The Strange Adventure of Maria Mercado (4 page)

“If the girl returns for any reason, keep her here.  She needs to be kept safe, by the order of the Royals. You know how to contact us. We will return.” And with that, they took off in the direction of the south.

Meeka was left standing in the field staring after them. Luxa, who had followed them to the field with a few other twigs, came up next to Meeka. “There was nothing you could have done,” he said. “Whoever took her was clearly more powerful than us. You cannot expect to defend her, especially when you are on your own.”

“Luxa I know that. But she was my responsibility. She wouldn’t be in here if it wasn’t for my carelessness, if I wasn’t late in performing the spell…”

“About that, we never got a chance to discuss it with all the commotion. Why were you late in closing the shield?”

“I had… wandered off into the woods, a little farther than I was used to. I was exploring areas that I never crossed before and I guess I just lost track of time.”

“Meeka, you know the importance of performing the spell on time. Our tribe had been entrusted with this enormous responsibility that affects the entire kingdom. And you know to be careful around the woods. You never know if the Unknowns are nearby or not. You are well aware of how dangerous these creatures can be.”

“You don’t think that it was them who took her?”

“I do not know.  Not many creatures in Hepoxia are as sneaky as they are. We fought hard to defeat them before, and if it is them that had taken Maria, then I’m afraid we would have to prepare ourselves to fight them again.”

“The prophecy. So you believe that it is speaking about her?”
asked Meeka.

“Yes, I do. And if it is so, then I hope the kindness we have shown her here have made an impact on her and would contribute greatly to our side when it is time for her to make a decision. Come Meeka, we must go back and prepare the tribe for darker times ahead.”

CHAPTER FOUR

            
 
Jonas walked inside his hut, exhausted from all his travels. He poured himself a cup of water from the jug and attempted to quench his thirst. It wasn’t long before he had consumed the entire jug of water and moved on to finding food for sustenance.

             
The Mestons, both the Northern and Southern tribes, each have their own way of life. The Northerners are fishermen and the Southerners are farmers. Every year they grow crops from the bountiful land that they occupy. This year the harvest of grain is rich and provided the residents with plenty to store for the upcoming winter. It has been said that the river up north has also been kind to the other tribe. The forest surrounding the farmlands are also rich in edible fruits, which makes up for the rest of the Mestons diet.

             
There is peace now between the North and the South. After the Great War ended and the Southerners were defeated along with the Unknowns, the two tribes entered an agreement to keep the peace amongst them.  It has been over 50 years, with no conflict between their members.

             
The Southerners know that the Mestons of the North never really trusted them after the Great War. After all, they sided with the Unknowns to overthrow the Royals and tried to take over the Kingdom. So they try their best to avoid them altogether and each side is wary of spies that might be observing them from nearby.

             
And their cause for concern is not without merit. Jonas is one of those spies, sent off by the Elders of the South to observe the other tribe and the other species around the kingdom. They knew of the prophecy about the human girl; and knew the inevitable war that is sure to follow. For now, the Elders haven’t disclosed the side they would be taking, although it is common knowledge that they are leaning towards the Unknowns again.

             
Jonas attempted to get some sleep but his mind was restless. He knew that the possibility of war is stronger now more than ever. With the arrival of the human girl – if she really is the one talked about in the prophecy – then the Kingdom of Hepoxia, as they know it now, will cease to exist.  Even though he is a loyal member of the Southern Mestons, he is having doubts about their supposed allegiance. He can only remember too well what happened in the last war; he knew that they were lucky to have their lives spared even after the act of treachery. He also remembers the friends and family that he had lost during the war, in the futile attempt to gain control of the kingdom. And the Unknowns – they didn’t seem to care! They ran and hid as soon as the war was over, when they knew that they had lost hope. They had left the Southerners to fend for themselves, even after they had promised them protection at all cost.  And now, with the imminent war approaching, are the Elders really considering another alliance with the Unknowns?

