The glow in Olivine’s eyes shifted to a more subtle green, like a grass stain on white linen. "No way! Little Sharp!" She glowered at her undead companion. "Why do you have to be such a cold-blooded creep, scaring these kids like that?"
“I-I’m sorry,” Marrow stammered. “What was I supposed to think?”
Olivine sneered at him before offering us a warm smile, putting both hands on her heart. “My sincerest apologies for this misunderstanding. Tensions have been a little high and many of us are on edge. Is this boy really Of-the-Wind?”
“I’m from the north mountains," Willow licked his hands and pushed his hair back, “so I’m offended you'd suggest I come from such a despicable place.”
I sensed another presence. From the shadows emerged a petite woman with moon-white skin and gold filigree hair. She carried herself in a way both youthful and ancient. The amber glow in her eyes whispered to me, imploring me to trust her. Before I knew it, she was clutching my hand with cold porcelain fingers.
"I'm sorry if my family hurt you in any way,” she said, voice like a bell. Her soul was powerful enough to leak across dimensions, surrounding us all in an orange haze. “My name is Ivory, head of the Topaz Clan. What can I do to make it up to you? We have plenty of food and places to sleep at our shelter. Or is it information you need?”
All my fears were dissolved away by the orange light. I put a hand over hers, like I’d known her all my life. “We're looking for someone named Gold-and-Silver, as well as my godfather, Pyrite.”
Her companions exchanged tense glances, but Ivory’s face was unreadable.
“Gold is with us, and we can take you to him immediately,” she explained. “But as for Pyrite, he’s lost contact with the Topaz Clan and the rest of King Obsidian’s council for days now. We suspect the Sapphire Clan was using him somehow. The last I heard, he managed to escape past the border.”
I shook my head. “You don’t understand. We were with him only yesterday. He was guiding us to meet with the doctor, but we were ambushed. Two women took him away on his own horses.”
A flash of anger. I could feel it in the air. Ivory whispered, “Melodia,” in the same seething tone Pyrite had used yesterday.
“That’s right,” I confirmed.
She tilted her head. “Young man, tell me your name.”
“It’s…Badger Of-the-Valley.”
The rest of the Topaz Clan reacted as if I’d spoken a curse, except for Ivory, whose amber eyes swirled with piqued interest. “Nice to meet you. Will you come with us?”
My three friends looked at me, the same question written on each of their faces: Why do they already know your name?
“Y-yes,” I mumbled. “Take us to the doctor.”
We followed the clan to their shelter, about a mile from the borderland. It was built into the trunk of a giant Ghost Tree, and I wouldn't have known anyone lived there without being told. It had no windows or doors.
"We’ve been staying in an old hidden shelter," Marrow rasped, rubbing the new wound on his chest. “Only Olivine can open it.”
Willow fluttered in front of the undead man, putting his face far too close. “So what’s your deal? A normal person would be toast if they took a blade like you did."
“Back up, Strawhead,” he snarled.
Ivory’s orange haze shifted like fire. “Marrow, please. Have you not disrespected these kids enough tonight? Not all northerners are our enemies. Let it go.”
He muttered something that could have been an apology.
"Just let him be,” suggested Olivine, a sugary sweetness in her voice. “Once you get to know him, he’s a softy. "
She strained her fingers, and two knots of the tree trembled and separated, revealing an unusually sunny interior. We entered a circular room lined with red plushy chairs and tables stacked with games and cards. I was eager to dip my toes into the plush texture of the deep green carpet. On the ceiling were a dozen reflective surfaces, like the tops of diamonds, shining a natural light into the room.
“Riddle me this Olive,” chirped Willow, batting his eyelashes. “Can I call you Olive?”
“No.”
“Fine. Riddle me this Olivine. Why is the Sapphire Clan forcing you to hide? I’m only curious since it feels like you’re about to trap us here.”
Olivine froze before closing the door completely.
“I hope you don't mind if I answer your question instead,” Ivory interjected. “You said your name is Willow?”
“Yes. Of-the-Mountains.”
“I appreciate your mistrust. It’s…refreshing.” When Ivory spoke, the hazy ATMOSPHERE moved like the surface of water. “We’ll leave the exit open until you finish what you came here to do. Fair enough?” She turned to Mercury, silently brooding, and commanded, “Go find Gold. Tell him about our guests.”
The teleporter gave Willow one last dirty look before crackling away.
“That’s not a straight answer.” An abrupt drop of Willow’s young-hearted tone got everyone’s attention. “Why does another clan want to attack you?”
Even though they did not move or reach for their weapons, I could tell both Sharp and Piranha had the same thought: Why were we so quick to trust these strangers?
"Because we're defectors from King Obsidian, that's why,” Ivory answered simply.
Escaping would have been easy… but we didn’t. I could tell she was using a Divine spell, beyond a doubt, but I wasn’t afraid of it. In fact, for the first time, I didn’t have a drop of fear.
Marrow appeared to be blind, but something about our last fight told me he saw more than most people. He closed his eyes and bowed his head. “We didn’t want to leave the king’s side, but there was no other choice. Melodia Of-the-Sapphire can subject almost anyone to the will of her voice. She’ll do whatever it takes to keep Ivory away."
Before we could ask why, four sets of footsteps crashed down the wooden flight of stairs. Mercury’s voice said, “I told you to wait, you little pests! Stay upstairs.”
Two twin strangers tumbled through the doorway, a pair of identical boys with black shaggy hair, stone-colored skin, and sapphire-gray eyes, donned with matching black tunics and tight green pants. The only difference between them were contrasting expressions; one smiling ear to ear and the other stiff-faced and unblinking. Three earrings meant they were close to our age.