"You are not a grouch," I assured her. "You are my beloved, and the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met." She blushed heavily, and then suddenly stepped up to me, and wrapped her arms around me.
"I love you," she mumbled into my chest. "I'm going to be lost without you."
"You'll be fine," I told her softly. We stood there, holding each other close, and each took a deep breath, drawing strength from one another. After a full minute, there was a knock at the door, and we finally stepped apart. I turned, and opened the front door, to find Vandahar and Cindy standing there.
"We're going back to Earth for a few days," Vandahar explained. "We just wanted to say goodbye before we left."
"Aren't you going to stay here with me?" April asked Cindy from behind me.
"I'll be back before Kaltar leaves," Cindy reassured her. "I just want to make sure Carl's plans are moving along the way they should."
"You're going to keep her out of trouble I take it," I asked Vandahar.
"I was hoping she would keep me out of trouble," he responded jokingly. They stepped in the door, and we stood talking for several minutes before moving into the kitchen, and sitting down to talk. The next thing I knew, several hours had passed, and April told us it was time to feed the twins again. Cindy stood up when April got up, and the two of them walked away talking about having children.
As soon as they were gone, Vandahar said, "I wanted to go back to Earth one last time before you and I left to return to the fleet. I've come to love the crazy place."
"You sound as bad as Madias," I noted. He smiled, and I went on, saying, "I guess I've really gotten to like the place as well."
"You should consider going back to Earth with us for a couple of hours," he suggested. "We may not be back for a few years. It may have changed by the time we return."
"I need to spend more time with April and the children," I responded. "I would love to see the Earth again, but there just isn't time." Just as I finished speaking, April walked in looking for the case that held clean diapers.
She glanced at me, and said, "You could go, and be back for dinner. Just make sure you're home tonight. I was planning something special for supper." I hesitated for a moment, and really debated going. April found the bag, and as she walked out, she said, "The twins will be asleep, and I'll be taking a nap. You have six hours before you're expected back. You should go have a good time."
Vandahar smiled, and that seemed to settle the matter. One hour later I folded space, and returned to Earth with the two of them. We went straight to Cindy's apartment, and I must admit, it was good to be back. The Earth is a very distinctive place, and no place is quite the same.
Cindy and Vandahar were planning to run a few errands in the local area, and we stepped out the front door of the building to find a glorious day outside. The three of us started walking, and as we did, walked past the park I had originally visited when I first came to Earth. After a moment, I stopped, and said, "I'm going to take a walk, and enjoy this beautiful day. I'll meet you at Cindy's apartment in an hour."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Cindy asked. "As I recall, you get into trouble every time you go there."
"I met my beloved there," I reminded her. "Sometimes, good things happen in a park." Vandahar frowned, but didn't say anything. Cindy looked at me as if trying to decide something. In the end, they walked away, and left me to explore the park.
Cities on Earth are very odd places. They tend to be poorly planned, and often very dirty. In the middle of these crowded clusters of humanity, the Earthers have placed these havens they call parks. It is such an interesting concept. In the midst of millions of people consumed by the Madness, these small places of sanity exist.
I was at the park for a short while when I saw the children playing. There were several dozen of them playing some form of sport that required a ball. Seeing the ball, triggered some very pleasant memories about how I met April.
As I watched the small children play, it made me think of my own children back at Drevins Spraug. One day, I’d like for them to come here, and see how much fun the children of Earth have with a simple toy, like a ball.
Standing there watching the children, it caught my attention that three of them were just sitting off to the side. Scanning them, I abruptly realized they were not healthy.
Two little girls were standing there dressed oddly, as if to protect them from the warmth of Earth's sun. My scans showed they had what humans call cancer. After generations of exposure to horrible pollutants and other nasty environmental issues, many of the people of Earth were very sick.
I will never understand why Earthers do this to themselves. I suppose the Madness prevents them from thinking it out, but it still defies logic to me. Why would you poison your species own children?
Long ago, I had healed a man on Earth, and almost caused trouble by curing his cancer. I knew I would need to be subtle, or I’d draw unwanted attention. I stepped up behind the two girls, and quietly began to realign and correct their disrupted cell structures. I was standing some distance away, so it required a great deal of concentration.
After a few minutes, it appeared the girls would recover. That left a small boy, perhaps six years old. I could see there was a chemical imbalance in his brain as I scanned him. It had left the small child unable to mentally progress. As a result, he simply sat there in what the Earthers called a wheelchair, watching the other children play.
It took several minutes, but I adjusted the chemical imbalance in the boy, and spiked his energy level. He sat there for almost a minute. Then he looked up at the woman behind him, and whispered, "Mom!"
As if struck by an ax, the woman fell to the ground like a bag of sand, and laid there limply. A man next to them screamed out, "Cathy?" I scanned the man, and realized he was the boy's father, and the woman his mother. They were in for a big day of surprises.
I scanned the woman, and could see she was simply sleeping. The boy had never spoken before, and the shock was too much for her. In seconds, a crowd was forming, and I knew I had better leave before drawing attention. I turned in my haste, and walked headlong into Tersa, almost knocking her down.
