"We need a plan!" Chel groaned, throwing herself down on a fallen log.
"Says little Miss-its-more-exciting-if-we-don't-have-a-plan" Miguel snarled, glaring at her.
"Hey, it's not my fault, Tulio shouldn't have ripped up the map" Chel said, pointing to the raven haired man. Tulio turned to her, an angry look on his pale face.
"Don't blame me, I didn't know we were going to lose the boat and all its gold" he nearly yelled, and then took a deep breath.
"Fine, we make a plan now" he declared. Chel stood up.
"Well, I think we should make a raft or something out of wood and row back to your home place" she told them.
"What? A raft big enough for us three and this horse?" Miguel asked, pointing to his white horse, Altivo, who was just listening to the conversation.
"It's been done before" Chel snarled, putting her hands on her hips.
"Well…I think it's a great idea" Tulio said, putting his hands on Chel's shoulders, "That will be our plan from now on"
"Well, I don't" Miguel told him, throwing his arms up. He glared at Tulio. Tulio winced a little bit under the glance of Miguel's green eyes staring at him with such venom.
"I think we should go back to El Dorado, there must be another way into the city" Miguel said, looking at Chel. Chel looked back at him, before dropping her eyes, so she was looking at her feet.
"There isn't" she said, firmly. A little too firmly.
"There were mountains and hills the whole way around the city, we just need to climb one and get over" Miguel told her. Chel shook her head.
"No, the waterfall was the only way" she said, quietly. Miguel glared at her and started to walk into the direction in which they had been coming from for the past three days.
"I'm going to try anyway" Miguel called over his shoulder.
"Miguel!" Tulio shouted, angrily and chased after him.
"Miguel!" Tulio said again, as he caught up with him. When Miguel didn't respond, Tulio caught hold of his wrist.
"What!?" Miguel spat, throwing his arm out of Tulio's grip. Tulio looked at him, shocked.
"What's with you?" he asked, searching into Miguel's fiery eyes.
"I can't go back to Spain, not now" Miguel told him and then walked away from him. Chel caught up with them.
"There's no point, Miguel" she said, also angry. Miguel spun around and looked at her,
"There is no life in Spain for people like us" he shouted, looking Chel up and down and then turning to Tulio.
"Blacks, Indians, thefts, homeless, prostitutes, Jews…homosexuals" Miguel told Chel. He looked down at his feet when he said the last one. Tulio took a step forward, towards Miguel.
"Miguel…" he said, quietly. Miguel looked back up, this time at Chel.
"My Grandmother" he said, "She was born with six toes. She hid it all her life, fearing what would happen if anyone knew" he said, his voice now croaked, "one say, she was paddling in the lake near out home, I was seven and I had invited my friend round. He show her six ties and he told his mum" Tulio put his head on Miguel's shoulder.
"She was tried for being a witch the next day and burnt at the stake" Miguel finished. Chel looked shocked at them, but didn't say anything. Miguel angrily wiped his eyes and shake out of Tulio's grip.
"You wouldn't last two minuets in Spain" he told her, pointing to her clothes, "Dark skin, barely any clothes on, you will be sold as a slave, rapped, maybe be classed as a witch and burnt like my Grandmother" Chel glared at him, clearly hurt.
"And what about you?" she spat, "You made it all seem so great" Miguel laughed. It wasn't like his normal laugh though. It was hallow and broken.
"Great? Yeh it is great when you have mountains of gold, you can buy your way out of stuff, but we don't have that" Miguel said, "If we ever manage to get back there now, we will be living like we were before, near homeless, cheating to make our next meal, seeing our faces everywhere on wanted posters, running from the law every day of our lives, escaping death by inches more times then I can count"
"All because they think they're better then us" Tulio whispered, looking at the floor. Miguel nodded.
"Anyone who is just a bit different doesn't last long where we come from" he finished, before mounting Altivo and galloping off.
Tulio listened to him go and sighed deeply. He felt Chel next to him.
"Will he come back?" she asked. Tulio ran a hand though his hair and nodded.
