Page 25 of Quest

Skepticism furrowed his brow at my hasty lie. “Then is there another explanation for your inattentiveness?”

Remorse filled me that I’d allowed my consuming worries to come before the importance of our quest and consideration for a key participant, inattention even more inexcusable after our tentative truce in the invisible battle we’d been engaged in since we’d met.

“My apologies, I’m simply pondering the puzzle before us. No matter how carefully we study this legend, there doesn’t seem to be any hidden meaning.”

He smirked, his characteristic habit for whenever he successfully won a victory during our strained interactions “That’s because you’re not looking carefully enough—you’re only viewing the surface rather than what lies beneath.”

My lips twitched at the memory of the same accusation I’d made towards Ren when he hadn’t immediately seen the curse’s lingering hold upon the land. “Profound wisdom.”

Ren rolled his eyes, but strangely, rather than finding the gesture annoying as I had previously, it now only amused me. Ren’s interactions were so different to how my servants, loyal retainers, and subjects treated me—deference that lifted me up on a pedestal I often felt I didn’t deserve. Ren’s disdain had softened from the harshness that had been present before, teasing me like he might a friend, a change I welcomed.

“We’ve previously been viewing the legend at surface level, and while it presents an essential picture of what we’re facing, further detail lies hidden beyond our line of sight.” He traced his fingertip along each curvy letter. “This is an enchanted script.”

“Enchanted?” In my vast studies I’d never encountered a tangible example of this ancient magic. Intrigued, I leaned closer, squinting through the faint candlelight. “How can you tell?”

The corners of his lips curled upward, tinged with a hint of smugness. “My duty to decipher the legend doesn’t extend to sharing my trade secrets, but to commemorate our newfound truce, I’ll enlighten you.”

He held the scroll up to the faint light, tilting it at just the right angle. At first the ink appeared entirely ordinary, but upon closer examination I detected a faint glisten across the letters different from the glimmer of candlelight, as if some sort of power resided deep within the words themselves.

I blinked several times but the shimmer remained, evidence there was something hidden beneath the ink…contents I suspected contained information we desperately needed. “Extraordinary,” I murmured.

Ren’s eyes glistened eagerly, a welcome change to the suspicion that had been present until now. “The most important secrets and knowledge have multiple layers of protection.”

“Can you access it?” Desperation penetrated my usual stoic mask.

He hesitated for a slight moment—evidence of the wariness that lingered from our old antagonism—before nodding. “I’ll begin the preparations.”

He picked up his lantern that emanated no light and went a short distance away, pausing only to gather supplies from his satchel. Though I was too far to see which ingredients he used, the gentle clinking of glass bottles and the soft rustle of plants filled the quiet of the night, while the earthy and floral scents of herbs drifted towards where I restlessly waited.

I watched as he gracefully tipped a jar to dispense a few glistening flecks, pondering the almost feminine way in which he moved. It wasn’t the first time I’d noticed it, but I’d uncomfortably dismissed the notion before. Now I wondered whether it was my guilty conscience that had caused me to ignore it.

Ren was a taller, more masculine version of his sister, and though my interaction with her had been brief, it had been memorable…and left me with regret. I winced as I recalled my condescending tone and the way I’d forced my royal decree on her father with no regard for her frantic objections.

I glanced away from the herbalist, trying to push aside the memories he stirred up. I might owe the young woman an apology once this quest was completed, but at the moment there was nothing I could do about it and I needed to focus on my task.

When Ren returned with the finished concoction, I expected some sort of paste or potion, but instead he carried a mortar filled with a very fine powder, almost like pollen. “What’s that?” I asked.

“A simple revealing charm designed specifically for scripts from this era.”

I watched in fascination as he dipped his fingertip into the substance, lightly brushed it over the ink, and blew; the powder scattered, similar to dandelion seeds carried by the wind. The layer of letters he’d covered vanished, revealing another line of text hidden beneath, written in a language I’d never seen before.

I leaned forward excitedly, squinting at the curling letters as though by intense concentration I could read the unfamiliar script. “Are you able to decipher it?”

He nodded. “It’s written in a language that requires an ancient cipher that only those of my heritage would know.” Ren pored over it, appearing to wrestle with the translation as he mouthed words to himself before finally sitting up with a nod. “It appears that the key to unlocking the spell lies in deciphering a riddle embedded in the text, which hints at three essential ingredients.” He read a bit further before lightly dusting the next line with his enchantment. “This part reveals the first riddle:where the heavens touch the earth and night kisses the day, seek the silver gleam where the moon's children play. A place that applies to all of these unique elements…an interesting puzzle.”

Despite my vast knowledge of my kingdom’s geography, the cryptic words left me feeling lost. I felt humbled by Ren’s knowledge of Lumeria’s vast landscape as he thoughtfully studied the riddle, studies which the cursed night’s hold upon the barren land would have forced him to acquire exclusively through books until the light’s return. I felt guilty that my misplaced pride had ever caused me to doubt him.

In the face of his expertise, I was desperate to contribute with the first thought that entered my mind. “Moon’s childrenlikely refers to something related to the moon.”

“Astutely deciphered, Your Highness.” Though Ren’s tone contained a politeness that had been absent in his previous biting remarks, I detected his underlining sarcasm as one corner of his mouth tipped up faintly.

My cheeks burned at my nonsensical remark, one that should have been beneath my royal training in logic and rhetoric.

For some reason, this man undermined the image of control I strove to maintain before my subjects, as if despite our current truce he had made it his personal mission to subtly get under my skin. “Don’t be too lavish with your praise.” Teasing him felt far preferable to the awkwardness from my embarrassing ineptness.

He smirked. “I will give you the praise your wounded pride craves if you happen to know which herbs only blossom at night in this area of the kingdom. You’ve already demonstrated a surprising array of knowledge in a subject I admittedly assumed a prince would be ignorant of, especially considering you acquired the services of a renowned herbalist.”

“Was that a compliment?”

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