Miko:

Xhorae, what most people call the first sun, filled the room and took my eyes a few blinks to adjust to. It was a silly name, really. The sun is the same on one day as it is on another, yet for some reason, we have an entirely different name for the second sun, Vhorae.

I awoke more peacefully than usual. Maleki had just rolled out of bed and packed our belongings. To my own surprise, my eyesight was not taken this morning, but it was my legs again instead. Perhaps the pattern was not set or not as predictable as we had reasoned. I had surmised that it would rotate on a routine of legs, arms, and eyes, but clearly, it was not perfect. Maybe it was random but never sequential. This might fall into the category of not being able to control it and thus not worrying about it. Perhaps Grandpa’s advice was not useless…

We traveled back through Quavoris, having only spent a few days there. I would have enjoyed much more time in the kingdom before abandoning it for another lonesome journey. Maleki would surely always be there, but we hadn’t met many people, and part of me was hoping I might get to meet some other ordinary people my age. Our new unnamed friend seemed around my age, but I didn’t see our upcoming conversations as being very fun.

I was able to grab a few assortments of books from a street vendor who had a small collection of popular books. Fortunately for me, there was now a wide array of topics I had just gained access to. Turns out, Grandpa was holding back, or perhaps his collection was just older than what was popular — a few books on Majik and several others about fighting and the previous war.

Hopefully, these should hold me over, but I didn’t have enough room for more anyway. One day, I hope I can afford to buy a whole library and live in it. All the world’s books to myself sounds like a wish come true. I guess there’s no harm in it, but I try to avoid wishing, considering everything that’s happened. I should just focus on the day-to-day goals and our upcoming task to reach The Garden — that’s what Maleki would do.

Exiting the gates was less embarrassing than entering them, and our trip was relatively uneventful compared to yesterday. Kallen walked us to the middle of an un-trafficked area where we had found ourselves two days prior and waited for something noticeable. Our expectations were high based on our last interaction with the boy, as he didn’t seem the type to be late. We presumed he would be waiting for us again, but it might be a mistake to become reliant on unexpected things. Our new normal has devolved quite quickly, and I was left feeling adapted to our environment and accustomed to change.

A few minutes went by, and a voice appeared behind us. Without turning around, I knew it was the voice of the strange boy. After twisting around to see the boy from my wagon, I laid eyes on him, and something seemed different about him. His clothes were similar to before, although less tattered and worn. There was no instrument in his hands, and the hood of his cloak looked more extensive than it needed to be. The boy’s hair was long and white, tucked behind his ears, and bushed out behind his head at the ends. His robes had hints of purples and greens, though their color was clearly faded by time and travel.

“You’re late,” I jested.

He looked to the sky and found the sun, then laughed, “Yes, burdened am I by perspective. You will have to forgive my selfishness.”

I awkwardly laughed to clear the air, then responded while scratching my head. “I’m sure we can trade apologies, as I will inevitably slow our journey to the garden.”

“The garden has time, but you cannot rush to your destination. You must leave space for the stamina this journey will siphon from you. Have you come prepared?”

Maleki answered the boys’ questions about what we were bringing. The books I just purchased, rations, tools, and all the items our grandparents packed for us. Everything seemed to be up to the boy’s standards, as he didn’t second-guess our choices.

“Where are we headed? Maleki asked.

“South, a couple hour’s walk to the path up the mountain.”

“Our friend is collecting his carriage. He has offered us a ride as far as he can take us.

“That is wise. Let us not waste energy on the walk to the first steps.”Kallen had fetched the horses and the carriage and returned to us after a short while. The horses had curly gray hair along their bodies and eyes pitch black. They trotted over to us with Kallen back in the comfort of the reins, and he greeted us in a cheerful tone.

Maleki loaded me and the wagon into the cart and found a spot next to me to allow the boy access to his own bench.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“Where to?” Kallen shouted.

The boy turned around and pointed to a spot on a map that Kallen was holding.

“That shouldn’t be too difficult. I’ll follow the edge of the mountain with the southern road, and we can cut into the thin part of the forest when we get closer.”

I was curious about the boy and was already sick of calling him by such a simple word. He didn’t seem to be one to overshare, but I decided to ask anyway. “What’s your name?”

“Nomen?” the boy questioned with a slight accent.

“That’s a weird name for a little boy.”

“Well, that’s not my…Truthfully…Yes, Nomen will do. I suppose that is easier than the alternative.”