"Yeh, he just needs to cool down, our live in Spain has always really affected him, he hates living like that" he told Chel. They stood in silence for a moment, and Tulio realised he was shaking slightly. He shook his hands and started to follow Altivo's footprints.
"Tulio!" Chel snarled.
"I'm not leaving him" Tulio told her, still walking. Chel caught up with him and grabbed his wrist.
"What happened to us?" she asked angrily, "What happened to 'forget Miguel'?" Tulio turned to her, anger boiling in his blue eyes.
"Miguel means a lot more tome then you ever would" he told her, pulling himself away from her and then walking away. Chel looked at him, shocked and hurt. She then slowly followed him.
They walked all day, without speaking. They didn't see any sign of Miguel. Their silence dragged on and on and night soon fall.
Tulio stopped suddenly stopped and started to collect wood. Chel figured out that they had stopped for the night and went to find some food. That was what they normally did. Someone formed the fire, and the other two would found food and cooked it for a meal.
Tulio had expected Miguel to have come back by now, so once he had made the fire, he started to pace.
"He'll be fine" Chel said, sourly, once she had come back with an armful of fruit. Tulio said nothing, but kept on pacing, looking among the trees for any sign of Miguel.
The hours past, and Chel soon fall asleep. Tulio sat on a fallen log and let his head fell into his hands, half asleep. He breathed deeply, listening to the nightly sounds of the jungle.
Suddenly, he heard a horse. Tulio jumped up and looked around as the sound came nearer. Altivo came galloping into the little clearing. His eyes were wide in panic and when he saw Tulio, he started to rear up.
Miguel was not on his back.
"Altivo!" Tulio called, over the neighing of the white horse. He grabbed hold of the ruins and pulled Altivo down, stroking his long nose. Altivo's nostrils were flared and he jerked his head up again.
"Shh!" Tulio said, also panicking.
Where was Miguel?
Chel jumped awake, and looked up at the restless horse. Altivo was moving from side to side, throwing his head up and neighing loudly.
"Where's Miguel?" she asked, jumping up and coming to Tulio's side to help calm Altivo. Tulio didn't answer, but slowly whispered calming Spanish words to Altivo. "Shh, ser tranquilo, mi amigo" Once Altivo had calmed down enough for Tulio and Chel to jump onto his back, Tulio took hold of his ruins.
"Where's Miguel?" he asked. The horse reared up and then galloped off into the jungle.
Tulio barely felt Chel clinging to him as Altivo waved in and out of the tress. Tulio bent his head forward, urging Altivo on.
Tulio saw Miguel before they even reached him. His golden hair covering his face. He was lying on the ground, on his stomach.
Tulio jumped off Altivo and knelt down next to Miguel.
"Miguel!" Tulio called, turning him over. His eyes were closed, his face pale. Blood was matted in his hair, and his trousers were torn, with blood pouring steadily from his leg. Tulio could see two little puncture holes under the blood.
"Miguel!!" Tulio yelled, tears coming to his eyes. Tulio felt Miguel's skin. It was getting cold.
"He needs help!" Tulio told Chel, who was kneeling next to him. Altivo paced, his eyes aflame and his nostrils still flared. Chel looked at Miguel, worry and panic overcoming her face. She got up, shaking slightly.
"There's a stream not far from here, I'll get some water" she said, before running off.
Tulio looked at Miguel, and the pulled off his shirt. He wrapped it around Miguel's bleeding leg and dabbed it gently. He then pulled Miguel's head onto his lap and felt the tears fall.
"Stay with me, Miguel" he whispered into his ear, "Don't you dare leave me"
Chel ran back to them about twenty minuets later, carrying some water. Tulio took it without a word and tried to clean Miguel's wound.
"It's going to be ok" Tulio whispered, stroking Miguel's hair out of his face. Chel looked at Miguel's wound.
"Tulio, the snake bite…it's poisonous" she told Tulio, fear coming to her eyes.
"Do you know how to treat it?" Tulio asked, nearly begging for the answer to be yes. Chel bit her lip and shook her head.
