Maven's Redemption [Red Queen]

Chapter 2

 Two hours later, a small plane took me away. There were no visible windows so I had no indication of how much time we were flying. But when I stepped out, the sun was just beginning to set, turning the horizon into so many different colors. Apparently we had been flying for hours. Stretching, I looked around and was immediately mesmerized by the body of water that we landed by. The gentle winds were creating soft waves that brushed the sands ever so slightly, as if hesitant. The fresh smell was almost intoxicating.

"That is Lake Neron." The pilot appeared next to me, gazing at the water just like I was.

"It's beautiful..." I breathed. The pilot seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, mirroring myself.

"Yes it is." He suddenly announced, shaking his head. "Now, I have instructions for you. We landed miles away from the village so now you must go south on foot. Here is your map. Captain Farley wanted me to tell you specifically to not lose the way." I fought the urge to roll my eyes. He handed me a small piece of folded paper with a small object tucked inside which turned out to be a compass. The paper was indeed a map, but not a professional one. It looked as if someone roughly sketched the area with a pencil in a haste. I actually rolled my eyes when I noticed that Farley had unmistakingly drawn a cartoonish arrow pointing to our landing sight with the words "YOU ARE HERE" in bright red ink. Then a line wound its way down to a location unmarked on the map that was circled. That must be the village.

"Great. This is going to take forever." I muttered to myself before looking at the compass and beginning my journey, leaving behind the beautiful lake and my only way out of here. I gulped down the lump that had formed in my throat. The mission was more important than my own feelings.

It was dark before I even made it to the supposed village and I couldn't even count how many miles I walked over uneven and muddy terrain. My legs burned and my stomach growled. I hadn't eaten since this morning and I had no food with me right now. From the smell in the air, I could tell there were springs around. At least I had a water source to sooth my drying throat. After trying my best to drink as much as I could, I collapsed underneath a large tree to rest. There was no stopped the wave of exhaustion that quickly forced me to sleep.