Ezrazeit…

James had heard the name before, and thinking further on it, he remembered Harley had said it was evil. She had also said it was magic, though magic and evil seemed exact opposites to him, and if magic existed at Ezrazeit then why wouldn’t they visit? Knowing more information about the place only strengthened his prior thoughts to stop there and ask for help.

“Coincidence or not, strange happenings are the threads of fate,” said Tena, answering her own question. “Perhaps we will visit if the feeling is pleasant. Heaven knows we’re due for a bit of good luck.”

Feeling optimistic, James stared out into the forest while imagining the castle that existed somewhere beyond the moonlit trees. Spire-topped towers, archer-patrolled walls, a crocodile-infested moat and a chain-raised drawbridge—these features formed the basis of the castle in his mind, and joined together with the imagery of knights, they formed a mighty fortress, a defensible stronghold from which to rule a kingdom. And was there a king? There must be one—or at least a queen. Maybe there was even a magician-led council knowledgeable in the secrets of the realm, possessing the power to heal or the ability to stop a poison. The concept seemed plausible, and for Harley’s sake he hoped it was.

“Tena, are magicians real?” asked James.

“I am sure that they are,” Tena replied. “How else can one explain why you are here?”

Dumbfounded at her suggestion, James remained quiet to think. He reflected on the idea that a magician caused this whole thing. Prior to now he’d assumed the event that led them here was simply an accident. And truthfully he hadn’t given it much thought beyond that. But magicians could shapeshift into other things, couldn’t they? Was the little gray bird actually a bird or something else? And what about the hole?

“You’re saying a magician brought us here?”

“I’m saying I have no explanation besides that,” she replied. “You’re not at all like the other humans that live in Agoritha. Your skin and your hair, even how you act, it’s very different.”

Having never met any other humans in this world, James could only wonder what she meant. He asked about appearance first, then where they lived, and of course if she were friends with any. The questions piled up quickly. Tena hardly had any answers besides vague notions that sounded more like guesses than any real truth. After a while, he stopped asking, figuring either she didn’t know, or she was being vague on purpose.

The lull in conversation brought out a yawn that dulled his curiosity. James leaned into Tena and tried to rest, avoiding thoughts of the stirge or his sister or Ezrazeit, and he counted sheep as the seconds ticked by.

Time passed in this way until the arrival of first light, the silhouette of the trees shaded black against a pale dawn, and James woke to find Tena packing the satchel.

“Good! You’re awake. Yoyo is already up and eating. How’s your arm feeling now?”

He stretched and he yawned to wake himself up. Out of the blanket it was cold, and James shivered in a wind that stretched wispy pink clouds across an indigo sky. His arm still hurt, but not as much as before, and not wanting to complain, he simply told Tena it felt all better.

“Hungry?” asked Yoyo, smiling as he offered up half of his bread.

James was happy to take the half and ate it quickly, the rumbling in his stomach slightly less loud. Together he sat with Yoyo and enjoyed breakfast while Tena finished packing. It almost felt normal except for his nagging worry.

Harley still slept, though her groans were gone, and James watched her chest rise and fall beneath the blanket. He wondered how she was feeling, hoping that Tena’s concern was wrong and that his sister would perk up ready to start the day. Within a few minutes the answer came, though it wasn’t the one he wanted.

“...where am I?” asked Harley, in a tone that was barely audible.

James turned around and saw his sister trying to sit up, her eyes sunken, her face gray. She looked sick—not at all like herself, and he held back saying too much so as to not startle her immediately. “You’re with us, Harley.”

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“James…go get Mom,” she said, laying back down on the rock. “I feel horrible.”

Not knowing what to do, he deferred to Tena as Harley began to softly whine.

“Allow her another few minutes of rest. We’ll travel with Harley resting on Chocolate’s back. I’ll walk by her side,” said Tena. “Yoyo, you’ll lead the way with the hammer. James, you’ll have to carry the satchel—can you manage that?”

