Zadona inhaled as she pulled the arrow’s nock toward her shoulder. Long days spent working her back muscles paid off as she easily drew the bowstring. Her fingers released the string as she exhaled. The arrow flew from her bow, piercing straight through the hay target we had set up. With a grin on her face, she turned to look at me and Beth. A perfect shot.

  We clapped excitedly. Beth stuck her pinkies in the corner of her mouth and let out a sharp whistle. This was the first time we’d seen the results of Zadona’s hard work. She was going to be an archer in the royal army, a real honor for anyone. As she loaded another arrow and lined up with her target, I felt my heart swell with pride. She wasn’t the girl sitting on the doorstep anymore, she was a master archer.

  She released another arrow. This time, it landed in the bottom of the hay bale. Zadona clicked her tongue as she walked over to retrieve her arrows. The Meyer’s had money to afford more than five arrows, but Zadona bought her bow and arrows with her own money. I couldn’t understand why.

  “Not good enough,” muttered Zadona, pulling the arrow from the hay bale with a scowl on her face.

  “It’ll be good enough for the army,” I replied. “I bet none of those archers can use a bow like you.”

  “I have to be better,” she said, nocking another arrow.

  “Don’t push yourself so hard,” said Beth. “You still have to help your father with the harvest, remember?”

  Zadona’s arrow flew through the air, piercing straight through her target. Since the Meyer’s farm was so close to ours, we planned our crop rotations together. Today was the first day of the harvest season. As such, I also had to help my father with our harvest. Beth was lucky, her family didn’t own a farm.

  “I’ll be fine,” said Zadona. “Tom does most of the work anyway.”

  Tom Meyer was Zadona’s little brother, though you wouldn’t be able to tell by looking at him. Since Zadona was adopted, she didn’t look like any of her family members. I never asked her how she felt about it. She never complained, but she never really complained about anything.

  After loosing three more arrows into the hay bale, Zadona turned around to look at us. “Are you two still coming over tonight?” asked Zadona.

  “Of course, wouldn’t miss it for the world!” I exclaimed. It wasn’t just the first day of harvest, it was also Zadona’s birthday. “How does it feel to be thirteen?”

  After gathering her arrows, Zadona paused. “I don’t even know if I am thirteen.”

  I frowned. “Sure you are. Pop said it’s been thirteen years since the Meyers brought you home.”

  “I was a baby then,” said Zadona, her face obscured by her long white hair.

  “So?” asked Beth.

  “I’m not like you, remember? I’m a Kanta elf. I could have been a hundred by the time they found me.”

  Standing up, I walked over to a stray arrow sticking out of the ground. “Why would you be different from any other elf?” I asked, handing the arrow to Zadona.

  There was pain in Zadona’s eyes, her brows casting a shadow over them. Wordlessly, she took the arrow from me and placed it into her quiver. I wanted to comfort her, but I didn’t know how. Instead, I placed a hand on her shoulder like Pop sometimes did. Her eyes widened at the contact, but she didn’t move my hand.

  Appearing out of nowhere, Beth grabbed Zadona’s hand and pulled her toward the Meyer’s farm. “Come on, I’ll help you finish early so we can play.”

  My hand stayed in the air for a few seconds. “See you two tonight!” I called out to them. Beth turned around to wave at me, but Zadona didn’t. Shrugging, I headed home.

  Working the fields went by in the blink of an eye. Literally. One second I was walking home, the next I was walking to the Meyer’s house. I stopped. Looking around, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but I couldn’t shake the weird feeling. Thinking about it too hard caused my vision to blur, so I pushed those thoughts down.

  What remained was a great sadness that I couldn’t get rid of. Like I had already made a mistake that I wished I could take back.

  Beth and Zadona were sitting on the Meyer’s doorstep, both of them dressed in matching yellow dresses. They were a gift from my mother, made to fit them when they got older. She was right on the mark, as they fit perfectly. I sat down next to them, watching the wind blow through the fruit trees.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

  I opened my mouth to speak but was instantly hushed by the sound of ringing bells. A wide smile formed on my face. There was only one person I knew that hung bells from his belt. Piopus, my bardic teacher, was nearby.

  The others groaned, Beth loudest of all. Neither of them seemed to like Piopus very much. I couldn’t understand why, he was the greatest bard there was. Hearing him play was like receiving a gift from the gods, or at least that’s how I saw it. To my surprise, Piopus wasn’t just near, he was heading toward us.

  Piopus was round, that was the best way to describe him. He dressed in colorful clothes adorned with bells and all kinds of small instruments. On his head was a tall black hat, a white feather placed into it for flair. Across his back, he hung his mandolin—Fortune Teller. According to him, it was made from wood given to him by a fairy queen. Her hair was used to make the strings as well. The others were more skeptical of his stories, but I had faith they were true.

