Esther

Chapter 27

It was Monday morning.

"Goodbye Ibis. Thank you for your hospitality." I said hugging Ibis. "No problem. You are always welcome here. Especially if you want to have your honeymoon here." She said with a wink. After everyone said their goodbyes, we all left. Isis and Jenia were now exiles with us.

We're going to King Eman and ask for his help. That is, after we encounter all the dangers and challenges we'll face. But with love, friendship, and teamwork, we'll make it. King Eman, we're coming. Please help us.

Our band dove into the sea and we swam away from Ibis' Island.

After a few hours of swimming, we had to rest. "How long will it take to get there?" Ashley asked. "Three days." I replied. "I mean, how long till we reach land?" "Oh, I don't know." I replied shrugging. Can dolphins even shrug?

"We'll reach land in about two more hours." Amia said looking back at us. We nodded.So we swam for another two hours.

We finally reached land. Exhausted.you have no idea how tiring it is to swim for four hours straight then two hours straight. "Oh. I bet my muscles are gonna hurt for days." I complained as I sat up. Andrew came over and helped me up. "Don't worry about it. It'll go away soon. Think of something else and it might go away." He said. I nodded rubbing my arms. They hurt so badly.

We walked up into the forest. "We'll make camp in the forest tonight. Tomorrow, we'll start our real trek. Come on." Altri beckoned. Andrew held my hand to steady me as we walked on.

After a few minutes of walking, we reached a small place which had a little clearing. "We'll camp here. Let's start." Altri said.

And so, the boys started collecting fire wood for the fire Jenia will use to cook. We, girls, collected edible plants and some wood for the campfire. You see, Jenia wanted to cook away from all of us. I guess to keep her secrets, well, secret.

When we were done, we all sat down and waited for the food to finish cooking.

The food smelled delicious. Jenia had just made soup. I have no idea what kind of soup though. We also had fruits. That was it. Life, in the forest.

We ate heartily though, since we were all tired. "Are we gonna have a watch system?" Sophia asked. Amia and Altri looked at each other. "Yes. We'll round it by couple. As for you, Sophia, you could either join a couple or sleep all night. Your choice." Amia said. "I wish I had a partner." Sophia muttered. We laughed as she chose to watch with us.

So when dusk arrived, Andrew, Sophia and I took up our watch stations.

After 2 hours of watching, we were just about to change position when we heard a noise. It was more like twigs and branches being stepped on. I looked at Andrew and Sophia. Do you think they're people? Or are they just animals? I conveyed. We rarely conveyed to each other. But sometimes, when we need to be quiet, we convey. They could be either. Let's just wait and see. Sophia replied. I'm gonna take a look. Andrew joined in. No. Stay together. I said. We three turned into birds and flew up into the tree.

There were two soldiers. Where are they from? Sophia asked. Awry? Or King Eman? I don't know. I answered. Andrew? Well, it's not obvious. They're marks are being covered, so I can't see. Andrew said peering in closer.

And just then, the two men looked up and and we were caught in nets. Great. I should've seen that coming. I said. Yeah. Andrew replied. Them not moving, not really talking, that should've been obvious. Sophia? What are you doing? I asked looking at Sophia. Calling for help. They're already here. Who? I asked. Our friends. Duh. She said. Oh. Sorry. I hope they rescue us soon. I don't want to be fried like a chicken.

Our company had all turned into animals besides Jenia. Guess she was with someone watching the camp. A brown haired guy grabbed my neck. "These'll make perfect prizes. Especially this beauty. The princess would cost a fortune." He said with a crooked smile. "Yeah. Bet this prince'll be good for us too." The other guy said as they laughed. I looked at Sophia and Andrew. They know us? I can't believe it. I conveyed to them. Guess they do. Act normal. Sophia replied. I looked over at Andrew and saw him glaring at the men. Woah. He does not think he can beat these guys up can he? Andrew. I warned. You better not be thinking of anything dangerous. Sorry, Es. I already am. He answered. Oh, boy.