he was sure. And now he was about to go back and see the family that he had left many years before. He wondered how they would treat him; as a hero, or as a foe. Either way he was, for the first time, excited to see them again.

Shortly after he finished his rounds of breakfast two days after the defeat of Oldo the mountains rose into the sky once more. It escaped him how the roses were put back, but he was glad all the same. Only an hour after he noticed this, the doorman from the palace entered the mess hall.

"Gai Quinn has been invited to a ball at the palace in three days."

"Why would I want to go to that?"

The doorman shrugged. "It is your decision." He pulled out a letter from his pocket. "You have another message. While gaining a boat ride in the town of Rerum I was harassed by Mith Hardel. She wants to know when you are going to see your family."

"You passed through Rerum to get here? Did you have to keep it secret?"

"No, you would be surprised at how they have already changed their policies. Now, what is your response?"

"You can tell her that I will take them there as soon as somebody comes to collect the people here."

The guard left with a bow. Mitchum continued his thoughts. He was now on the part where he actually fought in the battle. For the time being he overlooked where he tried to leave and went straight to the part where he was captured. Right after knocking out one of Oldo's troops he was hit on the head very hard. Hours later he awoke in a cart headed for the Bay. The captors had said that he would be used as ransom since he was a general.

Only a few moments later a tall man entered the jail. He was several inches taller than Mitchum and had unusually hard features. At first Mitchum was afraid he worked for Oldo.

"My name is Allard and I have come to sentence the wrong-doers."

Mitchum was instantly relieved, but was still a little on edge. "Don't you need more people for that, maybe even a witness or two."

"That will be you."

"Oh, alright, well let's get this over with."

Mitchum was going to lead Allard to the top and work their way down, but Allard insisted on sentencing Oldo first. When they arrived at his cell he was sitting on the floor in the corner, facing away. Allard sentenced him then and there, but only after Oldo would face him. The sentence seemed harsh to Mitchum, but Allard assured him that Oldo deserved it. He was sentenced to live in the jail indefinitely, or until the king and queen found it fit to release him.

Oldo never spoke. After receiving the sentence he simply went back to his corner where he would stay until being moved to the top floor several days later. The only thoughts in his head centered on defeat. He could not believe that he had lost to two children and an old friend, though he started to believe that he really lost to the magic and only the magic.

The next stop for Allard was Gyrd. Mitchum skipped the other three below because he wanted to get the three together first. When they arrived at that cell it appeared empty. Nobody could be seen from the small window so the door was opened, that's when it happened. Allard was punched in the face and Gyrd ran from the cell, all three in the cell had been hiding on the same wall with the door so they would not be seen. Mitchum quickly closed the door before any more escaped and ran after Gyrd.

The two raced down the stairs at full speed. Gyrd, having the lead, was able to keep Mitchum from catching up the entire way. He ran through the halls of the first floor and out the doors. There he met five people who had followed Allard to the island. Gyrd stood still for only an instant before catching sight of another boat coming up. He dodged the people and jumped into the water, swimming toward the boat. Mitchum came out just in time to see Gyrd climb into the boat and throw the lone passenger into the water. From there he started paddling into the open ocean as fast as he could. Mitchum was about to jump into the other boat and follow when Allard, who had just come out, stopped him.

"Don't bother, there's nowhere for him to go, only miles and miles of water. If he ever comes back we will get him then."

Mitchum, panting, walked up to Allard with his hands in the air. "But we can catch him, we should try."

"No, we'll put up posters so people know who he is. Now, let's continue."

Allard went back up, this time with those people who had just come. They escorted each of the prisoners down to the mess hall to be sentenced together. Gyrd was first sentenced to indefinite time in jail if he were to come back. Allard was hesitant to punish the minions, seeing as they were so young. Creen took the fall since he was the oldest and made up stories that he was the leader and the others were just kids he kidnapped. Neither Mitchum nor Allard were sure if the stories were real, but Creen had such descriptive details of each capture, so they believed him in the end. The entire time he was telling this the other minions stood quietly, looking about sadly to stay in character. Creen was then sentenced to indefinite time in jail not only for crimes against Parli, but for kidnapping and brainwashing. The other minions would be released.

