Aarna Vachhrajani

Copyright © 2023, Aarna Vachhrajani All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without

the prior written permission of the copyright owner, except for the use of
brief quotations in a book review.

Paperback: 979-8-9876157-2-0
Ebook: 979-8-9876157-9-9
Library of Congress Number: 2023907503

Aarna Vachhrajani
Princeton, NJ
[email protected]
 To my little sister Saisha,
who inspired me to create a character
as intelligent, loving, and fierce as her.
 Contents

CHAPTER I
CHAPTER II
CHAPTER III
CHAPTER IV
CHAPTER V
CHAPTER VI
CHAPTER VII
CHAPTER VIII
CHAPTER IX
CHAPTER X
CHAPTER XI
CHAPTER XII
CHAPTER XIII
CHAPTER XIV
CHAPTER XV
CHAPTER XVI
CHAPTER XVII
CHAPTER XVIII
CHAPTER XIX
CHAPTER XX
CHAPTER XXI
Acknowledgments
About the Author
 CHAPTER I
Adih
(The Origin)

A mother cradled her newborn baby girl as the blue jays sang, the
squirrels scurried up trees, and weeping willows swayed in the soft
morning breeze. She stroked the girl’s golden hair and lovingly smiled
down at the small face in her arms. The baby’s bright green eyes
matched the fields surrounding her dainty little house, her face smooth
and apricot, curls of golden hair bouncing on her shoulders. She
resembled her mother, who was tall and beautiful with wavy golden
hair, emerald-green eyes that shined like the sun, a straight nose, and a
smile as bright as sunlight. Her newborn daughter played with her hair
as she held her close. The sun rose over them, warming everyone to
their hearts.

Their house was snuggled into rolling hills that showcased an

abundance of shrubs, oak trees, pine, ebony, weeping willows,
sunflowers, daisies, roses, and lavender. As far as the eye could see,
the hills spread out, dotted with passing deer, foxes scavenging with
cunning eyes, birds surveying the ground below them, skittering
rabbits, and occasionally a lonely coyote eyeing the land with disdain.
Their house was small, but very cozy with sunlight filling each room
and a garden overflowing with flowers and herbs surrounding the brick
exterior. “Let’s name her Dawn,” her mother said as she tickled
Dawn’s little belly, “for she was born when the sun was rising, rising
over a new life.”

The man, Sahchar, twitched and wrinkled his nose with disgust. He
was tall like Dawn’s mother, roughly built, with a head of tousled
brown hair tinted white, a rugged beard, stormy gray eyes, and a
pointy nose, but he lacked the elegance of Dawn’s mother. Dawn’s
mother gingerly set the squirming infant in Sahchar’s stiff arms and
watched as he held Dawn up to the sun to get a better look at her. All
the while, Dawn laughed and reached out for the man’s face.

Suddenly, he yelped uncomfortably and shook his hand as if it had

caught fire. Dawn’s mother reached out and set a finger on his hand,
only to pull back in surprise. She realized Dawn’s skin was warming
up unusually. The infant rapidly grew warmer until she became so hot,
Sahchar finally had to put her down. The most peculiar thing was that
Dawn was still laughing and kicking. But her skin was radiating
scorching heat.

Dawn’s mother stumbled away and yelled for the man to follow
her. But Sahchar stayed put. Curious, he bent down to look at Dawn
and she reached her hand out to touch him again. As soon as Dawn’s
fingertips brushed against his pale cheek, he shrieked in agony as
Dawn’s chubby fingers burned through his skin, giving him a scar that
would stay with him forever.

During the episode, Dawn’s mother stayed in the corner, her

mother’s eyes widening in shock as her eyes drank in what her
newborn daughter had done. The mother gasped and put her hand over
her heart. Her shiny green eyes dulled, and became glassy as she fell to
the ground, unconscious, her hand still on her heart, her mouth wide
open in shock, her eyes losing their twinkle, and with a look of
surprise and terror. She fell in front of Sahchar’s one healthy eye, her
thoughts etched on her face: Her newborn daughter had channeled the
power of heat and light from the sun before their eyes. Her body hit the
ground, frozen, with that thought frozen in her mind as well.
 CHAPTER II
Santan
(The Child)

Sahchar stirred awake to an unbearable stroke of pain. His vision

blurred as he tried to sit up and his head throbbed. With a huge effort,
he heaved himself up. He dizzily walked up to Dawn, who was still
giggling, and now playing with a ball of light and fire. He hesitated for
a second before pulling out a small, ice blue device, his face burning
with agony. He gingerly touched Dawn’s arm to the device and her fire
ball sputtered out. She looked at him with confusion her green eyes
glistening with tears. Sahchar winced in pain again as his face
throbbed, but he ignored it and gingerly picked the infant up, her skin
now a regular temperature and set her in her crib. As his uninjured eye
set on what was behind Dawn, he forgot his headache and dizziness.
The man stared at the beautiful woman who had been cradling Dawn
with love, his jaw dropping. She was sprawled across the ground,
frozen in place, a look of horror marring her beautiful features.

Feeling desperate, he sprinted into the house, nearly trampling the

roses the mother had worked so hard on and ran up to his bedroom to
get a mirror. He stifled a scream as he saw a nasty burn running along
his face. Dawn’s touch had effortlessly burned through his skin. Jagged
pieces of skin clung on his face. The pungent smell of charred skin
wafted around him, making him gag. As he peered closer, he could
make out a bit of his jawbone, uncovered because of the burn. Dark
blood still oozed out of some spots while other parts were burned off.
He took a damp towel and dabbed at the burn—and roared out in pain.
The burn seemed to melt the rest of his senses away. The man shut his
eyes as he slowly made his way to the center of his gash. Pain flowed
out through his ears and burst through his mouth. His arms and legs
were engulfed in fire, but the man was able to clean himself up.
 “Dawn!” he yelled in his gruff voice, hissing as his jaw ached. He
approached her crib, which was exquisitely designed with floral
patterns and the sun shining in every corner. He gingerly picked up the
laughing infant. Sahchar could not stay in the house any longer. After
what he had seen, he had to get away from the sun shining and the
breeze flowing.

But most of all, he had to get rid of the child. She was a burden,
one that could possibly take his life with the power that bounced out
through her fingers. He finally started to make his way with Dawn to a
river that flowed through some lofty hills far from the house. Sahchar
knew this was going to be a very difficult walk as he hung his leather
bag over his shoulder and held the baby in his arms. Determined, he
marched through grass, bushes, thorns, flowers, and mud. Through
rocks and small streams, and through a part of a dense forest, all while
carrying a joyful child. It surprised him that the happiness that flowed
through the infant’s veins was still there despite the tragedy.

He walked on and on until it felt as if his legs were not attached to

his body any longer. In the evening, he stopped to rest for the night. He
roughly put Dawn onto a makeshift bed of leaves and ushered her to
sleep. As she drifted off into the land of dreams, Sahchar took out a
small device. It had blue snowflakes and real pieces of permafrost on
it. He turned it over in both hands and contemplated the decision he
was going to make. He held onto the device tightly and pressed the
snowy castle button on the side. He made sure that the owls had flown
away, the crickets were done chirping, and Dawn was fast asleep.

“Your Majesty, I have some important information for you,” he

whispered into the device.

A moment passed by before the silence was broken by a feminine

voice. “Why, then, my faithful servant, enlighten me.” The voice
cooed, coaxing him to continue, but he was hesitant.

Sahchar spoke softly, as if to not awaken any rage from the woman
behind the device. “She had a daughter.”
 “Oh, you really must speak up. I could barely hear you. What
became of the child and her?” the voice asked. It was soft but firm,
tinted with impatience.

“I—I ha-have the child. But th-the mistress is d-d-dead,” he

stammered.

“Quit the stammering and talk to me properly. You say you have
the child with you and her mother is dead?”

The voice struck the man in his heart as if he had been pierced by a
frozen dagger.

“Yes, Your Majesty. But who could have killed her? That honor
was to be yours,” he said.

There was no response at first. Then, the voice came again. “Well,
how thoughtful of you to think of me. I did get to do the honors in the
end. Why do you think her face was frozen? I killed her. I have finally
gotten my revenge after so many years. Did you not see my sign of
terror dancing in her eyes? How dare you ask who was the one who
killed her? You knew of my plans, yet you still ask!” Now the voice
was no longer soft but freezing and as sharp as an icicle.

A shock of ice shot up the man’s hand and onto his back, pushing
him to his knees. He realized it was coming from the device. He tried
to throw it away, but it was stuck to him, freezing him. He had made
his queen angry.

“Now you will notice my sign when it shoots through your veins
and freezes you from the inside. Now get moving at dawn and get rid
of the child.”

The device lost its icy grip on Sahchar, and he began to warm
again. He uneasily closed his eyes as he tried to sleep, thinking about
the day ahead.
 ***

The man woke up the next day to see big, emerald eyes looking
down at him. With a shock, Sahchar shook Dawn off him and got to
his feet. He bundled the baby into her blanket, threw all of his
belongings into his sack, and pulled the baby into his arms. Not
wanting to waste a moment, he began marching to the river, which was
glittering under the sun a few hours away.

Baby Dawn giggled and watched in awe, as they went past a family
of deer, rabbits thumping all the way to their destination, foxes, and an
independent bear. Cardinals, finches, and eagles all flew overhead.
Raccoons and squirrels scavenged for food, and butterflies fluttered
delicately to flowers rich with nectar.

Regardless of their beautiful surroundings, the man felt exactly the

opposite. Despite spending two days with Dawn and her laughter, he
felt a bit solemn. But he knew what he must do. He still had some
hatred left for the infant, for getting him into a mess with his queen
and for leaving him a mark he could never get rid of.

After a few hours, the pair got to the river. The beautiful blue water
welcomed all the animals to quench their thirst and reflected the
beauty of the nature around it. Dawn wiggled out of the man’s grasp as
soon as they sat down. She lay on the soft grass, which curved over her
like a shawl. Sahchar let out a sigh and made it a point to rest as far
away from Dawn as he could. He blinked up at the sun, then shook his
head as the dull aching of his wound grew. Grumbling, the man closed
his eyes and basked in the silence and the freedom of moving about
without an infant clinging to him. His moment, however, was
interrupted by a wail. He turned halfway and opened one eye to see
Dawn extending one arm up to the sun. He continued to watch as the
girl rolled over with a squeak and began to wiggle in the direction of
the river.

What does the intolerable creature want now? the man thought as
he went to check on Dawn. He looked at her, wondering why she was
trying to go toward the river.
 “Maybe she wants to die early,” he mumbled to himself.

He picked her up and strolled down to the riverbank. He stretched

his arms out and held Dawn as far away from himself as he could and
waded into the cool water. When he reached waist- deep water, he held
the infant right in front of him.

“I must do this. You must go. You are not needed in this world. I
have orders that I have to follow. And I also want my own freedom
from you and your magical hands,” the man told giggling Dawn. A
tiny ounce of dread panged somewhere in his hollow chest, but he
gritted his teeth and pushed it away. He had no choice in this matter.
He was a loyal servant, loyal to the day he died.

With his hands shaking, the man held Dawn up high and loosened
his grasp. He watched as the child fell into the crystal clear water. She
was swept away by a current and was pushed under the beautiful
water. He watched as she desperately tried to get out, watched the
child try to breathe, but the current was not kind. It shook the child and
pulled her under.

The man watched as the child went farther and farther out into the
river. He watched until he couldn’t watch any more. Slowly, he turned
away and waded back to shore. He dried himself and put on new
clothes then hastily grabbed his sack and the snowy device.

“I did this for her. I did this for her,” he told himself. As he started
to walk away, he took one last look at the river. He heard a faint cry for
help and a small figure struggling to keep a grip on life. He stared at
the river and the figure until he couldn’t bear looking at the helpless
child anymore.

He blinked and went back to staring at the child. But Dawn was not
there. Confused, he searched for the infant but couldn’t find her.

“I just blinked, and I heard her, too. Where did she go?” Sahchar
said to himself as he turned away.
 A flash of bright light burst out from under the river and lit up the
whole river, turning it golden.

Sahchar turned his head to see what the commotion was. He

watched in shock as another flash of light came right out of the river.
He squinted and gasped when he realized that inside the whirlpool of
light was baby Dawn. She radiated such a bright light that the sky
looked white. The man stared in shock, not noticing another flash of
light coming. The burst was so bright it shook the trees and rustled the
bushes. As the man continued to stare, the flash of light made its way
to his right eye, and the world turned inky and dark in that eye.

She channeled the sun’s energy, was the last thought he could
muster until another piercing ache shot through his eyes. It felt as if his
whole face was on fire.

He had made the mistake of looking at Dawn. At that moment,

Dawn was the sun and he had stared directly at her, costing him an
eye. When the burning sensation lessened, he bravely looked again at
Dawn. Before his eyes, daughter of the only one capable of fighting
the Snow Queen, infant Dawn had channeled the sun’s energy, floated
up into the sky, and with a final burst of radiance, vanished.

The shimmer of tiny golden flashes fell into the leaves of the trees
on the riverbank, giving them a tint of gold. The man knew what that
meant. Dawn loved the sun. She wanted to reach out and touch the
sun, embracing it with her tiny arms. She wished to be with the sun.
And her dream had come true.

Dawn had become a part of the sun.

 CHAPTER III
Atuhin
(Frigid)

“What will I tell her?” Sahchar shuddered in fear as he thought of

all the treacherous things his queen would unleash upon him. He
couldn’t tell her that baby Dawn was so powerful that she may even be
able to help the sun become more powerful in ways his queen would
not like. Head hung low, he started his long walk all the way to his
queen. He still couldn’t believe that an infant could channel as much
power as Dawn had. The man walked all through the forest, through
the mud, the bushes, and the dirt. He walked until he got to the dry and
thorny land he would then have to cross to get to his home.

“I have no strength left in me for today, for I have seen many

wonders and have walked through the forest barefoot,” he said to the
trees and the breeze sweeping into the horizon.

It seemed as if the breeze had caught his words and sent them to
the woman he feared most. At once, the snowy device became icy blue
and once again, the feminine voice of the Snow Queen was there, soft,
but merciless and cruel.

“I heard that you didn’t want to cross the land to get to me. Instead,
you want to make me wait.” She spoke in a whisper, with a tinge of
disappointment.

“I… actually, the infant vanished and became a part of the sun. It
really is terrible. I am guessing that I got rid of her,” the man shakily
replied.

Through the device he could hear the faint cry of a child then
joyful laughter as the soft voice of the woman soothed the infant.
Sahchar’s teeth bit down hard enough on his tongue to draw blood
when he heard the giggles and wailing of the child he knew all too
well.

“You have the child. When the child vanished, she came to you,”
the man said.

“Ah, you finally used your walnut sized brain. Yes. I happened to
be going through my garden and went to get more water when I saw a
beautiful infant floating in the lake. I immediately recognized her
bright green eyes and golden hair and knew she must be the infant you
were supposed to get rid of. Though I wanted to get rid of her at once,
in the end, I realized she could be the key to my revenge and uprising.
Now I must tend to Dawn, and whilst I do that, I want you to cross the
land and help me. Have icy dreams!” The cheerful voice faded away as
the device lost its color. But her words rang true in Sahchar’s head.
With that, he slowly got up and started his journey across the thorny
land, ignoring his strained muscles and pounding headache.

The man walked through the land until he reached a small oasis.
He then held the snowy device to his mouth and said, “Ice, snow,
crystal clear. Cold, soft, full of memory. Let me enter so I can see the
most powerful and bow to thee.”

A few seconds later, a swirling portal appeared right in front of

Sahchar. He gradually stepped into the portal, not knowing whether he
would be facing the queen’s wrath, or her praise on the other side. But
he crossed, and the portal disappeared just as he finished crossing.
Finally, the man had reached his destination. He stared at it in awe, just
like he did many many years ago when he first saw it. The magnificent
Palace of Atuhin towered over even the tallest mountains. Its sleek
exterior looked like a mirror, and it made sense, as the one who
occupied this beautiful palace was indeed vain and looked at herself in
all reflective surfaces. Carved by ancient sorcerers, the palace showed
off its intricate designs. Gargoyles, snowflakes, buds, roses, and
gleaming crystals adorned the structure. Icicles hung on each balcony.
Thin glass pearls were strung around the doors, made of heavy glass,
with beautifully carved trees of ice on each point of the towers. A
dainty bridge made its way through the two towers, allowing the
residents to reach the other tower. It, too, was magnificently decorated
with leaves and marble berries.

But what interested Sahchar the most were the palace’s windows.
Each window had a different design on it. The designs showed the
man’s leader, and in each one, she was a little older, and was on
different adventures. It was as if the designs were trying to tell a story;
a story about his queen. But after living in the palace for so many
years, he still couldn’t believe the entire thing was made of ice, snow,
and glass.

He gingerly climbed off the frosty steps and walked into the palace.
The inside was even more fascinating than the outside. Icy pillars held
up the frosty ceiling from which snow drifted down. The marble
pathway led Sahchar to the great room, where the furniture, too, was
made of pure ice. Blankets made of polar bear fur sat on the seats. The
room was lined with pearls and crystal lights. A blue and white fire
was burning in the middle, but instead of giving heat, it took the heat
away. Snowflakes hung from above, a carpet of snow on the floor,
icicles lining the walls.

Next, he strolled into the throne room. The room was decorated
with snowflakes, big and small, all intricate designs. Crystals framed
the paintings of the Snow Queen. Here, there were many chairs all
cushioned with soft snow and little glass umbrellas on top. Each of the
seats had leaves and flowers of ice on the arm rests. As the man went
through the aisle, he came upon the most beautiful throne he had ever
seen. It was covered in beautiful pearls on the arm rest, the sides of the
chair shimmering with beautiful sapphires and diamonds with swirling
patterns made of crystals and icicles on the top, and carvings of snow
and ice on the back made in the ancient times. The seat was cushioned
with polar bear fur. All along the sides, skeleton flowers bloomed.
Little dew drops fell alongside their petals, making them turn
transparent. The throne was topped with a snowflake carved so
beautifully the man could see the thin ice and even the tiniest details in
the snowflake, making it the tallest and the most beautiful throne of
all.
 He then crossed the servant’s ladder, leading to their dusty attic
home, which was not even close to the perfection every other part of
the palace thrived in. He made it across the main hall and stepped into
the ballroom. The room was adorned with jewels. From sapphires to
rubies, they were all there, embedded in the walls and gleaming in the
moonlight glowing through the pane glass windows. The floor glittered
with the everlasting snow on it, making it seem like a winter in
paradise. An icy crystal chandelier hung from the tall ceiling. He
pranced out of the ballroom, feeling giddy to be home.

Sahchar then stepped into the massive dining room. Two icicle
chandeliers hung from above, a long table made of pure ice and snow
stood in the middle of the room with marble plates and utensils on top
of it. The room had large crystal windows that let the soft moonlight
dance across the room. The walls were designed with snowflakes and
diamonds. The man wished he could be served here, too, instead of in
the small, cramped room in the servants’ quarters.

After staring at the beautiful room for a moment longer, he went

into the final room on the first floor and immediately slipped. He
brushed off some of the snow and ice that frosted his jacket and stared
at the huge ice skating rink. The icy floor was so reflective, it seemed
as if it was a mirror made just for his queen. The walls were made of
crystal pearls and skeleton flowers. A small hutch of glass had some
ice skates neatly stacked up on the shelves, each made by his queen’s
elves.

“Oh, I better go up into the west wing to see if the guest rooms are
occupied with little girls,” he murmured in disgust.

He climbed up the crystal stairs and into the west wing. Sahchar
opened the paper birch doors to each of the guest rooms and in all he
only saw the crystal and arctic hare fur beds, pearls and icicles on the
ceiling, hand carved flowers on the walls, and arched windows. But
there was no sight of the Snow Queen and the infant girl. He strolled
into the south wing next, but only to find the theater room where some
ice sculptures were placed, and entertainers of all sorts practicing for
their big show. The walls and the ceiling of the room were made of
marble with intricate designed patterns of ice, snow, and gems. The
floor was marble, and a carpet of snow led into the seats made
especially for the occupant of the grand palace.

He went through the crystal gates and into the north wing, which
led him directly up onto the terrace. The terrace shone with icicles,
crystals, and gems of all types on the railings. Skeleton flowers grew
in marble pots and paper birch trees thrived in the moonlight. He saw
some white hibiscus, and in the corner, lay a majestic and kingly white
tiger. The tiger’s muscular body was as white as the clouds and his
black stripes glistened. His whiskers looked like crystals and matched
his sky blue eyes. But Sahchar didn’t go near the creature, as it had
once taken away his big toe.

“Oh, where could my queen be?” he cried. Finally, he decided to

check the east wing where the queen slept, and where she had her
private meetings and her morning iced tea. The whole east wing was
only two rooms. One was the bedroom of the Snow Queen, where she
had her most private meetings. The other was an enormous bathroom
where she would get dressed. The bathroom was huge and had a
marble sink, a crystal soaking tub, an icy toilet, and another room with
all of the queen’s makeup and clothes in it. The bathroom had a paper
birch door that led to the queen’s bedroom. Putting his ear to the door,
he heard the faint voice of someone talking.

Could it be the one I have been looking for? he

wondered as he twisted the doorknob.

His senses were overwhelmed by the beauty and magnificence of

the room, with its tall marble ceiling and beautiful, transparent crystal
dome, which revealed the whole starry night sky. The shimmering light
of the stars and the moon were just strong enough to fill the room with
a delicate light.

The walls had the most precious gems embedded into them, along
with white hibiscus, skeleton flowers, and moonflowers giving the
room a flowery and sweet scent. The crystal floor was adorned by
polar bear and arctic fox coats all stitched together to make a furry rug
that led to the four-poster bed. The bed was made of magical snow,
which was soft to the touch, but strong enough to make a bed. There
were curtains all pulled together around the bed made of only the
whitest of flowers, and the arched icicle windows on the walls of the
room let in a cool breeze. The man heard the voices of two people
from the other side of the curtains. One was the soft voice he had heard
from his snowy device, which at times could be as sweet as white
chocolate but then as cold and harsh as frostbite. The other belonged to
someone the man knew all too well.

The talking stopped and the curtains were withdrawn. The man
bowed as low as he could to one of the two people.

“Ah, you are back! Look who this is!” The voice of his queen made
him stand up tall. After so many months, there she was right in front of
him. The one he served and still did. The one who ruled this kingdom
of frost. Right in front of the man’s eyes was none other than Her
Majesty, the Snow Queen.

“All hail the Snow Queen!” the man cried. The other voice that he
had heard behind the curtain belonged to the maid, Nora, who meekly
shrank into a corner.

“Oh, thank you, thank you. You really do flatter me, Sahchar. Now,
answer me. Do you recognize this little girl?” she asked.

The man was still looking at the queen and not the child next to
her. She was tall and beautiful with pale skin that shined like crystal
icicles reflecting the soft and silvery moonlight. Her hair was like
waves on a full moon night at high tide and as blue as a sapphire. Her
cheeks were a lightly blushed pink, and her lips were pinker than the
pinkest petunia. Her eyelashes were long and beautifully curved, and
her eyes a sharp blue. Her eyes sent shivers down the man’s spine or
made him feel like he was at the beach and the sea was just touching
his toes.

The Snow Queen scornfully eyed Sahchar. “Well… I’m waiting.”

 “Yes, Your Majesty. This is the daughter of the Sun Mistress. The
one who made me blind in one eye and came to you after she
disappeared into the sun. If you permit, Your Majesty, may I ask a
question?” He stole a look at the child, who still had the same green
eyes, golden hair, shining face, smiling lips, and blush pink cheeks.

“You are absolutely correct, my loyal servant. Now, I’m impressed

by you, so you may ask your question,” the queen replied.

“Your Majesty, the Sun Mistress is your arch- nemesis. Yet, you
take her daughter into your lap as if you and the Sun Mistress were the
best of friends. Why so? Why didn’t you get rid of the child by now?”
Sahchar asked, not daring to look into the icy blue eyes of his master.

“Oh, well done! You are getting smarter I see. It’s about time,
anyways. Well, I’ll tell you my whole plan. Nora, do take my dear
Dawn to the dining room and treat her with care. Then, you may take
Dawn to the terrace and let her play with my precious tiger, Frost,” the
Snow Queen ordered.
The maid nodded and hurriedly carried the infant downstairs.

The tiger should be named Frostbite, as he has the terrible habit of

biting anyone but the Snow Queen, Sahchar thought.

“Forgive me for asking, but won’t the infant get bitten by the
tiger?” the man asked.

The queen shot him a glare as if she expected him to know the
answer. “Why are you so naive? Do I have to spell everything out for
you word by word? You should know by now that I already took Dawn
to meet him and that Frost knows the infant is special, like me,” she
replied matter-of-factly.

The man grumbled at her reply and gruffly crossed his arms. The
Snow Queen peered through her window and dismissed the man’s
grumble as if she were used to it.
 She then turned to the man and said, “Now, let me tell you my
story.”
 CHAPTER IV
Aarambh
(The Journey Begins)

“There was a time where darkness, cold, and bitter frost was all
that surrounded the world. So dark, that even the stars and the moon
couldn’t keep the light in the world on for too long. The darkness was
like a beast swallowing the whole world in one gulp and enclosing it in
eternal darkness. The cold got its frozen hands around the world and
held it with icy fingers. The world was snowy even in the hottest parts.
Frostbite had taken over the fingers and toes of all. There were
screams and shouts and yelling and pleading. But the best was, I was
the ruler of that frozen and dark world. Everyone would kneel to me. It
was the Dark Ages. I was ruling beautifully, and my powers were
above any other living creature.”

The queen paused for a moment as if she were thinking all about
her rule over the realms.

“But then,” the queen solemnly resumed, “a new light arose. It was
blinding and ever so bright. The light flooded through the shadow
beast that had swallowed the world and broke it. The rays shot through
the darkness, and the glowing ball of light sucked out the darkness and
melted my frost. The world was out of the dark jaws of the beast, freed
from the icy fingers of the cold. Then, in front of all, stood my enemy.
She looked just like little Dawn, with a head full of bouncing golden
curls, and green eyes that dazzled like emeralds. Her smile was
everlasting. I can see her face to this day. It was the Sun Mistress. She
gave the world new light and freed them from my clutches. She then
banished me into the dark corner of the world, which was made just
for me. I still remember the day she banished me and gave the world
the Golden Age.”
 The Snow Queen stared at one of the pane glass windows of her
palace, which showed her past.

“To get revenge, I channeled all my power and sent it into the
golden heart of the Sun Mistress. She won’t die—she’s too strong for it
—but it shall keep her frozen and lost. So, I decided I would take her
most precious love away from her and then turn her dearest one
against her by feeding her thoughts of how light and heat is horrible,
how the energy she gets from the sun is actually a curse, and how the
only way to get rid of the curse is to become a servant of darkness. I
will teach her my powers, making her powerful enough to go to the
Sun Mistress and then her own creation will be the end of her. The
child will destroy the sun from the inside, like a termite destroying a
tree, gradually weakening it from within. Then, I shall attack her
palace and I shall once again become the ruler of the world.”

The Snow Queen laughed as she thought of her devious plan.

“But, Your Majesty, how will she be able to suck the light out of
the sun?” Sahchar asked, puffing his chest, and lifting his gaze to meet
the Snow Queen’s.

“Well, you shall see, just wait and watch. You shall see…” The
queen strolled out of her room as she flattened out her snowflake
decorated dress. She fixed her dainty pearls and crystals and stepped
onto the terrace to meet little Dawn.

Sahchar couldn’t stop thinking of the queen

and her evil plan.

***

A few years passed. Dawn had grown up into a sweet girl. She was
always curious and couldn’t help but crawl into every discussion,
room, and event that happened in the palace. As she grew, she changed
into a beautiful young girl. Her thick locks of golden curls bounced as
she strolled through the corridors. Her cheeks were rosy, her lips, a
beautiful light pink, and her eyes bigger, brighter, and as green as the
green zinnias that bloomed in her room. She had a special room made
for her in the far east wing of the castle. There, the sun could just touch
the palace with its gleaming rays of light. Her room had no ice or
snow. Instead, it was a room filled with every light she could find.
Candles lit the room, and the walls were painted a sparkly blue with a
painting of the sun to keep her company when the real sun was away.
The ceiling was strung with daffodils, lilies, and every other golden
flower she could think of. The large French windows were always
open to the balcony to let all the sunlight in.

