The Wilds of the Kingdom and the Ice Fire

Chapter nine

Cass's P.O.V

My face breaks the surface of the water as I pull myself onto the damp mossy clay on the shore. My skin tightens as my scales dissolve and pale legs emerge.

"Cass!" I hear a voice, and I whirl around. "Cass!"

It's Tock, wide-eyed and panting, who is sprinting up to me.

"What?" I ask, rubbing my numb arms.

Tock pauses to catch his breath. "Well, I just wanted to talk to you. I came from Tick's room, and I have big news! Involving Midnight!"

I smile. "I know they kissed, Tock. I mean, we kissed, after all."

Tock's mouth curls into a smile. "Yeah, but they're kind of, sort of, maybe, okay, a lot dating, now." Tock sits on the ground next to me. "Like, Tick locked eyes with her. And Midnight was dressing to impress."

I roll my eyes, but in a teasing sort of way. "So?"

Tock's face lights up. "So, it's you and me, and Midnight and Tick! Cool, right?"

I smile at him. "Yeah, it's cool." I say. "But thank goodness you came over here, because I have a mystery. And you love mysteries. I mean, don't you, like, you have the entire Sherlock Holmes series? And you write mysteries in your free time."

Tock raises his eyebrows. "That is true. I am really good at solving mysteries. And riddles. What have you got?"

I hand Tock the picture frame. He turns it over, looks at it from every angle, and finally licks it. "Nothing strange, here." He finally remarks.

I rub the frame absentmindedly. "Yeah, but it has to glow."

We sit in silence for quite some time before Tock shouts something. I startle, and my arm jerks out, flinging the picture a few feet away.

"What was that for?" I ask, crawling to retrieve the frame.

"It was glowing." Tock simply replies, pointing to the picture, which is now glowing a slight pink.

I peer at the corner where the message is slowly appearing. Tock looks at it, too, and whispers it aloud as each letter shows up.

" 'Cass - I know it's you who's reading this. Listen to me. This message was meant to appear when certain energy is present. I don't have much time. They are taking us. Figure this out:

The product of an oyster, in the deep blue

Shaped like a chicken's young.

It is moving towards you, slowly, and wings are coming, too. Heat and frost, mud and rust.

Prepare for their wrath.

I love you.

From, M + D.' " Tock says. "What does that mean?"

"If I knew, I wouldn't have to ask you for help!" I exclaim. "Are you going to help me solve it, or not?"

Tock stares at me. "Well, your mom and dad were good people, right?"

I look at him bewilderedly. "Um, yes, duh!" I say.

"Then whoever's taking them must be bad. Correct?"

I roll my eyes. "Of course. I figured that out already." I lie.

Tock smiles. "I know you spend a lot of time underwater, so I asked Tick what was up. Tick asked Midnight, who in turn replied that there was a library down there that you liked to go to. Was there any information in the library?"

I try to recall what the title of the rune I was reading was. It had something to do with Clay, Smoke, Crystal, and Spike. "Well, there was, but I forgot what it was about."