Chapter 43: Green Lake City [Bonus]

Chapter 43: Chapter 43: Green Lake City [Bonus]

Daniel lowered his hand from his face.

"That’s not what I meant," he said.

Fluffy stopped bouncing. She looked at him. Her head tilted. Her ears twitched.

"What did Master mean?"

Daniel sighed. "It’s just an expression. It means let’s go. Let’s leave. Let’s move."

Fluffy nodded slowly. "So Fluffy should not bounce?"

"No. You should not bounce."

Fluffy’s ears drooped. "Okay. Fluffy will not bounce."

Daniel felt a pang of guilt. "You can bounce if you want. Just... not all the way to the city."

Fluffy’s ears perked up again. "Fluffy can bounce?"

"Yes. But only sometimes."

Fluffy nodded. She seemed satisfied with that compromise.

They started walking. Toward the trees. Toward the green grass. Toward the edge of the desert.

The sand gave way to dirt. The dirt gave way to grass. The grass grew thicker. Greener. Taller. Trees appeared. First one. Then a few. Then a forest.

Daniel breathed in. The air was different here. Fresher. Cooler. It smelled like leaves and earth and something else. Something clean.

"It’s beautiful," Lyra said. She was staring at the trees. At the leaves. At the way the sunlight filtered through the branches. "I’ve never seen anything like this."

Daniel looked at her. At her wide eyes. At her open mouth. At the wonder on her face.

"You’ve never seen a forest?" he asked.

Lyra shook her head. "I was blind, remember? I could hear them. I could smell them. But I could never see them."

Daniel nodded. He didn’t say anything. He just let her look.

They walked through the forest. The trees were tall. The path was narrow. But it was easy to follow. Someone had cleared it. Maintained it. A road.

They found the road an hour later.

It was wide. Well-traveled. Wheel ruts marked the dirt. Footprints. Hoofprints. Signs of regular traffic.

"A road," Lyra said. "It must lead somewhere."

Daniel nodded. "A city, probably. Or a town. Let’s follow it."

They walked.

The road was easier than the desert. The ground was firm. The shade from the trees kept them cool. They made good time.

They talked as they walked. About nothing. About everything. Lyra asked questions about Daniel’s world. He answered as best he could. Fluffy asked questions about food. Daniel answered those too.

Then they saw it. A caravan.

It was parked on the side of the road. Three wagons. Six oxen. A group of men sitting around a fire, eating and laughing. A man stood near the lead wagon, checking the wheels.

Daniel approached him. The man looked up. He was middle-aged. Gray hair. Kind eyes. He smiled when he saw them.

"Hello there," he said. "Travelers?"

Daniel nodded. "Yeah. We’re heading to the next city. Any chance you’re going that way?"

The man nodded. "Green Lake City. We’re heading there now. Should arrive by nightfall."

Daniel’s eyes lit up. "Can we join you? We can pay."

The man looked at them. At Daniel. At Lyra. At Fluffy. His eyes lingered on Fluffy’s ears. On the collar marks on her neck.

"How much?" Daniel asked.

The man thought about it. "Three silver. For all of you."

Daniel nodded. He was too tired to haggle. Too tired to scam. He just reached into his pocket and pulled out three silver coins. He handed them over.

The man took them. He gestured toward the middle wagon. "Climb in. We leave in ten minutes."

Daniel helped Lyra and Fluffy into the wagon. Then he climbed in himself. The wagon was small but comfortable. Straw on the floor. A canvas roof. Enough space for all three of them.

Daniel lay down. Lyra lay down beside him. Fluffy curled up between them. Her head rested on Daniel’s arm. Her tail was wrapped around her body.

Within minutes, they were all asleep.

---

Daniel woke to a hand shaking his shoulder.

"Hey. Wake up."

He opened his eyes. The caravan guy was standing over him. His face was lit by the setting sun.

"We’re almost there," the man said. "You can see the city from here."

Daniel sat up. He looked out the back of the wagon.

And there it was.

Green Lake City.

Walls. Tall, stone walls. Towers. Gates. Buildings rising behind the walls, taller than anything Daniel had seen in this world. And beyond the city, a lake. A massive lake. Its surface reflected the orange sky.

Daniel stared. His mouth fell open.

"We’re here," he whispered.

Lyra sat up beside him. She looked at the city. Her eyes widened.

"It’s huge," she said.

Fluffy woke up. She rubbed her eyes. She looked at the city. Her ears perked up.

"Pretty," she said.

Daniel nodded. He looked at the city. At the walls. At the towers. At the lake.

"Alright," he said. "Let’s go."