The Alchemist's Journey | Book 3

Chapter XX

A little girl ran through the woods, panting as she glanced behind her.

"Over there!" A male voice shouted.

This made the young girl sprint forward without hesitation, tears trickling down her cheeks.

She saw the end of the forest and dashed out into the open, gasping in shock when the land ended too.

She fell straight down and into the sea below her, clenching her eyes shut.

After surfacing, she groaned in pain, slowly making her way to the cliff to hide amongst the brush.

She listened closely to hear the soldiers chasing her right above, still trying to locate her.

"No sight of her here, sir," a voice called.

"Alright, let's regroup and go home. If she shows up again, we'll catch her," the voice from before commanded and the girl let out a deep sigh of relief.

She waited a bit longer before making her way to the beach not too far away.

Once getting onto grass, she collapsed and tried to steady her rapid breathing.

She squeezed the water out of her long black hair and then lied down in the plush grass.

"All that for an apple and a piece of bread," she grumbled and dug into her satchel to grab the food she had stolen and she groaned. "A piece of moldy bread."

She forced herself to sit up before pulling out a few vials along with an empty one.

She quickly mixed some of the contents of three of the vials in the empty vial, swirling them together. Once the liquids combined into a blueish hue, she poured it on the moldy bread.

The girl watched as the mold slowly disappeared and she smiled.

"Perfect!" She took a bite of the bread and sighed. "I need to get a job... to bad nobody seems to need an alchemist around here... or anywhere... not like I can control my magic either..."

She looked down at her soaked clothes and hummed softly.

"Oo! Magic?" A voice came from above her.

The girl screamed as she jumped up, pulling out her dagger. She looked up and her jaw dropped.

Flying above her was a jaquin. She had seen them flying around Avalor, but had never spoken to one.

"Sorry, did I scare you? I was just out for a flight while the princess is busy. So you have magic?" The jaquin asked as he landed in front of her.

The girl nodded quickly as she stumbled backwards, falling on her butt. "I-I do... but I don't really know how to use it..."

The jaquin smiled bright as he started to laugh. "Hey! I think I know the perfect person to help you! Come on!"

"R-really?" The girl stood, brushing off her pants.

"Yeah! Get on! I'll take you to him! He's a wizard!" The jaquin replied before kneeling so she could get on.

"Alright," she nodded and climbed onto the jaquin's back.

"Hold on tight!" The creature warned before taking off.

The girl shrieked slightly as she clutched onto his neck, burying her face in his soft fur.

She was too afraid to look as they soared through the air to their destination.