Chapter Text
Hooves clopped against a brick road as a pure white sugar horse finally made her way out of the forest. She snorted and gave her head a shake, her rider moving to remove some leaves that had fallen into her mane. He smiled and gave her neck a gentle pat.
Madeleine looked around. He was lucky that he had not run into any trouble while traveling through the forest, although that was only further proof to him that the Kingdom’s most important city was well guarded. He wished he could say for the monster-plagued towns and villages elsewhere.
He cast a nervous look over his shoulder. Despite the welcoming moment of calm in his adventure, he had spent the whole trip through the forest feeling as though he was being watched.
Sunlight dappled the ground through the leaves that hissed in the gentle breeze. Birdsong drifted through the air, and every so often he would catch a glimpse of a little critter running around near the edges as it searched for food. There was no sign of anything more sinister.
Madeleine shook his head, deciding that feeling was merely brought on by exhaustion and near endless days of fighting monsters while helping the towns and villages on his way to the main city. He could not rest though, not yet. He still had a castle to find. A king to speak to.
Madeleine directed his horse down the street. The city was a lot larger than he admittedly expected. He might have to ask for directions.
“So lively…” Angel’s soft voice caught Madeleine’s attention. He glanced down at his companion and smiled. According to them, Angel had been spending their time in the quieter countryside before Madeleine found them. This must be their first time seeing such a big city, Madeleine realized.
“This is the most important city in the Kingdom!” Madeleine pointed out with a laugh. “Not to worry though, Angel, I’m sure everyone will be as friendly here as they were elsewhere in the Kingdom!”
He looked around again. He figured most roads would likely lead to the castle, but he wanted to get there as soon as possible. He turned his horse towards a cafe, where a golden-haired Cookie with glasses was busy jotting down notes in a notebook.
“Excuse me,” Madeleine said, catching his attention. “I’m terribly sorry to bother you, but could you please direct me to the castle?”
The tired looking Cookie squinted at Madeleine and adjusted his glasses. Between the glow of Angel and the sunlight glinting off his spotless armor, Madeleine looked absolutely radiant. Almost too radiant to look at for long.
“Just follow the main road,” the Cookie said, pointing to the road as he spoke. “I’m afraid it won’t be very fast, as it leads straight through the market, but it is the only one that won’t have you bumping into the knights every few minutes. Considering you aren’t from around here, I assume every single one will want to stop you and ask why you’re here.”
“Thank you, kind stranger, for the help!” Madeleine grinned. The Cookie responded with a quiet hum while returning to his notes. The stranger looked up, face lighting up as one of the cafe’s employees walked out with his food, a noticeable blush spreading across it as he greeted her with a softer voice than he did Madeleine.
Madeleine smiled and decided it was best to leave them alone instead of asking for further information from the Cookie. The detail of the knights patrolling so thoroughly on the quieter roads was both relieving and concerning at the same time. It was good to know they were taking their duty to their Kingdom seriously, but something must have them on edge.
Madeleine was well aware of the monster problem the Kingdom was having, it was the entire reason he was even in the Kingdom in the first place, but he had seen none while wandering through the forest. Something else must be worrying them. Which was not a comforting thought.
He said nothing of these concerns aloud. Angel was staying in his lap, watching the Cookies they passed by curiously. He did not wish to frighten Angel.
True to the golden-haired Cookie’s word, the marketplace was very busy. Luckily most were keeping out of the middle of the main road if they were not heading elsewhere, although Madeleine did often have to steer his horse around chatting friends who had stopped in the middle of the road.
He did not mind, though. He was soaking up all the attention he was getting as Cookies stopped to stare at him as he passed them by. He smiled and waved to them when he could, although he had to keep a close eye on the road. There were a lot of kids running around, and he did not wish to accidentally trample one.
He made his way around a large clock tower in the center of the market where he grinned and waved to a child on a bench that was staring at him with wide eyes. She was tugging excitedly on the sleeve of the Cookie who was sitting next to her. Madeleine could practically see the stars in her eyes.
The Cookie beside her who Madeleine assumed might be a babysitter, or perhaps an older sibling. They looked down at the child, quietly asking a question that Madeleine could not hear over the hum of the crowd. He could not hear the child’s response either, but he could tell she was talking about him from the way she pointed at him.