“Isn’t it beautiful? The sun. I wonder if I could ever meet it. I

wonder why it leaves me at night, all alone with only the stars and the
moon as company? Oh, how I wish I could be with you.”

Dawn glided onto her balcony. Her voice was calming and always
joyful. When she sang, all the world would stop and hear, not wanting
to miss one bit of it. But outside of her bright room, she was always
enveloped with darkness and frost. Dawn walked each day to her study
where the Snow Queen waited and where she learned to harness the
fear of others into dark powers.

Dawn grumbled as she dragged herself over to the Snow Queen’s

study. She had been caught in another daydream on her balcony when
Nora interrupted her to bring her to the queen’s study. Dawn stumbled
over the rug and planted her feet in front of the queen, a frown sitting
on her round face.

“My dear, what’s wrong? Aren’t you happy to see me?” The Snow
Queen bent down and smiled sweetly at Dawn.

“Yes, Mother, but I was in the middle of a dream. I don’t want to

do the lessons now. Didn’t I do enough yesterday when I turned the
entire room into an ice cage and trapped the jester in it?”

The Snow Queen chortled. “That was good, but remember, if you
truly want to master the cold, you must work on it every day. Today,
we’ll be working on pulling fear out of a person and turning it into
snow. That way, not only can you trap someone from the outside, but
from the inside as well.”

Dawn pouted. “But I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

“This is not hurting someone. If you are to lead people, you must
be special. And people must be careful around you. If they are aware
of the consequences, they will not cross you. That is how I lead,” the
queen explained.

That is also how you hurt them, Dawn thought, but nodded in
agreement, nonetheless.

“Now then…” The Snow Queen clapped, and a servant entered,

“Let’s begin the lesson. Close your eyes and feel for fear. It will feel
smooth yet jumpy. When you find it, I want you to wrap a layer of
hard packed snow on it. Then you must feed the ball, supporting it,
bringing out the fear, and sending it back with solid snow.”

Dawn closed her eyes, finding darkness and the emotions that
anchor it. She found the fear of the servant, and it felt spiky and
trapping, engulfing all her senses. She furrowed her brow in
concentration and pulled at the fear. Then she let loose the frost in her
heart and shoveled it around the fear. When the emotion was
completely covered, she thrust it back into the servant, hearing him
gasp.

Dawn opened her eyes to find the servant cowering and shivering
on the floor, his fingers digging into his skin as he tried in vain to
warm himself up. Dawn’s green eyes widened, and she inhaled
frantically, trying to undo her actions. But the fear and the snow
around it held steady. She began to tear up, too, and she looked to the
Snow Queen for comfort.

The queen merely smiled as she watched the servant. She patted
Dawn’s shoulder and said, “Well done.”
 ***

Dawn’s ninth birthday rolled around, and the entire palace was
decorated with wreaths, lights, and crystal décor. The chefs made
Dawn’s favorite foods. Presents were stacked high in the throne room.
After the birthday luncheon, games, and cake cutting, Dawn was led
through the castle by the Snow Queen. The queen’s pale hands covered
Dawn’s eyes as she made her way to the throne room. When she was
allowed to open her eyes, Dawn couldn’t stop smiling. She turned and
embraced the Snow Queen, ignoring the scratchy dress and the icicles
poking her arms.

“Mother, you shouldn’t have! So many gifts!” Dawn broke the hug
and twirled around the room, her crystal dress fluttering around her.
The dress was embedded with pearls and the hem of the gown was
covered with skeleton flowers dyed royal blue. There were more
flowers scattered near the collar and billowing sleeves. The dress was
designed by the queen herself, but Dawn wasn’t fond of it. Before the
party, she had attached colorful butterflies on the flowers and colored
the pearls in her favorite colors. She finished it off with sunflower
pins. The queen eyed the dress disapprovingly, but the birthday
celebration had already started. Dawn stopped twirling and turned to
face the lines of servants, all dressed in the best clothes they could
find, which consisted of old, worn- out gowns and suits thrown out by
the nobles.

“Let the show begin!” the Snow Queen exclaimed, tapping her
heels.

The servants began to sing, followed by an intricate magic show,

and the passing of gifts. Dawn accepted all the presents given to her,
no matter how small. In the end, she faced the Snow Queen and
gratefully curtsied.

“That was amazing. I can’t believe how many gifts I got!” Dawn
laughed.
 “There is one last gift, one that is very special. You don’t have
many friends in the palace, because most of your friends only visit
when I call them. Plus, the village is so small there aren’t many people
here. So, I decided to get you a friend that will stay by your side
forever.” The queen smiled and gestured to a pedestal draped with a
sheet.

“Anyway, how many friends can you have when you’re trapped
here?” the queen muttered, but Dawn had already made her way to the
covered pedestal.

With a dramatic sweep of his arm, one of the servants pulled the
cover off, revealing a cage. Inside was a beautiful snowy owl. She had
big blue eyes that sparkled against her soft, white feathers. A few stark
lines of black lined her delicate feathers. Dawn squealed and rushed to
the cage, threw open the door, and let the owl out. The bird flew out,
soaring through the room before pivoting and landing on Dawn’s
shoulder. The birthday girl laughed and stroked the owl. From that
moment, the two became inseparable. She named the snowy owl Ansu,
“the ray of light,” as Dawn always wanted to touch the rays of the sun.
Her hooting and Dawn’s singing would seem like harmony. Both
Dawn and Ansu couldn’t bear to be without each other. Wherever
Dawn would go, Ansu would be fluttering close behind.

“You are my best friend. I couldn’t go anywhere without you. Oh,

Ansu, I’m so lucky to have you has a friend! I just wish that one day,
we both can touch the sun. But even if that only happens in our
dreams, I will be happy forever if you are by my side.”

Dawn pressed her cheek next to Ansu’s feathers.

A few more years passed. Dawn grew up to be twelve years old.

Her hair was longer now, her eyes were brighter, and her smile was
filled with joy. But as she grew, the Snow Queen taught her more dark
spells, and sowed the seeds of evil in her mind. As Dawn grew, she
learned more spells and eventually, learned how to bend the cold to her
will, linking her powers with the Snow Queen’s. The queen would
joyfully watch as Dawn spread bitter ice with a touch of her fingers to
the servants in the corridor.

“Excellent, Dawn. Can you see now? Feel the power that is
flowing through you. Doesn’t it feel good to know that just a touch
from your fingers can freeze a person’s heart with fear? With this gift
of darkness you have, you can overcome your curse,” the Snow Queen
said.

Dawn looked up at her happily and focused on the magic that

tingled in her fingers. The tormented servant, a young boy around the
same age as Dawn, frantically searched the room for a safe haven.
Meanwhile, Dawn’s eyes sharpened as her hungry mind searched for
more fear. The sensation was irresistible, the mere thought of ruling
over the rest was invigorating. As she pushed more snow down to the
servant and savored the frightened yelps of the boy as icicles grew
around them, a sudden warmth cut through the cold. It traveled up her
spine and calmed her entranced mind. It rescued her from her evil
thoughts and shot out through her fingers, melting the cold that had
come from within her.

Dawn opened her eyes to find the servant in the corridor wet, but
free from her icy grasp. He gasped and his wild eyes flashed to Dawn
as he realized that she was the reason for his pain. He shivered and
struggled to get up and Dawn stifled a small gasp at how helpless he
seemed.

The Snow Queen interrupted her thoughts with a startled look.

“Dawn, what was that?”

“I just can’t seem to control it. I don’t know why. The light just
comes through,” Dawn replied as she shook off the last of her icy
thoughts.

“It’s all right, the curse is very strong. But if you continue to nurse
that strength, the curse will meekly bow down to your beautiful
darkness,” the queen reassured her, but in a tone that made Dawn
crumble. Dawn nodded and curtsied before leaving the room. As soon
as she turned the corner, she sprinted and flew down the stairs after the
servant. She knelt down beside him and gingerly placed her fingers on
his arm. The warmth that had flooded through her just minutes before
still lingered, and she focused on it, pulling it out of her and into the
boy.

He sighed as his blood warmed up and the freezing snow melted

away.

“Are you okay? I’m terribly sorry. I didn’t mean to. I mean, I
meant to, but I didn’t want to hurt you.” Dawn grasped for words, but
the boy spoke and drove away all her thoughts.

“I’m all right, Princess, I understand. But how did you do that? It
felt like the sun decided to vacation in my body and warm up my
insides,” he said, peering around Dawn to make sure the Snow Queen
wasn’t waiting to ambush them.

Dawn nodded gravely. “I have the power of the sun. Mother says
it’s a curse, but I can’t really control it.”

The boy gave her a quizzical look. “A curse? It doesn’t seem like
that.”

“I feel like that too. I mean, it’s helpful, too, sometimes.”

The boy gave her a cheeky grin. “Well, I’m glad for that. I don’t
care what the Snow Queen thinks, if you didn’t have that, I would
probably be sick in bed. I don’t know that you would care, but my
name is Caliban.”

“My name is Dawn. But what a funny name Caliban is. I don’t
mean to be rude, of course.”

“Oh, it is funny, but it means ‘moon.’ I guess my parents saw that

in me,” Caliban replied.
 As Dawn looked at him longer, she realized it was true. He was
pale, like a ghost with a shock of jet-black hair cropped to his ears. His
eyes were a stormy gray, yet empty, like the craters on the moon.
Dawn helped him to his feet and saw that he moved with the grace of
the waves.

Dawn reached out and tugged on his shoulder lightly as he turned

to walk away. “Where are you going?”

“I can’t stay here, now, can I? After all, I’m a mere servant.” His
tone dripped with sarcasm and Dawn was taken aback.

In all the years that she had resided in the Palace of Atuhin, she had
never heard a servant talk so openly. Most of them cowered when she
entered and were out of sight when the queen entered the room.

“But will I be able to talk to you again?” Dawn asked. She knew
she sounded desperate, but her only friend in the palace at the moment
was a bird, and she was pulled toward this boy.

“That depends on you.” Caliban bowed formally and pivoted on his

heel, slinking into a corner.

Taking that as a cue, Dawn crept up the stairs and back to her room
to confer with Ansu about more pressing matters.

***

“Why does this keep happening? I don’t get it. I try so hard, but the
light always breaks through,” Dawn said to Ansu.

The owl peered up at Dawn with large, solemn eyes.

Dawn walked over to her windows and watched the sunset as the
sky turned black. She sighed and looked up at her walls and the
pictures of flowers smiling up at the sun.
 “I’m always surrounded by darkness. The feeling of having more
power is so overwhelming. And Mother says I am doing well. But still,
I go back to the sun, even though I know I shouldn’t. When I look in
the mirror, I see myself taking in the fear and using the cold against
others. But then I see myself sharing the warmth and happiness the sun
gives me with the rest of the world. And I love it. Sometimes I feel like
my curse is actually a blessing.”

Ansu tweeted and flew around the room happily. Dawn smiled as
she watched Ansu twirl around the room. Though Dawn was being
taught that darkness was good, she could always count on Ansu to
make sure the warmth was still alive in her heart.

***

Eager to meet Caliban again, Dawn sneaked up the rusty ladders of

the servants’ quarters and pushed open the creaky door. Dusty cots lay
everywhere, and it reeked of sweat, grime, and hopelessness. She
groped for a light switch, then realized the servants weren’t privileged
enough to have that and brought out her lantern. She struck a match
and held the light up. There were no servants there at the time, and that
was fine with Dawn. She scanned the small area until she found a pile
of clothes. Knowing the servants would have to touch them at some
point, she placed her letter gingerly on the top and slipped out of the
room and into the shadows.

A few days later, she made her way to the terrace, where the potted
plants were more glass then plant. She sat on the crystal bench then
deemed it too cold and resorted to pacing. She hoped that Caliban
would make it, or Nora would ignore her measly excuse of getting
fresh air.

After what felt like an eternity, Caliban popped his head through
the door and strolled up to Dawn.

“Hmm, very discreet this is. The perfect spot for breaking the rules,
right where the queen loves to be,” he said with false cheerfulness.
 “Well, I don’t see you finding a better spot. Plus, Mother is busy in
the throne room,” Dawn snapped back, clearly annoyed that Caliban
was mocking her for no reason.

“Probably freezing a servant or threatening a trader with icicles,”

Caliban said, and a small laugh escaped Dawn’s mouth.

“That’s true.”

“Okay, now why did you want to meet me? I am flattered, but I
don’t see how I am any different from the other servants,” Caliban
asked.

Dawn shyly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “When we

talked the other day, you seemed so sure of yourself and talking to you
made me feel a little less lonely. Plus, you seem like you know about
defying people, so I wanted to ask for your advice.”

“Oh, so I compliment you on breaking a small rule and now you

see me as a delinquent?” he said, his mouth opening as if he had taken
offense.

“No! Of course not, I—” Dawn furiously shook her head, but
Caliban only laughed.

“I was just joking. All right, what do you want help with?” he
prompted.

“I was thinking about my sessions with Mother and about my

curse. It seems that every time I follow what she says and use the cold,
I end up doing bad. But Mother always says it’s good. Then, when I
help someone with my curse, she scolds me and says that the sun is
bad. I don’t get it,” Dawn explained.

Caliban stared at her intently, his gray eyes hardening. At first,

Dawn thought he was going to laugh at her, but when he replied, “Just
ask her,” his tone was serious.
 Dawn scoffed. Such a simple prospect, and yet, she hesitated.

“Won’t she get angry?” she asked, fidgeting nervously.

The only answer she got was, “If you don’t ask, how will you ever
know?”

***

“Why is darkness good? And I don’t want your usual answer. I

know that it gives us power and all, but honestly, why?” Dawn asked
as she sat down next to the queen for their supper that evening. She
had mustered all the courage she could find and steeled herself with
Caliban’s advice. “What does it give the world other than sickness and
terror? Even worse, it means no sun.”

The queen shot an irritated look across the table at Dawn and
replied, “Well, people like to blame the cold for their problems, but
really, they are cursed, like you, by the sun. They should blame the
sun, because it blinds them with its light and softens them with its
warmth. And without the cold to balance it out, no one would be strong
in this world. Also, people may tell you that darkness is bad, but
without darkness, there would be no snow. No winter. No frozen treats.
No crystal. No me.”

“Oh, I don’t want you to go away! You’re my mother,” Dawn cried.

But even as she said those words, doubt crossed her mind. It didn’t line
up at all. The Snow Queen smiled, and Dawn decided to store that
conversation at the back of her mind.

The queen took out a small blue snowflake. Dawn listened to the
device chime as it turned on. The queen eyed Dawn before setting
down the device and folding her hands.

“Dawn, my dear, you are excused to go upstairs to your room. It’s

time for the nightly patrol anyway.” Dawn left the dining room and
hurried up the stairs, glad that she had taken care of one question that
had been on her mind for years.
 CHAPTER V
Manchitra
(The Map)

As soon as Dawn finished eating her supper, she excused herself

from the table and with Ansu, quietly climbed up the glass staircase
that led to the second floor. She briskly strolled past the entertainers in
the south wing and made herself look as regal as possible. She slipped
past the west wing where some maids were cleaning. She just walked
past the north wing, as she knew Frost, the tiger, was not going to
charge at her. Finally, she reached the east wing. Now all she had to do
was get past Nora the maid, the others who were cleaning the
bathroom, and the Frozen Soldier: a soldier made of pure snow, his
armor made of ice. Then she would be able to freely ponder about the
sun and do whatever she wanted to do.

A few mutters and mumbles before a “Yes, Your Majesty,” drifted

through the air just as Dawn reached the corridor in which her room
was situated. Seeing the Frozen Soldier’s massive build, Dawn backed
into a corner and held her breath before peering cautiously at him once
again. She had never seen him face to face.

The soldier was encased completely in ice. His eyes tracked

everything from under his helmet and one arm always grasped the hilt
of his curved blade. When he entered a room, the air seemed to shrink
away from him in terror. Dawn had glimpsed him a few times but was
too horrified to ever study him for too long. He stood in front of
Dawn’s door, his posture orderly and ready to attack when instinct told
him to. He had a reputation for being brutal for no reason, though, and
today he was assigned to Dawn’s hallway.

How am I supposed to get past him? Dawn wondered.

 “Maybe I could… No, that wouldn’t work,” Dawn whispered. “I
could slip under him, but he would see me. I don’t know. Ansu, do you
have an idea? I need to get past him. I’ve seen what he’s done to
innocent people, and I don’t want to be the one he decides to hurt
today.”

Ansu flew across to the left side of the soldier and started to hoot
loudly. The Frozen Soldier turned to look Ansu.

“The snowy owl the queen gave to that child of hers…” the deep
yet raspy voice said from behind the helmet. “Well, if you are here,
where is the child? She’s always with you. Never mind, it seems she
must be right behind you.”

Ansu started to sing a beautiful melody. The soldier listened

carefully. But little did he know that the melody was a sign to Dawn.
Dawn began to creep down the hallway, but the soldier’s head whipped
around to see her.

“There you are,” the soldier said.

“Yes, hello. I just need to get into my room,” Dawn responded

sweetly, trying to step around the soldier. He held his arm out, pushing
her back.

“I have orders to keep you out of there,” he gruffly told her. Dawn
knew this was a lie, so she gulped and continued to press.

“But it’s important.” Dawn strode forward again and was able to
take two steps ahead before the Frozen Soldier grabbed her arm and
shoved her into the wall. Behind her, the wall protruded, and she heard
a soft click near the small of her back. She turned her head to get a
better look at whatever was poking her in her back, but the Frozen
Soldier jerked her to face him. His hand pressed painfully against her
shoulder and Dawn squirmed to escape his steel grip. Her heart sped
up and her breath hitched. Ansu dived at the soldier’s hands, pecking
furiously. The soldier grunted and used his free hand to pin Ansu
down. He slammed her against the wall and threw her across the room
where she slumped to the ground. His eyes glinted maniacally.

“You shouldn’t have tried that.” The soldier chuckled, bending

down to eye Dawn.

She tilted her head to break eye contact. Growing uncomfortable,

she raised her leg and brought it down forcefully on the soldier’s foot.
But he merely shook his head.

“I’m built to withstand blizzards with twenty times the power as

you, and to fight ten people who are three times your size at the same
time. What makes you think you can hurt me?”

The Frozen Soldier continued to drive Dawn’s shoulder into the

wall and dug his cold fingers into her skin. He moved closer and
stepped on Dawn’s feet, crushing her toes. Pain swept through her, and
she let out a yelp. The soldier laughed and squeezed her arm hard with
his other hand. His nails drew blood, and Dawn’s feet went numb.

She closed her eyes, trying to escape the situation. She felt a
glimmer of heat and followed the trail to where the wall—or whatever
was behind her—met her back. She focused on that warmth, tugging at
it, letting it envelope around her even as the soldier raked his nails
down her arm.

Using his body weight, the soldier flattened her to the wall, making
her gasp for air. Her back was pressed even harder into the wall and
the heat began to climb. She screamed as pain shot through her body
from the force of the soldier’s push.

She opened her eyes. The ball of warmth she had held around
herself erupted and surrounded the Frozen Soldier. He let go of Dawn
and flailed around, trying to stamp out the flames. The heat grew
angrier and began biting into his armor, melting it in places.

Dawn limped over and kicked him in the shin, drawing his
attention to her. As soon as their eyes met, Dawn unleashed a shock of
light. The brightness was so intense, the soldier was blinded. As the
soldier lost his balance, Dawn shoved him as hard as she could. His
feet kicked up in the air and he landed on his back. His groans echoed
through the corridor as a triumphant Dawn stood over him.

“I don’t think I can hurt you; I know I can. I bet all the people
you’ve ever fought didn’t have powers like mine,” Dawn said, before
pulling back her arm and punching the soldier in the nose.

Wiping her sweaty fingers, she left the injured soldier there and
half-ran, half-limped to where Ansu was. She gingerly picked the owl
up and stepped into her room, locking the door behind her, and
ignoring the now unconscious Frozen Soldier.

In her room, Dawn tended to a half-conscious Ansu, salves to her

cuts and sore spots. There were going to be bruises on her own skin in
the morning, but Dawn had much more important matters to pay
attention to.

She peeked her head through the door and found the Frozen Soldier
still lying unconscious on the floor. A smile flitted across her face as
she turned to the place she had been pressed against the wall. In place
of the wall, a small panel opened to an old chest. It was rusted and
peppered with dust. She curiously placed a hand on the chest only to
quickly pull it back.

She sucked on her burnt fingers. The chest was scorching hot, able
to burn Dawn, who could withstand a lot of heat. She blew on her
hands before drawing on the cool air in the room. Using the frost, she
encased her hands in thick gloves made of ice. Taking a deep breath,
Dawn lifted the chest and sprinted back into her room. By the time she
put the chest on her floor, her gloves had melted, leaving her hands
soaking wet. She called on the cold and built her gloves once again.

“Okay. This is it. I’m going to open the chest,” Dawn muttered as
she placed her hands on the lock. She focused on using her snow
powers to force it open. She focused on darkness, on cold, and on her
powers to open the lock. She tried hard to think of bitter frost and
sharp icicles. But the evening sunset lit up her room and warmed her
cheeks. All her thoughts were averted to the mellow light. Instead of
darkness, she saw light. Light, heat, and the sun.

A burst of light shot at the chest and singed

the lock.

Confused, Dawn opened her eyes to see the burnt lock laying on
the side. Her eyes gleamed with excitement as she opened the chest.
Ansu lifted her head from her nest where she was resting to watch with
curious eyes as Dawn eagerly plunged her fingers into the chest. But
her fingers only felt soft cloth and small dolls.

“There are only baby belongings. Dusty clothes, chewed toys, and
old dolls. Maybe there’s something under all this.”

Dawn started taking all the clothes, toys, and dolls out of the chest.
She kept digging through bundles and bundles of old belongings. But
she still didn’t find anything worthwhile.

“Ugh. There’s no point,” Dawn mumbled as she closed the chest

and pushed it into the corner. Then she got up to watch the sun
disappear to make way for the stars.

Sighing, she got into her bed and closed her eyes. But sleep didn’t
come to her. Twisting and turning through the night, all Dawn could
think of was the chest. The old clothes, the rusted sun, the searing heat
she felt.

She bounced up and jumped off her bed. Tiptoeing across her
room, she made her way to the chest. In the eerie glow of the moon,
the chest shined. Crouching down, Dawn picked up the lock and
turned it in her fingers.

I just don’t get it. Why would there be a locked- up chest just full
of old things? Dawn thought.
 She felt something indented on the back of the lock. Lighting a
small candle, Dawn squinted to read the words aloud. “The opposite of
heat is cold. The opposite of day is night. The opposite of sun is
moon.”

Dawn stared at the words with a frown. These were such obvious
things. How was this going to help her?

Dawn read the words out again, but nothing happened. Securing
the lock back on the chest, Dawn stared at it with curiosity. The chest
sat there silently, with its rusted hinges and worn- out designs. The
only thing that stood out were the carved pictures of the sun and fire.

Dawn’s eyes widened with excitement. She crawled over to the

chest and allowed the soft candlelight to shine over the chest. The
engravings were faded, but some could be seen. Studying the pictures,
Dawn searched the entire chest for the pictures. Ansu watched her
carefully, unsure of what to do.

“The sun is on the left and the moon is on the right. Fire is on the
top, so the ice must be on the bottom.” Dawn stopped muttering to
herself as she softly turned the chest on its side. On the bottom was a
crinkled roll of paper, stuck to the chest. It was pale and wrinkled, like
an aged man. Dawn gingerly pulled the scroll off.

The entire piece was nearly off when Dawn was interrupted by the
sound of shuffling feet. Frightened, Dawn sharply pulled the roll off,
but the paper ripped. A piece on the end stayed glued to the chest, but
Dawn had no time to bother about it. She stashed the roll in the drawer
next to her bed and blew her candle out. At the last moment, she
jumped into her bed and pulled the covers over herself. Just as she did,
the door silently opened.

Dawn opened her eyes and gasped when she saw Nora. Trying to
calm her breath, Dawn watched Nora scan the room. Her eyes fell on
the open chest. She went to touch it and yelped when it burned her
fingers. She pulled out the blue device and fumbled it in her injured
fingers.
 She told the queen about the Frozen Soldier, the mysterious chest
she found in Dawn’s room, and the open panel in the hallway.

Dawn waited, inhaling, and exhaling slowly to make it sound as if

she were asleep. The door to her room opened once again and the
swish of a dress, followed by a frantic voice belonging to the Snow
Queen, came in. Dawn cautiously opened one eye and watched as the
Snow Queen folded a thick layer of ice on the chest and lifted it into
the air. As soon as a piece of the ice melted, it was replaced by another.
Signaling for Nora to follow her, the queen stepped out of the room.

Nora followed, only stopping to shut the door, making sure the
only sound was a soft click when the door closed.

As soon as Dawn was sure that the halls were empty, she opened
her drawer and took out the scroll. She relit the candle and unrolled the
paper.

Finally, after many silent minutes, Dawn stood up and stared at the
scroll. She looked up at Ansu with eyes full of adventure.

“It’s a map. A map to the Palace of Ahana.”

After putting her things away and safely putting the map in one of
her drawers, Dawn tried to get a few hours of sleep. But as she tried to
fall asleep, all she could think of was the map.

How she could meet the sun. Her dream would finally come true.
She would get to know why she could use the powers of light and heat.

Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to go on the adventure. She thought

about what her mother had said. It was all a curse. The sun is bad, and
darkness is good. With that thought, she uneasily went to sleep.

***

The next day, Dawn was awoken by the sounds of Ansu chirping
and hooting. She slowly got out of bed, then fell back into it. The
thought of going on an adventure to meet the sun was her dream come
true. But she was loyal to the queen and her loving heart wouldn’t
allow her to go against her mother and her teachings.

Finally, with some help from Ansu, Dawn got ready. As she started
down the glass staircase, she was stopped by the Frozen Soldier. His
armor was new and there was no sign of their fight last night. The
soldier seized Dawn by the arm and pulled her along, reminding her of
the pain she had felt the night before. There were still cuts and bruises
on her arm, and Dawn had chosen a long-sleeved sweater to hide the
ugly splotches. Dawn struggled against his grip and angrily tried to
pull her arm free. The soldier paid no attention to her and pushed
Dawn into the throne room before hastily bowing to the Snow Queen.

The queen, looking quite gorgeous in her white dress decorated

with blue pearls, crystal gems, and real snow, stood up and walked
down the aisle with the air of royalty to where Dawn was standing.

“My snowflake, I heard that you were in your bedroom early. That
your birthday gift… what was the name…? Ansu started hooting to
distract my soldier as well as some of the maids. While all that
commotion was happening, where were you?” the Snow Queen
questioned.

Dawn knew the question was coming. She braced herself and said,
“Ansu and I were playing hide-and-seek before supper, and so after
supper, I tried hiding in the south wing, but Ansu flew above all and
almost found me. I stepped through the entertainers, and I slipped past
some of the maids so that the maids wouldn’t look after me and give
Ansu a hint that I was going to the west wing. At the west wing, I went
through each of the rooms, but I knew Ansu was a very good seeker in
the west wing, as she often flew there through the windows to make
sure there are no rodents in the rooms. To get away, I ran up to the
north wing, only to realize there was no hiding spot as Frost was not
there and there were only plants. Then I went down the corridor and
into the east wing. The Frozen Soldier probably didn’t see me as I was
hiding behind a maid so Ansu wouldn’t see me going into your
bedroom. There, I could hide very well so I squeezed in behind your
bed since there was a bit of room. Ansu was probably hooting to ask
the Frozen Soldier and the maids if they had seen me. When she
couldn’t find me, she flew into my room, and I met her there. After
that, we just went to sleep,” Dawn boldly replied, taking in a deep
breath as she tried to sound as convincing as possible. Her body nearly
shook with all the guilt she was feeling. She glanced at the Frozen
Soldier to see if he would call her bluff, but the Snow Queen beat him
to it.

