BEYOND

Beyond: Borders (PART II)

“Oh ghad, please don’t kill me” she whimpered.

“Can you walk? You have to get out of here” a soft childish voice said.

Tamashi opened her eyes and saw a face that was so familiar that made her jaw drop and her eyes wide open. There was a younger and smaller version of her friend Ray. He had the same curly dark hair, blue eyes and fair skin. But compared to Ray, he looked so innocent and sweet. For a moment, Tamashi forgot that she was in danger of being killed by armed men from another dimension.

“You have to leave now” he said then glanced at his back. “They’re coming. You need to hide”

“W-What?”

He quickly threw a cloth over her. Afterwards, he got up and faced the soldiers who just arrived. When Tamashi saw their figures through the sheet that turned out to a camouflage, she fell silent. Her heart raced even faster that she could hear her own heartbeat and breathing.

“Young man, what are you standing there at this hour?” one of the soldier said to Ray’s look-a-like.

“U-Um…” Ray the second said then coughed. “S-Star gazing, sir”

“Star gazing? Son, you should know better than to lie to us”

“I’m not lying, sir. I’m quite fascinated with the stars. I’ve heard that they can guide you. The stars are high tonight so it’s the perfect time to gaze at them. Sir”

The soldiers look at him suspiciously for a second before their captain gestured the others to leave. Their captain took another glance at the guy.

“Alright son, but it’s already late and as the King ordered, there will be no wandering around late at night without a level eight reason”

“Yes sir”

“Then you should know that you have to return soon”

“I will sir”

The captain began marching back to his post. Tamashi’s heartbeat calmed down slowly seeing that and the guy in front of him took a deep breathe. When the soldier’s shadow was gone, Ray’s look-a-like turned around and took the cloth off of her.

“Can you stand?” he said as he knelt down, leveling her.

His eyes seemed sparkling in Tamashi’s perspective. He looked so concerned for her that it almost creeped her out since he looked so much like her close friend who is always goofy looking.

“Umm… hi?” he said.

“Oh hi. Y-Yeah. I can stand” Tamashi said.

He offered his hand and after thinking twice, she took it then he helped her up. He folded the cloth and put it in his satchel. Now that they were both standing, she noticed that they were practically the same height, making him look adorable somehow. He was wearing blue cotehardie, black cowl, black hose, dark brown knee length boots, and a black belt.

“T-Thanks for helping me” Tamashi said.

“You’re welcome. May I ask, are you from the village of the other side?”

“…not really”

“But your clothing…” he said gesturing to her clothes and she looked at herself.

“Right. Um… I’m not from there but… one of the men there found me and I was in a bad… situation so he helped me out and gave me new clothes to wear”

“So if you’re not from there, are you a runaway?”

“Runaway? Fr-From where?”

“The citadel”

Citadel? Ci-Citadel? What is a citadel again? She asked herself.

Her confused look gave her away.

“You do know the citadel, right? The wall? The fortress”

“Oh. Right. No. No, I’m not from there”

“So where are you from then? The northern island?”

“Um… also no”

Their conversation was interrupted when they heard noises coming from the soldier’s post. So he took her hand and started running. For a short guy, he was surprisingly strong enough to pull her. He led Tamashi to the side of the wall and then looked around the area, checking for guards. When he saw they were safe, he let go of her hand then began feeling the wall that she found very odd. After a few seconds, Tamashi noticed he was able to slightly push a brick and that opened a path.

A secret door! She cried in excitement in her mind.

“Follow me” he whispered, walking inside.

When they were both inside, he pressed the same brick from the other side and that made the door close.

Tamashi looked around and she was in awe. It was very different from Hal’s village. There were more houses and they were mostly made from bricks. There were arches and pointed roofs and actual windows. The town was lit by street lamps but it wasn’t lit by electricity, rather by fire. The guards would light them up when the sun had set.

The secret door brought them to an alley where Tamashi was able to get a glance of the castle she assumed where the descendant of the ambitious king reside. She stared at it for a minute before the young man pulled her again.

“Keep quiet and stay close” he whispered to her, leading the way to the town.

As they made their way, they would hide behind a house each time the young lad would spot a guard patrolling the area. After a few minutes of sneaking around, he took her inside a small house behind the village chapel.

“You’ll be safe here” he said as he put his satchel on the table.

