17: Lost Cane

(Princess Ashti)

"For heaven's sake, we've been traveling here in the sea of sands for 3 days!! 3 hot days!! And 3 cold nights!!"

"2 more days and nights."

"What?!"

This time it's night. I always scoop some sands and toss it for nothing, just to unleash boredom. I also pick small branches of withered trees and draw a flower on the sand. And I know Haris is being patience with my childish behavior.

"Maruwie, can't you just fly until we reach home? I'm tired you know?!"

"Don't talk to her like that," I pout.

"Just why she can't?"

"She can't fly for long. Her left wing was torn and aches whenever she flies." I stretch her left wing and it really has a torn. I'm sure she got it years ago because it marked like a scar.

"She got it from the tragedy, trying to protect princess Jexica."

"Mmm I see. Sorry for speaking rude." She buzzes like a cat and show me her cute face.

Tragedy huh, after hearing their stories, I'm lucky that I grow in peace. But I'm here because the tragedy maker invaded our nation.

"I miss them. I hope they're okay. Of course they'll be okay! My father is a god anyway."

"What do you know about gods?" he suddenly asked.

"Well they are the most powerful being in the world!"

"So why do they die?"

"Of course they're human, humans die."

"And if they're humans, why do we consider them as gods?" I fold my arms and look at him strictly. "And what is your point?" I reply.

"My point is, they are not gods. True gods live where mortals can't live, which means gods are immortal. Every nation has their own god and that god rules the whole nation. The chosen heroes who became god here are merely instruments by the real god. They rule the nation through using them—"

"Then it means they are half gods or demi... something like that...?"

"Maybe yes but, they're just the councilors of the main gods. People call them god because their power came from a god."

"Hmm, so it means my father is only a servant of the gods..."

"One good thing is, you can inherit that gift. Just like me."

"Huh?" I can hear a heavy but weak sound of trembling rocks. "You hear that?" I ask him and he said no. We stop from walking and I look above, looks like coming from above but not really. He look behind and I look too.

"Oh gracious...! I know I've seen that before in the book..."

"What? You saw that from the book?"

"I mean in the picture!"

"That thing is called sand storm." He pulled his cane out of his glove and throw it to slide on the air, just like before. We run to elude. This storm is different, it's running faster towards us. Like someone is controlling it!

"We walk for 3 days and nights, now we have to run?!"

"Much better than being buried alive." He finally took a step on the cane then he lends me a hand. I grab his arm to ride in, and Maruwie holding tight on Haris' shoulder. Another bad news, there's also a sand storm in front of us. If these two storms meet, we're buried. If we change route, it's too late either. The only escape is above.

"I know now," he said.

"What? What do you know?"

"Punch the storm behind us." I'm still trying to analyze what he meant.

"What? Punch the storm just like punching the air?!"

"Yes." I adjust a little to face the back and gave my all to punch the air.

"Okay. I just did what you said."

"I see."

"What? What do you see?" Maruwie expanded to a big dragon again and lift us up with her arms. I saw Haris trying to get his cane by his feet, sadly it was left below. I'm sure it's buried now. I can touch the sky once again. I saw also how the two storms collide.

"Thanks a lot, Maruwie, but my cane is there," he said.

"Don't worry! We'll find that cane tomorrow. We can't find it with this darkness!" I saw a tall rock with a flat top, could be a perfect spot to sleep. I point Maruwie the direction

"Look, that cane came from Mr. Holland—"

"Yes, I know that cane is important so we'll gonna find that tomorrow."

"But—"

"Come on, it's sleep time." I even express it like talking to a child. And he look at me like a prey before he sigh hard and deal with me. We rest here on the top of the rock, not too far from the spot where he lost the cane. He prepared the bed, the bed we used while watching meteor shower.

"So you can fly now hah!" I said to Maruwie.

"She can fly now because you healed her." I look at him, he's sitting on the bed and I sit beside him. Looking at him like a child seeking for night stories.

"How come that I healed her?"

"You have a gift through touch. Your mother is a healer and you inherited that. You can heal any wounds just by touching it." I check Maruwie's wing when she shrunk and the torn part is healed, like a completed puzzle.

"Plus, you also inherited the gift from your father. However, that only activates during your negative feeling, and the gift chose anger. Whenever you're angry, you perform enormous strength, which is out of Sdeing's strength. That turtle you punch, you did it with anger so it sunk. Lately I urge you to punch the storm, nothing happened because you're not mad."

