Here's chapter three for your reading pleasure. I hope you enjoy! Thank you to my lovely reviewers for reviewing!

The next morning, Jenna woke at dawn, unable to sleep for long. As she packed a few essentials into a small pouch to be tied at her waist, her mind wandered onto the quest. Jenna had never before stepped foot out of Vale, and then suddenly she was expected to explore half of Weyard. True, if they kept quiet about Saturos and Menardi's mission whilst in Prox, they wouldn't encounter too much resistance, but Jenna couldn't help being nervous.

"How are you feeling?" Felix's warm voice floated through Jenna's bedroom door. Jenna straightened and smiled nervously at its owner.

"Like I've just eaten a bowl of live snakes for breakfast. You?"

"Well, with me it's butterflies. I'd wager that they taste nicer than snakes, but the effect is more or less the same." Felix walked over to where Jenna had sat on the edge of her bed, and he perched next to her. "I'm pretty nervous myself."

"But you've been to Prox before," Jenna couldn't keep her nerves out of her voice, "so you know a few of them, right?"

Felix laughed softly. "I was almost a prisoner there. Forced to train – I wasn't able to get to know the residents. A few might recognise my face, especially Menardi's sister. She used to sit in during my training sessions and criticise me." Felix grinned. Karst had been annoying at times, but her upbeat personality always got him through Saturos' demanding training sessions. "As long as we don't run into the elders. If they see me before their quest is completed, I know for a fact that we won't be welcome."

"We'll be fine," Jenna said, trying to sound confidently cheerful and failing. "Once our parents are with us and out of Prox, I doubt they'll go out of their way to re-capture them."

"True."

Twenty minutes later, Jenna and Felix had forced down some breakfast, and were preparing to leave. Their concerned grandparents, who had been overjoyed to see Felix alive after three years, gave them last minute tips and advice, and then hugged them, half hoping the siblings would change their minds about going. It was an emotional goodbye, but Felix and Jenna promised to return safely, with their parents.

As the two walked toward Vale's entrance, Garet jogged down from his house and met the two.

"Isaac's on his way, he's just saying goodbye to his mother," Garet matched their pace, and the three made their way down to the large gate. "What do we do first then, after we leave Vale?"

"We're planning to head to Madr-"

"'We?'" Felix stopped, staring at Garet. Jenna caught on, and gasped, looking at Garet with large eyes.

"You're coming with us?"

"Since when?" Felix asked suspiciously.

"Isaac and I talked about it for most of last night. It's not going to be an easy trip, and I want to help any way I can."

"Garet," began Jenna, but he interrupted.

"Four are stronger than three, correct?" Garet smiled at the two. "You've been my best friends for years. It took a lot to persuade my parents to let me go, but it'll be worth it. If it means saving your parents, then I'm all for it. Besides, it will be easier to stop the Sol Sanctum guys from lighting the Lighthouses with four of us."

Felix and Jenna said nothing. They hadn't told Garet that they actually planned on letting the antagonists light the Elemental Lighthouses, as they knew that this news would reach the mayor. Once that happened, the elders of Vale would panic even more about the "great catastrophe" that was supposed to happen then the Lighthouses were lit, and Vale would be thrown into turmoil.

"All right, you can come," said Felix, somewhat reluctantly. "You're right, it would be a little easier with four of us."

The three reached the gates to find Isaac sitting on the grass. As they approached, he stood, and they noticed that his stance suggested nervousness, too. "Ready?" he asked them, a look of grim determination set on his face.

The four Adepts walked through the open gates. The guards applauded as they walked past, and shouted wishes of good luck. Jenna grinned.

"We're celebrities! Maybe they'll throw a massive party when we get back."

"Yeah, and I'll be the guest of honour." Isaac smirked at Jenna. "Isaac the Hero. Or Isaac the Valiant. They have a ring to them."

"Felix sounds better," Felix said matter-of-factly. Jenna punched his arm playfully.

"Never mind that, imagine all the food that they would cook in our honour!" Garet glanced back at Vale, which was now barely visible, with something akin to hunger in his eyes. "Your mother's an excellent cook, Isaac, she'd probably cook me a big, fat, juicy steak with all the trimmings."