“I’m Miko. This is my brother Maleki. Oh, and the flat-headed driver is Kallen.” I could feel heavy eyes from Kallen, but he didn’t protest my remark.

“Those are good names. I have not heard them before today. Perhaps they will live on in a great story if you succeed.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask. This journey is tough, right? What’s the point in having a physically taxing journey for someone who is sickly and wants to be healed?”

“That is a great question, although I’m not sure there is an answer that satisfies. If I was forced to answer, I might be inclined to say that proof of character is the ability to surpass the odds despite one’s shortcomings.”

“Ya know, you don’t speak like a kid; I read a lot of books, and even I don’t sound like that. Where are you from?”

“You are full of questions, but I do not shy from an answer. It may surprise you, but The Garden is my birthplace and, at times, my home. To answer your first question, though, I believe that language is a tool or a blade when intended. Please forgive my formality.”

“How long will it take us to get there, anyways?”

“Well, that depends. The journey is different for each person, and each trial can vary depending on many circumstances. If I could give any warning prior, it would be to spend your energy wisely.”

“How long has it taken other people?”

“The quickest procession was one hundred and ten Xhoraes.”

“That’s like three months!?” I exclaimed. “You’re telling us we will have to be out there for that long?”

“No, I said that’s how long it took another person.” He seemed to be confused by my response. “Your journey is independent of anyone else’s. If it consoles you any, the longest successful journey was two hundred and twenty Xhoraes-”

“-No, it does not make me any feel better. Six months! That’s even worse!”

The boy laughed for the first time, the veil cracking for a split second before returning to normal. “Hm. I will remain quiet until we arrive at the base of the mountain. Please wake me if you have any questions.” He closed one eye and gave us a moment to respond, and after nothing was said, he closed the other.

Hours passed, and Kallen finally whistled for the horses to slow their trot. There was a soft sound in the wind as the branches moved back and forth peacefully and almost intentionally. The mountain’s slope was more prevalent in our current location, which made it feel more climbable compared to Quavoris’s view. I’m not confident you could even slide down Quavoris’ slope. Although it was steep here as well, this seemed more approachable, even though I could not see the snowy tops of the mountain range from this angle.

The silence was finally broken as Kallen announced we had arrived at the approximate destination the boy had marked on the map. Nomen opened his eyes without any hesitation or intervention and asked us to gather our things. Maleki did as he usually does and prepared the cart and packs before grabbing me as well. After a few minutes of tying up the horses to a tree without undoing their ties to the carriage, everyone had found their place between two trees and a flattened path that followed towards the bottom of the mountain.

Nomen asked aloud, “Have you double-checked your belongings? This is a long and arduous journey, and you would be remiss not to have everything you need.”

Maleki nodded his head. “Checked, rechecked, and then triple-checked.”

“Great, are you ready to depart and say goodbye then?” the boy questioned flatly.

“Say goodbye?” I asked.

“Ah, you did not think our dear driver would be taking us all the way to The Garden, did you?”

Kallen scratched his head awkwardly and tried to laugh off the tension in the air. “Sorry guys, I...uh...My family is still at home, and I, well, they don’t know I’m here or that I was doing this. They still need me to provide for them, but I wish I could see this through with you.”

Maleki interrupted, “We never expected someone to take us this far, so don’t feel bad. Thank you. You’ve already done far more than we expected.”

“I’ll walk you all to the base of the mountain. I can do that at the very least!” Kallen replied with a chirpier tone. He had clearly been pondering the idea of going with us on the way here or thinking about how he would tell us he wouldn’t be, but his mood improved after the relief of telling us.

The walk to the mountain’s base was beautiful, and as the trees became more sparse, the view of the cliffs ahead of us became visible. Rocky and jagged in certain areas but sloped with a walking path in other spots. This would be a challenging climb from what we could see from here, but there is no telling what the descent would look like. I’m not exactly in climbing condition, or really walking condition for that matter. We made our way to the forest’s edge, and the cart wobbled back and forth every time the grass hit a stony spot, which was becoming more frequent. The trees were behind us at this point, and it seemed as good a time as any to officially start the journey, so we all stopped for a moment and took a fresh breath of air before it would likely become more difficult in more ways than one.

Kallen took this as his moment to depart and announced his goodbyes aloud to both of us. Maleki pulled the cart as he walked backward and spoke to Kallen from across the clearing, “I’ll find you when we get back. There will be a lot we have to catch up on after this!”

Maleki was right. If this journey goes as planned, we will have much to discuss. For now, we have a mountain to climb.