Chapter 12

Maple's journey

A few weeks before Maple's arrival at Skyhigh

Maple and his soldiers reached Bouleauville on the same day that Oak and his band participated in the leaf bag challenge. It was here, a few months earlier, that they had left Oak after a disagreement. They entered the Red Oak Inn.

Ergrimmir, behind the counter, greeted them with a brief gesture. "Hello, Maple. It's been a while. What brings you to my humble inn? Your prince has not returned any of my letters. Did he send you as messenger?"

Maple approached the counter, spreading a slimy and odorous trail on the hardwood floor. It stopped in front of Ergrimmir. "Yes, and he tells you that there won’t be any peace. You're making the wrong choice by joining Oak. Tell me where he is, or I'll burn  you down with this inn until only ashes remain.

One of Maple's soldiers brought a torch close to a wall.

Ergrimmir watched the blue and orange flames flicker with a livid face.

Distraught, he pounded the counter with his fist to get the soldier's attention. "Calm down. I'll tell you where Oak went, but I have to have guarantees. How do I know you  won't burn my inn once I have betrayed him?"

Maple put his hand on his chest and said with unwavering conviction "I’m a man of honor and my word is gold. I’ll let you live and tell Atord about you if you deny your friendship with Oak and help the prince.  He’ll reward your honesty."

Interested, Ergrimmir leaned his elbows on the cherrywood counter.

He looked at Maple and asked him in a low voice. "What kind of reward are we talking about?"

Maple moved closer to the dwarf, entering his privacy bubble.

The large diagonal scar that crossed the captain's face impressed the dwarf who opened his mouth slightly.

Maple took advantage of the effect he made to convince him. "Once on the throne, the prince will grant your inn special status."

The dwarf muttered; his eyes fixed on the scar. "Special status?"

Maple smiled proudly. "Anyone on the road to Miradia will have to pass through your inn. Also, they’ll have to spend a minimum of 300 floraux in your establishment or risk imprisonment.

"And what about the nights of Poussé and Blue moon?" asked Ergrimmir.

"The sons and daughters of the travelers will be forced to celebrate the Birthing Tree holiday at your inn." Maple replied.

Ergrimmir returned his smile unconsciously. "How generous, I accept. They're headed for a town called Skyhigh. Where that is? I don't know."

Maple turned back to his soldiers, breaking the spell he had on the dwarf. "Skyhigh... This is the city of the Avians. It’s beyond Qitaria according to the maps. We'll have to find a boat to get there... "

"And where will we find one?" wondered one soldier.

"In Treebay. The village has several.  I’ll inform their mayor of my request by letter." Smiled Maple.

“Please don’t forget about my inn." Anguished Ergrimmir.

Maple turned back to the dwarf who was watching him.

"Of course not.  I’ll send a letter to the prince narrating your exemplary behavior. Just stay here.”

Standing for too long, Maple stretched before waving the soldier out... "Soldier, put out that fire before we melt. It's getting hot."

"But I just got in." the soldier reluctantly said.

Maple showed his fist to the soldier. "That's not a suggestion, that's an order. Would you dare to defy your superior? How about a demotion?"

The soldier stepped back toward the exit. "Yes, Captain, aye Captain."

 He rushed out and threw the torch, which went out in the rockery.

Ergrimmir let out a sigh of relief at the sight of the disappearing flames. He turned his gaze to the captain. "Thank you, that was a close call. I look forward to hearing from the prince. Don't tell Oak about it."

Maple put his hand on the dwarf's shoulder. "I won’t. I Promise. A real man only has one word."

Maple leapt toward the exit. A large green clearing awaited them. He ordered his men to follow him, "Soldiers, the haven of Tree Bay awaits us."

The town of Treebay was located at the western end of the Cedar region, between Miradía and Cantabria. It was a trade hub for the Golden Mole people and the Arbolarbres. Some members of this species, mostly merchants, had settled there.

They came there to barter works of art in exchange for boats, wood and fish.

The soldiers hit the road heading West. He marched to the coast where the harbor was located in order to find a ship that would allow them to reach Skyhigh.

