Demon From Heaven

Chapter 9

JUDE'S POV

The man was getting close to where I was and I had a clearer view of him. Could this be Sevilla or is my mind playing tricks on me? Sevilla was my childhood friend when I was still very little. His parents had taken him to a different country and since then, I never set my eyes on him.

As he got closer, I concluded that he was surely the one. "Judo!!" It's been a while someone called me that, that was his own way of calling me. I beamed with smiles as he stopped beside me and we exchanged pleasantries.

"Aye.. been a while man, where have you been?!" I was jumping from one end of the tree to the other, it was such good news to finally see him after what seemed like ages. I was more happy and fulfilled because I finally found someone who would accompany me to the palace to prove the maiden's innocence.

"Yes, it's been a while. I sure knew my eyes weren't playing tricks on me when I sighted you from that distance. You haven't changed, hahahaha." He was right! My body shape has always been the same right from childhood. The only thing increasing in my stature was my height. I was on a mission and despite all odds, I didn't want to be distracted in any way, so I quickly changed the topic.

"I'm in search of a maiden who was probably wrongly accused of murder. Something in me tells me that she is innocent." I began, now on my feet. His expression remained the same and I became more worried. Wasn't he interested in what I was saying? Why is he looking so uninterested? My curiosity piqued and I stared at him in disbelief.

After what seemed like ages, he finally cleared his throat. "You mean Merida? Yes, I was on my way to the palace when I saw you so I decided it would be a lot better if we went there together." A great feeling of relief engulfed me and I became very happy that we were fighting for the same cause.

We began the journey, traveling from hut to hut, while resting in a closeby cave when it was nighttime. We soon got to a river which was leading to the other side of the forest.

One evening, while we sat down by the damp light of a campfire, Sevilla turned to me in an unusual manner, his eyes engulfed with fatigue and disappointment. "Do you think we're going to get to the palace on time before Merida's execution?" His question brought me to a more confused state and I pondered on what he just asked before replying.

"I sure know we are fighting for a just cause and the goddess will lead us there safely and on time. We just have to be determined, she is not going to die!" I concluded, sounding convinced and determined to go any miles just to achieve justice.

He smiled, his expression warm and soothing.

"You are right, I also believe we'll see to the end of this soon!" His reassuring words lifted my spirits, I admired his positivity and eagerness towards doing the right things.

Our journey took us through noisy and busy marketplaces, and other busy places where merchants distributed and exchanged their commodities and quarreled over prices. Each passing day brought us closer to the palace and I anticipated the vindication of the innocent maiden, Merida.

One day, as we were traveling through the busy roads, Sevilla stopped, screaming out in pain while holding his stomach with his hands. Calling out my name, he dropped on the floor and stopped moving. I ran quickly to the market to gather the attention of people who left their businesses behind to save a life.

An experienced woman made her way to the front, bent over and thumped his chest to resuscitate him. After some time, Sevilla was back to life and I hopped happily, thanking the woman for her help.

"Cecilia is responsible for the murder, go now and save the innocent maiden." Saying these words, she vanished into thin air, her voice echoing as she left.

I was left in a state of total confusion and worry after she had said something about Cecilia. I never believed someone like Cecilia would be so heartless as to murdering her own brother. Cecilia was my friend also, we grew up together before they relocated to another city.

I was so heartbroken and angry at the same time finding out that Cecilia of all people was responsible for her brother's murder, meanwhile an innocent person was being accused wrongly. My expression changed, I wasn't in the mood for anything at that point, what mattered was just to expose the culprits and prevent the angry villagers from executing the wrong person.

"What happened to me? Why am I on the floor?" Sevilla queried, now standing up. He had been unconscious for quite a long while before the mysterious woman saved him. He surely slumped as a result of the excessive stress and trekking as we journeyed to the palace. I didn't want him to get worried and start over thinking so I lied to him, "It's nothing serious, I erroneously knocked you down when we were walking and you fell down slightly. I guess you have been sleeping here all these while as a result of fatigue." He nodded, still screaming in pain.

"My head hurts, I need to rest." He cried and I alerted a group of people to assist me in looking after him while I went in search of a resting place. Fortunately, I discovered a new cave in which no one had ever lived, it was situated on the shores of the riverbank. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, to the roadside, and carried him into the cave with the help of a group of hefty men.

*******************

The next day, Sevilla woke up giggling and beaming with smiles. That was so unusual of him, he woke up and just began to smile. Something was surely amiss. I was wrong! He was smiling because he had a dream where a strange face told him that our journey to the palace was going to be victorious.

Telling me about the dream, he continued to smile and jump in happiness, "I suggest we continue our journey now. I'm much better!" He announced, and we arranged our light luggage in preparation for the journey.

"Sure, now I'm more than convinced that we are going to be victorious in this fight." I assured him, patting him slightly at the back. I could see the dream becoming reality before my eyes, each detail lingered in my mind.

We continued our journey to the palace, touring the busy roads and streets. The noise from the busy roads and the nearby marketplace greeted us as we got closer to the palace gates.

I glanced at Sevilla, who was now showing signs of exhaustion. I was also tired of the journey but I had to remain strong and determined for the sake of Merida.

"Tired right?" I asked him, still observing his expression. He let out a faint smile and dabbed his sweaty face with the edge of his clothes.

"Yes I am, but we have to achieve our aim no matter what." I could sense determination and courage in his voice as he said those words, it was indeed a privilege to have him with me, he has been a great help to me since our paths crossed.

We soon got to another forest with people living in caves and small huts. Getting there, a group of people stopped us and accused us of being accomplices, just like I had been accused before.

"Yes. They sure know her, we must take them to the palace too." A man with large opaque eyes, who seemed to be their master, said, pointing towards me. Then they rushed at us, hitting us endlessly with their fists while leading us to the palace."

" We are not who you think we are, we don't even know who you are talking about." Sevilla lied, now groaning in pain. "He's right, we don't know her! We are just missionaries who are traveling to different remote villages for sight-seeing." I supported, my face welling up in tears. His countenance changed, as if signaling to the rest to let us go.

"Leave them." He announced and immediately, the people released us, giving us a stern warning never to cross that path again.

It was a breathtaking experience for us and I got sick of every passing minute.

We then continued our journey to the palace, we were just a few kilometers away from its gates.

Finally getting there, we saw the villagers trying to throw Merida into a deep pit and I caught sight of Cecilia who was the mastermind planner. I ignored her and ran to the center of the palace compound. Getting to the spot, I shouted, "Stop! She is innocent!