“Oh, really? What about when you used your curse to take
advantage of the guard I posted outside your bedroom?” The Snow
Queen’s voice rose menacingly. “How about the secret panel you
found in the wall and the chest you took out of it?”

Dawn shrank under her piercing gaze.

“But, Mother, I—”

“How dare you lie to me? You find this chest and you decide to
make up an excuse of playing a child’s game with a bird. I am not
naive. And yet you try to fool me?” the queen yelled, icicles forming
on her fingers. Her eye twitched and she growled. She lost all her
graceful composure. Dawn had never seen the queen so angry. Tears
welled up in the corner of her eyes.
“Mother, I only found my baby belongings in the chest,” Dawn
croaked, her voice breaking as tears threatened to flow.

The queen took a deep breath, regaining her regal posture, and
calmly replied, “My dear, why did you lie? You could have just told
me. There was no reason for you to hurt the Frozen Soldier or to make
up stories. I understand.”

“Yes, Mother. I’m so sorry, Mother, I wasn’t thinking. I won’t do it

again.” The tears escaped her eyes, and she stifled a sob as the Snow
Queen brought Dawn close. She stroked her hair until Dawn calmed
down. She granted permission to Dawn to be excused.
 Ansu flew on behind her and they both made their way to the ice-
skating rink, where no one really went to before noon.

“Oh, how could I? I should have just told her the truth. About
Ahana. But I know she would be angry. If she was this angry at me
finding the chest, imagine what she would do if I told her. It’s better to
stay home. Mother knows best, doesn’t she? Ahana can wait, but I
can’t have Mother angry,” Dawn said to Ansu.

Ansu gave Dawn a gloomy look and flew out of the room without
her friend.

Dawn sat there alone, dreaming of Ahana, but not daring to make
her dream a reality.
 CHAPTER VI
Prashna
(The Questions)

Dawn hurried down the staircase, glad she decided to wear trousers
and a top instead of a dress today. She whisked passed the throne room
and dining hall. She and Caliban were going horse riding today. In her
hand, she held a basket filled with food she had smuggled from
brunch.

She slowed to a graceful walk as Sahchar and a group of servants

walked by. She stopped to wave and slipped into a corner while the
entourage wasn’t looking. Not daring to draw attention to herself while
running, Dawn stayed put, waiting for them to leave.

“She’s so beautiful. At sixteen, she’s prettier than the queen

herself,” Dawn heard a soft voice say.

Another voice, this one belonging to one of the kitchen maids,

replied, “I know. Those green eyes, rosy cheeks, tiny freckles, bouncy
golden curls… Why, she’s picture perfect.”

“Wouldn’t it be amazing to look like her? Radiant like the sun.”

Dawn smiled and blushed at this comment.

But her smile was wiped off when Sahchar broke into the
conversation. “There will be no talk of the sun in this palace. It is a
vile thing, something to be cursed, not favored. And there is no one
more beautiful than the Snow Queen. Butterflies look like cockroaches
when compared to her.”

The servants murmured their apologies and Sahchar scoffed before

starting to walk away.
 Dawn held her breath until the shuffle of feet faded away. She
slinked out of her hiding spot and proceeded to the stables. She made
her way to a large albino stallion by the name of Svetah. The horse
nickered as her welcome. Dawn ran her fingers through his coarse,
snow- colored hair and greeted him.

She felt a light tap on her shoulder and found Caliban smiling at
her. Dawn’s heart sped up as she took in Caliban’s choppy black hair,
smooth pale skin, piercing gray eyes, and toned arms.

Caliban cleared his throat and Dawn blinked back into focus.

“Hello. Ready to ride?” Caliban said and led a raven-black mare

out of another stall. She twitched her ears in greeting and Caliban
patted her back.

“Need a boost?” Caliban knelt, entwining his fingers to create a

sturdy step for Dawn.

Her nerves scattered again watching Caliban, but Dawn steeled

herself and climbed onto her horse. Caliban followed suit and the two
rode out of the stables, using the trees as cover. The ride was
exhilarating, and Dawn whooped out loud, hair flapping wildly in the
wind. Caliban cheered, too, and the friends rode on to a small clearing
near a lake.

They dismounted, letting the horses graze wherever they wanted to,
and began to set up the picnic. Dawn’s blood was still pumping with
adrenaline and when she looked over at Caliban, he seemed as giddy
as she was.

“Finally, a good meal. You won’t believe what servants eat in the
palace. Scraps are considered luxury. Otherwise, it’s stale bread, old
vegetables, and broth,” Caliban said, unwrapping a sandwich.

Dawn unwrapped her own sandwich and the two ate in silence for a
while. The lake glittered next to them, and colorful tulips bloomed
across the entire meadow. It was the only place in the frosty land that
thrived because of the sun that reached it.

“So, what have you been up to this morning?” Dawn asked,

draining her glass of freshly squeezed juice.

“The usual. Woke up in itchy blankets, got ready, started the fire in
the throne room, hauled food into the kitchens, cleaned the dining hall
after you all were done eating, hurried to the servants’ quarters, found
my best pair of rags, and snuck out to the stables to meet you.”

“And how exactly did you sneak out?”

“I just told Nora that the corn we ate last night sat bad in my
stomach. I tossed and turned all night, and the milk I had probably
churned up. I told her it would be better if I went outside to get
everything out of my system. She took one look at me and ran out the
door.” Dawn laughed hard, almost choking on her sandwich.

“That’s a new one,” she replied in between breaths. “Want to go for

a swim?”

“Thought you’d never ask.”

The pair cleaned up the lunch and jumped into the frigid lake.
Although the sun was hot enough for tulips to grow, the lake stayed
cold. Dawn extended the warmth flowing through her to Caliban,
keeping them both warm. The two splashed at each other, and dived
under the surface, leaping out somewhere else.

“Now the cold is getting to me. Plus, we need to dry off and I can’t
be late back home. I couldn’t imagine how Mother would react if she
found out,” Dawn said to Caliban.

She squeezed the extra water out of her hair and clothes before
sitting down in a sunny part of the grass. Caliban came out a few
moments later, ringing out his clothes. Dawn absently noticed him sit
down beside her, leaning closer to borrow some of her warmth. She
was too busy staring at the sun, smiling at it.

Caliban interrupted her thoughts. “The sun looks so beautiful from

here. Imagine what it would be like if we could go visit it. It would be
amazing to feel warm all the time. I would give up a month’s worth of
stale bread for that.”

He looked at Dawn, but she gave him no reaction. His words had
brought back the memory of the map, how close she was to finding
Ahana. She had tried her best to suppress that memory, but the map
would find its way to her mind. She could never forget about it.

“Hey, are you okay?” Caliban placed a hand on her shoulder, but
Dawn shrugged it off.

She got up and called Svetah, mounting him

without any help from Caliban.

Caliban mounted his mare with a troubled look on his face, and
they rode back to the palace in silence.

When Dawn was back in the safety of her room, she flung herself
on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. She needed to learn more about
the map. She needed answers.

***

It was a beautiful day. The sun was especially bright, as if

something extraordinary was going to happen. Ansu chirped and
hooted more than usual, as if she knew something was going to
happen, too.

Dawn walked into the grand bedroom of the Snow Queen. She
peeked over the bed and slowly tapped the queen. When she saw the
queen showed no signs of waking, she pulled off the covers and asked
Ansu to carefully peck the sleeping queen’s cheek.
 The Snow Queen sat up and stared at the pair. She rubbed her eyes
and squinted, clearly annoyed at Dawn.

“My dear, why did you decide to wake me so early? Why did you
want to ruin my precious beauty sleep?” the queen asked.

“Mother, I have something very important to tell you,” Dawn

replied.

“What could be more important than my beauty sleep?”

“This, Mother.”

Dawn pulled out the crinkly old scroll she had found in the chest.
Even after Dawn cleaned up the chest and put it back so the maids
could take it four years ago, she still couldn’t part with the scroll. It
gave her hope through those dreary and grim days she had to go
through. Now, it might be the answer to all her questions.

“This is the map to the Palace of Ahana. I want to know why this
map was in the chest. I also want to know if this is what you were
trying to hide from me.” Dawn defiantly unrolled the map and showed
it to the Snow Queen.

“I, that, no, what?” The queen looked scared. But in a second, that
fright turned into anger. “The chest? The one I found in your room?
Why did you even touch it without telling me? I am your mother, yet
you don’t trust me. Give me that map. I shall burn it.” The queen’s
eyes shot sharp icicles into Dawn’s heart. The queen’s lip twitched,
and her eyes turned an eerie purple. Her hair blew wildly in her face.
As she went to grab the scroll, a thought seemed to flit through her,
and her eyes turned back to icy blue, and her hair stopped blowing.
She looked at Dawn, and then pulled her hand back.

The Snow Queen sighed. “Well, I guess you deserve to get some
answers.”
 She gestured for Dawn to sit beside her. She held Dawn’s hands,
and her blue eyes came in contact with Dawn’s green ones.

“The Palace of Ahana is the home of the sun. Now, I think this map
was quietly placed in the chest by the sun, who knew you were going
to find it. I was banished here by the sun, and when I was, this palace
was already here. I just redecorated it. I didn’t know about this chest or
the map until you found them. The sun probably wants you to follow
this map, and once you find the palace, the sun will take you away
from me and the sun will make your curse of light more terrifying.”

“Is the sun your enemy?” Dawn whispered.

“Yes, my dear. That is why we were thrown here in this wretched

corner of the world. The sun is against you. Don’t go on this journey.
You shall be cursed,” the queen warned.

Despite the queen’s warnings, Dawn still had questions. She didn’t
believe the Snow Queen’s story. How could the sun want to harm her?
What did she ever do? She wanted to know why the queen was
enemies with the sun, and why she loved the sun, when everyone
around her, hated it.
 CHAPTER VII
Palayan
(The Escape)

“Did you get the food, Ansu? I have packed some water, spare
clothes, a basic spell book in case of any animals, some bird food,
some blankets, and the map.” Dawn placed some food Ansu had stolen
from the kitchen inside her bag and slipped the leather pack onto her
shoulders.

It was midnight. The moon lit the way as Dawn tip-toed down the
glass stairs and crossed the dining room, the great room, and the throne
room.

She stopped and thought, Should I go through the main doors? It

will make a lot of noise. Oh, maybe I could go through the servant’s
ladder.

Dawn walked back to the small staircase that led to the servant’s
quarters. She stared at the dusty room. Small piles of blankets, used as
beds, were laid across the floor, each one occupied by a sleeping
person. Her eyes darted across the room and settled on the small stove
in the corner. Next to the stove was a small bathroom. The whole room
looked as if it had never been cleaned, even though the cleaners
themselves lived there. The place hadn’t changed over the years, it still
stank of grief.

She walked through the sleeping maids and servants, reaching the
small door that led outside in only a few steps. She steadied her nerves
with a deep breath and reached for the knob. But a muscled arm
grabbed her and pulled her away from the door. She opened her mouth
to scream, but a hand clamped over it. She kicked frantically, her
leather pants stretching treacherously. The hand dragged her to a small
corner and a match was lit. As the smoke filled her nose, Dawn
realized the hand was Caliban’s. His chiseled features were covered by
disheveled hair, and Dawn felt a pang in her heart that she didn’t
recognize. However, her thoughts were scattered with the fear of being
discovered.

“What are you doing? It’s the middle of the night,” Caliban hissed.

Dawn held her head up and jutted out her chin. “I could ask the
same of you. Why are you awake so late?”

Caliban hesitated and for a brief second, fear clouded his eyes. But
then they hardened, and he whispered, “You made enough noise to
wake the entire house. Where are you going? And why do you have a
bag…?” His eyes widened in realization.

Suddenly, he couldn’t keep his voice down. “You’re running away?

I knew it! Why didn’t you tell me?” Questions poured out of him like a
waterfall, and Dawn struggled to shut him up.

“Shhhh, listen. I’m leaving, but I’m not just running away,” she
said carefully. She wasn’t sure she wanted anyone to know where she
was going. But Caliban was relentless.

“Where? We’re friends, aren’t we? Tell me,” he urged.

A few servants stirred in their sleep and Ansu ruffled her feathers
with impatience. Dawn sighed in resignation.

“You know when you said you wished there was a way to go to the
sun? Well, I found that way. I have a map, a map to the Palace of
Ahana. And today’s the day I start my journey.”

After what seemed like an eternity, Caliban answered, “Take me

with you.”

“What? Why?” Dawn asked, startled by this question.

“What do you mean why? Do you not want me to come?” Caliban

sounded hurt, and Dawn bit her tongue.
 “No, I would enjoy the company. I was just wondering why you’re
jumping at the chance. I sat on this plan for so many years and you’re
not giving it a second thought.”

“I’m sick of this place. I barely remember the world outside. I want
to visit the sun, too. Plus, I didn’t put up with you all these years for
nothing.”

Caliban’s smile was infectious, and Dawn felt herself glow with the
prospect of having Caliban come along. For some reason, her heart
fluttered, and her stomach felt queasy. It wasn’t helping that Caliban’s
illuminated face seemed so much more handsome in the dark.

“Fine, let’s go.”

Dawn made her way back to the small door with Ansu and Caliban
trailing behind. She gingerly opened the small door and stepped into
the cool midnight breeze then carefully closed the door after her
companions stepped through. She stepped down the ladder and started
to walk into the forest.

Dawn stopped and turned around to look one more time at the
place she called home, not knowing when she would return. Then she
turned back around and hesitantly began her journey.

***

The crickets chirped, the bats screeched, and the frogs croaked. The
forest was beautiful even when most of its residents were asleep. The
moonlight shone through the leaves of ebony, oak, and weeping
willows. The stars were reflected in various ponds, each one filled with
cool water and soft waves. Lotuses floated in every pond, their petals
blooming in the silver light. The trees swayed as if singing a sweet
lullaby to all the animals of the forest.

Dawn herself was sleepy, but she didn’t want to lose a moment of
her journey. She walked through the bushes and through the grass,
fireflies lighting her path. It was odd that the Palace of Atuhin, a frozen
and dark world, was so close to the warm, wild forest. Dawn wondered
if it might have been due to the queen’s imprisonment by the sun in
what she called a “little corner.” The queen’s power could only go so
far into the land. Only what lay inside the icy gates surrounding the
palace was under her spell. Though the queen couldn’t use her powers
outside those gates, Dawn still wondered why her mother didn’t use
her teleportation powers.

Next to her, Caliban strode, his muscles seeming to ripple in the

moonlight. His eyes drank in the scene outside the dreary palace just
like Dawn’s had and for a moment, his eyes looked fuller.

Finally, Dawn stopped and lay down on the silky bed of grass. She
opened her leather bag, took out the map, and studied it, following the
lines to her destination with Caliban looking over her shoulder. She
looked up at the night sky, then down to her map. She placed her
finger at a point on her map and stood up, her eyes twinkling like the
blanket of stars above her.

“I think I figured it out! The map leads to the pieces of a key. Once
you get all the pieces, you put them together and that leads you to the
Palace of Ahana. So, according to our map, after walking through the
forest, we will find a clearing in a place called Sunshine Hills. Well,
there is a smudge before the words ‘Sunshine Hills,’ but I think it
should be fine. That’s where we will find the first piece of the key!”
Dawn smiled.

Caliban congratulated her and went to a nearby patch of grass

while Ansu flew up into a tree and tucked her head under her blanket
of feathers.

Dawn lied back down, closing her eyes, and started to dream about
the adventure ahead of her.

***
 Meanwhile, in the Palace of Atuhin, there was chaos. Maids and
servants ran in all directions. In every room, there were at least three
people searching. They were all looking for something very valuable:
Dawn. But no one knew where she was. They looked everywhere,
starting with Dawn’s favorite hiding spots, but their efforts were in
vain.

Sahchar briskly went up into the queen’s

room and bowed down low.

“Your Majesty, it appears that something very unfortunate

happened,” the man said.

“Oh, now, why is someone else disturbing me? First it was Dawn,
then it was you. What do you want from me?” The Snow Queen sat up
in her bed.

“Well, you see, an hour or two before, one of our maids went to
check all the rooms, just to do her night patrol. As you had said, you
wanted the maid to keep an eye on every room, especially Dawn’s
room. She was doing her check of Dawn’s room only to find a great
misfortune. Dawn was missing. We all immediately went around the
whole palace, only to find a feather. I have come to tell you that Dawn
is not here.” Sahchar shrank back into the corner, afraid the queen
would hurt him in anger.

The queen chuckled. “That’s all old news. I already know she’s
gone. And I know exactly where she’s headed.”

“What? Did someone else tell you already?” the man asked.

“No, no. You see, I knew from Dawn’s face the moment she asked
about the chest that she was curious. I made an awful move, and I
showed her that I was disturbed by the chest. She looked into it and
found the map to the Palace of Ahana. She then asked me about it, and
I once again showed my disturbance. Becoming even more curious, I
knew she would go off to find it. So, I placed a small tracker on her
pet. I know where she’s going and what she’s doing. You see now? You
don’t need to come running into here. I’ve already settled everything.
Now, it’s just a matter of stopping Dawn from reaching the first part of
the key. But we shall talk about that tomorrow. Leave me to my own
peace.”

The Snow Queen shooed Sahchar away and went back to her
beauty sleep.

The man sulked away, running a nervous hand through his hair.
The Snow Queen seemed certain about Dawn’s failure, but she didn’t
allow him to explain further. The Palace of Atuhin had two escapees:
Dawn, and the servant boy with a secret.
 CHAPTER VIII
Pratham
(The First)

The next day, the sun shone high above in the sky, filling everyone
with bright and happy moods. Dawn awoke to the sounds of rabbits
thumping, birds singing, fish splashing, and all the other beautiful
sounds of the wildlife around her. She bounced up, much to the
surprise of Caliban, whose hair was flattened on one side from
sleeping on the grass and, with Ansu on the lookout high above, began
her journey once again.

Dawn walked through brambles, bushes, twigs, and stones, but

even though her feet ached, her curiosity and excitement pushed her
forward. Caliban climbed up trees to look around the horizon. Finally,
after much hiking and exploring, she saw the clearing in the distance.

“We made it! The first part of the key!” Dawn exclaimed as she
started to look for the hill on her map. “Now, let’s see which hill the
key should be on.”

“I need a higher vantage point, Ansu, can you fly up and scout
ahead?” Dawn asked. She turned to see Ansu scratching at a spot on
her back.

“Ansu,” Dawn tried again, “go up and see.” But Ansu ignored her,
her talons scraping her back vigorously.

Caliban huffed. “So much for having someone with a pair of

wings. Dawn, you should climb up there. I definitely trust you to know
the right direction, after all, the owl seems more interested in itching at
the moment.”
 Dawn agreed, and said, “Ansu, you wait here and guard the map,
though no woodland animal should take it. I need to find the hill on
which the sun sits at dusk.”

“I’ll help you up. Now, use the wider branches as support and if
not, push off of notches and stubs on the tree. Plan where you are
going to step and coordinate your arms and legs,” Caliban explained.

“How do you know all of this?” Dawn said in between breaths. She
was not used to climbing, especially climbing tall trees.

“Being the younger servant, I was given the job to clean cobwebs
from the corners of the room. I had to learn how to climb using
minimal support. I guess something good did come out of working in
the Snow Queen’s palace for seven years.”

Dawn chuckled. “So you weren’t born at the palace? Where did
you live? And how did you end up in the Palace of Atuhin?”

Caliban remained silent for a few moments then he said, “Just

focus on where to put your legs.”

He pivoted on his heel then and ventured into the woods, away
from Dawn and Ansu.

***

Ansu watched as Dawn started to make her way up to the top of the
tree. As soon as she was out of sight, Ansu picked up the map and flew
up to a low branch. Just as Ansu was getting herself comfortable, she
heard some twigs snapping. Out of a bush, a small mouse was thrown.
Being an owl, Ansu had an urge to attack the mouse. But out of
loyalty, she kept the map firmly in her beak.

Another mouse was thrown out of the bush.

 After a few minutes, eight mice were scurrying about. But Ansu
turned her head away from each one.

After all the mice were gone, out stepped Nora, one of the Snow
Queen’s maids. Ansu warily looked at her. She wasn’t particularly fond
of Nora. She held a little flute in her hands and started to blow softly
into it. The melody made Ansu feel drowsy. After many days of travel,
and few hours of rest, she dropped the map on the ground and started
to quietly snore.

The music continued to lull Ansu to sleep. She heard a muffled

voice crying out in triumph and vaguely remembered someone coming
to her. The flute music stopped, and the thoughts began to come more
clearly. Nora, a maid. A flute, a map, a job. Ansu shook herself awake
and pecked at Nora. A soft thud stopped Ansu’s attack, giving Nora
time to get away. When Ansu looked down to retrieve the map, there
was not one scroll, but two.

***

Caliban left, veering into the forest. Dawn could still see a blurry
outline of him, but decided it was best to leave him be. She continued
to climb, her arms aching from pulling herself up. Sweat dribbled
down her neck. More than once, her leg dangled, trying to find a
foothold. At one point, Dawn thought she heard flute music, but was
too busy trying to hang on to pay much attention to it. Finally, one
hand grasped the top branches of the tree. Dawn eagerly tried to pull
herself up, a resounding crack coming from above. She had just tilted
her head to see that she had grabbed a flimsy branch when it gave way,
sending her down the tree. Dawn screamed, hands absently groping for
a hold and legs kicking. She was abruptly stopped by a tangled part of
the tree filled with branches and leaves. She had lost six feet of
progress, and her leg was stuck in between two branches.
 “Caliban! Ansu! Help!” she cried out.

“I’m here!” a familiar voice called out from above. Dawn craned
her neck, watching as Caliban expertly leaped from branch to branch.

“Where’s Ansu?” Dawn breathlessly asked.

“I don’t know. I heard some music, so I started walking back

toward the path, but then I heard you scream. We’re too far into the
forest to see her. All right, I’ll get you out.”

Caliban tugged at the branches that trapped Dawn’s foot and

wedged another stick in between to give Dawn room to wiggle her foot
out. Her ankle felt sore, but she was able to detangle it and the rest of
her from the cage of branches. With Caliban guiding her, the two made
it to the top. The view from above was breathtaking. Rolling hills were
spread out, seemingly endless with no trees to break up the scenery. A
pale orange sun with hints of vibrant red watched over the hills,
gradually starting to sink under one of the far hills.

“That’s the one!” Dawn pointed out.

“It’s beautiful,” Caliban said in awe, swiveling his head around.

“Isn’t that the Palace of Atuhin?”

Dawn followed his finger to a triangular figure in the direction they

came from. Dawn felt an ache in her chest, a sadness at being away
from home. But when she looked at Caliban’s wide smile and
gleaming eyes, she found herself mirroring the look. The excitement
lay in the journey, freedom their constant companion.

“We better hurry down if we want to catch the sun,” Caliban said.
Dawn agreed and watched him scramble down, copying his foot
placement and grabbing the same handholds as he did.

Dawn had almost reached the bottom, when Caliban said, “Jump
from there. I’ll catch you. The footing is a little tricky here. I had to
give you a boost for this part when you were climbing.”
 “Okay, I’m jumping.”

Dawn took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and let go. The cold air
that whipped around her was replaced by warm, comforting arms. She
opened her eyes to find Caliban staring at her with intense eyes. She
felt her cheeks heat up and saw him notice it. Caliban cradled her
closer, and Dawn could make out the faintest of blushes on his pale
cheeks.

“Ahem, we should probably hurry. Don’t want to miss the sunset.”

Dawn smiled, stepping away from Caliban.

“Yeah, good idea,” he said, rubbing his neck. He started walking

forward and Dawn released a breath she didn’t know she had been
holding. They hurried back to the path, finding Ansu staring at the
ground.

“Ansu, we’re back! We need to go now, because sunset is…” Dawn

stopped talking and stared at the two scrolls laying on the ground.

“Two maps? Ansu, did someone come here?” Dawn asked. Ansu
shook her feathers and bowed down. Caliban knelt down and inspected
the maps, but to no avail.

“But who would want to come here? Now, to find the real map. But
which one, they look the same,” Dawn murmured. They both had the
same markings and words on them. They both had the same way
leading to the first part of the key, but after that, they became different.

Oh, I don’t know. How do I figure it out? Dawn thought.

Ansu flew up into the sky and flew right in front of the sun. She
then took a leaf as if to show a ray of the sun. Then Ansu took the leaf
and placed it in Dawn’s palm. She slowly moved Dawn’s palm to each
of the maps.

“Ansu, you’re a genius! Of course! I will channel the sun’s energy

and the real map, being made by the sun itself, can’t be burned!”
 Dawn petted Ansu’s back and then closed her eyes. She thought of
the sun’s heat and light coming down and into her palm. She drew on
the heat she felt from her cheeks when she was with Caliban. The
thoughts came to her easily, as if they were perfectly natural. Soon, a
glowing ball of fire and light formed in Dawn’s hand. She picked up
one of the maps and held it close to the ball. It began to crinkle and
burn. After a few seconds, the map was nothing but ashes.

“So that means this map is the correct one!” Dawn picked up the
other map after extinguishing the ball in her hand. Now they could
start their journey once more.

***

Soon, the threesome made their way up to Sunshine Hills. The

thought of being so close to the first part of the key pumped adrenaline
into her veins. Even Caliban, who was usually grouchy after walking
so much, seemed interested. The trio climbed up and down hills, each
one bringing them closer to the farthest hill. But even as the sun started
to set, they couldn’t find the hill where the sun would sit on as the
moon rose in the sky.

“Where is that hill? We’ve walked all over only to find even more
hills.” Caliban sat down and stared up at the sky. Then he looked back
at Ansu. “Ansu, come over here! You have wings and good eyesight,
go fly up and scout the area. Search for the hill where the sun is
setting.”

Caliban pointed, and Dawn leaped up as Ansu nodded and began to

fly. She soared through the orange and pink sky, slicing the air as she
flew. Dawn and Caliban were close behind, sprinting as fast as they
could. But Ansu was going ever so fast and the pair on the ground soon
tired. Dawn gasped and put her hands on her knees, too tired to go any
farther. Dawn looked up to see Ansu flying above her, as if impatiently
waiting.

“Hey, stop giving us that look. Guess what, we’ve been walking for
hours, and I have no patience left for that kind of sass,” Caliban
shouted.

“Caliban, you’re talking to a bird. Calm down. It would be great if

I could get up into the air.”

Caliban scoffed. “Maybe you could ride a cloud.”

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, a large cloud with a
tint of gold floated across the sky. It landed next to Dawn, who
immediately felt the warmth emitting out of it. She gave Caliban an
astonished look and gingerly stepped on. Dawn felt herself wobbling
and rising higher and higher into the air until she, too, was staring
down at the dotted hills laid out under her. Caliban was but a smudge
under her.

“Ansu, look!” The cloud under her was like a hot air balloon with
tendrils of flames leaping out to the sides.

“I need to pick up Caliban. Um… Cloud, could you go down?”

Dawn asked, awkwardly patting the cloud as if it were a dog. The
cloud just continued to fly higher and higher.

Dawn tried again. “Cloud, go down.”

This time the cloud obeyed, swooping down to Caliban.

“What…? How…? When…?” Incoherent words tumbled out of

Caliban’s mouth and Dawn shook her head.

“I have no clue, I guess it senses the sun in me.”

“Is there a cloud for me?” Caliban asked, searching the sky.

Dawn shrugged. “Any cloud that can take my friend?”

 No shimmering, gold-tinted cloud came down. “I guess there’s
only one. You’ll have to come with me.”

Dawn hauled Caliban up next to her. Giving the cloud the voice
command to follow Ansu, Dawn braced her legs and told Caliban to do
the same.

The cloud whisked her away behind Ansu and the turbulence
caused Dawn and Caliban to constantly fall over each other. Caliban’s
pale cheeks flushed with pink, but Dawn was too focused on staying
still to point it out. They flew on until Dawn spotted the resting sun,
almost hiding behind the hill.

