Moonlight Rainbow Chapter 7

Chapter: 7  One Big Step

“You-you’re Sphinx?!” I asked in perplexity.

“Why did you think I was much younger of the age I am?”

“No…” I lied.

“Rhinn, would you mind bring a little cage for the bird from the wardrobe in there?”

“Sure, master.”

“Sit, Kate” he said with his never ending smile. He started removing my bandages. “Guess you won’t be needing them for now.”

“Ooh, I don’t think I should be here if you don’t mind. You see I have escaped from my room because of this birdie and if Linn finds out I broke my promise, she’s gonna be real mad at me” I tried to explain my condition.

“We’re never at the wrong place, my child” he said. “You see, there’s this power which attracts us everything that we have written in our fates by the stars.”

“What do you mean?”

“Every way chosen by you would determine your destiny” he said trashing the bandages aside.

“Umm…. okay…” He sounded more complex with each line.

“You chose to rescue the bird that brought you here. Wonder what would have happened if you had not chosen to save the bird’s life at all?” I heard Rhinn from behind.

“I wouldn’t have come here. So what’s the big deal?”  I asked. “I would have been sleeping right now.”

“Yes” Sphinx said. “And you would have missed the chance of making an important decision of your life tonight.”

“Another decision?”

“That would in turn affect your life on a little higher level.”

“Okay…” I replied. “And what decision would that be?”

“A decision between your wishes and other’s expectations of you.”

“What do you mean?”

“You will understand” he said getting up as Rhinn was done keeping the bird in the cage. A feather of the bird fell on the ground.

Sphinx held it up and gave it to me. “It’s the feather of the bird of dreams. Each one has a power of about a thousand full moon nights. I believe you’ll need it tonight.”

I took it with a weird face. I was living in a fantasy where anytime, anything could turn true. A world of magic, yeah that was it. So unpredictable.

Wait, does that mean I had powers too?  I thought.

“You have powers stronger than any of the four protectors of Yuracia” he said with his warm smile. “Just make sure you don’t waste the gift offered to you or else it may burden you the rest of your life.”

His face reflected rays of peacefulness and kindness; but at the same time, his eyes carried mystery. He could read my mind. He could calm the storm within me in seconds. Who was this person? What was he?

Sphinx brought out a locket out of his cloak and gave it to me.

“That would be my offering to you for visiting me for the first time” he said. “As long as this is with you, nothing shall harm your existence in this world.”



A little while later, Rhinn and I were walking down towards the palace.

“You’re not a maid, are you now?” I asked her.

“Why?!” she exclaimed hard. “Do I look like one?!”

“With that cloak of yours, of course yes”

“That’s it!” she replied. “That’s what he…”

“What?” I asked.

“Oh leave” she let go of the topic.

I was still wondering what possibly could happen to me tonight. We were now at the palace ground while suddenly Rhinn grabbed me and hid me with her behind a pillar.

“What are you doing?!” I asked.

“Shh” she whispered. “Look Ivan! No one should know you’re out of the room else there would be a great problem for you.”

“Oh yeah, right” I got her point. “Thanks.”

We listened as he talked to the army general.

“We need men, right now!”

“Men?!” he asked. “But he said you won’t need any.”

“Yeah that was because we didn’t know until then there’s this fugitive with them” Ivan replied. “We’re gonna need men to bring her back here while we completely destroy the enemy.”

“Okay, how many so you need?”

“Two units; cavalry and infantries”, he replied.

“Who’s the fugitive?” I left my ambush as I had this strange feeling in my heart.

“It’s that new girl’s sister”, he slipped his tongue. “Hey wait. Who the hell are you?”

I stood frozen. Alice was here. My sister was here!

Rhinn replied for me. “She’s the new girl Ivan.”

“I’m sorry but I can’t take you there” he answered before I questioned.

“Ivan-“, I cut Rhinn immediately.

“That’s fine. But make sure you bring her safe back here” I told.

“Sure thing. Man, and Soren calls you stubborn” he sighed. “I always knew he had problems settling with girls.”

I just grinned as Ivan left.

“Are you sure you’re gonna stay?”

“What do you think?”

“Aah… give that cage to me. I’ll keep it in your room” she took it away. “Soren’s hardly wrong at his comments, you see.”

I whispered thanks to her as she gave me her cloak to wear.

“That should help you move around here to where he would be leaving from. Find a place somewhere inside or above the infantry carriage. Else, return back to your room.”

“There’s no way I’m coming here without Alice.”

“All the best” she wished. “Be careful. And be wise.”



I covered my face as I headed for the palace gate where all the carriages and horses were being set. I looked around and found hardly anyone had arrived yet. The carriages were here with their drivers but the army units were probably getting ready for the call. Now was my chance. Now, or never.

Something very funny came to my mind. I wasn’t sure I would succeed but I had to try something and who knows, it might just work out. It was a world of co-incidences after all~!

I headed for the stable and found out some cabin in there. Entering in, I found out there was no one but there were stocks of food for the horses, medicines, old carriages parts on the other side and shelves holding carriage driver uniforms. I took one of them. As I changed, I heard someone coming. I quickly arranged myself and grabbed a log of wood, probably belonging to the carriage parts and stood beside the door, ready to attack.

Two seconds later and I found a skinny man passed out in front of me. Wow. One more brave task added to the list of salvation. I had seen this guy on the carriage a while ago. Lucky me, I thought. Now I would take his place. Just then I heard another man.

“Hey, did that find that log?” the voice was getting closer.

“You mean this?” I weighed my voice and threw the log out of the door before the person entered in.

“Yeah” I heard. “Why threw it?”

“Ugh.. I have something bigger to take out. You move on, I’ll just come” I was sweating like hell.

“Make it fast” he walked away.

“Phew! That was close!” I cloaked myself for safety. I peeked out and found the army was arriving to aboard the carriage. I made a run for it. I had to settle myself in front before they noticed me.

As I sat and sighed one more time for the night, I became dumbfounded at a thought. I was sitting in the driver seat of a horse carriage just about to leave with army arriving with Ivan behind me, with absolutely no idea of ever driving a horse.

Now what. Should I get down? No. Never. I had something in mind. I had the feather. I could draw a circle and I and Alice could go back tonight itself. I was determined. I decided to remain calm. I had seen people driving carts before. These horses were wisely trained as well. I wished for something to work out. I had come this far, there was no way I was going back.

My heart paced hard as the infantry settled behind me and cavalry made its move after Ivan. I closed my eyes and raised the ropes on the horses.

“Go, please!” I wished. As I opened my eyes, I found god replying to my prayers. But it was way too much. As if, the horses knew just what to do, where to go, even without my orders. I took a while to figure this out. But then, soon I realized the surroundings were so different. It was scaring me. But I had to keep some faith. It was about an hour while the carriage stopped all by itself. I raised my head to see what was going on. There were these people in black masks bringing the cavalry down. I used my senses and jumped down and ambushed in the bushes. From there, I started running away to a safer place from where I could see what was happening in here.

There were these fights. Chilling noise of people moaning and weapons clashing. For the first time in my life, I could smell blood real hard in the air and people die in vain right in front of my very eyes. I couldn’t sense when the tears started flowing from my eyes. Only Ivan was captured alive. He was bound and thrown into the same carriage I drove a while ago.

“No” I whispered. “Don’t leave me!”

I ran after it but it seemed they didn’t see me. I was scared. I was all alone in the dark forest at the middle of the night where no one even expected me to be.