"You're saying I inherited the power of a god?"

"Just like I told you before. I inherited the given gift from my father which is the rigid body. That's why I'm gifted without royal blood running through my veins. And that gift came from a god."

"And that hair came from Mr. Holland, so it means you got those gifts from gods?!"

"Don't be surprise if I say yes. We just both have the same unique gifts."

"For short, I'm gifted after all?!"

"...Yes..." He sounds like pissed off with my childishness. I can't stop the feeling of joy so I hug him tight then I hug Maruwie too. I scream 'I'm gifted!' again and again.

"Just make sure you sleep this night to find my cane tomorrow," then he lay. I think he's observing me all these past days. And to prove him right, I pull the half my sword and slice my palm. I touch it for few seconds. It's not healed, it bleeds. I want to say something to Haris and I caught him sleeping. So I just sleep too.

Early in the morning we started looking for the cane. I still can't control my yawn when Maruwie poured me a bucket of water. But actually, I appreciate it, that wake my sense. She did the same with Haris. That water came from a small bottle full of endless water. Another magic tool.

Maruwie expands and started digging, I keep my distance because of the dust she causes.

"I think Maruwie feel guilty for losing your cane."

"It's not her fault. She's just lending me a help."

Well I guess I should help too. I dig using my hands and throw the scooped sand in the air, again just like playing like a child. I noticed my palm; the wound is healed. It made my day. Haris is not digging, just walking slowly in face down.

"Haris, don't be sad. We'll find that came for sure."

"Thank you for your concern but I'm not sad. I just can't sense my cane here." I doubt it flew away somewhere. I raise my leg and stamp the sand hard. Out of my expectation is that I overdid it. I made a sink hole. Haris caught my hand before I fell. And he's actually having a hard time holding me.

I know, it's because of the sands. This doesn't emphasize to get some diet.

"Ashti, I'll jump down. Don't let go." And again, he said those words. But jump down there?! He's insane! He did it before I stop him. While falling he pull me closer, and before we clatter Maruwie reached the deepest ground and we fell on her tummy.

I found myself leaning above Haris so I jerk away. He rise and holds his head. Feeling dizzy?

"Thanks Maruwie," he said. I touch his forehead and he scowl at me.

"Trying to heal me?" I nod. "No need."

"Too late. I already touched it." He sigh hard, "Whatever."

He slid down and lend me hand. I didn't take it, "No need," I said after I came down. I look around, behind is a solid rock, in front of us is a totally dark room. When I look above I feel like we're trapped in a deep pit.

"We can fly to go up, right Maruwie?-"

"No! I can smell my cane here."

Whoa. Okay. Then I'll just follow the leader getting inside the dark space. He got a flat stick, Maruwie shrunk and blow fire on the tip of it. They just made a thin torch. He cut it in half like chopstick and gave me the other. This is like a magic wand with fire on top. I'm kinda scared like there's a ghost ahead. So I walk closer beside Haris.

I almost stumble when something blocked my step. And of all things, it's a mummy that grabbed my feet. I scream! I tread its hand hard until it let go. I shiver and hide behind Haris.

"Are you sure you smell your cane or the mummies?!"

"Idiot. My cane doesn't smell mummy." I look around and we're surrounded by mummies and rotten coffins. But still it's dark.

"Use that fire to scare them," he advice. He'll scare those mummies from the right and I'm on the left. Maruwie is in front using fire breath. They can't touch us because of this fire, that's a relief! On the very end of the room is a door. A huge gold door. Maruwie transferred at the back to stop the mummies from following us until we enter the next room.

We open, entered and close the door with gentleness. I'm lucky those mummies aren't like Callions that runs pathetically to chase me. This next room is bright, everything around is made of gold, even the floor and walls. There are 6 giant Anubis statues built on both sides of the hallway. And I think this is the dead end. There's no door for the way out. Only a wall onward.

"Ashti, we must break that wall."

"Seriously?! That's made of gold."

"So you want to go back with the mummies?" I stammer and I guess that's better than take a walk with the mummies.

"O-okay... fine..."

"No matter what, keep running."

He took off the glove on his right hand and I saw a tattoo marked on his palm. But I don't mind. We will take a run from here until we smash the wall. As we run, I match with his speed, and to be honest he's fast. We're at the middle of the hallway when another thing blocks my path. The statue moved and used the spear to attack me.

