Thebes's hooves banged the forest's bed. The impact agitated Mateo's tummy. He felt the poison swirling like a whirlpool in his belly. It was trapped in his small intestine. Yelling, he grabbed the centaur's shoulder. "Thebes, détente. It hurts."
Embarrassed, Thebes said, "I'm sorry, kid. Let's stop here and rest for thirty minutes." He and Mateo were back in the luminescent section of Paperblank. Aside from the mushrooms, clusters of ferns shimmered just as brightly. The mushrooms' glow touched their green leaves.
Thebes unwrapped his blanket from Mateo. He balled it into a pillow and set it down in front of a log. Afterward, he carefully placed Mateo on the ground. The back of his head touched the blanket.
Mateo whimpered. The pain. He did not want to suffer anymore. Why couldn't his friends just let him die? For the third time since he and Thebes started their journey, he slipped into unconsciousness. He was so still. For a second, Thebes thought he was dead. Thank goodness he wasn't–not yet at least.
Thebes took a moment to look at his belly. He untucked Mateo's shirt from his pants and moved it up to his chest. His injury was one of the worst ones Thebes had ever seen, and he'd seen a lot. The bruising was horrific, as well as the redness and swelling, and now pus gushed out from the cuts where the pebble broke Mateo's skin.
"Oh, Mateo, that's horrible," Thebes whimpered. The tummy injury was ten times worse than the shoulder one. It had obviously not been treated yet. Thebes needed that antidote, and he needed it fast. Mateo was getting weaker by the second. Momentarily, the centaur regretted not letting the humans take him to the hospital. He just wanted to protect him.
Thebes patted his cheek. "I'm not going to let you die. I'm not. Your little girl needs a daddy."
***
Maria returned to Paperblank's inn brokenhearted. She tossed Mateo's bag onto one of the king-sized beds and flopped down on her front. She clutched the silky sheets.
Maria peered up at the picture hanging over the bed's headrest. It depicted a gorgeous view of one of Paperblank's meadows. The trees behind it matched perfectly with the landscape. Maria pictured her and Mateo running through the meadow's different-colored flowers.
Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes. She sat on her heels and lugged Mateo's bag to her. Maria unzipped it. She pulled out his magic rope, some snacks, a few throw-up bags, and his ranger cap. Maria knew he never went anywhere without it and his rope. She dug her hand deep into the bag. Her fingers brushed up against something light–something that felt like paper. It dangled out of Mateo's notebook.
Maria pulled the folded piece of paper out. "Maria," was written on it.
The young woman's body shook. She leaned her back up against her pillows and crossed her legs. The room's AC was running, but she still couldn't help but sweat.
Maria unfolded the note. She had a hard time reading Mateo's messy handwriting, but after a few tries, she succeeded.
Dear Maria,
First, I want to say I'm sorry. I'm sorry I hurt you. We should have never gone to that banquet. I should have known it would be dangerous, given my addiction. I want to make it up to you. I'm not going to leave you without anything for the baby. I can't watch you handle that stress all by yourself. I'm going to send you home with everything you need for her. Please, give her the life I couldn't give her. Even if I stay, she will never love me as much as she'll love you.
Maria, you are the most beautiful and wonderful woman I have ever met. Isabella will know this the second she lays eyes on you. People like me do not deserve such a gorgeous gift.
Take care of Mamá. I've hurt her, too. She's right. I should have paid more attention to you rather than my job. I don't know what it is, but I always feel so confident in nature–as if I myself could one day become Euphorbia. Nature is an extraordinary, magical, and beautiful thing. I hope that you and Isabella will protect it in my footsteps.
I want you to know that even though you won't see me, I'll always be with you. Ever since we were children, I've loved you. I knew you were special the second I helped you with your scraped knee at recess. These past sixteen years have been the most magical ones of my whole life. I just wish I could have treated you better and shared these memories with you.
I love you, Maria. I love you, Mamá, and I'm sorry for everything. I just hope that one day, you will find it in your hearts to forgive me. Be strong. Tell Isabella that Daddy is with her. He's watching her grow up in the clouds. That's all I ask for in return.
Love,
Mateo
"No! No!" Maria cried the hardest she had ever cried in her life. She leaped out of bed. Her bare feet hit the fluffy rug in between the two king beds. She rushed out of the room. "Ben!"
