Another Friend in Amphibia

Chapter 52: The Second Temple

Joe Sparrow flew over the snow-covered landscape. Hop Pop was sitting in a sweater pocket Marcy had sewed for Joe Sparrow while everyone else sat on his back. They were all dressed for the occassion.

"Hey, look! Woolly mantises!" Sprig called out.

"Now I've seen everything." Drake replied.

Joe Sparrow landed on the nearby ice but suddenly he slipped. The giant bird struggled to regain his footing but ended up falling on its back in the snow.

Marcy was the first to emerge from the snow. "Welcome to the Amphibian Arctic, everyone!" she announced.

Everyone else popped out of the snow, looking around in awe.

"I triangulated the tracking beam from the green stone, and..." Marcy pulled out the green gem. A beam of light moved at Hop Pop, hitting him in the forehead.

"Is the temple in Hop Pop's head?" Drake laughed.

"Hop Pop, move!" Polly said.

"Oh. Sorry." Hop Pop laid down.

The beam continued to move deeper into the nearby forest. Anne stepped forward. "The Second Temple must be right through there."

Marcy guided everyone through the fog that covered the forest. They stopped at an archway where the guiding beam ended. Some more runes appeared which Marcy read aloud.

Just beyond these snowy gates

A grueling, perilous temple awaits

Everyone stared at the open space beyond the archway. "Um, no, it doesn't." Polly said.

"Hmm. Weird." Marcy rubbed her chin.

"Could it be invisible?" Sprig leaned forward. Unfortunately, the temple really wasn't there so he fell face first into the snow.

"All the ancient texts about this temple were super vague. They just mentioned the word 'heart' a lot." Marcy explained.

"Okay, are we looking for something heart-shaped?" Hop Pop asked.

"Maybe we have to rip someone's heart out." Polly suggested.

Suddenly a parrot flew overhead causing everyone to scream and duck. Anne looked at it. "Hey, wait. I know that crazy bird." she ran off after it with everyone else in tow.

The group stopped at a small building. "Valeriana? Anne, didn't we meet her in the Bizarre Bazaar?"

"Yeah! Oh! And she said she's been all over Amphibia, right? Maybe she's seen the temple." Anne walked over to the shop.

"Actually, that reminds me. Speaking of the Bizarre Bazaar. Why did you run from me?" Drake asked.

"What are you talking about?" Anne wondered.

"I was looking for you or Sasha at the time. I was in the Bizarre Bazaar. Then I saw you and I tried to approach you and you just looked at me and ran away." Drake explained.

Anne thought back, trying to understand what he was talking about.

"I was wearing a red cloak. I was with a small snapdragon." Drake added. "Sprig, you were there. You know what I'm talking about right?"

Sprig thought back as well. "Nah, I don't remember."

"Forget it. Let's just move." Drake said wanting to drop the subject.

Anne looked back at Valeriana's shop. There was a sign hanging on it. "Ugh! Why is she always out to lunch?" Anne groaned.

"Because it's the most important meal of the day!" from around the corner came a brown and gold newt. She was missing her right arm. Presumably, she was Valeriana. "It's been a while, creature. What brings you here? Do you by chance, seek a temple to charge an ancient stone?" she turned her toothpick into a large walking cane.