The Master Traveler

By Derek Bailey

Ema Moreau is a teenage girl who does not have much but might just lose the most important thing she has left—her younger sister, Silver. Silver is sick and getting worse each day, but luckily, she is the next on a list to receive a miraculous cure from a flower that can be used to treat any ailment. Unfortunately, soldiers from the kingdom have come and claimed that they will be retrieving the flower used to make the medicine for the king. In desperation, Ema takes the chance to make it to the flower first. Others from the village, who were originally planning to help make the medicine for Silver, now can see the chance to use the flower for their own purposes instead.

While traveling, Ema is tracked down by a mysterious boy named Rainald. He is clever and sneaky, and he seems to know a lot about her. Though wanting the miracle flower for himself, Rainald proposes that working together will increase the odds that one of them will end up with the flower. Though Ema does not like the proposition, she has no other choice but to agree.

As the two travel and escape dangerous circumstances, they even begin to become friends, something that Ema does not know much about either. As they become close, Rainald remains very protective of his plans, identity, and even information on Ema’s own tragic past. Has she finally found someone who is willing to help her? Or should she be vigilant to the threat that Rainald really is just keeping her around as long as it benefits him? Nothing is certain, except that Ema is not going to be the same person at the end of this journey as when she began.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 15, 2022
• ISBN: 9781662456510

Book preview

Chapter 1

Green Moon

The lime green moonlight coming through the window onto Silver’s face seems to create the perfect moment. I watch her close her eyes and take a deep breath. In this instant, she appears so radiant and full of energy. Just like she soon will every day. But I better explain that. Silver, my little sister, is sick. Actually, really sick. But she’s probably the best faker I know. I think she smiles twice as much in a day as I ever have. Hopefully that doesn’t give you the wrong impression about me. I don’t have a storm cloud over my head and a frown glued to my face. I’m just one of those girls you’d never call bubbly. I get things done. You see, Silver got sick right after Mom and Dad died three years ago. They’d gotten sick too. When they passed, the responsibility of taking care of her and myself fell to yours truly.

Before I sing myself too high of praises, I should confess things really aren’t too difficult for us. You see, our village, Vildelana, is small. Sometimes, I think it’s a little too small, but I guess that’s why everyone around us is so nice. Of course, there are a few people I wish would switch villages or something. But in general, I think the village has looked out for us. They knew our parents well and want their two daughters to live normal lives. Enough about our village for now though. I’m sure you don’t want to hear me ramble on about that.

I sit down on the small bed next to Silver. She’s going to turn twelve next month, and in a best-case scenario, she’ll be better by her birthday. I pick up my mom’s hairbrush from the small kitchen table next to her bed. I smile as I softly brush Silver’s long blonde hair. Of course, I’m not pleased because I like combing hair. Blah, taking half the day just to look nice is a complete waste. I do it so I can be close to her. So we can be together and just silently enjoy each other’s company. Sadly enough, brushing her hair is one of the only things we can do together anymore.

My moon is so much prettier than any other night, she says softly as she continues to stare out the window.

Your moon, huh? I breathe out a laugh and set down the brush. I take a moment to look at the somewhat eerie green glow the moon gives off. Putting my personal feelings aside…no, it’s still actually pretty creepy. Yet tonight, it’s something to be celebrated. I move a little closer to Silver, wrap my arms around her from behind, and pull her against me in a hug. You’re right. It’s, by far, the prettiest moon I’ve seen.

Why’s it her moon, you’re thinking? Geez, didn’t I already explain that? Guess not. Anyway, once each year, there’s a flower that blooms on the top of Candle Mountain. Why’s it called Candle Mountain? I don’t know, probably some dumb metaphor or something. I’m not big on folklore if you haven’t guessed. Back to the point: When the moon turns green, it means the flower has bloomed. The flower can be used to make a medicine that can heal any sickness. You’ve got a broken leg? The flower will heal it. You’ve got an incurable blood disease? The flower can heal that too. The cough? Flower. Loneliness? A broken heart? Well, I’m not so sure about that sappy junk. But if there’s something actually wrong with you, the cure can be made from this flower. When this single flower blooms, the moon turns green. Why? I’m not sure. I wouldn’t believe it myself, but every year, it happens. And every year, the cure helps out someone here in Vildelana, so it’s kinda hard to be pessimistic about something like that.

Hopefully you’ve put two and two together. Green moon, healing flower, and I have a sick sister. The missing piece you might need to know is this: there’s a wait list for the cure. I couldn’t be happier to say, Silver Moreau is at the top of that list.

A knock on the door takes me, and probably Silver, from our respective thoughts. I give her one last squeeze as the quiet moment fades. As get up, I quickly move the table over so I’ll be able to open the door all the way. I’m greeted by the warm smile of our neighbor Charity. Hi, Em! Okay, pause for a moment. Charity is our neighbor and probably, as strange as it is to say, my closest friend. She’s about twenty-five, a ten-year difference between us, and yet I’m still a little taller than her. She’s about the opposite of her husband, Volera, who has broad shoulders and stands a head taller than me. He took me on as a somewhat apprentice in his bakery until their boys are old enough to help him out.

