Rowan led us through the halls of the palace. Everything was silent, except for the rushing sounds of the waterfalls that echoed around the stone halls. I myself remained silent as I admired the beauty of the palace.

The outer halls of the palace reminded me of those that were in Trinity High. There were large white marble pillars that supoorted decorative white arches that had designs of vines molded into them. The spaces between the pillars gave the most spectacular view of the kingdom below. From this height, I could see whatever was going on in the kingdom. I could see people bustling about, waking up since it was now after dawn. The kingdom was coming to life.

On the other side of the hall, where the solid walls were, there hung many paintings and murals. They all depicted some sort of plant life: the forest painted in vibrant colors, flowers painted with extreme detail, animals of all different kinds. I felt as if I were walking through a museum exhibit on the Amazon Forest. But there was something about the paintings that made them almost lifelike; they looked almost as if they would be real to the touch. It was incredibly mesmerizing.

There was one particular mural that grasped my attention. It was the longest one we had seen so far, stretching a couple dozen feet long. It depicted what looked to be the history of the land of Sylvanterra. Since we were walking in the opposite direction, the first drawing I saw was of the land of Sylvanterra as I saw it now: with people bustling about their daily lives. But as we went further back, I could see that the mountain that Sylvanterra had been built on became more and more green. There were more trees and less signs of civilzation the further we went back. The buildings that had been built were different looking, more primitive. They looked to be made of dirt and clay rather than the beautiful stone marble that they were made of now. The very last, or the very first, painting was of the mountain standing alone, with no civilization. There was a single man drawn at the base of the mountain, with a dark brown cloak, a long brown beard and sparkling green eyes. This must have been the first earth master, the one who had discovered the civilization in the first place.

We continued to walk for another few minutes before we reached a set of double doors that were framed with green vines that had exotic purple flowers budding out of them. There were two guards standing on either side of the doors dressed in thick padded leather armor and holding sharpened spears. I glanced at Gerrard, who shrugged. The two guards saluted Rowan and then they opened the doors for us, revealing the most exquisite room I had ever seen.

The floors were, once agan, made of white marble that was shone to perfection. There were statues on either side of the room carved out of white, weathered stone. I recognized one of the statues as the man in the mural we had passed earlier. I squinted to read the plaque, but realized that it was in a different language.

The ceiling was painted colorfully to depict forest life. There were trees and flowers, animals peeking out from around them, and the great Amazon River which flowed through it all. All around the ceiling, hanging from the sides, were vines with brightly colored flowers growing on them. There were potted plants everywhere.

At the far end of the room was an elegant throne made of a beautiful wood that gleamed and was carved with delicate leaf designs. There was gold finishing on the feet, back, and arms of the throne and sitting on it was one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen.

The queen had long wavy black hair, tanned brown skin, and almond shaped eyes that were the same color as the soil surrounding the Amazon River. She had high cheekbones, a strong, yet feminine build, and held an aura of intensity and power.

"My Queen, our guests have arrived," Rowan said, bowing down to his knees. Gerrard and I glanced at each other and then bowed as well. When we stood back up, the Queen was dismissing Rowan. He bowed once more and then walked out of the room. When he left, we turned our attention back to the queen, who was now scrutinizing us.

I could feel the walls of my mind tingling and I knew that she was trying to pry into my mind. I had to fight off a smirk. She had no idea how strong the walls of my mind were. No one--not even Elijah--could infiltrate it. I had to attribute this strength to Elijah, who had been the one to teach me how to properly keep my guard up. They had been long, grueling sessions which gave me throbbing headaches, but the end result was a mind with walls made of steel; my mind was impenetrable.

The queen seemed impressed by this. No doubt she had tried to pry into Gerrard's mind, as well, only to receive the same outcome she had with mine. I watched her as she continued to look us over. I wondered if she was performing a power check. No doubt she was; it was the first thing Peter Long had done in order to size me up. It was one of the first things all good witches and wizards did: to see how powerful their enemy was.

"What are your names?" she asked suddenly, catching us off-guard.

"Gerrard Vigil," Gerrard said.

"Caley Lucia," I replied. She raised her eyebrows.

"A Lucia?" she asked. I nodded. "I thought you all had died out," she said, tapping her finger on her chin, looking me over.

She stood and approached us, her long white dress flowing behind her. The dress showed off a good amount of her body, as it was cut out from the center into two pieces: a top part that reminded me of a bandeu binkini top and a bottom skirt part that was trimmed with gold ribbon. I saw Gerrard raise an eyebrow and smirk. I internally rolled my eyes at him; he was checking her out.