There was rectangular wooden table, positioned vertically facing the door, at the center of the room good for two people, a tall book shelf at left side of the entrance and coat rack at the right side. Beside the coat rack, there was a trunk. Behind the table, there was another shelf for his culinary supplies. At the northeast corner, there was a carefully stack of firewood and at its right side, there was a fireplace. There was another room to the northwest side. It was a singles bedroom where the bed was at the northeast corner. From the entry way, you could see windows left and right. Beside the bed there was a night stand and at the other side of the left window was a closet. While beside the foot of the bed, there was a study table where a stack of books were lying and papers were scattered, most likely were notes.

“I’ll find you something to wear for you to look less conspicuous” he said and headed to his bedroom.

As he was rummaging in his closet, Tamashi scanned his book collection. She noticed they were focus on the fields of history, politics and economics.

That’s odd. From what Esme told me, I doubt people from the king’s ruling would voluntarily study these things. She said to herself. If he were from my world, I would think he would be a law student.

“Here, these are the only clothing I could find that is possible for you to wear” he said handing her his clothes. “You can change in the other room. There might not be a door, but the blinds are closed I promise I will not peek”

Tamashi gave him a suspicious look right before she took possession of his clothing. She marched to her quarters and laid out the change of clothes on the bed as she undress herself. She changed into a white chemise, black jerkin, a brown belt around her waist and dark blue trousers. She still wore the same boots though. It was fortunate coincidence that they had the same size. When she noticed a ribbon on the table, she decided to tie her hair. She was able to ponytail her hair sideways, low left side.

This seems like déjà vu. She stated in her head.

“Where do I put these?” she asked him when she stepped out, referring to her clothes.

“Oh, I can hide them in my closet for the mean time” he said and took them off her hand then neatly put the away.

“So…” she said playfully stretching her arms. “…what now?”

“Huh?”

“Are you finally going to tell me your name and is that confidential or something?”

“Oh right. I apologize. I’m Luca”

“Hi Luca. My name is Tamashi”

“Tama…shi? That’s a strange name”

“So people keeps telling me” she said, sounding a bit bored after hearing that usual response.

“It’s a clear sign that you’re not from around here”

“Yeah. I’m from… far, far, far away. You’ve probably never even heard of that place” she said with full of confidence. “Anyway, Luca, what’s with all these books?”

Luca’s eyes widened from her question. He looked away that made Tamashi think that he was hiding something. She stared at him, trying to intimidate him into talking. Unfortunately, despite his cold sweats, he still dodged the question. He coughed before speaking.

“T-Those are just… collections. That’s all” he answered smiling and she looked at him with disbelief.

Luca turned around and started making dinner for the two of them while Tamashi, sitting there with her chin on her closed fist hands rested on the table, was just watching him intently. It was absolutely bothering him and he was trying his best to ignore it. Still, she couldn’t help but pay close attention to him. Other than the fact that he resembled her close friend, something was also off about him.

When their meal was ready, the two ate quietly. The only sound they could hear was the cracking of the firewood as it burns.

The silence wasn’t contained in the house but also outside. The peacefulness of the town gave Tamashi the feeling that inside these walls, no war existed. Not for the people living there. Unlike with Esme and Hal’s village. The village itself was scared and the hearts of the villagers were grieving. The difference of the two was crystal clear even in this dark night.

Dinner was over and Luca offered his bed to Tamashi.

“Where would you sleep?” she asked with concern.

“I could push the table to make room beside the fireplace to keep me warm. Don’t worry about me. I’m a guy after all” he said smiling.

Tamashi was hesitant but there seemed to be no changing his mind so she surrendered. She laid down and covered herself with the blanket. Compared to Hal’s fur rug, it was obviously much more comfortable.

And then she remembered: Is Hal looking for me?

Before she ran off on her own, they were together. Was it possible that he was still out there searching for her? Or has he returned to the village? Esme could be worried about her if she wasn’t back by morning.

But was it even possible to get out of this citadel?

It was still in the middle of the night when Luca got up. He silently checked on the sleeping Tamashi before exiting his home with his satchel in his hand. He grabbed his cloak before closing the door gently. When he was finally outside, Luca headed to the chapel from the back entrance.

The chapel was empty. From the back, Luca looked up at the tall roof. The soft light coming from the moon was able to breech through the windows of the silent chapel. This righteous building has been abandoned after the new church was constructed in the middle of the town. It was once so majestic despite its small structure. It seemed like a miniature castle to the children who resided in these land before being absorbed by the king’s territory. Luca glanced the worn down walls and rusting metal works that created the twin doors.