***
Ben and John trained on the outskirts of the village. They had to prepare for their mission to save Mateo. Ben–now dressed in a pair of brown pants, tall boots, and a white, puffy-sleeved shirt with a vest over it–pointed his crossbow at the line of targets in front of him and John. He pulled the trigger.
Intrigued, John watched as the arrow soared through the air (under the canopy) and hit one of the targets dead center.
"Remember to always keep your eye on the prize," Ben instructed.
John nodded. "Got it, but I must ask… Do you seriously think I can shoot a crossbow?"
"You handled a sword no problem on our way to Maglin City," Ben replied. "John, you're a talking bird. You're special."
"Aw, thank you." John seemed to blush. "Do you now admit that I'm Prince of the Cranes?"
"Let's not get too comfortable," Ben joked. "Here, try it."
John lifted his foot. His claws took the crossbow out of Ben's grasp. He opened his wings. He flapped his right one just fine, but his left one was still sore. John endured the pain. He was no chick.
Next to him, Ben crossed his arms and tapped his foot.
John pointed the crossbow at a target on the very end of the line. He inhaled and exhaled; inhaled and exhaled. All right, he was ready. He let the arrow go. It wasn't a bullseye like Ben, but it was close enough.
"Huh," Ben said, "not bad… for a bird."
"Ben, please, we fought in the Battle of Pinta Mountain together. Remember?" John confidently said.
Ben thumped him on the back. "Once a showoff is always a showoff."
"Your Majesty!" Maria's choked voice interrupted the training.
John landed. He and Ben glanced at her.
"Maria?" Ben wondered.
She threw her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. She cried up a storm.
Surprised, Ben held his arms out to his sides. The last time he saw Maria, she marched away from him after their argument.
"Ma-Mateo," she sobbed.
"What about Mateo?" Ben inquired.
Maria pushed off his chest. She set the note down in his palm. "Ben, please, I can't lose him. I can't." She next hugged John.
Ben read the note. His deep brown eyes widened. His face changed from curious to grim. "Where did you find this?" he asked Maria.
"At the bottom of his backpack," she whimpered.
John tilted his head. "What is it?"
Ben handed him the paper. John turned Maria back over to him so he could read it. Ben held her close.
Maria frightfully shook her head. "Mateo's my past, present, and future. I love him. Please, Ben. Please."
Ben turned on a determined face. "We're not going to let him follow through with this, Maria. I promise."
After reading the note, John crumpled it up. It was strange to see him angry, but he was. Although, the worry in his face was just as noticeable. "I did not realize his mental health is this bad. We need to find him. Now."
"But how?" Maria cried out. "We have no way of knowing where Thebes went."
Ben let her go. He clamped her shoulders. "Actually, we may. Are you forgetting that there are two Pebble Masters, Maria?"
***
"Hey. What are you guys doing here?" Evie asked. She, Emrys, Tate, Amanda, and Ashlynn were enjoying a nice, hot breakfast after two extremely stressful days. Ms. Julie was the new Mr. Mateo. She sat at the table with the children.
Ben took Evie's shoulder. "Evie, we think we may know how to find Mateo." He pointed at her pocket. "By using Euphorbia's pebble."
Evie slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out the pebble.
Ms. Julie, Ashlynn, Emrys, Tate, and Amanda were curious about Ben's plan. They opened some spots for him and Maria, in case they wanted to sit down.
"So, what's your plan?" Ashlynn excitedly asked. She rubbed her sweaty hands together.
Ben scratched his beardless chin. "Well, it starts with the basilisk. It can only focus on one thing at a time, and its weakness is light. Besides, I think it and Euphorbia have known each other for a long time."
"Ooh! Ooh!" Ashlynn leaped to her feet. She slammed her palms on the table. "Does this mean we're finally going to go on a real ranger mission? Please say yes! I've already started working on my ranger pose." She batted her chest and yelped like Tarzan.
"Actually, Ashlynn…" Ben said. "I'm sorry, but I think for this particular mission, we need Evie a bit more. She's Mateo's cousin and the other Pebble Master. I think that only a few of us should apprehend the basilisk. Too many may overwhelm it."
"Aw, shucks." Ashlynn plopped back into her seat. She crossed her arms and huffed.
Ben next looked at Ms. Julie. "Ms. Julie, is it okay if we steal Evie for a little while? We'll take care of her."
She nodded. "You don't need to ask, Your Highness. Evie's a Pebble Master. Just get Mateo back here safely. The Union cannot afford to lose a great ranger like him. We just can't." It was strange, but Ms. Julie almost looked like she was about to cry. To keep her emotions under control, she took a deep breath.
