As if summoned by the idea of bad luck, Willow landed in front of us, feathery hair sticking out in many directions. He placed his hands together and closed his eyes. “You’ll be happy to hear that your favorite agent of mischief happens to have a plan up his sleeve once we reach Summit Town.”
Sharp, about twenty feet ahead, stopped in her tracks and swiveled around. “You think I can’t hear you? No schemes this time Willow! We’re on a mission!”
We started to laugh, but her serious grimace didn’t change as she approached us. “I’m dead serious you ridiculous nomad. I’m sure I don’t need to remind you about the last time you had a plan, since it’s the reason we have to go on this trip in the first place!” The map papers rustled in front of his face.
His charming smile glittered. “You walk pretty fast for someone with a stick up their butt. Seriously Sharp. Lighten up.”
She moved, and Willow hopped ten feet in the air, dodging what would have been a devastating kick below the belt.
“Too slow!” He flipped and landed behind Piranha and me, pulling us together to make an impromptu shield.
“Dirty cur!” she spat.
“Hold on, here me out!” He stepped out, hands up in surrender. “Once I tell you the plan, I guarantee all of you will agree, even you Sharp. It doesn’t break any laws, nor does it involve any danger, I promise. It’s a rope swing plan!”
She lowered her guard, pulling her hands away from her sword hilts. Years ago, Willow had the idea of securing a rope swing from the branch of a large and sturdy tree that hung over the Pantmawr Lake. Sharp warned him about the potential dangers involved, but within an hour of securing it, we were having so much fun, every kid from the Valley came by to try. Half the town was at the lake by the end of the day, jumping in the water, singing, and sharing food. By then, Sharp was in such great spirits, she even went as far as calling Willow a genius.
She put a hand on her hip, tapped the jeweled end of one of her swords with a fingernail, and then sighed in defeat. “Alright I’m listening. But this better be good.”
The three of us leaned forward, ready and waiting to hear his plan.
Chapter Four
At The Summit
Summit Town was on a long stretch of road at the top of the mountain. About a mile outside of it, the red dirt path transitioned to a flat road paved with translucent stones, glittering in magic sunlight.
“We’re close!” Sharp walked backwards, drumming a slow beat with her bone-blades. The temptation of fun was exactly what we needed to endure the last hours of our hike.
The Endless Mountains were home to thousands of caves and caverns to explore, most of them lined with plentiful, colorful crystals. The buildings used these crystals as a main staple of their architecture, creating one of the most beautiful places on the entire continent. The shops were made of iridescent crystal pillars, and the windows full of glittering products of all sorts. In the center square was a fountain made from fine, blue crystal, shimmering like it was made of water.
“It’s even more amazing than I remember!” exclaimed Piranha. The lights made their dark face a swirl of purples and greens.
“And it's crowded.” Willow tapped a thumb on his chin, appraising the intricate carving on the fountain. “Perfect.”
I jostled his shoulders. “I know you’re excited but we should get some grub and check into a room first.”
When he smiled, I pictured the blue light of his soul growing brighter. “Good call! I know just the spot!”
A plethora of restaurants populated the town, but the place Willow brought us was unnamed and located under a shop selling crystal glassware. No one else was there except the owner, a woman Of-the-Mountains who greeted Willow like an old friend. She led us to a cozy corner table and brought out a complimentary round of sweet sun-wine in crystal goblets.
Sharp took a tentative sip, smiled deliriously, and gave Willow a jovial push. “How do you know someone everywhere we go? I swear you’re friends with half the continent.”
He shrugged, trying to make the rim of the glass sing. “There’s nothing to it really, I just talk to people. Learn their name. Ask a question. Instant friend!”
He dove into a few rambling stories about the other friends he had made in his travels, including one about a man from Padlok who taught him how to set a trap in a river. The owner interrupted his tale with steaming plates of uncommonly fat mountain hen, dressed in a crispy, spicy honey glaze, complemented by a plate of hot buttery rolls and smoky roasted vegetables. We talked and laughed until the dishes were empty.
“Long trip? You kids were awfully hungry!” The owner observed, stacking the plates on her arm.
