peaceful castle below. I had forgotten how mesmerizing the nighttime sky was in Mistasia. Lately, all I had seen was the deep-colored leaves of the Wolverine Forest hanging over my head like a cloud.
I had in my hand a small wooden cylinder given to me by Sorcerer LaCroiux; he called it a “magnifinder”. It was his creation and it looked like a simple small branch except at one end was an opening. I held the contraption with the open end to my eye. The device allowed me to see a great distance; with it, Cadieux Castle was easily visible.
Day after day, I would return to the same position in the trees and watch the King’s guards as they moved around the castle. My master, Pierre LaCroiux, had spoken of a mystical item that the King’s guards would be transporting to the castle.
“King Steven’s guards discovered an emerald,” LaCroiux had revealed to me before sending me high into the trees where I now spent most of my time awaiting the moment I could catch a glimpse of them bringing it into the castle.
Emeralds were powerful jewels that allowed its beholder to wheeled great power. To have this green gemstone would give them the power to rule all of Mistasia. If this was an emerald, it would be the last of its kind and extremely valuable.
In the early dawn, I began to dose. My yellow furry head grew heavy. I leaned against the tree trunk and slowly closed my eyes. I just wanted to sleep a few moments…I was so tired. Relaxation began to sweep through my body as all my tired and sore muscles released the night’s tension. It felt great.
My eyes suddenly opened wide as I felt myself slipping. I gripped the tree branch that had been under me as I fell. Now, I found myself hanging extremely high in the air dangling above an obstacle course of branches that would batter me to a bloodied pulp if I let go. With all my strength, I pulled myself up.
Holding the branch tightly, I attempted to regain my composure. My heart was still racing and I felt sweat on my brow.
“The magnifinder!” I shouted as I realized it was gone. If I dropped it, it would surely be destroyed. “LaCroiux is gonna kill me,” I said as I looked back down into the maze of branches that the magnifinder would have fallen through to the forest floor below. Fortunately, I found it behind me wedged between the tree branch and a smaller branch growing out.
I felt it was time to go back home and get some rest before returning tonight. LaCroiux had believed that King Steven would attempt to move the emerald into the castle at night to avoid a commotion. If the word spread that an emerald had again been found in Mistasia, it would become a special event drawing everyone within the Kingdom and beyond.
I held the magnifinder securely as I began to descend. I took one last look through the open end, mostly to make sure I hadn’t cracked the glass when I almost fell.
“What’s that?” I said as I discovered two elves in Cadieux Village. I caught a glimpse of a green light as the sun, which had risen above the castle behind them, shown across the object in a female elf’s hands. “The emerald!”
I dashed back to speak with Sorcerer LaCroiux.
“The emerald,” I shouted after entering LaCroiux’s chamber deep within Woverine Forest. I needed to catch my breath before continuing. “I saw the emerald in the village, Master!”
“Good.” LaCroiux’s head lifted, and a sharp chuckle emerged. It was startling. I had not heard him laugh very often. The sound was full and aggressive…much like his demeanor. “You have done well, my apprentice. Are you ready for your journey?”
When I entered he was working on a new contraption. It was a small, square box. It was made from a material similar to that of the elven warriors’ shields. I had caught myself staring at his work and didn’t answer, which was angering him.
“Ethan!” My master shouted to regain my attention. “It is now time for you to return to your family,” he stated matter-of-factly.
A sudden sinking feeling appeared in my gut. “What? I…”
He interrupted me, “This is not up for discussion.” He quickly returned to working on his project as if I wasn’t standing shocked in the same room.
“You want me to leave?” LaCroiux didn’t respond immediately. Finally, I turned to leave.
“Ethan, your opportunity to prove that you are the strongest Whizzenmog has arisen. It is time to claim your place in Cadieux Castle beside the rightful ruler of Mistasia. You will see me again soon when we are reunited at the throne, my apprentice. First, you must steal the emerald, Ethan.”
I had just assumed that when Sorcerer LaCroiux requested that I observe the daily routine of the guards around Cadieux Castle, it was for the planning of an attack against the king to find out when the king might be vulnerable. Now, I am charged with reentering the castle and stealing its most prized possession…the last emerald.