“Ansu! Caliban! The sun is sitting on that hill over there!”

Ansu darted for the hill. Dawn and her cloud landed beside her on
the soft grass. They finally found it.

The pair walked toward the setting sun with Ansu perched on
Dawn’s shoulder. They stared in awe at the magnificent ball of light
and heat. There were patches of yellow, orange, and red, as if the
colors were making intricate designs on the ball. The shining rays of
light touched the top of the sky as the sun started to slowly disappear.
It seemed as if the sun was getting swallowed by the hills. Its light
started to fade away, the night taking its place. Dawn’s chest swelled
with awe and happiness. She felt such a strong connection to the sun,
as if it was someone she knew long ago. She watched until there was
nothing except a small ray peeking up from behind the hill.

“That ray hasn’t gone down.”

As the sun disappeared all the way, a silver stand stood behind it.
On top of the silver stand was a peculiar object. As Dawn went closer,
she realized what it was. She ran to the object and held it up for all to
see. And right there in her hand was the first part of the key. It was
golden and sparkling in the starry light. The ray was long, and a sharp
point lay at the end. It glistened, as if calling all to come close. The ray
itself gave off a dim light, warming the one who held it.
 “We’ve found it. I never thought in a million years after what
happened back there. Wait, let me have a look at the map again.”

As Ansu held the ray of light, Dawn drew out the map and began to
study it. She took the tip of her thumb and wiped away the smudge she
had found in the afternoon.

“Oh. That explains everything. It said, ‘The Everlasting Sunshine

Hills’ and that’s why we couldn’t ever find the hill while we were
walking. The hills would just go on and on. It’s a good thing we flew
up or we wouldn’t have found the hills.”

Dawn told Ansu, “I think we did enough for today.” Caliban

nodded vigorously in agreement, way too eager to rest.

Yawning, Dawn put all her belongings on the ground and took out
a small nest for Ansu. Caliban scouted the area for a patch of grass and
settled himself down. Dawn followed him and sat down on the plush
grass a few feet away from him. After taking one look around, she let
her head fall onto a soft pillow of leaves and let the moonlight cover
her like a blanket. She then held the first ray of light right next to her
heart.

***

Dawn woke up the next morning and stood staring at the sky. She
had woken up even before the sun could grasp the world with its warm
rays. She stared at the horizon, where the night sky ended and met the
golden light of the sun. Dawn then made her way back to the sleeping
Ansu and picked up the first part of the key. It shone in the golden
sunlight, warming Dawn’s fingers. It brightened Dawn’s face with a
new sense of hope.

Caliban’s soft snoring shook her back to reality and she decided to
get the rest of her crew on their feet. She started with Ansu.
 “Ansu, wake up. Come on, you sleepy bird! Wa—” As Dawn
started to pet Ansu, she noticed something rigid on her back. Dawn
softly parted the white feathers and found a small device. It was
smaller than her nail, but she knew what it was at once.

A tracking device. But not just a regular tracking device. One of the
Snow Queen’s servant trackers. It was a tiny snowflake and embedded
into it was a small jewel, which was used to listen in on conversations.

Dawn gingerly shook her snowy owl awake. “Ansu, did you know
about this?”

The owl hooted and ruffled her feathers. “So, you did know about
it.” Dawn sadly looked at Ansu’s sky blue eyes.

Innocently, Ansu flew over to perch on Dawn’s shoulder, but was

met with a betrayed look.

“You knew! My mother, the Snow Queen, put a tracker on you!

She knew I would go with you. That’s why there were two maps. You
were only helping her find me, so she could stop me from learning the
truth. Why I love the sun and why she doesn’t. Go away from here,
Ansu. I can’t deal with traitors!” Dawn cried out, tears trying to escape
her eyes.

Caliban shook himself awake at the commotion and rubbed his

eyes.

“What happened? Can’t someone get a moment of rest? We were

walking the entire day yesterday,” Caliban grumbled. He quickly shut
his mouth after Dawn shot him an icy look.

“Go away, Ansu. I have no time for traitors,” Dawn hissed.

“Wait a minute. Traitor? Ansu is your best friend; how can you call
her a traitor?” Caliban’s mouth hung wide open.
 “We were being tracked by my mother. That’s how she knew where
we were. I bet she was the one behind the fake map. Ansu betrayed
me,” Dawn snapped, her rage boiling.

“But it’s not Ansu’s fault. How could she know?” Caliban said.

Dawn’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Were you a part of this,

too? No wonder you were so eager to join me.”

Caliban’s fingers twitched as he tried to stop from clenching his

fists. “What do you mean? No one is betraying you.”

“That’s a lie.” A cold shiver ran through her spine and her eyes
sharpened. She balled her hands into fists and when she opened her
fingers, they were crusted with ice.

“Dawn, no. That’s not you.” Caliban took a step back from her and
Ansu shifted from foot to foot.

“You don’t know me. You’re just traitors.” The ice shot up through
her fingers and armed her with a blade of ice.

Caliban pleaded, “Please, Dawn. Stop.”

Ansu took a tentative step toward Dawn but was met with a blast of
snow. It morphed into a sharp icicle that pursued Ansu like a missile.

“Leave now,” Dawn growled.

When Caliban didn’t move, she held her hand up and let her anger
take control. With a guttural cry, she shot ice through her fingertips.
Caliban ducked and covered his head with his arms. The darts of cold
kept coming at him and he cowered.

Dawn brought her hand down and stared cruelly at Caliban.

“Leave.”

With one final desperate look, Caliban turned and sulked away.
Dawn glared at Ansu, snapping her fingers to call the icicle pursuing
the owl back to her. She watched until Ansu was trailing solemnly after
Caliban.

Dawn jutted her chin out and turned on her heel, not giving a
second thought to her friends.

After walking a few miles, the cold that had invaded her melted
away, leaving her empty and confused. She still felt betrayed, but her
mind kept replaying the last time she saw her friends. Caliban’s eyes
were pleading instead of empty, and though Ansu had no words, a
lonely weight seemed to sit on her wings. Slowly, the thoughts of hurt
and betrayal were replaced with loneliness and regret. She hadn’t even
thought about what Caliban was saying and she had allowed the cold
to get to her. She had given into her rage and allowed it to cloud her
mind.

Aghast that her only companions were now miles away, Dawn
didn’t have the energy to go on. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep,
tossing and turning. After trying for a long time, with her tears
enclosing her in a wet hug, she drifted off into an uncomfortable sleep.
As soon as she fell asleep, she had a strange dream, almost like a
flashback. It looked like a horrible time, with people screaming. A
terrible storm occurred, lightning hitting the trees. The thunder was an
evil laugh, the clouds looming above all. The land was frozen, with
bitter cold stretching its icy fingers around the world. The darkness
was like a suffocating blanket, with no end or escape in sight.

And in the midst of the chaos was a figure. It looked like a woman,
with a large crown sitting on her head. She chuckled, and with her
scepter she created beasts of ice. It was the Dark Age. The world
cowered in the shadow of the darkness while it pierced everyone with
fear.

Dawn gasped and sat up. She studied her surroundings, only to find
a peaceful afternoon sky with deer leaping and chipmunks scurrying.
Nowhere did she see fear or darkness, but instead happiness and light.
She shook the dream out of her mind, but two questions still lingered:
Why did she have that dream? Who was that woman?
 CHAPTER IX
Surang
(The Tunnel)

Early the next morning, Dawn rubbed her eyes and stood up, only
to fall back down again. She still felt the pain of leaving without her
companions. She felt guilty about the way she treated the only ones
who were always on her side no matter what. But she knew she had to
keep going. Pushing on, she finished her walk through the forest,
leaving Sunshine Hills and a big part of her heart behind.

“Now, according to the map, we…” Remembering that she was

alone, she continued, “I must go to a certain spot called Dusk and there
it seems that I must start digging. It must mean that I need to go
underground to find the second part of the key. But how will I find the
right spot?”

She bit her lip and dug her fingers into her palms. Without her
friends with her, she doubted herself every step of the way. She shook
herself and steeled her mind to focus on the one thing that mattered:
finding Ahana.

After Sunshine Hills, the forest ended shortly as well. Beyond the
forest was a land of dust and dirt. Dawn continued her journey through
the dusty land, wondering what had made it so barren, with all the
trees dead and not one living creature in sight. All she saw around her
were remains of old planks and wood. Rotting houses and broken tools
were everywhere. As she ventured deeper into the deserted land, the
harder it became for her to breathe.

No trees, no oxygen, but the marks of people are left all through
here. All the living things have fled. People have caused the
destruction of this land. Who knows how much longer till the whole
world turns like this? The marks of people can never be removed,
Dawn thought.

She sneezed when the dust tickled her nose, and she wiped her
nose on her arm only to find more dirt up her nose. She tilted her head
up and groaned. Her eyes stung with the constant pecking of more
dust, and the glint of the sun caught her eye.

“The sun is why all living creatures are here. Maybe, by using the
power of the sun, I can survive this land.” She concentrated on a shield
of light and heat inside of which she would have her own oxygen
supply. At once, a glowing shield surrounded her, encasing her and
giving Dawn fresh air.

But the shield started to shrink before rapidly enlarging. Dawn

couldn’t hold it in one shape.

With a sigh, she let the shield go and it vanished into the barren
land. Trying her best to breathe in any clean air left, with each step she
was getting closer to her destination.

As she walked through the barren land, Dawn had time to think of
her journey. But all she could think of was Ansu and Caliban. All
through her mind, the same questions were there.

Did I do the right thing? What happened to them?

“No. I can’t think about them, I mustn’t lose a minute in despair.”

To fill up her time, Dawn tried to control her powers. Through deep
concentration, Dawn reached down into the sun’s energy and with each
step she took, she better controlled her powers. Now she felt as if she,
too, were part of the sun.

Not realizing it was night, Dawn kept going. She practiced using
her powers by making shapes, and by doing spells she had learned in
secret. She consulted the spell book she had brought with her to
practice new spells. The light she brought chased her dark, lonely
thoughts away, and left her blissfully content. Soon, it was the next
day. Dawn slowly opened her eyes to see that she had almost made it
out of the dusty land. Excited that she had filled up her time, Dawn
made her way across the land. By mid-morning, Dawn had walked to
the end of the deserted land. Her feet weren’t aching as they were
empowered by the tingle of the sunlight flowing through her.

“Now, the map shows that right here where I am, I should see some
kind of sign that says DUSK. Let’s see.”

Dawn turned in all directions, but nowhere could she see a sign. As
soon as she stopped moving, she was hit with exhaustion. She set
down her belongings and rested her chin on her knees, slowly dozing
off.

***

Back at the Palace of Atuhin, the Snow Queen smirked as she

peered through a globe of ice. Right there in front of her eyes, she saw
Dawn with her closed eyes. The queen concentrated on her magic,
stretching it to the barren land Dawn was in. The Snow Queen caused
tiny particles of snow to gather, forming a sheet of snow. When the
sheet finally blew away, a sign took its place. All this while, Dawn
rested, unaware of the Snow Queen’s trick.

She saw her plan working out splendidly. Only three people,
including herself knew the Snow Queen had a magic globe that
allowed her to see everything.

“Dawn shall come back to me. I just know it. Her innocence will
betray her in the end.”
 ***

Dawn slowly rubbed her eyes and blinked back to reality. She
brushed some dirt off herself and studied the horizon once again.

“Oh, finally! The sign!” Dawn exclaimed as she started to sprint to

the sign. Breathless, Dawn reached into her bag and pulled out the
map.

“The map says the sign should be right here. So, this must be the
real sign. But how do I make sure this isn’t just another trick? Before I
dozed off, the sign was nowhere to be seen. And I know Mother is so
keen on keeping me away from the sun… Why is she trying to stop
me? Is there something she doesn’t want me to know?” Dawn said out
loud.

She half expected a witty reply from Caliban or a reassuring nudge

from Ansu but was instead met with a small object that flew past her
and landed in front of the sign.

As Dawn turned around, she saw yet another object flying past her.
This time, it landed behind the sign.

“Ansu?” Dawn whispered as she stared at her snowy owl.

Caliban was right behind her, sifting through an assortment of

pebbles.

She realized her friends had been silently following her through the
barren land. In shock, Dawn watched as Caliban threw a pebble at the
sign. This time, his pebble hit the target and the sign gave way to a
frosty tunnel. As Dawn looked on, a breeze of ice and snow swept past
the hole and the sign. As the breeze went away, Dawn couldn’t find the
hole or the sign anywhere. It had disappeared. If not for Caliban and
Ansu, Dawn would have fallen into the trap.
 “What are you doing here? I told you not to come back.”

Ansu flew over and sat on the ground, sad chirps painfully coming
out of her. Dawn gasped and gingerly picked Ansu up. Dawn brushed
her fingers over Ansu and felt the snowy tracker on Ansu. As she
peered closer at it, she realized the tracker had been painfully clinging
onto Ansu the entire time. Dawn quickly shuffled through her bag,
pulling out tweezers and healing salves she had brought along with
her. Dawn’s eyes widened when she took the device off Ansu.
Underneath was matted feathers and dried blood. A sharp gash ran
across where the tracker had been attached. Dried blood clashed
against Ansu’s white feathers. Small tears came to Dawn’s eyes when
Ansu winced as Dawn applied a cooling paste to the sore spot.

“She was in pain after you left, and she wouldn’t perch on any
branches. I picked her up and felt the tracker. I parted her feathers and
saw this. I didn’t have any supplies like the ones you do in your bag,
so I couldn’t do much. I just followed your tracks. Last night, we slept
about a mile behind you. We got an early start and just made it to you
in time to see the sign materialize. I don’t know how she does it, but
Ansu immediately sensed something was wrong and started yapping in
my face. She waved her feathers around a bit, and I got the gist. I’m
just glad we got here before you walked into that trap,” Caliban
explained, giving Dawn a tiny smile.

“I can’t believe you guys came back. After what I did. I owe you
everything.” Dawn reached up, cradling Ansu in one arm, and
squeezing Caliban’s pale fingers with the other hand.

Caliban blushed. “It was nothing. We care for you too much to let
you start rampaging on a quest alone.” Seeing Dawn’s cheeks pinken,
he added, “That’s too much talk. Now take care of Ansu.”

Dawn nodded and turned her focus to her other friend.

“I never should have doubted you. My mind was just so clouded,

and I didn’t see how harshly the tracker was put on you. Of course,
you couldn’t have been a part of the scheme. For someone to make you
bleed, you must have stood against them. Please forgive me. I need
you on this trip to keep the darkness away. I missed my best friend.”

Ansu chirped happily and Dawn wiped her tears. She knew Ansu
had forgiven her.

Dawn rinsed Ansu’s wound with a bit of water from her bag,
reapplied the cooling salve and then tied a small cloth to it to keep the
wound safe from infection. Dawn lifted Ansu and allowed the owl to
perch on her shoulder.

Then, she began to plan.

***

By nightfall, the trio still didn’t have a plan. All they knew was that
they were in the right place, but they had no next steps.

“Maybe we could wait for dusk tomorrow and see if the sign
comes. After all, this is the place the map said we needed to be at,”
Dawn suggested, but they all knew that waiting would give the Snow
Queen a lead.

“According to you, you’re magical and can harness the power of

the sun,” Caliban said, his eyes distant as he thought.

“Okay, but we already knew that. How is that supposed to help?”

Dawn irritably replied. They had been sitting in the same area the
entire day, waiting for a clue. But each moment they wasted, Dawn
knew her mother was adding new obstacles in the course.

“And that means you’re like a second sun, right?” Caliban

muttered, now talking to himself more than Dawn.

“I guess,” Dawn mumbled. It was nearly midnight, and the sky was
littered with stars, each glaring down at her as if they were laughing at
her expense.
 Interrupting her thoughts, Caliban jumped to his feet, his eyes
shining with excitement. He gestured wildly with his hands and his
words came gushing out of his mouth. “If you are like the sun, why
can’t you act like the sunlight during dusk? Maybe the signal is
activated with the light of dusk.”

Dawn immediately went to work, concentrating on the dim light of

the evening sun, the soothing rays just touching the sky, the light pink
and golden. As she thought about the most beautiful dusk she ever saw,
a dim light shone through her palms. The light grew in her palms until
she was holding a golden sphere of light.

Caliban stepped back, his eyes as wide as saucers.

Dawn opened her eyes and raised her hands up in the air.

Ansu then started to fly around the horizon, searching for the sign.
But Ansu’s efforts were in vain.

Caliban grumbled to himself and paced angrily, searching for more

answers. The dusk that Dawn created flickered, like a candle dying
out.

“This isn’t working. There must be some way. Maybe there’s a clue
on the map.” Dawn pulled the map out of her leather bag. While dining
on some berries and fruit from the forest, Dawn closely looked at the
wrinkled map, keeping her dim evening light up in the air.

“I’ve got it! On the map it shows the sign. The sign isn’t a wooden
sign that we will see. The sign is the word ‘dusk.’ I wonder what will
happen if I write ‘dusk’ in the dirt.”

Dawn placed the map by her side and picked up one of Ansu’s
feathers. Using the feather as a quill, she wrote “dusk.” Dawn stepped
back and watched what would happen.

Caliban grew silent and peered over Dawn’s shoulder at the letters.
Even Ansu waited expectantly. But nothing happened.
 “But I’m sure this is the right way. I must be missing a step,” Dawn
said.

As she went to defuse her dim light, she accidentally dropped the
glowing ball of light that had sat in her palm. She watched as it rolled
over to her sign in the dirt. As soon as the dim light of evening hit the
word “dusk” it disappeared.

And out of “dusk” came a soft glow.

The glow grew stronger until even Dawn had to shield her eyes
from the light. In only a second, the light faded away, leaving a tunnel
in its place. The tunnel led down underground with a steep drop. It was
pitch black, with no indication of what could be down there.

“We did it! The tunnel to the underground key!” Dawn exclaimed.

Ansu hooted in reply, carrying Dawn’s leather bag and the map in
her beak. Ansu then swiftly glided into the underground tunnel, with
Dawn and Caliban scrambling close behind. Ansu glided in easily,
leaving Dawn and Caliban to squeeze through the narrow opening.
Caliban’s foot got stuck as he was going in and Dawn’s arm was
pressed against the wall at the entrance, entangling the two. Caliban
muttered a few colorful phrases before sighing in resignation.

Ansu chirped impatiently on the other side as Dawn grunted and

pulled her hand out of the gap. With a big push, Caliban’s foot went
through the entrance, and Dawn climbed in after him. As soon as
Dawn was inside, small rocks and dirt began to shake, until the trio
were enclosed in the damp tunnel. Each breath brought in the musty air
and Dawn struggled to stay silent. Ansu perched on Dawn’s shoulder
as the wet soil surrounded them.

They ventured farther into the tunnel. Dawn eventually placed her
palm against the dirt covered wall of the tunnel as she and her faithful
companions drew closer to their destination. The tunnel seemed to
grow darker than Dawn could have imagined, and she doubted that
even Ansu could use her night vision to see. Engulfed in the endless
dark, the entourage was forced to stop.

“We can’t go any more. None of us can see, and according to the
map, there will be a fork in the tunnel. But we won’t know when that
will come,” Dawn whispered to her friends. Dawn stared into the pitch
black. She put her palms together and imagined light streaming out of
her hands. She tried to find the sun in her vision. She tried to see the
rays of light shooting down into her palms. But not even one crumble
of soil fell out of place.

“We are too far down. The sunlight doesn’t reach this far down.
That’s why I can’t channel its energy. Now how will we go on in this
unknown tunnel?” Dawn wondered, placing her hands at her side.

“I don’t know my lefts or rights anymore,” Caliban grimly added.

Neither Dawn nor Caliban knew the way through this tunnel. Ansu
was a help in the beginning, but the darkness was now as thick as
molasses. They were stuck. They were so deep into the tunnel that they
couldn’t even find their way back. Dawn feared their end was near.
They would be forgotten. Even Ansu’s eyes, which glittered a bit in the
dark, closed. Dawn fumbled with a small cake she had packed and
called for Ansu. Dawn found Ansu’s glittering eyes and thrust her
hands out, keeping it steady when she heard Ansu eat.

They grew more and more despondent. Dawn felt as if she would
never see the rise of the golden sun, she would never feel the
brightness and joy that flowed through her each time her eyes fell on
the sun, she would never smile again, she would never laugh again, but
most of all, she would never be able to finish her journey.

Dawn sighed, her voice dripping with sadness. She closed her eyes
to sleep for the last time. As soon as she closed her eyes, a strange
dream came to her—the same one she had on the first night of her
adventure. The darkness, the terror, the woman. They were all the
same. The woman laughed maliciously as people ran in fear. But there
was no escape. The cold was strangling and relentless. Dawn screamed
as a blast of ice shot at her. She ran as fast as she could, but she was
trapped. Freezing cold closed in on the people. Pleas of help rang in
the air.

Dawn was swept off her feet as sheets of snow raced under her. She
fell, and pulled herself into a ball, trying to keep the warmth to herself.
But nothing worked.

With a final scream, Dawn shook herself awake with cold sweat
dripping down her spine. The cold from her dream had reached her,
too, and she felt suffocated. She frantically looked around, scanning
for danger. Every whisper of the wind made her jump. Every twinge of
cold made her shiver. Her dream was so realistic; she felt as if she was
living that nightmare.

Suddenly, a blow of the wind came through the tunnel and froze
Dawn from the inside. Frightened, Dawn backed up into the wall,
trying to escape the cold. She gasped as she felt the warmth leave her.
Sobbing, she fell to the ground and curled up. There was no hope. The
wind faded away, but it left Dawn empty. She let her tears flow into a
river of sadness. She shivered from the weight of her loneliness.

As she cried, she didn’t hear Caliban shuffling around trying to

find her until his foot prodded her knee. He slid down beside her and
hesitantly placed his arm around her. Her body shook with emptiness,
and her tears kept sliding down Caliban’s dirty shirt. She wrapped her
shaking hands around him and he squeezed her close.

“Hey, it’s all right,” Caliban whispered.

“No, it isn’t. We’re stuck here forever.” Dawn’s voice cracked and
broke. The racking sobs came back, and her eyes were blurry.

“No, we aren’t. We’re getting out of here,” Caliban retorted.

“How can you be so sure?” Dawn sniffled.

 “I just know.” He shifted position and softly got up, vanishing into
the dark and sinking farther down into the black tunnel. Ansu turned
her head to Dawn and stumbled over to her. Tucking her wounded
wing to her side, Ansu snuggled next to Dawn. Suppressing her tears,
Dawn looked down to see her friend. Slowly, Dawn’s heartbeat
slowed, and her tears turned to sniffles. Closing her eyes, she sighed
and tried to let sleep carry her off to the land of dreams.

***

Dawn awoke to see Caliban standing up, hands reaching to the sky.
His back was turned to her, and she could see him softly shaking.
Dawn struggled to her feet and limped to Caliban. His jaw muscles
flexed, and his eyes snapped shut. His muscles, built from all those
years of hard work in the palace, bulged. He seemed to be pulling
down an invisible force. Then she realized with a shock that she could
see him. In the endless darkness, a faint white glow illuminated the
space around her friend. It was soft and soothing, gracefully cutting
through the shadows.

“Caliban?” Dawn whispered.

His eyes opened and sweat began to drip down his face. “Do you
feel better? The tunnel’s not so bad with light, is it?” He weakly
chuckled, his voice strained.

Dawn was awestruck. “How are you doing this?”

“You’re not the only one with magic,” he replied. “Now, is it

helping?”

“Of course, it is. The dark isn’t so suffocating anymore.” Dawn

grinned widely and reached out to hug him but stopped after seeing
him struggle to make the glow of light stronger.
 “Can you use the light to connect to the sun or something? If this is
a part of the obstacles to get to the sun, surely the sun would be
involved.”

Caliban’s words came out as grunts and Dawn placed a hand on his
shoulder. She was met with a jolt of heat, and she focused on it. The
way it caressed her and filled her with hope. She pictured her days
playing with Ansu or sneaking away with Caliban to talk. She
remembered when she found the first part of the key and all the times
she blushed with Caliban. A smile crept up her face as the heat came
back. She opened her eyes and felt the heat moving. Curious, she
placed her hand on the tunnel wall and detected a faint hint of warmth.

“I found a way.” Dawn drew her hand off the wall and made her
way to Caliban.

“Caliban, you did it,” Dawn said.

Caliban opened his eyes and slowly brought his hands to his sides.
The light that surrounded him dimmed, and then faded away.

“I found the warmth. It’s a trail leading through the tunnel. And
thanks to you, I was able to find the trail. Thank you.”

“Really, it was nothing. I could do that in my sleep.” Caliban

shrugged, trying to act nonchalant, but Dawn could hear the smile and
pride in his voice.

Dawn laughed. “That’s very believable. But how did you do it?”

Caliban’s face grew grim. “Now’s not the time to discuss this. Lead
us through the tunnel.” He turned away and walked behind Dawn,
holding her hand in the dark, ending their conversation.

Perplexed, Dawn started to turn to try to ask him more questions,

but Ansu tweeted nervously, flying up to Dawn’s shoulder. Dawn
turned her focus to getting out of the tunnel. She walked to the wall
and flattened her palm against it, feeling the faint tug of warmth.
 Dawn continued to press her hand against the wall, moving along
step by step, her hope growing with each move. Dawn staggered
through the darkness with only her hand to guide her. Ansu and
Caliban stayed right next to Dawn, supporting her the whole way.
They went along, with a smile. Soon, the darkness seemed to be a
blessing, not a curse.

“The wall! It’s getting warmer. We must be close!” Dawn

exclaimed hoarsely.

The wall had been the answer all along. As she went farther into
the tunnel, the wall felt warmer. Dawn felt the wall reaching its highest
temperature. She knew they had made it through. In the center of the
tunnel was a burning object. Unwavering heat rose off it. Right there
was the second ray. The second part of the key. It warmed the tunnel
and vanquished the darkness.

Ansu sang with delight. The trio excitedly stepped to the second
part of the key, forgetting their earlier fatigue and troubles. The dim
light was blinding after all the darkness. Dawn carefully lifted the ray,
smiling from ear to ear. All was quiet and in bliss.

But the quiet was ruptured when a deep rumble came from above.
The sound swallowed them, coming from all sides. Dawn felt Caliban
grasp her hand, holding it tight. She tightened her grip in response as
the rumblings grew earsplitting.

Caliban shouted something to Dawn, but the roar drowned him out.

Ansu paced but seemed otherwise unaffected.

The second ray shot up in the sky, pulling Dawn with it. A gaping
hole formed in the ceiling of the tunnel. Soil rained down on them,
coating their clothes with a layer of grime. The ray of light blasted
through the tunnel, with Dawn hanging on to the sharp end.

Caliban flailed, but hung on tightly, and Dawn’s palms went numb.
Ansu was a bullet, in pursuit of the ray that was now climbing up to
the sky. Dawn hung on the ray with one hand and clutched Caliban’s
fingers with the other. Ansu flew beside them, Dawn’s leather bag in
her curved beak.

“Help! Help! How do I stop this?” Dawn feebly screamed. The ray
of light shot toward the sun, its golden color a blur. Suddenly, the ray
shot downward, like sunlight making its way down to the soil. Gently,
the ray lowered itself, giving Dawn and Caliban time to place their feet
firmly on the ground before it dropped to the ground itself.

Caliban scrambled up and backed away from the ray.

“You never said the rays would be dangerous! This one was out to
kill us!” Caliban glared at the ray menacingly.

“The ray of light wasn’t trying to hurt us. In fact, it saved us. The
ray got us out of the underground tunnel! Without it there would have
been no exit,” Dawn breathlessly said to Caliban.

Ansu hooted in agreement.

With the second part of the key safely tucked into her leather bag,
Dawn swelled with pride. They were now on the other side of the
tunnel, where the soil was rich, and the air was fragrant. Ansu
hurriedly flew to a nearby tree and plucked the sweet berries off the
branches for Dawn and Caliban to eat. The juicy berry tickled Dawn’s
tongue as she devoured them. Caliban sat beside her, the red juice
clashing against his pale chin. After filling themselves with berries and
small plums, the three continued their journey.

