by Sarah Noffke
Monet’s eyes ran over that area with a new hesitation in them. “Do you need to go?” he asked Ever.
The Light Elf raised a curious eyebrow, giving Azure a sideways look. “Uhhh…no. Why?”
Pulling his eyes away from the mountain peak, which was becoming more and more obscured by the purple mists, Monet shrugged. “I don’t know. I just thought we could go together.”
Azure burst out laughing. “You want a piss buddy?”
“No,” Monet said, his pale face flushing red. “It’s just…well, I’m scared. I don’t want to go off on my own.”
Azure’s eyes widened as she tilted her head to the side. Not once in the almost hundred years she’d known Monet had he admitted to being scared. Even when he was, he would just make a nasty joke.
“Are you feeling okay?” she asked.
He bit down on his lip, his eyes lowered. “No, not really. I’ve had to piss for an hour. My feet hurt. My buzz is wearing off. That cheese fondue isn’t sitting right in my stomach. There’s a cramp in my side. And my balls are sweaty.”
Drawing in a slow breath, Azure turned to face Ever. “I do believe we’ve hit the level of truth.”
He nodded, pressing his lips together. “Come on, Monet. Let’s go,” Ever said, striding forward and waving the wizard to follow.
“I’ll just stay here and think about what a big baby Monet is,” Azure said with no humor in her words. That was a truth. She really thought Monet was weak. He was though, wasn’t he? But he was strong in other ways. Loyal. Thoughtful. Intuitive. Monet was the perfect best friend for Azure. He always made her laugh, ripped her as much as she could tolerate, and silently believed in her. And although he gave the appearance of being worthless, she knew he had true genius lurking under the surface—something that could possibly save the kingdom of Virgo one day.
“Where did that come from?” Azure mumbled to herself, shaking her head to clear the strange thoughts that poured through it. Man, she was going to need to seal her mouth shut for the next few miles or she’d say nice things to people. The level of truth was possibly worse than the one before.
Ever’s head ducked out from around the bend. “Ready to keep going?”
“Not really,” Azure admitted, her eyes on the towering peak above them. It felt like it would take days to wind their way to the top. According to Gillian’s notes, they had roughly six more miles.
“Well, looky there. Miss Perfect doesn’t always have a good attitude,” Ever remarked when Azure met him on the path.
“I think we should ban talking,” Azure said, her eyes scanning the parchment and then eyeing the Fitbit. In a half-mile they needed to take a path to the right.
Monet scuffed his feet in the dirt as he hiked in front of Ever, his head hung low. “I wished I hadn’t come.”
“Well, no one forced you,” Ever said, his voice uncharacteristically sharp.
“I didn’t want to be the only one left behind,” Monet said, sounding like a sniveling little boy.
Azure’s mouth opened without her permission. “I wanted you to come. If I die, I want you to be there.” All of those words just fell out.
Monet spun to her, shock in his eyes. “You think you’re going to die on this mission?”
“Gillian was taken by goblins. Mage Lenore is more powerful than any other witch or wizard on Oriceran. We don’t know what lurks in the purple mists. I’m not afraid, but I think that death is a real possibility. If I get stabbed I want you by my side, holding my hand when I take my last breath,” Azure said, something sharp seeking to obstruct her airway. She grabbed her soul stone in her hand and pressed it until the familiar beating of the stone warmed her fingers.
Monet blinked at her. “You’re not going to die. I’ll throw myself in front of any danger to save you.”
“Ugh, will you two shut up? We get it. You’re best pals. Good for you,” Ever said, his words on fire with hostility. He charged past them and continued hiking up the path.
Azure gave Monet a cautious look. “What do you think is wrong with him?” she asked in a whisper.
“I can hear you! Elf hearing, remember?” Ever yelled.
Monet swung around and trotted after him, his robes billowing behind him. “Are you okay, Ever? I’m really worried about you.” Halting suddenly, Monet clapped his hand to his mouth. “No more talking,” he mumbled behind his fingers.