# Chapter 38: The Gloves

The usual feelings of awe, inspired by being so close to royalty, were gone. Instead only feelings of resentment remained toward the two people that sent a great man out into danger. Ludus wanted to barrage the king and queen with questions but decided against it. After all they were invited to the royal study for a very important reason—it was time to give back the magic that they had. The chairs that he and Mith sat in were rather uncomfortable. He looked around at the large bookcase before him, and at the two people who stood directly in front of him.

"It is not a hard process, so we've been told." The king said, picking up a large black glove from a small table.

"What is that?" Mith asked, not bothering to sound pleasant.

The queen picked up the matching glove. "They are very old and very powerful items used by the founders. They originated in Memoria and are used to transport magic from one object to the next. You two did it a different way, but this way is safer—no chance for the magic to escape into an unwanted object."

"How come Mitchum did not get the magic in him, he did the same thing we did." Ludus asked.

"Magic is tricky, but it might have been because the rose turned back into a sword before the magic could get into him. Though I really have no idea, somebody should write a book about the magic."

The king put on one glove as the queen put on the other. They touched the gloves to the foreheads of Mith and Ludus. At that moment a rush of warmth left their bodies. They had chills for a moment, but were otherwise unharmed.

The royalty then went over to another small table nearby where a large sword sat. The sword had a green stone in its hilt. They each touched the sword and it glowed and vibrated for only an instant. The king took both gloves and set them on the table and cautiously touched the sword.

"That's it." He said happily.

"Wait," the queen pointed at the tip of the blade. "I don't believe it; all of the magic did not go back into the sword."

"What?" Mith jumped up and looked at the sword. She never noticed it before but the sword looked different now that the magic was back. It shined a dull gold, when before it had been the usual silver of metal.

"Ijnus'ss sword was never gold, though it did change colors when Oldo was mad." Ludus pointed out.

"This is all very new." The king said, scratching his chin. "But if I had to guess, I would say that the color probably goes away over time. What is extraordinary, though, is the tip. It is still silver. That means that some of the magic is still inside of you two."

"How's that?" Mith asked confused.

"After four hundred years the magic still had the characteristics of who had it last, but overall became neutral over time. It seems that the magic started to morph around you two. And magic like that cannot be taken, but must be given."

"So you're saying that we have to be the ones to put the last tiny bit into the sword?"

"I'm not saying that at all. In fact I think you should keep it."

Mith and Ludus looked to each other in awe and glee.

"What a fitting reward for the heroes of Parli." The queen said merrily.

"Will it ever turn back into a rose?" Mith asked.

"I doubt it," the king said, "When Lwid turned this into a rose the magic still had his signature – if you will – in it. But now since the magic has turned neutral it cannot change back."

Mith nodded, she still did not understand completely, but she knew that she would in time.

# Chapter 39: Family Reunion

The next day life returned to a relatively normal state for Parli. All the roses, and swords, were returned and the people were back to their moving selves. Those donning yellow in the mountains had been taken via carts and boats to the rock in the sea before the rose was returned. Ijnus's sword was taken back there to return each back to normal once inside a cell. It was a shock to some, especially those who were in movement at the time of their freezing. One was in full sprint at the time. When he came around he was still running and crashed into the cell door.

Allard sentenced all of them to ten years in jail, since he had not remembered the original verdict for each one. To this Mitchum insisted that Allard start writing down the decisions he makes. For the first time Mitchum had a say in what happened in Parli. He was finally making a difference for the better, and it would not end there.

In a ten minute conversation that took place in the superintendant office Mitchum convinced Allard that he needed a full staff to sentence prisoners, better food, and perhaps some way to make money so walls could be painted and floors cleaned. Allard wrote down everything he said, including the "umms" and "Hmmms". Along the way he would ask questions:

"How would we do that? . . . Are you sure that's a good idea? . . . That would cost a lot don't you think? . . . How do you spell that?"

