Alyssa Pennini's Blog

Earth’s End

With sun above and

Sea below, my wings spread wide

To earth’s end, I fly

Grey Skies

By: Alyssa Pennini

It does not matter if the skies above

Are cast in grey and gloom

For without the rain those clouds bring

The flowers would never bloom

The Legend of Valtera: Chapter 30

Previous Chapters

“How did you know?” Prea wondered in the darkness.

“The same way you knew to come here,” the woman answered. “The same way you know who I am.” There was an audible intake of breath from Prea at the being’s realization. I guess that’s not surprising, Prea thought to herself.

“Come, my daughter,” the woman repeated, arm still beckoning her forward. Prea’s feet moved without command, carrying her towards the ethereal ghost. She raised her own hand as she neared, placing it on the woman’s offered palm and, though there was no corporeal hand to hold, Prea felt a warm pressure tingling against her skin. She lifted her eyes from her hand to the woman’s face.

“You’re Aylin, aren’t you?” Prea asked, barely above a whisper.

“Yes, child. I am the daughter of the moon,” she replied simply. “And I’ve been watching over you for some time now.”

“You have?” Prea was shocked. “I don’t understand…” Her voice trailed off and she looked out at the smooth surface of the sea, its proximity calming her emotions.

With her free hand, Aylin placed her invisible fingers under Prea’s chin and lightly guided her face back until they were eye to eye once more. “You’ve been through so much, child. I am so proud of you,” she said, silver tears welling in her eyes. “I never wanted this for you. So much loss and pain in your short life. And yet, you’ve handled it with such maturity and grace.”

Prea tried to shake her head, uncomfortable with where this conversation was going. “But I don’t even remember…” she began.

“Just because you don’t remember, doesn’t mean it didn’t happen,” Aylin interrupted quietly. “I know you have questions. You’ve been told stories about your life and who you used to be. But there are still things you do not know.”

“But do I even want to remember?” Prea wondered. “Maybe I’m better off this way, without the pain and the loss. I know it happened but I don’t feel it. I can’t feel it. Why would I want to feel all of that again?”

The tingling pressure left Prea’s hand as Aylin raised it to brush the hair off of her face. Everyone else wanted her to remember, Kael and Alvie, Carr and Beda and Dal. They had given her time when she first got back, but as time wore on they tried subtly at first and then more overtly. No one had ever asked her what she had wanted. Prea could only assume that they had been honest with her, but she could never be sure. And they hadn’t exactly painted a pretty picture of her past.  

“There is always going to be pain. You can’t feel loss if you have never known love. You would want to be kept in the dark to save yourself the pain, and sacrifice all the good, all the love in the process?” Aylin countered, as Prea looked away. “I know what you’ve seen, the flickers and flashes of your past. Don’t you want to know what they mean? Don’t you want to remember your mother and father? I can promise you that it was not all pain and heartbreak. There was love and happiness, friendship and family.”

Prea shook her head, trying hard to reconcile what she was feeling and what was happening. “But what if I don’t like my life? Or like the person I was? At least now I have a fresh start,” Prea admitted somewhat selfishly, avoiding Aylin’s eyes. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and stared out at the water, the wind and sea creating a harmony in her ears.

Aylin knew the woman that stood beside her; had watched her from birth as she grew into a child and then a young woman, reluctantly taking on the responsibility of the household and her siblings. She hadn’t even reached adulthood yet. Aylin had watched as Prea lost her mother and fell in love for the first time, had watched her crumble at the loss of her father and fiancé, had watched as she faced the threat of losing her little brother.

“But that’s not what’s bothering you, is it?” Aylin questioned. Prea remained silent, but Aylin didn’t prod or pressure; she just needed to wait until Prea was ready to admit what Aylin already knew. She was a mother after all and knew when her children had to do something on their own.

“I felt it,” Prea muttered simply.

Aylin just watched her, letting the silence do the prodding. Prea needed to say what she was thinking, what she was feeling, what she feared. Only then would she be able to truly move on.

“I felt the power, the immensity of love. I felt it in my whole being, every part of me and if that’s the good then the bad is…very, very bad.” She paused. “I don’t know if I can handle that and I’m scared of what will happen if I can’t,” Prea confessed, finally returning Aylin’s gaze.

“You can handle it. You’ve already lived it. And if you can’t, well, it’s good you’re not alone,” Aylin assured her. “I know you, Prea. I look after all of the children of this earth, but I pay close attention to the children of me and mine.”

“What?” Prea exclaimed.

“I’ve watched you, Prea. I’ve looked after you your whole life,” Aylin explained. “I know you.”

“If you know so much about me and my life, tell me…what was wrong with Carr? They said after the funeral ritual, he just wouldn’t wake up. They tried everything and nothing worked. What happened?” she demanded. Turns out she really did want those answers.

“I see you’ve found what you really want,” Aylin noted, eyes sparkling. “It began the night your brother was born when both he and your mother died and passed on. They briefly resided in the next realm before being summoned back to life. But they did not return unharmed, though it was not a visible wound. Their souls were no longer intact; a part remained in the next realm.

“Your mother and brother were connected by their shared experience. When she died a part of him went with her, leaving your brother weaker than before. That was when his coughing fits began,” Aylin continued.

“Your father helped save your brother the night he was born and they were connected in their own right, if differently. Your father was like an anchor tying him to this world. When your father passed on, again, a part of your brother went with him into the next realm. His weakened state left him vulnerable. Too much of his soul remained in the next realm with your parents, and he was left in a deep sleep.”

“Say that’s all true, then how did he wake? Kael told me that when he arrived, Carr was already awake and healthy. He didn’t even need the stone. What changed?” Prea asked, riveted by the story Aylin told her. Although some would never believe it, deep in her heart she knew it was true.

“You did,” she replied simply.

“What? How?” Prea asked surprised.

“Prea, my daughter,” Aylin said, tucking a piece of Prea’s hair behind her ear. “You believed in the power—of nature, of the elements, of the sun and the moon, of the universe. But, more importantly, you respected it. You believed in me and my love, in our family, in our lives and our legacy. You believed in love and faith and hope. You showed your intelligence and trust, your bravery and courage, and most of all your selflessness on your journey to save your brother. Prea, you proved your worthiness and found the stone.”

Prea stared, mouth open, speechless.

“You don’t remember anything before that family found you, saved you. You fell through the ice, but you managed to make it out and down the mountain. You were badly injured, cold and starving. You had hit your head and finally collapsed when you could go no further.”

Prea wasn’t sure she wanted to hear any of this. There was an ominous tone to the story and, though she was alive, standing right here on her cliffs, she suddenly didn’t want to know all the facts and specifics.

“You closed your eyes, tired and alone, and drifted off. Your last conscious thought was a plea: your life in exchange for Carr getting better. You offered your soul, your entirely whole soul, in place of your brother’s. Your worthiness caught the eye of the universe and the universe listened. That’s what saved him.”

Her thoughts wouldn’t form in her mind. It didn’t make any sense. If she had sacrificed herself for Carr, that would mean she had to die for her soul to take his place. But they were both alive and well. How could that be? “But…we’re both here…”

“You willingly gave yourself to save Carr and you did in fact pass on, for longer than you would believe. The sacrifice was made. You had no control over that family finding you and saving your life. But know that the balance was maintained. Your brother’s soul is whole once more. Yours is no longer.”

“Is that why I can see you?” Prea asked quietly, trying to connect the dots.

“No. You can see me because I want you to, through my power and the power of All Hallows Eve.”

“What does it mean? That my soul is no longer whole?”

“It means you have a foot in the next realm, just like your mother years ago. It isn’t something you should notice. If I hadn’t told you, you never would have known.”

Do I feel different? Prea wondered. Well, I wouldn’t know, now, would I? But now they were back to the question at hand, to know the past or not. None of these revelations were making Prea any more eager to remember her life before. She still couldn’t decide, so she asked something she was mildly curious about.

“What about the stone? Would it have worked? If I had managed to make it back, would it have saved him?” she asked.

“I cannot say. I have no sense of the future or knowledge of what might have been. Everything happens for a reason, my daughter. Trust that things will work out the way they are meant to.”

Prea was still trying to piece all of this information together, to understand the puzzle. “I held the stone in my hands. I felt the power of your love flow through me, but I didn’t recall my past.”

“Child, when you held the stone you felt more than the power of my love. You felt some of your past, maybe saw things, and didn’t want it to restore your memories,” Aylin answered. “You have a choice in this world, you always have a choice.”

There was more to the story than met the eye. Since waking without memories, Prea had been relying solely on feeling, instinct and intuition. After all her family and friends had shared, and though she didn’t know them, she sensed they were still keeping something from her. The flickers of memories came first, along with echoes of past feelings. Then there were the stories cut short, the glances shared and the whispers spoken behind her back. She was sure they did it for her benefit, to save her some mixture of emotions, but it changed nothing. The truth came out in the following weeks; she had lost more than her mother and father.

“The story of my life isn’t exactly daisies and rainbows and sunshine,” Prea began with a deep sigh. “They tried to spare me pain and confusion. There was no way they could hide the truth about Mama and Papa, but they hid others. I saw it, felt it, sensed it somehow, not to mention the flickers of my past. Whatever they kept from me had to be exceptional compared to all they had shared. What other reason is there for the secrecy? If my memories would only lead to more pain, then I didn’t want to remember. I held the stone in that time, before I knew their secret.” She let out a sound of exasperation and looked desperately into Aylin’s blue eyes.

“How much pain can a person endure? It’s hard now and I’m a stranger to it. I didn’t…I don’t think I can survive experiencing it all over again. Not my past or my journey and fall.” Prea choked out a hopeless laugh. “I felt the purity of love, how it can fill you and make you fly. And I know I lost it, not once but thrice. It’s unimaginable and yet, it’s my past, my reality.”

“But Prea, darling, you can never truly lose someone,” Aylin began, placing her transparent hand on Prea’s chest, right above her heart. “They live on forever in you, in your heart and the hearts of those they loved. Remember, they are the warmth of the sun’s rays and the time in all your days. They are the song of a lonely lark and the quiet beating of your heart.” She paused, holding Prea’s face between her ghostly hands and looked deep into her eyes. “I am the glow of the moon at night and they are my many stars shining bright,” Aylin whispered, kissing Prea lightly on the forehead. Then she was gone.

Prea looked around, her fingertips brushing her cheek which was still warm from Aylin’s otherworldly touch. Had that really happened? It felt like a dream, standing on the edge of the cliff surrounded by darkness. But it wasn’t true darkness. Prea raised her chin, eyes gazing at the night sky where the moon shone like a beacon of hope in the darkness. Her presence calmed Prea’s pounding heart. And to the right of the moon was a cluster of stars, three to be exact, shining brighter than all the rest.

* * *

It came like a flood, like rushing water bearing down on the dam within her mind, obliterating it. A massive wave came forth, spilling over the walls and blocks below, drowning the rest of the fortified areas. Prea’s eyes closed and she gasped at the bombardment of images flying through her mind. One hand rose to her chest as she bent at the waist, her other hand clutching her leg, keeping herself from keeling over completely. Images and memories flowed, shifted and morphed, creating a stream of her life before her eyes.

She was a little girl again, her beautiful mother reading her the story of Aylin and Ciro. Then her father was tucking her and her sister into bed, telling them a story as the night sky darkened outside their window. The image changed to the woods, where she hid behind a tree and watched her mother stand atop the cliff calling on nature to bring her father home safe and sound. Back in the house, her mother’s scream pierced the night Carr was born and she was reliving her fear as she ran like she was on fire to get the doctor before her father was introducing them to their baby brother Carr.

