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SiatJan ~ see-uht-jan
Roveñya ~ roh-ven-ya
Purian ~ poo-ree-uhn
Raele ~ rah-yel
Daeve don Raele ~ Day-yehv-don-Rah-yel
♛

THE stop was sudden and unexpected, making them lurch forward.

"Elowen and—"

"I got them out safely," Marcela cut her short.

"Can we keep moving—"

"Yes!"

Zack slammed his foot on the pedal at Gema's command, and the sudden acceleration pushed them back into their seats.

Karyn pressed her lips shut and kept her eyes on the rearview mirror. Through it, she saw the dark clouds that had been chasing them diminish in size until they became a dot in the sky.

She should have been savoring the exhilarating rush of wind as it swept in and out of the car, but she couldn't. Not when her mind raced with thoughts, and her heart thrashed in its cage.

How could she have forgotten about them? The only family she remembered. How could she have left without making sure they were safe first?

"We should have ported out of there," Marcela said and wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. Karyn had caught sight of the furious look The Emeraldine kept flashing Zack's way and wondered what was the cause of her evident frustration.

"It wouldn't have worked," Zack said, and if Karyn wasn't looking at him through the mirror, she would have missed the way the corner of his lips twitched.

"What do you mean?" Gema asked.

Zack struggled to keep his expressions in check, though only Karyn could sense his apprehension and hesitation in the way his eyes darted in minuscule side-to-side motions before he blinked them to focus.

"They have Emerfield fortified like the tunnels underneath it. Magic works in it, but you can't teleport in or out," he explained.

"How did you know that?" Gema asked.

"I tried it and it didn't work." Zack kept his eyes on the road with his face showing no expression.

There was a beat of silence.

"He has magic," Jamie said as they passed a sign that read, Leaving Emerfield. We await your return home.

Zack remained silent as they sped away, with trees flanking the road. This was the road Karyn had taken with him when they searched for Elowen. Now, with the murky skies of Emerfield behind them and the bright blue skies of this new town above, the world around popped with colors. The leaves glimmered in a vibrant green hue under the calming glow of the late afternoon sun and the blue skies stretched like a canvas with stark white clouds adorning it.

"Stop the car," came Gema's voice with a hard edge that broke Karyn out of her reverie on the world outside Emerfield.

The car slowed to a halt on the side of the road. With the engine stuttering off, the tweeting of birds filtered into the car, along with the faint rustle of trees.

"Let's get down." Gema pushed the door open and stepped out before the others followed.

Karyn's eyes moved to the road behind them as they all convened on the side of the car, closer to the trees. Wariness flashed through her eyes as she asked, "What of the people who were chasing us?"

"This is a new town and one they can't enter," Gema said to Karyn, then turned to Zack. "We've had enough of your presence, Zack. I'm sorry, Karyn, but this is where you tell him goodbye."

Karyn's eyes went wide. "What? Why?"

"We can't have someone who keeps secrets from us in our team. Who knows what else he's hiding underneath that stoic face of his?"

"But you have your secrets too," Karyn countered.

"Okay. Let's get things clear then," Gema started. "Zack, where are you from?"

"Wlerden."

"And how did you get here?"

"A portal."

"Why did you come to Emerfield?"

Karyn noticed Zack clench his jaw before he said, "I can't disclose that."

Gema looked back at Karyn with her eyebrows arched as if to say, 'See.'

Marcela tsked. "You're not passing the test here, Zack."

"C'mon, we are out of Emerfield now and can port out," Gema said. The three of them moved near Karyn, but before they could join their hands and before Karyn could object, Zack spoke.

"If you're porting back to Wlerden, that won't be possible."

Marcela placed her hand on her hips, and her brows settled in a deep furrow.

Jamie tilted his head and asked, "Why not?"

"Because Wlerden is also fortified," he said.

Marcela rolled her eyes before her voice came out harsh. "Are you playing games with us or what?"

"The Wlerden you left isn't the one that's there now. Magic is now hunted," Zack said, and Marcela let out a mirthless laugh.

"Wlerden can't hunt magic. Wlerden was born from magic. That's like a baby attacking its mother while still nursing at her breast," Marcela mocked, but Zack remained serious.

"And that's what's happening in Wlerden. The very Red Guards made to protect us from SiatJans are now hunting the Endoni."

"That's not possible."

"What's a SiatJan?"

Gema and Karyn spoke at the same time.