"Slow down!" She cautioned me quietly. "You're going to draw attention to yourself if you run away from here."
"I'm not running!" I replied. "I'm walking very fast." Tersa was smiling ear to ear, and I got the feeling she was having fun at my expense. We started to walk away from the growing mob of Earthers clustered around the boy. We got about fifty yards before I asked, "How did you come to be here?"
"April sent me to keep an eye on you so you didn't get hurt," Tersa told me. "Vandahar told me where you were, and I knew right away you would stir up some sort of trouble."
"All I did was heal three small children," I said truthfully. "I didn't get in any trouble at all."
“No, I suppose that's true," Tersa quietly agreed. We were almost out of the park, and Tersa stopped walking, and stood looking at me for a moment, before saying, "You did a very good thing back there Kaltar. I don't mean to say anything different."
"The people of Earth suffer horribly," I observed. "They die painful deaths for no reason. Even the small children suffer. There has to be some way to help them."
"The Chosen are proof that the Earthers are being cured," Tersa explained. "You've got to give the process time to complete."
"Those three children were running out of time," I said loudly. Several people looked at me as they walked past, but none stopped to see what I was carrying on about. Dropping my voice slightly, I went on, saying, "Any one of those could have been my child." I was too upset to continue.
"We're trying!" she responded. "You've got to be patient. It will take time."
"It's wrong for these children to suffer!" I snapped back, my patience gone. "If the Darkness wants a fight, I’ll be glad to oblige, but harming small innocents is more than I can stand!"
"You’ve done amazing things to protect this world," Tersa noted, trying to cal
m me. "The Clovis have stopped harvesting operations, and according to Dona, it's already showing up in the police records as a drop in missing person’s cases. It's just a matter of time before the Earth, and its people, will be free of all this."
"Not soon enough!" I growled. I could instantly sense Tersa scanning me heavily.
"You're not planning to do anything I should know about, are you?" Tersa demanded. She scanned me again, and then said, "I really wish you would answer me!"
"I leave soon enough to battle the Darkness," I told her bluntly. "But when that battle is over, I'll return to deal with this."
"I don't doubt you will," Tersa noted quietly. She looked behind me, and then said, "For now, let’s get out of here before this place gets any more exciting." I glanced back in time to see the boy I had helped say something to his Father. I couldn't hear what was said, but the father was openly weeping, and he looked very happy.
We both turned, and started back toward the building Cindy called home. Police cars and a large vehicle with Ambulance written on it were at the gate to the park we always walk through. People in uniforms began running past us, and as we left the park, we found Vandahar and Cindy waiting on us.
"As soon as I heard the sirens, I knew you would be involved." he informed me. They had both been scanning us as Tersa and I walked up, and both of them seemed very happy.
"That was the sweetest thing!" Cindy suddenly blurted out. She was smiling and crying at the same time.
"I didn't do anything wrong!" I assured her. "There were sick children, and I helped them."
"Yes, we got that Kaltar," Vandahar assured me, smiling widely. "Now let’s get out of here." We walked back to the apartment building in silence as more police cars rushed past us headed for the park. Our walking pace accelerated at more police rushed past, and by the time we entered our building, we were close to running.
We stood in the hallway for a moment as Cindy fumbled for her apartment keys. She finally laughed, saying, "I can't find my keys!"
"You're with a Magi!" Vandahar reminded her as he waved his hand, opening the locked door. We stepped in, and found Jasmin waiting for us. We all were startled as we almost walked into her in the doorway.
"What have you been up to?" She inquired pointedly. A split second later, she started smiling, and said, "Good job Kaltar! I'm glad you could help them, but my father would not be pleased with you taking risks, like walking around on Earth unescorted."
"I meant no harm," I responded. "I just wanted to see Earth one last time before I leave to join your Father, and the fleet."
"You did no harm," Jasmin assured me. "But my Father is concerned that you be kept as safe as possible. I repeat, you should have had an escort."
"Is that why you're here?" I questioned.
"No! I'm here checking up on Carl's legacy," Jasmin replied. "It appears everything is moving along smoothly. I was just getting ready to leave when I heard your voices outside. Before I could move, or scan you, you walked in. I didn't even hear the deadbolt snap in the lock."
"I opened it," Vandahar explained. "That’s why there was no sound when the deadbolt turned."
"Are you now returning to Drevins Spraug?" Jasmin asked.
"I'm thinking of going back to Remaca," I confessed. "I just wanted to see the place one last time."
"Why don't you wait?" Tersa suggested. "We've all had enough excitement for one day, and I suspect April would like to visit Remaca as well. Why don't you go tomorrow, and ask her to go with you." That did seem like a pretty good idea as I stood there debating.
"Cindy and I will be staying here for a few more hours," Vandahar noted. Two minutes later, I folded space, returning to Drevins Spraug, escorted by Tersa and Jasmin. I kept getting the feeling I was in trouble for something.
Every time I go to Earth, I get in trouble.
As soon as I saw April, she scanned me. The first words out of her mouth were, "You got in trouble?"
"I didn't!" I squeaked. Tersa just rolled her eyes.