The Cookie raised a brow at Madeleine as he smiled at them, eyeing him. After a moment, they returned his smile, before turning their teal gaze back to the child, who quickly bolted off the bench and over to the knight before their caretaker could finish whatever it was they were saying.
“Hello!” Madeleine greeted as the child reached him.
“You’re not one of our knights,” the child said, almost breathless. “Or from the Kingdom, right? Your armor’s all wrong, it’s way too fancy for one of ours!”
Madeleine let out a laugh. “You’re very observant, aren’t you? No, I’m not from around here. I am Sir Madeleine Cookie, Knight Commander of the Sugar Republic across the sea. I’m here to assist your Kingdom with the monster problem. And this is my friend, Angel Cookie. She’s a very skilled healer.”
The child’s grin somehow got even wider, and her gaze turned to Angel, who shyly waved to her with a soft “Hello…”.
She floated down from Madeleine’s lap to chat with the child as the child’s caretaker approached. There was a slight limp in their gait, likely from an old injury, and they were using a cane. They looked over Madeleine again and he subconsciously straightened himself up.
“Hello,” he greeted, still smiling. “Are you her…?”
“Parent,” the Cookie said. “I apologize if she’s bothering you, I’m sure you’re quite busy. Walnut hasn’t been able to run around the city with her friends like she normally does thanks to the recent curfew, so this is the most exciting thing to happen to her in the past week.”
“Oh, no it’s no trouble!” Madeleine said quickly. While he truly did want to get to the castle as soon as possible, maybe he could get some more information before then. Madeleine then paused for a moment to take in the Cookie’s appearance.
They looked nothing like their child. Walnut had curly brown hair and brown eyes. Their parent had long, pale gold hair kept in a braided ponytail and teal eyes.
“Oh, you have vitiligo!” Madeleine said aloud as he recognized the pale spots on the Cookie’s face. He saw them tense slightly and quickly added, “One of my aunts has it as well. It’s always very striking in a beautiful way.”
The Cookie blinked at him, lips parted slightly in surprise. They then laughed, the tension vanishing from their shoulders as they smiled. “Thank you,” they said softly. “Oh, how rude, I haven’t introduced myself, have I? I’m Roguefort Cookie, and that’s my daughter, Walnut. Sir Madeleine Cookie, right?”
“Please, just Sir Madeleine is fine,” Madeleine said. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Roguefort Cookie.”
“Likewise,” Roguefort said. “I assume you’re on your way to speak to the king?”
“I am.” Madeleine nodded. He hesitated for a second before asking, “I apologize if this is a heavy topic, but do you know what is going on with the knights?”
“Ah, it’s nothing much,” Roguefort sighed. “Something has been lurking at the edges of the forest. It hasn’t been sighted in some time, though, so I feel it is likely gone by now.”
“I could have found it!” Walnut huffed. “I’m going to be a great detective one day, just like Almond Cookie! It would have been great practice, if someone didn’t make me stay inside after dark.”
She cast a pointed look at her parent, who sighed. “Walnut, you know I would have gladly let you investigate, but we had to follow the law. Civilians aren’t allowed out long past sunset. Besides, who knows what that thing wanted? It might have hurt you.”
Walnut sighed, kicking a pebble. “I know, I know…”
“Come on, we should let the handsome knight meet the king in peace now,” Roguefort said. “I imagine the king will allow you to stay in the castle, but if you are ever in need of a different place to stay, just stop by the Blue Cheese Manor. I know the perfect place for you to stay.”
“Thank you, Roguefort Cookie,” Madeleine said. “I will be sure to remember that. And if you ever need anything yourself, do not be afraid to seek me out. I will be more than happy to help you with anything you need.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Roguefort hummed. “Oh, and if you’re having trouble finding the castle, it’s over there on that cliff.”
Madeleine turned to where Roguefort was pointing. Such a strange spot to put a castle, on a hill at the edges of a cliff. A good spot to be protected, for only three sides were really able to be attacked. But if an earthquake struck, surely it would fall off?
Madeleine helped Angel back up onto the horse and thanked Roguefort for the help, waving as he left them behind by the clocktower.
“Do you think we’ll see them again…?” Angel asked.
“I’m sure we will,” Madeleine said. “We’ll be staying a while, I think. I doubt the monster problem will be solved in only a few days, judging from what we have witnessed in our travels.”