By the end Mitchum felt as though he really did something. Still feeling good he left the jail and headed for Rerum. It was a nice day out, the sun was strong but it did not matter anymore to him, not that it ever really did. At first he was afraid that he would be captured once again after entering Rerum. He tied the boat up on a post on the beach and headed for town. A small boy and girl ran up to him before he even left the pink sand.

"Are you Mitchum?" The little girl asked.

Not sure how they knew his name he nodded.

The kids looked to each other excitedly.

"No way, can I walk with you?" the little boy asked.

"Um, alright."

Together they walked into town. He asked them if they knew where Mith or Ludus were. They said that they did and led him there. Along the way more kids came out of small huts and followed closely behind Mitchum. They were all small and only a few even came up to Mitchum's waist. Older people started out of their huts and also joined the gathering. In minutes almost the entirety of Rerum had joined in. Among the people were half of the elders, including Clarin. She shook Mitchum's hand and thanked him for everything he had done. Others followed her example and also greeted Mitchum, shaking his hand and sometimes bowing. He did not know what to do with so much attention. He nodded and bowed back.

Mith and Ludus were found near the elder's hut. When the crowd came up they laughed and shook their heads.

"Sorry about that Mitchum, we told everyone what happened."

"You must have made me sound pretty amazing."

"We just said it as it was."

Ludus walked up to Mitchum and led him into the elder's hut. Only the elders that were in the crowd followed. Mitchum tried to resist upon seeing Maows, but Mith pulled him forward.

"This is Maows, he is the leader here."

Mitchum nodded, trying not to make eye contact.

Maows stood slowly and held his hand out. "I think we've met, never a problem with meeting a person more than once, right?"

"If I remember we did not exactly have the greatest meeting." Mitchum said coolly.

Maows lowered his hand. "I hear you want to take these two all the way to the forest."

"They've been farther than that."

The elder hut grew tense. The other elders who came in quietly sat down in their chairs.

Mitchum continued. "Do you have a problem with this?"

Maows was not used to being spoken to this way, and was trying very hard to keep from arguing. "I am perfectly fine with it – in fact I encourage our saviors to get a bit of a vacation."

Mith and Ludus thanked Maows and left before someone got heated. The gathering remained outside and instantly crowded around them. Everyone looked at Mitchum expectantly. He simply stared back, waiting for someone to speak.

Ludus stepped up to the task. "We are now leaving with Mitchum, everyone go home."

The crowd dispersed leisurely. Mitchum agreed to meet them on the edge of town and headed there. Several minutes later, after saying goodbye to their families, they met up. Mith now wore a black traveling cloak while Ludus wore a silver one. Mitchum re-adjusted his hat and walked in the direction of his home. A voice came from behind them.

"Could you use this?"

Mr. Hardel came up with a horse drawn cart. Mitchum took the reins and thanked him. The three set off for the forest in the cart.

It was nice to not have to walk for once. Over the last two days Mith and Ludus had been extremely sore, they could barely walk. Now they could walk but the soreness was still there.

The fields of the Bay Region gave for little scenery. Mitchum had several things on his mind and decided now was as good a time as any to ask them.

"How was your homecoming?"

Mith, who was sitting next to Mitchum, thought for a second before responding. "It was good, most of it really happened in the jail. After we got back Maows had us over to discuss what happened. Although I really think he just wanted to see if the story was suitable for the children of Rerum. So instead of just telling him we went outside and told everyone the whole story."

"Was he mad?"

"Oh yeah, we told him that we expect new treatment of the lies and secrets he tells. And would you know it—he actually was alright with it."

"Sure he was," Ludus said from the back of the cart, "he had two choices: he could either pretend it was his great idea to reveal everything, or we would have done it and he would probably have been hated."