***

As the sun waved goodbye and the moon said hello, Dawn,
Caliban, and Ansu finally stopped to rest. After walking for the whole
day, they found a small patch of forest. There, the companions stayed
until the stars said good night as well. Ansu flew up to a tall sequoia
tree and fluttered back down, tweeting with eagerness. Dawn yawned
and ushered Ansu to sleep. Caliban watched Dawn and Ansu settle.
When Dawn told him to get some rest, he merely smiled at her and
said he would go to sleep in a while. Then he looked up and stared at
the moon, its craters matching the emptiness in his eyes.

The next day, Dawn awoke to find Ansu flying up to the sequoia
tree once more, only to come back down again. Caliban was sleeping a
few feet away, so Dawn rubbed her eyes and got up to see what Ansu
wanted.

“What is it, Ansu?” Dawn yawned. The world was still blurry, and
her eyes seemed to be fighting to close themselves. Even her body
moved sluggishly, and her feet felt like lead. Still, she willed herself to
look at Ansu, who was frantically flying up the tree and back.

Giving herself a good shake, she blinked a few times, stretched her
tired limbs out, and began to climb the tree, using Caliban’s advice. On
the other side of the forest was a vast beach. It stretched out on both
sides and met the huge sea. Dawn climbed back down and understood
what she had to do.

She gently shook Caliban awake and led him up the tree so that he
could see their next obstacle. She quickly popped a few plums into her
mouth, grabbed her leather bag, and began to walk through the trees;
Caliban jogging to keep up with her. Ansu flew above her, keeping an
eye on her friend.

Dawn stared ahead at the clearing and took a deep breath, thinking,
This next part will be treacherous.
 CHAPTER X
Samudra
(The Sea)

Sparkling sapphire waves washed into the dots of white sand. The
seagulls effortlessly glided in the cool breeze, keeping a sharp lookout
for any fish. The waves swirled and grew, twisted and turned. The sea
was a strange being. At times, it would seem so harmless, just a loving
mother to all the animals of the ocean, someone who gave affection
through the wet kisses of the soft waves. But at other times, the sea
could seem like the worst nightmare, its waves turning into rough fists,
showing no mercy. The sea would grow and lash out like a wild
creature, showing its anger and pain to everyone.

“All right, how are we going to do this? Caliban, you can swim in
the ocean, right?” Dawn asked.

Caliban scoffed. “Of course I can. But you, on the other hand,
you’ve only swum in calm lakes? Can you handle the ocean?”

“I guess we’ll find out,” Dawn answered curtly. She had swum at
home secretly with Caliban in a little oasis near Dawn’s room that
hadn’t been frozen over. Caliban taught her the basic strokes and how
to breathe, but she didn’t have any experience fighting the angry waves
that crashed into the shore.

“Okay then, Ansu, you fly ahead, and Caliban and I will swim. It
says there will be a small inlet and a cove; which is our next stop,”
Dawn explained, glancing over the map.

Caliban put his hand up. “We can’t just dive in! There must be an
easier way.”

“But what? I only do sun powers, not water,” Dawn rebutted.

 “Then it’s a good thing I do,” Caliban said, turning to the waves.

His toes sank into the squishy sand as he grounded himself at the
edge of the water. Closing his eyes, he stilled, then straightened his
arms out in front of him. With his eyes still closed, he began to mutter
and hum, his hands moving up and down softly. Then he pulled his
hands back, and the sea began to move. It stretched and struggled
against Caliban’s magic but obeyed his command. The angry waves
lulled to small, calm ones. The water lifted like a veil and Caliban
spread his arms out, the waves parting in perfect synchronization with
them. His humming dropped an octave, and the water stilled like a
wall of concrete. He opened his eyes and turned ever so slightly in
Dawn’s direction.

“I told you there is another way.” He smiled at Dawn’s open

mouth. “Hurry up, I can’t hold the entire ocean at bay for long.”

Dawn brought herself out of her awed daze and began to walk on
the path. It was littered with shells, small crabs, seaweed, and
everything else that inhabited the ocean floor. Once Dawn was a few
feet on the sandy road, Caliban stepped onto the path behind her.
Behind him, the water splashed back onto the ocean floor and fell back
behind Caliban like curtains closing behind the cast after a show in the
theatre. Ansu flew overhead, keeping an eye out for their destination.

“This is amazing. I can’t believe you never told me about this.

What else can you do?” Dawn eagerly asked.

“I’ll show you another time; right now, I need to make sure the
ocean doesn’t drown us.”

“I’m sure you’ll be fine, after a—” Dawn was cut off by a powerful
gust of wind. It blew down the path, making Dawn’s hair fly in all
directions. It blew over the wall of water, and droplets shivered against
Caliban’s power. His face scrunched up as he tried to keep the sea in
order, but the wind pushed harder, chaos riding with it.
 Another violent gust of wind swirled onto the path, ramming right
into Caliban. He stumbled and fell onto the sand. His concentration
was lost, and Dawn had just enough time to see the ocean come
tumbling down upon her before she blacked out.
 CHAPTER XI
Swarg
(Paradise)

A slippery hand grabbed her, and she felt her wet body hitting the
cool air. There was muffled yelling somewhere in her ear and a brief
stream of curses before the yelling resumed. She felt weightless, and
then realized she was resting on something hard. There were loud
splashes that threatened to drown out the yells. She tried to take a
breath but choked. Her lungs felt under pressure, and she was sure she
could hear sloshing in her body. Something clammy pushed down on
her chest with force, and the liquid that invaded her body lurched out.
She coughed between huge breaths. Her eyes fought to open, but the
stinging of salt water overpowered her. She coughed and tried again,
this time succeeding enough to see a blurry face desperately searching
hers. A blond lock of hair was plastered to her cheek and when she
tried to get up, her head felt like it was going to explode.

“Hey there, you’re going to be all right. Can you hear me? Dawn?”

She weakly nodded and felt fingers slip into hers. “Caliban?” she
croaked, her voice heavy.

“Yes, its me.” His face looked even paler than usual, and his dark
hair was pasted to his skull. He looked handsome, even with worry
displayed on his face.

“What happened?”

“The water came down on us and you immediately went down. I

was able to come up and saw you drowning. I pulled you up onto this
piece of bark. I don’t know what happened, though. There was a
sudden burst of wind and then chaos. And it was cold. I swear, there
were icicles in the wind,” Caliban explained, gingerly helping Dawn
up.

She threw back her head and groaned, “Mother found us. I bet it
was her.”

Caliban solemnly nodded in agreement.

“Now what? We were thrown off course and Ansu is nowhere to be

seen. I lost track of her while trying to save you.” Caliban strained his
neck, looking around for the snowy owl.

“Maybe she went to the cove. I really hope she’s okay. I guess the
best thing for us to do is try to find shore. Ansu has my bag, so I don’t
know where we are.”

“I guess I could try parting the sea again,” Caliban suggested,

pulling his arms up in preparation.

But Dawn saw his heavy breathing and tired muscles. She gently
placed a hand on his arm and shook her head. “I need you to be awake,
not tired.”

Caliban sighed and crossed his legs, staring out onto the sapphire
sea. The two sat in silence, letting the piece of bark drift slowly. Dawn
was about to ask Caliban if he’d thought of a plan when a soft whoosh
came from above. Dawn looked up but saw nothing. Then a chill
spread through her, and white wind spiraled in at them.

Their makeshift boat betrayed them and tipped over, sending them
into the ocean.

Dawn’s head came up and she screamed Caliban’s name until she
felt his sturdy palm reassuring her.

Blots of snow covered her, and she shivered.

A second gust came at them, assaulting Dawn with shards of ice.

She winced as water entered the cuts the shards made on her. The wind
moved quicker, picking up speed. Dawn opened her mouth to scream
and gulped salty water.

Caliban’s grip on her tightened and he yelled, pointing to the water.

That’s when Dawn saw what he was looking at.

Glistening silver fins sliced through the water and sped toward
them, chasing away the icicles. Even from a distance, Dawn could feel
a surge of heat coming off the creatures. Then they surrounded her and
Caliban, circling them protectively.

The angry frost dissipated with a hiss, leaving the sea calm, as if it
had witnessed nothing.

The silver fins stopped circling and came closer to the pair. Dawn
squeezed Caliban’s hand tighter as the fins came to a halt in front of
her. The fins quivered and then disappeared into the salty sea.

Dawn searched the water for the mysterious creatures, but they had
simply disappeared. She was just about to tell Caliban they were alone
when she felt her body rise on top of a slippery surface. She held on
tight, and her body was supported by something. She looked to her
side to see Caliban waving his arms frantically as he tried to grab hold
to whatever was supporting him.

What is happening? Dawn wondered.

The answer to her question came leaping out of the water.

Water sprayed in every direction. Dawn was in the air holding onto
the slippery surface with all her might. Whatever was under her shot
down into the water. And at that moment, she saw who had come to
her rescue. They were dark blue and white colored creatures with big
brown eyes, and mischievous smiles. Their silver fins glided through
the water with grace and ease, taking Dawn and Caliban with them.
Dawn’s eyes lit up as she realized who had rescued them.
 The dolphins whistled and tweeted in the water as they danced on
it. The water rippled around them, making way for their powerful
bodies. Dawn held the slippery dorsal fin of her dolphin as she leaped
and dived. They were going at such speed it made the world around
them a blur.

The dolphin Dawn was riding on was different from the others in
the pod. It wasn’t gray and blue, but golden and white. The fins were
long and appeared like rays. The strong tail shimmered in the sunlight.
The dolphin kept her steady and safe as the pod made their way to the
islands. Ansu found her place in the sky, flying in the air as the
dolphins flew in the water. With Ansu up top, guiding the pod through
the ocean, and the mesmerizing dolphins following below, Dawn and
Caliban made it to their destination.

***

The Flare Islands were large and full of life. As soon as Dawn
walked onto the beach, she saw crabs and turtles near the edge of the
water. She watched as hawks flew high above in the sky. The islands
were filled with towering green mountains reaching for the clouds as if
they were long lost friends, reaching out to give a hug. Dawn drank in
the view of tall trees, macaws and parrots flitting to their branches,
squirrels scurrying up their trunks.

“Shh, come here.” Caliban beckoned Dawn forward and the two
sank to their knees and watched a scrawny red fox skitter across the
shore. A family of deer warily looked on. A tickling sensation came
from Dawn’s palms, and when she looked down, an army of ants in
military formation climbed over her fingers, carrying twigs and leaves.
It seemed like a haven for animals; a place where everyone could find
a home.

Shaking the last drips of water from her hair, Dawn and Ansu
scouted for sturdy branches and a large space to spend the night while
Caliban coaxed thick pieces of kelp and other binding materials from
the sea.
 The trio regrouped and each member showed their spoils. Dawn
led the other two to a grassy plain and began to tie branches together
with the seaweed Caliban had secured. She then covered the teepee
structure with feathery palm tree leaves.

The weather was perfect, not too hot, or too cold. Caliban made a
bed of soft leaves and a pillow out of his jacket. He lay on his back,
staring up at the constellations. Dawn quietly said goodnight to him
and left him alone to watch the sea of stars.

***

That night, as Dawn went to sleep, the Snow Queen’s anger

erupted. The wall of Dawn’s bedroom was encased in ice, angry shards
threatening anyone who came near. Nora meekly opened the door to
place the queen’s supper on the bed but couldn’t escape the queen in
time.

“What good is supper when the girl is gone? What good is supper
made by you, someone who failed to stop a sixteen-year-old girl who
stepped out into the real world for the first time? What good are any of
my servants when none of you seem to do anything worthwhile?” the
queen screamed. Out of her palms shot a blade of ice. She stalked Nora
and closed the door with a gust of frigid ice.“Yes, you are all
incompetent. What good are your hands when you only use them to
cook? They betrayed you when it came to stopping the girl, so why
should you need them now?” With a mad gleam in her eyes, the Snow
Queen brought the dagger down onto Nora’s hands, severing them.

Nora wailed as tendrils of ice made their way up her arms, until her
arms, up to her elbows, were burdened by piercing ice. The queen
turned away, eyes wild, and Nora slipped out, choking out cries as she
hugged her damaged arms.
 Sahchar walked in through the door as Nora scrambled out. He
shivered at the miserable sight and walked to the entrance of Dawn’s
room, careful not to step through and feel the Snow Queen’s wrath as
Nora did.

“Go to the girl. Find her and lay in her path whatever you can
find,” the Snow Queen snarled without turning. The window in
Dawn’s room was swallowed by a thick layer of ice, seeping all the
light out of it. Sahchar bowed, and immediately left for the Flare
Islands, a nasty smirk stretching on his face.

***

Despite Dawn’s beautiful surroundings, she couldn’t sleep well.

The dreams were coming again. She was swept back into the dark
world, where a bright light flashed. And as Dawn watched, the beams
of light disappeared and out walked a woman. She had golden hair that
shined even in the darkness. Her green eyes narrowed as she stared
angrily at the evil figure. But even her anger couldn’t pierce through
her beauty. She wore a flowing silk dress with diamonds, rubies, and
emeralds embroidered on it. In her hand, a staff of fire and light. She
looked oddly familiar to Dawn. The mysterious woman pointed her
staff to the sky and out burst another extraordinary ray of light. The
endless dark began to screech as the light pierced through it. The icy
fingers of the cold melted into a brilliant sunshine. She freed the
people from their frozen cages. The woman then threw a glowing fire
cage, which encased the other woman. With a jerk of her wrist, the
woman sent the cold ruler and all her followers away.

“The Sun Mistress. It was her. She saved the people.” Dawn gasped
as she sat up straight just as the birds started to sing.

Ansu peered at her with a puzzled look as Dawn muttered to

herself with excitement.
 Dawn took hold of Ansu’s face and stared into her eyes with
realization.

“Ansu, Mother was lying. The Sun Mistress saved the people from
her. The Sun Mistress isn’t the curse, Mother is. The Sun Mistress is
really a blessing. I must find her. I must get answers. I must know who
I really am.”

***

Trekking through the dense forest was not easy. According to the
map, they had to hike through at least five miles of dense forest. The
canopy of trees ahead shaded the pair from the harsh sun as they made
their way through the jungle. At a small pond, Dawn decided to take a
break. She studied the map and ate the leftover fruit that Ansu had
brought the previous night. Her steps were clear and in the right
direction, but her mind was swirling with thoughts. Who was she? The
mother she knew all her life and the trust she built with her faded
away.

“Come on, guys. We can’t waste any time.

We must make it to the cove.”

With that said, the three started walking once again, finally
reaching a sandy beach. By now, the sun was at its peak. Even Dawn,
who was mostly ignorant of the heat, started to feel beads of sweat
dripping down her neck. Caliban began to spray everyone with salty
mist from the sea, but the heat overpowered the fragile mist in
seconds.

They hugged the tree line as they reached a rocky, cave-like

structure. The rocks were charcoal, even blacker than night, with dew
holding onto the sharp edges. Inside the cave, the faint sound of
splashing water explained the wet rocks. The sand inside was hard and
packed in. The wet rocks glistened in the small fingers of the light that
scraped the entrance.

As soon as the trio took their first steps into the cave, they were
immediately swallowed by darkness, barely missing the bumps and
narrow ends of the tunneling cave. Being quite capable of flying
through darkness, Ansu led the way, Dawn and Caliban trying their
best to stay close to the walls. Dawn shuddered as she recalled the last
time they were engulfed in darkness and how suffocating it was until
Caliban lit the way, and Dawn found the thread of heat through the
tunnel walls. As they ventured deeper, Dawn began to see something
cutting through the darkness. The trickle of light became thicker, until
they could see vines hanging down from the ceiling.

“I think we found it. I think we found the cove.” Dawn sighed as

she walked through the blanket of vines and into the mesmerizing
cove.

Immediately, Dawn could sense the warmth seeping into her body
and the faint scent of roses and sunflowers. She breathed in the smell
of happiness and hope. She let her feet move in rhythm with the sound
of gushing water. As soon as her eyes adjusted to the light, Dawn took
in her surroundings. There was light everywhere, and even Caliban’s
pale face seemed to glow with the sunlight. Transparent rocks sat next
to a pathway of lava. The livid heat tickled Dawn’s toes as she walked
across. Caliban didn’t grumble, but instead strolled through the bushes
and around the lava on a cobblestone path. Both paths led to a
waterfall of gold. The shimmering water was warm to the touch and
rushed out into a small lagoon. The sand was soft and comforting.

Awestruck, Dawn hardly noticed as Ansu flew around and checked

every corner, as if she were inspecting for any damage.

Then, much to Dawn’s surprise, Ansu flew right through the

waterfall. Dawn raced over to the slippery rocks next to the waterfall.
Caliban met her there, grabbing hold of her arm as her feet slipped on
the rocks.
 “Ansu! Ansu! Where are you?” Dawn cried as she searched
through the glittering water for any sign of her feathery friend.
Seconds later, a few chirps and tweets came through. Ansu emerged
out of the waterfall clean and pearly white, just as she had been before
the journey.

“Don’t you disappear on me like that again. Where were you?”

Dawn asked frantically, clearly surprised.

Ansu dove back into the falls and then came out again and cocked
her head as if wondering why Dawn and Caliban weren’t coming.

“You want us to go in there?” Dawn asked.

“If we get a free bath, I’ll certainly go through,” Caliban joked,

tugging Dawn with him as he nimbly jumped on river stones to get to
the waterfall.

Dawn took a deep breath and reluctantly stepped through the warm
water. She braced herself for the forceful water but was met with a
fragrance of comfort. In a moment’s time, she was clean and dressed in
new clothes. Her hands were filled with rubies, diamonds, and
emeralds, and her neck, arms, and head were all adorned with jewelry.
Dawn found Caliban staring at her, and she felt the heat rise to her
cheeks.

As a distraction, she studied his transformation. Caliban’s dark

clothing was replaced with a blue tunic adorned with jewels. His
fingers were stuffed with rings, and he even had a bracelet on.

But the real treasure was the golden ray that stood in the center of a
small room.

It’s there! What a paradise. I could live here forever. Dawn thought
as she stepped excitedly, cheering with pride.

Dawn picked up the part of the key. She tucked it safely into her
bag with the other parts of the key and started to make her way back to
Ansu and a clapping Caliban.

Dawn stepped down from the podium and was rushing to join her
friends when a deep rumbling started coming from all around the
room. As Dawn watched in horror, jagged icicles formed on the ceiling
and walls. A blast of ice shot across the room and froze the door,
locking Ansu, Caliban, and Dawn in the room. The golden pathway
that led to the small room turned white and hard snow started falling.

Paralyzed in shock, all Dawn could do was shut her eyes as three
more icy blasts hit them, encasing them in ice. The bitter cold reached
all the way up Dawn’s spine, until she and Caliban were frozen on the
spot, not even able to twitch a finger. Ansu cried out as she was
encased in midflight.

No wonder this was so easy. She knew all along, Dawn thought.
 CHAPTER XII
Bandi
(Prisoner)

The frigid cage that kept Dawn and her friends from freedom froze
their blood and created icicles on their eyelashes. The swirling wind
became a hurricane, blowing small locks of Dawn’s hair that escaped
the frozen trap.

“I can’t feel my fingers. I can’t channel the magic.” Dawn’s voice

grew raspy as she struggled to keep her face away from the icy vines
that wrapped around her.

Caliban’s sunny glow paled, and his eyes became hollow. He

seemed to have no power to help them. He had tried a few blasts of
water, but that only sped up the process. The ice was up to his chin
already, and he solemnly looked at Dawn, trying to talk through his
eyes.

But Dawn’s eyes were not on him, but Ansu, who seemed to be
moving, despite the ice that surrounded her body, almost seemed to be
ignorant to the cold, even more ignorant than Dawn, who was
shivering violently. Ansu’s feathers ruffled and shook as wisps of ruby
red sparks radiated off her. Dawn watched in silence and shock as her
best friend’s beak began to shine.

Caliban mumbled something but couldn’t make words. The ice had
covered his mouth. The light grew until it swept through the blizzard,
unleashing tumultuous blasts of fire until even the icy vines that held
so strong had subsided. In an instant, the light was gone, replaced by
Ansu.

The snowy owl loyally flew to her perch on Dawn’s shoulder as if

nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.
 Dawn’s jaw hung down as she gawked at Ansu. “You just… you
just… you did that, right?” Ansu tweeted and whistled in reply.

“I’m starting to realize you aren’t just any pet.” Dawn chuckled.

Caliban coughed hard and his whole body shivered. Dawn had
already recovered, and she knelt to examine her friend. His ears and
nose were a bright pink, and his lips were an ugly shade of blue. His
body racked with shivers and coughs.

“I guess I’m not the only one with hidden powers,” Caliban
whispered through his frozen lips.

Dawn nodded, then closed her eyes. She drew from the warmth of
the waterfall, the heat of the sunlight, and the light of the ray to heat
Caliban’s body. She pressed her palm to his chest and allowed the heat
to flow into him, chasing away the bitter cold that held him. She
watched as his face began to glow again and his shivers faded away.

“I think I could have handled myself. It was just a bit of cold,”

Caliban said, once he was restored to full health.

Dawn laughed. “You should have seen yourself. It was not ‘a bit of
cold,’ you were literally an iceberg!”

“Well, you don’t have to say it that way. But thank you anyway.
Now let’s get going. We have more rays to find,” he grumbled in reply.

Dawn snickered and led the way back through the warm paradise,
through the dark tunnel, and back onto the sandy beach.

“Back through the cave, back through the tunnels of midnight, and
back onto the beach,” Dawn announced.

Ansu silently flew to a branch as Dawn and Caliban studied the

map.

“Out through the cove.” Dawn traced the lines on the map, pushing
her overwhelmed brain to figure out where to go next. “We need to go
west, following the cove, going around it, then there will be the other
side of the ocean. After that, what?”

As Dawn racked her brain for ideas on where to go next, Caliban

was no help, muttering to himself about how the map was useless.
Ansu picked up leaves and created a cushion for her friend. She then
beckoned for Dawn to come over.

“I’m guessing you are right, Ansu. I agree our next step should be
to get some rest,” Dawn said, putting the map back in her bag along
with the rays. Caliban agreed as well and fell asleep on his own bed of
palm leaves. Ansu sang softly as she watched Dawn lay down on the
bed of leaves, fast asleep in an instant.

But Dawn’s blissful sleep did not last for long. Her dreams soon
began.

She felt an incredible sensation to run and hide. But she watched as
the frozen figure, followed by her loyal servant, came in as if they
were being thrown into a prison cell. The woman looked furious, her
fists clenched and her eyes hungry for revenge. She stormed up to a
window and cried out, cursing the sun and its mistress.

“This won’t be the last you see of me!” the evil queen yelled.

In a moment’s time, Dawn was swept away from that scene and
dropped into another. Here, peace seemed to bloom on the flowers, and
all appeared well. She watched as a gorgeous woman strolled out of a
small cottage with an infant cradled in her arms. Dawn was surprised.
This was the same woman who defeated the cold. She was the Sun
Mistress.

Dawn noticed a frosty man slinking toward the mother and her
infant; his face too blurry for her to make out. All that came next
seemed to be a distant thought, almost like a memory to Dawn. The
infant burned the man, the Sun Mistress passed away, the man walked
with the infant to a river where he left her to drown. Without warning,
the infant rose into the sky, illuminating it with a light so bright the
man was blinded in one eye as the infant became a part of the sun.

But Dawn was confused when the infant was pulled by a magical
force instead of going up to the sun. She looked on as a shimmery
breeze carried the infant and deposited it right in the hands of an evil
looking woman, the darkness around her clouding her face. Dawn saw
her take the little girl in her hands.

***

Dawn sat up straight and nearly fell into the water as she started
running. She ran and ran and ran, trying to keep some distance
between her and the dream. The cold was heart wrenching and
witnessing the death of a savior took away a small piece of Dawn’s
heart.

Ansu finally caught up with Dawn, their belongings held strong by

Ansu’s sharp talons. She caressed Dawn’s face as best she could, as a
mother would child.

“That can’t be true. How could the Sun Mistress be dead? All my
life I knew the cold, but I finally felt hopeful. That evil woman was
banished, the hideous cold was gone. And there was sunlight. No, it
can’t be true. The Sun Mistress must be alive. I need to see her and
learn about my curse,” Dawn said as she stared into a puddle of water.
She looked into her reflection and realized she knew her dreams could
be part of the truth.

“At least you aren’t a part of that cold dream. I have a feeling that
if we don’t keep going, the Snow Queen will bring the Dark Ages once
more and the sun will be gone. Even though my dream is wrong about
the Sun Mistress and the little girl, the sun was always there every
morning for me, and now I must be there for it.” The sweet fragrance
of determination wafted over as it blossomed in Dawn’s mind. She
woke up Caliban and gathered some figs from nearby trees before
studying the map once again. Together, the trio started walking to their
next target.

***

Surprisingly, going around the cove was all the companions needed
to do. On the other side was a whole new world. Gone was the beach
and the palm trees. Gone was the vast forest. Now, mountains towered
over giant trees and giant plants. Dawn almost lost her balance as she
tried to see the peak of the mountains.

“Are we going to have to climb those?” Dawn asked, bewildered.

Ansu’s excited squawks told her everything.

Discarding old leftovers of food, Dawn started for her next

challenge.

Fortunately, a breeze swept by every so often and the atmosphere

around was cool and breathtaking. Twisted trunks spread their roots
deep into the fertile land, the trunk stretching higher into the sky until
a large canopy of flapping leaves met it. Flowers laughed as butterflies
of all colors landed gently on them. Petals fell around a dirt pathway
and emerald- green vines enveloped the ground. Deer leapt across the
terrain with the occasional fox or rabbit. Dawn panted heavily as she
strained her legs and forced herself to push forward. Caliban sprayed
her with a bit of mist every few minutes. Soon, the animals
disappeared as the atmosphere started to chill. But one thing stayed
along the pathway: Fresh footprints led up to the peak, sending shivers
through Dawn’s spine. She hoped they were old or belonged to an
animal. She hoped those footprints belonged to anything except
people. For once in her life, she didn’t have the desire to see people
from the outside world. She couldn’t trust anyone after the Snow
Queen’s attempts to stop her.

***

At long last, the three reached the tip of the mountain. Exhausted
by the day’s climb, Dawn collapsed on the rock. Caliban’s eyes were
closed as soon as his body contacted the cool limestone. Even Ansu,
who usually hunted in the evening right before her sleep sat down on a
few pebbles and closed her eyes.

For a while, all was silent. Only the whistling of the wind flowing
through the leaves was heard. The bare rock face was slick and cold to
the touch. But that silent bliss vanished when the clang of armor and
the thud of heavy footsteps echoed through the sky. Dawn grabbed her
bag and went to Caliban’s side. His features were filled with shock, but
he quickly came back to his senses. Dawn readied her powers. Caliban
raised his arms to bring his powers for defense. Ansu silently flew on
top, trying to see the origin of the noise through the thick trees. Dawn’s
heart pounded against her chest, and she could see Caliban’s arms
shaking faintly. They were both tired, and their fear wasn’t helping.

The clangs grew louder, followed by dark shadows that loomed in

the faint sunlight. The sun seemed to wave goodbye, leaving in a hurry
as the shadows found their partners and a sea of armed soldiers
emerged from the forest. They had icicles as spears and enormous
hailstones as cannonballs. They had armor made of the strongest
crystals and protective gear made of steel. Compared to the swarm of
soldiers, Dawn was what she always was: a girl with a servant boy and
snowy owl at her side and a shield of innocence bestowed upon her as
a weapon.

An unfamiliar voice came booming out, “Soldiers, halt! Our

mission is to capture the girl. We were told to get rid of the bird and
the satchel. The servant will also be brought back for trial. Attention!”

The soldiers showed no mercy, as Dawn knew very well from her
times watching wars through a small globe, she sometimes stole from
the Snow Queen. They would stop at nothing until they got what they
were ordered to hunt. Their hearts, if they even had hearts, were frozen
stones of ice.

