"What occurs once in a minute, twice in a moment, and never in a thousand years?"

  "What?" she asked the man in front of her. He had an old, gray-bearded face and was wearing long, black robes.

  "You must answer this question."

  "Now?"

  He didn't reply. She tried asking more questions, but he stayed silent. Then he started to disappear, staring from the top of his robes and ending with his face. All that was left was his cracked-lipped mouth, that spoke:

  "Time is running out. Goodbye."

  Then that disappeared, too.
 

  A pair of ocean blue eyes snapped open. They scanned the space around them, which was unfamiliar to the owner.

  "What in Valor—?" Emma said aloud. She sat up, realizing that she had been lying down on the dirt ground. Again, she looked around. She was in a small wooden structure with a low ceiling. An untidy bed sat in the corner, along with a chest and small table.

  Emma jumped when the door opened. The king of the Vikings stepped through, his face expressionless.

  "Ah," he said in a monotone, "you're awake, I see."

  "Yes, I am," Emma replied, slight confusion in her voice.

  "You need to come with me."

  "And why would I ever do that?"

  "Because if you don't, I'll have my men kill your brother."

  "You—"

  "And the rabbit."

  "No."

  "Yes. Now, if you give me have a front-row seat to their execution."

  Emma, very reluctantly, stood up. Family. Friends. That was her downfall. Why did she have to have a brother? Why did she have to drag all the boys into this? She mentally cursed herself for not committing to her role as a loner.

  That also gave her a thought. He hadn't mentioned Isabella and Taurtis.

  Hands together and arms relaxed, Emma followed Olaf out of the small structure and into the open area of the camp. Heads turned as they passed, some Vikings' eyes widening at the sight of the mage. Emma, however, didn't even acknowledge them and continued walking.

  The Vikings weren't the only ones watching. When the door to the small building had opened, Sam perked up, hoping that what he was thinking was true. It was, and, upon seeing Emma leave the structure, Sam breathed a sigh of relief. He dared not speak, however, knowing that the Vikings would drop him into the fire without a second thought.

  Speaking of the fire, Sam was sweating buckets already. The cage he was in hung over the fire and was very close to the flames, so much so that the tongues of heat licked the metal beneath him. Beads of sweat stung the rabbit's forehead and traveled down to his eyes. If that wasn't enough, the metal of the cage burned his pale skin, causing Sam to jump back with every touch.

  The bunny boy turned his vision to the stone, dome-shaped cell that held Grian. He could barely make out the wizard through the fire, but he could see him pressing his back against the bars, arms crossed and head placed in between his knees. Grian obviously hadn't seen Emma come through the door. He was feeling very empathetic at the moment, worrying for his sister's safety. The wizard had kept hidden all feelings for the time being, not wanting to show signs of weakness.

  Then there was Taurtis and Isabella. The two of them had been kicked out of the camp as soon as their weapons were returned, forcing them to patrol around the edges just to keep watch of their friends. The entire time, Taurtis held Isabella's hand, not wanting to let go for the life of him.

  "Taurtis," Isabella breathed, "look!"

  The ninja turned his head, shaking his messy black hair out of the way. Taurtis had taken off his mask earlier because he claimed it was 'stuffy.'

  "Is that Emma?" asked he.

  "Yep, definitely," replied Isabella. "What do you think the Vikings want with her?"

  "I don't know, but she is a powerful mage. Maybe it has something to do with that?"

  "Possibly. Taurtis?"

  "Yeah?"

  "You've been holding on to my hand for the past few hours. I'm not going anywhere, you know."

  "I know. I just don't want to let you go."

  "I know you want to feel safe, Taurtis, but that's impossible at the moment. Do you see what situation we're in?" Isabella gave him a look.

  Taurtis sighed, stopping where he was. "Izzy, do you remember when we were kids?"

  "Yeah. You were the most cringe-worthy child I've ever seen. Seriously, 'Save me from the monsters'? What were you thinking?"

  "Hey, I was right. Monsters do exist."

  "You were also five."

  "Come on! Okay, maybe I was a little ridiculous, but you made me feel safe."

  "Taurtis—"

  "I still look up to you."

  Isabella felt her cheeks growing pink. She smiled at Taurtis, then slapped him across the face.

  "Ow! What was that for?"

  Isabella almost snorted. "Wake up, Taurtis! You're an adult now. I appreciate the nice words, but I can't always look after you."

  Taurtis grinned. "You haven't changed."

  "Hey!" she exclaimed. "It's not like you have, either!"

  He laughed. "Come on. We have a job to do."

  "I hate you."

  The ninja smirked. "Right back at you."

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  "What do you want from me?" Emma asked the two Vikings in front of her. She held her hands under the table, twirling a silver stone in between her fingers. The stone was a Messenger, having the symbol of communication etched into it. Emma said the name many time over in her head:

  Thanatos, Thanatos, Thanatos, Thanatos... (A/N: no, not Thanos)

  "Well," said Olaf, "we need a certain favor from you."

  "THEN I WANT YOUR HEAD ON A PLATTER!" Olga declared, grinning.

  Emma let out a small laugh. "What favor do you wish from me, Mr. and Mrs. Barbarian?"

  Olga's smile faded. "WHY YOU LITTLE—"

  "Olga, darling. Settle down," said Olaf. "We need her alive for now."

  Suddenly, a voice spoke in Emma's head.

  "Emma? You called?"

  Yes, the brunette responded. We're in a little trouble with the Vikings. I need your help.

  "How so?"

  Well, they have me cornered, and they've threatened me with the death of my brother.

"Oh dear. What do they want from you?"

  I'm about to find out.

  "Are you listening?" Olaf snapped.

  Emma looked up. "Please repeat yourself, I zoned out," she said sweetly, putting on a fake smile.

  Olaf glared at her. "I said, there is an ancient artifact in the catacombs near the ruins of the old chapel. We need you to collect it for us."

  "What about Sam and Grian?"

  "We'll let the rabbit go with you. But we're keeping your brother."

  Emma narrowed her eyes. "Alright. I'll go get ready."

  The mage stood up slowly, then turned around. She quickly walked out the flap of the tent, and she ran straight over to where her brother was being held.

  "Grian, Grian!" she whispered.

  The blond wizard quickly turned around. Upon seeing his sister, his face lit up.

  "Emma," he breathed in disbelief, "you're okay!"

  "Yeah, I am. But you're not."

  "Why?"

  "The Vikings sent me on a quest. They said they'd let me take Sam, but they're keeping you. If I don't do this, they'll kill you."

  "Don't worry about me. You and Sam just get the other two and get as far away from here as possible."

  "No. I can't leave you to these people. I lost you once, I'm not losing you again."

  Grian chuckled.

  "What?"

  "Just you. I love you, Emma. Now go. They're letting Sam out."

  Emma gave her brother a half smile before turning around and hurrying away.