Mith nodded. "True, but I think he just did not want anything like that to happen again."

Ludus laughed. "Mith, you still see the best in people, even after everything we have been through."

"I'm not going to change now."

For the rest of the journey Mitchum told as much as he could remember about the Forest Region. About all of his childhood memories and of what he would like to see there on this trip. He told about one particular tree that was so much taller than the others, and of a tree that was very small for its full height. Mith and Ludus thought the region sounded rather boring, but did not tell this to Mitchum.

The excitement grew for them to enter the region. It did not take as long as they thought it would to get to the boundary. With the cart they got their so much faster. They would not have known where the boundary was if there was not a sign that read: _Forest, the birthplace of true happiness._

"Wow, not being modest are they?" Ludus asked.

"That's not the real sign, when I was about ten some people stole the real sign and replaced it with this one. I'm just surprised that it is still here."

Mith suddenly blurted out. "What do people do who do not see the sign?"

"I guess they just have to remember where the boundary is, or they just end up there accidentally."

The three crossed into the forest. The name fit it very well. All they could see in any direction was tall trees. It was as if one tree was cloned many times. Every single one of them did not have a branch that was less

twenty feet off of the ground. That made it good for seeing, bad for hiding. There was only one person in sight, a familiar one.

"Orman?" Mitchum asked the shaggy man nearby.

Orman turned around and threw his hands up. "Quinn, what brings you back to the woods?" He suddenly spotted Mith and Ludus. "I mea, how are you, little oes?"

"It's alright Orman, you can drop the act. How did you get all the way out here?"

"I was lovin' the idea of having nothing but Rough so I started seein' what the world looked like in its original. Then, the other day—all of a sudden the trees spring up. Well I'll tell ya what, I was over one and was lifted fifty feet into the air. I had to climb down as far as I could and then just dropped the rest of the way—hurt myself a bit."

"Do you know if any of the houses are alright, did any break when they hit the ground."

"No, they just sprouted back up into the trees, it was a sure sight."

"That's good to hear, it was good to see you, buddy, but we have to go now."

Orman waved good bye and went to his carpet that was now tied to two trees that stood very close together. He sat under it and watched the travelers leave.

The trees did not speak or move as they did near the palace. They just stood tall and still as normal trees do. The horse's feet and the cart wheels crunched the layer of leaves that covered the entire ground. A warm breeze blew by them, and Mith was wishing she was not wearing the large traveling cloak.

Soon they found a dirt trail that weaved throughout the forest. The horse seemed to like this better than the leaves, though there were still some leaves on the path. The horse clopped along for some time before they saw anything interesting. Mitchum pointed out a large rock off to the right. He said it was the only large rock in the entire region.

Half an hour later Mitchum swung the cart off of the trail and into the leaves. He started to explain why he left the forest. They already knew part of the story thanks to Bern and Lapp, but listened intently anyway. He told about how his family was known as rippers, how his parents had left the entire operation to him when they died, and how he left as soon as he found out because he was afraid of his brothers and sisters, who all wanted the operation themselves.

The trees got closer together the farther off the trail they got. They had to leave the cart before too long and continue on by foot. Ludus noticed something high above them. It was a tree house, and there were many more. They were hanging between two or three trees, depending on the size of the house, all with bridges connecting to others.

Mitchum had his head back, looking for something. Finally he saw it and led the way over to a rope ladder that was hanging from one of the houses. "Must be off hunting," he had said as he tugged on the ladder. Mith climbed up first, followed by Ludus, and finally by Mitchum.

It was a long way up but they made it all right. Once at the top Mitchum sighed heavily, a look of nostalgia beaming from his face. "This was my grandmother's house, before she died. I don't even remember who moved in."

A wood walk circled each house. They walked along it, wishing that there was a rail on the edge. The bridge creaked horribly as they crossed it. On the other side was a house that Mitchum was hesitant to go near. It was much larger than the first one they had seen. He mumbled to himself and put his hands on Mith and Ludus.

