by T R Tells
A long, rectangular table sat in the middle of the room that looked like it could seat fifty people. A hearth sat some distance away from the table and a large stone chair that had what looked like two giant fangs were protruding out on either side, sat at the far end of the hall.
“Welcome to the Great Hall, Thea Frey of Roma,” Grégori said. He grinned at her stunned silence and wide doe-like eyes. “You seem impressed.”
“She doesn’t get out much,” Jiran responded. “Why don’t we take a seat, Thea?” he asked. She turned to him and nodded; her face flushed from being overwhelmed.
A savory smell wafted up Thea’s nose and drool came out from the side of her lip. She reached the back of her hand to her mouth and wiped the corners of her lips. A steaming plate was placed in front of Thea. She inhaled the tantalizing scent of the onion-flavored dish and tried not to drool again.
She wasn’t sure what the meat was, it was dark brown and in a rectangular shape. She could see green and red specks in it that she assumed were peppers, and a brown liquid slowly slid off the delicious meat.
“It smells good,” Thea said before reaching her hand out to take a bite, but she was stopped by Jiran.
Thea frowned at him, confused and in response, he nodded toward Grégori. He, like several others at the table, had their eyes closed and their hands clasped together.
Jiran’s brow rose expectantly, and he nodded to her. He too then closed his eyes and pressed his hands together. Thea mimicked Jiran’s action. The moment she closed her eyes she heard Grégori’s deep voice, but his words were not in a prayer fashion, as Thea had imagined. Instead, the words seemed to rhyme as if purposely trying to do so. He was singing.
Give us life, for we are strong. For Y’dar, you are, the mighty strong and you shall be the god of all. Take our hands and lead us strong so that we may follow you in life or death. Show us the path is free, oh Y’dar we pray unto thee…
As if on cue, the entire table began to repeat what Grégori had said. At first, Thea could not keep up and only mumbled a little. From the hymn, Y’dar was the god of life and death who they prayed to for long life, but Thea didn’t understand how they could follow willingly into death.
There was a gentle tap on Thea’s shoulder, and she opened her eyes to look up and see Jiran’s smiling face. “You can eat now,” he told her. Her stomach rumbled at the command and she reached for the meat with her bare hands. Her teeth sank into the soft meat, the sticky and oily grease coating her throat with flavor.
Jiran chuckled beside her. “Seems like you’re in a rush. Why don’t you take a swig of your drink before you choke?”
Thea chewed the rest of the meat and swallowed. She felt the layer of grease on her teeth as her tongue tried to clean her teeth, in hopes for a second meal. She reached her hand for the brown cup that was in front of her plate and brought it to her lips.
As soon as the liquid reached Thea’s tongue, she jerked back and twisted her face in disgust. “Gross!” she exclaimed. The drink was bitter on her tongue, and it made throat burn. She squinted her eyes and shook her head, repeatedly sticking out her tongue in hopes of getting the taste out of her mouth.
Laughter surrounded Thea, and she saw that her disgust amused several of the other people at the table.
“I see Kingsland does not let their children drink red wine,” Grégori said with a grin. “Forgive me, Thea. May I provide you with water?”
Thea nodded. She could still feel the bitter taste and the burning heat in her throat.
“Yes, please,” she said, and her stomach growled loudly, and she opened her mouth as a belch erupted from her lips. It smelled like the meat she’d just devoured.
She quickly clasped her hands over her mouth and a deep scarlet color appeared on her face as she held her hands on her mouth securely and firmly bit down on her lip. She waited for the voices to mock her, but there was nothing but silence in her head. However, instead of feeling insulted, Grégori laughed and started banging his wooden cup on the table. The rest of everyone at the table followed suit after a few seconds.
Thea looked around the room and slowly removed her hands from her lips as a wide grin lit up her face and a high-pitched chuckle sounded in the air. She still wasn’t used to laughing.
Chapter Nineteen
“I’ll be back in several weeks, Grégori,” Jiran said. He shook the Ördög King’s hand as the two shared friendly exchanges.
