LITMIR.BIZ

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      `Yes,' Lem said. `To find out more we have to break the moon dial. The three moons sang me a song.'

      `Sing it,' said Celeste, her pen poised.

      Lem closed his eyes and sang:

       `Three moons to save three Princesses born,

       Five journeys to save a land that's torn,

       One journey to find the dragon mocked,

       One journey to find the merwoman locked,

       One journey to find the poisoned tree,

       One journey to set a chained eagle free,

       Five journeymen to find the cage that swings,

       Five journeys to free five Queens and Kings.'

      When he'd finished they stared blankly at him so he added, `I think everything will make more sense after we do what they've told us to do.'

      With Chad and Swift holding up burning sticks to light the clearing and Celeste dragging the broken branches out of their way, Lem and Lyla tried to push over the heavy moon dial. It wouldn't budge until the five of them pushed together.

      Finally it toppled over and crashed to the ground where it broke in half. Hidden inside was a jewelled casket with a royal insignia of precious stones embedded in its lid. Lem was handing the casket to Lyla when a wolf howled from the other side of the clearing.

      `How did it get into the Forest?' hissed Swift, who was sure he could see hungry, burning eyes watching him from the bushes.

      Lyla grabbed his arm. `Quick! Into the cave!'

      It was only after the ox-hide curtain was fastened, followed by a grid of woven iron-tree branches tied over the entrance and Celeste and the boys poised behind it with their bows and arrows ready, that Lyla felt comfortable about opening the casket.

      Inside was a rolled up parchment. She took it out, unrolled it and read the words written on it.

      'Dearest children,

      Before you were born your grandparents ruled the Kingdom of M'dgassy. Because of their knowledge of Extreme Magic their subjects were the happiest of the six kingdoms of Ifraa. Unfortunately the Queen and King had no heirs.

      Over the years they consulted every magician, sorcerer, enchanter, witch, oracle, fair-spinner, elf-speller, wind-singer, stone-thrower, bone diviner and sand-reader throughout the known world.

      No one could help them until the arrival of High Prince Jarrimonte. The prince told the King and Queen of a magical well situated in his far distant kingdom of Acirfa.

      The King and Queen and their entourage of 100, travelled 50 days to reach the well where they did as High Prince Jarrimonte had instructed.

      Your grandparents had to promise that if they had a child they would give up their knowledge of Extreme Magic and, on the child's 18th birthday, they would arrange a marriage with one of High Prince Jarrimonte's descendants.

      No sign came from the well to show that their wish had been granted so they performed the ceremony a second and then a third time before returning to M'dgassy.

      That year, at the time the three moons appeared in the M'dgassy sky, the Queen gave birth to three identical daughters. Each was given a jewel to wear so they could be told apart. Princess Elle was given an amethyst, Princess Ona a sapphire, and Princess Hail a pink pearl.

      As the princesses grew older their beauty and magical accomplishments became legendary. On their 18th birthday the palace was full of suitors.

      Princess Ona chose Prince Atric, a Captain in the King's navy, and Princess Hail chose Prince Tefan, a Prince much accomplished in music.

      But Princess Elle refused all suitors, including High Prince Jarrimonte's heir, Prince Yor. The princess preferred to continue her studies of Extreme Magic.

      That very night Princess Elle disappeared and even all her sisters' magic could not find her.

      Ten years passed and five children - all Princes and Princesses - were born to Ona and Atric, and Hail and Tefan.

      When the King and Queen died, the Princesses Ona and Hail were crowned Queens of M'dgassy, and their husbands became King-consorts.

      On their 28th birthday a messenger from the Kingdom of Acirfa arrived to say that High Prince Jarrimonte was dead and Prince Yor was now the High Enchanter.

      Prince Yor's message was that if they vowed to give up their Extreme Magic, he would free Princess Elle from his father, the High Enchanter, Sender of Storms.

      The Queens did not trust Prince Yor but wanted to save their sister so, by the light of a three-moon eclipse, they bestowed a magical gift upon each of their five children. Then they placed the precious children, two of whom could barely walk, in a spell-protected, ever-changing Forest where the High Enchanter could not reach them.

      Finally, forsaking all knowledge of Extreme Magic for themselves, they awaited the return of Princess Elle. Once she was un-enchanted they intended asking her, with the help of the three moons' magic, to return the children's memories and release them from The Forest.

      Alas the Queens were right to mistrust Prince Yor. The moment they gave up their magic, his Raiders invaded M'dgassy.

      When King Atric and King Tefan fought back they disappeared. Knowing that they would be next, the Queens prepared this letter and casket hoping that during an eclipse, when their children had grown to adulthood, they would hear the song of the three moons and break the moon dial.

      Their only fear was that once this happened the Forest would no longer be a haven for them.

      They - we - can only hope that by then our princes and princess will be able to defend and fight for each other.

      Until we meet again, precious children, we hope our love has kept you safe.

      Your loving mothers,

      Queen Ona, mother of Celeste and Chad;

      Queen Hail, mother of Lyla, Lem and Swift'.

      Lyla rolled the parchment up. She knew she should say something about how happy she felt that they actually had parents, just like the characters in their books. Or how awful it was that such a terribly scary and sinister thing had happened to their parents. She really should say something - anything - that would reassure Chad and Swift who were staring at her with big questioning eyes but she had no idea how to begin.

      `Well, that answers a lot of the questions we've been asking,' said Lem.

      `And what we are going to do tomorrow,' added Celeste.

      Chad moved closer to his sister. `What's that?'

      `Go and find them of course.' Then biting her lip, she smiled weakly at Lyla. `I always knew we had parents. It just worried me that I couldn't remember what they looked like or that I never dreamed about them.'

      Three spine-chilling howls suddenly pierced the night air on the other side of the ox-hide curtain. That night the children took turns guarding the cave's entrance while outside the wolves padded back and forth sniffing and growling.

      When it was Lyla and Celeste's turn they huddled together, blonde hair mixed with black, whispering about the letter and whether the ox-hide door was strong enough to keep the wolves from attacking them.

      `Do you think our mothers did the right thing, locking us away in this Forest with no way of remembering them?' whispered Celeste.

      Tightening her grip on her spear, Lyla pursed her lips thoughtfully. `I can't see what else they could do. They wanted to protect us from Prince Yor.'

      `But wouldn't it have been better to have kept us with them? I mean...' Celeste sighed. `I would like to have known my mother when I was little. And I am sure Chad would've loved it too.'

      Lyla

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