The Strange Adventure of Maria Mercado (5 page)

             
“But of course. A young human girl, you say? Hmmm we haven’t seen any humans in the kingdom in a while.”

             
Gadik and the other didn’t respond. They searched the hut, and finding no trace of the girl, they apologized for the intrusion and proceeded on to the next one.  All the huts were searched but she was nowhere to be found. Gadik and his companions then proceeded to search the farmlands and the surrounding hills.

             
Ankar took a black robe from his hut and put it on. He took a potion to enable him to run faster and drank it. He then proceeded to go into the woods, running in the direction of the hills, eager to overtake the Bostavs.

***

              When they returned from the small field after helping the Bostavs be on the right track to find Maria, Luxa and Meeka gathered the tribe around. If there is indeed a war at hand, the little twigs need to be prepared for it. The last war hit them hard; they lost countless lives in the fight against the Unknowns.

             
The Omtars might be small creatures but they are far from helpless. The area of the woods where they reside is surrounded by complex mechanisms that their ancestors have designed to protect them. In an event of an attack, the Omtar watchmen would just need to pull a lever and all the hidden weapons would be ready to use.  For example, on the outside of some of the trees have razor sharp spears that can be aimed at creatures that are bigger than the Omtars and can cause them some serious damage, if not death.

             
As they grew up, the Omtars are also put into a series of tests in survival. This includes spending nights in the woods, supervised, to see how they fare in gathering essentials and defending themselves from potential dangerous creatures.  They are also trained in combat, although the stress was put on self-defense rather in in harming others. The Omtars are a generally peaceful tribe.

             
Luxa commanded the watchmen to get the hidden weapons ready. They also started to gather food and stored them in the underground burrows, under the trees, where they would hide their little ones and those who cannot fight when danger comes.  Luxa noticed Meeka being unusually silent.

             
“She is still on your mind, Meeka?” he asked.

             
“Yes.”

             
“As hard as it is for you, you must concentrate here on helping us prepare. We need everyone to work together in making our land as secure as possible.”

             
“I know that Luxa, I know. And do not worry; I am doing what is required of me. I just hope that the girl is all right. What if they haven’t fed her? She needs sustenance. And what if, when the time comes, she chooses the other side?”

             
“All we can do is hope, Meeka, and believe that the girl is capable of making the correct choice, the right decision. She is far from us now, we do not know where she is and there really is nothing we can do. You must keep her off your mind for now and concentrate on the task at hand.”

             
“Yes, Luxa.”

             
After helping Luxa supervise the preparations, Meeka climbed on top of the tree where him and Maria sat before she was taken. From here he can see far into the Kingdom; and it calms his naturally nervous demeanor. He wonders where the girl is. Meeka reminded himself that if Maria were indeed the girl in the prophecy then whoever took her would be keeping her alive. It was all about convincing her to choose a side when the time comes; and whichever one she chooses would be destined to win the war.

             
Meeka climbed back down to the ground. He went over the little shelter where Maria had spent the night previously. Her backpack was still there; he opened it and looked at the contents. There were items that he wasn’t familiar with, including a rectangular-sized metal gadget that he had seen her hold before.
Doesn’t seem to do anything,
he thought to himself.  He put all the contents back in the backpack and closed it, returning it exactly where he found it.

             
Meeka went outside the little shelter
.
He walked over to the tree, which he calls his home. He took what looks like a small knife (although next to an Omtar, it looks like a sword,) and strapped it on his waist.
He then grabbed the small cane that was hanging by the door and walked outside. Meeka knew that it would be impossible for him to run through the woods and find Maria. Whoever had taken her must be keeping her some distance away, and Omtars have legs that are much too small to cover a lot of ground in a small amount of time.

Fortunately for them, the trees in the woods of the kingdom are covered in vines, allowing the little twigs to swings from tree to tree and travel faster than their little legs could.  Meeka prepared his mind, knowing that to find Maria he would have to be extremely cautious and he needs his mind to be extra sharp. He climbed the top of the next tree and held on a sturdy vine.

             
“
I’m coming for you,” he said out loud, as the little twig jumped off the tree and started to swing from vine to vine.

CHAPTER FIVE

Princess Dhalis was the first of them to wake up. Although the Royals are able to communicate telepathically, they can also be on their own and shut out their thoughts away from the others. Princess Dhalis left the chambers where they all slept and entered her private quarters.

             
Before the Great War, the Royals all enjoyed their privacy like everyone else. They had visitors from the kingdom and even allowed them access in their own quarters. They didn’t use their telepathic senses as much as they do now, because they never felt the need to distrust each other. After all, they were all born from the same father, all created by the great King Astanfe.