Then she was fifteen and hopeless after her mother’s death, her brother’s waking cries pulling her away from her drowning grief. Now she was on the cliff, taking her mother’s place and watching her father’s ship sail off into the distance. Back inside, she and Alvie were fighting as Carr played in the background before the image changed and her father was at the door introducing her to his new crewmember, Leal.

To her classroom where she was teaching kids the same stories her mother taught her and Leal was surprising her when school was out. He was buying Carr sweets and making her laugh, as love blossomed inside her heart. She was so happy and in love with her whole life before her.

Then it was gone.

Dal was in the doorway telling her that her father and her future were gone. The hopelessness returned, but she was responsible for her siblings. To the cliff once more, where they were saying goodbye to those they lost, throwing bay laurel, rosemary and periwinkle offerings into the sea. Now she was in Carr’s bedroom, her fear tangible as he refused to wake.

She was on a wooded road being accosted by a strange young man. Then face down in a stream, her body aching after the fall down the rock wall. Now in Flint and Kael was offering to accompany her on her journey. She was helping Kael across the cove and into the tunnel where they walked hand in hand through the never-ending darkness. Then they stood in the tunnel opening and Kael was kissing her before she was underwater, looking at a carving of Aylin and Ciro as she freed the stone from the wall.

Then she was hanging precariously from the ice, throwing the stone to Kael and making him promise to leave her. She was falling, her face hitting jagged rock as she tumbled into nothingness. Her leg collided with earth, snapping like a twig, the pain fierce and all-consuming. She was in a narrow opening, clawing her way through before the crevasse opened into what appeared to be another of the tunnels under the mountain.

There were only flashes now, bits and pieces of her journey down the mountain. She had been out of her mind in pain. She collapsed, unable to move another inch and she drifted, tired, hungry, cold, and knew her fate. Then she was asking that her brother be saved, offering her life for his and, with that, she took her last breath.

She was back home on her cliff, but it was different now, just a shadow of the real place. There was a light on the horizon, the sea now signifying whatever came next. She didn’t know how, but she knew that all she had to do was step off the edge and she would be free.

But her brother was calling to her and she turned. She had been sure she was alone. It seemed that this was an in between place, a limbo or ghostly realm. Or perhaps it was just his dream. Whatever it was, wherever they were, she took it as a gift.

Prea, what are you doing here? I haven ’ t seen anyone in ages, Carr said.

She knew what she had to do. This was all for her brother. Cricket, everything is going to be all right. You’re going to be fine. She crossed to him and held his hands.

Prea, you ’ re scaring me, he said.

She looked at this boy who had already lost so much and knew he was going to lose more. Cricket…I need you to remember that I will always be with you, no matter what. I will always look out for you, look after all of you, but I have to go be with Mama and Papa now.

Carr’s mouth dropped open in shock. No. No, Prea. That can’t be, he protested.

Tears streamed down her face now; no one should have to say goodbye like this.

I need to tell you, someone’s going to come see you. His name is Kael. He’s…well, it’s hard to explain. You’re his family now and he’s going to need you. Trust him, he’ll keep all of you safe. Just like he kept me safe. Prea wiped the wetness from her cheeks. But if Kael is doubtful, tell him that he did all he could. There was nothing else to be done. And tell everyone, including Kael, that I love them and everything is going to be all right, she said. She pushed a few free strands of hair out of his face as her brother began to fade in front of her eyes. She didn’t have much time. Don’t be sad, cricket. Don’t any of you be sad. I’ll be fine. I love you. And he was gone, hopefully back to his bed where he would finally wake.

She was looking out to the sea once more, standing on the edge for a few moments. She looked inside her heart and came to terms with her fate. She was stepping off the cliff and into the unknown, passing over, and she was weightless as she closed her eyes. When she opened them, she was in another world high in the sky, her mother, father and Leal standing before her, smiling, welcoming her home. Time ceased as she found peace.

Suddenly she was being pulled back like metal to a magnet, before she was in a strange bed, confused with no idea how she got there. Her mind and body were battered and broken, taking weeks to heal, some not at all. Then she was on a boat sailing down the river toward the bay and strangers were calling out her name, running to her, hugging her. She was home where her family and friends were taking care of her. Then she was at the harvest festival and now it was All Hallows Eve and she was dancing with Kael…before she ran away and came here.  

Prea straightened slowly, looking to the sky again as little rivers ran down her face. She was right, experiencing the pain and loss and grief of her entire life all at once was almost unbearable, her mind and heart about to explode.

But Aylin was also right; you can’t have pain without love. And love is where she would find her salvation.

* * *

The group returned to the Reed home from the festival, looking forward to enjoying the food they had prepared earlier in the day. But Kael hesitated at the door, still concerned with Prea’s absence. He walked to the side of the house, drawn away from the rest.

“Kael? Where are you going?” Beda called after him, causing him to turn. “She’ll be fine, Kael. Come inside.”

He stared at Prea’s best friend, attempting to trust her instincts about his love. But he instincts of his own and they were telling him where to find her.

“I won’t be long,” he called back to Beda and walked away without waiting for a response.

Around back, he moved towards the first lantern at the edge of the forest and, as he crossed the woody threshold, he felt a shock run through him. It was power. He had never really felt it, except for the stone, but Prea had talked about it before. His feet followed the lit path through the trees, branches brushing up against him, sparking him as leaves rustled and crunched as he trod over them.

He came to a halt at the edge of the wood and his heart skipped a beat at the sight of her. There he heard the steady sound of the crashing waves and the cool breeze that made the branches dance and leaves fly. She stood, a white light in the blackness of the night, her wavy hair tumbling down her back, swirling in the salty breeze. All he wanted to do was go to her, hold her forever and never let her go. She had frightened him, running off like that, away from him. He had lost her once and, by a miracle or fate, she had found him again.

Kael loosened his feet and stepped out of the tree’s cover onto the cliff. He moved towards her, coming to rest at her side and his eyes went to her automatically, studying her face in the glow of the moon. Tears were spilling out of her grass green eyes and her hands were at her sides, making no move to brush them aside. His gaze remained fixed on her, in awe of her beauty, her character, her soul. His breath caught in his throat when she turned and looked up at him, straight into his eyes, into the center of his being.

“Thank you,” she murmured into the night.

Kael tilted his head in confusion, perplexed by her statement.

“For what?” he wondered. There was a sadness in her eyes, highlighted by the reflection of the moon and stars in her emerald irises. Her lips curved up to the left in a half smile as she met his confused expression.

“For being there and believing in me. For doing as I asked. For leaving me,” she admitted softly. “For keeping my family safe when I couldn’t.”

“You…you…” he stammered.

“Remember?” she finished for him. “Yes, I remember everything.”

She left him speechless. All he could do was grab her by the waist, pull her towards him and wrap his arms firmly around her as he’d wanted to do ever since she returned. Prea responded just as enthusiastically, going up on her tiptoes and throwing her arms around his neck.

“How?” Kael whispered into her ear and she couldn’t help but laugh lightly in response.

“It’s a long story,” she replied, drawing back a little. She was still on her toes, hands around his neck, but now she could look into his midnight blue eyes. “I love you,” Prea said, knowing they both needed it more than anything else. Kael just dropped his head, resting his forehead against hers.

“I love you so much, Prea,” he proclaimed quietly, as she stroked the back of his neck soothingly. “But don’t ever do that again.”

“Do what?” she asked.

“Don’t ever leave me and don’t ask me to leave you,” Kael answered, voice thick with emotion. “I can’t lose you again.”

“I promise,” Prea replied, dropping her heels to the ground.

She shifted her hands from his neck, moving them down and around until they were clasped about his waist. Prea rested her head against Kael’s chest and his hold tightened as he let his head rest on top of hers. She listened to the steady beating of his heart as she looked up. The moon seemed bigger and brighter in the night’s sky, its glow bathing them in Aylin’s happiness and protection. And, even in the moon’s increased radiance, there were three stars to the right gleaming with all the love, light and life in the universe. Those three stars reminded her that, at this very moment, she was surrounded by all those she loved most in this world and, in that knowledge, Prea finally found some peace.

The End

The Legend of Valtera: Chapter 29

Previous Chapters

A month had passed since the harvest festival and the group had awkwardly settled back into a semi-normal routine given their new circumstances. Kael had felt uncomfortable about his continued presence, believing that the family needed to move on as a unit in his absence. Shortly after the harvest festival, he suggested that he find another place to live, but was firmly shut down and convinced to stay put exactly where he was. Kael had become an honorary member of the Reed family and Prea’s welcome return was not going to change that fact; Prea, Alvie and Carr would not let it.

Prea’s presence could not be kept a secret for long and the group slowly spread the news of her return and condition around town. Life was taken one moment at a time to avoid any more overwhelming situations. Like the seasons, it was a time of transition and change.

“Prea, I have to go pick a few things up,” Alvie announced the day before All Hallows Eve. “Do you want to come with?”

“Sure,” Prea answered and the two prepared to leave. “What do we need to get?”

“Oh, just a few things for the holiday. We can get pumpkins and gourds at Willow’s farm. And a few items of food for tomorrow night. Then we can stop and see Beda, if you’d like.”

“That’s fine,” Prea said and they left.

The weather had steadily gotten colder since the harvest festival. The wind held a chill, the days grew darker and the leaves fell from the trees. It would be a relatively long outing given Willow’s farm wasn’t near any of the other stops.

“How are you doing?” Alvie wondered as they walked.

“Today? Or in general?”

“Either. Both.”

“It’s getting easier,” Prea admitted, pulling her blonde braid over her shoulder. “The staring doesn’t bother quite so much.”

“Has anything felt familiar? Any flickers or memories of the past?”

Prea had seen things, felt things, but nothing particularly familiar. “Nature feels familiar, fire especially. This land. Not much else.”

“That makes some amount of sense. That connection is deep down in blood and bone. I don’t think you can ever be rid of it.”

“Is it like that for you?” Prea asked, looking sideways at Alvie.

“I’ve tried to deny it for a very long time, but yes. It’s a part of me, something that will always be. I’ve only recently begun to accept that fact.”

“Why did you try to deny it?”

“I thought it was the reason for all my problems, so I blamed it.”

“What made you change your mind?”

“Your return,” Alvie said simply. “That brought back a little of my faith.”

They made it to Willow’s farm and picked out their pumpkins before completing the rest of their errands at the market and bakery. Then they stopped in on Beda.

“Hello, you two,” Beda greeted as the girls entered the shop. “I see you’ve been shopping.”

“Yes, we have,” Prea answered. “Though I’m not sure why we have pumpkins.”

“The pumpkins are for carving,” Beda explained, leaning against the counter. “Mainly for decoration. There are tales about them warding off evil spirits, but who knows if that’s true.”

Alvie laughed. “Those, I believe, are actually not true, Beda. Other things? Yes. That? No.”

“Any-way,” Beda drawled with a wave of her hand. “How are you two doing today?”

The sisters exchanged a look. “We’re both doing good,” Alvie answered with a smile. “The festival’s providing a much needed distraction.”

“Are you excited?” Beda asked Prea.

“It’s hard not to be when everybody else is, especially Carr. He’s been explaining the holiday and the festival. He assures me it’s going to be fun,” she answered with her own grin.

“Oh, it will be,” Beda promised, her eyes glittering.

* * *

Kael leaned against the doorway, watching as Alvie and Carr sat on the floor of the kitchen with Prea, showing her how to carve faces into the pumpkins and gourds. It was finally All Hallows Eve and they were carrying out the usual traditions. Carr had his hand inside a pumpkin and he was scraping out the gooey, seedy center. Once they all started carving out their own gourd, the seeds and goop started flying across the room as an all-out war began between the siblings. Kael remained on the sidelines and out of the fray but was soon dragged into the melee.

