Ian's Journey (Sequel to Luna's Quest)

Chapter 18

"Maybe no one is home," I suggest.

All of us are looking up at the big mansion. It's big and blue. Nothing fancy about it, but I can see wheels under it. No wonder they can easily move it. The mansion looks broken down and faded. Elves must not be nice to the houses when moving. I start pacing.

"Your pacing is bothering me," Gail complains. She had woken up after the storm had passed. Gail was pretty freaked out to hear how crazy she acted. 

"Where could have they gone?", Charles says.

"I don't know," I yell in defeat.

"Wait. Do you hear that?", Gail asks. She walks absentmindedly to the right. "Where are you going?", Charles calls after her. We all run to catch up to her. She walks into the woods and doesn't stop. "Gail,"I yell. Bloom puts a arm in front of me. "Do you hear that roaring sound?", she asks.

Now that she mentions it, I do hear a faint roaring sound. "It sounds like a river," I say. We all continue to run after Gail. When we find her, she is standing at a river. The river is clear and blue. No dirt darkens its color. Gail seems in a daze when Charles taps her shoulder. As I got closer, I can see a slight sparkle to the river. Why isn't it frozen? How is there no dirt in the river? I kneel down to the edge of it. I can see all the colors of the rainbow. 

"What is this?", I ask Bloom.

She looks at Gail. "It's the River of Wonders," she says quietly.

"Indeed," a mysterious voice says.

We all turn toward it with our weapons in our hands. A elf came out of the shadows. The elf is as tall as Bloom, which is tall for a elf. The elf has on a black cloak, so we can't see what's under it. The elf has smooth skin, but has wrinkles around the eyes. I can't even tell if it's a male or female. "Who are you?", I demand from the mysterious figure.

"Who am I to you? Probably a nobody, but a somebody. Who are you?", the elf says.

"Okay," I drag out. I look at my friends. All of them have confused looks to their faces. "I'm King Ian Sol. This is Queen Gail Wolfe, Queen Bloom Wintervale, and Lieutenant Charles Moon."

"Kings and queens are about as corrupt as you can get. But then what are kings and queens to me? What are they to you? I am a leader," the figure says.

I shrug at my friends, giving up with this elf. Bloom steps forward with a smile. "A leader? What shall a leader think of me? What should I think of a leader? Leaders are chosen by the people. The people must think of the leader as the wisest. Are you the wisest? The kings and queens need wisdom. Of what wisdom is the question," Bloom says. We look at her strangely. She only shrugs.

The elf smiles. "Well, since you have been able to talk in my tongue, I will talk in yours. My name is Noe. I am the Head Elf of the Elf Territory."

"Nice to meet you. We would like to have a talk with you," I say.

"I know you want the gem sphere of my people. Thea sent a message," Noe explains.

"So you know why we need it," Charles says.

"Yes, but I can not simply just give it to you. It is ancient law here for outsiders to fight for one of our possessions. Are you willing to fight for it?", Noe says.

"Yes we are," I say with no hesitation.

"Then follow me," Noe says.

"Before we go, I need to know something. Is that the River of Wonders?", Gail asks.

"It is the River of Wonders. Do you have some sort of connection to it?" Noe wonders.

"I am a shapeshifter," Gail says.