“I have so many thoughts.” He added. “I worry for my sister who is still in the hands of my uncle. I worry for her safety. My heart still aches for poor Idris as he died trying to protect me. I wonder what’s become of Princess Cassandra, or even kind Bohga the cyclops for that matter.” Hearing his words, Hoxley’s eye’s bulged with realization.

  “Bohga!” she exclaimed. “I’d nearly forgotten! If we’re anywhere near his home, I’m sure he’d be eager to help us! I believe we’re east of Oldvale which puts us closer to him Who knows? Maybe he’s eluded your uncle’s men and returned home. Maybe the others are seeking him out as well! Wouldn’t that be delightful if we found them there and waiting?”

  “It would be even better if there were spiced fish soup and pumpkin bread.”

  “I like the way you think.” She said. “Let’s carry on a little to the northeast. There’s a higher elevation there and we might just get a better view of the land. I bet if I can get my bearings and we’re not too far off we could find his lair or even spot the volcano that lies near it. Come, let’s pick up our pace. The sooner we find him, the sooner we might have our hands on a warm bowl.” The two began to walk a little faster when Hoxley noticed that Prince Damron was tugging at his pants and shirt. “Is something wrong? She asked.

  “My clothes feel tighter…smaller.” He said. Hoxley looked him over again before stopping.

  “I don’t think it’s your clothes, your highness.” She said. I believe you’ve gotten a head taller.”

  “How can that be?” he asked.

  “I know not but you weren’t as big as you are when we met.” She stood close to him to gauge his height. “Yes…yes you’ve definitely grown since we’ve met. Either that or I’ve started to shrink.” She said looking at her spear. “No, my spear hasn’t shrunk and neither have I. How queer of a thing to grow so fast in such a short amount of time.” The two carried on over hills and ridges across lands Hoxley didn’t seem to recognize. Every time she thought they might be close to a trail or road leading somewhere, they arrived only to find nothing but uninterrupted wilderness.

  “This is all so strange.” She said. There should be a well-worn road running east to west through here. I recognize those two rocks.” She pointed to a pair of boulders that had had fallen off a cliff nearby. “They’ve always been there, I’ve been past them dozens of times on my routes.”

  “At least you recognize something of a landmark.” Said the prince. “That shows we’re not completely lost.”

  “Quite right, your highness.” She said. “From this marker I can deduce we need to continue northwest. If we do so, I believe we’ll find Bohga’s lair in less than a day’s time.”

  “I hope so.” Said the prince as his stomach gurgled loud enough for her to hear. “My dinner from last night is long gone. If we keep alert, I might be able to find us some mushrooms.”

  “You know mushrooms?” she asked.

  “I’ve been studying Morell’s methods and asked him a lot of questions so I know which ones are safe to eat and which kind are poison.”

  “Then let’s hope we come across some so that you can use your new skill.”

  And so, onward the pair traveled over fields and plains both familiar and strange. Hoxley found herself to be completely disoriented as none of the trails or roads she expected to find were there. Regardless, her experience as a traveler in the land helped to keep them headed in what she believed to be in the right direction. It wasn’t half a day later before she spotted the top of a thin volcano peeping over the tips of the treetops

  “There!” she exclaimed with joy. “There’s the volcano! I knew we were headed in the right path! Let’s hurry and perhaps we may be able to find Bohga!” For the longest time they took up a trot and a jog, fueled by their eagerness to see a familiar face. Their hearts felt a little lighter at the idea of something going right for once. But as they stood atop the edge of the bowl-shaped valley they’d climbed before. Something wasn’t right.