"I am Queen Maya, but you may call me Maya," she said, standing directly in front of us.

"Thanks for not killing us," I blurted out.

"Caley!" Gerrard hissed.

"I'm sorry! It slipped out!" I exclaimed.

Maya chuckled, shaking her head.

"The decision is not final quite yet. I still have much to know about your intentions for coming here before I spare your lives completely," she said. "The only reason you are still alive is because you have mentioned that you know Mikael Gemeni. I would like to know how," she added.

"That's for you to answer," Gerrard said, nudging me with his elbow. I looked at him, helpless, and then back at the queen, who was awating my answer.

"It's kind of a long story," I said.

"Well shorten it," Maya snapped. "My patience is running thin."

I swallowed nervously, shifting on my tired feet.

"Ok, well..." I began.

And then I told her. I told her everything. I told her how I had met Mikael in the woods one day, how he was still alive, how he had told me what my mother had done to his brother, and how when we went back to look for his cabin, he was gone. I told her about the curse on my family (which she already knew about) and the war that inevitably was going to occur. I told her how he had left behind several maps of locations all around the world and we were now looking for him so that he could help us find the countercurse so that I could save the relationship that I was in.

"You two are in love?" she asked, pointing between the two of us. Gerrard closed his eyes in annoyance.

"No! Gerrard's just here to help me. He's had a lot more experience in magic than I have and I trust him with all my heart," I said.

"So you mean to tell me that you are on a journey to find Mikael so that he may help you find the counter to the curse on your family?" Maya asked, walking past us to the side of the room. She pressed her hand against the wall and a part of the wall slid open to reveal an entrance to the back of the palace. She stepped outside and we followed her.

"Yes," I replied.

"So why is it that you are here?" she asked.

"Because this was one of the places that he mapped," I replied.

"If the curse on your family is elemental, why come to an Earth nation?" she questioned.

"Because there must have been a reason this place was on the map. He must have had a reason for leaving us with all the information he did. We were hoping that maybe you knew where he was," I answered.

"Unfortunately for you, the last time I saw Mikael was before his supposed death nearly 20 years ago," Maya told me.

"Why would he want me to come here then?!" I exclaimed, growing frustrated quickly.

"I cannot answer that question," Maya replied.

"There must be a reason. You must know something," I said.

"What would I know about the curse on your family?" she asked.

"Your nation is clearly skilled in ancient magic, since it has been sustaining you for so many years. You must have some information," I said.

"I have information about ancient magic that applies to my nation. I don't have any knowledge about what affects the other nations. That is not of my concern. My concern is only for my own kingdom," she said, her voice growing aggravated. I looked at her, narrowing my eyes.

"So what you're saying is that you don't care what happens to other Magii nations, so long as yours is safe?" I asked.

"Precisely," she replied, nodding.

"Ok, so what about this? What about if I go back to where I'm from and tell everyone about your nation? What if the war wipes out all of the earth masters? They're your people, aren't they? Even if they aren't from your kingdom? So you're just going to sit back and let the other innocent earth masters get hurt while fighting in the war? What does that make you? A coward?" I asked.

"Caley, she's the queen. Have some respect," Gerrard hissed at me.

"You would do well to listen to your friend. You are making grave accusations and I will not stand here and listen to them," Maya said, her voice getting louder and her brown eyes flashing.

"I won't have respect for a coward," I spat, standing straighter.

Maya glared at me and Gerrard shook his head.

"I only respect those people that are fighting for what's right: the salvation of the race of the Magii overall. It doesn't matter if you're tucked away and safe in your kingdom. We are all connected somehow, we are all from the same originator. When some of us get hurt, all of us suffer," I said. "And I'm trying to prevent that from happening. All I'm asking is for a little help," I continued. "So are you willing to help me? Or have I wasted my time?" I asked.

Maya continued to stare at me, her brown eyes raging, her jaw squared. Her guard was up and I could feel the magical tension in the air. I could tell she wanted nothing more than to kill me on the spot. I had, like she said, made some wild accusations, but she deserved them. I didn't regret anything I had said to her. I only hoped that my life wouldn't be in danger because of it.

"Mikael came here," Maya began, catching both Gerrard and me off-guard, "almost 25 years ago. I was a little girl then, but I still remember him. He was tall and had these eyes with so many different colors in them. I had found him fascinating as a child," she continued.

"What did he want? How did he find you?" I asked.

