The Goldhedge Festival

We tumbled into existence in a heap. While Madeline, Ashley, and Rachel appeared gracefully, the rest of us pitched forward onto the floor. Unable to catch myself and still dizzy, I face planted into the grass. Ugh…my stomach….

Madeline must have cast a teleportation spell to bring all of us here, wherever "here" was. During the teleportation, I felt like my entire being was being squeezed like a tube of toothpaste. I thought I saw stars, but it could've just been my eyes playing tricks on me. There was intense pressure, and just when I thought I couldn't take it anymore, we popped into existence again. My stomach desperately wanted to regurgitate my breakfast. I forced the bile down, thinking that throwing up in front of Madeline and the others would not be a good impression.

A beetle scuttled through the blades of grass in front of my face. I pushed myself up, and almost fell back down. I looked at Madeline, Ashley, and Rachel, who seemed to be the only ones not affected.

"How are you guys—?" I started, but just then I felt extreme discomfort in my stomach. Spinning around, I threw up onto the grass, heaving all of my breakfast out. Fortunately, Lucian, Aaron, Indigo, and Jason all seemed to be experiencing the same nausea and were all still on the floor, puking their hearts out. At least I was standing.

"Ah, yes, I forgot to warn you about this," Madeline said with a sheepish smile. "First time teleporting can be a bit…uncomfortable. Don't worry; it won't happen the next time."

"I don't think there's going to be a next time," groaned Lucian before throwing up again.

"I am never doing this again," complained Aaron, looking sick.

"How are you guys not affected?" I tried speaking again.

"I think the reason Rachel and I weren't affected was because of our magic," Ashley said. "Since both of us are sorceresses and we cast spells regularly. Maybe we just have a natural defense against it."

"Children, this is where I must leave you. Are there any last questions before I depart?" Madeline looked at us.

Since half of our team was still on the floor puking, I decided to take charge. "Where are we, first of all?" I asked.

"You're about two miles from the town of Goldhedge. See that road over there?" Madeline pointed to a dirt road towards the left. "Head north down that road, and you will reach Goldhedge. After that, keep heading north, past Queenrise and a few other towns, and you will reach Strongfair."

"Okay, thank you," Indigo said, finally standing up. She wiped her mouth on her sleeve. "Thank you for everything, Madeline. It was an honor meeting you."

"It was my pleasure meeting the prophesied Rosewood Seven," Madeline replied. "I can see the talent you all possess. When the time comes, know that I will be fighting on your side."

She faced all of us. "Remember: be careful, be alert, and trust no one except each other. Lord Victor is cunning and sly. He will try to break your team apart. Your teamwork is what will defeat him ultimately. I will tell your parents that you all are not dead yet." She winked at us.

"Wait!" I suddenly remembered something. "Back at the inn, when the evil smoke attacked—I heard a voice in my head. It felt like it was taking over my mind. There was a lot of pain and coldness. What was that all about? How come it only affected me?"

"Well…" Madeline hesitated a little. "The evil smoke that you refer to is actually the very essence of Evils. Few encounters have been recorded, and it is usually fatal. I'm not entirely sure why only you heard a voice, but I surmise it may be because of your magic."

"My magic?" I questioned.

"You have special magic in your blood, which may be what attracted the essence of Evil. Your body put up a fight, which is why you felt the coldness and the pain," Madeline explained. "Some say Lord Victor himself is trying to take over the person's mind and soul. You were lucky Ashley and Rachel were able to banish it in time and extract it from your body. Although, even I am unsure of how this encounter will affect you in the future; there has never been someone who has survived from an attack by the essence of Evil."

I blinked, my brain reeling from what could have happened and what may happen in the future. I remembered the pain and the cold all too well; I never wanted to feel that sensation ever again.

"Well, I will be on my way. Stay vigilant, and stay safe, my children." As we watched, Madeline's form began to shimmer and glow. The edges softened, and a dazzling gold light began to shine. Madeline began to fade into the bright golden light. "May fortune be with you!" Then there was a brilliant flash, and Madeline was gone.

I looked at Indigo, and we both looked at the three guys still groaning on the floor. Indigo tsked her tongue. "Look at you three, still on the floor. All the girls are up and ready and you three men are still throwing up your breakfast?" She kicked Lucian's leg with her boot. Lucian moaned and rolled away feebly to collide with Aaron.

"We're not men; we're children," he complained. "Can't you give us a few minutes?" Ashley and Rachel approached, and the four of us looked at the pitiful sight of all the guys on the floor.

"Well, we can't go anywhere with them like this," Rachel sighed.

"Yeah. Might as well rest for a while," Ashley agreed. I shrugged.

"Guess so. Indigo?"

"Mmmm, it's almost noon. We can eat something while we wait for the boys to recover," she said.

"Don't talk about food," the boys moaned in unison.

* * * * *

When everyone was finally well enough to travel, we set out on foot towards Goldhedge. My legs began to ache after a mile. Ironically, I was never the one for exercise, even though practicing my sword could be counted as a form of exercise. But now that we don't have our horses for transportation, I began to realize how much less progress we were making. We weren't taking a nice leisure stroll through the countryside, but our pace was hardly faster. One can only walk so fast without tiring quickly.

It was about three in the afternoon when we finally reached Goldhedge. According to our map, the next town on our way was nearly ten miles away, and at the speed we were going, we wouldn't make it before nightfall. Led by Lucian, we all agreed to stop for the day.

Walking into the town, I could tell that something was up. Everyone was talking, some excited, some nervous. There was so many people, way too many for a town, even a large one like Goldhedge. Colorful streamers and decorations were all over the streets and buildings. Was it some sort of festival?

We decided to split up again. Seven people in a group was just too suspicious. While Indigo, Lucian, Aaron, and Rachel headed for an inn called the Lucky Goose, Ashley, Jason, and I wandered on, trying to gather some information before finding an inn. We agreed to meet back at the town square in half an hour. The town square itself was busy and crowded, with lots of vendors and bustling shoppers. The people spilled from the town square and into the streets. I saw colorful tents set up in the grassy areas near the edge of town, no different than a carnival. What was going on?

A young boy about the age of nine or ten ran past us with a cheeky grin on his face. I reached out and grabbed his arm. He skidded to a stop and looked at us curiously.

"Hi, we're travelers. Could you tell us what's going on?" I gestured to all the commotion around us. "Is it some sort of festival?"

"Oh, that's why you look unfamiliar," the boy said. "It's a festival that happens every year. We celebrate like prosperity and the harvest and stuff. There's food and vendors and everything! It looks interesting now, but everything's better at night because that's when all the entertainment comes on." His head bobbed enthusiastically.

"The harvest?" Ashley questioned. "But it's barely the start of autumn."

"I don't know; that's what we learned in school. I don't really know what it's supposed to celebrate, actually," the boy shrugged. "All I know is that this is the one time Mum lets us run around and have fun. I'm off to play with my friends!" He took off again. I looked at Ashley and Jason, an eyebrow raised.

"So it is a festival," Jason said. "Though of what exactly, we don't know."

"Maybe we should ask an adult," Ashley suggested. We looked around for someone to ask.