Luca let out a long sigh before making its way across the hall, towards a room behind the altar. There were a few steps downwards heading to a door. He gently pushed it open and it revealed a small circular space that was used for the priest long ago to prepare. At the center, there was a dusty rug. Luca knelt down and rolled it over. There, carved on the stoned floor was an unusual symbol. It was a ray fish with unique figures on it while other sea creatures surrounded it. He softly brush his hand over it then softly pressed the center of the ray fish, opening the floor, splitting the symbol in half.

When the floor split open, Luca was unfazed as if he was expecting this to happen. He went inside, descending using a spiral staircase. Where it led was the question.

As morning came, Tamashi woke up only to find Luca was gone. She frantically went outside and there she saw Luca approaching who was surprise to see her worried face greeting him.

“Oh, you’re up” he said casually. “Good morning” and smiled.

“I… thought…” she said then sighed. “… Never mind. Morning to you too” she smiled back at him.

“Do you want breakfast?” he said as he walked inside and Tamashi followed him.

While Luca was breaking breakfast, Tamashi decided to bring up what she was worrying about last night.

“Hey Luca, is it possible to get out of here?”

“Get out?”

“You see, the people who helped me out from the other village might be looking for me… they might be worried about me disappearing. I need to get back to them”

“Oh. I apologize but I don’t think that’s possible at the moment”

“Why is that? Can’t we get out the same way we got in?”

“Not right now. If you go the village, you will notice that the soldiers have increase and they are more wary of people walking around at night. It seems the king is plotting something and will execute his plans soon that’s why the place is heavily guarded. More than before. You’ll get caught if you attempt to leave. And given you have no proper identification, you’ll be sent to prison or worse, death. If you fear for your life, I suggest you don’t try leaving”

Tamashi bit her lip in frustration.

After their meal, Tamashi sat outside of Luca’s house looking out the village. It was really peaceful there. The breeze was so much more cooler and relaxing. She could hear the bustling of the people in the village who were living their lives peacefully. It was only then she realize that during this time, the battle was waging on but she couldn’t hear the sounds of the canon or gun fire. Was it because the people were too loud?

Tamashi got up and look further out of the horizon. After squinting her eyes repeatedly, she saw that there was an outer wall where figures of the soldier were busy. She closed her eyes for a second and intently listen to all the noise. Concentrating, she could hear the sound of the battle outside. When she opened her eyes again, she felt her chest ache.

“The war is ongoing and yet… it’s still so peaceful here… Esme… Hal… I hope you’re all safe” she whispered to herself.

And like Luca said, it proved difficult to leave. Tamashi tried walking around the town and she did noticed how every day the number of soldiers increased. She also tried walking around at night and there was a time she was almost caught if it weren’t for Luca from whom she got an earful when they got back. She also noticed every night Luca was busy reading, or more like studying. During the morning, Luca would sometimes be missing early in the morning and the rest of the day he would be out at the back sharpening some sort of blade. This was one of those mornings.

Tamashi approached him and saw he was making a bow and arrows.

“Wow! That’s amazing!” she said enthusiastically. “I didn’t know you know how to handle sharp objects”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Luca said glaring at her.

“It’s just, you look such a fragile boy who cooks and reads a lot” Tamashi said smiling unapologetically.

“Boy? Really? Boy?”

After days of living together, Tamashi got used to Luca’s presence and could freely tease him. It felt so much better for her since she could treat him the same way she treats Ray. And it was much easier to make fun of him because he wasn’t taller than her. He was like a little brother she never had.

“Hey Luca, do you know how to shoot those?” Tamashi said, crouching down and ignoring the fact Luca was annoyed with her.

Luca just finished making another batch of arrows. He looked at her and saw her eyes were sparkling with interest.

“Do you want me to show you?” he asked.

Tamashi nodded gleefully. Luca smiled and got up. Facing a tree, an estimate of forty meters away, Luca loaded an arrow on his bow and took his stance. His right arm rose with his right hand holding the end of the arrow with the string pulled back, his left arm straightened and his hand holding the bow. His right thumb touching his mouth and left eye closed. His arm shook for a few seconds and after taking a deep breathe, he released the arrow and it pierced the tree. Tamashi applaud.

“That was amazing!” she exclaimed.

“Do you want to try it?” he asked and handed her the bow.

Worried she might make a fool of herself, she hesitated to take it but Luca smiled and placed the bow on her hand.

“Just try it” he said smiling.