Angel smiled, glowing a little brighter. Madeleine laughed and ruffled their hair. “Look at you, already making friends!” Angel giggled and went back to taking in the sights of the city.
They finally reached the castle. Two knights were standing guard at the gate, chatting quietly with one another. They straightened up as Madeleine approached. “State your business,” one said.
“I am Sir Madeleine Cookie, Knight Commander of the Sugar Republic across the sea,” Madeleine said. “I am here to speak to your king. A letter was sent to him about this meeting a while back.”
“Ah, yes, King Cookie told us to be on the alert for you,” the other knight said. “He will be awaiting you in the throne room. But, ah, if you do not mind my asking, the letter said there would be a mage with you as your companion. Where are they?”
Right. Espresso. Why did he have to leave me to do this alone? “Espresso Cookie is not with me at the moment,” he said. “We parted ways after our arrival. He wished to do research before taking action. I am sure he will be here soon.”
Well, it was not a complete lie. Madeleine would admit, he was making assumptions. Espresso did seem to do thorough research on something, however. No doubt, they knew more about the cake monsters by now than even the citizens of the kingdom plagued by the beasts.
The knight nodded, satisfied with the answer. Madeleine thanked them, dismounting his horse and allowing one of the knights to take her back towards the stables. Angel clung to Madeleine’s shoulder as he entered the castle and made his way to the throne room.
King Cookie sat atop the throne, talking to a Cookie who was sitting on the throne next to him. She looked bored to death as Madeleine entered the room. She perked up when she spotted Madeleine approaching.
“Greetings, your highness,” Madeleine knelt on the floor, bowing his head respectfully to the king. “I am Sir Madeleine Cookie, Knight Commander of the republic across the sea.”
“Ah, yes, greetings, Knight Commander, Sir Madeleine Cookie!” The king smiled politely to the knight. “I am King Cookie, and this is my daughter, Princess Cookie.”
“Hello,” Princess greeted. “You must be the knight in literal shining armor that everyone’s talking about.”
“It is an honor to meet you both,” Madeleine said. He then let out a laugh. “Yes, I am! It is with Angel’s help that I am able to glow so brightly. Without them, my armor would be no less bright than any other knight’s.”
Angel smiled and waved to the Princess, who returned the gesture.
“Hm, yes.” King squinted at Angel. “Well, you are here to help us with our monster problem, yes? I am curious, how is only one, who I’m sure is very skilled, but still only one, knight and one child mage going to do that?”
“Child…?” Madeleine blinked, but then laughed again, a bit nervous this time. “Oh, no, no! Angel is a companion, yes, but they are not the one mentioned in the letter. He, Espresso Cookie, is not here with me at the moment. They are off doing research.”
He prayed that the King did not ask the exact whereabouts of Espresso. Thankfully, he did not.
“My question still stands, Knight Commander, Sir Madeleine Cookie.”
“Just Sir Madeleine Cookie is alright, your highness,” Madeleine said. “We were sent here to find the legendary treasures, the Soul Jam the brave five heroes once used, to fight the beasts.”
Now it was the king’s turn to laugh nervously. “Aha, yes, The Soul Jam…! Those treasures. Ahem, well, you see, Sir Madeleine Cookie-”
“My king!” Another knight burst into the room, looking disheveled and exhausted. Madeleine’s hand instinctively flew to the hilt of his sword as the king and princess jumped in alarm.
“Knight, what’s going on?” Princess frowned.
“Several citizens have reported hearing strange noises in the forest,” Knight said, pausing to catch his breath. Clearly, he had run quite a ways to get to the castle. Another reason to not have one’s castle clear on the other side of the city; such a long way for knights patrolling the other side of the city to return should they need backup in the case of an emergency.
Knight continued, “We fear it may be some monsters planning an attack, but we are unsure. Some reported hearing screaming as well, someone may be injured.”
“Right, yes.” the king cleared his throat. “Sir Madeleine Cookie, can I trust you to handle this? I must speak to my knights about the location of the Soul Jam. Consider this a test to prove yourself.”
“Of course your highness!” Madeleine bowed to the king again. “I’ll have those monsters taken care of, shortly!”
He was about to rush out, then paused. He gently picked Angel up off his shoulder and sat them down. “I want you to stay here,” he said. “I cannot risk your safety.”
“I can help heal the injured cookie,” Angel said with a wave of their wand. “And we have fought monsters together before.”
