The Secrets of the Elements

Mission Prince

Rutuja sighed. "What if we fail in convincing him?" she wondered. 

"You never fail," said Rishi and walked towards her. "You know how important this is," he kept her hand on her shoulder. "Go for it, plus Daksh is with you."

"But you're not," she whispered and looked into his eyes. He gave her a weak smile and looked at the ground. 

"I'll stay in touch," he said and skimmed into her eyes. "Go."

Tej stepped forward, gesturing for Zarna and Maya to join him. Ray trailed closely behind, observing the unfolding scene. Advika pressed her lips together and tilted her head in Rishi's direction, indicating that he should pay close attention. She gently touched her own ears, symbolizing that he could hear everything that would be discussed. Tej acknowledged her message with a nod of his head, understanding the significance of the information shared.

"Just stay. . . be careful," was all he could say. "We'll stay in touch via Rishi as I suspect they can do telepathy," added Ray.

"Let's go," called Rutuja.

Tej leaned towards Advika. "Remember, Rishi is not a friend yet. And try not to lose your calm around Maya. Take care," he said. 

"You too, stay calm, do not get into a fight with the Prince or worse, Daksh, please," whispered Advika.

"We'll leave when you two love birds are done," said Daksh and strolled towards the opening of the forest.

"Don't fight unless absolutely necessary," said Advika to them. "And tell us if you think you need backup. I will ask Grantha to help. Just don't hurt yourselves."

Rutuja nodded her head, gave a last look to Rishi, and followed Daksh towards the exit.

~~~~~

"Guys," called Maya. Zarna and Rishi followed. "The book says we can cover the Prince once he gets here. We block the moon's energy from reaching him."

Advika nodded her head. "I remember this book we read Maya," began Advika. "The Power of the Moon, and after that, The Dark Clouds by Tara-"

"Tara," said Rishi. "Tara, who?"

"No, that's not important. What she wrote is important," said Advika and shut her eyes. "The Moon stays bright when it doesn't avoid the night."

"Does it mean that we have to avoid the night?" quizzed Zarna.

"Keep the Prince from the moon," read Maya. 

"It is 4 p.m.," said Zarna. "The Prince will be here by. . . I don't know, maybe in an hour or so. He is already away from the moon. The moon isn't up."

"The Moon is not simply a nighttime object," clarified Maya.

"Like the moon and the sun orbit, the moon is only visible above the horizon about 12 hours out of 24," added Advika. "However, the 12 hours don't necessarily coincide with daylight hours, so for any chance of observing, there is only a 6-hour timeframe."

"So how's this full moon thing different?" wondered Zarna.

"The full moon always rises near sunset," said Rishi.

"Technically, the point at which the moon is full lasts only an instant. To the naked eye though, it can appear to be full for upwards of three days," elaborated Advika.

"So does that mean we, and the Prince, have the power to win or lose it all, just at an instant?" quizzed Zarna.

"Kind of," answered Maya. "If he draws energy only when the moon's powers are at its peak, or when it is full, that is the best time, the time when it is fully illuminated by sun's energy."