The Strange Adventure of Maria Mercado (7 page)

             
“We wait.”

             
“For what?”

             
“Someone will come for her. She is to be delivered to our special friends and I am just waiting for Ankar to come back and show me the way.”

             
“Ankar?”
So he really did have the girl taken
, Jonas thought
.
“I can take you to our special friends.”

             
Reeza looked at him. “You know where they are?”

             
“Of course,” Jonas said. “I am the one who always delivered messages to them. If you want, we can go now, we can get there faster.”

             
“We wait until dark. We can hide better. I do not want to take any chances with the hills crawling with Bostavs.”

             
“Oh come one, we can take them! Between you and I, we are a pretty formidable team.”

             
“We wait,” Reeza said, sounding more like a command.

             
“All right then, have it your way. Do you have any food and water I can have?”

             
Reeza pointed to the jug and the basket. It was not far from where he was sitting, along with a few medium-sized rocks. Jonas went over and started to eat. He looked at Maria. “Do you want some?”

             
She shook her head and just continued to stare at him. He glanced around to see if Reeza was looking. She was busy sharpening a tree branch she had taken down in the hole. He looked at Maria again and motioned for her to be quiet. Maria nodded her head.

             
He grabbed a handful of grain to take over to Maria. Reeza paused what she was doing and looked up; when she saw that he was feeding her she continued to sharpen the tree branch. Jonas got up. Instead of walking back to the grain and water, he sharply turned around and hit Reeza in the back of the head with a rock. She was knocked unconscious. “That’s for hitting my head earlier!” he said.

             
He went over to Maria and untied the ropes that were holding her. “Are you okay?”

             
“Yes, I’m fine. Can we please get out of here?” she said.

             
“Of course. But first I need to secure her, to make sure that we don’t get followed.” He lifted Reeza off the ground and tied her hands and feet together. He attached her to the same shackles on the wall that she had attached Maria. He then climbed the wall and pushed the cover of the hole, clearing the way to reveal the outside world. He helped Maria climb up the opening and then he blew out the torch and climbed out himself. He replaced the cover of the hole, hiding Reeza underground.

             
Jonas took Maria by the hand and the twosome ran off in the direction of the west.

***

Five figures dressed in black and their heads covered with hoods formed a circle in the clearing, in a remote part of the woods. In the middle of them stood a cauldron, and one of them was mixing it as the others chant a spell. The liquid inside the cauldron bubbled up and the color turned blue. After their spell was finished, they scooped up the potion into little bowls and each of them had a drink. Then they took off their hoods, revealing their faces.

             
“I am sick and tired of having to drink this potion all the time,” said Princess Naia.

             
“Patience, sister,” said the one called Princess Alexis. “The time is very close at hand, as you know. There is so much happening in the kingdom. Our spies have informed me that they have the girl and are masking her away from the Bostavs. She will be delivered to us presently and we can begin – ummm –
convincing
her to join our cause.”

             
“After all this years – imagine – we will be restored to our former glory! No more hunting around eating the carcasses of dead animals or cooking up potions to hide who we are,” said Princess Kaila.

             
“Indeed sister, we will have our powers back,” said Prince Hadis.

             
A familiar voice spoke out. “I cannot wait to get my revenge on those who stayed loyal to the others. They were fools for not believing in us and in our cause. And soon – very soon – we can get rid of these useless and faithless creatures and we can finally venture out of this kingdom and take over the world. The entire human world!”

             
The other four looked at the one who had just spoken and slowly nodded their hands, cruel smiles developing on their faces. They believe in him; they believe that he will once again be their leader and take them to victory.

They believe in their brother, the original rebel, Prince Amir.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Jasper had been walking around the woods for a while, looking for the Unknowns’ campsite. He is quite sure that he is headed to the right direction; and this was confirmed by the presence of a few discarded animal carcasses he had found along the way. These dead bodies were carefully hidden though, but Jasper knew just how to spot them.

             
Aside from being a skilled fisherman like the rest of his tribe, Jasper had been taken on excursions through the forest by his brothers as he grew up. They taught him skills they had developed from being in the advanced unit. They showed him how to tell if the leaves on the ground had been disturbed. Cory and Caro were especially good at this and can spot a disturbance a good distance away. This special skill of the twins was spotted early on by their Elders and thus they were a natural selection to be included in the advanced unit.

             
Jasper kept heading south, but he is still in the part of the woods that belongs to the Northerners. It actually scares him to think that the Unknowns could have been camping so close to his home. Their magic must be extremely good, because otherwise the advanced unit would have spotted them.