Tree Bay was located in a bay with turquoise waters surrounded by rocks. This village of small red oak houses was built on a rocky sandy beach and overlooked the bay.

The mayor was a golden mole. He possessed an affinity for luck magic which allowed him to predict sea storms. The Golden Moles paid a tribute in art and gold to the Kingdom of Florestia in exchange of protection.

***

Maple scanned the room as they entered the town hall.

Beautiful works of art depicting landscapes of Florestia adorned the walls, which made the mayor proud.

His gaze lingered on the mayor. He was taller than the average Golden mole, about 3.2 feet. The mayor had the characteristic features of his people.

They had a small wet nose as well as small devil horns only visible at night and a golden bioluminescent coat that lit up dimly in the daylight. Those horns helped them to dig in the ground.

The mayor greeted Maple with its clawed paws. Its small silvery eyes lingered on the imposing treeman. "Hello, you're Maple, I guess... I got your letter... it’s an honor to...."

They were foolish enough to elect a golden mole mayor... Maple thought.

Maple didn't like the golden moles very much; they were too bohemian and in the clouds for his taste   He also often made fun of their small size (about 3 feet tall) and their disgusting diet of insects, earthworms, mushrooms and herbs.

The general abruptly cut off the mayor, not wanting to linger in his company." Enough! Where is the boat?"

Through the window, the mayor pointed to a massive carrack anchored in the bay.

The mayor said with a tremolo in his voice at the thought of parting with his boat,... " It’s the pride of our village. This warship will take you beyond the seas..."

Back in the village,  Maple and his crew bought barrels of food and water, and  loaded them on board.

That afternoon, they left for the high seas.

Two weeks later, they set foot on the sandy beaches of Skyhigh.

One soldier exclaimed at the sight of the snow-capped mountains and the green valleys "Wow, do you see those lush valleys? And those mountains? They’re endless. But, there’s no city? Are we lost?"

Maple pulled a map from his pockets and consulted it over and over. "No, we're at the right place. The town of Skyhigh should be in these mountains, but how do we get there?"

"No idea, Captain, but are we really in a hurry?"

The soldier took a handful of sand and passed it between his fingers. "This white sand is so soft. We could rest..."

"No rest, we’re in a hurry! We must go to the interior of the island. Anyone who refuses to follow me is a fake man and will be demoted."

The soldiers didn’t answer. They threw a last look at the beach. Their eyes filled with melancholy for  this ephemeral experience. Maple's men cut their way through the highlands’ thick vegetation and reached the foot of Monte Gildor.

Maple and his soldiers split up to examine the mountain’s surroundings.

A soldier noticed something carved into the western façade after a long walk, He shouted at the top of his voice. "Guys, come! I found something!

Maple and his men joined the soldier. Stone stairs had been cut into the mountain. A wooden railing had been built to prevent climbers from falling. The stairs went all the way to the top.

A soldier looked above him. "Look at those stairs, they get lost in the clouds. It looks like someone shaped them."

Maple put his hand on the stairs to feel the material. He immediately detected fine graffiti invisible to the naked eye. "Marble.... These are clearly Arbolarbres constructions.  Avians don't need stairs and especially not made of marble... Let's stay on our guard, someone has passed before us and he’s one of our kind. Let's climb and see what's going on. Could it be Oak who carved these stairs to get there?"

"Oak can summon birds and fly on their backs, Sir.  He wouldn't need these stairs," said a soldier.

"Yes... that's right... we'll have to keep an eye on his magical powers if we fight him. Let's think of a plan while we go up." Maple sighed.

The captain and his soldiers grabbed onto the railing. They climbed and climbed, the sun beaming down on their skin. Their clothes soaked with sweat and stuck to their skin.

A soldier almost fell halfway through the course. His arms went limp, devoid of strength. "*Huff, Huff* I can't take it anymore... I can’t breathe and it stinks. We deserve a break, we've been climbing since this morning."

"It's the smell of men going to war. A real man, a tough guy doesn't let a little smell bother him! He uses it as motivation. Higher!" encouraged Maple.