"Next time you go out to do a good deed, take an escort," Jasmin instructed me. I could sense that April was scanning my memories. After a few seconds, she just smiled, and stood there looking at me oddly.
I spent the rest of the day with April and the twins. Every time I looked at my two healthy children, it made me think of the small children I had seen back on Earth. I realize I'm not supposed to interfere on Earth, but I refuse to feel bad about helping them.
By the end of the day, I had realized that the children I had seen would be fine, and I should be happy with that. I'm sure they had some very happy parents that night as they watched their children sleep.
I must say, that I will find a way to help the people in need on Earth. The sick and frightened people of Earth, deserve better.
Chapter 15
Recalled
I haven't written in two days. I usually write for a few minutes at the end of each day, but I’ve been too busy with April and the children. Today, April and I returned to Remaca. I want to note how good it felt to return to my world.
When I had asked her, April said she would be delighted to see Remaca again. Since we were only going to be gone a few hours, we could leave the children with Selena as they napped. They would never know we were gone.
We folded space, and arrived on Remaca late in the day. It was obvious it would be dark soon, and April suggested a walk along the riverbank before it got too dark. We wandered down to the river, and soon were walking down the finished road that now ran along the bank.
The river had changed a lot since it was first created. First a trail, and later a road, had been added to make it easier to move along the river. The Magi school, and at least forty other buildings, now ran along the far side of the river. I could easily remember when nothing but the river had been here. Now it looked like a small village had appeared. Students could easily be seen walking from building to building.
We walked in silence for at least five minutes, before April asked, "What's eating at you Kaltar? I can tell you're really upset about something. Is it what happened with the three children back on Earth?"
"I suppose that's part of it," I confessed "I suspect that down deep, I don't want to leave you, and it's eating at me."
April wrapped her arm around mine as we walked, and said, "The children and I will be fine. Please don't worry about us." I just nodded to acknowledge her statement, but didn't comment otherwise. We walked a little farther, before April continued, saying, "You make me nervous when you get quiet like this. Are you really okay, Kaltar?
I just had to smile at her question. I wasn't sure how she wished to define okay, so I couldn't be too sure how to respond. In the distance, I heard wolves howling, and looked up to find the pack watching us walk. They were standing on a ridge over a mile away, but since they were so large, it made them appear to be closer.
As we stood watching the wolves, a small bird flew up, and landed on my shoulder. I could tell in my scan that this was one of the first creatures I had ever created on Remaca. It seemed very happy to see me, and I must admit, I was delighted to see the small creature. Landing on my shoulder, the tiny thing nestled into my neck. It tickled, and I had to laugh slightly. Within a few seconds however, I had already sobered again.
"I've never seen a sick child." I suddenly blurted out. "At least not like those children. I've grown to like the people of Earth. I wish I could do more to help them right away."
April smiled at me, and simply said, "You can't save every child on Earth Kaltar. Even you have limits."
For the first time, I knew it was important to at least try. The concept began to grow in my mind. We would help the Chosen set up health clinics in areas all across the Earth. We would be able to not only help the children, but expose them to the enzyme in the process. They would soon be able to heal themselves, and in effect, we could start saving the children of Earth, right away. Deep in thought, I suddenly looked down at April, and realized she had scanned me.
She just stood there, smiling up at me.
"Your mind never stops, does it?" She asked softly. She wrapped her arm around mine, and we started walking again. Over the next hour, we visited with Al, Tiny, and even took time to check in on the elephants. As we left them, I nudged the tiny bird sleeping on my shoulder, and said, "It's time for me to leave little friend."
The tiny creature fluttered up onto the nearest elephant, and they stood watching April and I as we left. My last visit to Remaca was a memory I would try to hold onto for a long time. I would miss my home immensely, and it would probably be years before I returned.
At the end of two hours, we were back on Drevins Spraug. Tersana was alive with activity as we walked up the steps, and across the porch, into the house. As we stepped in the door, Selena was walking down the steps with Dorothie in her arms. As soon as Dot saw April, she practically screamed, "Mommy!"
Upstairs, out of sight, I heard Carl yell, "Mommy!"
"Nothing like being in demand." April said with a sigh. She kissed me on the cheek, and taking Dot from Selena, headed right back upstairs. She had just gotten out of sight when there was a knock at the door. I opened it to find the Rock standing there. I was overjoyed, and just stood there in the doorway."
"Well! Invite me in young Magi!" he said, smiling at my obvious confusion. I quickly ushered him on into the house. We stood talking for just a moment, before Selena said, "I'm going to tell April you're here. I'm sure she'll want to know." Then she turned, and started up the stairs. Madias and I went back to talking, and within just a few minutes, April joined us.
A huge smile covered Rock's face as he saw April walking down the stairs. He glanced at me, and said, "You were right when you said she's beautiful. She has two children, and looks as if nothing has happened."
"I don't care how it looks, I'm worn out," she informed him as she stepped closer. She hugged the old Magi for a moment, and the look of shock on his face was hilarious. As she stepped back, I could see how delighted he was.
The Books of Kaltar Farsara Boxed Set - Books 1 through 3 (The Kingdom Kaltar Farsara Built) Page 44