             
Jonas thought about his fellowmen, and the women and children of his tribe. The thought of them perishing sent shivers through his body. But what can he do? His loyalty to the tribe stood in the way; he knew that he would follow whatever orders the Elders give him. If they do decide to side with the Unknowns, can he convince them to do the opposite?

             
He got up and walked outside. He must speak to Ankar about his concerns. Ankar always listened to him even when he doesn’t see the way Jonas does. He would at least give him some counsel and would put Jonas’ mind at ease. He walked towards the direction of Ankar’s hut.  When he got there, his family informed him that the Elder had gone towards the river, to meet with the others. Jonas politely thanked them and started to head home. Halfway through, he changed his direction and headed towards the river. He hid in the dark, behind the plants that are bordering the sandy beach. He could see the bonfire that the Elders have built and could hear the voices around it.

             
“And what are we to do with the girl?” Jonas heard someone say.

             
“We must hold on to her, until the time is right,” said Ankar. “We cannot risk exposing her to the Bostavs who are for sure looking for her by now.”

             
“Then we must thread carefully; Ankar, you must make sure that a spell is performed to mask her presence here. If she is found among us, they will not hesitate to charge us all with treason.”

             
“Then it has been decided. Brothers and sisters let us join together to perform our sacred chant.”

             
Jonas left before the Elders can discover him.
So they have the girl here.
  He knew that he has to find her, and to get her away from this place. His instincts told him that this would be the right thing to do. They are probably holding her in one of the caves in the hills nearby. Jonas headed towards that direction. He isn’t exactly sure what to do. There is clearly no use to tell Ankar, seeing as he was probably the one who decided to have the girl snatched from the Omtars. For now, Jonas needs to keep his concerns to himself and just find the girl.

             
He checked the first few caves but found them all depressingly empty. He continued on to the next hill, slowly, carefully, watching his back in case he had been followed. As a trained spy, Jonas is very good at covering his tracks and moving through the forest swiftly and quietly. He is quick to spot signs of others’ presence nearby. He went inside the next cave and carefully looked in. It was dark, like the others, but this one has a curve ahead so he was unable to see if there was anything at first glance. Still watching his step, he walked almost attached to the wall, and turned around the corner.

             
He did not see or feel the presence of someone come up behind him and hit him over the head with something heavy. Jonas was instantly knocked out.

***

              Maria slowly regained consciousness. It is dark and cold, and she can’t see anything clearly.
I’m definitely in a cave.
She tried to get up but found that both of her legs as well as her arms were bound and tied. Her mouth was covered and tied as well.
Oh my. What is going on now?
She tried to wiggle herself free from the restraints but to no avail.

             
“Stop it little girl. There is no use in trying to escape,” said a voice, as it came nearer to Maria and removed her mouth gag. It was too dark to see who it is.

             
“Who are you? And where am I? What do you want with me?” said Maria.

             
“Tsk, tsk. Don’t ask too many questions. Do not be worried, you were not harmed – and I guarantee that no harm will come to you.”

             
“I want to go home,” said Maria, on the verge of tears.

             
“Home? Surely you do not mean you want to go back to the human world?”

             
“Yes, I do. I miss my family. I miss my friends,” Maria started to cry.

             
“Hush little girl. Forget about your family and forget about your friends. This is your new home now. You belong here.”

             
“No I don’t! Please, whoever you are, please just let me go home.”

             
“I guess you don’t know how important you are to the Kingdom, do you little girl?”

             
“Stop calling me that, my name is Maria.”

             
“All right then, Maria. Has anyone told you about the prophecy?”

             
“No, what prophecy?”

             
“Ages ago, the creator of our kingdom along with everything and everyone in it, King Astanfe, prophesied about
you
.”

             
“About me?”

             
“Yes. The prophecy states that ‘When a girl younger than the age of choice stumbles upon the kingdom from beyond, the side she swears her allegiance to shall rule the kingdom til the end of time.’”