"There has to be another way, there has to be" Tulio cried, looking up at her. Chel shook her head again, looking at Miguel's pale face. Tulio closed his eyes and lent his forehead against Miguel's. Tears fall smoothly onto Miguel's face as they ran down Tulio's cheeks.
Chel sat against a tree, watching Tulio cry and Miguel's shallow breathing. Altivo bowed his head over Miguel and nudged him, gently. When Miguel didn't respond, Altivo whined and walked over to Chel.
A couple of hours later, day was breaking. Chel and Altivo were asleep.
Tulio was holding Miguel, his eyes red. He was quietly singing a Spanish lullaby and gently rocking him.
"Con
el vito vito vito Yo no quiero que me miren No me mires a la cara Una malagueña
fue a Las solteras son de oro
con el vito vito va.
Con el vito vito
vito
con el vito vito va.
que
me pongo colorá.
Yo no quiero que me miren
que me pongo
colorá.
que me pongo colorá
Yo
no quiero que me mires
que me vas a enamorar.
Sevilla a ver los toros.
Y en la mitad del camino
la
cautivaron los moros.
las casadas
son de plata.
Las viuditas son de cobre
y las viejas de
hojalata
Miguel's breathing was irregular and he was shaking slightly. He hadn't woken up, and Tulio hadn't fallen asleep.
"It's going to be ok" Tulio whispered, once the lullaby had finished.
Suddenly, he heard a noise. A bush rustling. Tulio jumped up, fearing another snake or worse. Altivo woke up, causing Chel to wake.
"What is it?" Chel asked, nervously. Tulio didn't answer, but he held his fists up, defensively. He was prepared to fight anything that may bring harm to Miguel.
Voices could be heard, and Chel paled. About five or so tanned men came behind the tress and Tulio dropped his fists.
"My Lords!" one said, and bowed to Tulio. The others did the same.
"How did you know we were here?" Tulio asked, going back to Miguel and picking him up.
"Our new High Priest had a version you were still on the Island, and that Lord Miguel was in trouble" the same man explained. Tulio decided that he must be the leader. Another man started to help Tulio with Miguel.
"Is there another way into the city?" Tulio asked. The leader nodded.
"Very few people know if it, some children found it a couple of years ago, the High Priest was one of them"
Tulio put Miguel on top of Altivo and looked at the men. He realised that he needed one of them to show him the way, but he didn't want to leave Miguel himself. All the men were very muscular and heavy built. There was no way Altivo would be able to carry him, Miguel and one of the other men.
That was when Tulio spotted a younger man, or child.
A boy, who looked just into his teens. He looked at the unconscious Miguel, nervously and Tulio recognised him as one of the boys that Miguel had played ball with in the city.
"What is you name?" Tulio asked him. The boy looked at Tulio, scared and the leader replied.
"Meo, my Lord, he is my son"
"Meo, do you know the way back?" Tulio asked. Meo heisted before nodding. Tulio got in Altivo, and wrapped his arms around Miguel, who was bending forward.
"Got on" Tulio said. Meo looked at his father, who nodded and helped him on behind Tulio.
"My Lord" another man said, stepping forward, "Do you think this is a good idea?" Tulio looked at him.
"This is faster, Miguel needs help now" he told the man, before tightening his hold on Miguel and urging Altivo on. Meo directed Tulio, and they galloped though the jungle. Meo clanged to Tulio in fear, because Altivo was going so fast.
"Are we nearly there?" Tulio asked over his shoulder as Miguel started to get colder.
"Ye..yes" Meo squeaked, "Just behind these tress" Tulio lent forwards slightly, still supporting Miguel, who was falling against his arms, and whispered in Altivo's ear.
"Vaya más rápidamente" Altivo went on, faster.
The trees ender and a mountain loomed over them. Tulio looked up at it, slightly confused. Meo jumped off Altivo and fall to the ground, his legs weak.
"How do you get in?" Tulio asked, also jumping off Altivo and gently taking Miguel into his arms.
Meo got up, with a nudge from Altivo, and walked to the foot of the mountain. He touched a stone that was hanging out and pulled it. There was a crack, and stones begin to fall to the side, leaving a large hole. Tulio looked at it, amazed and then run into it.