The Books of Kaltar Farsara Boxed Set - Books 1 through 3 (The Kingdom Kaltar Farsara Built)

by Ivan Bridgewater

  We sat there for a few seconds, and then April said, "We can go in if you want. I was just sitting here, waiting for you to wake up."

  "It's nice here," I observed. "We can just sit here for a while if you want."

  We must have sat there for several minutes. Then April asked, "Are you really alright Kaltar? I can see your thoughts. You're changing so much, I'm not always sure whose mind I'm seeing into." I sat there thinking about her comment. After a few seconds, she said, "You don't have to talk to me about it if you don't want to."

  "I don't know what to say," I finally responded. "I'm aware that I’m changing. I thought of that as a good thing. It never occurred to me it might be a bad thing."

  "It's not a bad thing!" she said emphatically. "It's just that I want our children to know the Kaltar I fell in love with."

  "Your memories of me will always be there for them," I reassured her. "They will see me through your eyes, and know me through your memories." She smiled widely at that thought, and I saw her grin turn a little impish.

  "I remember the first time I met you," she said softly, her voice barely audible. "I loved you right away. I never dreamed I’d end up here."

  "You hit me in the head with a ball," I reminded her. She blushed bright red, and I could see in the link I had embarrassed her.

  "I fell in love with you that day," I informed her. "The Rock had to keep me from following you home."

  "Tersa approaches," Al noted quietly. He hadn't even opened his eyes, but when I looked up, I saw Tersa walking towards us.

  "Come and join us," I suggested as she stepped up to where we sat.

  "Do you have any idea what's in that water?" Tersa wondered aloud. For an instant, I was afraid she was going to tell us. Instead, she started to sit down, and take off her shoes. Within seconds of putting her feet in the water, Tersa said, "Wow! That does feel pretty good."

  The three of us sat there talking for a while, and then the conversation seemed to slow. April looked at me, and said, "I wish I could go back to Earth for Cindy. She could use some support about now."

  "You know better," Tersa observed. "Teleportation while pregnant is a bad idea. Please don't even think about it."

  "I know," April agreed. "I was thinking about you and Kaltar. It would mean a lot to Cindy if one of you showed up at the funeral." The conversation ended for a moment. We just sat there for several seconds in silence.

  "I'll go to the ceremony you speak of," I responded. "I don't know anything about Earth burial customs, but I'll go if you think it might help Cindy."

  "Several of us came to consider Carl as a good friend." Tersa told April. "I'll see if they’ll go with us." April's face lit up in a large smile.

  "I'd appreciate it," April said. "Cindy's alone, and could use our support."

  Tersa pulled her feet out of the water, and started putting her shoes back on. As she stood up seconds later, she said, "I'll be back shortly." Then she folded space, and was gone.

  "I still wish I could be there for Cindy," April noted wistfully.

  "We'll be there," I assured her. "She won't be alone." April finally seemed to relax slightly, and I realized how tense she had been sitting there on the riverbank. I was already dreading talking to Cindy about how Carl died.

  "It wasn't your fault!" April announced sternly. It was obvious she was scanning my thoughts. "Cindy doesn't blame you, nor does anyone else. Carl wouldn't want you to torture yourself over what happened."

  "If he was alive," I commented dryly. "I was supposed to protect him. Instead, I got him killed." I pulled my feet out of the water, and started putting back on my shoes. April followed my lead, and a few minutes later we were walking back up to the house. Al was walking along, listening as we talked.

  April and I stepped up onto the porch, and she looked up at me, saying, "I need a nap. I'm going to go lay down for a while." I kissed her on the cheek as we hugged, and she went into the house. After a moment, I sat down on the porch steps, and sat there thinking about Carl's death.

  A full minute passed as I sat there. Then Al suddenly said, "War is a dangerous endeavor Kaltar. Did you not understand that your friends might die?"

  "I understood," I replied quietly. "I just can't stand the pain of losing all these people. It's just a horrible nightmare, and if we lose now, all is lost." I paused for a moment, and then said, "I'm scared to death. So much seems to depend on me, and all I do, is keep failing.