Laughter, squealing and screaming, the sweet sounds of a happy family, filled the room even after all parties surrendered and the carving resumed. Everyone was covered in pumpkin guts, seeds strung into hair and stuck to clothing. But smiles were present on all faces and the enjoyment just continued. When they were finished, each placed their carving onto the table so all could be admired. Alvie had gone with classic, Carr with scary and Prea went artistic.

Prea and Kael began the cleanup as Alvie scooted Carr out of the room. “Come on, bud, let’s get you cleaned off,” Alvie ordered lightly and exited after him. As Prea kneeled on the floor gathering the carving remains, Kael pulled some of the seeds and guts out of her blonde hair. 

“Having fun?” he asked, smiling.

Prea looked up into his teasing blue eyes. “Yes, I am,” she laughed. “What about you?”

“I can honestly say that I’ve never had more fun on All Hallows Eve before in my life,” he confessed. “Holidays weren’t all that important in my house growing up.”

“Really? That’s too bad,” Prea replied. “Not that I can remember any holidays of my past,” she muttered as an afterthought.

They completed the rest of the cleanup in silence, before they ended and found themselves looking into each other’s eyes. Whenever she looked at him straight on like this, butterflies rustled and flitted within his stomach. He loved her more with every passing day and right now his love for her clouded his mind completely.

“Do you know what the night holds for us?” Prea asked, breaking the silence.

“Umm. I’m not quite sure what the tradition is here, but I believe there’s going to be a bonfire in the schoolyard. There might be something about costumes and dancing…we’ll have to wait and see,” Kael answered vaguely.

“Costumes?” Prea asked incredulously. “Where am I going to find a costume in an afternoon?”

“I think they may have a surprise for you,” Kael chuckled, as he tilted his head toward the door. “Don’t worry about it, just enjoy it.”

* * *

Morning turned to afternoon, afternoon to evening; food was gathered and cooked in preparation for the night’s festivities. As the setting sun painted the land in a warm glow, the Reed family arranged their carved pumpkins and gourds just outside the front door. Satisfied with their placement, the siblings headed to the woods to fulfill another family tradition.

As twilight fell, the Reed children crossed into the enchanting forest behind their house, hands laden with supplies. A few feet into the trees, Alvie found an acceptable limb and hung a homemade lantern from the branch. Prea and Carr followed suit, the three of them hanging lanterns every few feet, creating a path through the trees in the coming darkness until they reached the cliff side. On the way back, they lit the lanterns, bathing groups of trees in glowing pools of light. Later they would go to the cliff, allowing their parents to join them in the festivities.

Before returning to the house, Prea looked back over her shoulder at the illuminated forest which held an ethereal beauty within its wooded soul. The glow called to her, a beacon in the dark expanse of her mind. It wanted her to remember, to see the truth and know it was real. But nothing came, so Prea strode away from the call and back into the house.

As soon as she entered, Prea was whisked away by her sister and Beda to their bedroom upstairs. Kael followed in their footsteps, retreating to his own room where his costume lay on the end of his bed. Beda, with help from Alvie and Dal, had made the perfect costumes for all of them.

* * *

“What are you doing?” Prea asked as the three entered the room the sisters shared.

“Getting ready, of course,” Beda said simply.

“Kael said there were costumes…” Prea’s voice trailed off.

“Yes, but they’re all taken care of. Don’t you worry,” Alvie added lightly.

“How did you? When did you?” She couldn’t even form any more words as Beda and Alvie pulled out the hidden garments.

“Sit,” Beda ordered and Prea obeyed, sitting before a mirror. Beda quickly went to work, gathering, twirling and pinning Prea’s blonde waves into a beautifully constructed mass atop her head.

“Ooh, pretty,” Alvie added when Beda had finished.

“Yes. She doesn’t need much else.”

“No, just a little of the things I whipped up.”

“What kinds of things?” Prea wondered.

“Oh, you’ll see,” Alvie answered and pulled out a few colorful jars. A swipe of black pigment to her lashes, a dusting of pink and golden flecks to her cheeks and a swish of rose to her lips was all she needed. “Look.”

Prea turned back to the mirror and was shocked by her reflection. Her eyes and lips were of no worry, but she was uncomfortable with the large scar across the side of her face. She feared the flecks would highlight the fresh skin still a striking pink against her pale complexion. But, surprisingly, the scar wasn’t the focus.

“All right. Time to get dressed,” Beda instructed, holding up Prea’s dress for her to see. “Tonight you are Aylin, the moon herself. Come on, we don’t have all day.”

Prea stood speechless and mesmerized as she took in the beautiful costume before her. It was simple, yet stunning, and held her focus as she began to strip off her normal, everyday clothes.

She froze when the others gasped. “What? What’s wrong?”

Alvie’s eyes were wide and had not moved from Prea’s stomach where another jagged pink scar ran across the side of her middle.

“We just…weren’t expecting…” Beda trailed off, still staring. This was the first time they had seen so much of her skin and neither had realized how extensive Prea’s injuries had been.

“Sorry,” Prea muttered self-consciously.

“Why? You have nothing to apologize for,” Beda assured her.

“Yes,” Alvie whispered when she finally got her voice back. “It just means you’ve survived. And you’re here. With us.”

“Back where you’re meant to be,” Beda added. “With family.”

* * *

Kael changed into his simple tunic and trousers, grabbed the golden mask that accompanied it and returned downstairs. He was greeted by an enthusiastic Carr dressed in green and brown, a bow and quiver of arrows slung across his back. His mask and hat rested haphazardly on the table.

Carr was in an animated conversation with Dal, who was also dressed in a tunic and trousers, his white and brown, with a crown of leaves in his hair and a lute in his hand.

“Hello, Dal. How are you?” Kael asked and shook Dal’s hand in greeting.

“I’m good. Carr was just showing me his bow and arrows, weren’t you, Carr?” Dal responded as Carr nodded his agreement. “I have to ask, Kael, what is your costume exactly?”

Kael laughed. “I was going to ask you the same thing. Tonight, I am Ciro, the sun himself. And you are…” he trailed off.

“I am a satyr, a lord of the forest,” Dal replied, bending slightly at the waist.

Footsteps echoed above and the boys turned, eagerly waiting for the girls to join them. Beda came into view first, a vision of red, yellow and orange. The colorful streaks of breezy fabric wrapped around her body, leaving tendrils flowing behind her like blazing streamers. Her bright hair was wild about her face and her flaming mask was clutched in her hand. Beda was a sight to behold, the incarnation of fire before them and even her cool eyes sparked as her laughter filled the room.

Alvie followed a step behind, a vision in her own right, but quite the opposite of Beda’s boldness. Instead, Alvie was dressed in a soft green frock that gave the impression she was gliding on air. Flowers, butterflies and vinery accented the garment and were laced through her braided brown hair. Her face glittered in the muted light of the house making her skin glisten and her eyes glow. She embodied the delicacy, beauty and subtle strength of nature. But it was love that shone from her very core and a smile brightened her face as her eyes met Dal’s across the room.

Beda and Alvie crossed the space, joining the boys as they watched Prea appear at the bottom of the stairs. Kael’s mouth dropped and his heart stopped for the impossibly long time it took for Prea to lift her eyes to meet his own.

Prea was an elegant dream compared to the others. She was clad in a simple white gown that hung gracefully from her shoulders, gently clinging to her bust before the fabric fell perfectly around her in slight waves that skimmed the tops of her toes. Her blonde waves were gathered into a crown atop her head and her pale skin seemed illuminated from within. She looked uncertain as she held her mask in both hands, fiddling with it slightly. She stroked the fabric, ensuring that everything was in place.

“How do I look?” Prea murmured nervously.

“You look…you look…” Kael stammered, his heart now beating fiercely in his chest.

“You look really pretty, Prea,” Carr interjected with a giant smile. You could always count on him.

“You really do, Prea,” Alvie added and Prea sighed, letting her shoulders drop as her self-consciousness slowly melted away.

Beda moved towards the window, peeking out, and announced, “It’s time to go.”

Everyone put on their masks and the girls quickly threw on shoes before the group headed out the door. Once outside, night enveloped them as a crisp breeze blew past, ruffling clothes and hair in the process. The girls shivered, their arms and décolletage exposed to the elements, but that wouldn’t last long. Just like the harvest festival, the bonfire was going to be lit in the schoolyard and the adjoining village green would handle the overflow.

Music and voices wafted up and down the streets of Beech, trailing off as they reached the group. Carr couldn’t contain his excitement and he ran off ahead as Beda called for him to slow down. He didn’t listen and soon disappeared around a corner, laughing. The group turned the same corner soon after, arriving at the town celebration just as Carr ran back towards them.

“Happy All Hallows Eve,” Carr exclaimed to the rest, brandishing his bow before running off once more to find his friends. It was a joint affair, keeping track of him; the remaining five each had an eye on the energetic boy, always aware of Carr’s location in the massive crowd.

Voices and laughter, greetings and general merriment came from all around, circling them on the friendly autumn wind. Beda was called away, the colors of her dress glistening like flaming waves in the glow of the neighboring embers. That left the sisters and their dates standing awkwardly on the edge of the party. Prea looked at her sister, seeing and feeling the happiness and true love radiating off of her in waves.

“Go,” she whispered to her sister.

Alvie turned. “What?”

“Go on,” Prea repeated, indicating the growing crowd in front of them. “Go. Have some fun. You deserve it,” she continued.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, sweetheart. I’m sure. We’ll be fine. Go,” she ordered, sounding exactly like the big sister Alvie grew up with.

She was something, Kael thought. He studied her throughout, even as she continued to watch her younger sister and his eyes followed her gaze as she sought out Carr in the masses. Feeling Kael’s stare, she looked up into his masked eyes. The deep blue oceans bore down on her through the glittering golden mask decorated with little suns in what appeared to be wonder or maybe it was admiration.

“What?” she wondered.

“No…nothing,” he stammered as this was the first time she had looked directly at him with her mask on. She stole his breath away, her gleaming green eyes the one bit of color on her face, highlighted by the silver mask adorned with little moons. “I just…you look beautiful,” he finished simply.

“Thank you.” Prea dropped her eyes, blushing beneath her mask. “You don’t look too bad yourself,” she said, lifting her eyes back to his. “So…we’re Aylin and Ciro, correct?”

“Yes. Didn’t they tell you?”

“They did. I just wondered how they came up with the costumes.”

“You told me once about the dream. The one where you saw them. You told me they were gorgeous, ethereal and dressed in simple white garments. So I told Beda. She fashioned these as well as the masks. I thought you might like it,” he added shyly.

“I do. It was very thoughtful,” she said and looked towards the fire.

Without thinking, Kael grabbed Prea’s hand and pulled her through the crowd toward the enormous bonfire. As they neared the frolicking flames, the music became clearer and they saw games being played as well as fortunes being told through tarot and other traditional means. All Hallows Eve was a time where the veils between this world and the next, between the past and the present, were thin, making it easier to communicate with those who had passed and see the possibilities the future may hold for those who remained behind.

He led her close to the warmth, relieving her shivering, and drew her into his arms. Her eyes widened in surprise and Kael smiled in satisfaction. He spun them around in step with the music as he led them toward the other twirling couples. Kael had no idea how to dance, but he held her tight, grateful for the excuse to be close. So they whirled amongst the other pairs, spinning with no thoughts or expectations, just living in the moment.

The music morphed, the dancing shifted and the two continued to live in their own beautiful little world. Soon Prea and Kael silently agreed to step back from the dancing flames. They didn’t speak, just watched the happy couples move freely in the swaying glow of the embers. Kael focused on the couples, but Prea’s eyes latched onto the changing colors and the swirling ribbons of fire.