Madeleine hesitated, then knelt down to look Angel in the eye. “I know,” he said. “But that was different. Those monsters were alone or very weak. We saw them before we fought them, but this time we do not know exactly what to expect.These monsters are likely smarter than the others, if they are able to plan an attack. It is far too risky for you to accompany me this time.”
Angel sank to the ground, their wings drooping. “Okay, Maddie…”
Madeleine nearly winced. Oh, how he hated upsetting his little friend. He wished he did not have to, but this time it was necessary. He then reached out, gently resting a hand atop their head, and smiled.
“I swear I shall come straight back to you when this mission is over,” he promised. “And, if I and the other cookie indeed are injured, you will be the one to heal us.”
That earned him a small smile before he left. He retrieved his horse from the stables, and headed off to the forest immediately, not stopping to wave or smile at anyone like before. He had no time to. He slowed his horse to a stop at the edge of the trees.
Sure enough, he could hear the faint roar of the monsters in the distance, along with the barely noticeable cries of someone calling for help. He charged in, unsheathing his sword and preparing himself for battle.
Cake hounds. He had gotten used to fighting them during the week he had spent traveling the land. Apparently, they were the most peaceful of all cake monsters, perhaps even tamable. But that was not saying much. They hunted in packs, devouring anything they wished, attacking anyone who entered their territory.
The cake hounds were surrounding a tree, howling and barking at something hiding in the branches; another Cookie.
The Cookie was dressed in a green outfit, his white hair covering half of his face. There was a lute on his back, and he was clinging to the branch he was on as though his life depended on it. Which, to be fair, it did.
Luckily for the Cookie, cake hounds were terrible at climbing trees. But Madeleine had no idea how long the Cookie had been up there. There was no telling if the branch could even hold his weight much longer.
“Foul beasts of darkness, leave that innocent cookie alone!” Madeleine charged forward, raising one of his shields under the tree, in case the cookie fell. It was not a very soft landing, but it was not far beneath him. Falling onto the shield only a few inches below him was far better than falling on the ground much further away.
The hounds turned their attention to the paladin as he cut a couple down with a single swing of his sword. There were only five of them. Two had just been taken care of, one had been injured. The two healthy hounds growled for a moment, before their leader, the injured one, whined and backed off. They followed her into the bushes as she fled.
Madeleine debated chasing after them to make sure they would no longer threaten anyone else. He paused as he heard a soft “Thank you!” from above. The cookie was slowly making his way down the tree.
“Of course!” Madeleine puffed out his chest. “I could not leave someone to be tormented like that! I am Sir Madeleine Cookie. And you are?” He was getting sick of introducing himself with his full title. It was such a mouthful. He was far too used to people already knowing who he was.
“I’m Clover Cookie,” the other answered. He walked over, picking up a hat that must have fallen off during his escape from the hounds. He dusted it off before putting it on. “Thank you so much for the help, Sir Madeleine Cookie. I owe you my life”
“Think nothing of it, friend!” Madeleine said. “I was merely doing my duty as a knight. Now, tell me, whatever were you doing out here on your own? The forest is a dangerous place for a lone cookie.”
“There’s a river that runs through this forest,” Clover said. “As long as you stay on this side, the forest is quite safe. The knights have scared away most monsters from crossing the river, at least during the day. I like to take walks, get away from the noise of the city. That pack of cake hounds is new. They must have moved in sometime this week.”
“I will see to it that they never harm anyone again,” Madeleine said.
“Oh, no, it’s quite alright!” Clover shook his head, smiling. “I think they’ve learned their lesson for now.”
“They are monsters.” Madeleine’s smile wavered for a moment in confusion. This was really the first cookie he had ever met who was trying to defend the cake monsters. Most cookies practically begged him to get rid of them.
“I know, I know.” Clover idly strummed his lute, shifting nervously. His tone implied that he had had this conversation with someone before. “I know they are monsters, but they are still living creatures. I would hate to see them harmed after they have already admitted defeat. I was in the land they claimed as their territory.”
Before Madeleine could say anything more, Clover changed the subject. “I don’t believe I’ve seen you before, are you one of the new knights?”
“Oh, no,” Madeleine laughed. “I am a Knight Commander from the Sugar Republic across the sea. We heard your kingdom was having trouble with the sudden rise of monsters and so I was sent here to help. I am here searching for the legendary Soul Jam of the five former rulers who once protected this land.”
