The Forgotten Kingdom

Chapter 5

Carina frowned, shielding her eyes. The winds in the forgotten wasteland had shifted, blowing the sand towards her. She wanted to set up her tent and wait out the wind, but she knew she couldn't. She felt like there was a fog on the edges of her mind, making her thoughts sluggish and jumbled. She knew she had to cross the desert. 

Why though? 

She blinked. Why? Why did she have to cross the desert. To get to.. To Hallownest. The massive forgotten kingdom that so many thought was a fairytale. She had to get there. For..

For who? 

She knew she was doing this for someone... Someone she cared about deeply. Who was it again? She blinked. Her great grandfather Cornifer. He had given her everything she carried with her. The nail resting heavily on her hip, the thick cloak that rippled and snapped behind her in the wind. She shook her head, grabbing it and bringing it across her face, covering her nose and mouth. There had to be some kind of gas in the air she thought. 

Why?

She shook the question from her head, she had to ignore them. Ignore the strange fog in her mind, Ignore her feet sinking deep into the sand around her. She cursed to herself. This was how people forgot. Questions with answers they already knew put doubt into their mind as they fought the sting of sand and harsh wind. She had to keep going. She had to get through. For herself. For Cornifer. For hallownest. The wind changed all too suddenly, knocking her forward from behind. She picked herself up, spitting out  a mouthful of sand. "I hate this desert. I really REALLY hate it." She muttered, glad to have the wind at her back. It helped her move faster towards her goal. 

She didn't know how long it would take to get to the end of the desert, but she didn't care. as long as the end result was Hallownest. She yelped when her foot suddenly caught something and she tripped, thankfully this time she caught herself before her face hit the ground, turning to squint through the sand at what she had tripped on. "A... Horn..?" She moved closer, pulling sand away from the horn, then held back a squeak as she uncovered a face. At first, she thought it was just an empty mask, but then she actually did squeak as it blinked. 

They were still alive! "Oh my god!! Oh my god! um! Ok! Just.. hold on! I'm gonna get you out!" she began digging faster, it looked like they had fallen and the wind buried them. She uncovered their arm, grabbing one and pulling, slipping in the loose sand. She scowled, planting her feet more firmly, pulling again, smiling when they moved, suddenly yelping as they got up. They were TALL. Towering over her, their massive horned head, tattered cloak and large, half rusted nail. Their cloak blew open. Thick, painful scars warped their carapace, and they were missing an arm. 

"U-um... Hi? I-I'm glad that you're ok. Um... Did you.. Did you come here from Hallownest?" She stared up at them, and they stare back. Silent. "Um... Ok. It's fine. You don't have to answer. I'm Carina..." She blinked. This guy was really making her feel uneasy. "Well... Try not to fall in the sand again, ok? Bye." She turned, heading back in the direction of Hallownest, continuing to walk, pausing when she heard movement, turning her head. The tall bug was following her. 

She felt very uneasy now, turning back to her path, trying to pretend he wasn't there. They came to walk right beside her, looking at her the whole time. She forced herself not to look at them, swallowing the lump forming in her throat. They moved closer, reaching out to her, making her jump back, hand going for her nail. They stare at her, then lunge forward, grabbing her arm, then yanging her forward and breaking into a run. 

"What the hell?! Let me go! Hey!" She continued to scream, struggling against their firm grip on her arm. The wind blew harder suddenly, blowing her cloak up over her head, making her yelp, stumbling blindly as she was forcefully dragged through the desert. She used her free hand to try and untangle the cloak, managing to push it back as the tall bug stopped, releasing her arm, and she fell, hitting her head on a rock, and blacking out. 

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Her head was throbbing, and she felt like she was underwater. She could hear something. Talking? It sounded so far away. Her head throbbed again, making her groan. The talking stopped, she tried to open her eyes, hissing at the bright light, vision blurry as a figure moved into her view. they were saying something, but she couldn't quite hear them. She blinked a few times, vision clearing as her hearing returned. She was looking at a bug similar to the one she had found in the desert, but instead of ridges their horns were smooth, and seemed closer together. 

"Hey? Are you deaf? I asked if you were ok?" She blinked. Finally someone spoke. She frowned. "Um.. Yeah.. I think so..? Ow..." She put a hand to her throbbing head as she sat up slowly. "Good. See Hollow this is why I keep telling you not to just drag people around! I'm sorry about my brother. He's not good with socializing yet." She looked over at the tall bug from the desert, who looked at her, lifted his hand, and waved. 

She waved back, a little off put, but looked at the other bug. "Um.. Who are you?" She looked at the taller bug. "I'm Hornet. The one over there with one arm is my older brother Hollow. Who are you?" She glared at Carina suddenly. "Um.. I'm Carina... Im here looking for a place called Hallownest..." Hollow stiffened a little, hand balling into a fist. 

Hornets glare intensified. "Why." Carina frowned. "My great grandfather told me stories about it... He wanted me to come here as his dying wish. To restore it." She frowned, thinking about her grandfather. What would he say about this. He would probably chuckle and pat her head, saying it was ok, just try again another time. "Who is your great grandfather?" She looked at hornet. "His name was Cornifer. He made maps... And had journals..." Hornet nods a little. She remembered Cornifer. She had liked him. 

"Why were you with my brother?" "I found him. In the desert. He had been buried and i tripped on one of his horns..." Hornet nods again, turning to glare at her brother, who was now staring at the floor, lost in thought. "Well. You completed one goal. You made it to Hallownest. You're currently in Greenpath, just below the howling cliffs that lead to Dirtmouth. You'll have to go up and around to Dirtmouth." 

She nodded, thinking, looking around, finding her satchel and opening it, going over the maps, thinking. Hornet points to a spot on the Greenpath map. "We're here. You'll have to go this way to get to Dirtmouth. There's a well just outside of town. Go down it. I suggest you go to the Black Egg Temple first." 

Carina nods, making a mental note about it, thanking Hornet. She stood, still a little dizzy, reaching up and feeling a bump on her head. She gathered her things, checking her lantern and the flower. "Where did you get that?" Hornet looked at her. She looks at the flower. "It was pressed into a journal Cornifer gave me." 

Hollow had turned and stood, walking over, reaching out to the flower. Carina smiled a little, holding it out, letting the taller bug take it. He turned it in his hand, gently touching it to his snout. He shuddered a bit, then handed the flower back, going and sitting back down at the table. Hornet looked at him, then back at Carina. "We haven't seen Delicate Flowers since.. Well... It's been a long time. They all died out at once, and none of them have tried to grow again. Hollow was kind of upset when it happened. Our younger brother planted a whole garden of them." 

Carina looked at the flower again, then smiled, walking over to Hollow. She took his hand, pressing the stem into his palm and closing it. "Keep it." She smiled. "You should have it. Not me. As a thank you for getting me out of the desert." Hollow stared at her, then looked at the flower, thought for a moment, then gently plucked a petal off it, careful not to tear it, then handed her the petal. She smiled softly, nodding. "Thank you." 

She tucked the fragile petal back into the journal, smiling, thanking Hornet and leaving. 

The two siblings look at eachother. "You dont think Ghost let her through because of the flower, do you?" Hollow shook his head, looking at it. He had seen it too. She gave off a strange aura, one that gave him a hope he had never felt for his home.