  A smile slowly spread across Al's huge face. His long teeth might have scared me if I couldn't see his mind in the link. Speaking as if we were old friends, he said, "The dragons of Drevins Spraug will follow you anywhere. I can see how Carl died as I scan your memories. I would be honored to die saving your life. Dragons have a strong sense for the future. It is important you survive Kaltar. You are the only chance for this entire galaxy. Bitsy will be angry for me telling you this, but you must understand. Too much rides on what you do in the timeline."

  Al's comments weren't helping. I was really terrified at the concept that this might all depend on me. My time recently spent with the Guardian Satu-Ra, had given me a better idea of the scope of the war. Until just a few years ago, I never dreamed of leaving my parent's farm. Now I was thrust into a Universe I never dreamed existed.

  "I just wish I knew what to do," I admitted. "Everyone keeps telling me to follow my heart, and my heart tells me to run and hide."

  "You won't run, Kaltar," Al said in an almost laughing tone. "Your heart burns too fiercely for you to truly know fear. What you feel is uncertainty, and that is a different emotion." Al could easily see my thoughts in the link, and I could see his point of view. It just didn't seem to help. The gigantic dragon leaned right up to me, and said, "In the timeline I follow, you and your family will survive this. I shouldn't say this, but I feel I must. Countless people will not survive what is coming. The only reason most will survive, will be because of your bravery. Don't doubt yourself Kaltar. You are the greatest Magi to ever exist. You stood by Bitsy and had faith in her. The Dragons of Drevins Spraug will make sure you fulfill your destiny and survive."

  "But Carl won't be there," I noted quietly. "I wish I could bring him back."

  "That is forbidden!" Al growled. "Don't think of such a thing Kaltar. Without its life force, the husk would be a mindless monster." I had been warned long ago to never do such a thing. Al's comment just reinforced the warning.

  "Don’t worry!" I said. "I won't do such a thing." I paused, thinking, and finally added, "I just wish Carl hadn't died."

  "His energy continues on," Al observed. "Life doesn't end with the husk you wear. You are aware of this Kaltar."

  "I'm aware of it," I acknowledged. "It gives me little comfort as I prepare to go to Carl's funeral."

  "Carl understands now," Al informed me. "He watches over you, and his energy helps give you strength. He is one of many that stand behind you, and his strength is part of what frightens the Darkness. His light has been added to your already blinding energy aura. More than all others, the Darkness fears you. Your light is too pure for him to see past. Because of you, he is blinded to the future." Al suddenly stopped speaking, and grew silent. After several seconds, he added, "I shouldn't have told you that." The way he closed his eyes and shook his head, told me he was angry with himself.

  "It's alright Al," I told him. "I don't understand half of what you say anyway. We'll just pretend we never had this discussion."

  Al snorted a small laugh, and said, "I doubt that will work, but I suppose it's too late for me to worry about that now."

  Twenty feet away, Tersa and Vandahar appeared. They stepped closer, and Tersa said, "Vandahar and I were going to go check on Cindy. We should return shortly."

  "I'll go with you," I informed them. "Aprils asleep, and I can't just sit here doing nothing."

  "You're already upset enough over this," Tersa observed bluntly. "Perhaps we should go and take care of this."

  "No," I responded. "I need to face this. Hiding is
not the best answer."

  "Follow your heart!" Al noted quietly. I glanced at him, and he just gave me a blank look. Dragons can be very hard to figure out. I couldn't tell if he was joking or not, even in the link.

  Tersa gave Al an odd look, and then glanced back at me, saying, "Let's go, if you’re ready."

  "Guard April!" I instructed Al.

  "Always!" Al responded.

  Tersa and Vandahar folded space to Earth, and I followed. We arrived at the apartment I had called home when I stayed on Earth so long ago. Was it really just a year ago I fell in love with April? I had many pleasant memories from this place. Now it would also always remind me of Carl, and the way he died.