  His style of walking looked closer to bouncing as he mosied over. In his hand was a small and long brown box. The fabric covering the box was caked in dust, moth holes littering the entire length. From what I could see, the actual box was made of petrified wood. When he finally reached us, he flashed us a bright smile.

  “Afternoon, friends!” he called, tipping his hat toward us. “If I’m not mistaken, I believe it is your birthday, Ms. Meyer. Am I correct?”

  Shocked, Zadona glanced at me before nodding her head at Piopus. I never told him it was her birthday, but I knew I didn’t have to. There was little you could hide from Piopus. His bardic instincts, honed from years on the road, was all he needed to learn everything about you.

  “How did you know?” asked Beth, staring up at my master with a raised eyebrow.

  He laughed a deep, booming laugh. “It’s not like it’s a secret! All Master Benson does is talk about you two.” Okay, maybe I did tell him. “Lucky for you, I have the perfect gift.”

  Zadona took the box from his hands. Now that it was out of his hands, I could see the latch on the front that kept it closed. With a curious expression on her face, she undid the latch and lifted the lid. Inside were three thin sticks, separated from each other with bits of wool. One of them had a red band wrapped around it, another yellow, and the last one was blue.

  “Thanks?” said Zadona, picking up the stick with the blue band so she could see it in the diminishing light.

  “You’re very welcome, my dear. A fitting gift for a young Kanta elf on her birthday, if I do say so myself.”

  “What are they?” I asked, scooting closer to Zadona to get a better look.

  “Those are magic wands, straight from the kingdom of Kanta. They were a gift I received from a former student of mine, but I think they would be better suited in your friend’s hands. Yes indeed, they were made for a Kanta elf,” said Piopus, his chin doubled as he laughed.

  “Thank you,” said Zadona, placing the wand back in the box and closing the lid. “But I don’t know how to use them.”

  “Really?” asked Piopus, shocked. “I would have thought it was instinct for your people.”

  “I don’t know my people,” said Zadona, glaring at the box.

  “You really must visit Kanta then. It is a marvelous kingdom. Truly spectacular to see.”

  Placing the box to the side, Zadona looked up at my teacher with a curious look on her face. “Piopus, what are Kanta elves like?”

  Piopus frowned, bouncing on his heels as he exhaled. “Well, they tend to be very reclusive. Even in Kanta, which again is a wondrous place, you have difficulty finding them. But, they are kind, brave, and friendly people once you get to know them. Much like yourself, if Master Benson has been telling the truth about you, which I’m sure he has.”

  “I think I would like to meet them someday,” said Zadona, pulling her knees to her chest.

  Wrapping her arm around her friend, Beth said, “We’ll all go together.”

  I felt a great pain in the pits of my stomach. Somehow, I knew we wouldn’t go to Kanta together. My eyes drifted to the box of wands. That was how it started, receiving that gift was what made Zadona leave forever. I was sure of it. Right? My vision blurred.

  Ah, a dream.

  Sunlight peeked through a gap in the curtains, hitting me directly in my face. It was still early, so everyone was asleep. Beth was turned away from me, lying on her side facing the other bed. Nia was passed out in a chair, loud snores erupting from her every few minutes. Greenspring was quiet as he lay in his bed.

  I looked at my mandolin. Unlike Piopus, it was just a normal mandolin made of normal wood. Boring. Flipping over the back, I smiled at the small message Arienne had carved into it a year ago.

  Kingmaker: For a True Hero

  Sighing, I stood up and stretched. In a few hours, we would be back on the road again. There was no time to worry about the past. Once we reached Adelbern, I was sure it would come for me no matter how much I worried. I pulled out some paper and started writing a letter to Henry. He would be glad to know that we were okay.

  The others woke up soon after I did. After meeting with Keziah to make sure everything was paid for, we got ready to leave. It felt good to perform with Beth, but I knew we couldn’t stay here forever. Though there was good money to be made in Kareth. As we loaded our bags into the cart, Greenspring approached me.

  “You are in quite the hurry. Is she that important to you?” he asked, stroking the mane of one of the mules.

  “She is,” I said, adjusting my hat.

  He nodded. “And what if she tried to kill me? What if she is the one hunting druids?”

  Gently placing my mandolin in the cart, I spotted the message from Arienne again. “Then I’ll stop her.”

  “You will need help.”

  I turned to look at him. He was smiling weakly, but I could tell he wasn’t joking. “Will you?”

  “All you had to do was ask.”