             
However, because of the rebellion led by Prince Amir and the other four Royals who consorted with him, they were now forced to blend their minds in order to keep out treachery and keep the kingdom intact. It is true that when the five traitors were cast out they lost their abilities and thus the remaining five have no contact with them nor do they know their thoughts and would-be actions.

             
Princess Dhalis was the first of the girls, and the third-born altogether. Although they are all equals, they were each given a task or an area of the kingdom to protect and look after. She was blessed with the powers to control the weather and to create a balance between the hot and cold days. As a protection, King Astanfe didn’t give her the ability to twist the weather to be used for violence or war; and the same applies to the other Royals with their own gifts. They can only be used towards the good of the kingdom.

             
Each Royal’s private quarters are much like any ordinary person’s. They keep it personalized with their own little trinkets and things, and although the beds are no longer used for sleeping, they are still there available for relaxation.  Princess Dhalis sat down on her bed and looked around. Her mind was filled with curiosity about the human girl; if she was indeed the one talked about in the prophecy then they would need to treat her very well and show her the true ways of the kingdom. The girl could do much good if she chooses the Royals’ side; however if she chooses the Unknowns side then Princess Dhalis was sure that her fate would be sealed. Her, along with the remaining Royals, would be destroyed. 

             
She recalled the Great War well. The mistake that Prince Amir made with using the Diamond of Astanfe was that he tried to use it on himself. He learned though that such action was impossible and the result was that his and the other traitors powers and abilities were taken away. Princess Dhalis knew that Amir would by now have realized that in order to kill the other Royals, it must be through the hand of someone who is not like them. She was sure that if they gotten a hold of Maria that they would no hesitate to brainwash the girl into using the diamond to kill the rest them.

             
Presently, her door scanner’s light turned on and Prince Gustav walked in.

             
“Sister,” he said.

             
“Brother,” she replied.

             
“You have a lot on your mind today.”

             
“Yes. I cannot help but think of the girl.”

             
“Then Gadik has not returned?”

             
“No.”

             
“We can assume that the girl is not with him yet.”

             
“Which could mean that
they
are in possession of her.”

             
“Yes, that is a strong possibility. She could be being held by one of their consorts also.

             
“The Southerners?”

             
“The Southerners.”

             
“Perhaps it is time to send word to the North.”

             
“Yes. And perhaps we must also awaken the sleeping giants.”

             
“We agreed that we would when we needed to.”

             
“The Omtars are no doubt getting ready. The girl was taken from their possession.”

             
“I will have the Bostavs prepare for a mission. We must wait until the others have awaken before we give them orders.”

             
“We will wait,” said Prince Gustav as he exited Princess Dhalis’ quarters with her in tow. They went back to the chambers where the other Royals are sleeping and waited.

***

              Jasper was doing laps around the field, in the track made for running by his forefathers.  Every morning he practices his speed here, trying to get better and better, faster and faster. He is the fastest runner among the young boys of the North. He is of a fit and muscular build, and stands tall at an impressive 6 feet. Like the Southerners, the only thing that distinguishes the Northerners from being human is the scar on their foreheads. But unlike the Southerners who bore a vertical scar, the Northerners have a horizontal one. And this is the only thing that separates the two tribes.

             
Jasper has heard rumors lately; rumors suggesting another war. He is much too young to have been involved in the Great War, but he heard plenty of stories.  How his grandparents, father, brothers along with the others that were of age fought alongside the Royals against the Unknowns and the Mestons of the South. They took pride in telling Jasper and the other young ones these stories because the Northerners are a loyal tribe.

             
Jasper is old enough now. When the time comes, he will be fighting alongside the others against their enemies. He is fast but he is struggling with his combat training. A generally peaceful tribe, they are trained the basics of combat and only a handful move on to train in the advanced areas. Jasper was not one of them. His older brothers, Cory and Caro are members of the advanced unit. They train constantly, mainly so that the Northerners would not be completely helpless in case their Southern counterparts attack. The rest of the Mestons of the North harvest fruits and catch fish.

             
The fish from the river in the Kingdom of Hepoxia is much like the edible fish that exists in the human world. There are different kinds and the river is bountiful. Jasper does not remember starving for food, even in the winter when the river is frozen. The Mestons store a great amount in their storehouses specifically for this purpose.

             
Jasper continued to run. After an hour or so he stopped and picked up his sword and started to take jabs at a wooden pole. He pretends that the pole is the enemy, but he knew that this was too easy because it couldn’t fight back. He needs to be trained by a real person.

             
Maybe I’ll ask Cory or Caro when they return
. His older brothers are currently on a mission around the hills, trying to gather information as to what is going on. Jasper had heard that there is a human girl in the kingdom; and many believe her to be the one mentioned in the prophecy.  Jasper wondered what she is like, and like every one else, he wonders which side she will choose.

