Nothing Else Matters (Jungle Cruise)

Chapter Four

Lily shuffled through the papers on her desk, making sure they were all accounted for. Approval for leave from the University Council, check. Steamer ticket to Brazil, check. Train ticket from the port to Porto Velho, check. English-Portuguese dictionary, check. She had picked up some Spanish from Frank in the recent months, so an English-Spanish one wasn’t necessary. Notebook and pencils, check. And finally- arrowhead. She touched her chest where it hung, even though she knew it was there. Check.

Planning everything had taken a few days, but she finally thought she had everything in place. If she left now, and traveled at about the same pace they had before, she would make it to the Tree with a few days to spare before the next Crying Moon.

She put the stack of papers into her travel bag and tiptoed downstairs. She passed the bedroom where Frank still slept, and paused, watching him for a moment. Part of her wanted to wake him so he would stop her from leaving and drag her back to bed, but she didn’t. She had to do this, if only to get more petals.

After he’d awoken, freed from the curse, Frank had acted a bit odd around the other conquistadors. Lily wanted to give them petals as well. Hadn’t they suffered enough? Aguirre had just wanted to save his daughter, and now she was dead. They would choose to rest, wouldn’t they?

But Frank had been strangely insistent that she not give them petals, that they didn’t deserve to be free from the curse. He’d spoken with a bitter tone in his voice, as if those men had never been men he knew and loved. Lily had dropped the issue.

Part of the reason she wanted to go back was to free those men, and if Frank came with her, she wouldn’t be able to. So she continued downstairs and made her way to the door, bag in hand.

“And where do you think you’re going?”

Lily jumped and gasped, then slapped a hand to her chest when she realized it was just MacGregor.

“Nowhere,” Lily said, shifting the bag to hold it with both hands behind her back.

“You pretend as if I haven’t known you all my life,” MacGregor said, raising an eyebrow.

“Of course you have,” Lily said, shifting her weight from one leg to the other. “It looks like the warpaint is almost gone,” she said, nodding to MacGregor’s brow.

“Stop avoiding the question. I know you, Lily. You can’t leave. We just got back!”

“Months ago,” Lily said. She sighed, resigned. “I have to go, MacGregor. This is important. You have to trust me, and not tell Frank until you’re sure I’m gone. Please?”

MacGregor stalked up to her, frowning. He reached out and pulled the cord from around her neck out of her shirt. “You kept it? How?”

Lily half-shrugged, and then MacGregor realized what it meant.

“You’re going back!? There ?! Why on Earth would you-”

She clamped a hand to his mouth. “Shh!” She sighed again and took her hand away. “Yes. I need more petals, MacGregor. Think of what we could do with them! This could change the world for the better, but I can’t do it with what I have right now. I’m going back.”

MacGregor scrunched up his face and looked disgusted for a moment, but he straightened up and grabbed his own bag from the table. “I knew this would happen, so I packed last night anyway.”

“I’m going alone .”

“What about Frank?”

“He’s not coming. And neither are you. Now shoo. I’m going to be late.” Lily opened the front door and stepped outside. Waiting there on the street was a large carriage packed with trunks. She turned to see MacGregor looking sheepishly at her, and she sighed. “Fine. But we’re leaving right now.”