I now found myself walking away from what had become my home, The Wolverine Forest, and back to the place I had dreaded I would someday have to return…Cadieux Castle. I shuffled my paws along the grass leaving a trail behind me. My wand gripped tightly in my left paw, I glided my right paw across its smooth edge toward the tip. Never before had I felt this uneasy…this nervous. Not even the night I was carried away to LaCroiux’s hideout by a Wolverine. Today, the sun hung high in the sky over Dragon Lake. It looked like a giant pancake atop the perfectly still water, which reminded me that I was hungry, but I didn’t want to eat. My stomach was too upset right now to tolerate any food.
“My father won’t be happy to see me,” I muttered.
I reached Cadieux Village just before night fall. The moon had switched places with the sun. It aided me in my journey to the edge of the small village where most of the elves lived. These elves were extremely loyal to King Steven. They worked around the castle performing any jobs necessary for the kingdom, including protection, when called upon.
As I walked up the narrow pathway between the small houses I could feel eyes watching me. The farther I travelled up the path the stronger that sensation became.
I stopped. Someone was behind me. When I turned around, no one was there. I searched for figures in the darkness. I saw what looked like a slender elven warrior, but as the wind blew, I realized it was nothing more than the shadow cast by a nearby tree.
Quickly, I moved toward the castle’s back gate at the edge of Cadieux Village. The front of the grey stone structure was actually on the opposite side facing the ocean.
At the door, were two elven warriors, and they weren’t very happy to see me approaching.
“Stop right there, Ethan Whizzenmog!” The elf to my right barked. “You are not welcome here any longer.”
“But this is my home,” I coyly replied.
“Your father claims that you abandoned your home to live with the evils of the Wolverine Forest,” the second elf retorted.
I growled at him and pointed my wand at his chest. “Summon my father. We will let him decide.” I don’t know what had come over me, but I had suddenly developed the courage of a Whizzenmog.
The elf to my right dashed into the castle and quickly returned. “You are clear to pass!”
I stared down the two elves as I walked past them in through the open door of Cadieux Castle. The familiar smell of wet stone and mildew entered my keen nostrils. I looked to the ceiling as I passed under the large opening. There between the inner and outer stone walls hung large black metal chains that controlled the gate. Many other elves glared at me as I walked past. It was more than obvious that my return was not welcomed.
“Ethan!” a familiar voice shouted. Before I could turn my head and see who called my name, a pair of reddish orange arms wrapped themselves around me and lifted me into the air.
It was my brother, Rainer Whizzenmog, who clutched me tightly and spun me around like a spinning top.
“Please, put me down, Rainer,” I cried thanking the heavens that I hadn’t eaten anything today.
“You have returned,” Rainer stated with glee and the biggest smile I had ever seen. His eyes were wide and his ears pointed straight up. “Oh, brother, I
missed you, Ethan!” He said and then hugged me once again.
I attempted to hold back my emotions, but couldn’t. A sudden swell of happiness to see him came over me. It felt strangely good to once again be in Cadieux Castle, but I had yet to see my father, who would most definitely react differently.
Rainer hastily whisked me away to meet up with our father. We dashed past the tall wooden doors bearing the crest of the king, Steven Cadieux, and stopped just outside the next set of doors.
These doors were far smaller and darker in color. They were very old, but still in good condition. Rainer brashly flicked his wand and the doors opened. He waved me inside the room…a room in which my father would surely be awaiting me.
My stomach turned and I inhaled deeply. I felt my brother’s paw against my back as he began to lightly push me in the right direction. He again motioned for me to walk inside. It felt like a trap. I felt like I would walk in there and the door would close behind me, then a giant troll would snatch me off the ground and bite my head off.
“Come on, Ethan,” Rainer urged as he dragged me in by my arm.
The room was poorly lit. Only a few candles hung along the walls in this circular room. A small bed was at the far end. In the bed I could see the figure of my father under his covers. I had forgotten just how late it was.
“Is father asleep?” I asked Rainer, who continued to drag me across the stone