“This place is fucked up,” Azure said, noticing that the path was darkening. The peak had started to obstruct the sunlight.
“Yeah, it’s horrible,” Ever grumbled, lacing his hand into his black hair. His shoulders were pinned up high and his back was tense.
“Veer to the right,” Azure instructed them when they reached the fork.
“I don’t want to,” Monet admitted.
The three paused, eyeing the path. It was lined with dark trees whose branches hung low. Visibility was limited, making it look like they were entering a tunnel. Conversely, the path to the left was sprinkled with sunlight and yellow daisies ran as far as they could see.
“Yeah, I kind of don’t want to either. Haunted trees dripping with wizard beards.” Azure pointed at the moss hanging from the nearest tree. “Or sweet flowers and golden rays of light? Yeah, I totally feel you, Monet, but we’re sticking with the directions.”
He nodded, inching nearer to Azure. “Okay, but stay close by. I’ve got your back if something leaps from a tree.”
A loud sigh of frustration left Ever’s mouth. “You two are fucking ridiculous,” he said, stomping forward on the path to the right.
“What’s your problem? You’re usually so good-natured—which is actually kind of annoying. Like, who is always in a good mood? No one. Faker!” Monet snapped, his voice growing tense as he spoke.
“You know what?” Ever spun back, his black eyebrows arching over his narrowed eyes. “It’s an act. I learned to put on a smile. People like those who are easy going. And because of who I am and what I’ve done, I made myself an outcast a long time ago, telling myself that I preferred it that way. But what you two have—this friendship—it’s what I’ve always wanted. A real friend. One who got me.”
Monet sputtered out a long breath. “Well, this is fairly uncomfortable. I wish you’d kept all that to yourself.”
Azure found herself laughing. Ever pulled his gaze up to look at her, offense written on his face.
“How dare you laugh at me?” he asked, his voice hoarse with anger.
“I’m not laughing at you. Well, maybe I am. I’m laughing at how absurd this all is. This damn mountain has us sharing and saying things we otherwise never would. It’s pretty fucked up, but also enlightening.”
Ever’s eyes softened and a smile broke out on his mouth. Monet let out a loud laugh, scattering a flock of birds overhead.
“Yeah, I guess it is pretty funny. The truth doesn’t really set us free as much as make us crazy.” Ever shook his head as the others joined him.
Chapter Sixteen
“Is it me, or did the temperature just drop ten degrees?” Azure asked, stopping to take off her bag and retrieve her crumpled robe from it. She pulled it from the bottom of the bag, shoving the crystal ball Gran had given her to the side to get to it.
“I don’t get cold,” Monet said, pursing his lips. “I’m a real man.”
“Okay, so we are apparently out of the second level. You’ve gone back to fibbing.” Azure slid her arms into the sleeves, tying the robe tightly around her neck and pulling up the hood. Cold wind whipped against her ears with a swooshing sound.
“I’ll ignore that jab, since I’m an incredibly forgiving person,” Monet said, feigning a look of nobility.
“Yes, we must be out of the level of truth,” Ever said with an easy laugh. The light had returned to his blue eyes, making him appear approachable once more.
“What’s on the third level?” Azure asked.
“That I don’t know. Gillian would have, but the best we can do is to keep our wits about
us. Whatever is up ahead will probably try and mess with our minds. That’s the way the Mountain of Truth prevents travelers from finding Mage Lenore,” Ever said.
“Okay, onward and upward.” Azure lifted her chin to the canopy overhead, from which small beady eyes blinked back at her. Not at all creepy, she thought, shaking her head.
Thankfully the trees thinned as they hiked higher, but soon they were walking in the purple mist. The clouds that sat on the top of the mountain instantly dampened their clothes and styled Azure’s hair into frizzy locks.
“I wonder what’s up ahead?” Monet mused casually after they’d walked in silence for a long while.
“Are you being serious?” Azure asked. She consulted Gillian’s notes. They had another mile before they’d need to take a left.