"This is my home, where I grew up." He said softly. "I wonder . . ." He took off his hat and peered inside it. After rummaging around inside it he took a small key out. It had been tucked under a flap in his hat. Slowly he went up to the door and tried the key. A turn and click later the door swung open. They all looked into the darkness. Mitchum stepped in and looked around. Very carefully he touched a hard armchair. Suddenly lights came on and a voice followed.

"Who do you think you are?" a stern voice said from up above.

With the lights on it was much easier to see the inside. Several armchairs were scattered around a brown carpet. On the right wall was a staircase that went to a small landing near the ceiling. A rather large man stood on the landing and stared down. When he saw who had entered his jaw dropped. He quickly ran down the stairs and hugged Mitchum.

"Gai, you came back, you're here."

"Only because of these two." He pointed out Mith and Ludus.

The man nodded happily in their direction, and then continued to speak to Mitchum. "Everyone will be so happy to see you again."

"They will?"

The man looked at Mitchum in disbelief. "What? You were gone for twenty years; did you really think nobody would miss you?"

"Twenty-two years. When I left you were just about to burn me alive."

"No we weren't"

Mitchum looked at him sternly.

"Alright, but we got over it—we missed you."

"And of the business?"

"Done, never again, in fact it was losing you that made us all realize that." The man paused. "And we could not do anything without your signature."

Mitchum slapped his hand on his leg. "There's the real truth."

"No, no, no I was just joking—mostly. Wait, what are we doing here, the others need to see you. They should be back soon so just make yourselves comfortable."

It was hard to make anything comfortable in that house. The chairs were overly hard and creaky. The man, who turned out to be Mitchum's brother Travari, went to the kitchen and came back several minutes later with biscuits. They were hard as rocks, and Ludus swore one had green spots. They tried to eat them but found it impossible. When Travari wasn't looking Ludus threw his out a window that was right behind him.

Mitchum and Travari caught each other up on what had been happening in the last twenty-two years. Travari found Mitchum's story incredibly exciting, especially the last week. He jumped from his chair at some parts and even ran circles around the same chair when it came to fighting Oldo. Mith tried not to laugh at this while Ludus looked on the man as though he were insane.

Travari told his story, which was much less exciting. Every day for the last twenty-two years had been the same, save for the last week. For most of the story it seemed he was failing at romance, while too afraid to leave the forest. He did not remember anything about the last week. When the rose was replaced he had been face down in the sand.

The door opened unexpectedly right as Travari was finishing his story. Several people crowded in and started upstairs. One went in the direction of the kitchen holding a large dead bird. None of them noticed Mitchum. They all went through doors and it was quiet once more. The man who went into the kitchen came out and finally saw Mitchum. He looked as though he were about to faint or wet himself when he realized who it was.

"Hey everyone, Gai is back." He yelled.

The doors above opened quickly and everyone rushed down the stairs to get a look. There were five new faces total. The tallest of the lot, who looked extraordinarily like Mitchum, went up to him and shook his hand vigorously.

"What a treat, a sure treat I say."

"It's alright, Nerge, I might want to use that hand again. Everyone, this here is Mith and Ludus."

"Hi, Mith and Ludus." They all called in unison.

"This here is Nerge," he pointed to the man who had just been shaking his hand. He now was back with the others, "and this is Elva, she and Risa are twins."

Mith saw that they were identical twins. If one did not have shorter hair she would have not been able to tell them apart.

"Over here we have Mortya, don't worry he is not as smart as he looks."

"Hey." Called Mortya, there definitely was something about him that looked smart.

"And finally we have—wait a minute. Is that you Uris?"

The woman who was called Uris nodded. She was rather short and very pretty.

"You really grew up." Mitchum seemed stunned by his sister's beauty. "Now who's missing, where are Oyer and Bilt?"

Travari stood from his chair. "They left shortly after you did, they moved to Altis. Now isn't that just terrible."

"Is it?"