"That is not something I can answer. As I said, I was only a little girl back then," Maya replied.

"So then who can answer my questions?" I asked.

"My father," she replied.

"And where is he?" I asked.

"In the Andes mountains. He's a monk now," she replied.

"How can we get there?" Gerrard asked.

"By taking the river," she replied.

"Then we'll leave tomorrow," I said.

"You cannot go alone. These lands are foreign to you. You'll get killed," Maya said.

"I think we can handle ourselves," I said.

"Is that so?" she replied, cocking an eyebrow.

"If you allow it, could we bring Rowan with us?" Gerrard asked.

"Rowan is one of my most prized men," Maya said, turning to face the forest around her. She reached up, touching her hand to the bark of a tree. She closed her eyes and a smile appeared on her lips. When she opened her eyes again, she seemed calmer.

"I will send Rowan and his men with you," she said, turning to look at us.

"Thank you," Gerrard. "And that you for your hospitality," he added, bowing his head. I stood staring at him and the queen, who seemed pleased by his respect and courtesy. Gerrard nudged my arm with his elbow, telling me to bow my head, as well. Putting aside my pride, I inclined my head downwards slightly. Although Maya could tell the gesture was forced, she took it for what it was.

"Will you eat or will you rest?" she asked once we stood up straight again.

"I can hardly keep my eyes open, so I vote for sleeping," I replied, glancing at Gerrard for his decision.

"When do you normally eat?" Gerrard asked.

"At sundown," she replied, looking at the sky. I estimated that it was about six in the evening. The sun would set around 9. That gave me three hours to take a nap and recompose myself.

"Then we will eat with you," Gerrard said.

"Very well. I will see you at supper, then," Maya said. Gerrard bowed his head once more. Maya turned around, her attention focused on the trees and the greenery around her, silently dismissing us. Gerrard grabbed my elbow and turned me away. We stepped back onto the cold marble floors inside the palace and made our way back to our rooms.

"I'll come get you when I wake up," Gerrard said as we stopped in front of my temporary living quarters.

"Ok," I said. He turned to go, but then I stopped him. "No, wait! Ger!" I called, my voice echoing in the silent hallway. He turned around.

"What?" he asked.

"Stay," I said, nodding at my room.

"Why?" he asked, remaining where he was standing.

"Because I don't know about you, but I get the vibe that Maya doesn't like me very much and call me paranoid, but I don't want to be asleep with my guard down having that knowledge," I said.

"Well, can you blame her for not liking you? You were extremely rude," he said, coming back towards me. I opened up my room and stepped inside. He followed after and closed the door behind him.

"I think you were just sucking up," I responded, going to the mirror and undoing the intricate braid that Otomi had done for me.

"She's a queen and she's showing us hospitality," he replied, climbing into the bed.

"That's irrelevant when she's so hostile," I said.

"No, because in the end, she's a queen and she didn't kill us," he argued.

"Yet," I said.

"I think she's made it clear that she wants to help us," he said.

"Only after I called her out on her magical racism," I replied, pulling the garland leaves out of my hair and turning towards him.

"Magical racism?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow in amusement.

"Oh, shut up. I couldn't think of anything else. My mind is jello right now," I said, climbing into the bed next to him. I rested my head in the crook of his arm, sighing deeply as I felt drowsiness begin to take over my mind.

"These pants are incredibly uncomfortable," Gerrard whispered to me, shifting slightly. I chuckled, closing my eyes. When I did, I had a flash of the fire that I had seen in my dreams when I was unconscious. I opened my eyes and looked at Gerrard.

"Remind me that I need to talk to you about something when we wake up," I said.

"Well, now I'm intrigued," Gerrard said sleepily. His eyes were now closed. I closed mine as well, draping my arm over his chest as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder protectively.

"I'll tell you when we wake up," I mumbled.

"Ok, I'll try to remember," he said in a thick voice riddled with sleep.

Soon after, I felt sleep fall over me, shrouding my mind in restlessness.

                                                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~

When I woke up three hours later, I felt slow and disoriented. I was confused by my surroundings, wondering where the hell I was. I heard someone breathing next to me and looked over to see Gerrard with his back to me. And then I remembered.

I was in the Amazon, and more specifically, Sylvanterra, one of the remaining ancient Earth nations. Gerrard and I were looking for clues that would help us find the counter to the curse on my family and to do that, we were searching for Mikael Gemeni, the remaining half of the Great Twins.

Sighing, I sat up in bed, holding my head in my hands.