Her mind cleared; nothing else mattered as the blaze lured her in. A flash sparked in her mind, the image of a different fire. This…trance felt familiar. Prea stifled a gasp as raw, burning emotion flooded her system. She couldn’t distinguish it at first; it was an unknown feeling. But she recognized it soon enough and was overcome with the immensity of love flowing through her veins as tears grew in her eyes. She closed her eyes and tried to take a deep, calming breath but another image flashed behind her eyelids; an outline of a couple clad in white with white hair fading back into the night.

Prea’s head was spinning and the air around her felt thinner; she could only take shallow breaths. It was too much – the music and the crackling of the fire, the footsteps of the dancers and the orchestra of voices, the smoky air cut by the brisk whipping wind.

Prea let instinct take over and she bolted from her spot beside Kael. Somewhere deep in her mind she heard him calling after her, following her through the crowd, but she dodged and slipped between everyone, reaching the dark empty street opposite the schoolyard. Once she was free of the crowd, Prea flew down the street as if invisible wings had sprouted from her back.

* * *

Kael sprinted after his fleeing love, knocking into people here and there. He tripped and lost his balance but the crowd was too dense to let him fall. His eyes lost track of Prea and, though he was tall, he couldn’t see over the masses. A hand reached out of nowhere, grasping his arm and pulling him to a stop. Kael spun to see who the hand belonged to and found Beda staring at him, eyes full of concern and eyebrows raised in a silent question. Kael tore his eyes away from her, scanning the spot he last saw Prea, but it was too late. I’ll never be able to catch her now, he thought and turned back to Beda.

“One second we were standing together by the bonfire, the next she was darting through the crowd without so much as a word,” Kael said by way of explanation.

Beda’s eyes narrowed, her hand still on his arm. “What do you mean?”

“I mean she just ran away and I lost sight of her in the crowd,” he said, his voice rising with anxiety. Beda was quiet for a minute and briefly looked around at the faces of the people surrounding them. She took a deep breath and squeezed his arm lightly to get his attention.

“Don’t worry, Kael. She’ll be fine,” Beda assured him. “Let her be.”

“But she still doesn’t remember her life, what if she gets lost…or hurt…or…” He couldn’t even bring himself to finish the sentence. “I can’t lose her again, Beda.”

“I know, Kael. But I also know my friend. Even if she doesn’t remember her past, she’s still the same person. I trust her and her instincts,” Beda promised. “Come on. Let’s find the others.”

* * *

Her limp momentarily forgotten, Prea didn’t slow, didn’t stop running through the darkness until she neared her destination. The cold wind nipped at her, blowing her hair out of place and shooting shivers down her spine. She tugged at her hair until it was falling freely down her back as she crossed through the shadows of trees beneath the glowing lanterns and into the forest. The dim light was bright enough to see by as twigs and leaves cracked and crunched under the weight of her footsteps, but the sounds barely registered. The air stilled within the confines of the woods, the gooseflesh ceasing to spread across her skin. Her fingers trailed against the scratchy bark, calling up images of another walk in different woods.

Prea’s feet stepped into the last pool of warm light at the tree line leading out to the cliffs. She stopped beneath the lantern, surprised at what she saw and at the same time not. A ghostly woman dressed in white stood with her back to the trees, facing the black sea dotted with the reflections of stars on its calm surface. Prea felt the presence of the luminous being and knew who the woman was before she turned. Still, Prea couldn’t help but gasp as the woman spun, her white blonde hair fluttering on the sea breeze. She held her hand out in reception.

“Welcome, my daughter. I’ve been waiting for you.”

The Legend of Valtera: Chapter 28

Previous Chapters

As the sun passed noon and afternoon arrived, the Reed family and Kael left the house and set off toward the schoolyard. Alvie and Carr held hands, strolling in front of Kael and Prea. The air had chilled in the past few days, but it still remained warm in the sun’s light, and Kael walked beside Prea in awkward silence. He still had his doubts about this excursion. Normalcy was something they all desperately needed, especially the siblings, but he didn’t want them to become the center of attention.

Merry music drifted through the buildings and streets, reaching the group long before the schoolyard came into view. The minute he heard it, Carr began skipping and pulling Alvie down the street to the promise of fun and games. Alvie laughed wholeheartedly and with real joy at her brother’s excitement as she attempted unsuccessfully to slow his progress. They were meeting Beda and Dal at the festival as both were attending with their own families, who had been made aware of the situation regarding Prea, but Kael was unsure if any of them believed it.

Prea’s hair fell loose against her back and it tangled in the wind, but she kept it close to her face in an attempt to draw the least amount of attention to her presence. Kael was still rather unknown within the community, so the two together went unnoticed. They kept away from the crowds and enjoyed the festival by the closest wall of the schoolyard. She watched her unfamiliar brother and sister as they wandered around the festival, playing games, eating and chatting with friends. They looked so young, happy and carefree now that they were no longer alone in this world.

“Look, there’s Dal with his mother and father,” Kael pointed out as they joined the festival on the opposite side of the green. Prea felt like a voyeur as she spied Dal across the space and witnessed his face light up with love once he found Alvie in the crowd. She watched as he moved through the festival goers and saw the same expression come across Alvie’s face when he finally reached her.

“So Dal is one of my oldest friends,” Prea stated uncertainly. “And now he’s in love with my sister?”

“Yes, he is. They got very close while you were away.” Kael studied her as she stood next to him watching the festival. “It’s my understanding that Dal’s always loved her. They were just too quiet to ever know.”

“Oh,” she responded simply.

“Well, I see you two have found a nice hiding spot,” Beda said from behind them, causing Prea and Kael to turn in surprise.

“Hello, Beda,” Kael greeted, eyeing Prea. “I thought it best.”

“Hello,” Prea added politely.

“You have a nice view of everything here,” Beda said, glancing around and finding her parents in the distance over her shoulder. Prea and Kael followed her gaze until they saw her parents, frozen, eyes wide and mouths open in shock. Beda silently shook her head in their direction and they blended into the crowd. “Don’t worry about them. I’ll keep them away from you. And I’ll try to do the same with everyone else,” she promised. “Have fun, you two.” Beda spun and walked away, back into the mass of festival goers.

“It’ll be fine,” Kael whispered, squeezing Prea’s hand tight. “Look, Carr’s playing marbles.”

Prea watched her little brother play, happy that he was happy. As the sun shone down on the festival, the glinting of Carr’s golden hair conjured images in her head, flickers of him and another young man with chestnut hair playing in the schoolyard under the sun. It was just a flash, over as soon as it began.

But the boy’s happiness did not go unnoticed, nor did Alvie’s, Beda’s or Dal’s. Since the news of Prea’s accident, the Reed family and Prea’s closest friends were shadows of their former selves. Two months had passed and it appeared to the townspeople that they were moving on, if slowly. Now it was as if the past year hadn’t happened; the ship hadn’t gone down, father and fiancé hadn’t been lost and there was no mysterious sleep for Carr.

And it caught the attention of everyone.

The festival grew as time went on, Prea’s friends and family unable to stop themselves from including her in all the festivities. Alvie and Carr brought crafts, food and stories to the pair at the wall, focusing the attention of the festival on the two they were hoping to keep away from the crowd. The third time Carr came over with a present for Prea, she looked up and saw a number of people staring directly at her.

The whispers and pointing started and Prea’s heart began to thump wildly. The clamor of the crowd dulled as her loud pulse took its place. Her vision lost focus and the air seemed thin as it appeared everyone on the green, everyone in the schoolyard, was looking at no one but her.

Her mind barely registered Carr calling her name and pulling at her sleeve. “I can’t…can’t…breathe…” she stammered, her voice trailing off.

Kael grabbed her hand and pulled her away. “Carr, we have to leave. Go find Alvie. We’ll see you later, okay?” Kael directed the little boy before the two of them turned and left. They didn’t rush, just walked away casually, moving towards home hand in hand.

“Just breathe. All you have to do is breathe. No one else is around anymore. We’re alone. Just breathe,” he instructed Prea as they walked, reminded of how she had done the same for him back in that dark tunnel under the mountain. By the time they reached home, Prea had calmed down for the most part.

“How are you doing?” Kael asked as they removed their coats and shoes.

“I’m better now,” Prea replied quietly. “Just tired.”

“Why don’t you go upstairs and lay down? I’ll make you some tea and bring it up,” he suggested.

She looked at him gratefully, nodded and climbed the stairs. Kael headed to the kitchen and started boiling water for tea. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as he thought. The festival had done the family good and they had gotten away before being bombarded. It was a success, no matter how it ended.

But how were they supposed to reintroduce her back into society? He had some ideas about trying to trigger her memories. Maybe he should try them. What did they have to lose after all?

He took the steaming tea upstairs to the bedroom Prea shared with Alvie. But the room was empty. He checked Carr’s; it too was empty. He returned to his room, which, in reality, was Prea’s room. She was standing at the back window looking out at the trees and garden below. You couldn’t tell from standing here that the trees were the only thing that separated them from the ocean. Maybe she remembered that this was her room, he thought.

“I have your tea,” Kael said from the doorway and that sudden noise caused her to jump a little out of her skin.

“Thank you,” she replied, but made no move towards him. She didn’t even turn.

“I thought you would be in Alvie’s room…” he began.

“Something told me to come in here,” she said and finally looked at him. “This is your room, isn’t it? I’m sorry, I’ll go.” She hastily moved to exit the room.

“You don’t have to go,” Kael said quickly. “This was your room long before it was mine. I should say is your room.”

“Oh.”

“Come sit down, have some tea.” He directed her toward the bed and handed her the hot mug. Something on the bedside table caught the sunlight and glistened, throwing bright colorful rays all over the room. Prea just watched as the light danced, jumping from wall to wall until it slowly faded. Her gaze returned to the still-glowing rock atop the small table where it held her stare, just as she held Kael’s.

“Is that what I think it is?” Prea whispered.

“Yes, it’s the stone,” Kael answered just as quiet.

“The one that healed Carr?” she added.

“Actually,” Kael began. “By the time I got here with the stone, Carr was already awake and well.”

“He was?” she asked, surprised, and turned to face Kael. “What happened?”

He looked into her beautifully green, questioning eyes. “We don’t know,” he replied honestly. “One day he just woke up and said he was hungry. We never knew what was wrong with him to begin with and we have no idea how he got better.”

“Hmm.” Prea turned away from him and looked back at the stone, contemplating something. She said nothing and Kael couldn’t read her face, having no idea what was going through her mind.

“What are you thinking?” Kael asked her, curiosity winning out.

She turned back to him. “Huh?” She shook her head, turning back to the stone. “Nothing.”

He leaned across her and grabbed the stone off the table. He held it out in front of her and waited for her to hold out her own hand. She stared at his offered fist and hesitated before extending her hand below his.

“Here,” Kael muttered and dropped the stone into Prea’s open hand.

As soon as the stone touched her skin, her fingers closed around it, holding it tight. Her hand came down to rest on top of her leg where she opened her fingers and studied the magical rock on her palm. It emitted a pulsing glow and held her attention completely, mesmerizing her. Prea tilted her head to the side, her brow furrowed and a quizzical expression crossed her face.

A familiar face flashed again, but this time it was different. It was an apparition of the young man’s face from earlier, a ghost in dark woods.

“Prea, please tell me what you’re thinking,” Kael begged, desperate to have some connection with her again. She looked back into his eyes.

“It’s heavy for its size,” Prea murmured, placing the stone back on the table and taking a sip of her tea.

It didn’t work. Even though it was a slim possibility, he thought the stone would restore her memories or trigger something in her. It was a long shot, remember? Kael told himself. You knew it might not work. But that didn’t stop the hope; the hope that the stone would work or her room would trigger her memories or the cliff would feel familiar. She was still a stranger.