Feeling somewhat light heartened by the banter, the four set off for Madra without looking back once.

It was a somewhat exhausted group that walked through the gates of Madra two evenings later. They had had no choice but to traverse some steep hills to reach Gondowan, and then the rivers they had been forced to cross were treacherous. There was one terrifying moment when Jenna had lost her footing in one of Gondowan's larger rivers, and had almost been swept downstream. Thankfully, Felix and Isaac had reacted quickly with their Venus Psynergy, felling a large tree to block the flow of the river temporarily.

"Well, you can't say it wasn't an eventful journey," commented Garet as the four exhausted teenagers walked into the inn. They collapsed onto some comfortable looking chairs as Felix booked a couple of rooms for them. Jenna sighed loudly, and eased her aching feet out of her boots. Isaac jokingly wafted the air, earning a shove from the Mars Adept.

"So, what's the plan?" asked Isaac as Felix joined them.

"We rest, and then tomorrow we search the town for a boat. I'm sure the mayor will help us out," Felix yawned and stretched. "When we find a ship, we'll leave straight away. The sooner we go, the better."

"Erm...question," Jenna sat up, frowning, a thought occurring to her. "Do you actually know the way to Prox, Felix?"

Felix stilled. That was something he had neglected to think about when planning the rescue of his parents. Jenna paled slightly. "What if we get lost? It'll take even longer to get to our parents. And then it might be too late..."

Felix hesitated before answering. "Don't worry, I'm sure one of the residents of Madra carries a map. I know for certain that Prox is to the far north...with the help of a map, I could pinpoint the location. Few know of Prox and its location, so it won't be marked on an ordinary map."

"All right," said Jenna uncertainly, relaxing back onto the armchair.

The four ate, and then departed to bed, agreeing to meet early the next morning, so they could get a head start on finding a ship. For a good portion of the night, Jenna tossed and turned, unable to get to sleep. Felix hadn't sounded very confident when speaking of finding a map, and Jenna doubted that the sleepy town of Madra would provide a map that could pinpoint any location in the world. However, being quite a nautical town, surely someone, somewhere, would hold a sea chart. And with that slightly reassuring thought, Jenna fell asleep.

The next morning was a cheerful one. The sun shined brightly, and it was quite warm considering that it was close to winter. The citizens of Madra went about their daily business in good moods. In the inn, Felix, Jenna, Isaac and Garet had already awoken, and were sitting in the same armchairs as the previous night, discussing the best way to find a ship.

"If we split up, we'll get through the residents much faster," Isaac pointed out.

"If we do, we'll need something to tell the others if we find something," said Jenna. "A signal or something. Madra doesn't appear to be the smallest of towns, and it would delay us if we had to spend half a day searching for the others."

"Fair point," commented Garet. "Maybe we should meet here again in, say, three hours. If one of us is successful, then we could grab a quick lunch, and then try to acquire the ship."

"Good idea," said Felix. "Right, we'll go individually. I'll head to the northern part of town, and ask the residents there. Jenna, take the west side of town. Isaac, you should be all right in the south, and Garet, the east also holds a lot of residents. We'll meet back here at lunchtime."

The plan was decided, and each went their separate ways. Jenna wandered over to the western side of town, and was mildly surprised to find a jail. Crime had never been a large issue in Vale, as if something was stolen, it would be very easy to track down the culprit. However, Jenna had read about such places in Kraden's history books, and hadn't liked the sound of them. Cold, harsh, and only accommodating the worst of criminals, jail was the last place Jenna wanted to visit. However, Jenna wouldn't know if the guard had any information if she didn't ask. Taking in a deep breath, she stepped through the entrance into the cold jail.

The cells were empty except for the one at the end of the row. Not wanting to attract the attention of a potentially dangerous criminal, Jenna quietly made her way to a small desk at the centre of the building, where a guard was fast asleep on a chair. "Umm...excuse me," whispered Jenna, not wanting to raise her voice. She shivered involuntarily – Kraden's books were correct, the place was damp and cold. Swallowing a nervous shudder, Jenna stepped slightly closer to the guard, and raised her voice only slightly. "Sir? I need to speak with you."