“The Soul Jam...?” Despite the gentle smile on his face, Clover’s voice wavered. “Oh, dear, I regret to inform you, but the Soul Jam-”
“Out of the way!” Someone wearing a ragged cloak darted by, nearly knocking Clover over. Madeline rushed to help steady the startled cookie as the new one vanished into the trees.
“Now what’s gotten him so worked up…?” Madeleine wondered aloud.
“Get back here with my crown, you dirty thief!” Princess raced by seconds later.
“Fair lady, wait!” Madeleine scrambled to block Princess’s path. “You should not be out here on your own, especially not with the recent monster attack! Where are your guards?”
“I know how to fight,” Princess huffed, shoving Madeleine aside with more strength than he expected her to have. “I don’t need any guards. That rotten thief stole my crown, and I’m going to get it back!”
“Then at least allow me to assist you,” Madeleine said, following Princess as she stormed past. “I’ll see this thief brought to justice!”
He heard Clover mumble a quiet “What in Earthbread is with today…?” before he, too, followed them.
“If I may,” Clover spoke up again, loud enough this time for them to hear clearly. “I know healing magic. I will be able to heal any wounds you may receive.” He averted his gaze, voice softening again as he added, “And, I, uh, do not really want to go back on my own in case those cake hounds are still around.”
“Well, I do need to make sure you make it back alright,” Madeleine replied. “I want you both to stay back, though, go it? I cannot risk your safety.”
Clover nodded and the two rushed to catch up to Princess, who had not slowed in her pursuit of the thief. By the time Clover and Madeleine caught up to her, they found she had cornered the thief. Said thief was on the ground, shrieking as she hit him repeatedly with her scepter.
“It seems she doesn’t need our help after all,” Clover said.
“Get off of me!”
“Not until you give me back my crown!”
“Ah, no, not at all,” Madeleine said. A part of him was inclined to leave Princess to handle the thief. The other part of him, the knightly part that was trained to protect nobility such as her from all harm, wanted to drag her away from the thief so he could deal with him instead.
“We should probably do something to stop this.” Madeleine winced as he heard the thief yelp in pain as Princess struck him across the face. Despite his own words, he simply stood back.
“Get this woman off of me, she’s trying to kill me!” The thief had finally noticed Clover and Madeleine’s presence. Madeleine could not ignore a request for help, even from a thief. At least, not in this situation.
“Princess, I believe he has learned his lesson,” Madeleine said, stepping forward.
“Not until I get my crown back, he hasn’t!” Princess raised her scepter again.
“Okay, okay, take it!” The thief threw the crown away and scrambled to his feet when Princess rushed to grab it. He was gone by the time she had the crown back on her head.
Princess looked ready to chase after the thief when the red gem on her dress began to glow. Its shape changed from a simple oval into a heart, and it appeared to even grow in size.
“I was unaware gems could do that,” Madeleine said.
“That’s not normal.” Princess blinked. She turned to look at Clover when she heard him let out a choked sound. The bard’s face was pale.
“Clover Cookie, are you alright?” Madeleine asked.
“It can’t be,” Clover breathed. “That’s the Hollyberry Soul Jam. It shouldn’t be here. It can’t be here!”
Madeleine’s brows furrowed. “Why not?”
“The five heroes who owned the Soul Jam before, during the final battle with Dark Enchantress, gave their lives and their Soul Jam to defeat her,” Clover said. “The Soul Jam were shattered, and the heroes were never seen again.”
“ What!? ” Madeleine was left stunned. “We were told the Soul Jam merely disappeared!”
“Well, if it was destroyed, why is it here now?” Princess asked, glancing down at the gem.
Clover leaned in to examine it himself. “When the Soul Jam were destroyed, the shards were scattered across the world,” he said. “I’ve heard stories that, should the first heroes fall, they could bond with a new wielder upon proving themselves to it. I never fully believed it, and I thought there was no proving that theory since they had been destroyed. Perhaps there was truth in those stories after all...”
Madeleine turned to Princess. “Do you and your father truly have no idea where the Soul Jam are?”
Princess could only shrug in response. “Yeah. No one knows what happened to the Soul Jam after the heroes vanished. It was so long ago, most think the Soul Jam, and even the heroes themselves, were just stories.”
“Why did your father not tell me sooner?” Madeleine asked.
