The journey continues. Dusk draws closer, the scenery unfolding beneath the beautifully sinking sun.
Strange. Rose gives me peace and quiet—for once—because she is asleep. The coachman says we will arrive in the morning. No stops along the way. So it is not only Rose now. Oliver is asleep as well.
I cannot sleep. My gaze keeps drifting back outside, wanting to see it before darkness fully takes over. It is beautiful—right before day turns into night.
—
—CLICK.
Rose photographs Hiro, who is sleeping soundly. His face looks just as exhausted as Rose and Oliver did earlier. Oliver holds back his laughter. Rose keeps taking pictures with the new camera she bought at the market, also suppressing her laughter because Hiro's face looks terrible, a thin line of drool trailing down.
—CLICK.
The sound is sharp, faint yet piercing. A flash of light strikes Hiro's eyes.
"Enough, enough. He will wake up, Young Lady. Pfft," Oliver whispers.
"He won't. He won't," Rose replies.
Their voices drift in and out.
—CLICK, CLICK, CLICK.
The light flashes across my face again and again. I feel it now. I realize it.
"Ugh."
"Well, look at that. He woke up," Oliver says, quickly turning his face away.
I open my eyes slowly. "What are you doing?"
Rose freezes, then slowly hides the camera behind her back.
"Are we there yet? What are you doing?" My mind has not fully gathered itself. Half-awake, I throw the questions out.
I look outside the carriage. The sky is faintly red. Early morning?
"Morning?" I ask.
"Yes. Morning. You have not eaten anything all night."
"So?" I ask again.
She holds something out with both hands. "Eat this bread. Drink this milk."
I take them. "Thank you," I murmur softly.
"What?" she says loudly.
"Nothing," I reply.
"WHAT?!"
—
"All right, Sir, Young Lady. This is as far as I can take you."
The journey ends—but not in a public place. We stop in the wilderness, deep among the trees.
"Rose, unload the supplies. Please."
Rose nods and steps down after Oliver plants his feet on the ground.
She looks at me. "Help me, Hiro."
I nod and step down, opening the door on my side.
Oliver approaches the coachman. "How far is it from the coast?" he asks.
"Not too far, Sir. I have taken you farther than I normally would—especially considering you are traveling with a young lady," the coachman replies.
Oliver nods and hands him a pouch of valuables. "This is your payment."
The coachman accepts it warmly. "With my gratitude, Sir."
"Is everything unloaded?" Oliver asks Rose and me.
"Yes," Rose answers.
The coachman grips the reins. "I wish you a safe journey, Sir."
Oliver nods slightly. "Thank you."
The carriage turns and departs. The journey on foot begins.
"All right. Are you both ready?" Oliver asks.
"Ready. After breakfast first."
"Right. Then let us begin."
—
"Eat the bread and drink the milk. We leave immediately after," Rose says, handing them to me.
I look away, but still take them. "Thank you," I whisper—barely audible, almost like a lie.
"What?" she asks.
"Nothing," I answer.
"We are heading toward the coast," Oliver cuts in.
"We must arrive before nightfall. We need to find a gap to cross toward the other continent and send the signal. They will reach us before sunrise," he continues.
"But unfortunately—" Oliver does not finish.
"Unfortunately?" Rose interrupts.
"That only works if we do not stop. We must arrive before night. If we are late, everything ends," Oliver says.
"WHAT?!" Rose shouts.
—
Of course, the journey starts again, and of course it must continue without pause. Breakfast, lunch, dinner—everything has to be done while walking. That is how it feels to me. I will see how long that lasts.
"Everything will end," Rose says into the silence that settles as we begin to move.
"Hm?" Oliver responds.
"If we are late, everything ends. What does that mean, Uncle?" Rose asks—the same question I wanted to ask earlier.
"Oh, of course. Do you know why?" Oliver says.
Rose shakes her head.
"Because I saw one of the kingdom's soldiers where he should not have been—in a remote village. At the market earlier," Oliver says, then turns his gaze toward me.
"That is why I did not allow you to get down and help Rose at the market, Hiro. Because…" He stops midway.
"Because what?" Rose presses.
"Because they have already spread newspapers with your face printed on them, Hiro."
"HUH?!" Rose blurts out.
I lift my head. "How could that happen? Did someone take my picture before?" I ask.
"No. It happened because that mage saw you and sensed where you were going—through magic," Oliver answers.
"Do you have one of those newspapers, Oliver?" I ask.
Oliver nods slowly. "Of course." His hand slips into his coat.
He pulls out a single sheet. "Here."
I take it. Rose steps closer. I stare at it for a long moment—my face, printed there.
"Oliver is right…" Rose whispers beside me.
My grip tightens on the paper. Because of me, this has turned into something far greater—for everyone else as well.
"Do not worry. I will always be by your side, Hiro," she whispers again.
Morning turns into noon, and noon into afternoon.
Lunch happens just as we said—while walking. There is no stopping on this journey, not even as dinner draws near.
"Ugh, this is exhausting. Are we still far, Uncle?!" Rose complains.
"More or less, Miss. Tiring, is it not? Hahahaha!" Oliver replies.
"Ugh, enough… enough… I am really tired, Uncle." Rose's body slowly gives in, and she collapses to the ground from sheer exhaustion.
Oliver stops. He opens his map case and studies it briefly. "It is not dark yet. We are almost there." He sits near a mound of earth. "All right, let us rest for a moment—but not until night." He reaches into his bag.
"Here, Hiro. Miss." Oliver hands us two canned bottles of milk.
Rose takes hers without a word. I do the same.
Sweat streams down Rose's face, her breathing sharp and uneven.
I tilt my head up to the blue sky. "I have a bad feeling, Oliver," I say quietly.
Oliver looks at me. "What is it? Do you sense something, son?"
I shake my head. "No, Oliver," I say, rubbing my neck. "It is just a feeling—"