Charity steps inside and gives me a hug with one arm because she’s holding some bread for us in the other. I’m so glad it happened tonight! I pull back from her as the hug naturally ends.

I know. All this waiting has been killing me. I take a step back so she can go over to Silver. I know that’s who she really came to see.

Charity steps past me, sets the loaf of bread down on the table, and stands next to Silver’s small bed. Congratulations! I’m so happy for you.

Silver responds with her sweet innocent smile that she shamefully uses to win people over to her in an instant. Thank you so much! She slightly cocks her head off to one side. I think I feel a little better already!

Charity laughs and reaches down to stoke Silver’s hair herself. If that’s the case, maybe we’ll have to use the cure for someone else this year.

Even knowing it’s a joke, I see a flicker of alarm in Silver’s eyes. I don’t step in though; she’ll play it off without my help. Silver puts the back of her hand to her forehead theatrically. Oh my, I feel the sickness coming back now. She lets out a weak fake cough, which makes us smile for a moment until it turns into a real cough. I quickly move over by the two of them, grabbing a cup of water from the table, and hold it within her grasp. Thanks, she says quietly as she contains another cough.

After watching Silver sip the water, Charity rests her hand on Silver’s shoulder. Do you two lovely girls have any friends you’re going to meet up with to watch the parade tomorrow? Silver shakes her head no and looks to me.

I haven’t really thought about it, and I don’t feel the need to think about it now either. I sit down on my bed opposite of Silver’s. We don’t, so we’ll come and watch with you and help with the boys.

Charity raises her eyebrows at me expectantly. Me and the boys would definitely enjoy that. She turns back to Silver and strokes her hair with her hand once again. But I’m sure there are other boys in the village that would also like having you two around.

It seems to me that openly scoffing at her remark would be rude, so instead, I just shrug. I guess we’ll see what happens then. Silver lets out a small cough, which thankfully seems to end that topic. Charity leans over and lightly kisses Silver on the top of her head.

You’ve got a big day ahead of you tomorrow. You should get some rest. Silver bobs her head in response, not answering aloud in fear she’ll start coughing again. Charity turns back to face me. Em, if you can come by the bakery early tomorrow. I’m sure my husband could use your help preparing for the festival.

I nod as I move back over to the door. I was already planning on that. Of course, if we have everything baked before the festival starts, then I bet we can deal with the parade rush. Charity comes over to me and gives me another hug. She holds me tighter than normal, and it seems to be unusually long.

I’m so happy for you two, she says as she pulls away. She doesn’t look at me as she seems to be holding back some emotion. She then quickly turns and leaves our small shack of a house, closing the door behind her. I keep looking at the door. I know she cares about us. Yet that goodbye really surprises me. Why’s she so emotional? I shake my head and turn back to Silver. The little imp shoots me that adorable smile of hers. There’s my answer. How could you not love that? I move back over to the bed, move the table once again, and turn to close our window.

Can we leave it open tonight? Silver asks quietly.

It gets too cold to leave the window open.

She turns from me to look straight at the moon. This is special. I want to see the moon in case I wake up. That way, I won’t think it was all just a dream. The sincerity of her words catches me off guard. She doesn’t ask for much. Sometimes it seems like she doesn’t even mind being sick, but it’s just her way of being strong, I guess.

I leave the window open a crack, just enough to let the eerie green light creep in. I kiss Silver on the top of her head, pull a blanket off my bed, and put it over her. Enjoy your moon. You deserve it. Though it’s too dark to really see her, I watch her relax, and within a few moments, it looks like she’s already asleep.

I lay down and stare at the ceiling, staring at nothing. The past few years have been hard, yet we survived. With Silver getting cured, everything will be good in the world again. Silver soon will be able to go outside and run around. Maybe she’ll even go play with the other kids and make friends. She probably won’t even need me anymore. I close my own eyes as I try not to think about that last part. Tomorrow, for sure, will be a big day. I need to get my rest too.

Chapter 2

Festival

I carefully maneuver a loaf of sweet bread out from the back of the large stone oven. Usually we don’t cram in so much bread, but today’s different. It’s the festival celebrating the green moon! The village gets together for a celebration and puts on a parade to send off the villagers on their quest to Candle Mountain. The parade usually starts at noonday, so we still should have time to bake before all the major festivities start. Volera brushes some flour off his clothes as he looks over the bread I just pulled out of the oven. "C’est beau! He turns his attention toward me as I sprinkle a little extra sugar over the cooling bread. Excellent work, Em. My shop will be in good hands while I am getting your sister’s flower."

Trying to match Silver’s cute performance from the night before, I tilt my head to the side and give him a winning smile. I learned from the best!

He laughs at that and pats my shoulder softly. Everyone seems to be in a pretty good mood, myself included. Usually, Monsieur Volera and I talk and joke a little as we work, but we keep pretty focused overall. The shop door opens, and Volera turns toward the customer, but instead of helping, he looks back to me. I’ll finish that for you. I set down the sugar, not knowing why he’s taking over for me. I usually help customers, but he’ll step up if I’m in the middle of something.