"Karyn," Zack started with his eyes on hers. "When your parents left Wlerden, they left something in their place. SiatJans, devilish creatures that rose from the ground and thrashed at everything they could find. No one knew what they wanted or how they came to be, but they appeared after your parents left with you, so we assumed your parents had a connection to these creatures. The Red Guard is a special set of people trained to combat SiatJans and that was what they did until about two and a half years ago. First, the people started turning on Endoni. They believed that the Endoni still had their magic because they were stealing it from the land—"

Marcela muttered something indecipherable, but Zack went on.

"Then The Red Guard started persecuting the Endoni, even in broad daylight."

"That's not possible," Gema said again. Her gaze wasn't as hard as before, but now focused on the road ahead with a furrow in her brows.

"When were you going to tell me about these creatures and The Red Guard?" Karyn asked, unable to keep the shock out of her voice as her eyes moved from one Wielder to the other.

"Getting you to Wlerden was and is our topmost priority," Jamie said, his cool voice grating on her nerves. How could he remain calm when they had kept such a big truth of Wlerden away from her?

"Priority? If Red Guards are hunting the same magic I have then you were just leading me to a bigger dungeon." She blinked as she realized she repeated Dan's words. The scenery of the dark garden flashed in her mind before Jamie's next words caused them to evaporate.

"And who told you that?"

"I can make conclusions for myself, Jamie," she spat.

"Enough!" Gema's voice rang out.

"And why should I listen to you?" she challenged but didn't let the warning in Gema's eyes stop her. "You doubt Zack here, but why should I trust you?"

"Because we are the ones who can lead you home," Marcela started softly, but her voice turned cold when she added, "Not Zack."

Zack remained calm, despite Marcela's seething eyes on him.

"How did you know this?" Gema asked Zack.

"You're not seriously believing a word he says?" Marcela asked, eyes wide in shock before they sparked with rage.

"Because I was in Wlerden when you left. I saw how the people, the land, and those in power changed. Three years since you left, but that was enough. I thought you knew and still went ahead for your hidden agenda, which was why I held things back from you three."

"If the people hate royalty then who's in charge?" Jamie asked.

"The Roveñya, or according to you, The Golder, and The Witch," he said. "That's what the people call them."

"Dove?! But she's never mentioned this when we talk," Gema said with creased brows.

"Who's the witch?" Jamie asked.

"The woman who's been alive since time began."

"Okay, now you're just spinning tales. That woman..." Marcela said with air quotes. "...is Grandma Terrwyn and everyone in Wlerden knows she is not a witch. Now let's stop listening to his bullshit and get out of here!" Marcela said and placed a hand on Karyn's shoulder.

"Wait!" Gema called Marcela to a stop. Karyn could see Marcela's chest rising with eyes narrowed at Gema.

"Why are you telling us this? It won't change anything," Gema said.

"You can confront the Golder about this and hear it for yourself," he paused. "Also, because I need your help, too."

"Ah," Marcela brought her hands back to her hips and morphed her lips into a sneer. "Now he's talking. You could have started with that."

Gema frowned at Marcela's apparent irritation but said nothing, and Karyn tightened her fists in response to Marcela's tone.

Out of all the people present, Karyn couldn't help but expect Marcela to exude her usual soft spirit during this conversation. However, her cynical words were far from the gentle tone she had come to associate with Marcela. It felt as if a sharp scent had replaced a delicate fragrance. Had Marcela been pretending all along?

"We can make a deal," Zack offered.

"This is getting interesting," Marcela chipped in with a brow raised in suspicion.

"What would we need your help with?" Gema asked.

"Getting through Wlerden."

"So you want to make your way to the palace," Marcela said.

"Marcela, that's enough," Gema cautioned.

"How can you—ugh! I cannot listen to this."

♛ ♛ ♛

JAMIE had to force his eyes away from Marcela's limping figure and clench his hands at his sides to smother the nagging feeling that wanted him to run after her and make sure she was okay. He had seen the large gash on her knee once they'd stepped out of the truck and he knew it bothered her.

But he couldn't leave, not when Zack's words sounded similar to what Olwyn had told him in the comfort of a vanishing spell at her house. It was something he had kept to himself and hadn't disclosed to Gema and Marcela yet.

He knew Olwyn had no reason to lie, and he knew if he had told Gema and Marcela, they would have confronted Dove about it. It wouldn't have surprised him if Dove used that as a segue to go on a rant about how they were wasting time.

That was the direction all their conversations went whenever they contacted the Golder.

"Why would we need your help with that?" came Gema's voice.

"Because I have contacts that would make it easier for you to get to the castle or wherever you would want to go, undetected by the Red Guards."

