Four Months Later

Teal trudged through the forest. Dark green vines wound their way down the towering trees whose trunks were as thick as one of the defensive towers back at the palace in Dalenia. Short plants with thick wide leaves spread out like a sea of green across the floor of the forest. Purple creatures similar to frogs with their long agile legs, jumped lazily from one large green leaf to another.

It had been a long, long journey, and he still hadn’t found any sign of the Lombock.

Before he left the Keglar Kingdom, Jale helped to plan some of his travel. Aware of his devotion to the late Emperor Rathner, the same captain who had sailed from Cleaven Estate to Dalenia all those months ago, agreed to assist Teal with his journey. Travelling at night and hiding in the shadows, it had taken Teal two months to travel through the Talbecan Empire to reach the small town where the captain met him. There was no way for them to set sail from Dalenia under the current circumstances. The risk was too high.

It had been another month on the ship. They had sailed straight past Hulena, and there had been a wistful longing as he watched the shoreline from the distance. He wanted to stop in and see Cokrin and ask him if he wanted to go on another adventure. With reluctance, he had not asked to stop. Those times had passed, and Teal wouldn’t be able to ensure Cokrin’s safety.

After another week along the coastline, the ship ventured past the Valena Islands and reached The Lost Seas. There before him from where he stood on the bow, the ocean turned a deep dark colour. The large waves turned and churned as the currents fought against one another. The captain informed him that the ship would go no further and it was time for them to say goodbye.

And now he walked. One month on foot, hiking into the unknown wilderness while he searched for any signs of the Lombock. He had travelled through forests, drier than this one, past mountain ranges and swamp land. Exhausted, he ate what he could find. He hunted small animals and foraged for berries and pulled mushrooms from the ground. In his small bag that he had brought with him, were the two bottles of the Elixir. He still wasn’t ready to dispose of them just yet.

About a week ago, he entered this forest where the trees and the animals were foreign. And ever since, there had been a pull. He didn’t know where he was going, but on some primal instinctual level, his intuition knew. It was as if this path had been imprinted into his cells like a homing beacon. He could have found his way with his eyes closed.

The wind swept up through the trees, and Teal shuddered. It was the Presence. It wasn’t panicked or worried, merely aware. It rippled. Teal turned in a circle, taking stock of his surroundings again, intrigued as to why the Presence had stirred within him. He took another step and the Presence disappeared.

He turned sharply, fear surging through him. It had been so sudden. Even quicker than when the elixir had been forced down his throat. The sharp emptiness was overwhelming. The same clarity and coldness rushed through his body. The same hunger and want for human flesh instantly returned. Teal dropped to his knees and rocked his body on the spot. He couldn’t lose himself again. He couldn’t succumb to the deeds he had committed in the past. How could he live with himself if he did?

Jale.

Teal blinked. The thought of Jale gave him immediate focus. If he kept Jale in the forefront of his mind, he could keep his thoughts solely on his mission. Hopefully, he would keep himself centred.

He continued, and after a day’s worth of walking, he became aware that he was not alone. From somewhere in the trees, he was being watched. At first, he was sure there was only one set of eyes upon him, but as he travelled deeper and deeper into the forest, he became aware of more and more. He scanned the foliage around him, trying to spy who was watching him. Whoever they were, they did not want to be seen even with his acute eye sight.

The side of a mountain appeared out of the trees, towering high. Large, dark, sparkling rocks blocked the path he was making through the shrubs. To continue forward, he would have to climb.

Clambering over such terrain would be easy, and Teal took it in his stride. His muscles rippled as he pulled himself up and over the different boulders and rocks, setting himself at a steady pace.

Still, eyes were upon him.

He mounted over the last boulder, coming to the peak of the mountain. He stopped, shock flooding through his body. Unable to go any further while he processed what he was seeing, he swung his leg around and sat on the boulder.

There before him, rolling down the mountain was a forest of beautiful purple and pink cherry blossom trees. The sea of flowers flowed deep into a valley and then rolled up to meet other mountains that continued for as far as his eyes could see. It was the floating islands however, poised still in the air, with silver and white buildings balanced high on their surfaces that made his mouth drop open. Bridges connected the small islands together.

Over the distance from where he sat, a city teemed on the mountains and floating islands. He could spy individuals moving. They had the defining features described in The Lost Seas Sagas such as the orange and black colouring in their hair. Not only that, they also had the slightly smaller frame that he had and they walked with grace and agility.

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They were the Lombock.

He could never have imagined something so beautiful. The Lost Seas Sagas, that he had read back in Dalenia, had never described the Lombock city in such a way.

Excitement filled his veins, and yet, he was cautious with disbelief. He couldn’t believe that he had finally found the Lombock after wanting to know about them his entire life.

Teal judged the height from the top of the boulder and leapt off. He landed lightly on the ground below.

He paused. Before him, a young woman stood at the top of a dirt path that led down the side of the mountain within the cherry blossom forest. She stood with her hands clasped in front of her. Her hair was silver with black streaks, exactly like his own, and her blue eyes were crystal clear as the sky. She looked at him with what he could only take as a mixture of wonder and surprise.

Determining her outward demeanour to be unthreatening, Teal took several slow steps towards her. As he approached, more Lombocks emerged from the forest.

