"Wait! You can't just execute us!" Matilda cried out, her voice cracking as the guards tightened the circle of spears around them.
The Chief paused mid-step. He turned slowly, his heavy robe dragging across the stone floor with a dry hiss.
"The crime of falsely accusing a royal member..." He sat down on his throne with a heavy thud, his crown tilting slightly forward. "...is death."
Sandro clenched his fists, forcing himself to step forward despite the spear points inches from his chest.
"We aren't lying. We have evidence." The Chief raised an eyebrow, his face calm but his eyes dangerous.
"Oh? Evidence? Then bring it here."
"We can't," Sandro said firmly. "It's too large. You have to see it for yourself." The Chief stared at him for a long, tense moment. Finally, he waved his hand. "Guards—summon the Royal Prince. And prepare an escort."
An hour later, the group, the Chief, Luna, and a squad of guards stood at the entrance of the hidden cave. The Chief's brother, Mulalo, stood beside them, looking confused and innocent.
"Brother," the Chief said slowly, his voice echoing off the mountain walls. "These strangers claim you are behind the zombie curse. Is that true?" Mulalo froze for a second, then let out a short, incredulous laugh.
"Chief, do you even have to ask? How could I possibly be behind something so absurd? That is ridiculous."
"It is ridiculous indeed," the Chief muttered. Then his eyes narrowed. "But they insisted on bringing me here. So, let us see."
They entered the cave. The air was damp and thick with a strange, bitter, earthy smell. Pale light filtered in from cracks in the ceiling, illuminating the walls covered in a strange, powdery residue. And there they were. Dozens of "zombies" stood in the shadows. Their eyes were dull, their movements jerky and twitching, clustered together like puppets with cut strings.
The Chief's face darkened. He turned slowly to Mulalo. "Mulalo... what is this?" Mulalo immediately dropped to his knees, bowing low into the dirt.
"Chief... I-I mean, Brother! This is not what it looks like! I'm not the one behind this. I found this place recently, I was investigating it myself! They are framing me!" His voice trembled with practiced fear.
While the brothers argued, Nico crouched down. He swiped a finger through the fine red powder scattered across the ground. He brought it to his nose and sniffed.
"Huh," he muttered.
"This powder smells... familiar."
The group looked at him expectantly.
"Oh! I remember now!" Nico grinned, snapping his fingers. "It smells like the Redreams Flower."
Sandro frowned. "Redreams Flower?"
"How do you know that?" Lily asked, blinking at him.
Nico chuckled. "When I was young, I ate this flower on a dare. Later that day, I was as high as a kite. I felt like I was floating, but also super aggressive? I didn't know it was poisonous back then. Lucky I only took a small bite, or I'd have gone totally crazy." He snickered at the memory.
Matilda's eyes went wide. She scanned the cave, looking at the "zombies." They weren't rotting. They were dirty, covered in mud and wounds, but they were breathing.
"Mmm..." Matilda murmured.
"It looks like the zombies don't exist." She looked at Sandro. "They aren't undead. They're poisoned. They're hallucinating."
The Chief turned sharply to Mulalo, his face a storm of shock, anger, and grief. "It wasn't me!"
Mulalo begged, tears streaming down his face. "I know nothing about this Redreams Flower, I swear! Please, Brother, believe me—these strangers are the ones who planted it!"
"Falsely accusing you?!" Ruby snapped, her temper finally snapping. "We saw you! We saw you grinding this powder in this exact cave the other night! And now you dare say we are framing you?!" She stepped forward as if to punch him, but Lily quickly grabbed her arm, pulling her back.
The Chief slammed his staff against the stone floor. BANG.
"Enough!" Silence fell over the cave.
"There is truth here, but there are also lies," the Chief said coldly.
"Guards! Put them all in the prison. Luna—you will investigate this matter thoroughly."
They were thrown behind bars. The cell was damp, dark, and reeked of mold. Through the iron bars, they could see down the hall.
Mulalo was being led to a separate chamber—a "dungeon," yes, but it had a real bed, a window, and the guards didn't shove him.
Ruby gripped the iron bars of their cell, her knuckles white. "Hey! That's not fair! Get us out of here!" Only the echo of the slamming door answered her.
"It's no use," Sandro muttered, sinking onto the cold stone floor. Nico groaned, lying flat on his back and staring at the dripping ceiling.
"I miss my hard bed in those shady huts. At least it wasn't stone. My spine is crying."
"Are we really going to die here?" Lily asked, her voice small and trembling.
Sandro shook his head. "It's obvious the Chief is protecting his brother. He didn't want to arrest him, but he couldn't ignore the cave." He glanced at Matilda, who had been quiet all this time.
"Matilda? What are you thinking?"
Matilda lifted her eyes slowly. She looked tired. "I think... we were a bit rash."
Everyone turned to her.
"We know Mulalo is involved. We saw him," she said softly.
"But that's still just our word against a Prince's. We have no solid proof—no letters, no recipe for the poison. And we still don't have a motive. Why would he drug his own people?" She sighed, resting her head against the cold wall.
"We played our hand too early. And now... we're trapped."