"If that's what you can do for us, then what do you need our help with?" Gema asked.

Before Zack spoke, he unbuttoned his jacket and dug his hands in to bring out a knife from its sheath. But this was no ordinary knife and Jamie recognized it immediately. He had only seen it in books and thought it to be a myth. A fairy tale he never believed existed. Until now.

The white markings that ran and swirled across the stark black knife were more real than the ones he'd traced his hand over in books.

"Is that a Purian knife?" he asked in awe. Zack counted his steps as he walked backward and away from them.

"Yes," Zack replied and stopped when he reached ten steps. Then he dug the knife into the ground and drew some symbols before he carved a circle around them. As he drew the circle, the ground split, and a light of two colors burst out from the crack. Black and white swirled together but didn't merge as they chased one another into the sky before meeting in a circle to form the tip of a dome above them. Streaks of black and white, side-by-side surrounded them.

"What's a Purian knife?" Karyn asked with wide eyes taking in the circle around them.

There had been so much to teach Karyn, but Jamie focused on the spells and abilities that would soon prove useful. Which was why he had skipped a lesson with her on myths and folklore.

"It's a tool imbued with a special magic to shield whatever is within its circle from the Faceless, but only for a short period," Zack said to Karyn before he trained his gaze back on Gema. "I need your help in finding and freeing my parents. The Faceless have taken them captive."

Gema took some steps back but remained in the circle, her eyes following the swirls of black and white around them. Jamie observed Zack to catch any sign that would make him doubt Zack's words.

He took pride in his ability to be an expert judge of character. The only person who had confused him so far was Karyn. He still couldn't believe she had been in Emerfield for ten years and not a single Wyrione spy approached her.

"That's a big ask Zack," Gema said with her back turned to Zack. "The Faceless exist in Raele. How can we free their hostages without entering their territory?"

"Raele?" Karyn asked, and Jamie briefly closed his eyes. Another thing he'd left out. This time, he explained it to her himself.

"Raele is The Realm of The Faceless. It lies parallel to all realms, but there's a veil between it and other realms."

"Then how do you get into Raele?" Karyn asked.

"One can either wait every seven years for Daeve don Raele. A period of three days when the veil that keeps Raele from all other realms becomes so thin and the boundaries of Raele blur. Or they can use the Gems of The Elder Stonne," Jamie explained.

As his words resounded in his head, he recalled when he saw Gema battling a Faceless outside Emerfield City Hall. The last Daeve don Raele was three years ago and a few months before they left Wlerden. Had that Faceless been in Emerfield ever since?

"Which is why I need your help," Zack said.

"The Faceless are... something else," Gema started. "I don't fear them, but I don't want to cross their paths unnecessarily. Plus, if you don't give them what you owe them, and when it is due, they take it and a lot more. That's their rule and everyone knows that."

Gema turned with curiosity shining in her eyes. "What did your parents do?"

"They... couldn't keep up with their end of a bargain. What The Faceless asked for was just too much."

"If so, then The Faceless have the right. I don't think we can—"

"We have to help," Karyn interrupted Gema. "They're his parents and the gems are—When was the last Daeve don Raele?"

"Three—almost four years ago," Jamie answered.

"Then he has to wait three or four more years. And what if something worse happens to them before then?" Karyn reasoned, her eyes soft with compassion.

But Gema was shaking her head. "His parents knew what they were doing when—"

"Fine," Jamie spoke up and all three pairs of eyes turned to him. "But you're going to do more than just get us through Wlerden. You'll help us find the Pearli," Jamie said and watched as Zack's eyes darted side-to-side ever so slightly.

"Deal," Zack said, and Jamie finally tore his eyes away from Zack and glanced at Gema, waiting in anticipation to get her confirmation.

"Fine, but let's get one thing clear." Gema raised a finger. "Under no circumstances do we fire at one another. We have to watch each other's backs, and we have no choice. Is that understood?" Her sharp eyes darted from person to person.

"Yes," Zack said, and Karyn gave a nod.

Jamie didn't need to nod or respond. Gema knew where his allegiance lay.

Zack then placed the knife back in its sheath. The surrounding circle faded into oblivion and they could see the forest again. The crack in the ground, where the colors rose from, sealed shut and one wouldn't know there had been damage.

"I'll get Marcela," Jamie announced before he headed in the direction The Emeraldine went. The further he got, the thicker the trees became, and he had to raise his hands to prevent them from getting in his face.

No matter what Gema said or how much she prodded them to do so, he knew he couldn't place full trust in Zack. Even after all Zack had said today, he knew Zack still kept things from them.

