Chapter 4

             I get up early, excited for the day ahead. The sun has settled over a pink sea of clouds, not yet risen to its apogee. I shower, get dressed, and head for Lucas’ room, where I gently knock. My knocking doesn’t elicit a response. Unsure of what to do, I sit on the floor outside his room, hoping he would come out soon. He exits the room several minutes later.

            “Macie? What are you doing here?” He asks me, full of surprise.

            “I was waiting for you to wake up. Good morning.”

            “Good morning, Macie.”

            “When are we heading out?”

            “After we eat.” Lucas pats my head.

            Breakfast is uneventful. Or maybe I’m simply not paying attention to the world surrounding me. I’m too busy thinking of the Cave Queen, the Twelvemonth Blossom, and whatever other nicknames it has. At the end of the day, it’s just a creature like the rest of us. I want to see it with my own eyes even if it’d mean I’d lose my sight.

            We only packed two backpacks: one with provisions and a smaller one with two changes of clothes. I get to carry the smaller one. After we finish our preparations, we decide to visit Mary one last time before we leave.

            She’s seated in the same position we left her, still as a rock. The silence between us is so thick that we can hear her puny breaths.

            “Farewell, my love. I promise to return fast, and this time, I’ll secure your antidote.” He brushes his fingers on Mary’s cheek.

            “See you later, Mary,” I mutter, reaching for her hand. I stop myself halfway through, yet Lucas grabs my wrist gently, encouraging me to hold her hand. I commit to my intentions and reach for her arm. She’s cold… Like snow. I stay still for a second, not daring to move any closer. Lucas sees my resignation and doesn’t urge me to get closer. After what feels like an eternity, I back away. The warm air hitting my hand surprises me in contrast to Mary’s icy hands, and I jolt in shock.

            Finally, we set out on our journey. Lucas was right, today’s sun is more merciful than yesterday’s. The weather is pleasant. The sweet glow of the sun is caressing my face. Excitement grows in me as I think of the life I have ahead.

            “We’re headed towards a small village down south.” Lucas looks at me as if seeking my approval.

            “I thought we were going to the Cave Queen.”

            “We’re taking a small detour. The path towards the Twelvemonth Blossom is long and tiresome, we can’t walk on foot. We need to borrow some horses. Don’t worry, I have a deal with a farmer there.”

            We walk less than an hour until we reach the summit of a hill. From down there, a large town can be seen. The residential area is full of big houses, though not as giant as Lucas’ mansion. From so high above, I can barely see the town square. What I can see are rooftops that look new. It makes me wonder if this municipality was recently built or if the people are constantly renewing their buildings. Either way, this settlement seems more advanced than my people’s village.

            We continue our journey, finally arriving at the town’s entrance. The city looks just as admirable from up close as it did from up the hill. The houses are made from pine and cedar wood, all beautifully decorated in rows of lurid paper stars. The town center is just as full with these decorations. There must be a festival here. The town’s center is filled with benches and green flora. Each corner is peppered with trees and flowers, all beaming with health. I can’t help but be impressed by their beauty.

            A farm presents itself before us. Behind the cottage, there’s a vast land carpeted with grass as green as limes surrounded by an oak fence. An old man emerges out of the house. He’s wearing ragged clothes, speckled with patches of dirt, and ripped at the knees. He’s almost bald except for the few hanging locks above his ears going all the way to the back of his head, forming a crescent moon-shaped haircut. His skin is worn-out and saggy, as dark as the night’s sky. In some way, he reminds me of my father, though I can’t remember what he looked like.

            “Ah, mister Wood! It’s a pleasure to see you again!” The old man’s expression changes from one of indifference to one of joy.

            “I did say I’d return, didn’t I? I always keep my promises.” Lucas responds, matching the look on the man’s face.

            The farmer notices me. He eyes me up and down with surprise tinted in his eyes. “I’ve never seen you around, little girl.”

            I don’t have the courage to respond to the old man, instead, I cling to Lucas’ shirt. It’s soft to the touch.

            “She’s not from the village, Maina. I brought her from a settlement that… Well, she came with me after her parents forsook her.” Lucas interjects, putting his hand on my shoulder.

            “Oh! I see! Mister Wood is always so generous. The little girl is lucky to have such a kind guardian!” Maina smiles, looking at Lucas.

            “My name is Mansurah,” I mutter. My annoyance at being called little girl begins to rise.

            “Mansurah but we call her Macie.” Lucas pats me on the head.

            Maina smiles again, this time wider, revealing his white teeth that contrast his dusky skin.

            “I came here to cash in my favor, Maina. I only need two healthy horses.” Lucas says, grabbing my hand and walking past the old man. My guess is that he’s headed towards the stables.

            “Of course, mister Wood. After everything you’ve done for our village, this is the least I can do!” Maina leads us to the paddock, where a multitude of horses are frolicking. The horses are nothing like I’ve seen before. They’re twice as big as my tribe’s horses, and they look so strong and healthy. Truly, this feels like I’m witnessing mythical beings.

            I set my eyes on a black stallion with a white star between his eyes. The shade of his skin is so deep, that it shines like a gem. His mane is lighter, almost silvery. His eyes are like two pebbles of onyx, and so profound I could drown in them. Maina observes my admiration towards the stallion and approaches the horse.

            “Hello, Morning Star. It looks like you caught someone’s eye.” He caresses the horse between his eyes, where the white spot resides.

