"Where are we going?" Gilbert asked.
"Just wait. You will know soon. We are almost there," Dyna responded.
They were both in the denser part of the jungles. They had been moving on their horses for hours.
Dyna suddenly halted her horse as she spotted something. "We are here," she said.
Gilbert stopped his horse as well. "Where?" he reacted as he could see nothing special. They were still in the dense jungles with only greenery around.
"Look there." Dyna signaled to a banyan tree. "What is that tree?"
"That is a banyan tree," Gilbert responded. "What about it?"
"Do you see a second one around?"
The old man looked around and realized it was the only banyan tree around them. "No." He wondered if there was something special about it.
Dyna stepped down from her horse and walked to the banyan tree. She touched the trunk and closed her eyes. "Koo! Koo!" She suddenly made the sound of a cuckoo bird.
Gilbert was watching her. There were no strange happenings anywhere around him. Dyna waited for a while, her hand still touching the banyan tree.
"I think it did not work," Gilbert commented.
"No, it did," she said. "Look behind you."
"Huh?" The old man turned and saw a giant naked man wearing a skull mask. His whole body was painted in a dark blue colour. "What the hell?" He jumped away in reflex. He could not comprehend how this giant man sneaked behind him.
Dyna walked to the man. "I want to meet your chief. I am Dyna, daughter of Kanga of the Sun tribe."
The strange man noticed the crown she was wearing. He stood there for a while and suddenly started making peacock noises.
Gibert was surprised to see there were men hiding atop every tree when they revealed themselves. "They are good at concealing their presence."
"It is the speciality of this clan," Dyna told him.
The man then signaled for them to follow him.
"I hope he is taking us to his chief," Gilbert said.
"Do not worry. Only some handful of the people they trust know where and how to contact them. So, we are good here," Dyna said.
***
"How was your meeting with your brother, my prince?" Kyte asked Colt.
"It was great," Colt said. "I have never been so happy seeing him."
Kyte was escorting the prince to his tent. "Happy or relieved?" he asked.
Colt scratched his head. "Both, I guess." He took a pause and looked at Kyte. "By the way, thank you for saving me."
Kyte bowed. "It was my duty, my prince. I have pledged my life to protect my kingdom. Saving your life was just fulfilling my pledge."
Colt smiled. "You are a great soldier, Kyte."
"I am delighted by your kind words, my prince. I will do my best to serve you after Prince Rozerd," Kyte smiled.
"Of course, my brother comes first. You are under his command. If only I had a man like you." Colt's cheered face tensed up a bit. "I wonder if Gilbert is okay."
"He will be okay, my prince," Kyte said. "I have seen many strong men, but he is of a different build. Just like he has survived countless battles, he will survive this as well."
Colt nodded and smiled again. "Yeah, he will survive."
"Oye, I am not your property. Why are you keeping me here? I have told you what I knew. I am no use to you now." They suddenly heard some noises.
Colt turned in the direction the noise was coming from. "What is happening?" he wondered. "Wait, that man…" He saw a familiar man arguing with the guard at the entrance of the place. It was Logan who had sold him to the governor.
Kyte was facepalmed. "Not him again."
"What is he doing here?" Colt asked.
"It is a long story, my prince," Kyte replied. He then told the prince whatever had happened during his search. How Varius used Logan and Sango to reach the castle, and how they brought them here.
"Ah, I see," Colt reacted. "What a turn of fate. Is that poor man here as well?"
"Yes, my prince."
"Ah, there he is." Colt spotted Sango as well. The man was heading towards Logan, as he was also about to argue with the guard at the entrance.
"Where are you going, my prince?" Kyte reacted when he saw Colt heading towards the entrance as well. "I will handle them. You should rest."
Colt did not respond and just went ahead towards Logan.
"Oye, why can not you let me go if you have no need of me?" Logan said to the guard.
"If we have no need of you, we can get rid of you," Colt said when he arrived.
Logan turned as he found the voice familiar, and he pissed in his pants when he saw Prince Colt. "Mmmm-my… ppp-prince?"
Colt pulled out his sword. "Yes."
Logan dropped to his knees and dropped his head to the ground when he saw the blade. "I-I-I apologize, my prince. I was at fault! Please, forgive me! Have mercy!"
"No," Colt said, coldly.
Logan understood he would have to do something or he would lose his head for sure. He leapt ahead and grabbed the feet of Prince Colt. Kyte was about to unsheathe his sword for him getting so close to the prince, but Colt signaled him to stop.
"My prince, I beg you. I will be your slave for the rest of my life. Just spare it," Logan pleaded.
Colt nodded slowly and sheathed his sword. "Alright. I spare your life. Stand up."
The face of Logan lightened up when he heard it. "Thank you, my prince." He bowed after he stood up.
Colt looked around to find Sango and found the man already prostrating. "You get up as well. I forgive you too," he said.
"Thank you, my prince." Sango stood up and bowed as well.
"I will do anything for you, my prince. Just say it," Logan said.
"Yes, my prince," Sango added.
"Just like you have promised, you will serve me for the rest of your days. That will be your punishment," Colt said. "No orders must be questioned. No ifs and buts. Just hear and obey."
Both looked at each other and bowed. "As you order, my prince. We will serve you with the best of our abilities," they said in unison.
Colt looked at Kyte with a smile. Kyte knew the prince was never going to kill them. It was just an act to get these men under his command.
***
Gilbert and Dyna faced a huge throne made of wood, but there was no one sitting on it.
"I guess the chief is not here," Gilbert said. "Did we arrive at the wrong time?"
"No, he is here," Dyna said. "He is just hiding."
"Why is the chief hiding?" wondered Gilbert as he found it weird for a tribal leader to hide in his own tribe.
Dyna did not respond to him and said in a loud voice, "You can come out, chief! Stop hiding behind that throne!"
"As brilliant as always, Lady Dyna. Alright. I will come out."