I already know the way into the center, without anyone telling me.
Even so, I have people guarding me the entire time, showing me the way around.
Imagine that! Having people actually care about me!
I know they don't.
Only the object I have on my person.
As I make it to the center, though, and am able to see the Elders, I'm awestruck.
I suddenly don't care about my so-called bodyguards and only for the safety of the Capitol, plus the District.
"Elders," I say, bowing.
"Lodin," they say.
There are 7 in all. That way there's never an even number when votes occur.
"I'm honored to be here," I say, peering up at them.
They're all staring at me with expressionless faces.
I clear my throat and offer the orb to them.
That's when they take interest.
"Will that really save us all?" one Elder asks, a female that looks no older than I.
I nod once, and she settles back in her regal chair.
"Show us," another Elder says, a male with pointy ears.
I sigh with impatience.
"I can't really do that, sir," I say, trying to not sound snarky. Apparently, I do anyways, because the Elder glares at me.
"And why not?" another asks. A dark-skinned female with a light blue cloak.
"It'll only work underneath the Harvest Moon," I say, reciting the speech my father had come up with.
"But that's only in three days!" the first Elder gasps.
"Yes, ma'am."
The other Elders converse among themselves and finally, the head Elder turns to talk to me.
I only know his name, Elder Ronin.
He's the eldest of them all and was there in the beginning when the Capitol was founded.
Ronin clears his throat and turns to face me with a very wrinkly facial expression.
"How will we get... the other object we need," he asks, his voice crackling and old with age.
"My father and I are working on that, sir," I say, internally cringing.
"Master Lodin," a servant suddenly rushes in, gasping for breath.
I turn around slowly, not wanting to disrespect the Elders, and slightly annoyed at the intruder.
"Yeah?" I ask.
The servant can tell I'm pissed.
"Your father wanted to let you know that he figured it out."
As if that cryptic message wasn't enough, he hands me another orb, not glowing like the other one, and leaves me with; "trust no one."
With the meeting over, I walk away from the Capitol and back towards the District.
The only reason we need another object for the spell to work is that it's from another world. The reason we need this spell is that there's been a war going on with us elves and the ogres. We keep on disagreeing with the way our nation is led, with elves far more superior and ogres with less superiority. The war has been going on for about 99 years now, and in three days, on the Harvest Moon, it will be officially the 100th year of the war. The Black War it's now being called, because of all the dark and evil weapons the ogres are using.
But the cryptic message is still running through my brain when I reach my favorite spot in the whole world, the Dreaming Meadows.
"Trust no one?" I ask out loud.
I hear a groan to my right and when I look I see a normal-looking girl.
Wait.
As I look closer to see if she's hurt, I take a quick check at her ears.
Elf ears start turning pointy once the elf is around their teenage years, 13-19.
She looks around my age... but she doesn't have pointy ears.
"Oh my Gods," I say. "All hail the Savior."