Arika: The legend of the lost jewel

chapter 22

Zayn furrowed his brow. “So, according to the legend, King Duncan has been to Arika before, hasn’t he? Why does he need us and the map now?”
Ellen sighed, her voice steady. “Arika isn’t a land that stays in one place. It moves around every 50 years. The map we have isn’t just any map—it’s the only one that can reveal the new location of Arika. Without it, he can’t find the land again.”

Xavier shot Ellen a harsh look. “Way to go, Ellen. How do you expect us to trust you after keeping all that from us? Could it have killed you to just tell us everything from the beginning?”
Ellen winced at his words, guilt weighing her down. “I know. I’m so sorry… I didn’t want to overwhelm you all. I thought it was better to wait until the right moment.”

Eva, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke up, her voice hoarse. “So… what’s going to happen now?”
Ellen glanced at her younger sister, unsure of how to answer. “I’m not certain. We’ll have to find out when we get there,” she said quietly. “But whatever it is, we need to stay strong, together.”

As they arrived at the large rocks that formed a triangle, nothing else was visible except more desert soil. "This can’t be it," the king said, getting out of the carriage as the men placed it down.
"It seems like a dead end; there is nothing else except more desert sand," Amina said. The prince followed his father, observing the large rocks. There wasn't much to see except for some tiny engravings on the rocks that appeared to be ancient writing. William traced his hands over the engravings and called the lady over, who took a closer look.
“Mmm… it doesn’t seem to mean anything; it’s just patterns,” she said. Frustrated, the king ordered his men to bring forth the prisoners. They were brought to kneel in front of him.
“Now talk, or your friends here will suffer the consequences,” he said, with his men standing behind the brothers, ready to behead them.
“I honestly don’t know what is happening either, I swear,” Ellen said, trembling.

The king, in his rage, grabbed Ellen’s hair and backslapped her hard. “Speak!” he demanded, then let go of her and held Eva’s hair, pulling her close. Eva's eyes showed no fear; she merely stared defiantly, but the king slapped her as well, causing blood to spill from her lips.

Ellen’s eyes began to tear up. “I don’t know; I’m as confused as all of you are,” she said, her voice breaking.
The king held her by the neck, lifting her up effortlessly, his strength overpowering her weakened state. In the struggle, the locket around her neck fell to the sand. The lady, noticing it drop, picked it up and opened it. As she examined it closely, she thought she noticed a barely visible engraving on the inside.

As she read the engraving, it appeared to be a riddle.
By blood and bone, the path you yearn lies buried deep, in mortal flesh.  To be unbound when two souls blaze, when fractured hearts as one do bind, golden lines shall leas the way.

After reading the riddle, the lady spoke up, “I believe this riddle is the key.” The king turned his head sharply to look at her, and without hesitation, he dropped Ellen onto the sand. Ellen crawled over to her sister, clinging to her.
“I want to go home,” Eva muttered through her tears, her voice barely audible.

William read the riddle again before exchanging glances with the lady. “These two are the key we need,” the lady said confidently.
“How shall we proceed?” William inquired, looking for direction.
“Perhaps placing them in the middle of these rocks,” the lady suggested.
At the king’s command, the guards removed the sisters’ chains, then led them to the centre of the triangle formed by the rocks.
“Eva, I’m so sorry,” Ellen whispered, pulling her sister into a tight hug. “I promise you, I had no idea any of this would happen.”

As tears streamed down their faces, something incredible began to unfold. The lines engraved on the stones started to glow with vibrant colours. Slowly, the patterns on both Eva and Ellen’s bodies reappeared—Eva’s hair turned a fiery red while Ellen’s glowed green. The golden patterns tracing their bodies pulsed with light, forming unknown symbols on Ellen’s right shoulder. Eva’s back shone even brighter as if the golden lines were revealing something beneath the surface.

When the glowing stopped, silence fell over the scene. Intrigued, the king approached the girls. His eyes were drawn to the glowing marks on Eva’s back. With a swift motion, he took his sword and cut the fabric of her dress, revealing what had formed—a map etched onto her skin.

“Smart little Midora,” he said with a smirk, admiring the work. Just then, a path suddenly appeared in front of them, leading deeper into the desert.
“So you two were the real deal, huh? Smart of me not to have killed you,” the king said with a smirk. William and the lady observed the map on Eva’s back.
“This is the map that leads to where the stone is,” the young lady said, then added, “but why did she choose to hide it on her back?”

“I guess Midora was a bit strange,” William replied with a shrug.
“Come on, we have no time to lose,” the king ordered. His men quickly replaced the chains on the twins, and soon they began walking down the newly revealed path. The surroundings were filled with beautiful trees and colourful flowers, looking almost heavenly. The king’s men marvelled at the beauty, as did the rest.
As the sun began to set, they decided to camp before continuing their journey. While the king and his men happily enjoyed their meals, the prisoners were tied to a tree.

“Listen, this place might seem like paradise, but something isn’t right here,” Ellen said quietly.
“I know, I feel it too,” Eva replied.