  Within seconds of our arrival, I could sense we were being scanned by our security people in the building. Vandahar pinged out the recognition code, and the scanning dropped to a minimum. I opened my home's front door, and stepped down the hall to Cindy's apartment. As we stepped up to the door, Cindy sensed us in the link, and yelled, "C'mon in!" through the still closed front door.

  The three of us walked in the unlocked door, and found Cindy sitting at a desk, looking through a large stack of boxes. I could see it was from Carl's apartment. It was also obvious Cindy had been crying. Her eyes and nose were bright red, and she had a tissue in her hand. She kept wiping her nose, and it appeared to be painful at this point.

  "I was just trying to sort this stuff out," Cindy told us quietly. "I don't understand half of it. It's all about the companies he owned, and his quest to save the Earth." She giggled slightly, and then sobered again. A few seconds more passed, and she added, "Carl was always a silly do-gooder, but he was a good guy at heart. He deserved better than to die the way he did."

  I stepped over to Cindy, and looked down at the boxes. I didn't understand what I was seeing, but it had meant something to Carl. I looked over at Tersa and asked, "Would you see if Dona Carter could come here to see me for a few minutes?" Without hesitation, Tersa disappeared.

  "We're sorry for your loss." Vandahar told her. "April asked us to check on you and make sure you're alright."

  "I'm fine." Cindy assured us. Her voice was shaking badly, and I doubted the validity of her statement. "I just don't know what to do with all this stuff." We talked for a few minutes more, and then Tersa returned with Dona.

  We greeted each other, and then I showed the boxes to Dona, saying. "You represent the law on this planet. Can you do anything with this material?"

  "I represent the law in a few places." Dona responded slowly. "But this is out of my jurisdiction."

  Not understanding her reference to the law, I asked, "Can you help Cindy with this?"

  Dona suddenly seemed to focus on my request, and began to look at the papers. In seconds, her attention seemed to sharpen, and her search through the papers became more urgent. For a full minute she just stood going through the first box of materials.

  "Do you know what you have here?" Dona asked Cindy. Cindy shook her head no, and then began to cry. It was obvious she was in shock, and I felt extremely bad for her.

  "This is a plan to shut down fossil fuel use on Earth inside thirty years," Dona practically whispered. There was shock in her voice as she shuffled through a second bundle of papers. "This stuff is amazing. Carl had it all thought out. The whole planet would be solar powered in less than four decades. No more pollution, and millions of jobs created doing the required work."

  "He really believed this would work?" I asked.

  Dona glanced up at me, and then back down at the papers, before saying. "He did more than believe. He started the whole thing into motion. These papers show a business plan set up to continue after his death. If I’m reading this correctly, Carl has begun something that will change the entire planet inside thirty years. Even if his time schedule is off, he may end up going down in history, as being one of the greatest men to walk the Earth in centuries."

  "I don't understand," Cindy said in a confused voice. "Carl hardly ever left his apartment. How could he arrange solar power for the whole planet?"

  "He's bought up companies in various fields, and combined them together." Dona replied, obviously deep in thought. "He holds the patents on some of the most advanced solar designs on the planet. If these papers are correct, Carl died a very rich man."

  "To whom does this wealth now belong?" Vandahar asked.

  "I would say much of it goes to Cindy." Dona observed, looking deeper into the papers. "A lot of it is set up in a trust fund, but about ten billion in assets belong to Cindy."

  "Ten billion... dollars!" Cindy blurted out.

  "According to this stuff, you're a very rich woman." Dona responded. As if she was struck with a realization, Dona looked at Cindy, and said, "I need to show this to some of our people. May I bring in some people that might help us sort through all this?"

  Cindy nodded yes, seeming very confused. "You can make Carl's dreams come true?"

  "I think I can help," Dona acknowledged. "It looks as if Carl did all the hard work. Now we just need to make sure nobody interferes in his plans."

  "Please do whatever is needed to make this happen," I instructed Dona. "If I can assist in any way, I’ll do whatever I can to make this happen."

  "This is more in my back yard," Dona noted. "Just leave it to me for now. If I need help, I'll let you know right away."

  We all talked for the next hour or so. Then I said, "I need to get back to April. I don't like leaving her alone when she's this close to having the twins."

