Chapter 22

The next morning, we set out for Marbug as the first rays of the sun rose over the horizon. The King and Queen had equipped us well, and the letters we carried would assure safe passage through their kingdom and the help of their allies. Unfortunately, I would be stuck on a stupid horse that hated having me on her back as much as I hated sitting on it.

Aki joined us in the morning, and to my surprise, she seemed excited about our coming travels. I wasn’t sure if letting her come was the best thing to do, but she insisted on it, saying how the duty of her father now had fallen on her. It made me sad thinking about it, and I wondered how old she was. Definitely too young for what had happened to her.

We rode through Akka, surrounded by guards, and the citizens left their houses to bid us farewell. It almost felt like a slow-going parade. The mood was festive, and it seemed that everyone wanted to see the Light Bringer leave for the quest that would set them free from the Imperium. I had my doubts about it, but I didn't want to share them with anyone. 'What will be, will be,' I had told myself countless times. There was no point in worrying anyway. We had made our choices.

At least the bike without brakes was compliant enough to follow the rest, so I was spared the humiliation of getting lost, and my only worry was not to fall off. Akka’s soldiers would escort us for part of the journey, so the first few days would be easy, Uruk had said before we left.

The first day was surprisingly uneventful. All we did was slowly ride past endless farmsteads on our way. Luckily, the soldiers, led by Eden, took care of almost everything, so the journey was easy, minus the horse riding.

We stopped at an inn for the night, and finally, my feet touched solid ground. I stretched my stiff body and looked around. There were other travellers in the yard, and I suddenly became aware how they all glanced at me. I turned away. I did look different from everyone else, so I was immediately outed, but I suspected that wasn’t the reason for their glances. It seemed like the news about me had spread faster than I’d thought, even though they didn’t have internet or phones in this world. At least they kept a respectful distance, but the attention made me uncomfortable.

I shrugged, trying to shake it off, and followed the others inside. We sat down at a table, where I was met with the same reaction from the people who brought food to our table. I tried to ignore them and instead glanced at Aki. She had spent most of the day with Uruk, and now she was talking to the others. She seemed okay. I sighed and began to eat. I couldn’t do anything to help her, even if I wanted to.

Karim was discussing the situation in Marbug with Eden, and I turned to them to listen, not knowing what else to do. But even though he had explained it to me numerous times, I soon got lost and lost interest. I looked around. The people passing through the inn peered at me as they passed. I sighed. Their faces lit up with hope and happiness as they saw me, and I didn’t know what to do about it, or what they expected me to do.

I sighed. I had never expected this much attention when I agreed to help Karim and the rest. It wasn’t that I was just a celebrity, I was…their Goddess. I shivered. It made sense that they saw me like that, but I could never have imagined what it would actually mean. Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I turned. It was Aki. How had she managed to come so close without me noticing anything?

“Come…”, she giggled.

“Where…?”

“There is someone who wants to meet you”

She smiled brightly, and I glanced at my companions, but they were deep in their discussion. I sighed and got up, not wanting to say no to her. She led me outside, holding onto the sleeve of my tunic. Luckily, the yard was empty now. The air was fresh, with the sun slowly setting, and the sudden quietness relaxed me, and I heard myself let out a sigh.

She led me towards a village lying at the edge of a nearby forest, and I noticed that her footsteps didn’t make any sound as we followed the dirt road. I wondered how she did it. I remembered how light her body had been when I carried her to bed, but that couldn’t fully explain it, could it?

We entered the village, and the few people who were still out glanced at us, whispering among themselves. Just as at the inn, their looks were curious, and they didn’t try to be intrusive, but still.. It made me uncomfortable.

Aki stopped, let go of my hand and sniffed the air. I blinked.

“What are you doing?”

“Finding her.”

“You don’t know where she is?”

I was getting confused, and I wondered if Aki was okay. Maybe it had been a mistake to leave with her alone.

“I know!”

She looked at me with a frown.

“The man who mentioned her smelled of Xoxa plant. There cannot be that many ill people here.”

Suddenly, she turned her head and pointed.

“There!”

She took my hand and pulled me towards a house. I started to have a bad feeling about this. An ill person… Did she expect me to…? I watched with growing unease as she rang a small metal bell next to the door. I heard footsteps, and the man who opened the door looked at us with shock. He looked different from most people in Akka, his ears were longer and more pointy, and his hair had a golden metallic hue to it.

“Your mum wanted to see her”, Aki said, breaking the silence.

The man blinked and bowed.

“Welcome, thank you for coming”

We followed him inside and were met by a woman the same age as he and two young kids who peered at me curiously. I glanced at them. They seemed to be the same race as Selene. I instinctively squeezed Aki’s hand that I was still holding. Did they really expect me to heal someone? Thoughts rushed through my head. I still remember how I had failed them when I came to this world. I wasn’t what they hoped for. Aki sniffed the air.

“She is upstairs”

She smiled and pulled me towards the stairs. The man and the woman followed, and I heard them whispering to each other. I squirmed, trying to ignore them. We stopped at the landing, and the woman rang a bell next to the door.

“Mother… Someone has come to visit you.”

“Come, come”, a weak voice came from behind the door.

The woman opened the door, and I took a deep breath, and we stepped in.