He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. Her face was familiar. She was the woman who had suddenly appeared when he had been unconscious in the strange place. He stopped before her, and for a moment, they simply stared at each other.

“Teal?” she finally asked. “Our scouts informed us there was an unknown Lombock travelling towards us. A Lombock with silver and black and hair.”

Teal dipped his head in simple acknowledgement. “I know you. You were there when I was sleeping. How do you know my name?”

The young woman before him smiled, her bright blue eyes glittering in the light. “Yes, I was with you in the Everold.”

“Everold?” he asked. He looked around at the crowd of Lombock that was gathering, taking in their calm but serious expressions as they stood protectively around the young woman.

She brought her hands to her face. “I can’t believe you found your way back to us.” She took a step closer. “I’m your sister, Teal. Your twin sister. My name is Princess Aleria, and we used the Everold to keep you safe so you did not murder Princess Estina while she helped you escape.”

Teal stood frozen, shock running through his veins. “Twin sister?” he asked. “I have a twin sister? And you know of Princess Estina? How do you know all of this?”

Princess Aleria laughed. “There’s much to explain,” she said. Stepping back, she gestured gently with one of her hands. “Will you join us? I will take you to mother and father and then you can rest. I know you have travelled far.”

Teal ran a hand through his hair, trying to process what she had just said. He had a twin sister? He had really found the Lombocks? She had been there with him when he had been unconscious? She knew about Princess Estina? How was all of this possible?

“Come,” Princess Aleria said, holding her hand out. “I can see your confusion. You must have so many questions.”

With one last glance at the crowd of Lombocks, Teal quickly assessed her invitation. There was no way he would retreat now. His heart was pounding with the knowledge that he may have found his real home.

Teal took a step forward and allowed Princess Aleria to take his hand. The sea of Lombock faces, moulded around them as they walked. Without a doubt, one threatening move, and they would do anything to protect their Princess. She started to guide him along the dirt path that led down to the valley of pink and purple blossom flowers. As he walked, he couldn’t help but stare at the floating islands above him.

“How is that even possible?” he asked. “My eyes are deceiving me.”

“There is a different kind of material in those rocks,” she said. “They repel the rocks that are below them. They are equally attracted to the land from the forces above them as they are repelled by the land below them. The result is that they float.”

“Aren’t you worried they will float away?”

Princess Aleria laughed. “They have not moved for centuries, so they are safe.”

As they continued down the path, other buildings made of stone and different colours of glass emerged amongst the giant blossom trees.

“I had no idea it would be this beautiful,” Teal said, unable to stop looking around him.

Princess Aleria brought them to a stop, and Teal followed her gaze. An older woman with a silver spidery crown on her head stepped out into the middle of the path. She held her hands to her mouth in the same manner in which Princess Aleria had done moments before. He glanced questioningly at Princess Aleria. Her face was beaming in a wide smile.

“Mother,” she called. “It is a wonderful day. Teal has returned to us.”

The woman froze and then, a sob racked her body.

Stunned, Teal didn’t move.

Princess Aleria stepped close to him. “Mother,” she said to him, “your mother, our mother, is Queen Alaroundra of the Lombock.”

Teal’s heart continued to pound in his chest. His eyes must be deceiving him. This couldn’t be real. His mother? The older woman looked identical to Princess Estina with the same symmetrical features, high cheekbones and blue eyes. Her eyes had the soft lines of age at their corners as well as lines around her mouth. He had always wondered where he had come from and who his family were. He could never have imagined this though.

Queen Alaroundra raced forward. She stopped a foot from Teal, tears streaming down her face, and then she closed the distance and swept Teal up into her arms. Her body heaved with sobs.

“I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry!” she repeated over and over.

Consumed by shock, Teal couldn’t answer. Slowly, he took a step back and Queen Alaroundra let him, dropping her arms.

“We must take you to your father, King Treaken,” she said. “He has only just returned from Lake Elan after he was told of your approach.”

The words swept over Teal, not making sense. His mind was in a whirl. He allowed them to pull him further down the dirt path. After several minutes, a large purple glass and silver rocky palace emerged from the tree line. It took him a moment to realize the purple glass was actually reflecting off the purple blossom trees around them. Teal didn’t know why he hadn’t seen this giant building before when he had been standing on the edge of the valley. He gazed up and found parts of the palace were connected to the floating islands.

There wasn’t even a defensive wall around the palace. Instead, two silver doors opened and an older, large Lombock man with broad shoulders and standing a foot taller than Teal, emerged. There before his eyes, was an echo of himself. This would be how Teal would look thirty years from now.

No one needed to introduce this man. Teal knew who he was. King Treaken walked down the stairs never taking his eyes off of him. He stopped in a similar fashion before Teal and swept his eyes over his body. Tears glistened in the corners of his eyes. An ache formed in Teal’s throat, and he tried to hold onto his own tears that were forming in his eyes.

“Son,” King Treaken said. He took one last step forward and brought Teal close to his chest. They held each other for several moments before he let Teal go.

Finally, Teal found his voice. He paused and looked at his sister, his mother and his father in turn.

“What happened?” he asked. “How did I end up in the Talbecan Empire all by myself?”

His mother and father shared a glance, and his mother’s shoulders dropped. “Come. We’ll eat and we’ll explain everything.”