EMRYSA

Chapter Three

Mordecai instructed Ciara and Arc to follow him into the forest, where they found him sitting on a log, holding two old books whose titles were too worn to read. They joined him on another log and waited for him to speak.

"What are your opinions about magic? Do you think it is evil like Baltimore?" Mordecai questioned them.

"I believe it is only evil in the hands of the person using it. For example, there is a sorceress in my town named Ardeth who drains the life from children. Everyone knows she is evil," Ciara replied.

"I agree with Ciara. Magic has the potential to heal, but it can also kill," Arc added.

"Have either of you encountered magic on your own?" Mordecai inquired.

"I had a pet unicorn until I was seven," Ciara answered.

"No, I haven't," Arc replied.

"Would you believe me if I told you that both of you were born for a reason?" Mordecai revealed, capturing their attention. Arc and Ciara exchanged glances before turning their gaze back to Mordecai.

"My father instructed me to give these books to both of you. There is only one copy of each, and they appeared on the day you were born," Mordecai explained, handing them the books.

Returning to the campsite, they found the others laughing at Sage and Buttercup's attempts to set up their tent.

"I can't take this anymore! I am the future queen of Askia, not some dirty maid. I will make you pay for this, Ci-a-ra," Sage complained. Ciara ignored her and, with the reluctant help of Prudy, set up the tent Sage had brought.

As midnight arrived and the moon shone brightly, everyone peacefully slept, except for Ciara, who tossed and turned in her sleep. She was plagued by a nightmare of blurry images-clashing swords, a man ready to strike another, and a man in a white robe. She woke up startled and drenched in sweat.

"Here, have some water," Prudy offered, passing her a water bottle. "Did I wake you up?" Ciara drank the water.

"Yeah, about ten minutes ago. You should tell Gaius or Mordecai about these nightmares. Maybe they can help," Prudy advised, showing concern.

"The nightmares will eventually stop. They always do. Come on, let's go back to sleep," Ciara brushed it off.

They continued their journey to Malagan Mountain and split into three groups. Ciara, Morgana, and Arc went to the eastern part of the mountain, Prudy, Warwick, and Buttercup headed west, while Sage and Mordecai toward the center.

While exploring a path leading to a stream, Ciara heard high-pitched cries and bleats. "Do you hear that?" she asked Arc and Morgana.

"Hear what?" Morgana responded, puzzled.

"I heard it too. It's coming from over there," Arc said, pointing. They hid behind bushes and observed the stream's bank.

The crying sounds were coming from a beast-a chimera. It had three heads: a lion's head, a goat's head on its back, and a serpent head as its tail. With swords in hand, they cautiously approached the creature.

"Ahh! I mean, roar!" the chimera's goat head bleated. "Emrysa, Emrys. By Azaar's beard, I never thought I would meet the two of you."

"What did you call me?" Arc and Ciara asked simultaneously, surprising each other. "You can understand it?"

"Ugh! First your brothers, now you," Morgana criticized, drinking a glistening purple liquid. "Now I can understand it. Click, I've got a portrait for my collection, next the heads."

"Wait, the requirements were to bring the heads, but it wasn't specified whether they should be dead or alive," Ciara stated. "Do you want us to take this dangerous creature back to Askia alive?" Arc questioned.