“I’m always serious,” he answered with a laugh.
“The peak is up ahead.”
“I know that, but I wonder what’s on it,” Monet said.
“Oh, he has gone mad.” Azure turned to look at Ever, who was on the other side of her. “Did you see him sipping any liquor recently?”
Ever’s forehead wrinkled with confusion. “He has a good point, actually. What is on the top of this mountain?”
Azure halted. “Okay, you’ve lost your mind as well. What’s at the top of this mountain? I can’t believe you’re even asking such a dumbass question.”
Monet leaned over, obstructing Azure’s view of the Light Elf. “Great, you remember! What’s at the top of this mountain?”
“It’s the very reason that we’ve hiked up here. That’s what it is,” Azure said, pure conviction in her voice.
“And that would be?” Monet asked, sincere curiosity in his tone.
“Well, it’s… That… I mean… Hold on,” Azure said, breaking away from the group and facing a stand of trees. She pressed her eyes shut, trying to think. The more she tried, though, the worse it got. For some reason she couldn’t remember why she was on this mountain. Why had her friends and she come out this way? It was like a dream, and the harder she tried to remember their quest, the faster it seemed to slip through her fingers.
“You don’t remember either, do you?” Ever’s voice said at her back.
Azure spun around. “How could that be? We’ve been hiking for…well, I can’t remember for how long. Maybe a day?”
“Or maybe a week,” Monet added.
“Yeah, I can’t remember much from before. I’m queen. You two advise me. But why are we here?” Azure shook her head, trying to understand why her brain suddenly didn’t work.
“Maybe we should return to Virgo. Once we are there, we can figure out what we missed and return if necessary,” Ever supplied.
“Yes, that’s an excellent idea,” Monet said at once.
“No, we came out here for a reason. And it’s strange that suddenly we can’t remember why.” Azure pulled the piece of folded parchment from her pocket. “This has directions on it. Maybe we should follow them.”
“Follow them to what?” Monet asked, exasperated.
“I don’t know, but we can’t give up.” Azure set down her bag, digging in it for her water bottle.
“This purple mist is getting thicker. Soon we aren’t going to have much visibility. And trying to find something when we don’t know what we’re looking for is dangerous.” Ever spoke with caution, which was unlike him.
Azure yanked her water bottle from her bag, then threw back her head and took a long drink. Something was obviously wrong here. She kicked the bag at her feet, her frustration letting loose. From her bag rolled an amethyst crystal ball.
“Wait…” Monet said, his attention dropping down to the ball as it rolled over dirt and rock. “Why did you get that ball again? Wasn’t it for this mission?”
Azure’s mind was suddenly filled with details. “Yes, Gran gave it to me. It’s supposed to help us find something.”
“Something on this mountain,” Ever said, his voice growing in intensity.
“Yes, that’s right.” Azure knelt and retrieved the crystal ball. When she lifted it in her hand, it glowed for a moment. The lavender smoke inside the ball swirled one way and then the other, and a black spot appeared in the center of the ball. Azure leaned in close, trying to make out the small image emerging from the smoke. A woman appeared, her face both young and old. Her features were foreign, and yet familiar. Her eyes were both sweet and full of venom. Azure lifted her gaze and stared at Monet and Ever, who had been watching her.
“I remember why we are here,” she said, the information flowing from the crystal ball into her consciousness.
“Why?” Monet asked, hope filling his eyes.
“I can’t tell you,” Azure said, hearing the warning from the crystal ball in her head.
“Well, that’s a load of bullshit,” Monet complained.
“I agree. But I’m not allowed. You either must follow me blindly or turn back,” Azure said, lowering the crystal ball and staring at the path ahead. She knew from the ball that bones lined the trail. Most who turned back never made it because they forgot the way or their reasons for leaving or their reasons for living. The Mountain of Truth was a deceitful place because it protected someone and something of great importance.
