WALKÜREN - THE THREE MARIES Chapter Forty-Four

 WALKÜREN - THE THREE MARIES

Chapter Forty-Four

Juvêncio was a little disconcerted... after walking so much, they ended up at a dead end... after walking for hours through the prairie... which shouldn't exist, since they were in the heart of the earth... they found a sequence of tunnels and after much searching, they discovered some footprints in one of the entrances and entered it. And, when they reached the other side... nothing, simply nothing was in front of them... just emptiness. At the end of the walk through the chosen tunnel, the two almost fell into the abyss... as the trail they followed ended abruptly...

Luckily the end of the trail was in a well-lit place and the two realized the danger in time. One more step they took... between them and the other side of the abyss they found there was a distance of about two meters, more or less. And the field full of trees began just a few meters from the edge of the cliff. Juvêncio measured more or less and calculated that the nearest tree was one meter more than the abyss into which they almost fell.

- Torquato, how many meters is your bow?

- Two and a half meters, three... why?

- Two and a half meters... mine is about that much... it will work...

- What's going to work, Juvêncio?

- We need to cross to the other side. By tying the two ties, we will have enough rope for this...

- If you don't mind, I'd rather go back the way we came...

- There's no way, Torquato...

- Like this? We just have to retrace our steps...

- I don't know if you've noticed, but the path behind us is falling apart. Slowly, but it is. And if we don't find a way to get to the other side, we're going to go to the precipice anyway...

Torquato looked back and, horrified, confirmed what his partner had just said. Without further ado, he passed his lasso to his companion, who tried to tie it to the other, thus increasing its reach. A well-placed throw, and Juvêncio caught the tree, as he had planned. He tested the rope to see if it was firm and tried to tie it to a ledge inside the tunnel. Once the work was complete, he asked Torquato to start the crossing. Terrified, the mestizo began to cross. After a few minutes he placed his feet, safe and sound, on the other side.

It's Juvêncio's turn. And he remained undecided for a few moments, not knowing exactly what he would do, since the collapse was already very close to where he was. If he tried to cross in the same way as Torquato, he ran the risk of ending up in the depths of the abyss that was getting closer and closer to where he was...

Determined, he released the noose from the ledge where he had tied it, and threw himself into the abyss. It was at the right time, for one second he hesitated and he would end up in that bottomless hole...

Slowly, without rushing, Juvêncio managed to climb to the edge of the plain. Everything seemed calm now. Except for the emptiness behind his back. Torquato remained nervous, as he could not understand what was happening...

- Are you okay, Torquato?

- What... what's going on?

- Are we being tested, Torquato?

- Tested? Why?

-Maybe they want to know if we are worthy of meeting the three girls...

- Jurupari... and Anhangá....

- I can't say if it's them... all I can say is that there is a very powerful mystical entity behind these... events!

- It's Anhangá, for sure! Who else would want to stop us like that?

- But that's the thing, Torquato... the entity, in truth, didn't want to stop us...

- No?!

- No... in fact, we were driven here like we usually drive cattle across the meadow...

- I don't understand..

- If this entity really wanted to end us, it would have done it right at the beginning... that's why I'm telling you... whatever it is that is manifesting itself here, it has been testing us from the beginning...

- So we weren't really putting our lives at risk?

- I did not say that.

- Then...

- Yes Torquato.... if we failed at any point, we would certainly be dead by now...

And the two fell silent, heading into the forest that lay before them. They knew that no matter who was in front of them, they would soon come face to face...

Little by little the landscape around him began to change. And the sky full of clouds was transformed into a golden dome... the trees beside them took the form of walls, and the ground on which they stood shone as if a thousand stars lent it light...

The two partners stopped their walk. It didn't matter where they were, they were in front of the person responsible for that walk. Which was still invisible to his eyes.

Juvêncio decided to summon the mystical entity that was maneuvering them. After some prayers, finally a bluish figure formed in front of him. And that light turned into a beautiful girl...

- Who dares to invade my domains?!

- Sorry, lady... We're here looking for three friends who disappeared three days ago...

- And they came looking right here...

- Yes... this is where they followed their destiny.

- Have you noticed that you walk where I determine...

- Yes, I noticed that... I even noticed that we've been going in circles all this time...

- Very smart... and how did you find out?

- I'll only tell you if you tell me where the three girls are...

- Well, they have a mission to fulfill... and right now they are being trained to do it.

- Can I see them?

- Of course. You know they can't be distracted for now...

- Look, I don't want to disturb you... just see them...

- I'm sorry... only after the training is over...

Having said that, the entity disappeared from the two companions... and the castle gradually fell apart, bringing back the green meadow where a few moments ago the two were walking. Juvêncio put his hand on his partner's shoulder, so he could stop walking. Torquato looked at him, not understanding. Then, Juvêncio told him...

- Friend, we're back to the starting point...

In fact, they were just a few meters from the place where they had tied their horses. The waterfall is ahead. On the floor, there was no mark that indicated that someone had passed by...

- Do you want to bet that, if we go to look at the waterfall, we won't find any passage?

Torquato crossed himself, shaking his head negatively. His desire was to disappear from that place, but his honor did not allow him... and so, he stayed by Juvêncio's side, hoping that the girls would return soon... besides, there were Jurupari and the Caçador on the loose... better staying next to the Deputy... it was safer...