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Authors: Brandon Charles West
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to the two Stidolph.
Just then Scarlet felt something rub against her leg, and she jumped, making Melody squeal. Looking down, she saw Cricket standing next to her. When she looked up again, the Stidolph had gone. Dakota nodded to the girls but didn’t come over, leaving instead through another passage out of the hall.
What was all that about? Scarlet wondered. What had Dakota sacrificed? Had he once been a Stidolph like the other two, and why did they call him Udd Lyall? He had obviously changed into a dog so that he could come to live with her family, but if he had changed into a dog, why couldn’t he change back? And what was it that dogs don’t? It had certainly made Ulrich look sad enough. Her list of questions seemed to be growing exponentially with each passing hour. She would have to find out later, though; today she was going to explore the land of her dreams—only this time she’d be awake.
“You want to come exploring with us?” she asked Cricket, feeling a little funny talking to the family dog.
“Can I?” Cricket asked excitedly.
“Of course,” Scarlet responded, and the three of them set off out of the castle and into the village.
Unlike Lindi, every Tounder they saw seemed overjoyed to meet Scarlet as they walked down the main street. Everyone waved and pointed. To Scarlet, it felt a little like being a movie star rather than a guest. It was hard to decide where to go first, it all was so weird and wonderful.
Melody was drawn to a shop with carts sitting out front bearing strange but succulent-looking fruit. She stared wide-eyed at the multicolored assortment, finally focusing on what looked like silver grapes.
“What are those?” she asked boldly, when the shop owner approached her.
“Those are guildagrapes,” the shopkeeper answered pleasantly. She removed a bunch from the stand and handed them to Melody, who wasted no time plopping one into her mouth, her eyes lighting up with pleasure. “Try one, Scarlet. They’re so good!”
Scarlet took a couple from the bunch and ate them slowly, savoring each one. It was difficult to describe the taste—like the sweetest grapes Scarlet had ever eaten, but with a hint of something else that she had never tasted before.
“Thank you,” she said.
“It is my pleasure,” responded the shopkeeper. “It is such a happy day that sees you here and safe with us.” The shopkeeper bowed slightly and went back into her store.
The store across the street drew their attention next. It was filled with glowing objects of every imaginable shape and size. As they entered the store they were bathed in the soft illumination of hundreds of these objects. It was difficult to figure out exactly what they were, but if Scarlet had to guess, she would have said that they were decorations or trinkets.
“They are toys,” the shop’s owner said, appearing from a back room carrying a small orange ball pulsing with light. “You have that look of curiosity that I welcome in my store. We haven’t had any visitors to Illuminora in quite a while,” he explained.
“They’re beautiful!” exclaimed Scarlet. “What are they made of?”
The toymaker turned his head quizzically. “My, you are from far off, aren’t you? They are made of light, sweetie.”
“ Made of light?” Scarlet asked, puzzled. “How can that be?”
“When you know the secrets of light, it is no more difficult than building something out of wood or stone, which of course is to say that it’s quite difficult if you’re trying to create something truly art-worthy. But not impossible.” The toymaker laughed. “Would you like one?”
“Oh, thank you, but we don’t have any way of paying you,” Scarlet answered bashfully.
“Paying me?” the toymaker rebuked. “I could never accept payment from the For Tol Don.”
“What’s a fortoldon?” she asked, confused.
A look of worry crossed the toymaker’s face. “You mean to say you don’t know?” he said in a hushed
Just then Scarlet felt something rub against her leg, and she jumped, making Melody squeal. Looking down, she saw Cricket standing next to her. When she looked up again, the Stidolph had gone. Dakota nodded to the girls but didn’t come over, leaving instead through another passage out of the hall.
What was all that about? Scarlet wondered. What had Dakota sacrificed? Had he once been a Stidolph like the other two, and why did they call him Udd Lyall? He had obviously changed into a dog so that he could come to live with her family, but if he had changed into a dog, why couldn’t he change back? And what was it that dogs don’t? It had certainly made Ulrich look sad enough. Her list of questions seemed to be growing exponentially with each passing hour. She would have to find out later, though; today she was going to explore the land of her dreams—only this time she’d be awake.
“You want to come exploring with us?” she asked Cricket, feeling a little funny talking to the family dog.
“Can I?” Cricket asked excitedly.
“Of course,” Scarlet responded, and the three of them set off out of the castle and into the village.
Unlike Lindi, every Tounder they saw seemed overjoyed to meet Scarlet as they walked down the main street. Everyone waved and pointed. To Scarlet, it felt a little like being a movie star rather than a guest. It was hard to decide where to go first, it all was so weird and wonderful.
Melody was drawn to a shop with carts sitting out front bearing strange but succulent-looking fruit. She stared wide-eyed at the multicolored assortment, finally focusing on what looked like silver grapes.
“What are those?” she asked boldly, when the shop owner approached her.
“Those are guildagrapes,” the shopkeeper answered pleasantly. She removed a bunch from the stand and handed them to Melody, who wasted no time plopping one into her mouth, her eyes lighting up with pleasure. “Try one, Scarlet. They’re so good!”
Scarlet took a couple from the bunch and ate them slowly, savoring each one. It was difficult to describe the taste—like the sweetest grapes Scarlet had ever eaten, but with a hint of something else that she had never tasted before.
“Thank you,” she said.
“It is my pleasure,” responded the shopkeeper. “It is such a happy day that sees you here and safe with us.” The shopkeeper bowed slightly and went back into her store.
The store across the street drew their attention next. It was filled with glowing objects of every imaginable shape and size. As they entered the store they were bathed in the soft illumination of hundreds of these objects. It was difficult to figure out exactly what they were, but if Scarlet had to guess, she would have said that they were decorations or trinkets.
“They are toys,” the shop’s owner said, appearing from a back room carrying a small orange ball pulsing with light. “You have that look of curiosity that I welcome in my store. We haven’t had any visitors to Illuminora in quite a while,” he explained.
“They’re beautiful!” exclaimed Scarlet. “What are they made of?”
The toymaker turned his head quizzically. “My, you are from far off, aren’t you? They are made of light, sweetie.”
“ Made of light?” Scarlet asked, puzzled. “How can that be?”
“When you know the secrets of light, it is no more difficult than building something out of wood or stone, which of course is to say that it’s quite difficult if you’re trying to create something truly art-worthy. But not impossible.” The toymaker laughed. “Would you like one?”
“Oh, thank you, but we don’t have any way of paying you,” Scarlet answered bashfully.
“Paying me?” the toymaker rebuked. “I could never accept payment from the For Tol Don.”
“What’s a fortoldon?” she asked, confused.
A look of worry crossed the toymaker’s face. “You mean to say you don’t know?” he said in a hushed
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