Mistlyn

Chapter 23: Out of the Garden

None of the other statues came to life as Cogaje and I made our way to the Roc.

The Lizsard Prince looked down at me, still holding my hand. "You called me Cogaje back there," he said softly.

"I don't remember," I said. "I'll be sure to call you Prince."

"No, no,"' he smiled as he shook his head, "I'm glad you called me Cogaje, and not Prince Cogaje. I hate the formalities with the title."

"So don't call you Prince anymore?"

He shook his head. "If you were someone else, I would say to keep calling me Prince, but now," he shook his head, "I don't think it's right. We're friends, so call me Cogaje."

"Cogaje," then I smiled, "Without the Prince part."

"Without the Prince part," he repeated. "That sounds much better coming from you."

A stone bird cawed twice above our heads.

"Let's hurry," Cogaje pulled on my hand, his grip warm and strong. "I think that bird's been following us for a while."

The bird circled lower, its stone eyes staring deadly at us.

"I still don't get how a stone bird can be moving like it's living flesh and bone," I shook my head.

"There's ancient magic in this place," Cogaje said, "Magic that I think was supposed to die centuries ago."

"So what, this magic's locked up in this place?"

Cogaje nodded. "I think so. I've heard of magic being imprisoned in stone before, besides the Roc. I think this Stone Garden is the same thing."

"So how do you get rid of the magic?"

Cogaje hesitated, thinking. "I don't think you can. Once magic, always magic. Magic is neither created nor destroyed, only turned into different forms. But there's always a remnant of the previous form left behind, no matter what."

"Whatever comes into being can only change form, evolve, become something different, yet of the same essence as its previous form," I said.

Cogaje gave me a strange look. "Where'd you get that from?"

"A really old book that my father kept locked. He only showed it to me a few times. He said never to touch it, because it was powerful and its magic could leech into my soul."

"What book was it?"

"I'm not sure, but it had a large silver pendant on its cover, with a red ruby in the middle, and some designs all around."

"Don't know," Cogaje said, "But that line you said just now, the whatever comes into being...that sounds familiar. I don't know from where, though."

Shrugging, I looked ahead. The Roc was closer than ever.

"Almost there," I said, "Almost there."

Coldness again pressed against me.

"The cold is back," Cogaje said. "And it's colder than ever."