“Yes, and we're just getting started! My buddy Badger here…” Willow pinched my cheek but I slapped his hand away. “Ow! I mean this jerk here is going to the Wilds to meet his godfather and such. We’re all tagging along for the laughs!”
Her smile vanished. “The Wilds? Now? Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
Sharp shot me a quick, tense glance before blinking innocently at our host. “Sorry, Ms. Cherry, but what do you mean? Is there something going on?”
She frowned and pushed a piece of straw-colored hair behind her ear. “I meet many travelers from the Wilds, and they tell me the border around the Deep Dark is growing more volatile each year. Rumor has it King Obsidian is dying, so the clans are fighting about succession. It’s mostly gossip, but I’ve been doing this long enough to pick up on patterns. Just be careful out there.”
She left us in grim silence, soon broken by Willow’s giggling.
“Cherry’s trying to scare us,” he said unconvincingly. “Things have always been tense near the Dark because of the Divine entropy.” He leaned over so the candlelight would flicker ominously over his face. “I hear people who cross the border can go mad and stay lost for eternity!”
“I was already scared! Don’t make it worse!” I whined, rubbing my temples.
Piranha patted me on the back. “Everything scares you. Don’t worry, we aren’t going all the way to the border anyway.”
Sharp slammed her glass on the table to get our attention. “Worrying is a waste of time. Right now, we should pay attention to the mission at hand. The sun is setting soon!”
“I almost forgot!” Willow blurted. “Hey Cherry! Do you know where we might get our hands on an orchestra gourd? We only need it for a few hours.”
The owner poked her head over the counter. “Tonight? Our house band leaves its instruments here on off nights, but that one is the most complex. I’m hesitant to lend it to an amateur.”
Willow’s childlike laugh kept the ATMOSPHERE warm. “Oh Cherry, you judge too quickly. Amateurs? Don’t make me laugh! The four of us have enough skill to make it all the way through the Deep Dark if we wanted. I have no earthly idea how to play an orchestra gourd, but my dear Badger here has been playing since he was four!”
She looked at us and asked, “Is this boy always like this?”
Piranha and Sharp said, “Yes!” in perfect unison, which made me spit out the last of my sun-wine.
The owner took on an affectionate smile as she stacked the last of the dishes on her arm. “You kids are interesting. Why do you need an orchestra gourd at this hour?”
Willow scrambled a few gold flats from his satchel. “Come by the fountain at sunset and see for yourself.”
She made a tentative promise to be there. We said a brief farewell before leaving with the instrument, trying to beat the setting sun.
“We don’t have much time,” I said, tuning the gourd as we walked towards the edge of town, “so let’s find somewhere to practice.”
The orchestra gourd was a unique and complicated instrument, but it could make amazing music in practiced hands. The oblong shape gave it percussive capabilities, while the sides were outfitted with instrumental strings and carefully crafted acoustic holes. It was ugly to look at but not to hear. Mama Robin taught me to play, and Willow’s advanced ear for music allowed me to master it. It was my precious, secret talent.
One practice session was enough to make us giddy with laughter. The people of Summit Town would be amazed by the incredible style of some common Valley kids. We headed back to the fountain, but I stood back a few yards, watching. Piranha and Willow argued with Sharp about which notes she could make drumming the bone-blades on her percussive armor. They were so engrossed, none of them noticed when I disappeared.
Was it special to gaze upon the unsuspecting souls of my friends? Or was it an invasion of privacy, like looking upon a secret they didn’t want to tell? I was too curious to resist, resolving to ask forgiveness before permission.
Willow’s golden soul was magnificent, swirling with lines of sky blue, identical to the color of his favorite wind scarf. Piranha’s dim light was fuzzy and warm, a fiery shade of orange. The souls often conformed to personal preference, a theory supported by Sharp’s silver light, colored in some places like cut jewels and emitting thin rays of white. All of them rotated at the same speed, in the same direction, set to the same motion.
I reappeared before anyone noticed.
Sunset was fast approaching. The lights in the business windows had been illuminated, and the glittering town bustled with all sorts of people, including tall, armored Warriors, Valley people in practical farm clothes, as well as some bright-eyed Wild people with grey skin and ash-black hair. I resisted the urge to turn invisible again and escape the nerves churning in my stomach.
