Chapter 26

  After the meal, Leolik felt sleepy. He apologized to the girls and still decided to take a nap. Mara and Mila didn't mind. Especially because they clearly wanted to have a private talk. The horses were grazing not far from the campfire. Leolik took the cat from Mila, put him into a grass basket, and went to sleep with him into the tent. He slept for about two hours. When he woke up and left the tent, it was already close to noon. The ladies were gone. Leolik followed the voices towards the river and found them there, a little further upstream. There was a lovely sandy beach. The girls were splashing around in the river, naked. Without hesitation or embarrassment, Leolik took all his clothes off and joined them. The water was not very cold. The river was chest-deep. The bottom was sandy. It was a small lake on the river, as if it was specially created for swimming. They were splashing and fooling around in the water. Leolik was looking at Mara with interest. She had really luxurious and large breasts and wide hips. Moreover, she was strikingly similar to Leolik...
          – Mara, don't you think it's strange that we look alike?
          – Leolik, Mila told me how you ended up in the Queen's palace. You looked just like me back then, even wearing my favorite shorts and with boobs.
             Mara laughed out loud. Leolik was slightly embarrassed.
          – Yeah, you know, it was hard for me to walk on heels with breasts like that. Has Mila told you everything that happened to me in the City of Men?
          – Yeah, Leolik, you've got an amazing ability to get yourself into all sorts of trouble.
          – Well, I'd be happy not to, but for some reason it happens. I'd like to discuss with you what we should do next. Mila, stop standing in the water! You're gonna get cold. Mara, let's go to the fire.
             The girls came out of the water. Big drops of water were glistening on their skin. It was a stunning sight. They were both well-built and incredibly beautiful, like two Aphrodites emerging from the water. Mara noticed Leolik's appreciative gaze.
          – Leolik, am I beautiful?
          – Yeah, Mara!
          – Mila, have you heard that? He's already ready to fall in love with me. Oh, you've got a collar around your neck. Would you like me to order something intimate? Leolik, are you ready to obey women?
             Leolik blushed and suddenly felt the collar vibrating around his neck. He grabbed it, yanked it, and then wrapped it around his arm. Then he quickly pulled his pants and T-shirt on.
          – Mara, I love women. But Mila is pretty much my wife already. It wouldn't be very nice to flirt when my wife is here.
          – Oh, Milena, how I envy you. Leolik is so cute, having such a great body. Leolik, but we've got strange moral laws on our planet. Well, okay, okay, I won't embarrass you. I like you too. But you can't avoid my kiss.
             With these words, Mara grabbed Leolik's head, pulled him towards her, and kissed him in the lips. Leolik didn't know how to react. Of course, it was pleasant. For some reason, he recalled Nyusha and her lips.
          – Mila! Let's go to the campfire.
             Milena gave a smile while she watched Mara embarrassing Leolik. The girls got dressed, and all three of them went to the campfire. Leolik chopped some branches and threw them into the fire.
          – I understand that they've been looking for us. Right, Mara? I just don't understand why. What if they come into Milena's house?
          – Well, even if they come, they won't find anything interesting there, – Mara said.
          – Mara, couldn't they be stalking you, actually? – Leolik asked. – And what if they suddenly notice your absence in the palace? Maybe someone knows that you're Milena's bestie?
          – Yeah, they could. That's why I'm gonna take a horse this evening and leave you. The nights are quite clear so I think I'll have made that by tomorrow. They promised to cover me in the kitchen. I hope you won't gotta into another hopeless situation? If I could fly like Milena, I wouldn't need any horses.
          – You'll be able to do that, Mara, definitely you will. Once we get out of here, I'll send you a message, – Milena said.
          – Girls, have you got a map? I'd like to know where we're located and where to go.
          – Yeah, sure, – Mara jumped down and went over to the bags. She rummaged around and took a map out.
             Leolik stared at the map with interest. He was surprised by what he saw. There were only six points marked on it. The City of Women, the City of Men. One point had no name. The other points were the Cities of Metallurgists, Textile Workers, and Craftsmen. The map was large in scale. And the map itself was just a sheet of paper.
          – Is that all? – he asked.
          – Exactly. We don't know if there are any other cities, – Milena answered. – I told you that humans appeared on Geia thanks to aliens. No one has seen them. Except, perhaps, the Queen and the King. You told me that story yourself. What we've been taught at university is all we know actually.
          – Do you have any dangerous wild animals?
          – Why do you ask? As far as I know, there are horses, cows, cats, roe deer, deer, and wild boars. But they're not very wild, actually.
          – How about any aborigines? Well, those who may have lived on this planet before humans? Your animals are the same as domestic animals on Earth. Surely there must be true animals of Geia. You don't even have any birds, and the only insects I've seen are bees. What about mosquitoes, flies, beetles?
          – We've never heard of aborigines. We have bugs. And mosquitoes – what are they?
          – How lucky you are! Mosquitoes are blood-sucking insects. It feels like all the flora and fauna were created specially for you. Animals and plants. But why did they bring in the tits grass and the phallus cactus?
          – Leolik, how do you know about mosquitoes? Are you recalling something about Earth? – Milena asked him.
             The question caught Leolik off guard. How could he know about mosquitoes?
          – I don't know, Mila. I'm just using logic. My brains tell me so. Recall that strange tower we found ourselves in. It was built as if its inhabitants were afraid of something. All your cities can be reached in a week or two. And then what's located further? It seems as if no one has ever explored your planet. Aren't you curious enough?
          – Well, I don't know. We've been engaged in building our cities. For as long as I can remember, we've been constantly building and constructing something. I guess we don't have any time to explore.
          – What about this unsigned city? At the very edge of the map. Does it actually exist? What's there?
          – Leolik, we have no idea, – Mara replied. – Maybe that's just a mistake. Well, maybe they put a dot on the map by accident. Mila copied this map when she was studying at her university. Mila, she's talented. I only know how to cook. But she's pretty clever.
          – Have a look. According to the map, in order to get to the city of Craftsmen, we gotta return again and pass the Cities of Men and Women. But here, at the edge of the sheet, there are some mountains drawn. If we cross the mountains and follow this mountain range, we'll reach this unknown city. We won't gotta go back through the Cities of Women or Men. Let them search us. Mara, you're wrong to think that no one knows anything about you. The girls came to see you in the kitchen. Well, Nyusha, she'll die and won't say anything about you and the oil. But Ksenia can make the girls talk. Again, using Nyusha's sad situation. She'll refuse to treat her or something like that. After all, Senya put me in shackles to catch me on bait. So sooner or later, Queen Ksenia'll wanna question you. Maybe you shouldn't go back?
          – I'm not gonna tell her anything!
          – That's not wise. You can tell her just everything. I think Senya’ll tell her so much about our flight that she'll rush to her Chronos. Considering all his technical wonders, he's unlikely to be able to levitate. I think it follows logically that this city’s the City of Chronos. Probably the City of Scientists. Mara, think about it, maybe you'll come with us?
– No, Leolik. I'm afraid I'll fall in love with you. And then how will I share you with Milena? We need to pack our things. You're right, even if she questions me, there's no point in hiding anything. It seems that Chronos rules this planet, and Ksenia and Semyon mean nothing without him. But that's exactly where you're going. To this unknown city. For some reason, I think you're right. It is really the City of Scientists. But how are you gonna get there without a map?
– It's not scary, we'll cross the mountains and go along the ridge, just along the other side. I don't think the landscape’s much different there. I think we'll get there in a week. The map isn't ideal, but it still shows the mountain peaks. We count the peaks and almost exactly aim at the city.
– Maybe you shouldn't cross the mountains, but go along the ridge on this side?
– I think Senya’s already sent his hunters to search for us. And to be honest, we really need to get out of here as soon as possible. I don't know, can the smoke from our campfire be seen from far away?
– Then let's do like that, Leolik, – Milena said. – Mara, I don't believe in King Arseniy's nobleness. Especially after he put Leolik in chains. Come on, teach Leolik how to saddle a horse. We needa get out of here for real. I'm gonna buy your horse. Pay back the people you’ve taken the horses from. For some reason, I feel uneasy too. Everything seems too good to be true.
   They decided not to cook any lunch. Mara showed Leolik how to tie the saddle to the horse. Under Mara's guidance, Leolik saddled and unsaddled the horse several times. Finally, he got it right. They took down the tent. They tied the bags to the saddles. Leolik climbed up into the tower and, just in case, grabbed the rusty axe he had found there. Mara left them all her supplies. They filled their bottles with water. They put out the fire and buried it. The girls hugged and kissed each other. Leolik put on Milena's backpack. He put the cat in it and saddled Milena onto the horse. And they went their different ways. Leolik and Milena walked along the river gorge. Mara rode off in the opposite direction.