  "You go ahead," Tersa commented. "Vandahar and I will remain here and work with Cindy for a while." Content that Cindy was being helped, I prepared to return to Remaca.

  "Please tell April I miss her," Cindy observed. "I'll return to be with her, as soon as all this is straightened out." I simply nodded to acknowledge her comment, and folded space for home.

  Chapter 8

  The Twins

  I arrived home on Remaca feeling exhausted. I hadn't been gone that long, but the trip had taken a lot out of me. It felt as if I had been gone for a week as I walked up the stairs, and practically staggered into the bedroom. I immediately noticed that April was sitting up in bed. It appeared she had seen me approaching in a scan, and was waiting on me to arrive.

  That impression was soon dispelled when she announced, "I'm having the babies!"

  "Next month," I corrected her. "It could still be a month away."

  "No!" she asserted loudly. "I'm having them right now!"

  "You can't be having the twins! You're not due yet!" I insisted.

  "My water has broken!" she screamed. "I'm having them right now!"

  I’ve never tested to see how far I can call for help, using the link. I must have sent the loudest distress call ever heard, because Tersa appeared instantly. She looked around frantically, and loudly asked "What is the problem here?"

  "April is giving birth," I blurted out.

  "She can't be!" Tersa exclaimed. "She's not due yet!"

  "Both of you SHUT UP!" April yelled. Tersa and I froze. At that very instant, both Vandahar and Jasmin appeared. "I am having the babies now!" April informed everyone in a very calm voice. "Just take my word for it! It's time!"

  "The Guardian fleet has a heavy cruiser station in this area." Jasmin reminded us. "I'm going for a doctor!" She folded space, instantly disappearing.

  "Have any of you ever been around a child birth?" Vandahar asked.

  "I have," Tersa responded calmly. "I know what to do."

  "I hope so!" Vandahar observed with some slight concern in his voice. "Because she's right. The twins are ready to arrive almost a month early." At that moment, April screamed, and curled up in the bed. The three of us in the room all jumped slightly, and Tersa instantly began scanning April.

  "You can come with me!" Vandahar told me. "Leave Tersa and April to talk for a few minutes." I found myself being ushered out of the room, and downstairs to the kitchen. "You should make up some coffee." I was instructed. "We're going to need it."r />
  "Why is she in so much pain?" I asked. "I didn't realize there would be so much pain."

  "It's very normal Kaltar! Don't let it upset you!" Vandahar noted. "Birthing is a very natural process, and April will be just fine." Upstairs, a scream punctuated his last comment. "You remain here!" he instructed. Then he folded space, returning to check on April.

  I was quickly becoming a nervous wreck, and noticed my hands were shaking badly as I tried to make coffee. I resisted the temptation to scan and see what was happening. There was little I could do, and if I did something wrong, I might even hurt April, or our children. I knew enough to not interfere. I might make things worse.

  The coffee was just starting to percolate when Jasmin and Vandahar stepped in the door to the kitchen. Jasmin smiled at me and said, "A doctor is with April right now. He said April is doing fine, and for us to just relax."

  I was so nervous, I was afraid I might just shake apart. Having a child may be a natural process, but I knew enough about medicine to know things go wrong. Jasmin and Vandahar sat at the kitchen table as I paced the floor, walking back and forth over and over.

  Tersa stepped into the room, and looked at me, saying, "April wants to see you." Before I could get to the door, she said, "You should try to calm down. You look like a nervous wreck. You'll scare April if you don't relax a little."

  I just nodded to acknowledge the instructions, and bolted out the kitchen door and up the stairs to April. I was almost running till I got to the bedroom door. Then I slowed to a walk, and went in to see my beloved.

  There were three doctors at this point. I'm not sure where they all came from, but they seemed to know their business. April was panting as I walked in, and despite the fact that the room was cool, she was sweating. Her skin was wet with perspiration, and her face looked flushed, and strained.

  I stepped close, and knelt down next to the bed. She glanced at me for a moment, and abruptly said, "I love you!" Then she screamed, and writhed in pain.