“I’ll just walk,” Maya said. She was already turning away.

“I don’t want to do this either,” said Zachary, “But I’m sure that you’ll die if we don’t.”

Folke came forward with a chiding stance. His smile was as vibrant as the morning as if nothing ever tired him, both physically and mentally, and if something did, he’d recover as fast as it happened. “Now, now,” he said. “We’re all tired, but let’s be patient. Just a few more hours and we’ll be on our way to a city. We can get plenty of rest there.”

“We’re kind of in a hurry, Folke. We have to get to the Resistance as fast as possible.”

Maya nudged Zachary as she mounted herself on his horse. “It won’t hurt to rest a little.”

“It would,” he said. “It would a whole lot. The Military is literally hunting for my head.”

“You don’t know that,” said Folke.

“Maybe you forgot that Isaac saw me back at Mossmore.”

Folke shrugged. “He wouldn’t tell.”

“Hu burned the village down.”

The whole story was not relayed to Maya, but it was safe for her to think that Zachary and the blue-eyed soldier, Isaac, knew each other. She didn’t know if she was allowed to ask, but she did know that she tried before. She remembered the name Eva that muttered out of Zachary when he was sleeping.

Unfortunately, Rei beat her to it. “Who is Isaac?” she asked.

“No one you should know,” said Zachary.

Rei’s eyes squinted when she frowned. “I am sorry for asking.”

He groaned. Maya actually felt bad for him. Rei seemed to have a way with words that stroke right where it hurt. Her apology demanded guilt.

“You know what?” Zachary said. “Let’s just keep moving.”

“That’s the spirit!” Folke chuckled.

With a lot to argue about but less opportunity to actually do it, the whole team kept moving. They travelled at a reasonably pace, although sometimes Maya was forced to ask to slow down at times due to her aching body.

It was her first time to get injured this badly. She would just usually get a sprain or a splinter, and the most extreme was when she badly burned herself from cooking in the Kingfisher. Back then, she’d wonder what it was like to get cast in bandages like the sailors who go too far with their pranks, but now, she’d rather go back in time and be the ignorant girl she was.

She also wished that she could go back in time complete a challenge given to her, which was to push Dirk off board. She didn’t do it then because she knew that it could kill, and now it remains to be her worst regret yet.

She’d give him what was due, someday.

Hours passed and the sun was nearly about to sink.

Just when Maya thought she would pass out from the pain in her chest, their horse halted, causing the pain to subside. The group viewed a great scene from the edge of a grassy cliff, the wind blowing from behind and their shadows growing stronger in front of them.

Maya’s hair blew all over her face, but that did not stop her from seeing the towering mountain range that stood proud in firm. “Is that… the city?” she asked, breathless.

Buildings and structures spotted all over the mountain range, their yellow lights and sombre colors popping out like gold and bronze. The houses naturally cloaked the terrain of the mountains that it looked like they were just growing out of it, and their brown hues strengthened the beauty of its mystical showcase.

“Evergreen City,” said Folke. “A sight to behold, isn’t it? The first settlers believed in the spirits of trees and plants, thus they didn’t want to destroy anything unnecessarily lest they want to receive the wrath of spirits.”

Everyone’s eyes glinted with fascination. They were too awed to pay attention.

“We will be staying there for a while, at least until Maya dear gets better,” Folke continued. “There are plenty of supplies to buy as well… Too bad my manor burned down. We shouldn’t have to buy anything.”

Maya and Zachary were behind Folke, so Maya had no choice but to gaze sadly at his proud back. “I’m really sorry about your manor, Mister Folke.”

He looked back and smiled with sad tones. “Don’t be. Lives were lost in that attack. The worth of the manor can’t even compare to those poor souls.”

Maya did not know what to say, so she merely smiled. She regretted it instantly though. She knew that she should have said something else, but the moment had passed already.

Their horses descended down the cliff slowly, and with every step they took closer to the mountain range, the bigger it seemed to get.

They arrived at the bottom of Evergreen City in no time. The main city and its lustre loomed above, but the scenery at the base was very pretty as well.

There were small stalls lined up to infinity across both directions, and they sold flowers, fruit preserves, and plenty other of things that the Kingfisher never experienced to sell. Somehow, the calls of the salespeople and the colourful array of the products catching Maya’s eyes tempted her to take a look. She did not have any money, but just catching a glance at them seemed sufficient.