Elva, the shorter haired twin, answered. "You know we don't like Altis, they are our rivals in our new business."

"Which is?"

"We sell wood."

"Wow," Ludus whispered to Mith, "that must be hard to come by here."

The family was eager to hear what had happened over the years. They all sat in their chairs to hear the story. Mith and Ludus were sitting in Oyer's and Bilt's seats so they did not have to move. Mitchum was sitting in his own chair; he was surprised that they even kept it.

Most were quiet during the entire story; Travari kept entering in side comments. "You have to hear this . . . Here it comes . . . Oh, oh, oh, listen to this part." The others told him to be quiet but he did not.

When the story was over everyone took a walk around the town, Mith and Ludus were in the back having been forgotten about, though they did not mind. They took them all around the places that they used to go, even the place where Mitchum had fallen out of the town to the ground. He rubbed his back and laughed along with the others. They passed the small school house where he had learned, and even the office where their parents ran the first family business. The office now stood vacant, the sign peeled away so only the 'Q' and first 'N' in Quinn remained.

When the tour was over they headed back to their home. A voice came from somewhere behind them. Mith and Ludus turned to see a very pretty woman standing there, standing on tiptoes trying to see over everyone's head.

"Gai Quinn is that you?"

There came some whistles from the family.

Mitchum found his way through his siblings to her. "Wia, it's so good to see you."

They hugged. Nerge leaned over and whispered in Mith's ear. "They were sweet for each other before Gai left, though she is a lot younger than he. I think she was only like fifteen or something when he left."

"How have you been?" they asked each other. They caught up quickly on what the other person had done. "Are you . . . ?" they asked simultaneously. Each seemed to know what the other meant and answered with a "No." They both sighed in relief and hugged.

Mitchum turned to his siblings. "I think I might stay here, besides the Rough was getting . . . well, rough."

Nerge nodded jokingly. "So you missed us that much did you? Or was it something else that changed your mind?"

He was ignored. Mitchum clasped Wia's hands. "Would you like to come with me to a party in the palace?" He turned to the others. "You all are invited."

Norge whispered to Mith again. "I was about to say 'if he does not invite me . . .'"

Wia accepted the invitation, as did the entire family.

# Chapter 40: The Ball

The palace was alive with the spirit of Parli. All around people were arriving from each region, bringing their food and good thoughts with them. It was getting crowded inside, but there was still room for more. Large fires were burning inside and out, causing the faces of the people to have ever-changing shadows. The stars shined brightly to light the way.

Mitchum stood in the crisp night, checking each person coming in, and waiting for someone in particular. He had already seen his family go in. He was glad to see that they came all the way from the forest. The breeze hit his head, he felt somehow bare without his hat. He tugged down on his dress tunic and wished he had bought a larger size. The three red roses in his hands drooped slightly, and he wished he had waited several hours before he picked them. He looked up just in time to see someone he recognized heading inside. The fourteen year old girl was followed by several other girls of about the same age. He hurried to meet her at the door.

"Mith, hey wait, I have something for you. Here, it's a rose."

Mith smiled. "How appropriate."

Mitchum shrugged casually. "You know me."

"Do I?"

"Uh, yeah, it's me—"

"I'm joking Mitchum."

Mith continued inside, her sparkling blue dress brightened as soon as it hit the firelight. Mitchum felt proud as he watched her go. A hand grasped his shoulder.

"Teenagers, she wanted me several yards back when she entered." Mr. Hardel laughed. "I'll see you inside."

Mitchum nodded and Mr. Hardel continued on inside. When he turned back another familiar face was walking up. This fourteen year old was walking with a girl that also was familiar, though he could not remember where he saw her.

"How's it, Mitchie?" Ludus said, trying to sound older than he was.

"Good, good, here I got you this." Mitchum handed Ludus the second rose.

"Ha ha, I feel magical now." He smelled the rose and let the girl smell it to. He then noticed that he and Mitchum wore the same dress tunic. "Great minds and all that."

