Chapter 2
A few days after the incident, children were indeed getting sick. The small hospitals in the village were getting full by the day. It was so bad, Imani ordered her house to be cleared to make room for more beds. While this was going on, Imani ordered her guards to search far and wide for Moss and bring him to justice. But the vile Wendigo was nowhere to be found. He was hiding somewhere in the forest. Imani then realized that Moss went to hide in the deepest and darkest depth of Rood Bridge Park, where no one dared to go. It was said that vile and savage beasts lived there and it was also said to be the place where the Dark Impulse originated from. It was a dark energy that was found in people and many have used it for evil.
After a few days had passed, there was no sign of a cure. And Imani knew time was running out. She had to consult the wisest creatures in all the land; the Mothmen. They were known as guardians of the forest and warned people of coming threats. At times, they were successful, but sadly, there have been those who ignored their warnings and disaster struck. However, Imani trusted those wise creatures with her life. She knew that the Mothmen were good keepers of the peace, like the Sword Warriors.
The Mothmen were scattered far and wide in Rood Bridge Park, but three of them were able to arrive in Imani's village. Three of the best ones at that! Upon arriving, the Prime Mothman, who happened to be the leader of all Mothpeople, arrived with the two others. One of them was a Mothlady with large magnificent wings and she was decorated from head to toe with pretty jewels. Her eyes were shining red as scarlet rubies. She was of Indian Heritage and her skin was glowing as if she was a statue come to life. Unlike the Prime Mothman however, she was human, like her other colleague. The other Mothman was wearing black armor and his eyes were also red, not as rubies however, for they were red as blood. He had dark hair and he was carrying a scowl on his face. He was Hispanic.
"Queen Imani, I am so sorry for this terrible atrocity." said the Mothman.
"You have nothing to apologize for. All I wish is for my people to be safe from Moss's infection." said Imani. She then continued speaking.
"There are so many children in the infirmary that I'm getting very worried. I don't want to see small coffins being made. I want to see lives saved."
"Your majesty, with all due respect, have you sent your men to find a cure? There are flowers that have powerful medical substances." said the Mothlady Joti.
"My men are afraid to go deep into the woods. They are terrified of what is out there." replied Imani, shaking her head in dissapointment.
"What a load of bullcrap." said the Mothman, Uriel.
"Uri! Watch your tongue." said the Mothman.
"Our apologies your Majesty. Uriel is still learning to be gentle." said Joti, giving Uriel a look a mother would give to a little kid for saying bad words.
"Joti, didn't you hear her? The men she sent are cowards. We got dying children on our hands." said Uriel.
"This is why I called upon you all. I'm sorry for taking too much of your time, but I don't know what to do. My best guard, Joshua, is not here. He left us a long time ago. If he were here, he would have not thought twice. He would have gotten out there in search of a cure." said Imani.
"Yes, I remember Joshua. He was quite the character wasn't he?" said the Mothman.
"Don't worry your majesty. There is a brave soul in your village who will be willing to take the risk." said Uriel.
Joti looked at Uriel again, giving him the same motherly look, as if he said something he shouldn't have said.
"What?" asked Imani.
"It's true. There is a boy in this village who will do what you will ask. His father was a master herbalist and he knows a lot about medicine and plants." said Uriel.
"Your majesty, if I may. This boy is not ready. I'm sure his grace would agree." said Joti.
"Don't be ridiculous, Joti. The boy is ready." said Uriel. Upon saying that, he looked away from Joti's gaze.
"What boy?" asked Imani, her interest piqued.
"The boy Uriel is mentioning has been living in your village all alone in his little home. His father left him a huge inheritance, yet he is very humble and pure of heart." said the Mothman.
Joti nodded and continued.
"He is still a boy Queen Imani. He is but only 10 years old and the forest is very dangerous." said Joti.
"Desperate times call for desperate measures. The men are cowards who go into the forest. They have spears and swords, yet those princesses aren't man enough to save children." said Uriel coldly.
"And he is the only one who could brave the wild and savage forests of Rood Bridge Park," said the Mothman.
"Are you sure he's ready your grace? He is still a boy." said Joti.
"Yes my lady. But Emmet is ready for this. I have seen visions about him. And I'm sure you and Uriel have seen different ones." said the Mothman.
"Who is he?" asked Imani.
In a floral field just outside the village, a couple of children were playing soccer. They were kicking the ball to their heart's content and they were having a lot of fun. Yet one of them started to cough.
"Oh no. You got the bug!" cried one kid.
"I'm fine! I'm fine!" cried the little girl, who started to cough.
