it is and why anyone wants it.”
“I believe you. It’s just that you’re talking about the most important gem in our world,” he explained. “You can’t take them out of ice so easily.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that Hearts Under Ice is the name of the gems that many have tried to take, but couldn’t. They are the ones that keep this world in order. They are in the Frost Queen’s castle, though no one has ever seen them.”
“The Frost Queen?” she repeated. “Wait, what do you mean by the gems keeping this world in order? There’s more than one? What exactly is the Heart Under Ice?”
“You mean Hearts Under Ice. Consider them the life force of this world,” he explained. “They are like the lungs in a human body. You need them to breathe properly. Without them, it would be difficult to stay alive. That’s why no one has ever been able to find them. The Frost Queen says that she knows where they are, but she won’t tell anyone.”
“I can’t blame her. If these gems are the reason your world is in existence, you wouldn’t want to lose them,” Olivia said. “So tell me, Mr.—”
“Jei,” he finished. “You can just call me Jei. Everyone else does.”
“Okay, Jei. If these gems are so important, why does someone want me to get them? I don’t want to destroy your world!” she insisted. “I swear, I’ve just been given this mission, and I don’t know why. I’m not even sure how I got here.”
“I think you are here because someone feels that you can help,” Jei said. “I trust you. You are not the kind to bring harm into this world. What you need to figure out is the reason why someone is seeking you, and why he or she mentioned the gems. Clearly, we may not know everything about them.”
“I don’t know,” she murmured. “I don’t want to take away something so important from you. I think I might be in over my head here. They probably wanted someone else, not me.”
“If you’re the one who got the message, then they clearly want you. To get to the gems, you must find the Frost Queen’s castle.”
“Oh, that’s great! Where is it?”
“Ah, it’s not that easy to find. You will have to travel for three days and three nights to get there. Even after that, you will come across many castles that will look like hers. It is a trick that she uses to fool thieves and those who might try to harm her. The real castle will be the only one that stands out.”
“Stands out how?”
“It will have a slight difference from the others. Unfortunately, no one has been able to figure out what the difference is. Some have said it’s the only castle with light in it. Others have said the difference lies in the structure of the castle. I have never been able to see the Frost Queen in person. I just know that she exists. She is the one who delivers the news about her plans for our villages and cities. No one else does that for her. She makes the laws in the world, and we obey them. If we didn’t, the punishment would be harsh.”
“You mean, she’d sentence you to death or something?”
“Not quite. If one person messed up here, then the whole world would suffer,” he said. “We’d go through Hell together because she’d feel that we all needed to be taught a lesson. That’s why I suggest you stay on her good side. Her bad side is not one to be toyed with. In general, she is a decent leader. She can just be a little temperamental if things do not go her way.”
“Duly noted. Now, let me get this straight—I have to travel for three days and three nights to find a castle that is different from other castles. However, no one knows which castle is the actual castle?” Olivia sighed. “Even worse, no one can explain to me why I need to get the Hearts Under Ice. If they are important to you, I can’t steal them. You are going to need them. It’s like you said—they are the lungs in the body. You need them to breathe.”
“That’s what you will have to find out. I can help you along the way,” Jei said. “I can lead you in the right direction.”
“Well, that’s a start,” Olivia said, brightening. “If I can get pointed in the right direction, I think I can