Page 33 of Quest

“I think the garden might be concealed by magic,” I mused. “If the legends are true, then the entrance might only reveal itself under certain conditions.”

Prince Darcel watched, intrigued, as I knelt beside a particularly gnarled crevice. I withdrew a small pouch from my bag, containing a blend of herbs known for enhancing perception and revealing hidden truths—hikari soupetals for clarity, groundsenshin sofor sharpening the senses, and a pinch ofnoctis rootfor piercing veils of darkness and illusion…the very herbs I’d noticed during our journey through the valley some days earlier, as if the landscape had been part of the peak’s test to ensure that only true herbalists would be able to access this hidden location.

Carefully, I sprinkled the powdered herbs into the crevice, whispering an old incantation I had learned from Father. I saw Prince Darcel watching me curiously, leaning slightly towards me as though trying to listen, his eyes gleaming with interest. I faltered, pausing before beginning to whisper even more quietly, trying to ignore the anxiety that rose inside me when speaking a spell with an audience.

As I continued to speak in a barely audible tone, the words echoed softly off the stone, as if the mountain itself was listening. I closed my eyes and slowly extended my senses, feeling for the subtle pull of magic that might guide us.

As the final word of the spell passed my lips, a soft silver glow began to emanate from within the crevice, growing steadily in brightness. The wind’s mournful howl shifted to a harmonious whisper, as if beckoning us forward along a glowing trail that led to a large, seemingly impenetrable rock face.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed faint, almost imperceptible markings on the rock—symbols of the moon and stars entwined with herbal motifs. I touched each symbol gently with my fingertip coated with the herbal blend I’d just concocted, channeling a small burst of magic through my touch. With a rumble that seemed to come from the very heart of the peak, the rock face slowly shifted, revealing a hidden path that led into the mountain itself.

Prince Darcel let out a startled exclamation, Kael leaned forward with eager curiosity, and even Sir Jiang allowed himself a moment to stare in awe before reclaiming his stoic expression. He tapped a fingertip on the rock impatiently. “Are we going in?”

I exchanged a look with Darcel before lifting Lumis and stepping forward. The path spiraled gently upwards, the walls of the tunnel shimmering with a soft silver light that matched the glowing trail. The air grew warmer and more fragrant as we ascended, filled with the scents of a myriad of unknown flowers until the tunnel opened out onto the moonlit garden situated on the very crest of the mountain.

My breath caught as I paused to marvel at our destination we’d been seeking for days. Prince Darcel stepped up beside me, bending to examine a tiny, intricate blossom at his feet before turning his face up towards the moon, which had never seemed so large or so close before. I felt the warmth of his shoulder that nearly brushed mine as we stood silently together.

The moon hung low in the sky, casting its serene sheen over a garden that seemed to exist outside of time itself. The reality of the wondrous place surpassed even the tales I’d spent years immersed in—a breathtaking tapestry of silver-leaved plants and shimmering flowers, each leaf and petal reflecting the ethereal moonlight, just as the legends had described. The luminescent silver glow rivaled the stars above us, bathing the hidden enclave.

A cobblestone path meandered through the garden, its twists and turns inviting us deeper through the splendor. As we followed it, the air around us shimmered with gentle, palpable magic—the pure aura that could be found in such a sacred place. But for all its enchantment and beauty, there was no sign of the moonsilver plants we sought.

Discouragement pressed against my heart, made sharper with Sir Jiang and Kael’s frustrated glances in my direction. “Did he bring us here to look at a pretty garden?” Sir Jiang muttered as he stomped along the path.

The insecurities and inadequacies I had struggled to suppress surged forth, gnawing at me with doubts about my skills as an herbalist and the fear that I had misinterpreted the riddle and misled the entire entourage.

Amid my inner turmoil, a faint, almost imperceptible whisper caressed my thoughts. With a deep breath I closed my eyes, allowing calm to settle over me so I could better focus on the quiet voice.

“Shine my light in the garden.” Lumis’s gentle instructions penetrated the fog of anxiety. I unattached my lantern from my satchel and held it aloft. Its warm light cast a golden shimmer amongst the silvery glow of the garden; beneath its illumination, the hidden moonsilver plants appeared one after another, emerging from the protective enchantment that had shielded them from view.