            “What a beautiful horse,” Lucas affirms. “If you want it, it’s yours.” He looks into my eyes.

            “I’d like that.” My expression softens.

            Lucas chooses the biggest horse in the paddock: a well-built brunet stallion Chocolate devoid of any colored spots. Maina gifts us two leather saddles, saddle pads, and bridles. We bid adieu to Maina, and we set out on our adventure.

            “You know, I named most of the horses in that stable. Before I arrived there, Maina and his family used to name their livestock unpronounceable names. Those horses would be thanking me if they could talk.” Lucas laughs. “There was this beautiful mare that was named Cakulan. Can you believe that? They named a beauty like her something like that!”

            I don’t find the name to be hard to pronounce, but I hold my tongue. My mind is focused on the favor Lucas mentioned. I wonder if I should ask about it, or I should just keep quiet.

            “Is this your first time riding a horse?” He asks.

            “No, we had horses back in the village, but they weren’t nearly as healthy as these ones. I’m quite used to riding horses.”

            “I thought so. You seem very accustomed to being on horseback.”

            “Thank you, Lucas.” I smile. He commands Chocolate to get closer to me and Morning Star, and he pats my head. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to him patting my head, but it is quite enjoyable. I free myself from his grasp and order Morning Star to accelerate. “Race you!” I say as I take off.

            He follows me for a few seconds, but he stops in his tracks. “You’re going the wrong way!”

            I turn to face him. He’s several feet away, pointing at a path hidden away by dried up branches and tree stumps. The path is sinister, full of nothingness but barren land. I can’t help but feel a sense of disgust.

            “Is this really the Twelvemonth Blossom’s doing?” I ask Lucas.

            “What else could it be? I don’t know if you noticed, but that creature is anything but natural. It takes so much from these poor lands.”

            “I noticed.”

            Our journey is quiet. What else could it be? We don’t have anything to say and the dead lands can’t speak. If they could talk, I’m sure all they’d do is wail. I thought I’ve seen barrenness before, but this is something indescribable. I feel surrounded by death. There’s nothing but vastness ahead of us, and the night is nigh. I can already see the sun hiding behind the horizon. We’ll have to camp.

            “I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight.” I declare, full of resolve.

            “Don’t underestimate your tiredness, Macie. Nightmares are powerless when the brain is exhausted.”

            “Why does Maina owe you favors?” I manage to build up the courage to ask.

            “Everyone in that town does. You know, I am quite the generous sponsor; I offer building materials, resources, and even money to the village people, in return for so little. I only want to see them prosper. I can’t wait to return to that village. Maybe we’ll visit it again after Mary wakes up.” Lucas smiles.

            “That’d be nice.”

            We set up our camp and hide away from the world in our tent. Just as I thought, I can’t fall asleep. Besides me, Lucas snores. I stare at the tent’s ceiling, unable to do anything else. On it, my mind projects stars, and celestial corpses dancing on the universe’s stage. I follow each being and their elegant dances. Time passes while I let my imagination reign my mind. My eyelashes cloud my eyes, and before I know it, I fall asleep as well.

            I dream of fog. Dark fog surrounds a decrepit house hidden away in the forest. Rain unleashes its’ teardrops upon the woodland while the fog engulfs the house until I can’t see anything but white. I run forward, hoping to reach the cabin, but it seemingly vanished. The rain starts getting more furious as the ground begins to get so muddy that I can barely walk in it. I run ahead, but I inevitably slip and fall. Now I’m fully covered in mud. Dirty and injured, I look up, where I find a baby doll sitting in the mud just like me. She looks at me with lifeless buttons as eyes, wearing an indecipherable expression. I try to touch it, but it backs away. A second try yields the same results. The third time, though, it allows me to grab her hand. She comes closer, and I embrace her with all my might.

            I wake up with my mind empty. I have already forgotten about my dream. Lucas has woken up earlier than me; he’s preparing breakfast from the provisions we packed.

            After we eat and feed the horses, we begin walking again. The shrubs and dried-up branches begin getting less and less common, as the only thing that expands upon these lands is emptiness. The stallions are getting more agitated with each passing second. Soon, they’ll refuse to venture out further.

            We reach something that I can only describe as a ruined city. There are several paths engraved in the ground, clearly made by humans. To our side, we can see houses dilapidated either by time or by the influence of the Cave Queen. There is rubble everywhere I look. We must be getting ostensibly close to the creature. This is our sign to ditch our horses here.

            My eyes notice an immense dent in the ground, accompanied by a cave fenced by flame lilies. That must be it. This is the household of the Twelvemonth Blossom.

            “Be careful. Flame lilies are highly poisonous. Do not worry, I’ll lift you up and throw you over the barrier.” His words do worry me, but the only response I give is a nod.

            Before I can fully process his words, I’m thrown over the wall of flame lilies. I rise to my feet, surprisingly not injured, and wait for Lucas to jump over. He backs away in an attempt to gain momentum and masterfully jumps over the fence of flowers. Now reunited, he tells me:

            “This is it, Macie. Are you ready to see the dreaded Cave Queen?”

            “Aren’t you scared?” I am filled with curiosity at his reaction.

            “I have nothing to fear. The mother flower is nothing but a big, brainless mortal. It can die, and it will… by my hands.” His expression looks solemn. This promise that he made to Mary must be extremely important to him.

            We enter the cave where the Cave Queen resides. There’s no turning back from this.