I was exhausted.

We hadn't even done anything and I was tired beyond belief. My muscles were sore and I had a constant headache due to walking around in the heat for nearly five days. My energy levels were dangerously low and most of, I was miserable. I was miserable because I missed Trey.

I turned my head and looked outside the large window in my room. The sheer white curtains fluttered around as the breeze from outside came in. Shivering slightly, I silently got out of the bed, careful not to disturb Gerrard.

I made my way to the window and then looked out. Right outside my window was an enormous and flat tree branch that I could climb onto. I perched on top of the window sill and then jumped outside onto the branch, the leaves rustling as the wind blew them. Gingerly, I walked to the edge of the branch and towards the trunk, resting my hand on the rough bark and looking out at the kingdom below me.

Night had fallen in the time that Gerrard and I had fallen asleep. The hazy sun and scorching heat were now replaced by a cool breeze and a dark night sky littered with twinkling silver stars. The city was calm as ever. People still milled around outside, greeting each other in the streets as they made their ways back home for supper. Laughter could be heard in the air and I felt a sense of peace fall over me. This was how life should have been: easy and carefree.

"It's beautiful, is it not?" I heard a voice say, making me jump and nearly lose my balance. If it hadn't been for the trunk, I would have toppled to down the base of the tree and then down the mountain. I looked over to see who my disturber was and was surprised when I saw Queen Maya.

"Yes," I said slowly, wondering what the hell she was doing outside of my room, "yes it is."

"I wasn't lurking outside of your window like you're thinking," she said, a knowing smile on her lips.

"How did you know--?" I asked aloud, wondering if she had read my mind. She couldn't have. My guard was up even in my sleep.

"I can tell from the expression on your face," she replied. "You always have such a hostile look about you," she added.

"No, I don't," I said, frowning.

"And a hostile attitude," she said.

"No, I don't!" I exclaimed. She chuckled and I felt my cheeks flush.

"You know, Caley Lucia, maybe it is a good thing that Mikael led you here," Maya said. I glared at her.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because, one of the most prized qualities of the members of my nation is that they know how to remain calm. They know how to keep in control of their emotions and it seems like this is something that you need to improve on. A hostile witch is not a smart witch. You mustn't let emotion rule over your better judgment," Maya explained.

I frowned, Elijah's words coming back to me when he yelled at me for nearly killing Peter Long.

'"And every time someone talks about your mother you're going to kill them?! He was trying to provoke you! He was trying to distract you! You have no idea of the loss you could have cost us!"' Elijah's words echoed through my mind.

They were right. Both of them. I did need to get a control over my emotions. It seemed like so many of the decisions that I made were because I gave in to the intensity of my feelings; my rage, my anger. And when I felt those strong emotions, all sensible reason left me. My judgment became clouded and I would often make mistakes that I couldn't see the consequences of.

Maybe this was what Mikael had intended for me. To learn from the magical experiences of my more knowledgable peers. Maybe that was the reason I was supposed to go to all of these nations: to help me become a better witch.

"Supper," Maya began, pulling me out of my thoughts, "will be served in about an hour. You may freshen up until then. I will send Rowan in to get you," she said. I nodded silently and she turned to walk away, disappearing around the corner. I watched her vanish with the breeze, her words resonating in my mind.

A hostile witch is not a smart witch. You mustn't let emotion rule over your better judgment.

She was right. And tomorrow, I was going to start to learn how.

____________________________________________________________________

A/N: Gosh, ok. So I'm on break now. Yay! But I don't know how often I will be able to update. Even though I'm done with school for the next couple weeks, I still have that epic medical school exam to study for. So a lot of my free time will be going in to studying for that. But I will definitely try to squeeze in a couple chapters here and there.

I know I keep saying that the next chapter and the next chapter will have a lot of action scenes in it, but I keep forgetting little details and other ideas pop into my mind and then my chapters end up having more in them than I anticipated. So alas, this is not an action chapter, but I promise you, the next one will be. And the next chapter will probably (but this is subject to change) be the last Amazon chapter before Caley goes back to New York.

Anyway, so that's this chapter. Kind of a filler; mostly just informational. Queen isn't going to kill them (yay!). But what do you think Caley and Gerrard are going to learn from Maya's father? What secrets will he have, if any? And do you think Caley will be able to train her emotions from getting out of control?

Do you guys get a very tree-hugger feel to these Amazon scenes, because I do!

We'll find out next time. Comment and vote!

Until next time! Ciao!

XOXO