  “This doesn’t make any sense.” Said Prince Damron. “How have the trees grown back? What sorcery is this?” he asked. “And where are the stacks of rocks?” Hoxley’s face was a mask of confusion. Her brow dipped in the center as she tried to understand how things had become so rearranged since the short time between visits. For all her intuition and reasoning, she could not come up with a single solution.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “You’re right. His makes no sense at all but we’re here now. Let us scale down and see what we can see.” Carefully and cautiously, they scooted down the steep embankment of the bowl until they reached the bottom. Once there, they began the long walk up the incline to the center. As they approached the apex, their hearts beat a little faster at the sight of the cave opening. But like before, a closer look inside the cave left them with yet another mystery they had no clue to. “The cave is empty…empty…empty..” The echoes mimicked her voice in the bare space. “All of Bohga’s possessions are packed in a corner but no fire is lit. If he is still here, he hasn’t been back in some time. Perhaps he’s gone for good to hide from Lord Baltus’ men.” She pointed to the entrance. “Even the makeshift door he’d created with the chain upon it is gone. How can this be…be…be?”

  “I don’t know.” Said the prince, shaking his head. “I feel like this is all some great cruel joke being played upon us. We are given the promise of hope only to have it stripped away every time.”

  “If Bohga isn’t here then we can’t linger. Your uncles’ men might be watching this area. We’ve evaded them this far. It would be foolish to put ourselves in a position to be easily spotted. Oh but you’re right, your highness.” She said with sagging shoulders and her head hung. “All of this misadventure does seem like such a cruel prank to be played.” Holxey slowly clopped her way past the opening of the cave and dropped her spear.

  “Hoxley?” the prince asked. “Are you alright?” You dropped your-“ Before he could complete his sentence, Hoxley reached back and unfastened her saddlebags and tossed them on the ground in the same dismissive manner. After that, she simply folded her legs and set herself upon the ground.

  “Hoxley? What are you doing?” he asked.

  “I don’t know, Prince Damron.” She said with tears forming at the corners of her eyes. “I don’t know at all. I have to rest. I feel dizzy. My head feels like a piece of firewood with an axe embedded in it. The tears bulged and swelled atop her cheeks before they started to slip from the confines of her eyes and stream down her pale cheeks. She tried to grit her teeth and keep her chin up but it was all too much. Too many setbacks, unwanted surprises, disappointments, hardships and horrors had been placed upon the faun’s shoulders. And here, in this desolate place with no one to greet them when they’d lost everyone else they’d cared about, Hoxley began to cry. Her shoulders and upper torso jerked as wracking sobs filled the air. A collective deluge of pain and anguish came pouring down her cheeks nose and chin. Her nose ran and dangled strands of clear snot as she sniffled and bawled.

  “Hoxley please stop this.” He said. “Please get up. We’ll think this through.” He tried to lean over and take her hand but she angrily swatted it away.

  “Don-don’t tou-tou-touch m-me.” She said between hyperventilating breaths that made her stutter her words. “Just-t-t l-leave me alone! I c-can’t d-def-fend you, c-cant k-keep anyone-one out of da-danger. I’ve told, told, told told, you before I don’t know what I’m d-doing! This-this is all a cruel cruel joke by the be-beings behind the stars! They see what we do!” she looked up, her face red and tear soaked. “You see what we do!” She shook her fist at to the afternoon sky. “What did i ever do to desrve this?! i did the right things! I’Ve been kind! I’VE BEEN BRAVE WHEN I’Ve been scared! I’Ve done the right things and what do i get? tell me, you invisible puppetteers! i dance the way you tell me to dance and what does it get me?! I’LL TELL YOU WHAT ITS GOTTEN ME; Starved, frozen of a mountain, attacked by magic, lost in a desert, hunted, hated, lost, marked for death! I’Ve had enough! enough! enough! just leave me alone! I’M tired of this game you play with us! WE’Re just tiny things! WHY CAN’T you just leave us alone?!”

  There were no more words to say. She’d said them all. And somewhere beneath the part of her that made her human-like, something far more primal had worked itself to the surface. Her crying devolved into the sound like that of a baby goat that had been separated from its mother. The sound was as unnerving as it was sad. Her throat opened wide and the full pained bleat of her animal side split the air in all ways such a sound could be pitiful to hear. Something deep inside the faun’s spirit had broken.