“Thank you for letting us stay here overnight, Grégori Mountain,” Thea said as she bowed slightly. When she stood straight again, she grinned up at him.
“Don’t be a stranger, Thea Frey. I would hope I will see you the next time Jiran comes to do his rounds.”
Thea nodded, eager to come back soon.
“Thea!”
The sound of her name made her look behind Grégori to see Kilua racing toward them. She furrowed her brows, curious to know what he was doing.
“Kilua?” She questioned when he made it to her. He rested his hands on his knees as he panted, the run had left him breathless.
“T-Thea wait, I-I have something . . . For you.”
Thea grinned and tilted her head to the side. “Well, you didn’t have to kill yourself, Kil. What did you want to give me?”
Kilua stood up straight and looked up at Grégori, who nodded in approval, as Kilua dug into the pocket of his pants. Thea raised her brows in curiosity, at the long, brown string he produced.
“Hold out your hands,” Kilua instructed her. Thea did as she was told and cupped her hands together, so he placed the brown looped string in her hands.
When Kilua removed his paws from her hands and noticed that it wasn’t just a string. It looped through a small, fanged, serrated tooth.
“That’s my . . . um, baby tooth, I want you to have it so you can remember me,” Kilua shyly said. Thea wasn’t sure why he whispered, but she noticed his pink nose turned red.
She rubbed her fingers around the smooth tooth and smiled. She didn’t have anything that she cared for or belonged to her. She looked up at Kilua and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Thank you, Kilua. I love it.”
When she removed her arms, she heard Grégori chuckle.
“I believe Kilua should explain to her our customs before you arrange gifts to Thea. She may have a different idea than what you intended it to be.”
“Oh . . .” Kilua whispered. He looked down, embarrassed.
Thea tilted her head in confusion. “Customs about gifts?”
“Mmhm,” Jiran replied to her. “Most Feral and Ördögans give something sentimental like that to the person they want to spend their life with.”
“Oh!” Thea exclaimed. She could see that the red on his nose only deepened and his eyes grew glassy.
“I’m . . . Sorry Thea, if you thought I was deceiving you. I . . . I should have explained—”
“Kilua,” Thea interrupted him. He lifted his head slowly as he wiped his cheek with the back of his paw. “I like you too . . .” When Thea approached him, Kilua stood still, unsure what she was going to do. Thea slowly leaned forward and kissed the top of Kilua’s cold nose.
She moved back, seeing the surprise in Kilua’s eyes.
“Maybe not now, but I’ll come back,” she started, as she slipped the necklace over her neck. “And, I’ll say yes.”
“You . . . You mean that?” Kilua asked, clearing his throat.
Thea grinned and nodded. “Uh-huh, I promise. I’m sure Y’dar will bring us together again.”
“Alright, you two kids, enough of the googly eyes,” Jiran chuckled and rested his arm on Thea’s shoulder much like Grégori did with Kilua. “Don’t worry Thea, this won’t be the last time we visit. Who knows, you might take over for me.”
Thea nodded as the two said their goodbyes.
***
When Jiran and Thea exited the secret passageway from the Citadel, the predawn gloom was still in the sky. There was no sign yet of the reds and pinks that came with the
sun. When they boarded the carriage, after brushing away the sand, they tied Hapy to the cart and resumed their journey through the desert. Thea sat slumped in the seat as she looked at the fanged tooth, rubbing her finger against the serrated edge.
“Missing Kilua already, huh?” Jiran asked. She looked up at him, his attention was focused forward, but she could see him watching her from the corner of his eye.
“Yeah, I miss everyone. They all seemed happy and accepted me without really knowing me.”
“Not everyone is crass as people in Kingsland,” Jiran told her. “But honestly, it has everything to do about the person's faith, who and what they believe in, and if they are willing to give the little they have for someone they don’t know.”