With the illusionary veil lifted, the moonsilver herbs were visible throughout the mystical landscape, nestled amongst other ethereal flora that flourished in this enchanted realm, their silvery leaves aglow. On the edges of my vision, shadowy figures flitted about. If I looked at them directly they vanished, but peripherally I could just make out their graceful movements as they ministered to the plants with loving hands. I cast a glance towards Darcel to see if he noticed them as well and saw him rubbing his eyes and squinting, as if trying to focus.

“Is something…moving?” he asked me in a hushed tone.

“I believe these are the spirits I told you of,” I answered reverently. “I’ve never met anyone who had the privilege to see them.”

At last we’d found the ingredient we’d come for, thriving beneath the tender care of themoon’s children, hidden from the world by magic and mystery…just as the ancient riddle had described.

Aware of the sanctity of the place, I approached the gathering of the moonsilver herb with a reverent caution. With careful movements, I harvested what we needed, ensuring not to disturb the garden’s delicate balance. Each snip of my shears was guided by a sense of deep gratitude and awe for the beauty and serenity that surrounded us, the only tribute I currently had to offer. The act felt more like a ritual than mere gathering, a communion with the mountain and its ancient, moonlit secrets. The ethereal beings drew back, as though giving permission for me to take what I needed. I bowed my head in grateful acknowledgement.

Another movement caught my eye and I glanced sideways to see Kael a short distance from the rest of the group, kneeling by a patch of pearl-grey plants. For a moment it seemed as though he’d slipped something in his pocket, but as I watched him more closely he simply gazed at the herbs for a moment before standing.

I turned back to the moonsilver, tucking the precious leaves into a small pouch and securing it in my satchel. Once the task was complete, we took a moment to rest, allowing the peace and the surreal beauty of our surroundings to soothe the exhaustion from our climb before our challenging return journey down the peak. The magic of the garden—now carried within the moonsilver herb—promised a new hope and strength for the trials that lay ahead on our quest.

CHAPTER 14

In the moonlit garden’s ethereal glow, starlight shimmered across the words of the next riddle I’d just uncovered during the long hours of the night watch through my enchanted herbal revealing spell. However, the silvery glisten did little to illuminate their meaning:In the belly of the world, under stone skies long unturned, find the fire that never dies, where ancient wisdom burned.

I mulled over each word, but deciphering them was proving far more difficult than when I’d solved the puzzle leading to the moonsilver herb’s location. The first riddle had relied upon my herbal knowledge, but from what I could understand about this clue, the next element needed to break the curse didn’t involve a plant but a different ingredient entirely, one which extended beyond my realm of experience.

I set the scroll aside and tilted my head back to take in the vast expanse of night. My companions slept around me, their soft snores penetrating the tranquil stillness found atop the peak where we’d set up camp. The soothing, rhythmic sound caused my eyes to droop but I forced myself to keep them open, my stubborn need to prove myself capable of the responsibility currently resting on my shoulders an effective motivation to stave off sleep.

When I’d volunteered for the first night watch, I had been met with skepticism from Sir Jiang and mild amusement from Kael, yet I persisted in the face of their doubt; since our quest had begun I was the only member who had yet to take a turn in this essential duty.

Despite my concerns about having enough energy for tomorrow’s travel after staying awake all night, I knew tonight would be best time for the task: tomorrow’s itinerary would be considerably easier considering we would be traveling downwards rather than scaling a mountain, a fact which relieved me beyond the respite that would come from an easier travel day. I was tired of being seen as weak.

I didn’t need Lumis to peer inside my heart to illuminate the deeper reason my pride had volunteered for tonight’s watch—it wasn’t the entourage’s approval I sought but that of the prince. More than his good opinion, I wanted to lessen his burden in a way that extended beyond offering my wisdom; I yearned to contribute to the physical tasks the quest demanded, my way of giving back after all the support he’d rendered on my behalf.

During our journey I’d secretly observed Prince Darcel’s resilience enough to see how much he shouldered as our leader…a burden made heavier due to my incompetency. He seemed to have adopted a big brother role in his determination to look out for me, and though I was grateful for his help a familial relationship was the last I wanted from him—serving as a surrogate younger brother made the romantic relationship I longed to cultivate with him even more impossibly out of reach.

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