Finding the Wisest

Chapter Ten

"I don't know how much more further we have to keep walking to get out of the grasslands into the tell tale lands but yeah, that's our next destination."
Kieran nodded at Maya's words.

They had stopped earlier to snack on the apples Hartley had left for Maya. It had turned into a bit of a battle because Kieran did not want to take Maya's food from her but she could be quite threatening if she wanted to. In the end they shared the apples as they talked some more, seated under an oak tree.

They got up soon after and started to walk again.
"What's your reason Maya, for going to see the wisest?"
She hummed as she thought about what exactly she could say. She thought again about everything that had happened so far and the same thought came to her.
Did Hartley go against the queen by telling Maya about the wisest? Or was it all made up?
Hartley had been quite nice to Maya but some of the things she had said and done were questionable, the more she thought about it.
Why did she try to stop Maya the first time?
Was she the one who freed the 'enemy of state' girl?  What was truly true?
Ha! Truly true.

Maya turned to look at Kieran. "I thought you already knew why I was going to see the wisest." She said this so she could think about what answer to tell him. She knew he didn't know but her mother's warning about her super trustiness was ringing in her ears and she wanted to play it safe this time.
Maybe if Kieran proved to be a good person and didn't steal from her again she would give him the real answer.

"Well, I was at home with my mom, she went to the park and she vanished. Poof.
I went to the park to find her and then I vanished. Poof poof. I came here and I was told that if I went to the wisest, he or she would be able to give me answers and here we are now. "

Kieran nodded solemnly "Poof poof"

She laughed "What about you, Kieran. What's your story? Why are you looking for the wisest?"

He stayed silent for so long that Maya wondered if he would actually answer the question.

" Do you believe in magic, Maya? "
"Like what? Escapism and card tricks? "
" I'm not sure I understand what you mean by that" he replied.

He kicked a stone.

"I guess I do believe in it in a way...... I mean....how else would I have appeared here, in this place if there wasn't some form of magic involved with everything"

"okay"
That was it.
He didn't reply again and Maya didn't say anything about it anymore.
If he didn't want to answer, she wouldn't force him.

Suddenly she heard....
"Is that.... flowing water?"
She moved faster and saw the body of water.
"Oh my gosh! It's a lake!"

Kieran smiled
"I believe it's called a brook, Maya"

A brook it was, between the part of the grasslands they were standing on and the other part.
It was a bit wide with some rocks in it.
There was no bridge in sight....
They would have to jump.

Another skill that Maya did not think she possessed.

"Why are you looking at it like it stole your map?"
Kieran questioned with a laugh
She scowled at him "Not funny. How are we going to cross over this thing?"

"I don't think I've seen one this large but we've got to use the stones as a pathway"

Maya looked at him as if he was crazy then looked down at her feet, hiding in her old converse then she looked at the brook, with water rushing quickly over the wet and slippery stones.

"Well it's been nice meeting you Kieran, I hope you have a nice journey. This girl is going back"

Kieran crossed his arms and looked at her as she turned and started to walk slowly
"What happened to 'Maya Ford doesn't give up' and what about your mom too huh?"

She turned and eyed the pool of water
"I can't cross this thing Kieran, it's been years that I jumped"

Now he rolled his eyes
"I'll help you, let's go"

He took the bag off her shoulder and placed it on his own. When they got closer they realized that the stones were not large enough for two people to stand on them at the same time.

"Hm. " Kieran voiced out
"Either I go first and you follow or you go first and I stand behind you so you don't fall. "

Maya turned sharply as soon as the 'f'  word fell from his lips and she visibly paled.
"Er... not fall. I'll stand behind you so I can make sure no one is following us"

She narrowed her eyes even further.
"You said nobody would follow us Kieran!!!
You said the coast was clear!"

She was starting to lose it now.

He blew out a harsh breath of air
"If you don't move now, I'm going to push you onto the first stone and the rest will be up to you"

She squealed.

He lowered his voice considerably "Go first Maya. I'll follow"

And Maya turned to face the brook and clenched her fists.
She moved carefully onto the first rock and once her footing was secure she stretched her legs and  jumped onto the second and then the third. She heard Kieran moving behind her as well.

The last rock was a little bit further , it stood between her and the next grasslands. She jumped...then landed on it.
Then slipped.
Then she gained her footing again and fell face forward onto the bank with her foot still in the brook.

Kieran joined her shortly on the bank and pulled her leg out of the water as she lay there despondently.  She knew she had just overreacted for a body of water that she couldn't really drown in but she had only one set of clothes and those were what she was wearing.

Kieran had used the dress Hartley had packed to also distract the guards and it had not come back with him.

She didn't want to continue this journey while water dripped from her clothes. That would be uncomfortable

"Don't ask me to move now, I risked my life jumping over this thing" She grumbled.
"Of course not, you deserve a short rest. Good on you, Maya"

Kieran also lay down with has hands under his head and his ankles crossed.
He closed his eyes.

"Are you..?"
"I'm not sleeping, Maya, don't worry"
She smiled a little.

As they lay there, Maya hoped that they wouldn't meet a brook like that again. Or any body of water for that matter. There was only so much exercising a girl could do in a day. She had to get a gym membership when she got back home.

                             X
They had resumed walking after Kieran splashed water on Maya's face and told her to get up.
She had almost fallen asleep.

They continued to move and soon the grasslands cleared. It was just sand they were walking on and as soon as Maya was about to complain about too much sand, she saw it.

The tops of colorful buildings.
They were nearing the tell tale lands and she was so happy. She stared at it in awe and so did Kieran.

You haven't been out of the main lands before?" she asked.
He shook his head and she gasped
"You had me fooled, I was actually going to start following you instead of the map. "
She admitted sheepishly
"Well that's silly Maya, follow the map don't follow me. "
She rolled her eyes with a smile on her face

"I'm glad we made it this far before the sun started to set, we can get somewhere to stay before it gets dark. Hopefully"
She nodded in response to Kieran's words
"Yeah, fingers crossed."
He looked at her weirdly.
"Fingers crossed?... Is that an illness or something?"
She laughed then
"No, it's like an expression.."
Blank face
"it's something we say to show that....uh... to show that we hope we get lucky....or something like that..........Stop looking at me like that Kieran, you confused me, you weirdo"

He started to laugh at her "You strange, strange girl"

She scoffed. "Yeah, I'm the strange one here. Makes so much sense"

"Of course it does Maya, I'm the only normal one among us two."
"HEY!"
He started to run
"You better run, you know I can't run after you, but when I catch you, Kieran, it will be deadly"

He laughed loudly from far off and she couldn't help it. She found herself laughing too.