Now We Have a Plan

---Aaron---

Shadows flickered on the walls as the flames of candles tremored with every slight breeze. Outside, an owl hooted, and somewhere in the distant, a lone wolf howled. The curtains, pulled shut, blocked the pale moonlight that spilled into the room. It was past midnight, yet the seven of us huddled around the tables, wide awake.

"So, now that we have a clear sense of who we're up against, what we are supposed to do, and where we're supposed to go all we need is a concrete plan. Any ideas?" Indigo looked around. We looked at each other, then directed our gazes back to her.

"No? Just because I'm in charge of battle strategies doesn't mean I can come up with the whole plan," said Indigo, a little bit frustrated. "We need to work together, guys."

"I think we're all a little lost right now," Ashley spoke up. "It's a lot to take in all at once, and now we have to formulate a plan that will determine our every step. It's a big project to undertake."

"Let's go step by step. We're heading towards the Northern Mountains. So, how do we get there?" Indigo looked at all of us in turn. "Katherine?"

"I think we should head north till we reach Strongfair, then head east." Katherine traced her finger across the map that was spread out on the table. "We'll go past Dead Man's Chasm, Desederium Forest, and a couple other landmarks along the way, until we reach Swordbreak. Then we'll go around the Wailing Desert, all the way to Doveport, and then go north to the Boreal Forests. From there, we should be able to reach the Northern Mountains pretty easily."

"Why not just cut straight across Crystallea?" Lucian drew a line with his finger from Northbell to the Northern Mountains. "The shortest distance between two points is a line. If we go this way, we'll get there faster."

"Yeah, but look at what we'll have to go through," Jason countered. "There's the Bottomless Pits, Hallway of the Giants, and the Boglands, not to mention there aren't that many villages and roads this way. What are we going to do, camp outside every night and hunt for food every day?"

"But it's faster," Lucian insisted. "The pits and bogs can't be that bad, right? Nothing we can't handle."

"Actually, the pits and bogs are the precise reason why I didn't suggest that route," Katherine said. "The pits is a desolate landscape left behind from past wars, filled with chasms and quicksand, among other dangers. I've read that there are vultures as big as horse-carts and snakes as long as three of us."

"Yeah, and the Hallway of the Giants is actually a narrow strip between two towering cliffs. I wouldn't suggest we go there either. And the Boglands? Let's just say there's nowhere safe to step. Not even a single strip of solid earth for you to step on." Rachel added.

"Psh. Whatever. It'll be shorter." Lucian waved the concerns aside.

"I side with Katherine," said Ashley. "It's simply too dangerous the other way. What if the Evils catch up to us? What if they trap us in one of those places? It'll be a piece of cake for them to catch us and kill us all in such barren and dangerous places. Who's going to save the world?"

"But wouldn't it take longer to save the world if we go the long way?" Lucian questioned.

"It's safer," said Ashley and Jason together.

"Guys, maybe we can compromise," said Indigo. She studied the map. "Does anyone else have an idea of which way we should go?"

"Well…" Rachel looked at the book she had open. "What if we start off as Katherine said, travel till Strongfair, but instead of going through Dead Man's Chasm, we go down the River of the Nymphs instead? It would save us a lot of time."

"I don't know," said Katherine uncertainly. "I heard the current is really fast and very dangerous. And it's rumored to be nymphs that will enchant you there…"

"I think it'll be okay," I said. All eyes whipped to me. "We can have Jason help us control the current. He could probably talk with the nymphs too. I think we could go down that way."

"Okay. What about after that?" Lucian asked.

"I was thinking we could go towards Elfindore, and then to Swordbreak and Doveport. That way, we could avoid Desederium Forest," Rachel continued. "What do you guys think?"

"I think it's a good plan," mused Indigo. "All in favor raise your hand." Six hands shot into the air. Lucian grudgingly raised his. "Well I guess our path is set then. What about our course of action?"

"Right now, I think it's best if we put as much distance as we can between us and any pursuing Evils," I said, stretching. "We should try and get to the Northern Mountains as soon as possible, probably before winter, so we don't have to worry about blizzards and all that."

"Good idea." Jason agreed. "Along the way, we could also try and gather as much information as we can about the evil lord and his Evils. What was his name again? Cedric? Eric?"

"Victor," Indigo answered. "Lord Victor." We were all silent for a few moments.

"So is that our whole plan? Get to the Northern Mountains without dying, find their hideout, destroy an orb that may or may not exist, and save the world before Lord Victor takes over?" asked Lucian.

"Yeah, basically," Indigo said. "Any objections?" No one said anything.

"Good. So that's the route we take."

"What exactly are we going to do though? I mean, I know what we're supposed to do and where we're supposed to go, but just exactly how are we going to defeat Lord Victor?" Ashley said quietly.

Indigo sighed and ran a hand through her hair. In the candlelight, she looked tired but still radiated a commanding aura. "I don't know. I think we'll just have to cross that bridge when we get there."

"When do we leave?" I asked. Indigo met my eyes.

"We leave in two days at sunrise."