"Yes indeed."

Ludus went on in.

A large group from the Mountain Region was coming up. Mitchum got out of their way and watched for the person he was waiting for. In the group passing he noticed Azmi amongst them. Later on Bern and Lapp arrived.

"Never been to a party, have you Gai?" Bern asked. He wore a bright pink tunic.

"Only a party for guards."

"Lapp here has been to many parties. Isn't that right Lapp?"

"No."

"See, he's been to plenty."

They continued on inside, Bern was dancing to music that only existed in his mind.

Right behind the next group came the one he wanted to see. He quickly went up to her with the final rose outstretched.

"For you."

Wia took the rose and smelled it. "Amazing."

They took each other's arms and entered the palace.

It was more crowded than Mitchum had ever seen it. The party took place in the entry hall; eyes glanced occasionally at the giant mural on the ceiling. Most of the people here never had the chance to see the palace, much less get into a party, but the king and queen invited everyone who was not in jail.

Fires burned brightly all around. No one danced, unless Bern's head bobble counted. Hundreds of dresses and tunics wandered awkwardly around. Mitchum was just about to be the first one dancing when his name was called. It was the queen, calling for him to sit at the high table in the back. Mith and Ludus had already taken their seats of honor, with two seats left.

Once seated with Wia, he watched as the king and queen rose to their feet, the crowd was at once silent. Everyone watched expectantly. The king cleared his throat.

"Welcome to our first annual Parli day ball. The next ones will be on the date that the roses were saved, but we did not want to wait until next year to party." The room was filled with cheering. "Now calm down, save some energy for the dances that I know you all are great at." Laughter followed. "Before we can begin I must say a few things. First off, I would like to thank all those who helped in the recovery of the roses, and the defeat of those responsible." He waved his hands in the direction of Mith and Ludus. "I would also like to tell all of you that things will change in the next year. By the next ball Parli will be much better organized and have a strong force at the ready."

Mitchum looked around in shock that there were no cheers for this. Most people just stared.

"And now for those of you from the Rough, listen closely. We have talked to many people around that region and they all agree—the sword will not be returned to that region. They feel that the Rough deserves to stay rough." There were a couple of hoots and claps at this. "The sword will remain here, and it will be replaced shortly. And lastly, I would like to apologize to lord Ijnus, whose name has been despised for quite some time. He was not in his right mind and he just wanted to apologize." The king shared a quick glance with Ludus. "His portrait will once again hang in the hall with the others. Now, let's eat."

Guards came from the hall behind the high table with large plates filled with all kinds of food. The largest cheer yet came at this. The queen suddenly stood up and quieted the commotion.

"One more thing, we would like to give a heartfelt apology to our good friend Gai Quinn."

"Yes, yes." The king agreed.

Mitchum felt himself go red and wished he was not sitting in front of everyone. Wia clapped loudest of all. Mith, who was sitting right next to him, gave him a quick hug. Ludus clapped too, while winking at his date standing nearby. Nerge chanted his name loudly.

The food was served and everyone ate and talked happily. A small band in the corner started playing. The girl came up to talk with Ludus. Mith was not at all pleased and scowled at her the entire time. When the girl went back to stand with the others she was with Mitchum finally figured out who she was.

"Ludus, are you two friends, you know she tried to knock me out right?"

"Yeah, and you locked her in a closet."

Mith spoke angrily, "I can't believe she is not in jail. She was against us the whole time." She gave Ludus a dirty look.

"She was found not to be guilty."

"We are the only people to know she is guilty and you never told anyone."

Ludus ignored her.

Mitchum wanted to change the subject. "Mith, I was wondering, how did you give up the magic?" He had many opportunities to ask this before, but it never crossed his mind.

Mith seemed relieved to stop talking about Hordna. "The king and queen had secret ancient gloves that had been used by the original lords and ladies. They pressed the gloves against us and the power just left. But not all of it came out, so they left a small bit in. It's exciting—they said if we work hard it will grow inside of us. So far Ludus has not had any memories that I know of."