The soldiers charged at the very second the command was called
out. They swung their swords and spears, cornering Dawn between
them and a cliff. Caliban pushed them back with a surge of water, but
he was tiring quickly and soon his water turned against him. It was
transformed into snow by the soldiers, and they advanced on him.
Meanwhile, Ansu had flown away and onto a high perch. She swooped
down to peck at the soldiers, but always retreated to a branch. She
seemed to want information from Dawn, but both were too busy trying
to run to communicate. Chaos erupted and the soldiers fought against
Dawn for a hold on her bag.

“Stop it! Let me go!” Dawn shrieked as she spun around and
kicked a soldier in the stomach.

Another soldier met her fist, but they outnumbered her. They held
her arms back and tied her legs together, forcing her to her knees. Her
powers seemed to be no help, and their cold fingers dug into her arms,
chilling her body. They laughed maliciously, prying the bag out of
Dawn’s grip. Her efforts were powerless, her screams ignored.

With an evil glint in his eyes, the unfamiliar commander motioned

to a soldier to bring a sack to him. Turning to Dawn, the general
snapped his fingers and multiple soldiers filed in around Dawn,
grabbing her arms and legs tightly.

“My name is General Sedge, newly appointed by the great Snow

Queen. I was specially recruited for the task of capturing you. Now, as
I am new, I need to set a reputation, and getting on the queen’s good
side requires some effort. I’m sure that this successful hunt will bring
her much joy,” the general haughtily announced.
 General Sedge. Dawn had never seen him before but evil seemed to
be spilling off him. It made sense for him to be extra ruthless. Every
new commander desperately wanted to be liked by the queen. Dawn
growled at the new general.

Leaning in closely, General Sedge whispered, his breath reeking of

putrid drink and malice, “I think it’s time you visit home. Your mother
is waiting for you.”

Dawn angrily spat in his face.

He sneered at her, ferociously wiping her spit off his cheek and
ordered the soldiers to open the sack. The soldiers holding Dawn
pushed her forward.

“Let me go! No!” Dawn hoarsely screamed, but to no avail.

The last thing she saw was an unconscious Caliban getting thrown
into an identical sack and Ansu fighting a soldier who held a bird net
in his hands. Then the sack closed, and everything went black.

***

For a while, all Dawn could feel was the thumping against
something hard. The shouts of soldiers surrounded her, but her eyes
were no match for the darkness. She twisted around into a more
comfortable position. When she was sure the soldiers were busy, she
let her tears pour. After all she and her best friends had been through,
the Snow Queen had stopped them. The Palace of Ahana seemed so in
reach, yet now it was just a dream. By the time the thumping stopped,
the bottom of the sack was soaked in tears.

Without warning, Dawn was pushed around in the sack as it was

lifted. Light filled the sack and partially blinded her. As she looked up,
she was met by General Sedge’s crooked grin.

“Well, here we are,” General Sedge said, and his face hardened as
he saw her puffy, swollen eyes.

“Come on, get up. I don’t have time for crying toddlers,” the
general snarled. He pulled Dawn up roughly by the arms and set her
down on the frozen ground. Dawn glared at him and looked up to see
her home, the Palace of Atuhin. It stood there eerily and hadn’t
changed a bit since she left. The soldiers prodded her back on her feet
and she walked ahead.

“Where’s Caliban? What did you do with Ansu?” she asked, but the
only answer she got was a sharp jab between her shoulder blades.

The icy doors opened for them, and the floor clacked under the
soldiers’ feet. Dawn was pushed to the floor of the throne room.

“As you asked, Your Majesty. The traitor is here,” General Sedge
announced.

Dawn got to her feet and stared at her mother sitting on her throne.

“How dare you, General. Is that any way to treat my daughter?” the
Snow Queen boomed.

General Sedge started to stammer a protest, but the Snow Queen

held up one finger to silence him. Resigning, the general meekly hung
his head and shuffled over to the corner of the room. Dawn smirked in
knowing that this general would not be lasting too long.

The queen then turned to face Dawn. “My dear, I was so worried. I
have been trying to bring you back home ever since you left.”

Dawn’s temper flared. “What do you mean? You were trying to kill
me! You sent Nora to confuse me, and you almost froze me to death.”

“Yes, well, sometimes desperate times call for desperate

measures,” the queen replied.
 “Even if it means losing your daughter?” Dawn whispered.

The Snow Queen’s eyes widened. “I was not trying to kill you. I
was trying to teach you a lesson. Now that you’re home, you are
staying here. Don’t you see? Open your eyes. The cold will always win
against the heat.”

“Mother, stop trying to hide the truth from me. I know you are
hiding something,” Dawn yelled. The Snow Queen’s nostrils flared,
and her knuckles turned even paler than they usually were as she
clenched her fists. She stood up from the throne and looked down at
Dawn, cold fury burning in her eyes.

“How dare you defy me? I am done being nice. The general is
right, you are a traitor. And to traitors, that means the dungeons.
General, tell the Frozen Soldier to take the child down to the cells. She
needs to see my power.”

Dawn shook her head desperately, her mind zipping to her leather
bag that had been picked up by the soldiers and the pieces of the key
secured inside. If she was imprisoned, it would be harder to get back to
the key and the journey.

Now it was the general’s turn to smirk as he saluted and barked

orders to his soldiers. In no time, the Frozen Soldier made his way to
the throne room and pulled Dawn away. His icy fingers crushed
Dawn’s arms as he led her down into the dungeons. The Palace of
Atuhin tuned in to her pleas, and servants peeked behind corners,
barely audible gasps and whispers slipping out as they watched Dawn
thrash. The musty smell of the dungeons hit her even before they
reached the steel door that led to it. She stumbled blindly through the
darkness and painfully hit the wall, the slick stones caressing her
maliciously. The place dripped with sadness and cold. In the corner of
the prison, the Frozen Soldier shoved Dawn into a cell.

“The rats will finally have something to eat.”

 With that, the soldier shut the cell door behind him and left Dawn
in the metal cage.
 CHAPTER XIII
Mukta
(The Getaway)

Cold and frightened, Dawn huddled into a little corner and curled
herself into a ball. It was all hopeless. It felt like years had gone by
since she had been on her journey. But there was no going back. She
was stuck with only the rats as company. She didn’t even know if Ansu
was alive. Caliban was nowhere to be found, and she only hoped the
Snow Queen would show mercy to her friend. She was cramping from
being in the same space for hours. She paced for a while, but it was
just a waste of energy. The cold walls seemed to be feeding off her,
and the rats scurried to and fro. She couldn’t even use her powers here.

The only entertainment was the shuffling of feet when the guards
were relieved to go on a break. After a while, the guards stopped
coming all together. After all, the oppressive hopelessness that hung in
the air was enough to keep the prisoners inside. The cages weren’t
even that filled, with most of the prisoners leaving to be transported
somewhere else, or dead from the exposure to the cold.

Dawn stretched her body out, and turned to her other side, rubbing
her palms together in a desperate attempt to warm them up. As she
sniffled in the corner, she heard a small tapping noise. It came from
another cage and grew steadily louder. Dawn rubbed her eyes and
slowly crawled closer to the noise. She peered through the bars and
squinted into the darkness.

Dawn yelped and jumped back. Bones and skulls lay scattered on
the floor. Something moved in the shadows. The tapping grew closer,
and the shadow’s owner finally came in view.

“Ansu!” Dawn cried, finding her voice. She pushed her fingers
through the bar to pet her friend. Ansu’s white feathers were caked
with mud and her wings were scratched.

“Oh, Ansu, what did they do to you?” Dawn rubbed her nose and
squeezed her fingers through the metal bars. Her palm refused to go
through, and Dawn tried her best to brush the clumps out of Ansu’s
feathers with her numb fingers. The sudden clunking of footsteps made
Dawn flinch and withdraw her hand before going to hide in the safety
of the shadows. General Sedge, along with another soldier, made their
way down to Dawn’s cell.

“The Snow Queen has sent down some food. Eat quickly. The
queen requests your presence,” General Sedge said lifting his chin and
puffing out his chest.

Dawn glared at him as the soldier next to him fumbled with the key
to the cage. The soldier opened the door briefly and shoved the plate of
food in. Closing the door behind him, the soldier saluted the general
and disappeared up the stairs. The general stayed behind and watched
Dawn reach for the food.

“What do you want?” Dawn asked gruffly. She wasn’t in the mood
for entertaining her captor.

General Sedge thought for a moment then said, “You don’t seem
hungry. Get up.”

Dawn rubbed her hands together and got up, her head hanging low.
The general opened the door, grabbed her arm and shut the door
behind him. She turned to look at the stale bread and dull porridge
longingly. She hadn’t eaten anything but fruit so many days ago. Her
stomach rumbled and pleaded for something, but her food was trapped
behind the bars. The general tugged on her arm, and she jerked
forward. His fingers dug into her wrist, and she limped behind him,
trying to bring feeling into her foot. He dragged her up the stairs and
pushed her into the dining hall where the Snow Queen was finishing
her dinner.
 The queen’s eyes met Dawn’s and she motioned to General Sedge
to leave. Daintily getting up, she walked over to Dawn.

“My dear, have you been crying? Oh, I didn’t mean for that to
happen.” The queen’s eyes softened, and she pulled Dawn close to her.
But Dawn pulled away.

“Where is my stuff? Where is Caliban?” Dawn looked her mother

in the eye. The Snow Queen was taken aback and frowned.

“I could never deprive you of your things. I left your bag just the
way it was in your room. I realized I was quite harsh with you, so I
decided to give you your room back. As for the servant, he got what he
deserved. Now, you poor thing, when was the last time you ate? Come,
eat some dinner.” The queen smiled, her eyes flashing an icy blue.

Dawn’s eyebrows rose suspiciously, but she quietly nodded and sat
in the seat farthest away from the queen. She wanted to show the
queen she didn’t care, but the hollow pit in her stomach growled and
she succumbed to her hunger. The juicy leaves of the salad never
tasted so good. The tender meat seasoned with herbs and spices burst
like fireworks in her mouth. She devoured the chocolate cake that
came her way, licking the decadent frosting off her plate.

When there was no more space in her stomach, not even for a
candy, Dawn excused herself and hastily made her way up the grand
staircase and into her room. It was just how she had left it. Except it
wasn’t. The window was covered with curtains. The room was painted
a dark gray. The colorful pillows and paintings were taken down and
shoved into the closet. The bright pillows were replaced with black
ones and the walls were left bare. Dawn gasped and pulled out her old
stuff from dusty boxes in her room. She pushed the black pillows into
a corner and pulled the curtains open as far as she could. She hung the
paintings where they were and searched for any bright paint left.

Instead, she found her leather bag. She opened the bag, only to find
emptiness. The map, the rays, they were all gone. The only thing she
was left with were the rotten grapes she had found many days ago.
Tears welled in her eyes again, but she rubbed them away. She had
come so far anyway. She opened her closet and took out new clothes.
Refreshed, Dawn picked up her bag, pulled out a paper and pen, and
began to plan. She would find Caliban and escape tonight.

***

The stars twinkled above as Dawn got up and picked up her bag.
The first thing she would have to do was rescue Ansu. Then she would
have to figure out what happened to Caliban.

Dawn remembered the key to the cells hanging near the entrance of
the prison, so making sure no one was patrolling the corridor, Dawn
made her way down the stairs. Each little creak made her jump, and
each shadow made her stop. A soft noise came from another room.
Dawn held her breath and sank in behind the dark furniture as Nora
walked by with a tray of spa equipment. Dawn watched in horror as
Nora fumbled and dropped the tray, revealing the stumps that were her
hands. She suppressed a cry as ice began to trail up Nora’s arms. The
servant quickly gathered the tray, swallowed back a yell of pain, and
went about her duties.

After Nora had made her way up the stairs, Dawn shook her head
to get rid of that image and scurried down the long hallway. It was
only illuminated by the solemn moon. Dawn shivered but got to the
dungeons at last.

“Oh no,” Dawn whispered to herself as Frost came into view. He

snarled at the cells and held the key in his mouth. Dawn’s heart
dropped down to her stomach. Frost was tolerant of Dawn but was
fiercely loyal to the Snow Queen. Dawn looked around for anything
she could use to distract the beast. Her eyes set on a chewed-up bone
in the corner of the dungeon. Dawn shuddered to think of the origin.
 She frantically looked for more bones and found one lying at the
edge of a cell. Watching Frost, she waited with bated breath for the
tiger to turn his back. As soon as he did, Dawn tiptoed into the prison
and pulled the bone out. A deep growl caught her attention. Frost was
standing right in front of her, his eyes flashing as another growl
escaped his throat.

“Frost, it’s me, remember? I’m your friend,” Dawn calmly said.
Frost continued to watch her like a predator watching its prey.

“Look here, a bone, do you want it? Go fetch!” Dawn tossed the
bone and if fell a few feet behind Frost. But the beast wasn’t fazed. He
got ready to pounce.

Dawn felt a warm, tingling sensation spread through her. She

closed her eyes and opened her palms. When she opened her eyes,
Frost was tied down with a golden rope and he was muzzled with the
same. Dawn walked over and quickly pried the key out of his jaws.
She raced over to Ansu’s cell and let her friend out. Ansu flew into
Dawn’s arms and the two reunited.

“Oh, Ansu! I missed you so much! Now, before we leave we need

Caliban. I have an idea as to who would know where he is,” Dawn said
to Ansu.

Making sure the halls were clear, the two used the shadows as
cover and silently made their way to the main door. There, they hid
behind a sculpture until they heard the voices of soldiers. They would
be going out to the barracks for the night, and Dawn intended to follow
them. They opened the doors and Dawn shuffled past right before the
doors closed once again. The soldiers weren’t on duty, so they weren’t
paying attention to Dawn and Ansu. The two jumped behind a
snowdrift and waited until the soldiers were inside the barracks.

All right, the only way I will be able to get in is to disguise myself.
I’ll have to make a stop at the armory, Dawn thought.
 She gestured for the two to start moving, and they crept along the
sides of the castle, finally reaching the storage area. The door was
unlocked, as no one believed anyone would risk stealing from the
queen. Dawn slipped in and emerged a few minutes later dressed in
frigid armor that was labeled with the name Sven.

“I think I’m ready. How do I look?” Dawn asked, twisting from

side to side. A frosty face shield covered all of Dawn’s face except for
her eyes, and she hoped the emerald-green in them wouldn’t give her
away. Ansu nodded and flew for the barracks.

Dawn dragged herself under the weight of the armor and made a
loud clanking noise upon her entrance in the barracks.

“You’re late. Again, Sven. As a new member, two more times and
you face trial against the Snow Queen for suspicious behavior and
possible treason. Do you know what trial means?” General Sedge
walked up to Dawn and peered at her.

She looked down and shook her head. Caliban would have to face
trial, too. This was her chance.

“Well, then, I guess it’s time you know. It will stop you from being
late again,” a voice from the sea of soldiers yelled. The others laughed
and General Sedge snarled.

“The queen sends anyone on trial to the fields where they sculpt,
dig, and do whatever she wants with them. They get thirty minutes of
break in a small, heated building before going out in the icy fields
again. If they slack off, there are soldiers there to make sure they get
the beating they deserve,” General Sedge explained, his eyes gleaming
with a malicious glint.

Another voice spoke up from the crowd. “Didn’t that slave boy, the
one that went with the girl, get sent to the fields?”

“Yes,” said another. “I hear he was sentenced to build another

palace for the queen, much smaller than Atuhin, but someplace the
queen could go. Like a vacation house. He must build it with his own
hands, with nothing but a pickaxe.”

“He deserves it,” said another voice. Many other voices agreed
with him. General Sedge went back to his seat and voices rose over
each other like the tides, swerving in and out, up and down.

Sensing an opportunity to escape, Dawn made her way to the door,

but the voice of General Sedge stopped her.

“Hey, Sven, turn around for a moment.”

Dawn gulped and slowly turned around, swiftly tucking back any
loose hair, and faced the general.

“Yes, sir?” Dawn tried to deepen her voice, but it ended up

cracking. An uproarious wave of laughter swept through the crowded
room.

“Stop trying to be a man!” a random voice called out and the

laughs came back with more vigor.

Dawn felt her cheeks heat and clenched her fists, clearing her
throat to say something, but General Sedge cut through.

“Have you been eating less? Your armor seems small on you. Or is
it just the fact that you’re so scrawny a toddler could knock you over
with just a tap?” The general’s own laughter joined the rest, confining
Dawn in a humiliating spotlight.

She pivoted on her heel and shoved through the crowd, finally
opening the door, and letting it slam behind her. She peeled off the
helmet and inhaled deeply. Sven, whoever he was, was a victim to
General Sedge and his gang of followers. Dawn made a promise to
Sven, wherever he was, that she would rescue him from the Snow
Queen’s power and the general’s tyranny.
 Dawn slipped out of the barracks and went back to the armory. She
found Ansu waiting for her outside after she had changed back into her
clothes.

“We need to go now. Caliban has a death sentence. He’ll die before
he can build an entire house for Mother. I already wasted enough time
getting insulted by that pig of a general.”

Dawn frantically retold what she heard in the barracks before

sprinting along the side of the Palace of Atuhin to reach the fields.
 CHAPTER XIV
Ksetra
(The Fields)

A frosty gust of wind crawled through the air and shivered down
Dawn’s spine. Ice and snow crunched under her shoes, and she felt her
fingers go numb. The cold was thick and trapping, seeping away any
warmth and hope she felt. Dawn rubbed her face to get some feeling
into her body. When she took her hands away, there was a light layer
of snow painted on them. Beside her, Ansu shivered, which was
unusual for her.

“W-we j-just need to k-keep g-g-going. W-we can’t g-give up on

C-C-Caliban,” Dawn said to Ansu. But the wind carried away her
words and shoved another burst of snow to replace it.

The two shivered silently and painfully as they made it to the

fields. The land was vast, stretching on and on with no end in sight.
The entire region was ice, cold, hard, and menacing, looking for poor
souls to torment with frosty fingers. All over the land were icy dots
that were people, criminals simply because they were a threat to the
Snow Queen. Looming over each convict were two soldiers, frozen
solid and steely-eyed. Some whipped slackers and others dragged
people across the ice with nothing but a thin cotton shirt and pants on.

Each person seemed to have an endless task to complete, and they

could only break the cycle by meeting death. Some people dug into the
sheet of ice, while others used the ice blocks to build. There seemed to
be a chain of work, one person handing material to the next, all while
fighting against the tyrannical snow.

Dawn’s eyes scoured for Caliban, and she gasped when she hit her
target. Caliban, all alone, was digging through the strongest part of the
ice with nothing but a small pickaxe. Sweat dribbled down his back
but immediately froze, making tiny icicles on him. He stopped to
inhale, but was beat with a crystal club, throwing him into a coughing
spasm. There were not two, but four soldiers watching him. After he
harvested enough of the ice, he would shoulder a pack of the cubes and
transport them to where he was building. He then arranged the cubes
meticulously, carving small details into the ice and rubbing the edges
to perfection.

Hot tears came down from Dawn’s eyes. Her friend had been
sentenced to a frozen, never- ending torture. She wiped her tears away,
which were almost frozen, too, and glared at the four soldiers beating
Caliban. He had chipped a piece of ice wrong, and for that, all four
soldiers began to punish him. He cried out, but it was merely a
whisper, so weak and frail.

“How dare you!” Dawn yelled, her voice strong as she stepped out
of the shadows and into the blistery frost. Her teeth chattered less, her
anger fueling her. All the soldiers and criminals, including Caliban,
stared at her in shock.

“Don’t you dare touch him, or any of them! The only reason they
are here is because my mother, your queen, is threatened by them. The
only real criminals here are you. You all committed the crime of
following her, someone who takes pleasure in hurting people! You all
are disgusting,” Dawn spat, her anger bubbling over the surface.

One of the soldiers next to Caliban snickered and then said with a
raspy voice, “You mean don’t touch them like this?” He swung his
club and clotted Caliban in the back. Caliban doubled over and sank to
his knees, shivering more than ever. The other soldiers laughed and
turned to abuse the criminals they watched. But before they could do
any damage, a loud and angry cry rang out.

In front of the frigid ice sheet was a blast of energy. It was pure and
fierce, targeting the soldiers. The energy pulsed and in the center of the
glow was Dawn. Her hair whipped around behind her and in her hands
were fireballs. Her eyes flashed golden before she struck. The light and
heat around her exploded and raced down through the land, slashing
through soldiers, cutting into the ice, and filling the punished people
there with a much-needed dose of warmth.

The light faded, leaving a scene of soldiers melted into the ice and
freed people behind.

Dawn sprinted across the terrain to where Caliban lay huddled.

“What did they do to you?” Dawn said, examining Caliban’s

various cuts and bruises. A nasty looking gash ran down one leg.

“I guess my stubbornness got the best of me.” He shivered, trying

for a grin.

“I should have never asked you to come. I should have known what
she would do to you,” Dawn said, burying her face in her hands. She
felt Caliban’s frostbitten fingers grasp her warm ones.

“Hey, listen. I was the one who wanted to come with you. And you
know what? I’m glad I did. Otherwise, I would have been stuck a
garbage boy, a servant in the queen’s lair. And I got to spend a lot of
time in the outside world, with you,” Caliban raggedly whispered.

Dawn uncovered her eyes and hugged Caliban tightly. He

embraced her, too, and for some time, the two sat there, happy at being
reunited, and happy to have met each other all those years ago.

Finally, Caliban broke the embrace. “We shouldn’t waste time here
now. Plus, Ansu is giving me an impatient look.” Dawn laughed and
helped Caliban up. He wobbled but stood upright with Dawn’s
support. They made their way to where Ansu was waiting. The three
walked over to the side of the palace, where Caliban dropped to his
knees.

“What happened? Are you hurt? Sick? Should I try to heal you like
last time?” Dawn asked.
 Caliban chuckled. “You can quit fussing over me. I just escaped the
queen’s torture chamber, so of course I’ll be a bit exhausted.”

“So, what do we do?” Dawn asked.

“Today is a full moon, right? That means I’ll heal quickly. But I
won’t be able to start moving on the journey right away. So, here’s an
idea. I remember the map looking a bit torn, and how it just ended, so
what if there’s another piece? If there is, it’ll probably be in the palace
since we only had one map.”

“I was thinking the same. The map has to have another part. And I
have an idea about where it might be. Are you sure you’ll be all right
here though? You’re weak, and I am not sure how a full moon is going
to save you.”

“Just trust me, okay? Now go. We don’t have that much time,”
Caliban insisted, pushing Dawn away before curling up and closing his
eyes. Dawn turned away and called for Ansu. The two began to sneak
back into the palace, where the map lay.
 CHAPTER XV
Aagami
(The Next Piece)

“Knowing Mother, the thing she is most scared about will be

closest to her. The chest must be in her room,” Dawn whispered.

Ansu nodded and led the way up the frosty steps. They took the
turn into the wing that housed the queen’s bedroom. Memories of
tiptoeing into the room to see the magnificent decorations, playing
with Ansu through the halls, and quietly sitting by the queen’s side as
she spoke with others flooded back into Dawn’s mind, but she shook
them all off. After her recent dreams, she didn’t know how she felt
about her mother. She had raised her yet was the cause of so much
destruction.

The pair reached the room and Ansu started to open the door.

Dawn reached out and stopped her. “Ansu, I’m going to go in

alone. You stay here in case someone comes.”

Dawn then pushed open the door to the Snow Queen’s bedroom.
Quiet music came from the bathroom and the occasional whisper
glided through the walls. The Snow Queen was busy at the spa and
Nora was helping. Dawn quietly shuddered at the thought of having to
see Nora again.

Her eyes scoured the room, but the map or the chest wasn’t there in
plain sight. She floated on her toes through the room, checking in
drawers and under the bed. The queen was busy shouting at Nora, so
Dawn was able to make her way around the room. Finally, she got to
the closet. She exhaled silently and opened the crystal doors. She
stepped in, pulling the doors just so they shielded her from the Snow
Queen’s view before jumping into the sea of dresses. She wrestled
with the Snow Queen’s heavy skirts and gowns, all adorned with ice
and cool to the touch, and finally hit something hard. Suddenly, a voice
called out.

“Nora, go get more cucumbers,” the Snow Queen ordered. Dawn

dived into the dresses and buried herself under the heavy glass and
beads until Nora left. Water sloshed in the bathroom and moments
later, the Snow Queen walked out in her robe. She stopped at the closet
and stared straight at it. Dawn’s heart dropped to her stomach, and she
held her breath. The queen’s icy blue eyes seemed to look straight at
her, as if they knew she was there.

As soon as Nora entered, the queen said, “You must have no brain.
When a wind comes through, it opens the doors. And when doors are
opened, you close them. I already got rid of your useless hands, would
you like me to get rid of the rest of you, too?”

Nora shook her head frantically and hurriedly closed the closet
doors before following the Snow Queen back into the bathroom to
resume the queen’s spa.

Dawn exhaled and wiped her sweat off her brow. Seeing Nora’s
hands, or the stumps that used to be hands, struck Dawn’s heart. She
wanted to yell at her mother, color on all her gowns, stamp on the
queen’s toes, just do something to make her pay. Although Dawn
always despised Nora, she never wanted her to go through a tragedy
like this one. Rubbing her forehead, Dawn focused on the task once
more. Making sure the Snow Queen resumed her bath, she gingerly
pulled out the chest. She felt the designs and flipped the chest over.
Something jingled inside, and Dawn turned it right side up once again.
She opened the chest and bit back a joyful whoop. The rays shimmered
in the darkness, drawing light from each other. The rest of the map was
shoved into a corner, and the gold hue of the rays seemed to light it on
fire. Excitedly, Dawn opened her leather bag and placed the contents
of the chest in them. They were where they belonged: right by Dawn’s
side. With a nearly silent click, the chest closed, and Dawn flipped it
over, following the carvings to where she had first found the map. Her
fingers felt the crinkled paper and Dawn cautiously peeled the map off.
She tucked the chest back where it was and pushed the closet door
open. She closed the doors behind her, remembering the Snow Queen’s
outburst and Nora’s situation, and slipped out of the bedroom. She met
Ansu at the stairs, and she placed the new piece of the map in her
leather bag.

“Next stop, the throne room.”

 CHAPTER XVI
Ambuda
(Up in the Clouds)

Dawn slipped into the throne room after Ansu and stared at the
massive throne. Next to the regal seat was a small table, and on it sat a
glowing orb. Dawn made her way to the orb and watched the misty
swirls bounce off each other.

“This is it. Mother’s magic orb. I’ve seen her send people to horrid
places using this thing. I’m pretty sure we can use it to teleport to
where we left off,” Dawn whispered to Ansu. She grabbed the orb and
ran to the entrance of the palace. Overjoyed, Dawn pulled the door
open and stepped out into a cool breeze. Ansu flew off to the side of
the palace and emerged a few moments later with a newly invigorated
Caliban. Explaining the orb, and showing Caliban the next piece of the
map, Dawn held the orb up to her eyes and focused on the mountain
she was swept off.

“My dear, what do you think you are doing?” The Snow Queen’s
harsh voice cut through Dawn’s hope as she turned around to see the
queen dressed in her royal nightgown.

“Don’t try and stop me,” Dawn cried.

The Snow Queen ignored her and started to reach out for Dawn.
Dawn yelped and put her arms out. Light shot out of her fingers and
enclosed her and Ansu in a shield of heat. The shield swirled with
light, and Dawn could almost hear the unsaid words of scolding
practically flowing out of the Snow Queen’s open mouth. But in that
moment, she felt no regret. The light became an extension of her,
wrapping them up, the heat surrounded her protectively. Caliban was
next to her in his own shield of light. He held a wall of water behind
the shield. Instead of feeling tired, Dawn felt awakened, as if she
opened up her pores and truly breathed for the first time in the
presence of the Snow Queen.

The queen touched the shield and winced at the burn it caused her.
Dawn gave the queen a wild smile, internally gleeful at the prospect of
finally exacting a small, yet well-deserved, punishment to her mother.