The Legend of Valtera: Chapter 27

Previous Chapters

The six spent the evening describing the major events in Prea’s life before she fell into nothingness. Alvie, with help from Beda, shared the fate of their parents and reluctantly disclosed the history regarding Leal. The adults had silently debated whether or not they should share any information about her lost love. It could have been withheld, at least for a little while. Finding out they were orphans was bad enough, not to mention that she had lost her fiancé. They were afraid that it would make things worse, bombarding her with all the bad news of her past. So they censored the story somewhat, described Leal as Garon’s second in command and a close family friend, and left out how the two were in love and betrothed.

It appeared as though Prea took everything in stride before admitting she was exhausted and needed to rest. Everyone else was also struggling to stay awake; Beda and Dal left before the others retreated to their rooms. Like they had as children, Prea slept in her childhood bed across the room from Alvie.

The next morning, Kael headed downstairs as he always did, the first one to rise. He was a little surprised, though he shouldn’t have been, when he entered the kitchen and was not alone. Prea was wrapped in a cozy sweater, pouring herself a cup of tea as he had heard she always did. He watched her for a moment before she realized he was there.

Suddenly he turned rather shy when she looked at him, unsure of how to act around her. The rest had helped him keep the truth of their relationship a secret. He didn’t want to force her into anything or make the situation worse, so he kept his mouth shut. As far as she was concerned, he was a friend who had promised to keep her family safe. That was realistic, wasn’t it?

“Good morning,” Kael greeted as he moved to the counter and leaned against it. “How did you sleep?”

“Pretty well, actually,” she replied. “Better than I have in a while, which I guess makes some sense, cosmically speaking.”

“There’s a relief there, I would assume. Even if you don’t remember, you have some answers. You’ve managed to find your family again, your home. You don’t have to search anymore,” he concluded as she nodded along.

“That’s a good summary. None of us know how to deal with this, or how the future will go, but I’ve been found and that is rather freeing. A weight’s been lifted, you could say,” she added, cupping her tea in her hands.

Kael had an idea. He didn’t want to force her to remember her life, that would just add too much stress and potentially disappoint everyone. But he could try to make her feel at home without pressuring her to remember things she couldn’t.

“Do you trust me?” he asked, extending his hand out to her.

Her eyes narrowed, but her expression remained opened. “Yes,” she answered immediately. “I don’t know why, but I do.” She had always trusted him; from the moment they met, she had trusted him with her life.

“Come on,” he said, taking her hand. “I want to show you something.”

She followed with no hesitation and they headed out the door. He didn’t release her hand and she didn’t pull away as he led her through the garden and into the trees. The crisp air blasted them as they exited the tree line, leaving their eyes stinging in the pale morning light. Kael steered her towards the edge, coming to rest on her spot. He looked down at her and spied a single tear running down her cheek, the result of the needling wind. Prea let the tear fall, one hand holding Kael’s, the other still holding her tea.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered. “It feels like…a mixture of freedom, hope and home.” She looked up into his bright blue eyes.

A gentle smile blossomed on his face. “I thought you’d like it,” Kael muttered quietly, the wind almost drowning out his voice. Almost, but not quite. “I thought it might feel familiar.”

Her grassy eyes sparkled in the light, before her gaze returned to the sun and sea. For a brief moment, an image appeared in her mind of a woman standing in this very spot, brown hair dancing in the moonlight as she called out to the sea. Prea stared at the sunlight on the waves as her heart filled with love at the sight of that woman. It was a love she didn’t understand, but it sat well within her heart.

After a few minutes of silence, Kael looked back down at her with a quizzical expression. “What’s wrong?” he wondered out loud.

It took a minute before she turned to him. “Hmm?”

Kael chuckled quietly. “Are you all right?”

“Yes.” She grinned and took a sip of her cooling tea. “I’m fine.”

* * *

Long after they had eaten breakfast, they were joined by Alvie and Carr. Kael sat at the table with Prea, who was reading the story of Aylin and Ciro, trying to understand more of the tale she had been told. Carr ran into the kitchen like a battering ram, Alvie following steps behind, surrendering to her brother’s exuberant morning energy. Kael rose and wrangled the young boy before he collided with anything.

“Whoa. Slow down, buddy,” Kael directed. “Or you’ll run into something.”

Carr was giggling like a madman as he attempted to free himself from Kael who was now tickling him. “I’m excited,” he proclaimed. “Prea’s back and the festival is today. We’re going to have so much fun.” Kael halted his tickling assault, let the boy go and sat back down. Carr’s giant smile wilted as he looked at Kael.

“What’s this about a festival?” Prea asked the room.

“It’s the harvest festival. It’s at the school courtyard. They have food and games and music and you can buy things,” Carr explained in one long breath.

“Listen, Carr, I’m not sure we should all go to the festival,” Kael started uncertainly. “I’m not sure it’s the best thing for Prea.” He looked at Alvie who was listening and watching intently, but she remained silent on the issue. Kael turned to Prea. “It’s just that people think you’re…well dead and you got overwhelmed yesterday with just us. The festival would be a lot worse.”

“I hadn’t thought of that,” Alvie murmured in the background.

“But I want Prea to come,” Carr whined beside Kael. “It won’t be the same without her.”

Prea didn’t like seeing this little boy so upset. Yes, yesterday had been overwhelming and confusing, but it had still been a good thing for her. She had gotten some answers and…she might be imagining it, but she felt a little more herself, if that was possible. This festival would be like being thrown into the ocean without knowing how to swim; it would be yesterday magnified by ten, no, one hundred. Was she really ready for that? Confusion and guilt tugged at her and the longer she looked at Carr’s disappointed face, the more she wanted to make him happy.

“What if I stay on the edge of the festival, so I’m there but not surrounded by people,” she suggested and looked at Kael. “If it gets to be too much, you can always bring me home.” That brought an immediate smile to Carr’s face and had Alvie grinning across the room as Kael read her eyes.

“All right,” he acquiesced. “We’ll all go, but Prea and I will remain outside the crowd. Is that acceptable?” Kael asked Carr.

“Yes, yes, yes,” he exclaimed as his stomach rumbled with hunger.

“Let’s get you some food,” Alvie declared as she turned and began making Carr’s breakfast. Kael rose and began preparing another pot of tea.

Alvie and Carr joined them at the table where Prea had returned to her book. Alvie scrutinized Prea’s face, her eyes lingering on the pink scar above her eye. She had been through so much and yet no one knew the worst of it. Alvie had always taken her sister for granted, never realizing the extent of Prea’s role in her life until she was no longer there. Resentment, anger and hatred followed after being abandoned, then nothing but guilt, despair and loneliness at the news of Prea’s death. Now it was as if she was floating, flying with the strength of her happiness and relief. Even though Prea didn’t remember anything, her sister was alive and home.

“Why did I go after the stone?” Prea asked, looking up from the worn pages. “I mean, why did I think it was real? That it would help?”

“Well…” Alvie glanced around the room as she tried to formulate an answer. “Mama believed that story was our past, our history, and that Aylin and Ciro’s legacy lives on in everything around us: the trees and sea, the mountains and wind, the sky and the stars. Mama taught us to respect nature and the elements. ‘There is power all around us,’ she used to say.

“She believed the legend was true and passed that belief onto us. When nothing else could help Carr, and there was nothing you could do here, you decided that the legend and the stone were the answer you had been looking for. That’s why you went after it.”

“Are all these stories the legend? Or just the one?” Prea wondered, flipping through the pages. “There’s so many.”

“Well, that’s a little complicated,” Alvie answered vaguely.

“The legend is just the story of Aylin and Ciro coming to Valtera and the poem. The rest are…” Kael said, but didn’t know the rest of the answer.

“The rest are additions from our mother’s ancestors,” Alvie added honestly.

“But there’s more stuff about Aylin and Ciro. And their children. What happened after they returned to the heavens,” Prea prodded.

“It’s kind of hard to explain,” Alvie started and sat down at the table. “This book is not just the legend, it’s our family’s history. These passages and stories were chronicled and passed down from generation to generation.”

“Have you read these?” Prea asked stupidly.

Alvie gave her a small smile. “Yes, I have. Many times. We all have.”

“Maybe I should read some of them,” Kael added, wanting to know more about what Carr had told him.

“It’s kind of a Reed family thing,” Alvie clarified automatically, not knowing what Carr had divulged. “It was passed down through our mother’s family.”

“But some of these are unbelievable. Stories of magic and power. The ability to feel the energy of nature and the land. It’s like…”

“A fairytale?” Alvie finished for her.

“If that is an unbelievable story, then yes,” Prea answered and everyone laughed.

“But it’s the truth,” Carr said between bites of food.

“Yes, that whole book is the truth,” Alvie replied, finally accepting her reality.

“You knew it all was real, even the stone,” Kael said. “You told me after you found it that you had had a dream. It was a dream of Aylin and Ciro with their children when they were still living here. And you saw them spell the stone and set it into the wall before they retreated from this life back to the heavens.”

“I saw them?” Prea whispered, almost to herself. The image of the dark-haired woman from earlier came back to the forefront of her mind. Maybe that was the same thing, just a different woman, she wondered.

“We found the stone,” Kael added. “It’s upstairs right now.”

“Really? Is it magical?”

“It’s powerful,” Kael answered simply. “Even I felt its power.”

“Huh,” Prea muttered and returned to the story, trying to piece together the recent events of her life.

* * *

As Prea’s attention remained on the book, Kael and Alvie took their conversation outdoors where they walked around the back of the house and into the garden. They had been waiting for the garden to flourish before gathering everything for the harvest, though they were  not bringing or offering anything at the festival. It was a symbolic gesture and it was tradition, a way to keep the family alive and complete, if only in spirit. Alvie carried a basket, kneeling on the ground where she gathered all of the ready produce.

Kael had multiple pieces of cloth and a knife to cut the herbs and keep them separate for freshness. They worked quietly with only the hiss of the wind and the taste of salt and pine to keep them company. It was calming, centering work and it allowed both to ruminate over all that had happened, alone yet together.

As quickly as she had come into his life, Prea was gone in a split second. Now she was back, but she wasn’t really her. His simple life had become infinitely more complicated, a tangled web of new people, new relationships, new roles, new positions in life. Maybe it was time to go back to the basics.

Was he happy that Prea was back? Unbelievably.

Was he upset that she didn’t remember him? Of course.

Did it ultimately matter? No.

Kael gathered the herbs and returned to Alvie, stopping beside her. He studied her from above, watching her tend to her garden and reap what she had sown long ago.

“How are you doing?” he asked.

Alvie’s lips curved into a smile. “I could ask you the same question, you know,” she countered lightly.

“Yes, but I asked first.”

“Honestly, I don’t really know what to think. Ever since my mother died, I’ve blamed our beliefs and the universe for all that’s happened. When you came back with the stone…I was sure our family was truly cursed. I’d lost so many people. Now that Prea’s back, I can’t help but think the universe is trying to appease me, repay some of my losses.”

“When Prea first told me about all that had happened, I thought your family was cursed. I couldn’t believe there was that much bad luck in one family.”

“It wasn’t always bad,” Alvie assured him. “And Prea never saw it that way. She always saw the good. She seemed to have unending reserves of trust and faith in everything around her. And the universe. I think it’s what made her so good for Carr and me. She saw the light where I only saw darkness.”

“That’s understandable. You were young when your mother died. It’s hard to see the good in your grief.”

“Yes, but Prea was young, too. And where I was closer to our father, she was closer to our mother. They had the same faith in the world.”

“I would expect faith is different for everyone.”