***

   Strangely, the gorge did not become any narrower. They were walking along the river. But it was no longer a river, but a stream, along the banks of which bushes and grass grew. There were mountains on the left and right, but they were completely covered with emerald-green grass and bushes. Finally, the stream ended, and they came out to the lake from which that stream flowed. Beyond the lake, there was a prairie stretching to the horizon. They were moving along the shore of the lake. To the left there was the lake and the heath, to the right there were mountains, but no more than a hundred meters away, completely covered with shrubs. They were walking for about two hours more and finally decided to stop for the night on the shore of the lake. Leolik helped Milena down. He pitched a tent and gathered some grass for bedding. He built a fire.
– Leolik, it's so beautiful here! And the lake is crystal clear, almost to the bottom. And the main thing, it's quiet here, as if no one has ever been here before.
   Milena prepared some soup. Leolik had never eaten anything tastier. The soup smelled of campfire smoke. Fish, a little wheat groats, a pinch of spices. What spices were they? Leolik didn't guess, but it was surprisingly delicious. Mara was indeed a talented cook and hadn't forgotten to pack the spices into her bags. The cat was fed, as well.
   He was walking around the campfire and tent, sniffing everything and sneezing, probably at the smell of spices. Leolik took a grass basket out of the backpack, the one they had used to lower the cat from the tower. Murzik immediately curled up into that basket. The horse was grazing nearby, snorting softly. Leolik sat hugging Milena by the fire. The sun set. Stars appeared in the sky, and they were admiring them. Milena was explaining the names of the local constellations to Leolik. That night they slept more peacefully than ever. Nothing disturbed them. Life seemed beautiful and amazing. Oh, if only they knew what wonderful adventures were awaiting them ahead...