The satchel wasn’t nearly as full as it was when they first started. Most of the original supplies were food and the biggest portions had already been consumed on the journey. What remained were rations to carry them through another day by James’ estimation, and lifting the satchel with his left arm, he felt he could manage the task with moderate effort and regular resting breaks.

“The hardest part will be getting Harley down from this rock. Any ideas?” said Tena.

Like climbing trees, going down was harder than going up, especially when the one that needed to go down wasn’t up to begin with. The best idea he had was getting Harley on her feet again. He figured it was worth a try.

“Hey, Harley?” James said softly, leaning over his sister as she whined with her eyes closed. “Do you think you can stand? I’ll give you some chocolate berry yogurt if you can do it…”

She didn’t even budge at the offer, so James tried his next idea—being brutally honest.

“Harley, we’re not at home. We’re stuck in the terrible place with the fairies and the stirge and the other monsters that are trying to kill us. You need to get up and get moving before you die from the infection in your hand. Can you at least try to get up?”

The truth was a double-edged sword. Harley tried to sit up again but she was now fully aware of the dire situation. Her whines were no longer soft, they were loud. In terrible mental stress at the situation, she rose wobbly to a standing position with help from Tena and Yoyo, and then with great effort she managed to get down from the rock. Tena was waiting with Chocolate below.

“Climb onto Chocolate’s back,” said Tena. “I’ll help you.”

Harley struggled onto the goat’s back. She slumped forward, Tena helping with balance, and Harley wrapped her arms around the fur on Chocolate’s neck. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but they could now resume their travel. Yoyo grabbed the hammer and prepared to lead the way.

“Wait!” said James, running toward the pond. “Be right back!”

His mind was focused on the leather roll for his knife. Slowing down as he approached the corpse of the stirge, he avoided the bloodstained dirt and searched the area. The roll was right where he thought it would be—in the same spot where he broke his arm. Wrapping up his knife then storing it safely in his pocket, he rejoined the group.

They were on their way again, the forest gaining color as the shadows retreated, the sky quickly brightening from dark indigo to cerulean blue. The next hour brought optimism as sunlight peeked through the canopy and by midmorning they had made good progress despite the poor circumstances.

James hadn’t even needed a break; he had hummed to himself as a distraction from the weight of the satchel. The trick worked pretty well and he wondered what other feats he could accomplish through humming. There was something soothing about it. He felt focused and in control. Continuing in this manner, he followed Yoyo until an outburst from Tena brought all momentum to a sudden halt.

“I remember this! I remember this!”

“You remember this?”

“Yes! I think it’s up ahead. See there! See the structure through the forest!” exclaimed Tena.

Up ahead the oak trees were gnarled and bent, though something else seemed to be past the trees. Something large and sprawling. Taking Tena at her word, James swelled with excitement.

“Ezrazeit!”

He began sprinting through the forest, the satchel feeling weightless on his back, his path unhindered by the underbrush that seemed to bend out of his way with every leap. As the distance shortened, a mix of gray, white, and black stood out from the brown and green vegetation. More of the structure became visible—stone walls, big towers, and metal arches so wonderfully arranged that the architecture blended together as one with the forest.

The massive castle emerged detail by detail in the clear of the day. A main gate of darkened wood allowed entry to the base of the structure. Along its walls were seven arches layered with the slate-gray stone, and veins of silvery quartz created irregular patterns in the sunlight. In the middle of it all stood a central tower made of white marble, the top of it open to the bright azure sky, and four lesser white towers formed the corners.

James' breath caught in his throat, the sight in front of him so spectacular that it surpassed his every expectation in both grandeur and scale. Ezrazeit wasn't just a castle—it was a fantastical dream come to life. He felt certain that someone who could help Harley must live there, and although he couldn’t explain it, a sense of belonging came over him. This was the first time ever seeing this place, yet the feeling was one of familiarity.

“Come on, everyone!” yelled James over his shoulder. “We’re going to visit Ezrazeit! Someone must be home!”