“That’s very kind of them. I hope Y’dar brings them a good life . . . I don’t know about him bringing death unless it’s to their enemies, but I want to see them succeed,” Thea licked her lips and nodded with confidence. “Hey, Jiran? I heard before that the Citadel is planning on retaliation against Kingsland . . . Is that true?”
For a moment, Jiran did not say anything, which made Thea look at him in confusion.
“Jiran, what is it?”
“There are some things, Thea, you should never repeat out loud even in the company of those you think you can trust.”
Thea pouted. “Why? It’s just to you, and we’re out in the middle of nowhere.”
Jiran grinned and reached out to tousle her hair.
“Yes, that may be true, but you never know who is listening or watching. Remember to keep things to yourself, because at the end of the day not everyone will be friendly.”
Thea didn’t say anything as she looked at Jiran. He turned his attention to the road ahead, and she to the fanged tooth around her neck. She continued to rub the serrated edges as she played Jiran’s words in her head several times.
. . . Not everyone will be friendly.
***
Nightfall came quickly in the desert, but Thea was accustomed to the pitch darkness as she had spent many nights in the woods alone. She removed the sleeping bags and blankets and laid them on the ground. The howling of the Putnam Jabë still made her spine tingle, but she made sure to stay as far away from the edge of darkness as possible.
She dragged the sleeping bags close to the fire that Jiran had made.
“Here’s lunch, Grégori made sure we would have enough food and water for our trip back.”
“Thank you,” Thea said graciously and took the wrapped sandwich in her hands. She sat down on her sleeping bag, unwrapped the sandwich and sank her teeth into it. She tasted the salty flavor of the meat as it danced on her taste buds she slowly chewed, savoring it.
“Jiran? Did you mean it when you said I could one day take over?” Thea chose her words carefully just in case there were any other ears around them.
“I did mean that. I wanted to tell you in person that I think that it would be best, for both of us, if you stayed with me.”
Thea, mouth full, stopped chewing and looked at Jiran, stunned. She forced herself to finish the food in her mouth, so she wouldn’t choke before speaking.
“So . . .” she licked her lips and placed her half-eaten sandwich on her lap. “You mean like adopting me? I would be your daughter or something?”
Jiran chuckled and scratched the back of his head. “Or something, yes. I just felt that it would be best if you weren’t running about the streets getting into, god only knows what trouble, and . . . I care about what happens to you, Thea. So yes, I want to adopt you. But as to what you want to call yourself, that is completely up to you. I will never try to replace the father you had.”
Thea could feel her throat suddenly grow warm and tighten. She looked down at her hands and nervously cracked her knuckles.
She would finally have a family, she thought to herself. But when the thought of family came into her head, she remembered Maggie and guilt clawed its way into her heart.
“You don’t have to make a decision now, Thea—”
Before Jiran could say anything more, Thea got up from her position and walked over to Jiran. She wrapped her arms around his neck tightly.
“Thank you, I want to be adopted,” Thea whispered. She pulled away from Jiran and smiled.
As she sat back down, she picked up her sandwich back up and Jiran let a small grin appear on his lips.
Part Three
Chapter Twenty
Thea tossed and turned that night, from the cold, but a lingering thought in the back of her mind. Several times, Thea thought she heard voices in the back of her mind, calling out to her.
Hmm, I think she’s still sleeping . . . An unfamiliar male voice casually spoke. Perhaps she wasn’t ready yet, Kii.
Thea knew that the name was familiar, but she couldn’t be sure why.
She will have to be, brother. She’s one of the very few we can reach now. We must go about this gently.
Kii? For a moment, the name did not register until she suddenly remembered.
Hey, look! I saw her move, Ansem said excitedly. Thea could feel her body sluggishly try to wake. Okay, listen to me, Thea. We know you haven’t been able to hone your abilities, but we need you.
Thea felt her eyes flutter open slowly. There was a blinding white light that made her squint her eyes, but she was still able to make out two heads, one male, and one female with blue hair.