I was thrown away yet I get up swiftly. Haris pull me up anyway. The statues keep on blocking us and when we almost reached the end one of the statues pulled us back using its spear, this time we're both thrown away. Actually, that hurts! And we're back to the middle, unfortunately I'm tired. I stand up chasing my breath.

"Maruwie, stay here. When we smash the wall, you finish it then."

Here comes the next attack therefore we begin running again. Maruwie expands and burns them. A great move to distract them. The last statue used it huge feet to stop us and we just jump and slip through it. Almost there, I close my fist tight and smash the wall together. It didn't fell, only a crack.

"Maruwie, now!" she flies faster like a bull ready to bash its target. She used her head and there, the wall collapse. When the wall collapse, the statue came back to normal. Haris covered me from the fragments falling from the wall. On the next hall I sit from weariness. This hallway is empty, somehow bright and dark onward. I feel like I'm inside a rectangular box with this place.

"Haaaah! I'm tired. What are all these fusses for?!"

"It's there, I'm sure of it," he said. He wears his glove again, got to ask about that tattoo soon.

"Just make sure you're saying the truth."

"You know, you should use your head more than your mouth specially with this circumstance."

How savage! I stand up to follow him walking. Maruwie rested on my shoulder. It's a big surprise when Haris fell on the trap. So this is not just a floor, one wrong step and you'll fall.

"Look who's talking. You're lucky we have this chain." I pull him up effortless. "Is this a game? Then our main goal is to get your cane back? I'll kill the final boss then!" I step slowly, groping the floor if it's safe. I sat then knocks it, it sounds like a plywood. That can be easily broken. I stop until I heard a solid cement floor.

It means there is a path but the rest are fake floors or in short, traps. I smash the part with the wooden sound, I saw a deep and dark abyss when the floor fall. I wonder which way is the path, and the only way to see it is to break the fake. I look at Haris and suddenly had an idea.

"A game huh, I guess every game has a cheat. Maruwie, let's go fly!"

"I thought you have a brilliant idea..." Haris commented.

"Of course I have! But let's try the easier cheat!"

"Before we do..." He throws a white bunny stuff high. A sudden opening of a wall with arrow inside shot the bunny. So it means there are traps hidden inside the walls.

He threw again another stuff but this time he slide it on the floor. No traps showed up.

"It means we can't use Maruwie on cheating."

I ponder silently, what if we found the path and while crossing, traps keeps popping out? Or what if there are monsters under this chasm? It's not a problem for Haris because of his rigid body. But...

"Haris, you can make a bubble to crystal, right?"

"Yes. So?"

"Make one for me."

He draws out his bubble stick from a small cotton bag and gave me a palm size. "Ugh, make it bigger and heavier!" And he did make bigger than my head, even heavier too. I throw it to the ground to smash the fake floors, according to my imagination it worked. Another hole of the floor was made.

I did it over again until path is visible. This path is narrow and have curves. I can't throw farther which means we need to cross the half and find for the path again. This stage is tiresome! We reached the middle of the path and no traps ambushed. This makes me nervous too.

I throw crystals again randomly but it won't fall. Does it mean this is a solid floor? I asked Haris to step forward since if he fall, I can pull him up. Yet he walk normally like he's confident that he won't fall. He's crazy! A sudden shake of the ground happened.

The floor is slowly falling apart, we have to run again! However, in front of us, a swaying huge hammer hanging from the ceiling is approaching.

"Haris, we ride in there—!"

Maruwie lift us up to ride there. If this sways back we should jump, that will make us reach the next door. Unfortunately, the walls are firing arrows, still we run above the hammer to jump. An arrow slipped to my shoulder, my waist, my cheek and for worst is my right leg was shot.

I clatter after we jump. I gnash my teeth when Haris pulled out the arrow, he carried me with his arms and pass the next door. Another game again! A huge maze made by thin brick walls. Maruwie is worried at me since I'm wounded. I let go to sit on the ground, I touch my wounds, hoping that after seconds I'm healed.

My blood keeps dropping out. Haris offer me a bandage

"No need, my wounds will heal later."

"Your wounds may close, but the blood lost cannot be taken back." They both cover my wounds with bandage.

"Thank you guys..." I whisper. When done, I stand up on my own glaring at the maze.

"This game is crazy...!"

"Crazy and easy. Every game has a cheat, right?"

I smirk, "Looks like you're on fire too...!"