Chapter Seventeen
Azure took a step forward and the purple mists parted. She paused and held the hand with the crystal ball up, and the swirling mist shrank away as if repelled. When she pulled her hand back to her chest, the mist filled the space again.
“That’s sort of fucked up,” Monet remarked beside her.
“I think it means we better follow her,” Ever said with a nod.
Azure turned to appraise Monet. “You coming?”
He turned back to the path they’d come from, but it was now obscured by the mist. “Yeah, I guess so. But as soon as you can, tell me where we are going.”
“I can’t tell you that until after we arrive,” Azure said, astonished that the crystal ball had shared so much with her with only a few random images.
“What will happen to you if you tell me?” Monet asked, a challenging look on his face.
“I will once more forget where we are going. Only one can be reminded of the destination, and only one time,” Azure said.
“That’s not so bad. We would just turn back and go home,” Monet scoffed.
“You’d never find it,” someone said behind them. The three whirled, but purple mist covered everything. “You’d be lost forever, as are all who have come this far and turned around.” The voice was distorted, but still it sounded familiar.
Azure squinted into the mist, kneeling as she did.
From the purple darkness a figure stepped forward, like he’d been there all along. Their shadow.
“Gillian?” Azure asked, blinking the moist air from her eyes.
The gnome smiled, his eyes on the crystal ball in her hand. “You made it this far,” he said proudly.
Azure looked at him. “Are you hurt? What happened to you? How did you get away?” She rushed over to him, about to hug him but then thinking better of it. She stood to her full height instead.
“I’m fine. It took me longer than I would have guessed to escape the goblins, but in the end I was successful,” he said, brushing off the sleeves of his suit jacket.
“But how?” Monet asked, his face full of amazement. “There were hundreds of those buggers.”
The gnome pulled his bowler hat down over his eyes, staring at something on the other side of the path.
“Oh, right, the mystery of the gnome continues. How fucking cute is he?” Monet said, not sounding at all impressed.
“Well, I’m glad you got away. How did you find us up here?” Azure asked.
“Traveling up the Mountain of Truth is actually easier alone. Gnomes can see through the lies, but that’s why I gave you directions. And the honesty that comes on the second level isn’t a problem if one is by himself,” Gillian informed her.
“But we’re on the third lev
el. Do you know where we’re going?” she asked.
He nodded. “Yes. The mists don’t work on gnomes. As the keepers of knowledge, it isn’t allowed to steal information from us.”
“How fucking convenient. So you two know where we are going, and Ever and I just have to follow along blindly?” Monet crossed his arms in front of his chest, completely put out.
“Yes, it would appear so. But my directions run out at the next turn. After that we’ll be relying on the crystal ball to guide the way.” Gillian pointed to the purple ball, which had gone dark.
“And let me guess, only Azure can use the crystal ball, is that right?” Monet asked the gnome.
Gillian turned to Azure and said, “You know, he isn’t as dumb as he looks.”
“Ha ha. I would have loved for you to be with us back there, little dude. I would have had you spouting all of your thoughts,” Monet said, indicating the level of truth.
“Then I should thank the goblins for detaining me,” the gnome said sincerely.
“Well, I’m glad you’re okay. I wanted to go back—”
“But I told you not to,” Gillian said, cutting Azure off.
“Yes.” She hung her head with shame. “It still didn’t feel right to leave you behind.”
“I realize that. However, you were only posing more problems for me the longer you were close to the goblins. I knew that I could escape them if I was alone. However, if you three had been captured as well, my job would have been nearly impossible. Freeing you would have been complex, to say the least.”
“How did you free yourself from those pointy-teethed monsters again?” Monet asked casually, as if he wanted to be reminded of something Gillian had just told them.
Gillian paid him no mind, but instead strolled past the group to take the lead. “If my navigation is correct, we’ll take a left soon.”
As the gnome disappeared into the thick mist, the other three turned and exchanged looks of worry. A moment later Gillian’s head popped back through the mist. “Are you all coming? We have someplace to be.”