Kii, she’s waking! I’m losing her…
She heard Ansem’s voice, loud and frantic, but it quickly became a low whisper until she plummeted into silence. The bright light that had been surrounding the two deities disappeared and darkness surrounded Thea.
Her visions began to take place.
For a moment, Thea couldn’t see anything, but slowly an image started to appear. At first, she couldn’t be sure what it was she was looking at, but as the picture began to clear up, she noticed that the features were mundane. The muscular body was no doubt from a man. She couldn’t be sure where he was from because his attire seemed strange to her.
His hair was unkempt and a strange deep-rooted orange-red coloring. The ends of his hair covered part of his ebony eyes. Hatred and rage were emanating from him, infecting the air surrounding him. Thea wanted to shrink away from him, but the evil look in its eyes had pinned her down. He had a smile on his face one just as sinister and wrong as the look in his eyes.
“Don’t be afraid, Thea . . . I won’t hurt you, much.” Icy and sickly words cooed in Thea’s ears and she felt hot breath lingering on the back of her neck, making the tiny hairs stand on end.
“Please . . .” Thea tried to say, but her words cut off as she as someone’s hand wrap tightly around her throat. Thea gasped as she tried prying the hands-off, but no matter how hard she tried, the fingers never budged.
She could no longer see the crazed look of the orange-haired man. She squeezed her eyes shut, wishing the pain would disappear.
Suddenly, she felt no pain as she wrenched from her sleep.
Thea jolted awake and instantly reached for her throat, feeling no hands but her own. She could feel her heart beating rapidly, and her breath ragged.
A chill wrapped around Thea and made her teeth chatter. She quickly grabbed her blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders.
What was that, who was that? She hoped it was a nightmare and not a vision. I could have sworn I had another . . . dream, was it? But I can’t remember.
Before Thea could question her dreams more, she heard rustling nearby. Thea frowned and looked at the wagon. Hapy slept, but there was another pair of legs on the other side of the cart. She turned her head, expecting to see Jiran, but when she did, she saw that Jiran was still sound asleep.
Intruder. She slowly stood, keeping the blanket wrapped tightly around her. She reached into her handbag and wrapped her fingers around her dagger.
Yes, Thea. Kill the intruder. They’re nothing but trouble anyway, the angry voice whispered to her. Channel your fear. You know how to do this.
Just kill the intruder on your own. You don’t need Jiran to do it for you. The angry voice was increasingly insistent, which worried Thea. The other voices didn’t comment either. Maybe it’s the person who was strangling you in your vision? You didn’t think of that, did you? Kill him before he gets his hands on your throat.
Let her see who it is first. It could be a friend, you don’t know it’s an enemy yet, the motherly voice chimed in, but it was a bit quieter than usual.
The angry voice scoffed. Really? You think it’s a friend. You’re far too naive, my dear.
“All of you, shut the hell up already. I can’t concentrate with your bickering!” Thea kept her voice down.
Thea exhaled when she looked at the wagon. The figure was about her height and approximately her age. When he turned to look at her, she could see that his face carried no expression, a tattoo was on the side of his neck of a snake eating its tail, and there was a familiar star-shaped scar on top of his head.
The boy from the market—The Sons of Samuel.
“You.”
The boy turned to Thea the moment she spoke. Thea gasped and backed up as she met his eyes, which were bright yellow, like a cat’s.
“Wh-What are you doing out here? How did you get in the desert?” She questioned. She watched the boy walk over to her, noticing that his movements were off, jerky and uncoordinated. “Um, just stay where you are . . .” she instructed him. He stopped.
Kill him. Do it now! The angry voice urged.
“How did you come out here without the Putnam Jabës attacking you?”
The boy blinked and when he opened his eyes again, they were black. He tilted his head to the side and stared vacantly at her, almost as if he didn’t understand what she said. Thea was nearly startled by his voice.
“My god. Does not. Allow me to be. Harmed.”
She didn’t understand why his dialect was so oddly broken, and she noticed his eye was twitching every so often.