The soldier and another of his compatriots sketched a grimace. They sat on a step, arms crossed. "Captain, we're exhausted, only a few minutes."

"You dare?"

"Yes."

Maple grabbed the purse on his belt.

"Do you want to get paid?

The soldiers looked at him, puzzled.

"Uh, yeah?"

Maple withdrew a coin from his purse. "Fifteen minutes, no more!" He tossed it in the air, "Every minute that passes, you’ll lose a coin."

The men didn’t move. "You won't buy us" They put their bags on the steps and took out a canteen and some dried fruit. It will take as long as it takes".

"Do you even have a plan to defeat Oak?" asked Maple.

A soldier muttered between sips. "It'll take as long as it takes."

They ate dinner, drank water and played cards. Maple

refused to sit down and participate.  He took advantage of this time to do push-ups and leg exercises further up the stairs.

The metallic clatter of boots disrupted the game. Two men hurried down the stairs, clad in steel from shoulder to toe.

"Karel..." Maple exclaimed at the sight of the man with the cactus hair and green eyes.

Karel smiled.

He tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. "Maple of Jericho...What are you doing here, old comrade?"

Maple questioned. "You, tell me, what are you doing here on Skyhigh Island?"

Karel, nervous, looked to the left.

"I'm on a mission for His Majesty. King Xidor wants to establish communication lines with the Avians." He lied. Lying had become so easy for Karel.

"So, you built these stairs with your men?"

Karel removed his armor. He sat down across from Maple, preparing for a long conversation. "Yes, of course. We’re only fulfilling his Majesty’s requests and the Avians’. They funded the project jointly. Our king loves the avians and will visit them soon."

Incredulous, Maple furrowed his brow, "So it was you. Your king is carnivorous. Why would Avians fund such a project? They refuse almost all contact with the outside world."

He knows... He mustn't find out about our plans... Karel thought, sweat dripping from his armpits.

Karel held Maple's threatening gaze and said... " I don't know what you're talking about... The king, carnivore? Never.

Why do you insult our dear king, did you not fight with him at Jericho?"

A decade earlier, the Battle of Jericho marked the Treeman-Appler War. It had resulted in the Arbolarbres’ victory.

It took place in the territory of the former human kingdom’s capital, Jericho.

"That is not the QUESTION!" replied Maple with violence...

Stressed, Karel clutched his armor in his hands." On the contrary! He's grateful for you, you who saved his life. Saving 15 Arbolarbres from 30 Applers isn’t an easy feat."

"Times change my friend, so do kings. Your mission is hiding something sinister..." Maple spat. "The leader you chose may not be the right one. Why did you choose to serve Xidor and not Atord? Why these stairs?"

Karel said in a tone that was meant to be sincere. "Since you are my 

friend, I'll tell you the truth. Xidor is the best king ever. He may see us as pawns, but we’re precious pawns. The prince sees us as

disposable pieces. The king forgave my many mistakes and didn’t judge me for being half Appler,  I never lost my position nor my head, nor my friend. threats

Nor José, Karel thought.

Karel was half Appler, the product of an Arbolarbre mother d an Appler father who had left them at birth. Some people even laughed at his conceited behavior. They said that he was probably the offspring of an Appler noble. This earned him threats  and lynching attempts until Xidor took him under his wing.

Angrily, Maple clicked his teeth together. "Atord would have done the same, and even better. Join me."

Karel answered mockingly. "Pff, your prince is no match for Xidor! If it weren't for Xidor, the Clergy would have hung me.”

"Then why is he lying to you? Why the stairs?"

Karel ranted: "The king does not lie to anyone! He is only misunderstood. These stairs will lead the people to glory and eternal peace. The king will play his role and he will achieve immortality."

"So you know about Xidor and his plans." Maple affirmed.

"Yes, I know...!" replied Karel.

Maple drew his sword from its sheath. "All this time you've been lying to my face. To me, your best friend, you already knew that the king is  carnivore."

Karel recoiled at the sight of the sword. He lost his balance and fell down the steps. He and Maple had fought many times before and Maple had always been the winner. He warned his former companion. "My friend, I only lied to protect you. Stay away from the upcoming conflict and abandon the prince. Even the great Maple of Jericho might not survive.

