Across Time and Worlds

Chapter Eleven

I stared at the paper. "So it's seriously saying that if we write a lie on this paper, it will burn."

Purple shrugged, looking up at the setting sun. "I guess so. I mean, it literally says that." The shades of blue, pink, purple and orange as the sun set were shifting together, and I inhaled. It looked so much like our regular sunsets, that I could almost hear the pedals of laughter after Green made a joke. I shook my head and returned to the paper.

"But how does that possibly work? Is it possible to enchant paper?"

"No, and enchanting paper to make sure no lie could be written would never work," King said, using the staff as a walking stick. "Mostly because the paper doesn't know what a lie could be, and we don't know every single lie in the past, the present, and the future."

My brows furrowed together. "King, can you make a pen? I want to test this out."

"No!"

The paper flashed in front of me and then was gone, leaving me blinking in disbelief. Purple clutched it close to his chest, staring at me with wide eyes. "What?" I asked.

"You can't destroy this! Who knows if we'll need it later!"

"It's just a paper," King said, rolling his orange eyes. He fixed his shining crown, admittedly looking flushed and pristine in the setting sun's glare. "What will we ever use it for other than to start a fire?"

He gasped. "You have the staff!" he said hotly, clutching the paper even tighter. "Why would you do that!?"

The stick chuckled. "I wouldn't. But seriously, it's useless. Why not write a lie and see if the paper means what it says?"

"Never," he hissed, walking away from the both of us. "This is history, and you both are trying to destroy it."

I shrugged and followed him. "Fine, fine, we won't touch it."

"Speak for yourself," King said, brushing past with his cape. The wind fluttered past me, sounding like a fwoosh. It actually sounded kind of nice.

"I still find it incredible that you guys had accidentally split up, and yet here you all are, already with your first chest."

Stiffening at the sound, I whirled and grit my teeth at the newcomer. He curled his hands, extinguishing the flames that licked his arms and nodded at us, the setting sun casting long shadows in front of him. "Hello."

I stared at him. "Chosen."

King ground his staff into the dirt. "What do you want?" he hissed. "And have you been following us this entire time?"

He shook his head. "No, I was not. And I'm not here to fight."

"Oh? Then what are you here for?"

He shifted. "I know where the next three chests are."

I didn't realize how still the wind was, until that moment. But we all stared at him like he sprouted three arms instead of two, while he watched us with lidded eyes.

"Yeah, right. And then you'll tell us they're somewhere completely different, right?" King asked.

Chosen shook his head. "I mean it, guys! I want to help you."

"Why would you want to help us?" Purple hissed, holding the paper to him. "Because if I remember correctly, you were the one who suddenly wanted to help Lord, which landed us all here, intentionally or not!"

"I know I look bad!" he protested, opening his sash and digging through it. "But seriously! I mean it when I say I want to help! The only reason I agreed to Dark is because I wanted to know what he is planning!"

I crossed my arms. "Welllll, did you ever find that out?" The sun sank lower and lower into the ground, and I shivered, remembering the wolves that had tried to eat me earlier.

He shook his head. "But, guys. You don't have much time. I turned off Dark's drones for a little bit in order to help you guys, and they will turn on any minute now. I'll have to go before they do, and when I'm gone, act like I never appeared."

We all looked at each other silently. I could see King's face tighten, like he was thinking, and I had to look away quickly. That safe face from a recent war was now scarred on my brain, and it had yet to fade quietly away. When I glanced at Purple, he was staring at the ground, running his violet eyes over the hills of hurt all around us. I sighed and stepped forward.

"Well, what do you have to tell us?"

Chosen's face brightened and he whipped out something from his bag. "Here it is! And please trust me when I say that I'm not trying to lie to you guys."

Opening a large piece of paper that curled together at the ends, he kneeled and placed it on the ground. "Here is where we are," he said, pointing to the middle of a forest. "And these three places I circled in red are the three chests I know of."

"The Frozen Pass?" I read out loud, looking at the frozen iceland at the top of the page.

"Ooh, Bright Hills!" Purple called out, reading the next name. When I scanned for the words, the area was middle down, in a nice, green plain.

"And the Rocky Way," Kind harrumphed, reading out the name of the mountains. "They all sound like stupid names."

"No they don't!" Purple argued, stepping away "One, these are the names that will help us get to the chests!" He glanced at Chosen. "If you aren't lying."

The black stick sighed. "I know, I know, I look like a villain right now. I'm sorry! But I am trying to help you guys!"

"Dark wants the chests, Chosen," I said, finally looking up. "You are also helping him, if you are helping us."

He shrugged. "You'll get all the chests anyway. I know you won't just stand around here and get used to this world. This way, it's faster."

Everybody weighed the options of his choice. "I mean, he does have a point," Purple said, staring at the map. "We could use this help."

King sighed, twisting his staff. "How do we know that these areas aren't fake, and you're just sending us on a wild goose chase?"

"You don't," Chosen said bluntly. "But did you guys have a better idea?"

He scowled and fixed his crown. "No, but it sure didn't involve you."

"Before this gets out of hand," Purple said, stepping in front of the two sticks, "Let us talk about it first."

"What else have you been doing?" Chosen snorted, but he extinguished the flames that had popped up, and took a few steps back. "Fine. But only for five minutes. I only have seven minutes before the drones turn on again."

"I still can't believe we're being watched," King hissed.

"Me neither," I agreed, shooting him a glare.

"But guys, think!" Purple said, exasperated. "He's offering to help us, and you guys are trying to throw that out?"

I thought about that. What Purpled said was right—we were just going to pass this on if we said no. Glancing up, King was deep in thought and I knew he was mulling over the choices as well.

Finally, he sighed and nodded. "All right. We'll take his help."

Purple beamed and came up to Chosen, who immediately handed the map out to him. "Here you go. And, hopefully, you'll be able to trust me more?"

He smiled and took it, his purple eyes already running over every inch of the map. "I think so! Thanks for your help."

Chosen just nodded and started the fire from his palms, before flying off. 

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Sorry, guys, for the long wait. School is really taking a lot of my time, and then I met a BUNCH of friends on Quotev, so that also takes up my time as well. But here is the newest chapter! I hope you all like it! 

Thank you all for the 1K views!!