He couldn't help but wonder how things had gotten that bad in Wlerden. And he knew it might even be worse than Olwyn and Zack said.

Despite his gloomy thoughts, he couldn't help but smile when he saw her.

Her mere presence never failed to bring light to his clouded mind. Her touch, no matter how light or rare, never failed to soothe his tight muscles. Was it her long dark hair that shined in the light? Or the softness of her voice and the sweetness of her laugh? He didn't know what exactly about her doused him in a pleasurable mix of excitement and nervousness.

He found her commanding some branches to dig the ground while other trees shook in their roots. She puffed to get the strands that fell from her loose ponytail out of her face before she used her hands to smother the strands onto her head.

"Herbs?" he asked, but in response, the trees around snatched him from the ground, ready to fling him away when they froze in their act.

"Oh, Jamie," she said and muttered a sigh of relief.

Despite his legs dangling in the air and the trees wrapping tightly around his arms, he couldn't help but smirk. "What is with you girls and strangling me? I thought most girls shriek when they get scared."

Marcela rolled his eyes and stretched out a palm before the branches withdrew from him and he landed on the ground with a graceful thud. When he rose to his full height, he rubbed one hand over the other arm at the spot where the trees had seized him.

She moved to sit on a fallen log and outstretched her right leg.

"You should know better than to lump me in with most girls. Sorry about that. This place has not one leaf or flower of medical usage." She groaned and threw her hands up. Tufts of grass followed the act and shot up into the air before they fell in the next moment.

Jamie frowned slightly at her display of powers. He understood one's powers could get out of hand when they experienced powerful emotions, but not Marcela. That was when his eyes drifted to the tear on her jeans. Blood and dirt soiled the torn clothing.

His hands itched to hold her and smoothen the wrinkles of pain on her forehead, but he kept them clenched at his sides.

"That must be aching," he stated.

She closed her eyes and groaned. "So bad."

"I would have offered to help you search, but I'm sure you've gone through the entire forest already and we need to leave."

"Is Zack still there?" she asked.

"Yes."

"How can you guys..." She cast her eyes away in a frown and let out a breath of frustration.

When she didn't speak, he did.

"He's going to help us find the Pearli. If his contacts are as good enough to get us through Wlerden, then perhaps we have a chance. And if we can get the Pearli before reaching the castle, we'll be able to face whatever resistance we meet. We just have to train the Silverein better."

"And what are we helping him with?" Marcela asked

"To find his parents."

She chuckled with a teasing smile. "That's all?"

"They are being held by The Faceless."

Her smile dropped. "We would have to go into their territory."

"Yes."

She brought her eyes back to his and all he wanted to do was melt into them.

"You're the smartest, Jamie, and Gema is the fiercest. She wouldn't go into a situation she's not sure she could handle. Most of all, I trust you both and I trust your decisions," she sighed before she added, "Don't worry, I don't have to search an entire forest to know if there are herbs in it. This one has none."

She rose and moved with a limp while he clenched and unclenched his hands by his sides. His body tingled to reach out to her and tell her she could lean on him. He wanted her to lean on him, so why couldn't he just...

"Don't fret Jamie. Fidiamę," she said, knowing the answer he was yet to find. [~I understand.]

♛ ♛ ♛

KARYN may have been born in a castle, but along with her memories of her parents, she couldn't remember any of that life. Unlike the others seated in the truck with her, Emerfield was all she knew, and now she was leaving it behind and heading into an uncertain unknown.

Dan had said so many things, but one thing stuck with her.

Pawns.

That was what he called the Wielders and a part of her agreed after she saw how they reacted to what Zack had said. Maybe someone was using them as pawns. If so, could she blame them if they were leading her to a bigger dungeon?

After all, they might not even be aware of their role as pawns. If that was the case, was she making the right decision going into the unknown with pawns who didn't know they were being used?

One of her hands clasped the silver necklace underneath her shirt as she stared straight ahead, looking but seeing nothing as Dan's words played like a tape stuck on repeat.

IT WAS GIVEN. IT CAN BE TAKEN.

♛
*A/N*

We've come to the end of the Emerfield phase. Which is equivalent to 2/5 of the book posted! This was an exciting chapter to write but there will be many more. We're not yet in Wlerden but a few chapters away. Hope you're ready?

Next stop: LOURIVILLE.

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ITNC: The Parks reach a resolution while Karyn meets a jarring figure in a new town.

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The Sparkling Authoress,
Mis. A
❤️