"Strange, I wonder how you were able to get the power in the first place."

"What isn't strange about this island? The only explanation that they could think of was that the magic had settled, becoming neutral over time. That also explains why Ijnus's sword reacted to Oldo, despite the fact that the lords and ladies could not even work with it."

Mitchum thought over what he had just heard. It would be great additions to the book on magic he was now planning on writing. Since the roses were returned he had started writing his first draft.

"By the way, were all of the former inmates captured?" Mith asked.

"Not all, I've heard that several yellow jumpsuits were found abandoned. But don't worry; we'll get them in the end."

Still nobody was dancing. Mitchum took it in himself to be the first. After eating his fill he took Wia and headed to the floor. There they started moving to the rhythm of the drums that were playing. Soon they were going all out, moving and twisting to the beat. Ludus grabbed Hordna and danced alongside. More and more people entered into the dance craze. Mith looked on longingly when a boy she immediately recognized asked her to dance. It was the same boy who had talked to her in the infirmary cart on the way to the palace. At first she was not sure, but she decided that if she did not dance she risked regretting the decision in the future.

The palace was now filled with the laughter and hubbub of a party. Even the king and queen danced wildly around at the high table. The noise could be heard for miles. All of a sudden a wave of energy shot through the party. The sword had been replaced. Everyone felt suddenly a lot braver and much more energetic. The party would last well into the night.

Several minutes later Mith and Ludus collapsed into folding chairs set up for the ball. They had to catch their breath from dancing. The boy who danced with Mith had taken Hordna to get drinks. Mith looked over to Ludus, he was dabbing his forehead with his sleeve.

"What a party."

"The first and best."

They continued to laugh; it felt good to do so. Any emotion now seemed sweeter than it had before; any thought seemed a good one. Both knew their lives would continue as normal after they left the palace, though neither thought of it at the moment. Now was the time to let all thought go and have fun. It was hard not to in that environment.

Over the course of the night Mith and Ludus danced with half of the people there. Mith danced with Bern and Lapp, as well as Mitchum, and even the king. Ludus danced with the queen, Wia, and many other girls he did not even know. Occasionally they would stop dancing and just look around. Everyone seemed so happy, so carefree; it was the way they wanted to see the world.

The winds of change continued to move, from the bay in the south out into the open ocean, past the miles of water, through tiny islands, and into oblivion. What replaced it was calm, the calm of progress.

In the weeks following, the island of Parli went through changes not seen since the sand originally disappeared. General Turff was made commander of Parli forces, and was to organize a force to be used for the defense of all citizens. Zing (who did not make an appearance at the party for fear of the many students she made regret they ever became a guard) turned down a promotion to general to continue her teaching.

Allard took a more direct approach as superintendant of the jail, which included rarely leaving. This opened a spot for another Rerum elder. Voting took place for the first time, and Mrs. Tinn was selected. Maows decided to open the boundaries and promised to never again tie up any visitor. He apologized for spreading stories of spirits, and for telling the parents to do the same. The trip to the Merchant Region remained, only now the fourteen year olds were to have guides and carry sticks in case of a Rough Dog attack. Mitchum graciously declined a position as a full time general. He had many things to catch up on back home. There he could see Wia often.

On the way back to Rerum the next morning Mith told Ludus that she felt things were better, but that not everything was settled inside of her. He replied by telling her it would take time. There he was right. It would take time for their lives to seem normal again, especially since the king and queen allowed for them to come and go from the palace at any time they desired. It was a great honor, but for now the only thing on their minds was to be with their family and friends. All other thoughts would have to wait till later.
Also by A.S. Morrison

Poiye

Hardin's War

Hardin's Dilemma

Hardin's Calling

The Little Brown Box

A Translation of Inspiration

Three Very Short Stories

Evening's with Littleberry and Other Short Stories

A. Candle's Light

The Tunnel Dream

