“And the flying disc you have seen it before has same function with the horses. It let you across places in fastest way than horses!” Lucas added quickly and keep his excitement to make them feel it too.
His way is works! They started to believe him and show excitement faces too. But, one of them started to frowning his forehead.
“How could they created such a thing if it's not by dark magic???” he offended.
Lucas sighed, “There's no dark magic. They did some researches to made this technology and it need years to complete it. Same as you, you need several days to build your home, right?”
The Sororice people silent again. It might be difficult for them to believe it. Lucas also does not want to tell them that Ghiglea is their future. It will make them more confused and it might break something inside them that cannot be fixed again.
Some truths are not helpful. Lucas learned that in his boring life too.
“Let's say they are our neighbours,” he said instead. “Neighbours who live very far away and learn different things.”
The Sororice people looked at each other. That answer was easier to swallow.
“Neighbours,” one of them repeated.
“Yes.”
“Do neighbours take our land?”
Lucas paused.
“Some neighbours do,” he answered honestly. “These ones don't. They came here to give your land back.”
***
The negotiation continued until the sun was almost gone.
Misty stood beside Lucas the whole time, translating nothing but watching everything. She barely spoke. Lucas noticed that her hand never went near her waist bag again after this morning.
“You're quiet,” he said to her during a break.
“I'm learning.”
“Learning what?”
Misty took a small sip from her flask.
“In Ghiglea, we have a rule,” she said. “When we find an old settlement, we send the historical team first. Never the engineers.”
“Why?”
“Because engineers see problems. Historians see people.”
She looked at the bonfire circle.
“We sent engineers here. That was our first mistake.”
***
By evening, both sides finally agreed on three things.
First, Ghiglea would return the Sororice land to its original position — whatever that really meant, Lucas still did not fully understand it.
Second, Sororice people would not attack anyone wearing silver clothes.
Third — and this one took two hours of arguing — three Sororice people would be allowed to visit Ghiglea once, to see it with their own eyes.
“Who will go?” Zuonn asked.
Nobody raised their hand.
“Nobody?”
Still nobody.
Then, from the back of the circle, a small hand went up.
The same boy from yesterday.
“ABSOLUTELY NOT!” his mother shouted immediately.
***
In the end, the three chosen ones were Zuonn, Grandmother Vela, and — after a very long fight between the boy and his mother — the boy himself, whose name turned out to be Kip.
“You are ten years old,” his mother said, still angry.
“Eleven!”
“That is worse!”
Grandmother Vela hit the ground with her stick once.
“He goes with me,” she said. “I am too old to be cursed and he is too young to be respected. Perfect combination.”
Nobody dared to argue with that.
***
Later that night, Lucas found Zuonn sitting alone outside the city gate, looking at the dark sky.
“Can I sit?”
“Sit.”
Lucas sat down beside him on the cold ground.
They were quiet for a while.
“Lucas.”
“Yes?”
“Tomorrow I will see the future.”
“In a way, yes.”
Zuonn nodded slowly.
“I am afraid,” he said.
Lucas turned to look at him. This was the man who almost broke his neck with one hand three weeks ago.
“Afraid of what?”
Zuonn rubbed his big palms together.
“Afraid that I will like it,” he answered.
***
Lucas did not know what to say.
“If I like it,” Zuonn continued, “then how can I come back here and eat frozen meat again? How can I look at my brother and not think that his life is small?”
“Zuonn—”
“You said we are neighbours. But neighbours can move house, Lucas.”
The wind blew hard and both of them pulled their clothes tighter.
“Zuonn, can I tell you something?”
“Tell me.”
Lucas took the pocket watch out again and turned it in his fingers.
“In my world, I have everything that Ghiglea has. Maybe more.”
“And?”
“And every morning I wake up at six, take the same train, sit at the same desk, and go home at nine at night to an empty room.”
Zuonn looked at him.
“That is a sad story.”
“Thank you.”
“I mean it. That is very sad.”
“Yes, I know, Zuonn.”
***
The big man laughed loudly and slapped Lucas on the back, almost pushing him into the snow.
“Then why do you want to go back?”
Lucas caught himself with both hands and sat up again.
That was a good question.
That was, actually, the best question anyone had asked him since this whole thing started.
“Because my mother is there,” he answered.
Zuonn stopped laughing.
“Ah,” he said. “Then that is a good reason.”
***
They sat outside the gate until the fires inside the city became small orange dots.
“Lucas.”
“Yes?”
“If tomorrow I see the future and I like it too much,” Zuonn said, “will you tell me this sad story about your desk again?”
Lucas smiled at the dark sky.
“As many times as you want,” he said.
Aksara