Still nothing. Jenna resisted the urge to kick the nearest leg of the desk, but decided that poking the guard wouldn't be a good idea. "Sir!" She didn't shout, but did raise her voice again. The guard snorted, shifted slightly, and continued slumbering.

"It's no use, he sleeps through anything." The voice startled Jenna, and she jumped and whipped around to face the entrance, but there was nobody there. She realised with a jolt that it had come from the occupied cell at the end of the row. Jenna hesitated, and then stepped forward slowly. She didn't know him; for all she knew, he could be as harmless as she. Jenna stepped into the light, and finally saw the prisoner. He wasn't like anybody she'd seen before. Though his profile sat in shadow, she could make out blue clothing, patterned in a foreign design. A slight beam of sunlight reflected off his blue hair, and for one heart-stopping moment, Jenna thought it was the Alex person from Sol Sanctum. But then, she said to herself as her heart returned to a normal beat, Alex had been a slight person, whereas this person in the jail appeared to have very toned muscles. He wouldn't have any difficulty beating somebody up. But his voice hadn't contained any menace. Intrigued despite herself, she cleared her throat.

"Oh, that's a pity, I needed to ask him something."

"Perhaps I can help?" he suggested, his tone light. Jenna raised her eyebrows sceptically, and to her surprise, he laughed. It was a deep, rich laugh, and Jenna couldn't help thinking that somebody stuck in a place such as this shouldn't laugh so genuinely. "Don't let my current position put you off. I know quite a bit about this place." He laughed again, but his tone held an edge of bitterness.

"All right. You're going to think it's a strange question, though."

"Fire away," said he, his tone suggesting he was interested in what she had to say.

"Well...I'm travelling with my brother and two friends, and we need to access a place that's across the ocean. I've heard this town holds some information on ships, and we need to find a ship we can hire quite urgently." Jenna didn't go into details. After all, the man was in jail for a reason, and she had only just met him.

To her surprise, she could almost sense him smiling. And sure enough, the light provided enough for Jenna to see his mouth curved into an ironic smile. Wondering what on earth she could have said to make him smile like that, she moved forward, and was now very close to the bars of his cell.

"How incredibly ironic. I happen to have a ship myself."

"What?" Jenna could hardly believe her ears. "You...you have one? Seriously?"

"Yes. It's quite a large ship, easily large enough to accommodate six or seven people."

Was he suggesting that Jenna and her companions could borrow his ship? Jenna could hardly dare to believe it; in fact, it was almost too easy...

"Does...does that mean that you're willing to lend us your ship?" Jenna breathed, crossing her fingers behind her back.

"Yes," he said, his tone conditional. Jenna didn't notice, however, and she jumped into the air in celebration.

"Oh, thank you! Thank you so much! Just one question. Why? We've only just met, how do you know you can trust us?" And how do we know we can trust you? This is a bit easy...

"I...have a sixth sense about these things," he replied. "You obviously need a ship quite urgently, and I can sense that you're not lying."

Jenna frowned slightly. This was too easy. She shifted forward so she was holding onto the cell bars, staring into his shadowy face. "What's the catch?" she asked slowly.

Again, she could feel him smiling. "Ah, you are perceptive. Well...I am the only one able to power my ship. It needs a certain...ahm...boost, and I am the only one able to provide you with that."

Jenna's spirits deflated rapidly. "So...if you only lend us the ship, we won't be able to move it?" She saw his silhouette nod slowly. "And if you have to power it...you're not suggesting breaking out of here?" she asked in disbelief. He nodded again. "Well, if you can break out, why haven't you already?"

"That's the thing. I can't break out. There are certain restrictions that prevent me from trying to escape. And your timing coming here was perfect. I don't think I could survive in this cell for much longer..."

"You want...you want me to help you?" Jenna asked in a loud, strangled gasp. Behind her, the guard gave a snort in his sleep, but did not wake. The man in jail hurried forward, panicking about Jenna's volume, and it was then that she got a full glimpse of him.

