Forgotten Magic: Journey For Trust

Chapter 50

"They've been at it for a while...what could they be talking about?" Eugene wondered. The five of us, Eugene, Cass, Lance, Nickolas, and I...oh, and Shorty, were hanging around the guys' side of the caravan, watching from a distance as Rapunzel talked to Adira about the schroll pieces.

"Shh," Cass hissed, "I'm trying to eavesdrop."

"You know I can read lips, right?" Lance offers. "Follow your dust...to me."

Nickolas snorted.

"'Follow your destiny'," I mumbled. "Follow your dust to me, what kinda language is that? Moron?"

"Alright, that's enough outta you," the guard sighed, setting a hand on my shoulder. I swear I could've seen a smile as he walked away.

"Fine. 'Night, y'all," I yawned, turning to follow him.

"Wait! Ann!" Raps ran over, and I stopped at the window. The princess held out the scroll pieces she'd taken to show Adira. "Here."

I raised an eyebrow, slightly confused. Usually the princess held onto the scroll. "Uhh...okay, thanks princess." Awkwardly, I took the piece and headed to the girls' side of the caravan, taking care to hide it in my bag so that Chance wouldn't see me with it and give Raps a hard time.

. . . 

So as it turns out, what Raps was actually talking to Adira about was visiting some Keeper to take us to the next piece of the scroll. So guess where I found myself the next day.

"Is this it? The Keeper's place" Eugene whispers as we all gaze at this large, circular building up ahead.

"Let's find out," Rapunzel suggests optimistically, starting towards the building.

"Stay together," Cass hisses, looking around nervously.

Eugene retorts "Well we are on a narrow ledge, so I'm not seeing too many other options."

"I would be as far from all of you if we weren't," Nickolas offers, speaking normally unlike the other two.

"It's too quiet," Cass notes, "I don't like it." The ledge was eerily silent for an inhabited area, I had to admit. That didn't last long, as a roar echoed down the mountain. We all jumped, prepared to run.

Bravely, Rapunzel approached the door to the Keeper's home and knocked. The door was ajar, so she pushed it open. "Uh...hello?" She yelped as an eclipse of moths flew past her. The moths were quickly followed by a large cloud of dust, through which we could just make out a person.

"Uh, hi," Raps begins nervously. "Um, my name is Rapunzel..."

"Um, and I'm Lance," Lance stuttered, seeming more shaky than usual. Cass shushed him.

"And I am looking for the-" the princess started.

"Keeper of the Spire?" the voice says dramatically, an arm still over their mouth. "Look no further! I am the Keeper-" She breaks down in a coughing fit, and a moth flies out of her mouth. "Swallowed a moth, again."

She cleared her throat. "Let me start over." The lady started walking towards us, at which point we realized that, as short as Raps and I were, we both towered over this Keeper. "I am the Keeper of the Spire!  But you may call me...Calliope."

Nickolas and I glanced at each other apprehensively, Eugene voicing our thoughts. "Not was I was expecting but okay....?"

We all followed her inside, through a dusty front hall, and into a room with a few displays. Rapunzel was immediately drawn to this miniature statue of Zhan Tiri, and I felt the urge to look around too, but paused as I remembered the position I was in. The shackles were an ever-present reminder.