             
Jasper could feel that someone is watching him. He is not scared nor did he feel threatened in any way. He just knew that a pair of eyes is watching his every move. He threaded on carefully, watching his steps, looking around for any signs of life. Nothing. He continued on his path when suddenly, he heard something drop behind him. It wasn’t loud and it didn’t sound heavy, and whatever it was landed on a pile of leaves. Jasper turned around sharply, and he saw what looked like a little twig getting up from the ground, holding its head with one of its four arms. It was an Omtar.

             
“Hello there,” Jasper said.

             
“H-h-hello,” stammered the Omtar.

             
“I’m Jasper, a Meston from the North. And you are?”

             
“My-my name is Meeka.”

             
“Are you feeling okay Meeka? That was quite a fall there for a little guy,” Jasper smiled.

             
“Yes I think so,” Meeka replied, feeling a little better that the Meston was friendly.

             
“A little far from home though aren’t you? What are you doing here?”

             
“I’m looking for a friend of mine.”

             
“Oh? Can I help you find your friend? The dwellings and the rivers are that way,” Jasper pointed to the north.

             
“So I am still in the northern woods. My sense of direction was way off,” he looked at Jasper. “I’m not looking for one of your tribesmen,” he said. “I’m actually looking for a girl…. A human girl, Maria.”

             
“Human girl? The human girl that is said to be in the kingdom?”

             
“Yes, her. You don’t happen to know where she is?”

             
“She is your friend? No I don’t know where she is, but the Bostavs have informed us to keep an eye on her,” Jasper said as he looked around. He lowered his voice. “Listen, I am looking for the camp of the Unknowns.”

             
Meeka gasped. “You are? But why?”

             
“Well the Bostavs said that the human girl is missing, and, well, I thought that they might have taken her. You know how they are.”

             
“Yes that is a real possibility, one that I was very afraid of. Oh dear, this is my fault.”

             
“Your fault? How?”

             
Meeka told him the entire story, starting from the moment that Maria got into the kingdom up until she was taken from before his eyes.

             
“You’ve been through a lot this past little while haven’t you!” Jasper said. “But what will you do once you’ve found her?”

             
“I don’t know. Just be with her I guess, and try to be an influence to her – a good influence – so that when the time comes that she makes her decision, it will be the right one.”

             
“The decision that will change us all.”

             
“Yes. We must all do our part to ensure the welfare of the kingdom, and to avoid it falling to the hands of the Unknowns and their consorts at all cost.”

             
“Well, I’m going to keep looking for them. If they do have her, I will help her get away.”

             
“I’ll come with you,” Meeka said.

             
“Are you sure? I don’t mind but it could get dangerous.”

             
Meeka poised himself and showed Jasper his belt, along with his little sword. “I’m ready. And she is my friend, I have to help her.”

             
“Okay little guy, but you aren’t going to slow me down. You can ride on me.” He picked him up and sat him on his shoulder. “Hold on! When I start running, I am very fast,” he warned him, as the new allies continued their way towards the south.

***

After sending off his companion to the palace with their new prisoner, Gadik and his remaining company continued their search for Maria, in the hills and the woods near the Meston territory. After searching a few of the caves in the surrounding hills, one of the other Bostavs motioned for all of them to follow him. They came up to a cave that looked like rest, but the inside has a turn where the rest of the cave was hidden from outside view. They entered it and searched. There were signs that someone had been there.

             
“She was here,” Gadik said. They kept looking around the cave even though they knew that she had been moved. “She cannot have been taken too far,” Gadik said. He bent down near one of the walls of the cave where there were signs that not one but two prisoners had been kept here.

Who could the other one be? The Omtars said she was taken alone.
He left the cave and just stood on the entrance, trying to sense anyone, or anything that could lead them to the girl. Suddenly, Gadik picked up the scent of a Meston. It appeared there, out of nowhere, as if the masking spell that was used on it had ran out or been lifted.
So the other prisoner must be a Meston. Or maybe it was the one who took her
. It was headed east. Him and his fellow Bostavs took off, following the scent.

They searched the woods in the area. There were no caves there so whoever it is must be hiding in plain sight, or is perched up on the trees above. They could also be underground, in a hiding spot. One of the other Bostavs signaled for the others to go to him. He had found a hole that had been dug out on the ground, forming an underground hideout. It was superbly camouflaged with leaves and tree branches that it was easy to miss. But not for the Bostavs. Inside it, they found a young girl, bound and gagged.

“Is it her?” asked Gadik.

The Bostav who found her checked her forehead then turned to Gadik and shook his head. “She is a Southerner,” he said.

Gadik went down inside the hole. Aside from the Meston he could see signs that others had been there. There were food and a jug of water nearby, as well as a blown-out torch.
She was here, and not that long ago,
he thought
.
“Take her out of here,” he said, pointing at the Meston.