"Let's get Emmet. He'll know what to do!" cried one of the kids. They pulled the girl by her hand and led her into a garden that was close to where they were playing.
Emmet was picking a small dandelion and he was observing it with his spyglass. "Nope. This plant does not have anything special for my experiment back home. But it's fun to see the little things fly into the sky." he said to himself with glee.
He then blew on the dandelion and smiled at the peaceful sight of small pieces flying around him.
"Emmet!" cried the kids.
"You guys want another player? Sure! I'm game!" said Emmet.
"Oh no Emmet, she's sick!" cried one kid with the coughing girl.
Emmet's eyes went wide. He had heard about the sickness in the village, but he had yet to see someone infected before him.
"Sit here down on that rock there," said Emmet.
The girl sat down and Emmet pulled out a stethoscope. He put it on the girl's heart and he didn't like what he was hearing.
"Her breathing is very bad. I got medicine in my backpack. It's going to taste yucky." said Emmet.
"Oh no." said the girl.
"Anything to get better!" cried one of the kids to the girl.
"Let's see, where did I put that… aha! Eureka!" Emmet pulled out a vial with a red substance.
"This is called Dream Knight. It's a medicine I made that imitates the ones used in the outside world. Yes, I named it and I created it like the one my Dad used to make. Use this to help you at least for now." said Emmet.
"I don't want that yucky stuff." said the girl.
"I know this stuff is gross, but it will help you!" said Emmet.
The other kids pleaded with the girl.
"Emmet's right! He knows about this sort of thing and we don't!" cried one of the kids.
The girl shook her head and Emmet pulled out something else from his bag.
"I've got lollipops. Take this medicine and I'll give you a lollipop of your choice. I got Bubble Gum, Cotton Candy and Root Beer flavored." said Emmet.
"You see! Emmet's got yummy candies! Give them a try!" cried one of the kids.
Just then, the children heard loud footsteps coming towards them. Emmet turned around to see two Sword Warriors standing in front of him. They were both young men, one with orange hair and the other with brown hair. They looked slightly alike and Emmet figured that they were twins.
"You Emmet?" asked the orange haired warrior.
"I am." said Emmet.
"Come with us. The Queen requested your presence." said the brown haired young man.
"Emmet didn't do anything wrong!" cried one of the children.
"He's trying to help me." said the girl, who continued to cough a little loudly.
"Here, you will need this." said Emmet, handing the medicine to one of the other kids.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a giant slug appeared and made weird whiny noises, almost like a puppy.
"Slurpee, take the girl to the infirmary," said the orange haired warrior.
The girl got on Slurpees, the slug's shell and the other kids got on as well, comforting their friend.
"You come with us. On foot I'm afraid." said one of the warriors.
A couple minutes later, Emmet arrived at Imani's house. It was a large and beautiful home made of marble. For a lot of people, this place was like a castle, a palace, or a temple. Emmet never came to such an important place as this before. His father did, a long time ago, since he was a famous herbalist. Emmet felt like those were very big shoes to fill. He wondered if this summon had anything to do with his status as the son of Jabari.
"Emmet, you're here. Wonderful." said a warm and calming voice. Emmet looked up to see Queen Imani walk up to him and put her hands out as if to hug him.
"You look just like Jabari! Such a wonderful privilege to meet you." she said, not knowing that those words were actually making Emmet feel weird and uncomfortable.
"That's me, your grace." said Emmet, bowing his head. He found himself blushing and tried to hide it by looking the other way.
"There is no need to be shy. I know this is a shock to have you here in my house, but you must know that the Mothmen have their eye on you." said Imani.
"The Mothmen?" asked Emmet, looking up at Imani with a gasp.
"Yes, the Mothmen themselves. And not just any moth person from a different village. The Mothman himself." said Imani.
"The leader of all Moths?! Why does he have his eye on me?" asked Emmet worriedly.
"Because you appeared in their visions. You see, you are the one to stop this disease that has plagued Rood Bridge Village." said Imani.
"I am? Me? Are you sure?" asked Emmet.
"They told me who you were, and what you looked like. I'm sure I have the right Emmet. Plus, they told me that it was the son of Jabari, the name of your father." said Imani.
"Yes. That is my father's name." said Emmet sadly. Hearing his father's name for the first time in a while made Emmet a little tight on the chest. When he lived with him, his father's name was always mentioned by his customers, or people that came to visit. When he died, the name Jabari was everywhere. In the Rood Bridge News, people's lips, and even certain medications were named after Jabari himself.
"Emmet, I know this is sudden and very last minute. But, I have a mission for you. Can you handle this?' asked Imani.