Good day, Em. I know who it is even before I turn around.

One loaf of sweet bread? I ask Simon, though I already know what he’ll say. Simon has light brown hair and always is smiling and nice. He’s a regular at the shop and one of the few people close to my age that I don’t avoid running into.

Yes, that would be perfect. I start to turn, but he quickly continues. My uncle and father keep me working hard building houses. Coming here gives me a chance to catch my breath. It motivates me to do well in my apprenticeship.

I nod back to him. Yeah, it’s good bread. I didn’t know anyone could be so strongly motivated by food. As I said, Simon’s nice, but he also says strange things when we talk.

He quickly fills in the silence. I heard Silver’s getting the cure. How long did you two have to wait? I glance back to Volera. We’re always polite with customers, but he’s the only one that ever really stops to have conversations. He doesn’t give me any hint to get back to helping him, so I guess I can keep talking.

Well, it’s been four years. I look at the ground. I guess it’s to avoid looking at him for a moment. I don’t like explaining the next part. The cure was originally for my mother. But when she died and my sister fell sick shortly after, the village elders gave her spot to Silver.

I’m sorry about your late father and mother. They were good people. His solemn expression changes as he smiles warmly. Not to mention that they raised some incredible daughters.

Since I honestly don’t know how to respond to that, I just smile at his unusual compliment before turning around.

I retrieve the bread and set it on the small table between us. Is this all for today? Or can I tempt you with further motivation? He stands up straighter than before at that comment.

Uh… I mean, I would like that very much.

I spin back toward Volera and the fresh breads. How about a raisin loaf then? I think you’d like it. I grab a loaf and bring it back to the table. He doesn’t say anything for a moment but then nods and smiles sheepishly.

Of course, that’s exactly what I had in mind. He sets some money on the table, picks up the loaves, and hastily leaves. I take the coins and write down what we sold. Volera comes up behind me, clearing his throat.

How much older is Simon than you? The question catches me off guard. Like I said, we usually talk as we work, but it’s strange for him to drop what he’s doing to have a conversation with me. Especially since we’re so busy. I shrug and open the oven.

Hmm… Two years, I think. So he’s about seventeen, I guess. I turn some of the breads that are almost done cooking. Why?

He lets out a chuckle. It is strange. He has come in here every day for the last month. That’s a lot of bread.

I look at Volera to try to read him, but he just keeps on working, keeping his face away from me. Boys eat a lot of bread, I guess? I wait for some sort of response, but get nothing. I quickly go back to the oven. It’d be a mess if we burn a full oven at once.

As I move the bread around with the peel, he finally says, He’s just a good boy. That’s all. I frown as I close the oven. What interest does Monsieur Volera have in him? He already has me to help with the bakery. There wouldn’t be enough to do if three of us were here at the same time. A sound from outside keeps me from having to think about it more.

I try to glance outside the small shop window, but I can’t see anything except people crowded around. I don’t know what it is, but whatever’s happening has everyone’s attention. Is the parade starting early? Volera shakes his head, showing he doesn’t know, and the two of us go outside.

There are way more people than I thought. I look around to see what the commotion is about. Nothing seems to be out of place. The decorations are hanging up already, and to my surprise, it looks like how it usually does on every other festival day.

It’s surprising because last year, after the green moon and after the villagers got the flower, the cure was made. The man who was supposed to receive the cure had a brother. The brother picked up the cure after it was…brewed? I guess. Anyway, the unsick brother didn’t end up taking the cure to his sick brother. No one knows where he ran off to. The sick guy, the thief’s brother, died shortly after that. It was huge news, especially in our little town. Lucky for Silver and I, the village elders still ruled we’d receive the cure this year. However, the damage was done. This year, our village isn’t quite as upbeat about the whole miracle cure thing. I mean, I guess it makes sense why. Someone died who could’ve been saved. There’s still been a buzz about the festival, but it has been nothing like past years.

Back to the square, more people continue to crowd in. Maybe there are over a hundred people now. That never happens, except for when the parade’s going. But even then, most of the village is part of the parade itself. Something’s different; it’s still too early for the parade to start. I follow the direction that a woman is pointing, and I see what’s causing the stir: a group of the king’s soldiers are entering the square. They wear full armor and ride in on horses. One man is in front, and two rows of soldiers all follow in behind at the same pace. They travel through the crowd as if it’s something they do every day. It takes me by surprise, as I’m sure it does the rest of the town. In the past, we’ve had maybe two soldiers come visit our far-off village to make sure that all’s well enough. Never before have this many come.

I don’t claim to have an eye for detail, but the leader stands out from the rest of the group. His dark red armor shines in the light, unlike the slightly dented armor the others wear. They all come to a sudden halt as they reach the middle of the square. The soldier in front takes off his helmet to reveal jet-black hair that matches his full goatee. He pauses for a moment while the murmuring crowd quiets down.