When they were back outside, he took off the Meston’s gag. He gently slapped the girl’s face until she woke up. Startled, she let out a faint gasp and stared around at the Bostavs. “State your name,” said Gadik.

“Reeza of the Mestons of the South,” the girl replied.

“How did you come about bound and gagged in that hole?”

“I was taken as I was doing my security rounds for the tribe.”

“Were you alone?”

“No, there was another girl that had been taken before me. She was already here when I was placed here.”

“A human girl?”

“Yes. She bore no scar on the forehead.”

“Who took you? And who has the girl now?” Gadik inquired.

“The one called Jonas took us. He is of my tribe,” Reeza replied.

“Are you aware of where he would take the girl?”

“No, I am not.”

“Untie her. Take her to the palace for sustenance.”

“No I am fine, I do not wish to be taken to the palace. Just let me go here, I am a trained warrior and I can find my own way back to my tribe.”

“It is protocol for proper investigation of an incident,” Gadik replied. “Go, take her to the palace,” he instructed another Bostav. He turned to the others. “The human girl cannot be too far. She is with a Meston from the South, named Jonas. I have heard of him before, he is highly skilled and dangerously trained. We must hurry and take every precaution to retrieve the girl,” said Gadik, as him and the remaining Bostavs took off running to search for Maria and Jonas.

***

             
The Royals in the palace have sense the disturbance happening all over the kingdom. When news was brought to the Royals that a prisoner has been brought in relation to the missing girl, they agreed to send Prince Maalm down to the prison to speak with him as their official representative. Everything he says to the prisoner would come from all of them and all would also hear the prisoner’s replies. The Royals would be thinking as one.

             
When they saw Prince Maalm approaching, the Bostavs guarding the prison opened the doors to let him in.  He saw the prisoner, who had been taken from his cell and chained to a chair, in front of two Bostavs. This is his initial trial, and this would determine if there would ba a grand trial or not. The Prince sat on a more elegant chair that was in front of the prisoner and looked down on him. When the prisoner laid eyes on him he immediately lowered them as he was temporarily blinded by the Royal’s glowing skin. In a few seconds, his eyes got more accustomed and he was able to look at him directly. The Prince waited patiently until he could look him in the eye before speaking.

             
“You are Ankar, an Elder of the Mestons of the South,” said Prince Maalm. “You have been found in possession of magical potions. As an Elder, you are well aware of the laws of the kingdom and you know that the unauthorized use of the potion is illegal, it is considered a form of treason, an act of treachery and is punishable by imprisonment until death. If you have something to say in your defense, now is the time to do so.”

             
Ankar looked at him and smirked. “I have nothing to say to you. You clearly have already made your judgment seeing as I got caught red-handed with illegal items. Save us both time, Prince, and just get on with it!” he said.

             
“Very well. By your own admission, you are guilty. We have no choice but to keep you here, in chains, for the rest of your days. This is the punishment for your crime and is accordance with the laws of the kingdom.” Prince Maalm turned to leave.

             
“Your time is over Royals! The new kingdom is at hand and there is nothing you can do to stop it!” Ankar called out after him. Prince Maalm heard him but did not acknowledge. They knew that the time has come. This admission by the prisoner merely added to the confirmation that the Unknowns have a plan against them. He exited the prison and went back upstairs to the Royals’ chambers to consult with his brothers and sisters.

***

Maria was running, trying to keep up with the stranger who had helped her escape. She was getting tired but the stranger had said to keep going, until they are a good long distance away. He said that if Reeza manage to escape, she wouldn’t stop tracking them until she found them again. That is not an option, the stranger told Maria.

Maria was having flashbacks of home, of her parents, even of her brother. She was having flashbacks of Jasmine, of Alex and of Neil. She even had a flashback of Madeline, who, as Maria figured out, is really the one to blame for her being stuck here in this place. In this kingdom, where magical things happen and creatures she never even dreamed off exist. A kingdom where there is an impending war and that she, Maria Mercado - a girl so ordinary in the human world, will have to make a decision that would impact its future.

“Wait, stop,” Maria said, out of breath.

“We have to keep going,” the stranger said.

“I need a minute or two to catch my breath. I’m not athletic you know, I never did anything physical back home.”

“All right,” the stranger said. “Take a minute to recharge.”

Maria sat down under a nearby tree. “What’s your name? I don’t even know your name. I want to thank you for helping me get away from that warrior chick. My name is Maria.”

“Jonas. And you’re welcome, I don’t believe in Reeza’s intentions.”

“What was she going to do with me?”