             
“But surely there are other young girls who had been here before? I’m not the only one?”

             
“The only other humans who have been allowed to enter the kingdom are the ones who were chosen to become a Bostav. So yes, the prophecy is clearly about you,” the voice continued. “But I must leave now. There are… certain things that need to be set in motion. We need to make sure that you, Maria, make the right choice.”

             
A small light suddenly appeared, coming from a torch close to Maria. She still couldn’t see who was talking, except the silhouette of a person. Suddenly, a girl appeared from behind the torch. She looked about Maria’s age, and she looked human. What distinguished her from being human however was the vertical scar on her forehead.

             
“This is Reeza,” the voice said. “She will look after you while I am gone. You will be fed and you will be kept from harm. She might look like an innocent girl to you, but she is one of our fiercest warriors. You are in good hands. Do not think about screaming or asking for help – you are in a cave, deep in the woods and no one can hear you for miles.”

             
The figure left, leaving Maria alone with Reeza. She decided to talk to the “fierce warrior” and see if there was a chance of escape.

             
“So… Reeza, what do you guys do for fun around here?”

             
Reeza remained silent. She sat down close to Maria and started to unwrap a covered basket next to her. She took out some grain and held it in her hand.

             
“Eat,” she commanded Maria.

             
Maria was hungry so she obeyed.
It doesn’t actually taste bad. It’s sort of like rice, but with a bit of spice.
She continued to eat until Reeza stopped feeding her. She packed up the remainder in the same basket and set it aside on the opposite wall. She then took a jug of water and forced Maria to drink it. Refreshed and full, Maria actually felt better.

             
Suddenly, Reeza turned her head sharply towards the opening of the cave.

             
“What is it?” Maria asked.

             
“Shhhh.” Reeza took the gag that the figure had removed earlier and put it over Maria’s mouth again. “Do not move,” she told Maria.

             
Reeza climbed the cave wall and started moving towards the entrance of the cave. Maria stared at her, amazed at the display of strength and skill in front of her. She stared until Reeza disappeared out of sight. A few minutes later, she heard what sounded like someone falling. Presently, she watched as Reeza came back, dragging a man into the cave. She put the man next to Maria and proceeded to bind and gag him like her. The man was unconscious but with the torch light next to her, Maria could see that the man, like Reeza, also bore the vertical scar on his forehead.

             
Okay, like seriously, what the hell is going on?

***

              The six Bostavs led by Gadik had been travelling for hours. It would have been faster if they had another dose of potion – but they use their one and only on the way to the Omtars. Gadik is seriously concerned for the welfare of the young girl. If only they could have gotten to the land of the Omtars earlier – faster – then they wouldn’t be looking for her now.

             
Fortunately, one of the many gifts that are given the Bostavs was that they require little sustenance. So Gadik and the others were able to proceed continuously toward the south, wasting very little time. If the Southern Mestons had taken the girl then there is still time; however, if it had been the Unknowns who had taken her then they don’t have much hope of retrieving her.

The Bostavs lost the sense that they were following. They had arrived in the land of the Mestons of the South and stopped. They tried to sense what was going on, but the tribe must be using a spell to mask their emotions from the Bostavs. This was a very bad sign in the eyes of Gadik.

                            Quietly, they proceeded to scour the woods looking for a sign of the girl. Of course they could very well be hiding her in one of their huts, although highly unlikely.  It made more sense for them to hide her somewhere not as obvious, such as one of the caves in one of the many hills nearby. Having found no trace of her in the woods or the area around the river, the Bostavs split up in pairs and started to go through the Mestons huts one by one.

             
Gadik and his partner’s first stop happened to be Ankar’s house. He knocked on the door, even though the inhabitants already felt their presence. Ankar himself opened the door.

             
“Good evening Bostavs. And what can we do for you today?” he asked.

             
“We are looking for the young human girl. We must search all of your land, including your dwelling, until she is found.”