When Walker woke on the second day of his unexpected journey, he remembered the counsel of the shepherd, “Read from the King’s letter every morning.” Since it was the King’s letter that had given him a new life and had comforted him over what he had done, he was eager to read. He flipped to his bookmark and this is what he read:

“My dear brothers, take note of this: everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.”

Walker thought, I did listen to the people here in town. I’ll do what they told me to do. I’m taking the message to the King’s court so a Hero will go on the quest and bring embers to Cold River.

Betty greeted him with a smile when he came down to the kitchen. “Good morning, Walker! You’ll eat a hearty breakfast and then be on your way. I’ve packed a lunch.”

“Thank you!” he said. And after he had eaten, he packed up and went to the door. Betty had sketched out a map to the King’s Court. He thanked her and started down the road, and waving one last time as the house disappeared from view. As he walked he recited the riddle a few times:

Seek the flaming embers where
the living waters run;
a house of stone remembers there
the death of the living one.

Late in the morning he saw a girl coming down a mountain path and waited for her. She looked to be about eight years old, with dark hair and brown eyes, and carried a bag on her side like his.

“I’m Walker.”

“I’m Sophia. Let’s walk together. Where are you going?”

“I’m going to the King with a message for a Hero.”

“You’re bringing a message to the King’s Hero? Wow! Can you tell me what it is?”

“Sure!” he said. “It’s a riddle.” He recited it.

“Oh! I’m good at riddles! Have you figured it out? No? Let’s see if we can guess it. That ‘living water’, could that be—”

“No, no,” interrupted Walker, annoyed. “I’m not supposed to solve it.”

“Yes, but, if we have an idea what it is then we can watch for it and…”

“No! no, no, no!” said Walker, more upset now. “It’s for the Hero! It’s not for us.”

“But, you should learn what it means because we might see it on the way!”

But Walker had put his fingers in his ears and sang rudely, “La la la la la la,” so she gave up and fell into stubborn silence.

After he noticed she wasn’t talking, he said angrily, “You’re too bossy! Don’t tell me what to do. I’m only a messenger. It’s not my job to figure out the riddle—it is the Hero’s.”

“Okay, fine,” she said. “You don’t want help. I won’t bother you. Hmmph.”

“Hmmph,” said Walker.

She slowed down so he could get ahead and they walked on that way, single file, twenty feet between them. When they stopped for lunch they sat apart and ate alone.

An hour later, still walking alone together, they came to a crossroad, and slumped on a boulder was a boy who looked to be about twelve. His clothes looked old and shabby and he scowled as they came up to him. After they all introduced themselves, he said, “I don’t suppose you know the way to—”

“—to the King’s Court?” interrupted Walker. “That’s where we’re going!”

The boy, whose name was Wiley, gave them a thoughtful look and nodded.

“We could all go together,” suggested Walker happily and he turned away to pick up his bag. But Sophia watched Wiley’s face and felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

“Yeah, sure,” said Wiley as he got to his feet. “I’ll go with you.”