Evie honestly felt bad for her. Reaching out, she patted Ms. Julie's hand. "We will, Ms. Julie. We're not going to let Mateo die." She finished her scrambled eggs quickly. Evie stood up. She waved goodbye to her friends.
They waved back. "Just be careful," Ashlynn begged. "We'll be here when you return."
Ms. Julie chimed in. "I'll let your parents know where you are. You're with the king, so you're in good hands."
"Thanks, Ms. Julie," Evie said with a small nod. She felt Ben take her shoulder. Evie looked up at him. "Well, are we ready?"
"We are," he replied.
Ben, Evie, Maria, and John left the village in silence. Ben, Maria, and John were still disturbed by Mateo's note. Evie was too young to understand what he was talking about. Ben tightened his grip on Joey's bridle. Currently, he wasn't riding him. He, Maria, and John stood in a line. All three friends had their heads lowered.
Evie recalled what Sam did to find Euphorbia's tree. She dragged the pebble out of the small bag she wore over her shoulder and held it in her palm. "Please tell us where we can find Mateo."
As if it heard her, the pebble shimmered. To Evie's surprise, it floated out of her hand. The pebble stood on midair, its rounded bottom acting like legs. It shifted its body in each compass direction, as it tried to come up with a final decision. Eventually, the pebble picked up on not only Mateo's aura, but also Sam and Euphorbia's. It swirled like it was excited and zoomed forward on the path.
Evie pointed at a grove of trees in front of her friends where the pebble was headed. "There!"
John, Maria, and Ben nodded. Wow, Evie was incredible. It was amazing what a Pebble Master could do. She definitely had the heart of a Pinta Park Ranger.
Ben let Maria ride on Joey. She was tired. He could not let her strain herself. He would never forgive himself if he ended up hurting a pregnant woman.
The three friends let Evie lead the way. The pebble glowed brighter and brighter. "Huh, strange," Evie admitted. She looked over her shoulder at her friends. "The pebble's saying that not only is Mateo close by, but also Sam and Euphorbia."
"What about the basilisk?" Maria inquired.
"Maria, I think they're at the basilisk's den."
"Oh, fun," John mumbled. For once, could he and his friends not have to fight against the basilisk? His dark eyes rolled down to his injured wing.
Ben gathered his friends together. He picked up a stick and kneeled to a flat section of the path. The young king brushed a few ants aside. He started to draw in the dirt. "All right, so here's the plan."
***
Thebes made it to the basilisk's den relatively quickly. He searched the area, seeing that it was empty. He then caught a glimpse of the serpent's body blended in with the mouth of its cave. He smirked. "There you are." Thebes was going to catch it off guard.
He took Mateo over to the ferns Sam hid in earlier. He would be safe there, at least until Thebes got the antidote. The ferns would protect him from the monster. While Mateo had woken up, he was so, so weak.
"Where are we?" he said. He wrapped his fingers around Thebes's large, beefy hand.
"We're at the site of the antidote," the centaur replied. "I'm going to go in and get it. In the meantime, I want you to stay here."
Mateo punched Thebes's palm. "But I don't want an antidote. How many times do I have to tell you? Just let me die."
"Forget it, Mateo. I'm not going to let you." Thebes removed his hand from the young man's. He pulled his two swords off his back. "This basilisk is going to pay."
Mateo understood his message. He now knew where he and Thebes were… at the basilisk's home. "Don't kill it!" his hoarse voice begged. The basilisk may have been evil, but it was still a piece of nature.
Thebes backed away from him. "I'm sorry, but it's the only way I'm going to save you."
"Thebes, stop!" Mateo pushed himself to his hands and knees. He reached for him, but he collapsed onto his front. A few sparkles appeared over his right hand. The ring Euphorbia gave him appeared. It slipped itself onto Mateo's right ring finger.
He gripped the dirt. At the sight of the jewelry, a question mark seemed to appear over his head. What on Earth? That ring appeared from out of nowhere. What was it? Something strange was happening here, and Mateo didn't know what. All he knew was that he had to stop Thebes before it was too late. A Pinta Park Ranger never let anybody kill a piece of nature, no matter how evil. It was against their morals. A Pinta Park Ranger relied on nature to save nature. This was Mateo's–no, this was Ranger Anthony's–chance to die honorably.