Unfortunately, their first stop was the stables, and Maya was too shy to request for a want.

Their horses were left with those in charge of the stables, and once everyone finished stretching and yawning, they walked uphill.

They all kept their mouths shut as they took in every piece of beauty the city had to offer to them. Trees with their ripe summer fruits were looming up everywhere, and the sweet scents were making Maya hungry. The climate got colder as well and the breeze more frequent, though everyone still broke out in sweat from the walk and the seasonal warmth. Flowers, ferns, and bushes grew in every crevice and garden, cooling everyone in the eyes.

Buildings turned out to be pieces of art, as well. All were built in such a way that none of the mountain’s natural bearings got destructed, and each and every one had a unique architectural design. One was domed, one was open, and most were just plainly warm and comfortable to look at.

One building looked especially more comfortable than the others. It was a mere two-story inn, small enough to be a family house, and only one side had the privilege of sunlight. The other side was built against the mountain wall. A signboard was hammered on the ground, although it merely said “Inn.”

“Here looks fine,” Folke said as he entered it without any form of hesitation.

“People are creative with names here, huh,” commented Zachary, then he followed.

Maya and Rei entered last, and both felt a rush when they caught a whiff of pine. The inn’s interior was made of dark pine wood and was inlaid with colourful carpets laid all around on the varnished floorboards. They found themselves in the entrance hall, a sufficiently-sized room with a small table and a man sleeping behind it. “How nice,” said Rei, though Maya doubted it was about the sleeping man.

Folke approached the man. He knocked his fists hard against the counter, causing the man to wake up in a jolt.

“The whole place,” Folke said. He leaned against the counter. “Dinner tonight—a whole feast, if you can. Also, a small breakfast by dawn. And, uh… anything else, Maya dear? Rei?”

“Do you have hot baths?” Zachary asked.

“I wasn’t asking you.”

Maya shuddered behind all of them. “Painkillers.”

“A hair tie,” followed Rei.

The man behind the counter stared at them wide-eyed and perplexed. Perhaps he rarely got customers as rowdy as them, or any kind for that matter. Nevertheless though, he was able to shake himself out of his daze. “Y-yes…” he said softly. “Let me just fix up the papers…”

As everyone waited for the parchments to be signed, Maya pulled away and looked around. The wooden build of the interior reminded her of the lower decks on the Kingfisher—same color, same feel, same musky scent. The living room was exceptionally homey to her, although she may have to remind herself that a deer’s mounted head does not look good no matter how you style it. Who would even have it in them to hunt such a majestic creature?

The kitchen in the adjacent room looked awing as well. There was a fruit basket on the table, and she knew that it wouldn’t hurt to take an orange. Folke was paying, after all.

“Malaya, we can go up to our rooms now,” Zachary said, interrupting her thoughts and her peeling of her orange. “Go take a rest so we can leave early in the morning.”

Behind him she saw Folke handing out a pouch of dinoles to Rei. “What about you and Rei?” she asked.

“Rei’s going to buy supplies for us. I can’t since we aren’t sure if soldiers are looking for me. But if the case is clear, I’m heading out to look for information about the Military’s actions.”

Maya slumped down. For some reason, she felt a little hurt that she was, once again, someone who didn’t get to help. She knew that she was being a burden to everyone, and to make matters worse, she did not have anything to offer to make things easier for them. Here she was eating an orange and taking a rest while the others got to do something important.

But she knew that to overexert herself would not be a good idea. She did not want to slow the group down tomorrow. “Alright…” she said. “I’m going to take a rest, then.”

Zachary left his stare on her as if to read her mind. He sighed and flicked Maya’s forehead with his finger. “Things will get better,” he said. “Just finish your orange.” He walked away.

He wasn’t as mean as she thought, though she still blamed him for everything.

After seeing Rei out, everyone hung around to do their own thing. Folke sat down in the living room and read a newsletter, Zachary tried to keep a conversation going with the man at the counter, and Maya trudged up the wooden stairs of the inn. Dust moats flew around the dim-lit area though the lighting was good enough in the small hallway with three rooms.

She chose a room without being too picky, and once she saw the figure of the bed, she and slumped down immediately. Her eyes did not try to keep open, but her skin tingled with the texture of the thick quilt blankets. I guess it gets cold at night, she thought.

Her thoughts threatened to run so wild that it may disturb her rest, but within two minutes that did not even pass by, she fell asleep.

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