“I guess he didn’t want to disappoint you, or make it look like your journey here was for nothing,” Princess said. She glanced down at the Soul Jam, resting a hand on it.
“I would have still helped regardless,” Madeleine mumbled, a bit hurt by the king lying to him. He tried to brush it off and added, “Well, that no longer matters. We have one Soul Jam, which means we can find the rest! Clover Cookie, do you know any ways we could find the other Soul Jam?”
“Well, I believe we may be able to track the others down using the current one somehow,” Clover said. “I will have to look into it, but until then, I think it is safe to return to the Kingdom. My roommate will worry if I am out past sunset. And, well, the knights will be upset with all of us in general.”
Madeleine looked up. Oh, it got dark fast. The sky was already a shade of orange as the sun set somewhere on the horizon, hidden away by the trees surrounding them. Even though Clover claimed this side of the forest was safe, Madeleine did not wish to risk the safety of his companions.
“If the knights try to yell at us, I’ll make sure they can never yell at anyone ever again,” Princess huffed. Madeleine almost winced at the thought. He had now witnessed first hand what Princess would do to those she did not like. He had no wish to see any of the knights harmed for simply doing their job.
“Come,” he said. “We should hurry. Clover Cookie, please, meet us at the castle tomorrow. We can discuss there what our next move will be.”
~***~
Silence echoed through the vast, empty halls. Moonlight shining through the tall windows, and the eerie glow of blue-flamed candles on the bookshelves were the only sources of light in the darkness. Papers were scattered across a desk where someone was writing an unseen message on some papers with a quill.
They froze suddenly as the star-shaped gem on their cloak began to glow, their head snapping up. For a few moments, they were still. Then they suddenly bolted from their seat, the chair falling over as they stumbled over to a shelf. They pulled a book down from it and flipped through the pages.
Her eyes skimmed over the pages before she closed it and put it back. She turned, quickly making her way back towards the desk and grabbing the quill once more, shoving aside the papers she had been writing on previously and grabbing a blank one.
She did not bother to sit down. She had no need, nor time, to. She quickly scribbled a message and cleaned up the rest of the desk, leaving the note there in the center. Her eyes scanned the room, landing on a map on the wall. She walked over and pulled it down, rolling it up and tucking it in a pocket in her cloak. She grabbed the bag next to the desk and a couple notebooks and some pencils, stuffing them into the bag.
She paused for a moment as she reached the gate that led out into the gardens, and cast a look over her shoulder. It would be a long journey. She was not even entirely sure why she was leaving. She just knew she had to.
I could at least say goodbye in person… That thought vanished upon feeling another jolt that made their head ache. No, there was no time to say goodbye. They had to leave immediately.
With a sigh, they turned, the gate creaking as they opened it enough to step out into the garden. They kept to the decorated stone path little balls of light dancing around them. Spirits of those long passed. Every now and then they would stop to hover by the traveler's head, speaking in hushed voices.
“Beware the echo,” they said. The traveler frowned. The spirits' words rarely made much sense. Most of the time, they seemed to only whisper things they remembered from their previous life. The traveler rarely listened to them. But this was different. It was the first time the spirits had addressed them directly.
I will do my best, the traveler thought, burying their face a bit in the fluff around their neck as a chill ran down their spine. Though I wish you could explain what you mean by that. Above them a little white owl fluttered down to rest on their arm. It let out a soft, whistling hoot.
The traveler smiled softly. You’re coming with me? It would be safer for you to stay here, but I doubt you would listen, huh?
She made it to the bank. Stretched out in front of her was a vast expanse of water that reflected the night sky perfectly. The tide was high, hiding the ghostly corals that would often peek out above the water. Every now and then she would catch a glimpse of the creatures that made the water their home among the shadows, the smaller ones vanishing into little holes and caves in the rocks. She had no time to sit and watch them this time.
The traveler sighed. The other shore across the water was a long way away. Though she did not need to worry much about crumbling, she was not exactly a good swimmer, either. There was no telling what else lurked beneath the waves. She did not have the time to wait for low tide, either. Not that it would matter. Even if the tide was low, a boat was still needed to make it safely across. Guess I don't have a choice...
They cast one final look over their shoulder before a swirling vortex opened in front of them, little stars twinkling within the clouds of magic. No turning back now. With a deep breath, they stepped through the rift into the unknown.