“You are just like her,” the Snow Queen snarled. She covered the
burn in frost and began creating her own shield of ice. Dawn
concentrated on the mountain she had left and tried in vain to use
warm thoughts and the sun to teleport her to the next ray. But she was
interrupted with a crack in her shield.

The Snow Queen reached for Dawn and pulled her toward her. The
orb began to glow at the same time, getting ready to take Dawn to the
mountain. Dawn tried to pry the queen’s fingers off her, but her eye
caught something else. A golden glimmer sparkled near the Snow
Queen’s chest. Instinctively, Dawn grabbed the shimmer and jerked at
it. The Snow Queen growled and tried to tug Dawn back, but the force
of the orb was too strong. It had surrounded Dawn, Caliban, and Ansu
in a fierce tornado and whisked them away.

“I know where you are going!” the Snow Queen screamed.

That was the last thing Dawn registered before everything went
black.

***

Dawn rubbed her eyes and sat up. Her fingers grasped soft grass
and the clouds seemed just in reach. Ansu sat next to her, blinking her
round eyes. Caliban was already up on his feet, gazing at the horizon.
 “We made it! I didn’t think it was going to work after Mother got
hold of me!” Dawn exclaimed.

They were back on the mountain.

As she went to pick up her leather bag, she found the golden object
that hung around the Snow Queen’s neck.

“A ray! What a coincidence! Maybe Mother found it in the chest.”

But Dawn was too excited to ponder on it for long.

Caliban looked at it skeptically, as if he wanted to argue and ponder

that point, and he opened his mouth, but stayed silent, instead looking
at the map.

Looking back at Ansu and Dawn, he said, “We have the rest of the
map, but its blank after this. The only symbol is a golden chariot with
wings. Are we supposed to find such a thing?”

“I think we are supposed to go into the air. After all, it wouldn’t

make much sense for the Palace of Ahana to be on the ground,” Dawn
thought out loud. “There has to be a way for us to get up into the sky
without this chariot.”

Ansu ruffled her feathers and tilted her small head. She seemed to
know the answer but didn’t tell her companions.

After much thought, Dawn could only find herself stoking a fire.
There were no directions to a chariot, or a guide on how to find a
palace in the sky.

The sun rose, once again starting its usual routine. Life seems so
simple if you just look up at the sun, Dawn thought. Just the same
things to do every day.

But that was not how it was for Dawn and her friends. Dawn
marched back up to the peak of the mountain, meeting Ansu halfway
up. She spent the night looking for a chariot on the mountain. But it
was a dead end everywhere.

“There is no chariot. There is no way. We did everything for

nothing. Now I’m a fugitive in the mind of the Snow Queen, a sixteen-
year-old who is terribly lost, and a person who has no one to talk to
except an owl!”

“You have me,” Caliban offered, but Dawn just growled at him.

Frustrated, she grabbed the nearest object and tossed it over the
cliff. Her fingers twitching for more, and Dawn soon found herself
lunging at everything she could get a hold of. A rain of sticks and
stones came pouring over the mountain.

Caliban tried to grab hold of her but jerked his hand away. Dawn’s
skin was getting icy cold, just like it did when she got angry. The dark
powers of ice and cold came back to her, and the cruel teachings of the
Snow Queen came to mind. She kept tossing things over until it was
too late. Dawn watched as a golden ray of the sun sailed through the
wind.

Caliban finally had enough and washed away her anger with a
burst of salty water. Dawn spit it out and wiped her wet hair off her
face. Her eyes stung, and hot tears came out of them to wash the salt
away. She breathed heavily, feeling her anger blow away like a chilly
wind. When she saw the results of her rage, she sank to her knees, and
looked down at the ground.

“No. What have I done? There goes the key and all my hopes of
ever keeping something that was a part of the sun.” Dawn cried,
burying her face in her pungent clothes. She realized she hadn’t taken
a shower for weeks even though she took a quick stop at the Palace of
Atuhin, she hadn’t slept properly for as long as she could remember
since she was too busy planning her next steps, and now she had to
find her way back to the place she thought was home just after she had
escaped.
 Interrupting her thoughts, Ansu began to tweet and chirp. She flew
in circles and landed on Dawn’s shoulder, gently giving her a nudge.

“Not now, Ansu. Can’t you see I’m not in the mood?” Dawn
mumbled, stuffing her hands in her pockets. Ansu flapped her wings,
her feathers brushing against Dawn’s face.

Even Caliban shook her. “Dawn, you’re not going to believe this.”

Dawn looked up. “Ansu, Caliban, could you just stop?”

But her senses came back to her, and her vision cleared. An object
shimmered in the clear blue sky. It seemed like a blade—a ray of light.
Awestruck, Dawn reached for another ray. She threw it like a discus,
watching with a twinkle in her eye as the second part of the key landed
on an invisible platform, just a few feet on top of the previous one. The
ray floated, like it was supported by an invisible hand. Legs shaking
from excitement, Dawn threw the other ray, watching it shimmer in the
sky before setting itself a few feet higher than the other ray.

Caliban came up next to her and gently took the ray. With a
determined expression, he let out a defiant cry and threw the next ray,
watching it spin before righting itself perfectly, as if someone placed it
there precariously. Caliban shoved his hands in Dawn’s leather bag,
eagerly pulling the remaining ray out and letting it sail in the sky. The
rays were like a stairwell to the sky, leading them to the Palace of
Ahana. With a giddy bounce in his step, Caliban started to walk up to
the clouds, Dawn smiling while following close behind.

The clouds were cotton candy without flavor. They dipped slightly
as Dawn stepped onto them. Balancing as best she could, Dawn
hopped from cloud to cloud. She let the chilly breeze flow through her
hair and the tallest of trees tickle her toes.

Ansu stayed by Dawn’s side, gliding joyfully on the breeze.

Caliban scouted ahead, falling back on the cushiony clouds every few
minutes.
 A tiny chuckle escaped Dawn’s mouth. That chuckle became a
giggle, that giggle a laugh. Caliban joined in, too, and the two laughed
and jumped through the sky. After so many harsh days, Dawn really
enjoyed herself. She spun on her heels and picked up a stray cloud.
She jumped on the clouds as if they were trampolines and rested on the
soft piles of water.

“What a beautiful place to live. I wonder if the Sun Mistress is

allowed to do these kinds of things. Imagine your land being a field of
clouds!” Dawn exclaimed.

“Then I would love to be the Sun Mistress,” Caliban yelled,

whooping as he tumbled down a cloud. For a moment, the two forgot
about their quest. But soon, Ansu gave her a tap on her shoulder to
bring her back to reality. Ansu guided Dawn’s eyes to the rays of light.
Dawn called Caliban over and the three watched the rays grow brighter
absorbing the heat around them to light up the sky. Remembering that
her journey was not over just yet, Dawn continued to walk on the
pathway of clouds.

“Oh, look! The map isn’t blank anymore. It says that we should see
the next part of the key if we keep going along this path. Then, we
should reach the palace where the last piece of the key should be. I
guess the adventure does have some rewards after all,” Dawn said to
herself.

Without wasting a moment, she was back on track, knowing that

the sky was her limit.

Each step was a dream, one where the birds sang high notes and the
trees swayed with the melody down below the realm of clouds. One
where a person could be left alone to twirl on the clouds without a
danger in sight. Dawn lived that dream for a few blissful moments.
She listened to those birds and swayed with those tall trees. She was
the one who twirled on the clouds and let the wind whip through her
hair. But she soon realized she hadn’t been left alone without a danger
in sight.
 The clouds turned gray, and claws of ice ripped through the
floating haven. The trees froze in their sways. A frightful call rippled
through the air as the birds flew to the ground in the safety of the
shadows.

Dawn stared, bewildered. “What? How did this happen? Where did
this frost come from?” As soon as the words left Dawn’s lips, an axe
pierced the warm wind. The axe was enveloped in tendrils of ice, and
hard snow formed spikes. The zing of a blade creeping out of its
scabbard made Dawn wince.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are. I have known you for a
long time, child. You should know by now that not coming out to fight
is a very wrong thing to do. I will find you and I will hunt you down,”
the cold voice of the Frozen Soldier echoed as it surfed on the breeze
of ice.

Dawn shivered and ducked under a cloud. Caliban was nowhere to

be seen, and Dawn hoped he was hiding. The feared soldier could not
see her, but her movements would be caught, like footprints etched
onto a blanket of snow.

The Frozen Soldier stalked through the clouds that drifted by.
Dawn stepped as slowly as she could, trying to get away. It was like
playing one of her favorite childhood games, but with much higher
consequences. A cloud softly whooshed as the soldier parted his way.
Dawn steered herself away from the noise, lightly stepping on clouds
to lessen the dip they made. The clouds surrounded Dawn in a maze of
white, a nightmare lurking within them. Dawn turned, squinting to find
a gap in the clouds. She tiptoed in the direction of a faint glimmer of
open sky when a shadow slipped by. She immediately stopped in her
tracks, her breath catching.

“Little girl, I know you are in here somewhere,” the malicious

voice of the Frozen Soldier echoed through the sky.

Dawn’s heart dropped to her stomach and a roar of fear crashed

into her ears. She stayed rooted to the spot, taking short, silent breaths
only when needed. She watched as the shadow she moved forward,
lurching and jabbing at random clouds.

Dawn bit her tongue to stop her scream when she saw the soldier’s
curved blade slice through one of the clouds in front of her. Its icy
point glistened, and Dawn shrank back as much as she could without
moving abruptly. The blade slipped out and its owner lumbered on,
disrupting the peaceful clouds. Dawn tasted coppery, stinging blood as
she swiped her tongue across her teeth. She let out a long breath,
letting her adrenaline fade before shuddering. She stood there for a few
minutes, until she knew the soldier’s heavy footsteps were gone,
before silently moving on.

The two started in the same direction they were going in before
they were stopped, unfortunately taking the same path as the Frozen
Soldier, but it was the only path to freedom. Ansu led Dawn through a
gap in the clouds. It was a clear pathway out of the clouds. A surge of
heat reached Dawn and warmed her fingertips. She was close to the
palace.

With a deep breath, Dawn lifted her feet off the base of the clouds
and sprinted through the gap.

“I’m almost there! We’re almost there!” Dawn yelled.

Caliban came shooting out of the clouds; a cloud in his hands. He

had used water to create more clouds. Dawn cried out in relief; she had
lost track of him.

Dawn shouted and sprinted, but her words were lost in the wind.
She stopped in her tracks as she saw a blade race through the clouds
and impale Ansu’s wing.

The snowy owl squawked and shook, but nothing could stop her
from falling back down to the clouds where the Frozen Soldier was
waiting.
 “Ansu! No!” Dawn screamed, but her cries of terror were short. A
huge hand shot blasts of frosty webs that encased Dawn’s arms and
legs. The hand clamped her mouth and crushed her face. Caliban was
facing the same consequences next to her.

A deep laugh rose up and the last thing Dawn saw before she
squeezed her eyes shut was her leather bag with all her hopes shooting
down right into the Frozen Soldier’s hand.

***

Dawn was swept away from her reality into the land of memories.
She was back with the horrible woman who was holding the kidnapped
baby in her arms. She wanted to spit in disgust but controlled herself
as a new scene floated in. The woman was in her chambers as the vile
man who had taken the infant came in and began to converse with the
lady. He then asked her a question: “Why haven’t you gotten rid of the
child by now?

The woman ordered some people around, then replied, “To get
revenge, I decided I would take her daughter away from her. And then,
by turning her dear daughter against her by feeding her thoughts of
how light and heat are horrible, how the energy she gets from the sun
is a curse, and how the only way to get rid of the curse is to let the
frost reach her heart, I will teach her my powers, making her powerful
enough to go to the sun. I will then send her to the Sun Mistress, and
then my dear child will destroy the sun from the inside, like a termite
destroying a tree, gradually weakening it. She will go to the Sun
Mistress with her powers, and once she gains the trust of the Sun
Mistress, she will use her icy magic to suck the heat out of the sun,
making it hollow and useless. Then I shall attack her palace and once
again become the ruler of the world.”
 Dawn watched as the woman laughed. The reason the woman had
taken a baby from her mother was to use her for her own selfish
reasons. The lady was cruel enough to defeat the one thing that
allowed life to thrive. She wanted the baby to turn against the sun, she
wanted the innocent child to gain the trust of the Sun Mistress and then
to take all magic from the sun and betray her own mother. Dawn
clenched her fists, and a ball of heat began to form.

“That child is the daughter of the Sun Mistress. She would never
do that. And I would never allow that evil lady to take the sun away!”
Dawn shouted as she let her powers loose.

A small peck on the cheek pulled Dawn back into the present. She
was dreaming again, and her powers couldn’t do anything to the past.

But they made a difference in her present.

The crystal cage that surrounded Dawn, Caliban, and Ansu now
had a burning hole in it. The Frozen Soldier was trying to mend his
arm, now melting because of the light and heat.

Dawn stood up strong and picked up a sharp piece of the frozen

cage. With a light touch, the piece transformed into a glowing stick of
light.

Dawn pulled her hand back and threw the stick like a javelin.

The light bulged and grew, swarming as it found its way to the
chest of the Frozen Soldier. The soldier cried out in agony, a scream
ripping through his throat. Dawn winced at his pain but didn’t look
away. The light cascaded over him, slowly tearing away at him. It
pushed back at him, sending him tumbling to the portal that had been
meant to transport Dawn back to the Palace of Atuhin.

“Let the queen know that whatever she does, I will not let that evil
lady take away the one thing that keeps me going. And that she
shouldn’t try to stop me because I will continue to go on. I will finally
embrace the sun. I will save it from you and your evil friend, whom I
know a lot about,” Dawn called out.

The light melted the soldier and sent him back through the portal in
which he came through.

With a swift flick of her wrist, she melted the blade that pierced
Ansu’s wings. Thankfully, the cut was small, and the blade hadn’t
struck any important muscles or bones.

Caliban retrieved Dawn’s bag, and she cleansed Ansu’s wound.

With a tweet of thanks, Ansu dived through the clouds, urging them
forward.

Dawn smiled, her worried face replaced with strength and

determination. “Now, come on. We have a palace to get to.”

***

The Snow Queen blasted the walls of the Palace of Atuhin with ice.
All her schemes and plans were ruined by a young girl with
persistence and belief. The fake map in the forest, the dark tunnel of
doom, the frozen motion trap in the cove, a whole army in the
mountains, and the terrible Frozen Soldier were all set aside by that
girl. Dawn, the one who was supposed to be the key to the queen’s
revenge, was now the one who lay in the Snow Queen’s path. The
Atuhin Queen watched the swirling portal bring back a puddle that was
once the Frozen Soldier before vanishing.

The queen shed no tears for the soldier. He was a mere pawn,
someone easily disposed of. Someone who wasn’t able to carry out the
duties given to him.
 The queen’s face showed a smile. “That girl. That Dawn. She may
have stopped me before, but none of her power will matter for her
when the biggest question of all confronts her. Where is the final
piece?”
 CHAPTER XVII
Ahana
(The Palace of Light)

The sunlight was blinding, and the heat was incredible. But the
Palace of Ahana truly intrigued Dawn. The tall towers of the palace,
the stain glass windows, even the outdoor decorations were identical to
the Palace of Atuhin. Sunflowers and eye-catching suns were carved
into the palace instead of snowflakes and crystals. The icicles on each
balcony were replaced by swirling ivy and colorful flower blossoms.
Marbles of light were strung on the doors and railings next to the
berries and golden flowers. The trees were not made of glass, but of
real leaves, with real fruit hanging from the branches. An intricately
designed bridge connected the two towers, just like it was at the Palace
of Atuhin. This bridge was lined with hot stones, and golden thread
was spun in designs throughout the bridge.

“The palaces. They are the same, but the cold, harsh decoration in
the Palace of Atuhin is now replaced with happy flowers and golden
suns. There are even the stained-glass windows with the stories
engraved in them. And even the stories are somewhat similar. It seems
as if the stories just show different perspectives,” Dawn said to Ansu,
who had found a very nice perch on one of the apple trees.

Caliban agreed and started mumbling about the nightmares the

Palace of Atuhin gave him. He walked around, seeming to glow, as if
he was borrowing the light from the sun. He ruffled his hair and
strolled around the palace gardens.

Meanwhile, Dawn gingerly pressed the wrinkles on the map. There

was one more part of the key left. And according to the map, the key
was to lay right on the front steps. But looking up at the door and the
glistening steps, no part of a key was found.
 “Where did it go? This map is real, right? The key has to be around
here somewhere.”

Dawn went down to her knees and began to crawl through the
shrubs and fragrant flowers, searching for a golden disc, the last part of
the key. But the small cuts and bruises Dawn acquired from the sharp
twigs were all in vain. The disc was nowhere to be found. After much
peering through cracks and shrubs, Dawn sat up at last. Her brow
furrowed as she watched Ansu on the tree.

“Ansu, why don’t you come over and help? I need another pair of
eyes to find this disc!” Dawn shouted over a wave of heat.

But Ansu merely stood watching.

Sighing with frustration, Dawn was about to ask the owl again
when a gust of wind blew into her face.

“Where did that come from?” Dawn wondered as she supported

herself with the help of the palace wall. Instead of a warm tingle, a
bitter shiver met Dawn’s fingers.

Caliban came over and frowned. “How did it turn cold? We are
literally standing on the sun. There is absolutely no way it could turn
frosty here.”

But they both knew that was a lie. There was a way, and one person
desperate enough to reach them. The Snow Queen’s most loyal
servant, the man who brought Dawn to the queen, shot down and
landed right in front of Dawn. A dagger of ice showed in the cuff of his
sleeve. A spear of snow froze into an icicle as Sahchar touched it.
Nasty shards of glass on his boots pointed at Dawn, Caliban, and Ansu.
A touch of snow fell on his head as sounds of swords being unsheathed
echoed through the clouds.

With an earsplitting roar, hundreds of soldiers fell to the ground.

The flowers were crushed under their feet. These soldiers were not like
General Sedge and his battalion. They were iced over, armed with
great swords that dripped with snow, and arrows of sharp glass. Their
heavy armor clunked, and their helmets were threaded with strings of
ice. Icicles hung down from their breastplates. They were like the
soldiers guarding Caliban, and all the people who defied the Snow
Queen.

Caliban’s shoulders drooped and his hands flew to the various scars
he had gotten on his back from his time in the queen’s punishment
land.

Row after row, column after column, each soldier was more
menacing then the last.

Sahchar snarled and his silver teeth shined in the reflection of his
sword. “Now is a good time to die.”

The man lunged at Dawn and was followed by a rain of arrows.

Her eyes went wide, and her heart sped up. Dawn raced away
through the palace yards, but everything around her was a maze. She
realized she had only visited the palace in her dreams. Around her
were narrow passageways and broad ones, paths full of trees and wide
open walkways, all making her escape impossible. Right or left, ahead
or back? None of these questions could be answered.

An angry echo got Dawn to pump her legs harder. She ran and ran
at last finding a hiding spot inside a strawberry bush. It was only after
catching her breath that she realized Ansu and Caliban were missing.

“Ansu? No, please… Did she get hit by one of those arrows?
Caliban? He couldn’t have gotten caught, could he? Not again,
please.” Dawn shuddered as she worried about her companions.

The clang of armor and the orders of the man rang through the sky.
Dawn fought back her jitters and rose out of the strawberry bush. She
half expected to be pulverized by swords and daggers. But when she
looked up, she was mesmerized. It was as if her dream had come true.
 Gold sparks flew through the sky and a ring of fire erupted through
the ground, circling Dawn and the sphere of light in the sky. The ball
of light was blinding even to Dawn, so she wasn’t surprised when the
soldiers covered their eyes. Many of the soldiers in proximity of the
sphere began to melt, shouting and pleading for help. Puddles formed
everywhere, and were absorbed into the ground, their deeds as soldiers
forgotten. The lawn glistened with dew drops, and the air smelled
refreshed, as if it enjoyed soaking up the water. There was no rotting
scent or mangled bodies, only a sense of fear in the soldiers that had
wisely retreated and were still alive.

When the scene of chaos died down a bit, Dawn wrenched her gaze
from the sphere, taking a peek at her surroundings, and saw Caliban
dropping a sword of water and covering his eyes. She sighed, relieved
that he was safe.

Pillars of light rose into the sky, surrounding the ball of fire until it
could no longer be seen. The light, too, seemed to fade. The ring of fire
blew out, and the palace grounds were covered with a dim light. The
soldiers who hadn’t disintegrated due to the power of the light and heat
snapped to attention and began to stalk Dawn.

“Come on, Dawn. Don’t panic. You can do it,” Dawn whispered to
herself.

She summoned her own ball of fire. Dawn opened her eyes to see a
ball of light in one hand and a fireball in the other. With a gasp she let
go of her magic, only to see Sahchar merely flick it away with his
spear.

Confused, Dawn tried again but with the same results. She had to
act fast as she was being pushed into a corner by the army, who were
now closing in on her as a predator would to its prey.

“Caliban!” Dawn yelled, hoping he could hear her.

“Dawn, I’m here!” he replied, followed by grunts and the thuds of

a few bodies falling to the ground. She realized he was too occupied to
stand with her and help her.

Dawn inhaled and created a flimsy shield around herself. She had
tried, but it seemed her end was here. Dawn could almost feel the
slimy claws of death coming to embrace her.

Just when it felt like all the soldiers would strike at once, Dawn felt
a warm jolt through her body. A sweet voice whispered into her ear.

“Dawn. Beautiful Dawn. Remember the first time you ventured out
of the Palace of Atuhin? The time when you confronted the hills that
seemed endless, the swallowing darkness in the tunnel, the blizzard in
the sea, the countless soldiers coming after you? You did it all. You
have walked and seen and done more than any other person could have
ever done. With only your two closest friends, you were able to
overcome the obstacles thrown at you. There was never a person to
have as much determination as you. And now you are here. Are you
going to let these foolish soldiers, all intoxicated with evil, take you
down? You are the sun. You are Dawn. This time is yours. Use it and
finish your quest.”

With her newfound confidence, Dawn rose to the challenge. And

she felt strength rise in her. In what felt like just a touch, Dawn was
filled with power. She felt the energy rumbling from the tip of her toes
to the wisps of her hair. The energy crackled though her fingers and the
fire in her heart that almost died out was back.

With a wide grin, Dawn flicked her wrist and sent the first line of
soldiers to their knees. The soldiers’ eyes widened with awe and
surprise. That was the last thing they did.

With just a whip of her hair, daggers of light knocked down the
second line. The group groaned as shimmering knives sliced through
them, taking them away from this world.

Dawn’s muscles tingled with excitement. She took calm breaths,

flashing smiles. It was exhilarating to let her powers loose. All this
time, it was pent up inside her, waiting to come out. And now it was
free. There was chaos everywhere, with multiple battles being fought.
In the corner of her eye, Dawn saw Caliban lashing out with his magic,
sending hurricanes at the soldiers he fought.

Dawn closed her eyes and breathed in. The subtle scent of roses
mixed with damp grass met her nose and she grinned. In the chaos,
there was also peace. Where Dawn stood was like the eye of a storm.

The third line of soldiers charged, and Dawn snapped to focus,

enveloping herself in an igloo of heat. She barreled through the third
line and pivoted, turning to the remaining soldiers. The battle was like
a magic show, where Dawn was the master of special effects and the
soldiers were the assistants, vanishing in each trick. With a whoop,
Dawn raced to the fourth line of soldiers, taking them down as well.

At last, Dawn was close to Sahchar. He was well built, with dark,
mysterious eyes. As Dawn stared into them, she couldn’t help but
notice the lost look in them. It was if the man was wearing glasses that
blocked his view of the real world.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the zing of an arrow flying past

her face. Dawn dived into combat once more, shooting sparks of fire
and spears of light until there was no one left but the man.

“Child, you wouldn’t dare attack me. I am the one who saved you
after all,” Sahchar said.

Dawn was surprised. “You saved me? How? No, you are mixing
me up with that other poor soul you gave to the Snow Queen’s friend.”

Sahchar looked confused. “What other poor soul? No, child…” He

shook his head and continued, his voice growing soft and sympathetic.
“Whatever I did to the girl, I saved her from her own powers. She
killed her mother with the curse she had.”

“I know. I saw it all in a dream. And I also saw that the Snow
Queen was plotting to use her against the Sun Mistress. I have
experience with that. That’s why I’m here to stop that evil woman,”
Dawn replied, wondering why the man was having this conversation
with her.

Sahchar was taken aback, obviously not knowing about Dawn’s

dreams. But he went on, “Oh, no, that was when she first got the girl.
She was so enraged… but after taking care of the infant, she didn’t
want to let her go to the Sun Mistress. She didn’t want to let her know
about her curse of light.”

“I know this story about a curse. But for me, it isn’t. It’s a blessing.
The girl should know that, too. And why was the queen so enraged?”
Dawn asked.

“She was enraged at you—I mean, the Sun Mistress, for sending
her away to the dark corner of the world,” Sahchar stuttered.

Dawn had finally broken him. There was something suspicious

about him. Dawn knew he was hiding something in his swirl of a story.

“What do I have to do with the Sun Mistress? And why was she
mad at me?” Dawn pressed on.

The man erupted, “Stop with the questions! The Sun Mistress is
your mother! You were born from a happy drop of light that mixed
with fierce fire and transformed into the purest ball of gold, which then
turned into infant you! That girl in your dreams, that’s you! The
woman you call evil is the Snow Queen. There is no other magic girl
and friend of the queen. Those are your stories!” The man gasped. He
had given away a secret.

Dawn knew the part about the Snow Queen and her frosty reign,
but the rest left her shocked. At first, she didn’t believe it, but the
words couldn’t be taken back. The pieces started to click. The hazy
dreams, the same golden hair and green eyes, the same powers, the
same love for the sun. Her eyes widened and her body tingled with
excitement. She was the daughter of the sun. And it was her duty to do
all she could to save it.
 But her thoughts were interrupted when the ball of light that had
been encased in the gold pillars spilled out. It floated in the air and
when the drops hit the floor, they were like puzzle pieces, building
something.

Or someone.

The drops piled up until a woman was formed. When she opened
her eyes, it was like someone had pushed the clouds away for the sun
to come out. They sparkled like emeralds and her hair danced in the
wind like golden threads. Her dress was cream colored with golden
rhinestones and rubies on the blouse. The end of the skirt was adorned
with sunflowers. She had bracelets and necklaces made of shards of
sun rays. To finish her look: a headband of sunflowers and pearls.
When she smiled, it was as if a thousand roses had bloomed. For she
was the Sun Mistress.

She gracefully walked over to Dawn, who was in awe of her

splendor.

Taking Dawn’s hands in hers, the Sun Mistress smiled.

“My child.”
 CHAPTER XVIII
Dwar
(Open Doors)

“Mother?” Dawn whispered. The word was like a flower, each

petal filled with the scent of love and care.

The Sun Mistress beamed at Dawn and embraced her with a warm
grasp. Dawn had never felt real love. Real love was like a blanket. It
supported her when she needed it and warmed her to the core. After all
those years in that icy corner of the world, Dawn felt real warmth. It
was the touch of a mother filled with years of care.

“Mother… I just can’t believe it. You were with me the entire time.
I love you so much. You helped me so much through my lonely years.
I just can’t hold it in. Mother, Mother, Mother. The words I always
wanted to say. Now you are here. I needed you all those years, and
now you are finally here.”

Tears streaked down Dawn’s face as her mother looked into her
emerald-green eyes.

“My sweetheart, I wanted to shake those feathers off and embrace

you on all those lonely nights, but I needed everyone to think I was
gone, for then I could come out of my frozen case and come to your
aid. Don’t worry, Dawn. I was there with you all those years. And I
promise, I will go nowhere from now on.”

“Now wipe those tears. Your mother is right here. And, from my
birds-eye view, I’ve seen what a good friend you’ve made. Come on
over. No need to be shy,” the Sun Mistress said.

Caliban walked over cautiously, as if treading into unknown

territory.
 “Shouldn’t we take care of that guy over there first?” Caliban
asked, squirming a bit.

Dawn suppressed a laugh at Caliban’s confused state.

“He can wait.”

