The Otherworlds

Chapter Ten

Carman

JASMINE AND I sat at a long rectangular table, lit only by the small firefly jars in the dark of night. She had promised to help us, to give us some insider information. She would not tell me who, exactly she was, only that she had been in the castle long enough to gather the information that she needed, and then fled in the cover of night.

She had, however, succeeded in scaring the living daylights out of anyone who she ever met, being super creepy and waiting in the shadows for anybody she was supposed to meet. She seemed to have an unusual ability to cling to darkness and shadows, walking silently anywhere, and climbing.

Jasmine had been given a very small nook by the top of the tree, with only a cot. She had not faltered when figuring out how high up she would be, confirming some of my worst fears: That she was a psychopathic maniac.

The table where we were sitting was at the base level of the Mother Tree, just me and Jasmine sat there, for she asked that we speak alone. She always asked that, not even sharing a word with any of the other people here. There was a small window at the side draped in purple flowers, setting a beautiful purple glow across the room. They had some of the largest poison contents out of any plant.

We looked over the map of Karasvhend and the castle. She was pointing at an outer wall of the castle. "Around here is a blind spot. Almost no guard can spot you, except while they're doing shift changes. It is a good way into the eastern wing, so long as you can climb"- She looked up at me with a sly smile -"And have an unhealthy lack of fear of heights."

She started fiddling with the gold tip of one of her braids, putting it on and taking it off, screwing it around the bent end of the braid.

"And how sure are you of this, Prenshvnei?" I asked. Prenshvnei was a word in Kiestreehan that meant something along the lines of 'Mystery stealer', usually used to define thieves whom nobody knew the name of, slipping in and out of places unseen.

"I have spent a fair amount of time in the palace, among other things. I know the roof and walls like the back of my hand." She still hadn't explained how she knew this information, but I figured that half an answer was better than a singular one.

I leaned over by her, and she traced a route with the tip of one of her calloused fingers. "There are many different ways to get in and out, but my personal favorite is this one. Of course, you can always take the path through the river, although that requires a-"

A faerie burst in, one with thick, black hair and dark navy-blue skin. He was clothed in a mud-brown tunic and black leather plants, with a small hunting dagger hanging on a rope on his side. Andi, I realized was his name, we had spoken on a few occasions, he was a deer hunter and one of the main providers of meat and food for the people of the Mother Tree. "I am sorry, I got here as soon as I could. We have some news. A few of our spies on the Northeastern areas of the Middlewood spotted the Quingstor army marching along the Main Road. They fled as soon as they could, making a beeline and going in separate directions to assure that they would not be followed. They were marching in rows, as far as you could see in either direction."

My mouth stretched wide as I processed this information. How had I not seen them leave this morning? Where were they going? There were no countries in that direction, just the vast, sparkling gray and blue waters of the Lost Ocean. An army of that size could fill all of the houses, streets, and alleyways of Karasvhend. An army of that size could destroy the world.

Jasmine stiffens besides me, and I look over. Her fingers are fumbling with the little golden clip, and she steals a breath, as though she were preparing herself for something. "I know what you are speaking about. The army is going forwards, to a little project on the planet, Earth. They have a special mineral there, on earth, and they want to demolish the surface of the planet, take all of the people there as slaves, and then make the slaves there sift through the remnants."

I am dumbfounded. "I heard of that as well, but I thought that they called it off because of the number of troops that it would take, and they are currently preoccupied with destroying our lives."

"I am just as confused as you are. They were supposed to- Nevermind."

"Nevermind what? What aren't you telling me?"

"Nothing of consequence." She cut back quickly. Just as soon as I thought that I was getting somewhere with this girl, she showed me just how far in the dark that I was. "I overheard a couple taverners talking about it. Apparently, something went wrong. The front lines of the army all died, some freak firestorm. I have no idea what happened. However, they did catch someone. A special someone that they are taking to the queen herself. Makes you wonder who on earth could be so important. They are supposed to be in one of the slaving carts, most likely not heading down one of the main roads, due to the importance that was implied. I would bet my tongue that it was The Lost Sister." The lost sister was a road that closely followed the Main Road, it beelined its way to the castle, winding alongside a river. It was named for two princesses who went playing by the river. One looked away, and then the other was gone. The entire army was searching for her, walking around the river and through the woods so much that it created a packed dirt road. The princess was never found.

Who on Earth could be so important? The answer was on the tip of my tongue before Bccia started speaking, who I hadn't even realized was there, "James. What more out of place than a faerie in a land of humans?" Of course Bccia knew, she was in charge of comings and goings. And of course it would be James. The elders sent him there, to look for someone. They hadn't even told him who they were, only that they were female and one of the Earthen races, Asian, and born roughly 16 years ago. Apparently she was important. Of course we weren't told why. James had been gone for over half of a year, but that was expected of such a broad project he had been given.

I looked at Jasmine, and my mouth quirked into a smile. If she was really as good as she had spoken herself of, then this shouldn't be a problem. "How would you like to catch a prison wagon, Prenshvnei?"