“Well, my faith was much more fragile. It died when my mother did. Then you came with the stone and reminded me of everything I used to believe. But again it didn’t come without consequence.”

“Prea was gone,” Kael added softly.

“Yes. Sometimes I think that stone is more trouble than it’s worth.”

“Maybe it could still do some good,” Kael wondered.

“How?” she asked, turning to him.

“Well, Prea believed that it would somehow heal Carr, maybe we could use it to help heal her.”

“Like bring her memories back?”

“Maybe. What harm could it do?”

“You might not want to say things like that. Like I said, more often than not I’ve thought my family was cursed,” Alvie said quickly, than hesitated for a moment. “Do you really think it could work?”

Kael looked off into the trees. “Maybe it’s more about faith, hope and believing it will help, than actual magic or power.”

“Now you sound like Prea,” Alvie muttered, following his gaze to the forest.

“Hope and faith never steered her wrong. It’s what kept her going. And after all the time I spent with her, life seemed better her way than mine.”

“That’s true. And she is home. Even though she doesn’t remember, it’s still her,” Alvie added. She looked up into Kael’s eyes, squinting into the sun. “How are you doing?”

“Hmmm. The disbelief is still there, as well as enough relief and joy to make my heart explode, add in some worry about the future, a tinge of sadness about our relationship and you’ve got what’s going on inside my mind,” Kael described, looking out into the trees again and imagining the sea beyond. “But she’s here…and I never thought I would see her again. She’s home and she’s safe…that’s all that matters,” he added truthfully.

Alvie rose with the basket, heavy with ripened vegetables. Her free hand grabbed Kael’s, squeezing it tight for a moment. “Maybe everything will be all right in the end,” Alvie said, channeling her sister. “Prea always thought fate had a way of bringing all of the pieces together.”

“Let’s hope so,” Kael muttered.

The Legend of Valtera: Chapter 26

Previous Chapters

Kael’s feet carried him without command, drawn to the woman as if a cord connected them. He sped into a run and lost sight of everything else, including Carr. His mind had yet to catch up; raw emotions and instinct controlled him now. Words caught in his throat as he tried to call out to her, sure that this was just a dream. Eventually, the name escaped his lips and Carr’s head snapped up at the sound.

The boy stood frozen on the docks, confused by Kael’s sudden outburst. He quickly caught sight of Kael running and his eyes followed the direction, searching the crowd to find the cause. What he saw had him bolting like a bandit up the dock, dodging cargo and men on his race to reach Kael.

Kael reached her in a matter of seconds, wrapping his long arms around her petite frame and his heart sighed at the feel of her. His thoughts raced and he was speechless, but he knew for a fact that this was not a dream. Her eyes widened in surprise, her muscles stiffened in fear and she tried to pull away, but Kael’s hold only tightened. Her arms remained pinned to her sides and she struggled against his grasp before she managed a small cry for help. Carr arrived and grabbed her by the waist which yielded another cry of surprise.

“Get…” she tried to yell.

Kael released her at once, suddenly overcome with an enormous sense of déjà vu. Something was wrong, she shouldn’t be acting like this.

He stepped back and seized Carr by the arm, dragging him away as he examined the woman’s face. It held the familiarity of his own, but at the same time was different. It was Prea; he would know her anywhere and this was her. But a new scar was visible; fresh and pink, it extended from the edge of her left eyebrow down past her cheekbone before trailing off by her ear. Worst of all, she was looking at him with fear in her eyes – fear, shock and confusion. His stomach rolled over and his heart constricted with the realization that she didn’t know them.

Carr was attempting to break free as he reached for his sister. “Prea, it’s me. It’s Carr,” he exclaimed. “What’s wrong? Don’t you remember me? I’m your little brother.” Kael watched in horror, noting the relief and sadness of Carr’s expression and the deepening confusion coloring Prea’s face.

“I’m sorry, do we know each other?” she replied, glancing from a dejected Carr to an uncertain Kael. “I don’t remember you…either of you.”

Carr had accepted that he was never going to see his sister again. But now that he had and she didn’t remember him, it became too much. The calm, composed boy was gone and Carr began to cry, leaning into Kael’s side for support.

“Yes, we know each other,” Kael murmured, his arm snaking around Carr’s shoulders in comfort. “This is your home and this is your brother,” he explained.

The shock and fear had left her emerald eyes. Now they were locked with Kael’s as she searched for an answer to an unspoken question. Trust. She found it in his open and unguarded expression. Prea had always trusted her instincts.

“All right,” she responded finally. “You’re the first people I’ve come across that know me. Or claim they know me. That’s good enough for me,” she concluded. “So this is my home?”

“Yes. Your family home is just up the road at the top of the cliff,” Kael answered, pointing over his shoulder. Carr’s tears started to dry up once his sister had accepted what they told her.

“Come on!” Carr exclaimed. Breaking free, he grabbed Prea’s hand and pulled her in the direction of their house. “We need to find Alvie.”

“Who’s Alvie?” she asked Kael, following along behind Carr.

“She’s your sister,” Kael answered simply.

They walked in silence, everyone too shocked to speak. Carr had Prea by the hand, leading her along and Kael couldn’t help but sneak sideways glances at her. It was unbelievable. He had watched her fall through the ice into nothingness, and yet here she was walking next to him. He wondered what else was different about her and detected, though she tried to hide it, that she had a noticeable limp.

Kael watched Prea closely as they reached the edge of the property, looking for any type of reaction, no matter how small. He held his breath and waited, but there was none. Carr threw the door open and pulled Prea across the threshold, yelling for Alvie. Kael entered behind them, closed the door and listened for a response.

“Carr, bud, I don’t think Alvie’s here. She said earlier that she might go into the infirmary for a little bit. How about I go and get her while you stay here with Prea?” Kael asked Carr. He turned to Prea. “Is that all right?”

“Yes, we’ll be fine,” she assured him, looking from Kael to Carr.

Kael left and rushed to the infirmary, stopping to see Beda on the way. He was out of breath when he arrived at her shop. “Beda, when you get a chance, can you find Dal and both come to the house?” he wondered, the bell at the door still ringing. “It’s really important.”

“Kael, you’re scaring me,” Beda said. “What’s wrong?”

“No, no, nothing’s wrong. It’d just be really good if you could come to the house, good for Alvie and Carr,” Kael explained, making something up off the top of his head. He didn’t want to ruin the surprise. “Just come over whenever you can,” he called as he ran out of the store and onto the infirmary.

A few minutes later, Kael sped through the doors of the infirmary, found Alvie and dragged her out, leading her back home with barely a word. She tried to stop him. “Kael what’s going on? What are you doing? Where are we going?” she inquired quickly. She was concerned and he wasn’t making sense. He didn’t respond, so she dug in her heels until he stopped. “Kael! What is going on?” Alvie demanded.

“You just have to trust me. We have to go back to the house, it’s important,” Kael ordered, tugging her hand to make her move. Alvie just surrendered to his will and allowed him to pull her along. The two entered the house and saw no one, but heard voices floating in from the kitchen.

“Who’s here? Who’s with Carr?” Alvie wondered, extricating herself from Kael’s grasp and followed the voices. She froze in the doorway when she saw Carr wasn’t sitting at the table alone. He sat on the far side, across from a woman with long blonde hair. Be it intuition or instinct, Alvie recognized the woman sitting at the table, but didn’t want to believe it for fear it wasn’t true.

The woman turned and, save for the scar, Prea was sitting before her. The world spun as her mind desperately tried to reconcile what she was seeing. This couldn’t be real, Alvie thought. Kael was there when it happened, he had told them she was gone. But here she was.

Alvie’s legs couldn’t hold her anymore and she fell backwards into Kael who caught her under the arms and lowered her to the floor. She was still conscious, her mind cranking away like the gears of a machine. This wasn’t right. If Prea was here, why wasn’t she kneeling beside her, embracing her after all this time? They may not get along very well, and be as different as two people can be, but they were sisters and they loved each other more than anything.

“I don’t understand,” Alvie whispered when she was able, shaking her head back and forth.

Kael kneeled beside her. “It’s her, Alvie. It’s Prea. She…just…doesn’t remember us,” he explained slowly. She tore her icy blue eyes away from his deep ones and looked to her sister. It was Prea, she was sure of it, and it was clear that she had been through a lot, the scar proved that.

“You don’t remember anything?” Alvie asked Prea incredulously.

“No, I don’t,” Prea responded, eyeing her supposed sister.

“Maybe we should let her tell us what happened,” Kael suggested. “How does that sound?” He looked amongst the three siblings, monitoring each of them in this unimaginable situation. Alvie just nodded and accepted Kael’s offer of help and he yanked her to her feet. They moved to the table and sat down, Alvie next to Carr, Kael next to Prea.

“How did you come to be in Beech today?” Kael wondered.

Prea was nervous and looked around at everyone before speaking. “Well, I don’t remember much of what happened. Eight weeks ago I woke up in a dark room I didn’t recognize in excruciating pain,” she began and heard a sharp intake of breath from Kael at the mention of her suffering. “A family had found me unconscious in the woods, nearly dead, and brought me back to their home where they took care of me,” Prea continued quietly. She sounded strange and detached as she recounted her tale, like it was rehearsed or had happened to someone else.

“But I couldn’t answer any of their questions, and they had quite a few. I couldn’t remember my name, where I was from, what I had been doing or where I was going. I was a mystery, to them and myself.” She paused and her finger unconsciously traced the scar by her eye.

“I had scrapes and bruises all over my body. I was weak from starvation and the cold. I had a large gash in my side and my leg was badly broken. They cared for me, nursed me back to health. They didn’t know what to call me so they named me Mirai. It means miracle. I owe them my life,” Prea declared as she looked from Carr to Alvie to Kael.

She took a deep breath and continued. “Once I was well again, when I could walk and take care of myself, I left looking for answers. They explained that I was in northern Nodin, that the River Nairne was close by and that it led to the Bay of Aldin and the sea. They said I could go north over the river into Alder or south which would lead west. I didn’t have any idea where to go when I left, but…the river felt right and something about the Bay of Aldin made it sound like a good place to start. That was a week ago and now here I am, somehow with people that know me and are my family,” she finished. “I guess my instincts were right, after all.”

“This is unbelievable,” Alvie muttered.

“We thought you were dead,” Kael revealed, still in disbelief. “I saw you fall.”

“What do you mean? Do you know what happened?” she asked eagerly.

“I met you a few months ago, when you were traveling,” Kael started and looked to Alvie, suddenly nervous. How much should he tell? What should he tell? Alvie nodded slightly, signaling him to continue. “You were trying to save Carr. He was…well, we don’t know what he was. You were looking for the stone that Aylin and Ciro imbued with their essence. You thought it would cure him.”

“What’s this stone?” Prea interrupted. “I don’t know it.”

“It’s a legend, the story of how Valtera began,” Kael answered. “You can read it later. Anyway, you were looking for this stone by yourself and I offered to accompany you on your journey. I didn’t want anything to happen to you,” he admitted softly, sticking to the story he had told the others.

“We traveled through Alder and Rodor, to a valley in the middle of the mountains and found the stone just where you knew it would be. When we were coming home, we had to go a different way and crossed over the mountains near the border between Alder and Nodin. As we were making our descent over the summit, the ice we were walking on started to crack and it shattered beneath you. You held on for a little while, enough to pass me the stone so I could go on and help Carr.” He hesitated, the memory still fresh in his mind. All he wanted to do was forget that day ever happened, forget what he saw, what he felt. But he was forced to relive it over and over.

“Then the ice broke and you fell. I’m so sorry. I tried to do everything I could, but you made me promise to go on and never come back.” His voice trailed off as he studied Prea for a reaction.