The Sun Mistress encased the man in a golden sphere, stopping

him from advancing.

“Now, I just wanted to thank you for always being there for my
daughter. She really needed you. And I see clearly just how close you
two have become.” The Sun Mistress gave Caliban a wink and he
blushed a crimson red.

He cleared his throat. “It was my pleasure. Without her, I would

have been stuck in that horrid place forever. And I wouldn’t have seen
what a beautiful place the world really is.”

The Sun Mistress smiled and turned back to Dawn. She wiped
Dawn’s tears away, and with that, all the sorrow she felt.

The man grunted and cursed loudly. The Sun Mistress turned to
face him. She didn’t fly into a rage, or immediately disintegrate him.
Instead, she walked over to him, freed him from the temporary golden
case she had put him in, and touched his shoulder.

“My dear friend. You don’t know how much it saddens me to see
you like this. Although, when I first met you, you were quite a grump,”
she said, her voice silky and rich. She waggled her eyebrows at him
teasingly.

“You are not my friend. I am loyal to the Snow Queen and her
reign. As I see it, our little friend here hasn’t done her job. She was to
kill you, but I guess I shall have to do that myself.”

Sahchar took out an icy blade.

 Dawn panicked but regained herself. She would not let the man
hurt her mother. With a flick of her wrist, Dawn melted his sword.
Proud of her accomplishment, she stood confidently next to the Sun
Mistress.

But the man just smirked. With a soft blow, a new blade replaced
the old one.

Caliban called the water to his aid and turned the blade into liquid.
But the man had a replacement to this one as well.

At this, the Sun Mistress seemed to have had enough. “Please. I

know you are just acting the way you are because of the shard,” the
Sun Mistress claimed.

This seemed to anger the man even more. With lightning quick
feet, he raced at Dawn, his sword held up high. With a loud cry, he
brought it down.

Dawn covered her eyes, reaching her arm out to stop him, waiting
for the sharp sword to come down on her. She heard Caliban yell and
felt a whoosh of wind go by as he came to stand between her and the
sword.

But nothing happened to him—or to Dawn.

Taking a peek, Dawn soon realized what happened. She had

stopped him. Her hand was placed on his heart, a warm golden glow
around it. The man’s rigid hair flattened down. His pale face turned
tan. His eyes went from stormy gray to misty blue. Dawn’s warmth
melted the shard of ice that had frozen his heart.

With a heavy sigh, the man fell to his knees. “Thank you so much
for relieving me of that curse. I was under her spell for too long. How
foolish I was to allow her to capture me. How could I have not seen
through that sweet voice of hers? Dawn, I will never forgive myself for
what I have done to you. But I hope you will forgive me,” Sahchar
whispered.
 Dawn smiled. “Of course I forgive you. That was not the real you.
It was the spell. Now you are back to your true self, and that is what
matters.”

The Sun Mistress winked. “Now, my dear friend. You have another
job to do.”

“Of course, of course. How could I ever forget?” Sahchar replied.

Dawn watched in shock as the man rose into the air and began to
twirl. He spun and spun until he was just a blur. And when he came out
of the whirl of wind, in his place was a shiny golden disc.

It was radiant just like the sun and gleamed on the ground. Dawn
gasped as she realized what had just happened. As hard as she looked,
she couldn’t find the last part of the key. For the key had been with her
throughout her life.

The man himself was the key.

The disc rose back into the air and the rest of the pieces began to
shake inside Dawn’s bag. Dawn opened the bag and out flew the rest
of the key. The disc seemed to be magnetic as it pulled the rest of the
pieces together. At last, the key was formed. It drifted down gently into
the Sun Mistress’s hands. Dawn took Caliban’s hand, and the Sun
Mistress grasped the other, leading them through the doors of the
Palace of Ahana. Gingerly pushing the key into the lock, the Sun
Mistress twisted the key. The gates swung open to reveal a paradise.

Just as the exterior, the palace interior shared the same rooms and
layout as the Palace of Atuhin. But instead of being filled with icicles,
snowflakes, and frozen sculptures, the palace walls were golden with
swirling palm trees in every corner. Hand-crafted suns and stars as
well as dancing fires adorned the walls. The curtains were made of silk
with designs stitched into it. There was lavish furniture in all the
rooms, each encrusted with a pendant of the sun. Sunlight flooded into
each room from the windows. It was a new dimension for Dawn. One
she had never experienced.
 “This is just wonderous. Yet, the layout, the rooms… They are in
the same place as the rooms in the Palace of Atuhin. Why?” Dawn
asked.

The Sun Mistress sighed. “Dawn, I wish I could tell you. But some
things are still too difficult for you to understand. I promise to tell you
when you are older.”

Just as the Sun Mistress finished her words, another voice came
from behind. Icy and sharp, it pierced Dawn’s heart and froze the
blood in her veins. Caliban squeezed her fingers tight and made his
body rigid.

“Then allow me to explain,” the Snow Queen snarled.

 CHAPTER XIX
Yuddh
(The Final Battle)

“You want to know how the Palace of Ahana reminds you so much
of your home. Is it merely coincidence that the decorations and the
layout and the land looks the same, with a few mere tweaks based on
our tastes?” The Snow Queen paused, her silence twisting Dawn’s
insides. “It isn’t a coincidence. Your mother and I are sisters.”

The words shook Dawn’s mind. She stumbled backward, looking

fearfully at the Snow Queen. The Sun Mistress, the epitome of light
and warmth, was the sister of the coldest and most heartless person in
all the galaxies.

The Sun Mistress reached out a hand to console Dawn, but Dawn
ignored it. How could she trust someone who has the same blood as
her captor running in her veins? And how could Dawn trust herself
after knowing that she shared the same blood with a woman who
laughed while watching others in pain?

“So, my dear niece, come to your aunt. You should have listened to
me when I said the sun was a curse. Come now, and we can change
that.” The Snow Queen sneered and reached to grab Dawn.

Caliban stepped in front of Dawn, growling at the Snow Queen.

“Stay away from her.”

She chuckled and said, “And this boy, he really likes you a lot. Too
bad he’ll be no help to you. After all, his powers only aid mine.”

Caliban raised his arms and readied himself for attack. The Snow
Queen smiled.
 “Don’t do it. You’ll only make her stronger,” Dawn whispered, but
Caliban grinned.

“I bet she won’t be expecting this.” A crackling surge of light came

blasting through his hands, and Dawn felt a tug in her chest, as if
Caliban was borrowing her powers.

The queen’s eyes widened before she was swallowed by the wave
of light. When it faded, it revealed the queen with frazzled hair, a burn
cutting across a rip in the queen’s outfit, and a sharp blue in her eyes.
Caliban turned and fainted, slumping onto the floor. The queen
targeted his unconscious body and started to cover it in frost. But the
frost didn’t make it past his ankles. The Sun Mistress stood over him,
letting the sun’s warmth protect him from the queen’s snowy rage.

“Sister! I enchanted the palace to let you enter even though your
icy heart should melt. It was meant for you to come for resources, and
for me to keep you in check, not for your cruel deeds,” the Sun
Mistress said, blocking the Snow Queen from Dawn and Caliban.

The Snow Queen chuckled. “I don’t see any document that says I
am not permitted to take something that belongs to me.” At this, Dawn
glared at the queen. How could she speak of Dawn and Caliban as if
they were her possessions?

“I belong to no one, and no matter who you say you are, I will
never return to the Palace of Atuhin,” Dawn announced, standing
proudly beside her mother, a ball of fire spiraling in her palm.

“Tut, tut, tut, that was a mistake,” the queen replied. Without
warning, she released arrows of ice at Dawn.

With a quick flick of her wrist, the Sun Mistress melted the arrows.

The Snow Queen smiled and sent axes, spears, and daggers carved
from ice at the Sun Mistress.
 Without a blink, the Sun Mistress snapped her fingers and the
weapons turned to glistening puddles on the golden floor.

“That was just a test,” the Snow Queen snarled. Swirling her
fingers, the queen created a small army of soldiers.

“You know your mission. Destroy them,” the queen ordered.

The soldiers rushed for Dawn and the Sun Mistress. Dawn, armed
with fireballs, twirled and aimed, gracefully dancing to the beats of
battle. She started shooting, creating a ring of fire around the soldiers.

They stumbled and cursed, jabbing at the flames. The flames

retorted, hungrily catching onto anyone close enough to them.

Dawn diverted her attention to another group, raising her arms to

create an arch of light. Dawn’s heart beat steadily as she blinded them,
giving the now conscious Caliban time to slice through them with
blades of water. A sharp point pierced her arm and she winced, turning
to find a soldier cutting a deep gash across her arm. Dawn glared at
him and kicked him in the gut, sending him to face Caliban’s wrath.

The Sun Mistress was in a corner, battling her own hoard of

soldiers. Dawn gritted her teeth just as another spot of pain erupted on
her thigh. A soldier grinned as blood began to color her pant leg. Using
her uninjured hand, she slashed at him, leaving him wailing as he fell
to the side with seared burns on his face.

Dawn clutched her injured arm and dropped to her knees, quickly
pulling a cloth off of a dead soldier’s arm and wrapping it around her
own arm. The cut on her leg was not too bad, and Dawn was swept
into battle once again. She ran into the midst of soldiers and trapped
them in a globe of fire.

“Mother!” she cried out, and the Sun Mistress nodded, finishing off
the last soldiers near her before concentrating on a swirling portal. The
portal grew in size as Dawn pushed the globe of soldiers to it until they
teetered on the edge. With a final push, Dawn sent them through the
portal, where they were lost forever.

The soldiers began to weaken, and their numbers dwindled.

Caliban kicked and punched, water flowing out of his fingers as if it
was an extension of him.

But the Snow Queen didn’t rest. She snarled and hurled more
weapons and more ice at her sister, all of them turning into puddles on
the floor. Meanwhile, Dawn began to nurse a ball of light and fire. It
grew and grew, enlarging and expanding like a balloon filling with air.
With a blow, the ball was off.

But the Snow Queen was quick. She created an igloo around her,
defending her from all of Dawn’s attacks.

Dawn glanced at her mother, unsure of what to do next.

The Sun Mistress grinned and gently took Dawn’s hands in her
own. Dawn felt magic flowing through her. A warm, tingling sensation
enveloped her as she drank in the light and heat.

“I am helpless against my sister. She knows all my moves and has

grown stronger since I last saw her. But you… You have raw energy
and power that you not only harness from the sun, but from your
emotions. Use your power,” the Sun Mistress whispered to Dawn,
letting her hand go.

Dawn nodded and headed for the Snow Queen’s igloo. The power
that Dawn possessed radiated off her, immediately melting the igloo.

Startled, the Snow Queen started to create another igloo, but with a
small flick of her wrist, Dawn melted that one, too.

“You can’t beat me. I have been growing powerful through the
years. You are nothing compared to me,” the Snow Queen hissed.

Dawn took no notice and continued to advance on the queen.

 The queen began to create a tornado of ice. The palace walls
shivered with fear and Dawn strained against the wind. The Snow
Queen continued to create the tornado, pushing Dawn back.

The Sun Mistress came to Dawn’s side and started to create her
own tornado.

“No, Mother. This is my battle. And I will win it on my own. Stay

with Caliban and keep him safe,” Dawn said. The Sun Mistress nodded
solemnly and stepped back.

“You will bow down to me. Both of you will. The world may
believe that the Dark Age is over, but I shall bring it back. And once
again, the world will be under my foot!” the Snow Queen shouted.

Sudden flashbacks swirled in Dawn’s mind. Pictures of terrified

people, dark skies, and utter despair came back to Dawn. She gasped
as memories of the frozen world and the claws of ice wrapped around
the people flooded through her head. In front of her eyes, she saw the
cold and bitter rule of the Snow Queen.

“No! That will never happen. Not while I’m still here. I will not let
you destroy innocent lives. I will not let you strike terror into the
hearts of people again!” Dawn declared.

She took a step forward, pushing the tornado back.

“I will not let you turn the world into a dark and stormy place.”

Dawn took another step forward. With each step, it seemed as if a

wall of light moved with her.

“I will not let you destroy the world and make the universe your
playground!” Dawn shouted, taking moving closer to the Snow Queen.
The tornado seemed to cower at the power radiating from Dawn. The
sunlight flowed through her veins.
 “You think yourself to be all powerful, but you are weak. You try to
hide that weakness by adding fear into the hearts of others. But I will
not let you poison more hearts and kill the light that shines in all of
us.”

Dawn advanced, walking fast, pushing the Snow Queen farther and
farther back.

The Snow Queen, clearly struggling, continued to add icicles and

shards of ice to the tornado, but to no avail. Dawn could not be
stopped. With one last step, the tornado blew out like a candle blown
out by the wind. With the last icy shards, the tornado seeped into the
ground, creating a dark crevice.

The queen stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening at the crevice
behind her.

“That crevice doesn’t frighten me. I can deal with a child. You
don’t even know how cursed you are with the touch of light,” the
Snow Queen accused, an icy smile on her face.

“You don’t know what you are saying. To you, this might be a
curse, but to me it is a blessing. I can use this warmth and share it with
others. And I can stop people like you from sharing the cold. And as
long as I am living in this land, I will never let you bring back the
hatred, the despair, and the bitterness that thrived under your reign. I
will not let you plague the peoples’ hearts with ice!” Dawn vowed, and
with one final push, she took another step closer to the queen.

The Snow Queen stumbled and struggled to keep her balance as

Dawn advanced. The invisible wall of light pushed with her until the
queen’s broken defenses were pushed into the crevice. The stones
under the queen’s feet slid into the crevice, feeling obliged to take the
queen with them. Dawn’s eyes widened in shock as she sprinted over
to the crevice and peered down. Ascending was a pathway of darkness,
and an eerie silence enveloped the crevice.

A pale hand reached up.

 The Snow Queen held onto a sharp ridge in the crevice as she tried
to gain some footing on the rocks.

Dawn watched her, a wave of memories flooding through her

mind. This woman had raised her, had watched over her, and had
treated her like her own. Just as Dawn made sense of her thoughts, the
Sun Mistress walked over and kneeled.

“Sister, we used to be close. But your jealousy clouded your mind

and you forgot that we are family. You wanted to kill me every chance
you had.

And then you stole my daughter from me. Yes, you raised her, fed
her, and kept her safe all these years, but your intentions were selfish.
No matter how much trust I might put in you, I know you will take the
first opportunity to betray me. I love you as a sister, but no longer will
I fall for your deception. Your reign has come to an end. It is time for
you to let go,” the Sun Mistress whispered.

The queen turned a snowy white as she realized what her sister
meant.

The Snow Queen gasped. “No. You wouldn’t do that. You are
supposed to be warm, not harsh like this. And I am your sister. How
could you ever let me go?”

The Sun Mistress opened her mouth to reply, but Dawn stopped
her. Her thoughts, once tangled, were now clear.

Dawn smiled and said, “You took care of me as a mother. In all

these years, I never had any reason to doubt you. I can’t bring myself
to hurt you. Yes, you have cruel intentions, and you would take any
chance to hurt people, but I believe you can change. It doesn’t have to
be this way. Let a little warmth into your heart and that will be all the
change you need. I’m here to guide you. Don’t worry, just follow my
lead.”
 The Snow Queen’s eyes had a faraway look in them, as if she were
thinking of her future. Then she nodded with a small smile as Dawn
started to pull her up. Using the stones on the sides of the crevice, the
Snow Queen made her way over the edge.

Dawn’s eyes twinkled in delight as the Snow Queen took her hand.

“See? That wasn’t so hard. Just let a little sunshine in, and that’s
enough,” Dawn said as she closed her fingers around the Snow
Queen’s frosty hands.

But just as Dawn started to embrace her, the Snow Queen’s face lit
up with an evil grin.

“You shouldn’t have trusted me.”

The queen dug her nails into Dawn’s palms and pulled her into the
crevice. Dawn screamed out in agony as blood, dark as rubies, began
to ooze out of her skin. The Sun Mistress shot fireballs and light, but
they merely bounced off Dawn and the queen. The Snow Queen was in
a trance, absorbing the power that flowed through Dawn. With a snap,
the Sun Mistress was caged in an icy orb. Dawn’s arm began to ache,
and her knees trembled while her earlier injuries throbbed. The color
drained out of Dawn’s face as her magic and power left her.

The Snow Queen cackled as she grew stronger. “You will never be
able to defeat me. The Dark Ages will come again. I will rise to power
again. And nothing you do will ever stop me,” the Snow Queen
declared as a howling wind enveloped her.

Dawn fought the queen’s power, her mind traveling to her

nightmares of frozen people and terrible screams. The darkness and the
cold, the shouts and the yells, the hopeless looks on the faces of
millions and the gleeful whistles of the Snow Queen as she enjoyed the
torment of others.

“No!” Dawn yelled.

 Trying to make her way through the agonizing pain and her cloudy
senses, Dawn pulled her fingers from the queen’s grasp. She gathered
her remaining strength and pushed the Snow Queen away from her.

As the Snow Queen struggled to regain her balance, Dawn pulled

her powers back into her veins. The icy cage the Sun Mistress was held
in, the freezing wind, and the frost vanished. With a jerk, Dawn felt her
magic and power seep back into her. Then, with all the warmth, light,
and hope inside her, Dawn pressed her fingers to the Snow Queen’s
heart and let the power embrace her. Dawn remembered her best
memories: playing with Ansu, sneaking away to meet Caliban, ice
skating in the Palace of Atuhin, going on this quest, finding her real
mother, and the peace she felt whenever she was near the sun. Dawn
peered at the Snow Queen’s face. Gone were the evil grin and the
sharp blue eyes. Instead, a small, wistful smile and light, airy eyes
replaced them. Gone were the icicles and snow shards on the Snow
Queen’s gown. Instead, blue poppies bloomed on her dress. Sunlight
faded into the palace and surrounded the Snow Queen. The queen’s
eyes twinkled, and she beamed as she looked up at the sun.

Giving Dawn and the Sun Mistress a contented look, the Snow
Queen bowed silently and took a step back, peacefully, into the
crevice, taking the darkness, fear, and bitter cold with her.
 CHAPTER XX
Satya
(The Truth)

Dawn fell to her knees. Hot tears dripped down her face. She
couldn’t hold her sobs in. The one she thought of as her own mother
was quietly falling away from existence. And even though Dawn knew
of the Snow Queen’s treachery, her cruelty, and her evil plans, deep in
her heart, the queen would always be special to her.

“I know that must have been hard for you. It was hard for me. I lost
my sister. We used to be close, always together. It was opposites
attract. We used to do snowball fights one day and go to the sea to
watch the sunset another. And we loved it,” the Sun Mistress said as
she knelt beside Dawn.

Caliban backed away and slipped into the shadows, giving mother
and daughter some time alone.

“What happened to you two then?” Dawn asked, taking her

mother’s hand.

The Sun Mistress continued, “As we grew older, we ventured

farther and farther into the world but everywhere we would go, the
people would celebrate the light and heat the sun brings and turn their
backs on the snow and cold. This angered her, and she decided it was
my fault that everything she loved was hated by everyone else.”

“She just wanted to be loved and wanted her powers to be loved

like mine were, but she changed that into fear and worry. It gave her a
surge of power. And when I tried to stop her, she unleashed all those
years of hatred she felt on the world. I couldn’t let that happen, so I
banished her into that icy corner of the world where she wouldn’t be
able to hurt anyone else.”
 “But then, after many decades went by, you gave birth to me,”
Dawn remarked.

“Yes, my dear, from the purest drops of sunlight.”

“So, what happened then? How did I end up with the Snow Queen?
And why didn’t you come to get me?” Dawn questioned.

“A few days after you were born, my sister somehow gathered

enough power from her anguish to send her most dangerous weapon,
the icicle of death, after me. It pierced through my heart just as I saw
you channel the energy of the sun. I wasn’t dead when the icicle hit
me, just frozen and very weakened. I would have died if I wasn’t
protected by my magic. I could just see my most loyal friend, who was
turned dark, take you away. For nine years, then, I worked to regain
my power and managed to disguise myself as Ansu. And through the
years, I watched over you and guided you a bit,” Dawn’s mother
explained.

Dawn’s face lit up. “Yes! I remember when you showed me the
map to come to the Palace of Ahana and the way you saved me so
many times while coming here.”

“Yes, my dear. Then you made it here, through all those obstacles I
had created and now you just defeated the biggest threat to the world,”
the Sun Mistress ended. She wrapped her arms around Dawn as she
wiped the small tear drops from her emerald-green eyes.

“Now come over here and let me show you your new home,”
Dawn’s mother said as she gently grasped Dawn’s hand. “You, too.
Don’t be shy. You were definitely bolder when I was a bird,” the Sun
Mistress teased Caliban.

His cheeks flamed and he struggled to compose himself. “Of

course, after all, I didn’t come this entire way for nothing.” He
purposefully strode ahead, and the Sun Mistress chuckled softly.
 “You did find a good one.” Dawn blushed, knowing what she was
indicating.

The Sun Mistress led Dawn and Caliban through grand hallways
with sunflowers skillfully etched onto the pillars; she led them up
sweeping staircases and into the warm sunlight filled throne room; the
great room basked in the golden glow of marigolds and sunflowers; the
dining hall warmed up by the forever orange fire in the center of the
ruby fireplace; and the bedrooms, each adorned with flowery vines as
pillars, marvelous beds, carved by hand and decorated with shiny
drops of sunlight; and a personal living area complete with a sofa
made of clouds, and a table.

The tall windows in every room of the palace let a flood of light
come through, and the flowers in every corner gave the air a fragrant
scent.

The last wing was a garden of poppies, marigolds, roses, tulips, and
the Sun Mistress’s favorite—sunflowers. The garden reminded Dawn
of the Snow Queen’s white garden, but she pushed that thought away
as she drifted through the garden and took in the sweet smell of the
flowers.

“The palace layout is just as it was in the Palace of Atuhin. Except,

it isn’t cold and isn’t covered in icicles,” Dawn noticed.

The Sun Mistress nodded. “As sisters we had the same tastes. At
least it won’t take you long to settle in.”

“But where are the servants’ quarters? And where is the dusty
staircase leading to their attic home? There is just a terrace garden and
pavilion up here,” Caliban asked.

“Well, I don’t have as many servants, and each of them I treat like
my own family. The entire west wing is theirs. And they use the same
staircases that you and I would use,” the Sun Mistress answered.
 Caliban’s jaw dropped, and he looked at the Sun Mistress with
renewed awe. He absently walked over to the corner where the
servants’ staircase and quarters would be, no doubt remembering his
life in the claustrophobic little room.

Dawn smiled as she heard her mother talk about this. All her life,
she was surrounded by the harsh commands of the Snow Queen and
the whispered yelps of her servants when she barked orders at them.
Dawn made a mental note to visit the Palace of Atuhin and free all the
servants there. She would show them the world and help them rebuild.
For now, she could finally treat the others at the palace like friends.
She wouldn’t have to feel lonely, despite all the people in the palace.

“Now, there is one more very important thing I must do. I have
watched your journey for so many years and I saw all the obstacles
you’ve faced. And I may pretend to have felt the way you did for so
much of the journey, but indeed, I haven’t. After seeing your progress,
and how much you care for others even though you were surrounded
by cruelty, you stayed good. So, I know you are ready,” the Sun
Mistress said.

Caliban came over and gave her hand a small, reassuring squeeze.

Dawn was confused. “Ready for what?”

“To become the next Sun Mistress.”

 CHAPTER XXI
Usha
(Dawn)

Dawn was stunned. She was just sixteen. How could she be the
next Sun Mistress? The responsibility would weigh down on her like a
pile of rocks.

“Me? Already? I don’t have any experience, with—” Dawn

protested.

Caliban put a hand up to stop her. “Are you kidding? You are ready.
You found the courage to venture through the world, battling against
all odds that the Snow Queen put there, all the obstacles the Sun
Mistress put in place, and after that you fought and won against the
Snow Queen, one of the most dangerous and cruel beings in the
world.”

“But…”

“No buts, you are ready. And if my speech just there didn’t show
that, then I don’t know what will.” Caliban crossed his arms and
looked at Dawn sternly.

“Yes, you are ready,” the Sun Mistress added, chuckling at Caliban.
“Being the Sun Mistress is not about making sure the sun comes up
and goes down, it means spreading the warmth and light the sun
represents. And you just saved the world from losing that. You have
more experience than me. For sixteen years of your life, you lived
away from the heat and light the sun brings. So, you know how
valuable they are. You know how to share it with all.”

“But what about you? Where will you go?” Dawn asked, worried.
She had lived her entire life without her real mother’s love,--even
though she was secretly at Dawn’s side for so many years. She
couldn’t lose her again. She couldn’t lose the sun again. Even though
she had made it through sixteen years in the cold Palace of Atuhin, she
knew she couldn’t bear that again. After knowing what she could have,
losing it all would be devastating.

The Sun Mistress smiled. “Don’t worry about me. I will be here to
guide you. I will stay here by your side to make up for the years I
wasn’t with you.”

Dawn released her breath. Now she was truly ready.

***

A while later, the Sun Mistress went into the palace to prepare for
Dawn, leaving Dawn and Caliban on the terrace with only the garden,
the rising sun, and their thoughts. Dawn sighed. All her dreams were
coming true. Never had she felt so close to the sun. She was a part of
the sun, just like the sun was a part of her. Her golden curls twisted
with the soft kiss of a breeze. Her green eyes shone radiantly as she
looked at the bare head of the sun peeking out over the sea. When she
turned, she found Caliban staring at her.

“What?” she asked innocently.

He cleared his throat and whispered, “I just noticed how beautiful

you look when you’re with the sun. Like the light and warmth is
flooding through you.”

“Well, your face seems to glow, too. It’s like you’re borrowing the
sun’s light and making it your own. Kind of like the moon,” Dawn
replied.

“Ah, you realized?”

 “Of course, you go through quite the subtle transformation. Your
face glows, and your eyes seem to be fuller.”

“That is another thing. Someday, I’ll tell you, I promise.” Caliban

smiled and took her hand.

Dawn pondered his mysterious words for a few seconds, but was
quickly distracted by Caliban’s cool touch, and the warmth of the
setting sun. She gingerly reached out to touch the sun and grinned as
the warmth of it touched her fingers. Then she smiled as she watched
over the sun, the dawn of a new day, a new Sun Mistress, and a new
journey.
 Acknowledgments

For my debut novel, there are so many people who deserve a

thanks. Thank you to my editor and proofreader, Phil Athans, who
always had amazing suggestions that enhanced this book as well as the
patience to work with a teenager. Thank you to my cover artists, Rick
Fernandez and his team, for a beautiful, eye-catching cover that
hooked the reader in even before my words could. Thank you to all the
English teachers I’ve had for teaching me how to put words into
sentences, that led to an entire book! Thank you to my family, my
mother and grandmother for all the bedtime stories, and especially
thank you to my father, who made sure I kept writing and supported
me throughout the long writing process. Most of all, thank you to all
the authors and storytellers out there, because without your
imagination and words, I would not have been inspired to share my
own words with the world. I started working on this book as an eleven-
year-old, and here I am now, publishing as a fourteen-year-old. This
book has taught me so much about writing and about persevering
through everything, from getting through writer’s blocks to fighting
procrastination. It’s exciting to be a teenage author, to be able to bring
new worlds to life, and I can’t wait to share more stories with
everyone!
 About the Author

Aarna Vachhrajani is a fourteen-year-old teenager living in

Princeton, New Jersey with her family. While talking with her friend
about stories, the sun shining in the sky despite the chilly weather, an
idea formed, and that idea led to Udaya Rise of the Sun. Ever since she
could read, a book has always been her constant companion. When
other parents set limits for screen time, Aarna’s parents need to set a
limit for her reading! If Aarna isn’t curled up with a book, or
obsessively browsing Goodreads for a new book to read, she is
probably hanging out with her sister and playing with her dog,
Mowgli, having fun with friends, playing sports, shopping, or writing
her next story. She also really enjoys traveling around the world and
eating different foods with her family. To enjoy some of Aarna’s short
stories while waiting for her next book, check out her short story
podcast, The Seven Seas of Stories.