His clothes were definitely foreign, though from where Jenna couldn't tell. They were a mixture of blues, greens and yellows, and suited his tanned skin well. He did have large muscles, but despite this, Jenna knew that he wasn't the type to use them regularly. In fact, his posture seemed to suggest that of a calm, slightly worried warrior. His hair was indeed blue, only a few shades darker than Alex's, and Jenna briefly wondered if they hailed from the same place. It was his eyes, however, that captured Jenna's attention. They were so unusual. A strange mixture of amber and hazel, they seemed to go on forever, revealing a wealth of emotions. Jenna couldn't believe how deep they were, and how much of the man's personality came through them. She could decipher his current emotions even though she wasn't particularly close. He was calm, collected, slightly anxious (probably from being trapped in jail), and didn't appear to be angry at her hesitation at all. And most of all, he wasn't threatening. Jenna relaxed slightly, though she was still doubtful of his request.

He stepped up to the bars, so they were practically hugging each other. Jenna could see the desperation in his soulful eyes, and wondered what on earth he had done to earn him a cell in jail. "It was a mistake. An error," he said, reading her thoughts. "The people of Madra thought I was an enemy. They've been the victims of outsider attacks recently, and they took no chances when I appeared here. As you can probably decipher, I am not from Madra," he said dryly. "I come from across the ocean."

"That explains the ship," said Jenna, intrigued. But what did he mean when he spoke of errors?

"I'm not a particularly strong sailor, and alone, I was vulnerable to anything. One day, when attempting to navigate a dangerous part of the ocean, a storm caught me off guard. I don't remember much, aside from seeing my ship take a few hefty hits. When I woke, I was here. My ship had drifted to Indra after the storm died down, and thank goodness it landed without further damage."

"So, you were wrongly imprisoned? Just because your ship landed near here?" Jenna stared at the man, not knowing whether to believe him or not. She bit her lip, not knowing what to say next. It seemed a bit far-fetched, and yet, it seemed to explain why the man seemed so miserable in the jail. A notorious crook wouldn't be so disheartened when facing a jail sentence.

"You don't believe me," he said flatly, his eyes dulling slightly. Jenna quickly shook her head.

"It's not that! It's just that...well...I've only just met you. I don't know you well enough to judge whether you're being honest."

"I see. In that case, I shall simply have to remain here until somebody decides that I'm innocent," with that, he retreated back into the shadows, so Jenna couldn't discern his emotions.

"I'm not saying you're not innocent," said Jenna, a bite of impatience in her voice. "Look, the bottom line is that if I help you escape, and you betray us and sail off in your ship without helping, then we'll be in a worse position than now. I can't afford to take that chance. Lives are at stake."

He said nothing. Jenna's annoyance grew. "All right, how about this? I find a way to prove your innocence. Just tell me what I need to do, and I'll try to the best of my ability."

"Why? All you need is a ship. You've said it yourself – you don't have time for anything else. There are plenty of ships in the world," he said coolly.

"Fine," said Jenna tartly, and she turned on her heel and stalked out of the jail. The morning sunlight felt warm on her face, and she couldn't help feeling guilty. She had been a bit blunt, but she had good reason not to trust the man. After all, even though he had seemed genuinely honest when telling his story, Jenna couldn't help thinking that he could be a well-practiced liar. And he had been correct in saying that she really didn't have the time to wander around Indra, finding the evidence for his supposed innocence.

Now what? she thought. It was almost lunchtime, but Jenna didn't want to speak of her experience in the jail to the other three. They would question her as to why she didn't try harder to acquire the ship. Felix would chastise her for speaking with a "dangerous" criminal...wait, Felix! He was her brother, and she needed to vent her feelings of the jail experience to somebody. Felix would listen, and maybe he would even hold a solution. Maybe, after all, they would gain the use of the man's ship. That decided, Jenna headed to the northern area of Madra, intending on finding her brother, and hoping that he had an answer.

I'm not going to be one of those authors who ask for a specific amount of reviews before I update again. But reviews and constructive criticism are very much appreciated. I've noticed that while the hits to this story appear to be many, reviewers are few, and I love to hear how I'm progressing, so I can improve my writing. A massive thank you to my current reviewers, you're all stars :)

Alex: Maybe you should start paying people to review. It's a wonder that people review this without bribes- oww!

Ahh, the faithful stapler. Always on hand to rid me of my annoying muse for a short time. I hope you enjoyed, and please say if you did :)