EMRYSA

Chapter Three

Ciara, Prudy, Morgana, and Mordecai returned to the Hamptons' home to prepare for the second round of the contest. After bidding farewell, they headed to the castle to meet up with Sage, her friend Buttercup, and the Wick twins. The stewards were loading Sage's belongings onto a separate carriage.

"She insisted on bringing all of this and an extra carriage," Arc informed Ciara. "Doesn't she realize we're not going on a vacation?" Ciara teased, and they both laughed.

"Of course I do, afac girl. I only joined your team because of Prince Arcwick. You don't expect me to ride in that thing with you, do you?" Sage mockingly laughed.

"I still stand by my point, C. Let's just kidnap her, throw in Arc and Warwick, and demand the prize money as ransom," Prudy whispered to Ciara, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Call me Ciara," Ciara sternly corrected Sage. "Since we have two carriages, we'll split into two."

Morgana climbed into Sage's carriage, while Mordecai sat on the box of Ciara's carriage. Ciara and Arc entered the carriage, and Sage joined them. "Princess, I think you've gotten on the wrong carriage," Ciara pointed out.

"I want to ride with Prince Arcwick," Sage insisted. "As you wish," Ciara replied, her patience waning. Arc joined Mordecai on the box, leaving Sage and Ciara inside the carriage.

Warwick and Prudy took their places on the box of Sage's carriage, and Buttercup joined them inside. "Where are we headed, Captain?" Warwick asked.

"To Malagan Mountain. The other teams will naturally head south to Varwann Valley, where the chimeras were last spotted, if we go to Malagan Mountain, the chimeras were first spotted, we might have a better chance of finding one," Ciara explained.

"Good thinking," Mordecai complimented her. "Malagan Mountain is a three-day journey from here. The sooner we leave, the better."

Their journey began, and as they traveled, Sage irritated Ciara with her constant attention-seeking behavior. She took countless pictures with Arc, reminisced about their time together, and flirted relentlessly.

As night fell, Ciara attempted to contact Prudy through her magi-slate, but there was no response. Unbeknownst to Ciara, Prudy had fallen asleep on Warwick's shoulder. Warwick glanced at her affectionately while Buttercup scowled.

"If you keep making that face, you'll become permanently ugly," Morgana whispered into Buttercup's ear. Buttercup muttered to herself, "But Sage told me to scowl whenever I see any of them."

Morgana returned to her magi-slate, while Prudy's device continued to glow and buzz.

"Why isn't she answering?" Ciara worriedly questioned. "Maybe she's ignoring you. Something I've been trying hard to do," Sage chimed in.

"Let me try Warwick," Arc suggested. He successfully reached Warwick and inquired about their location, hoping they could catch up quickly and rest for the night.

"We're surrounded by trees and er-" Warwick began. "Well, no kidding, we're in a forest, genius. We're somewhere between Aededor and Daewyn," Morgana sarcastically remarked.

Mordecai directed the carriage in the direction Morgana indicated. "And what about Prudy?" Ciara asked. "She's just taking a little nap," Warwick reassured her.

They set up camp for the night, gathering wood and rationing their food. The men occupied one tent, while Ciara, Morgana, and Prudy shared another. Sage and Buttercup, who refused to help, were left to starve and sleep under the stars.

"What about us?" Sage demanded as Prudy served the others. "Didn't you notice something, princess?" Ciara humorously asked. "What?" Sage scowled.

"She only fed the people who helped. What did you two do to help?" Ciara pointed out. "That was a rhetorical question, by the way."