“I can’t help you with what happened after the fall,” Kael added.

“Oh,” she said. Her face was a mask, unreadable as she played with her hands and stared down at the table.

Their four heads spun as the front door opened, voices and footsteps carrying through to the kitchen. Beda and Dal only reached the doorway before stopping dead in their tracks where they stood like statues, dumbfounded, pale and speechless. Beda recovered first, eliciting a scream before she rushed to Prea and grabbed her in a fierce hug. Dal followed slowly as Prea pushed Beda away, quickly retreating to the corner of the room, as far away as humanly possible from everyone else.

Kael held Beda by the arm before she could move any closer to Prea. Meanwhile Alvie took carefully measured steps toward her sister, trying not to alarm her.

“What’s wrong with her? Why did she push me away?” Beda whispered to Kael.

He pulled Beda and Dal back as he watched Alvie make progress with Prea. “She was injured in the fall. She doesn’t remember anything. Not us or home or even herself,” he divulged quietly.

Over in the corner, Alvie brushed Prea’s hair out of her face. “Are you okay?” she asked softly, stroking her sister’s arm.

“Yes, I’m sorry. I just got…a little overwhelmed. It’s just…a lot, you know,” Prea stammered.

“Would you like some tea?” Alvie offered.

“That would be…lovely, thank you,” she responded and Alvie steered her back to the table. Prea sat down next to Carr, who had been watching the exchange carefully. He reached out and found Prea’s hand, holding it tight. She looked at him like she always had.

“Thanks,” she whispered.

“I’m sorry,” Kael said. “I should have prepared them, and you, before they came. It’s been a…” He trailed off.

“It’s all right. It’s definitely been a shock. And confusing for everyone. A lot to take in all at once,” she admitted and the others nodded silently in agreement.

The Legend of Valtera: Chapter 25

Previous Chapters

Kael stood in Prea’s spot on the precipice watching the sky lighten and reflect off the calm ocean surface. The water crashed lightly against the rock below and the wind seemed to blow right through him. For so long he had been lost, wandering around Valtera with no direction and no one in his life. He was a nomad and had liked it that way. Apparently the universe didn’t feel the same and fate intervened.

He was drawn to her, pulled to a home he never expected or wanted. He didn’t understand for a long time, but it soon became clear in that room in Flint as he listened to her tale. Prea would do anything for her family, even die to protect them and keep them safe. And she changed everything; made him want to face his fears and live the life he never thought he wanted. He had been found and, even though she wasn’t here with him, she had given him something to live for and a family to call his own.

Kael dropped to the ground and threw his legs over the edge so his feet were dangling against the craggy rock wall. His heart ached, grief still raw within him. But being here on the cliffs at Prea’s house with her family was helping more than he could have imagined. He saw her and felt her everywhere, in the sunlight and the wind, in the birds’ songs and the ocean waves. Her family had welcomed him into their lives and their home, offered him a room and a bed. It was both a blessing and a curse, the reminders of her.

But life goes on. Alvie and Carr unfortunately had more practice than most, but they all grieved and moved forward. They woke each morning and went about what was left of their lives. He took the place of Prea within the household, taking care of Carr and looking after Alvie.

Kael sat, plucking grass from the ground beside him, fiddling with the blades before he threw them into the air and watched them drift on the breeze down to the water’s surface. He let his mind wander as the sun’s rays lengthened on the foamy waves and set his hands on the cold earth on either side of him, letting his eyes close and lifting his face to the light.

He was bathed in warmth and…something else. It felt a little like hope. Maybe the days were getting easier, the pain lessening somewhat as he got accustomed to his new place in the world. He didn’t really know. But the crisp wind brushed against his cheek and sent shivers down his spine, bringing him straight back to the here and now.

The weather had finally shifted, the seasons changing from warm to cold. The salty sea breeze whipped around him, chilling him to the bone and carrying the sweet song of birds to his ears. Time to head inside, he thought, as he scooted back from the edge and stood, brushing dirt and grass off his trousers.

“I love you, Prea,” Kael whispered on the wind before he turned and strode to the trees, heading back to the house.

He closed the door quietly behind him as he entered through the front door. It was still early and he didn’t want to disturb anyone. Kael shuffled into the kitchen and stopped when he spied Alvie standing at the counter. She was staring out the window as the water boiled.  

“Good morning, Alvie,” Kael greeted softly and her head turned at the sound of his voice, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips.

“Morning,” she replied, turning back to the window.

Kael gathered some food and prepared a cup of tea before he leaned against the counter and silently studied Prea’s younger sister. From what Prea had told him, Alvie had always been quiet and reserved, so he didn’t know how much she had changed or in what ways. Her silky brown hair fell down her back and anyone else in his position would likely think nothing was wrong.

He knew differently.

Like now, as Kael noticed the slumping of her shoulders and the stillness of her frame. Alvie was almost normal when in Dal’s presence, but in his absence she succumbed to the pain and grief that flowed just beneath the surface. She was a shell of a person, as if with every loss she suffered, she lost a bit of herself as well.

“Are you looking forward to the harvest festival?” Kael asked as he poured some water to steep his tea. The next few days were a time of celebration, a marking of the changing seasons and the beginning of the harvest. Preparations had already begun for the festival which was taking place in the school courtyard.

“I don’t know. I’m not even sure I’m going,” Alvie muttered without turning to face him.

That wasn’t a good sign. It was like she barely lived anymore; instead she just existed. He wasn’t exactly looking forward to it himself, but he thought it would be good for everyone and Carr really wanted to go.

“What are your plans for today?” he asked instead. “Carr and I are going to head down to the docks, watch the boats, maybe do some fishing.” With the schoolyard the center of the festival, the boy had a few days off.

This time she looked at him. “That’ll be good for him. For both of you. I might go into the infirmary for a little bit. They could use some help over the next few days since most people are busy with the festival.”

Kael moved his food and tea to the table, just as Carr came barreling into the room.

“I’m ready, I’m ready,” he declared excitedly. Kael glanced at Alvie, saw some of the sadness lift momentarily at her brother’s enthusiasm and couldn’t help but smile himself.

“Morning, bud. First you should eat something and I have to get ready. Then we’ll go,” Kael suggested.

“Oh, all right,” Carr agreed dramatically and sat down at the table while Kael collected his breakfast and placed a plate in front him. Carr proceeded to scarf down everything on that plate in record time.

“Easy, kid, easy,” Kael chided. “There’s no need to rush. We have time, Carr.”

Carr didn’t listen and just kept filling his mouth with as much food as he could possibly fit. Kael shook his head in resignation, finished his own food and left the kitchen to get himself ready for the day.

* * *

Alvie returned to the only place she felt all right, her garden. It was her escape and right now she needed to escape more than ever before. A strange man had returned bringing news of her sister’s death and the existence of the stone Prea had abandoned her to find. It had been weeks and her mind still couldn’t quite process it all.

She wasn’t out there long, before Dal found her, as he always did. “How are you doing?”

“To be honest, I have no idea.” She paused while she worked, trying to understand her own thoughts and feelings. “On the one hand, the stone is real and Carr’s awake…”

“But on the other hand, Prea’s dead,” Dal finished for her.

“Yes,” she muttered.

“What bothers you more: that the stone is real and Prea was right or that she left you and now she’s dead?”

“It all bothers me,” Alvie replied bluntly. “Six years ago, I believed the stone was real and that no one would ever leave me.”

“What changed?” Dal asked as he watched her tend her garden. But Alvie didn’t answer. After a minute of racking his brain, he understood. “Your mother died.”

“Yes. For all her spouting of her beliefs about our lineage and the stone, our powers and abilities, she couldn’t save herself.”

“What are you talking about?” Dal wondered. She had never talked about any of this before. Neither had Prea.

“We were never supposed to speak about it outside the family. Not anything more than the legend itself.”

“Alvie, I don’t understand,” Dal said, confused.

“You wouldn’t, would you? Nobody would,” Alvie answered vaguely.

“Please explain it,” Dal replied.

“There’s something about my mother’s family,” she responded finally. “Something special.” She paused trying to find the words. “We can feel the power, coming from the land, the sky, everything in nature and the universe.” Alvie raised her icy blue eyes to meet Dal’s, watching his face and waiting for his response. But his shock refused to allow one.

“Some have had other skills and abilities, typically tied to an element. Everyone has written their stories down in the book of old tales and it’s been passed from one generation to the next. And now it sits in our house where it has since the day I was born.”

“Alvie, I’m confused.”

“I believed it all, believed every last story until the day my mother died. She understood everything. She understood the universe. She could even read the stars. A lot of good that did her,” Alvie added angrily.

“Oh, Alvie,” Dal said sadly.

“For five years I’ve blamed my mother’s beliefs, the power, the land, blamed the universe, for her death and what’s happened after. Now that stone, proof of everything, is sitting in my house and my brother’s awake, but my sister is dead. What am I supposed to do with that?”

“I don’t know, Alvie,” Dal muttered as he walked over to her in the garden. “You should have said something.”

“I couldn’t. I can barely talk about it now.” She stood and turned to Dal. “My mother always believed we were blessed by the heavens. But it just feels more like we’re cursed instead of blessed.”

* * *

Kael and Carr set off down the cliff road to the docks, the sun now full but still low in the sky. They had a view of the Bay of Aldin for the entire length of the road and a few boats were just now entering the inlet. Other boats were moored against the docks, cargo shipments being loaded and unloaded in the morning light. Carr was ahead of Kael, skipping down the road, throwing rocks and playing around like boys do.

The boy was free, a breath of fresh air in a world with harsh realities, and he knew beyond any doubt that he would always be loved and taken care of. He was a lucky kid, even with all the losses he’d suffered, Kael thought. But it still surprised him that a boy, especially one who had been touched by so much death, could help others so much. Prea was right about him; Carr did have a way of saying or doing the one thing that would make you smile. Even his very being brought a lightness to those around him.

Kael saw it with Alvie and felt it himself. If he had continued on alone after Prea, had not followed through on his promise, he wouldn’t have survived. His grief would have swallowed him whole and he would’ve had no power to withstand it. Now, having understood all she had felt, he had a new admiration for Prea, loving her now more than ever.

“Kael?” Carr asked and stopped, turning back. “What did you like most about Prea?”

“Oh, that’s a tough one,” Kael said, caught off guard a bit. “I liked a lot of things about her. She had incredible strength and unbelievable selflessness and her bravery was unmatched. She would do anything for you and Alvie.”

“Yes. But what did you like best?” Carr pressed.

“Well, I guess what I loved most was how she saw the world,” Kael answered seriously, surprised with the mature direction Carr was taking this conversation in.

“What do you mean?” Carr wondered. He knew his sister, but he didn’t know how others saw her.

“I had never met anyone like her. After everything you’ve all been through, Prea still saw the world as a good place. Even in her grief, she saw hope. Even in pain, she saw the light. She saw potential, believed in things she couldn’t see, trusted her instincts and had faith in life. Most of the time I didn’t understand it, but she made me see things differently. She opened my eyes to possibility.”

“She got most of that from Mama,” Carr said softly.

Kael paused in surprise, looking down at the boy walking next to him. “I thought you were only three when your mother died?”

“I was,” he admitted. “But I can still remember her. We have the book of old tales from Mama’s family. That keeps her close.”

“Is that the book with the story of Aylin and Ciro? The one Alvie didn’t want anyone to see?”

“Yes.”

“What’s in it?” Kael wondered. He still remembered the odd way Alvie had acted during his explanation that first day. Not to mention the fact that Beda and Dal looked just as confused. That made it all the more intriguing.

“Promise not to tell?” Carr asked after a moment of hesitation, looking up at Kael.

“I promise.”

