Legends: The Folklore Trilogy Book 2

Chapter 31-Where We Face-off

We walked around the castle carefully, searching for a window, which proved to be harder than I had originally thought, because it was dark.

"How did it get dark so fast?" I complained in a whisper.

"Giselle was able to control when it was night and day on the island," Sierra whispered. "I guess this guy can do the same."

I frowned. "Science says no."

She looked at me, amused. "This is magic, not science."

I still didn't understand how she could change the time of day if the island was on planet earth. The sun just doesn't do that. I finally settled for the idea that there could be a sort of magic dome around the island.

Sierra had Ore in her hand and was holding him up next to the wall. Ore insisted he had night vision, so we figured he would spot a window much easier than we would. The night was silent, almost creepily so. Sierra seemed to think the same. She turned towards me and whispered, "I grew up in North Carolina, and I'm telling you, the cicadas there are so loud it's nearly deafening. So this is freaking me out. A lot."

"Window!" Ore said, raising a stubby arm.

"Awesome," Sierra said. "Um, what's your most discreet flying form?"

"I don't think we should transform," I whispered. "There's usually a lot of light involved and I don't want to be seen."

She frowned. "True. Ok. I'll boost you up, you lift me?"

I nodded. I wasn't confident in my hauling skills, but figured I had to at least try. Sierra knelt down and created a boost with her hands. I stepped onto her hands and pushed upwards, jumping and catching the edge of the window sill. My fingers tensed up and I pulled myself onto the sill, my arms shaking from the strain.

Hey. No one ever said I was strong.

I repositioned myself on the ledge and offered my arms down to Sierra. She grasped my hands and jumped as I pulled. Her momentum sent us both tumbling through the open window. I feel hard on the ground, my body exploding in pain and my head throbbing like nobody's business.

"Ow," Sierra muttered.

"You can say that again," I said, wincing as I moved into a sitting position. I looked in my pocket. "You alright in there, Ore?"

"Yes!" he said, shifting a bit.

I stood up and helped Sierra up. We were in a long, dark corridor. I looked at her helplessly. "So...what do we do now?"

She shrugged. "Walk, I guess."

We heard a gasp from behind us and whirled around. An African girl about our age had her hands clasped against her mouth.

"Oh," Sierra said. "Hello. I remember you."

"Wait, you know her?" I asked, confused.

Sierra shrugged. "Sort of. She helped us out when Giselle put us in this weird arena thing. Thanks, by the way."

The girl continued to stare.

"Hey, we're here to rescue our friends and defeat the Destroyer," I said. "Would you mind showing us where his throne room is?"

Slowly, the girl lowered her hands. "Yes, I can show you," she said. Her voice was deep and rich.

Sierra smiled. "Thank you! I'm sorry, I don't even know your name."

"I'm Amarie." She looked at us cautiously.

"I'm Sierra, and this is Ravi," Sierra said happily.