Maple hesitated to sheath his sword. "A real man doesn't lie to his friends, he tells them the truth no matter what. Return to your king and tell him that I will kill him myself.

Karel got up and put his armor back on. "Too late, the death of the king won’t change anything, Carnivorism will live on. You can kill a man, but not his ideology. The king is only one actor among many…"

Such as the crow wizard.

Maple sheathed his sword. "I let you go in the name of our friendship, but do not count on it. Those days are over. We’ll meet again on the battlefield when the flames of war  will burn."

"Oh, they're already burning in Skyhigh and they'll only grow stronger.  Don't throw yourself into them or you’ll die.".

"What do you mean?" asked Maple.

"For there is civil war, my dear... Farewell..."

***

The captain and his party walked at a brisk pace across the empty lot that separated the Peacock King's citadel from the Old town. In the distance, they saw two Avians camping around a fire.

The blue moon projected a bluish glow on the ground whose rocks had started to dance.

A smell of sautéed mushrooms and rosemary came from the camp.

They entered the camp and saw a toucan-man next to the fire. He was busy frying mushrooms and herbs.

Maple asked him if he had seen any of their kind walking around. The Avian told him about Oak, Jonas and Willow coming to "mess things up" as well as the other two spies.

 "Was one of the spies named Karel?" asked Maple.

The toucan-man replied. "Yes, Karel Candelberry. He fooled the Peacock King, but not us. Oak and Willow let him escape which caused a civil war."

The captain looked around "What civil war?"

"A war that doesn’t concern you... So you know Karel..." remarked the toucan-man.

A worried expression appeared on the captain’s face. "I met Karel before I came here. He is my enemy just like he is yours. So Xidor is planning to slaughter the people of Skyhigh. That's what the stairs were for..."

"The stairs?

"Karel and his men built stairs to reach your city...that's how I got up here."

The toucan replied, "So that was phase 1 of their plan. They were planning to invade us through those stairs."

Maple glanced at the area around him, looking for treemen. "So Oak, Willow and Jonas are really on Xidor's side.” The captain concluded.

"We must stop them or they will join him and will inform him of everything that is going on, where are they?"

"One of them is here, in the old town, in the psychiatric hospital." Replied the toucan.

The toucan pointed to a building in the distance. "The hospital is just to the left of Blues’ tavern. It has a closed door and roof, so patients can't fly away."

Maple immediately turned his back on the Avians. He rushed to the location.

Followed by his men, he crossed the purple marble paved streets of the old city.

Right, No!,  left! Left-right, left-right! Murmured the wind, deceptive.

Maple and his soldiers nearly got lost, baffled by the false directions. But they finally reached the hospital.

***

Maple and his soldiers saw Jonas eating next to some bird near a table. The captain and his lackeys surrounded the injured man.

Jonas tried to get up from his chair. "Maple, what are you doing here? Help me! He wants to kill me!"

 The captain grabbed him by the shoulders and held him in place.

Jonas called out, "Doctors, do something for once!

The captain put his hand on the wounded man’s throat.

He threatened to strangle him. "Come with me, Jonas, or I'll kill you. A real man doesn't eat meat. Oak is not here to save you. Once a carnivore, always a carnivore."

Jonas gasped." Huurh, I.. s..t..a..y..h..e..r..e"

Nobody moved a finger, not even deigning to look at him.

Maple chuckled. "No,  I'm taking you to St. Cèdre.. The prince is waiting for you."

Jonas' face paled. "O.. K….I’m.. C..o..m..i..n..g."

Three soldiers grabbed him by the trunk and lifted him up.

"My back! Don’t hurt me." Gasped Jonas.

They dragged him outside without any care at all.

Maple and the soldiers took the path that led to the camp but they got lost and did not arrive until dusk.

Once they arrived at the vacant lot, they tied Jonas up and brought him to the fire in the center of the camp.

Maple looked into the distance. He recognized a treeman’s silhouette.

The air surrounding the figure seemed to have become electrified, due to the high concentration of magical energy.

"Oak?"