Tamashi gulped and took her position. She grabbed an arrow from the quiver on the ground. She loaded the arrow like Luca and pulled the string back. Her arms trembled more than Luca’s did. The longer she had it up, the more it shook.

How did he do this? She asked herself, feeling her arms getting tired.

With her left eye closed, she aimed at the tree. Taking a deep breathe, she tried to steady her arms. And after a few seconds, she released the arrow but it pathetically missed the tree and landed on the ground.

She heard a chuckle and glared at Luca.

“I’m sorry. Don’t worry, with practice, you’ll get there” Luca said, sounding half mockingly.

Tamashi pouted and grabbed another arrow. She felt so determined to show Luca she can do it. She spent the whole afternoon practicing. When night came, she was able to pierce the tree. She jumped up and down excitedly for her accomplishment but then she felt her fingers hurt. She looked at them and they were red and one was even bleeding.

“I guess I did too much” she said to herself.

Despite her bleeding fingers, she felt fulfilled. She never felt this excited for a simple accomplishment.

For the following days, Tamashi continued practicing and every now and then Luca would watch her. She was so focused that she almost forgot her first desire to get out. This gave Luca a sense of relief because she would stay out of trouble. And while Tamashi was busy with archery, he would sneak into the abandoned chapel and to the secret passage without Tamashi raising any questions as to where he’s been.

After a couple of days, Tamashi was getting use to shooting and was even getting better. She decided to try different things like firing from a further distance and smaller targets. Then she tried aiming for moving objects such as birds. When she got used to that, she asked Luca to teach her how to make her own bow and arrows.

“You want your own?” he asked curiously.

“Yeah. Somehow I feel I’ll get better if it was something I really own and made” she said while staring at Luca’s bow.

Luca pondered over for a while before agreeing.

“Great! Oh can we use materials that have better durability?” she said and smiled.

Luca eyed her knowing it was going to cost him. He took her to the market to ask around. After finding a material Tamashi was satisfied, Luca’s heart sank when he heard the prices. Luckily some of the things they can use can be manually found in the forest inside the fortress.

After gathering all the materials, Luca taught Tamashi how to make a bow. She was happily working on it while he watched her. It didn’t take long when Luca left her to work on it on her own while he made them dinner. By the next day, Tamashi finished it.

She tested it and was satisfied on how it turned out. It had more power and felt stronger. She pulled another arrow and as she was aiming, Luca arrived. He watched as she calmly released the arrow but laughed when he saw she missed the tree where their arrows were still pierced.

“And here I thought you already improved” he said that confused Tamashi.

“What are you talking about?”

“You missed the tree, clumsy” he said proudly.

“The tree? But I wasn’t aiming at it”

“Huh? Then what were you aiming at?”

Tamashi pointed at the direction the arrow went and Luca hurriedly walked to her side and looked at what she was pointing at. His eyes widen and his jaw almost dropped when he saw a wooden target hung at another tree further away. About a hundred and eighty meters away. If he wasn’t impress enough, he squinted his eyes and saw she hit a bull eye.

Y-You’ve got to be… kidding me… he said to himself.

“H-How… how did you improve that much?” he asked and she just shrugged her shoulders.

“I spend so much time practicing that I didn’t noticed I got so used to this” she said and smiled.

She was proud of herself but she even prouder that she made Luca’s eye widen.

That night as Tamashi was trying to sleep, she heard Luca getting up. Luca thought Tamashi was already asleep and so he was making his usual trip to the chapel. She was curious as to what he was up to, and that night, she decided to follow him. But as she was about to walk out the house, she stumbled on Luca’s bag. Paranoid, she quickly returned the papers inside when she found a picture. It wasn’t like the pictures from her home, it was more like a sketch.

She went to the fireplace and stared at it some more. It was a picture of two boys. One was taller and had long hair that tied back and the other was shorter. And shorter one looked so familiar. The closer she looked at it, the more familiar he seemed. And that’s when she realized, it was Luca. A younger version of Luca.

“But who’s the other boy?” she mumbled.

The two resembled each other so much that led her to think that they might be siblings. And then she noticed their clothing. It wasn’t like any she’s seen so far but it did look as if she saw them from a book somewhere. And then she saw that the two were wearing a crown. That’s when she remembered, those clothes are the ones royalties wear.

“Luca’s a prince?” she said.

She heard the door open and saw a sweaty and out of breathe Luca standing behind her. He must have returned when he remembered he left his bag. Luca’s eye widen when he saw what Tamashi had in her hand.

TO BE CONTINUED...