             
When Jasper walked back to the main area of their village where all the dwelling huts are located, he saw that there was a commotion on the road. The tribe had gathered around and he could see the makings of what looks like Bostavs from afar. He mingled among the crowd and listened in.

“We are here to warn you of an impending war. The human girl has arrived in the kingdom and the time is near when she will have to choose sides. This would mean war for all of us, no matter which side she chooses. Prepare yourselves; combat may commence at any time,” the Bostav who was speaking paused. “We wish to speak to your Elders.”

They started to walk towards the river accompanied by the Elders. The rest of the Northerners went back to their own huts to start their preparations. Word was sent out to the advanced unit to bring them back to defend the tribe. Jasper hid himself and followed the Bostavs and the Elders to the riverbank.

“There is something you must know,” said the Bostav. “The human girl was taken from the care of the Omtars before we could retrieve her to bring her to the palace.”

“Do they have her? The Unknowns?” said one of the Elders.

“We are not certain. A Bostav unit has been dispatched to track her down and we have not heard back from them yet.”

“What do you wish for us to do?”

“Keep your eyes and your ears open. If you have spies out in the forest, see if they know anything about the situation. And also, if you have spies in the South, now would be a good time to bring them in.”

“So it is true then. They have pled allegiance to the Unknowns again?”

“We are not certain of that but we are not taking any chances, based on their history.  Prepare your tribe, keep your eyes and ears open and as soon as any of you see any sign of the girl or any sign of trouble, contact us. You know how.” The Bostavs started to leave. “We will be in patrol throughout the kingdom. Stay safe, dear friends of the Royals.” And with that, they swiftly took off and disappeared back into the woods.

Jasper stayed in his hiding spot, deep in thought. Some months back, when he was exploring around the woods looking for new fruit to pick, he stumbled upon an area where all plant life was dead. Curious, he had gone closer and looked around. He saw traces of fire and of more than one creature living there. There were animal carcasses, which had parts that had been picked and probably eaten. He heard someone approach, a figure in black, and so he retreated and never looked back.  Jasper strongly suspected that he had found the hide out of the Unknowns.

Jasper got up from where he was hiding and headed back to the field where he had been practicing. He gathered the extra clothing he had left there and put it on. Among them was his chest armor and weapons belt. He took his sword from the pole where he had dug it in.

When he was ready, Jasper took off to the direction of the hide out, to search for the Unknowns.

***

Gadik and company has been searching the woods and the hills for the girl nonstop. There are numerous caves in the hills and the Bostavs have only managed to search a few so far.  They are yet to see any sign of her – dead or alive – and Gadik is starting to get discouraged.

Whoever has her is well equipped with a powerful spell and is hiding her very well. Even though the Unknowns have lost their gifts and abilities after the Great War, they proved to be extremely resourceful and learned to teach themselves how to brew potions and cast spells. They have used these spells to mask their own emotions from the Bostavs and this is why no one knows exactly which corner of the kingdom they have chosen to hide. Gadik knew that the last 50 years, these ex-Royals have definitely spent their time practicing their newfound magic and performing and perfecting their new spells in anticipation of the next war.

And now the time has come and the human girl has arrived in the kingdom. If they got to her first, they will no doubt use some of their magic in convincing her to choose their side.  When Gadik thought about this, he became motivated even more to find her, before the unfortunate circumstance of losing her to the Unknowns.

They need the girl alive, to make a decision
, he told himself.
We will find her
.

They continued their search, moving from one hill to the next. A few times they felt the change in atmosphere – of someone else’s presence nearby. One of the times was particularly stronger than the others, so they split up in groups of two in search of whoever is out there.

It is getting stronger
, Gadik felt. Whoever it is, is definitely nearby. His companion stopped and signaled for him to do so also. He turned his head left and after a few seconds, he said “There!” and started to run off towards it. Gadik followed, and before long they can see a figure in black running off towards the other direction, away from the hills. The figure was fast but Gadik was faster. He jumped and stepped sideways on the trunk of a tree before almost flying to reach the runner. He fell on top of him, trapping him on the ground. Gadik took off the runner’s hood and turned him over to see his face,

It was the South Meston Elder, Ankar.

***

Reeza had always been a loyal follower of the Elders. She was brought up to believe that the fate of the Southern Meston tribe is up to people like her. Young, loyal and willing to do whatever it takes to secure the safety of the tribe, she along with her fellow spies, are the future of the kingdom.

She took no pleasure in hitting Jonas over the head, with him being one of them. But her orders from Ankar were clear: no one was to come near the girl. She highly doubts that Jonas was there in an official capacity. She would have been briefed about it and there would have been on no need for secrecy. She had observed him searching for the cave so she knew that he wasn’t exactly sure of the correct location. He didn’t hear her approach and she is quite sure that he didn’t see her before she knocked him out.