“You’re family and I think Prea would want you to know. The book of old tales is the book of our beliefs. Or that’s how Prea explained it.”

“And what are your beliefs?”

“That Mama’s family was special. That we’re special. We can feel the power in the world. And sometimes we can do more.”

“More?”

“Prea always said Mama could read the stars. It’s why she called on the sun, moon and stars everyday to keep Papa safe while he was gone. And she knew things, understood things. About the universe and the future.”

“Can any of you do more?” After all his time with Prea and her family, he was finally getting answers from an eight-year-old boy.

“Alvie’s good with the earth and skilled at healing. It’s why she works at the infirmary.”

“What about you?”

“It’s hard to explain.” Carr paused, thinking. “Sometimes I can see the air, feel it. More than just the wind. I guess it’s kind of like how Mama could read the stars. I can read the air and sense things about people.”

That made sense, Kael thought. And it explained his uncanny ability to say or do the right thing to make a person feel better.

“And Prea?” he wondered reluctantly.

“Prea always had a way with fire and she could feel more energy than the rest of us. And I think she could see things. Bits of the past. Like her dream about the stone.”

“Huh. That explains a lot.”

“We’re not supposed to talk about it with people outside the family. But I think you deserve more.”

And that was his gift. “She loved you and Alvie more than life itself,” Kael added.

“I know. I just miss her.”

“I miss her too, bud,” Kael replied, patting the boy on the back.

As they neared the waterside, Kael could taste the salt on the air, almost feel it against his skin, it was so thick. Carr ran ahead onto the docks, slipping through the sailors and workers, looking for someone he might know.

When Garon Reed was still alive, he would take Carr down to the docks and introduce him to all his sailor friends. The boy knew so many faces and relished the time spent with those who had known his father. They told him stories, gave him presents from their travels and made him feel like one of the crew. Ever since he had woken up, Carr had felt drawn to the bay, to the water and waves. His blood was his father’s blood and it held the call of the sea.

Kael gazed out onto the bay, eyeing the swaying surface. Every now and then he scanned the dock, assuring himself of Carr’s safety, spying his energetic enthusiasm and renewed happiness. They tried to give him a normal home, but sometimes the boy just needed to get away from everything bad in his life and this was his time.

Gulls squawked and flew in high circles above the bay, drawn to the smell of fresh fish on the docks. Just as boats were passing through the bay and upriver, boats were now entering the bay and heading out to sea. Keeping Carr in sight, Kael walked along the edge of the dock, moving to get a better view of the river. It wasn’t long ago that he had traveled that same route and his heart tightened as if in a vice at the recollection of that trip.

He moved his head side to side, trying to shake the thoughts from his mind. When he looked up, he caught a glint in the corner of his eye; a hint of gold, maybe a bright reflection of the sun. His squinted eyes searched for the cause, the object that captured his attention. He found it on a small cargo boat that was just now coming to a rest against the far dock at the very end of the river, right at the threshold of the bay.

The sun’s rays shone off the sandy blonde hair of a young woman who was gathering her belongings and preparing to disembark. His heart began to flutter and his thoughts swirled. Kael blinked again and again, sure that he was seeing things, a trick of the light probably. He gasped as the woman stepped off the boat, her feet connecting with the earth below as her face became visible. It was real, she was here.

The Legend of Valtera: Chapter 24

Previous Chapters

Drip. Drop. Drip. Drop.

Kael woke the next morning to hard rain beating down on the ground outside. He had spent the night on the sofa in the living room. After Alvie and Dal returned home, nothing much else happened. Everyone picked and nibbled at food and tea in silence before retiring to their respective rooms for some well-needed rest. Beda slept in Prea’s room, Dal stayed with Alvie and, in light of everything that had happened, the sofa had been offered to Kael. No one felt right about kicking him out, not after all he’d been through.

Kael moved into the kitchen and came to a rest in front of the window. His pain was fresh and his heart was broken, never to be whole again. He watched the rain fall on the other side of the glass and appreciated the solidarity. It was as if the universe was experiencing their pain, their loss and grief, and it too was overwhelmed by it all.

In this moment, he felt alone and, at the same time, not. The house was full of people, people he had a certain connection with, but at the same time, did not know. He didn’t know what the future held, but he had a place in this world and knowing that made everything a little more bearable.

Kael broke free of his reverie when he heard footsteps thumping down the stairs. Carr sped into the room with the energy only a child could muster this early in the morning while Beda followed shortly after.

“Hi, Kael,” Carr called brightly upon entry.

“Good morning, Carr,” Kael greeted, an unwanted smile tugging at his lips. “Morning, Beda.”

“Morning,” Beda responded, gathering the makings for tea. “How did you sleep, Kael?”

“As well as the situation allowed. No better or worse than the last few nights. How about you? How are you doing?” Kael inquired.

“I’m exhausted. And it still doesn’t feel real.”

“I know exactly what you mean. I’ve had some time and I still expect her to be there whenever I wake,” Kael added.

“I don’t really know what to do,” she confessed quietly. “She’s been with me for most of my life, my constant. I can barely remember a time when she wasn’t there. And I can’t see a future without her.”

Kael listened quietly to Beda’s admission and silently cursed himself. He loved Prea, but he had only known her a few months. Her friends and family on the other hand, had loved her far longer and didn’t know life without her.

“Come here,” he said quietly and pulled her into a hug. She remained tense for a minute before relaxing in the comforting arms of a kind stranger.

Beda pulled away, feeling slightly better, and studied the man before her. “I can see why Prea fell for you.”

“Really?”

“Definitely. You have a kind, but strong, and comforting presence.”

“Thank you. She talked about you and I can see why you two were close.” He moved over to the counter where the tea was waiting. “How about you sit down and I’ll make you some tea.”

“Thanks, Kael.”

* * *

The rain became heavy, the musical pitter patter loud in the background. Dal dragged Alvie down the stairs and into the kitchen, practically holding her up the entire way. Her eyes were red and swollen, exhaustion evident in every muscle of her face and body. Dal didn’t look much better, his skin pale and dark circles painted under his eyes. He dropped Alvie at the table with the others before making her some breakfast. Beda and Kael were nursing their own mugs of steaming hot tea, eyeing Alvie across the table.

He set tea down on the table in front of her, sat beside her and started rubbing her back as he had the night before. Alvie just sat there, head down and eyes glazed over. She didn’t even acknowledge his touch. Dal propped his head on his chin and looked across the table at Kael and Beda.

“Morning Dal, Alvie,” Beda greeted quietly. “We didn’t get a chance to do this last night, but this is Kael. He knew Prea.” Beda indicated the man sitting beside her. “Kael, this is Prea’s sister, Alvie, and our friend, Dal.”

Dal nodded his head in introduction and Kael responded in the same fashion. Alvie’s only reaction was a series of blinks. “You knew Prea?” Dal asked.

“Yes. I met her not long after she left here,” Kael began, eyes staring into his tea. “On the road outside of Ashton.”

“Could you tell us more?” Beda prodded. “You only mentioned how she…the end of the story.”

As if he had magical hearing, Carr came into the kitchen and sat himself down at the table along with everyone else. “I want to hear about Prea,” Carr said.

Kael was unsure how much information Prea’s family knew, but he had an idea on how to explain everything. “Do you have a book with the story of Aylin and Ciro? Or a map of Valtera? It would really help me to explain.” Carr left the room without speaking, seemingly going to retrieve the book. “I have to get something as well,” Kael added and left.

Kael and Carr returned and sat down at the same time. Carr put the book on the table and Kael placed the stone on the middle of the wooden surface. Even though Beda and Carr knew Kael had the stone, there was a collective gasp at the reveal of the mythical object. He looked around and saw wide eyes and open mouths, frozen in surprise and disbelief. It was one thing to know he had it, it was another to actually see it.

Now even Alvie was exhibiting some emotion, as if the stone had awoken her from a trance or deep sleep. She avoided the stone, but pulled the book to her so it was out of reach of everyone else.

“Not that book, Carr,” Alvie muttered quietly.

“Why not? Kael wanted to see the story,” Carr said. “That’s the only book we have with the legend.”

“Remember what Mama and Prea said about this book? About the stories inside?” They may be gone, but Alvie still respected their wishes, now more than ever it seemed.

“Yes, but I thought it would be all right to show them. They’re family, aren’t they Alvie?”

“Yes, but…let’s talk about it later,” Alvie said, stopping that line of conversation.

Beda, Dal and Kael sat at the table watching the exchange, all of them equally confused. They all knew of the story of Aylin and Ciro and the legend, but this book was different. Beda and Dal had seen it over the years, had it read to them, but neither had been allowed to see or read it themselves.

“What’s going on?” Dal asked, concerned about Alvie’s strange behavior.

“Nothing. You were saying, Kael?”

“Yes. We found the stone exactly where Prea thought it would be. In the center of Valtera, in the middle of the mountains. It was…breathtaking, indescribable. The mountain slopes sunk into a beautiful glen. Glaciers streaked down the mountainsides, before trees erupted and meshed with lush grass covering the land until it met a round sapphire blue lake tucked against the southern slopes. We made our way to the lake’s edge.” He smiled at the memory. “Prea walked right into the lake with barely a word, only saying she saw it in a dream, and disappeared. She surfaced a while later, stone in hand. We headed back soon after, climbing the mountains to the east and just after we crossed the summit…it happened,” Kael finished simply.

Silence extended after he stopped speaking. How was the conversation supposed to go on? He couldn’t just brush it off, but there didn’t seem to be an appropriate change of topic. Everyone just sat in uncomfortable silence, looking at the stone. Alvie’s hands clutched the book, her eyes never moving from the magical rock. It reminded Kael of how Prea looked when she stared into the fire. It was a kind of impassive expression that revealed nothing of what they were thinking.

Kael couldn’t stand it any longer and broke the quiet, looking to Alvie and Dal. “Beda was telling me yesterday about how Carr woke up. What happened?”

“Uh,” Alvie started, breaking free of whatever she was thinking. She wasn’t entirely comfortable with talking at the moment. “I was in the infirmary, treating someone, when he just came up behind me and complained about being hungry,” Alvie said, her voice cracking from disuse. “I nearly fainted in shock. I thought I was having a dream. I had to touch him before I believed it was real.”

“And then she hugged me so tight that I couldn’t breathe,” Carr added loudly, not wanting to be left out of the conversation.

“Yes, I did,” Alvie agreed with a hint of a grin. “I left my shift early and we came home from the infirmary and made some dinner.”

“I was so hungry. I could’ve eaten a horse,” Carr proclaimed. “Not that we eat meat.”

“Then I came over after work and nearly died when I saw them sitting at the kitchen table,” Dal noted, smiling.

Alvie pushed Carr’s curly hair out of his face. “We tried to explain what had happened, where Prea was and what she was doing. But it was hard knowing that she was out there and here he was, awake after all that time.”

“And you have no idea why?” Kael inquired. “No reason or explanation?”

“No, not at all. I don’t know how we can figure out how he woke, if we don’t know why he was unconscious to begin with,” Alvie said, her logical mind and medical training showing their colors.

“Beda and I were talking yesterday,” Kael began, glancing at Prea’s friend. “About the stone being responsible. I mean, if there’s no other logical explanation…”

“I don’t know how…” Alvie muttered.

“Well, Kael was thinking the closer he brought the stone to Beech, the better Carr got,” Beda explained.

“It’s the only thing that makes sense, not that any of this makes a lot of sense,” Kael added. “Actually, the first thing that came to mind was that it happened when Prea got the stone. But that was a while before Carr finally woke up.”

“When did Prea find the stone?” Dal wondered. “Exactly.”

“Hmm. Let me think.” He paused, counting the days in his mind. “I don’t remember the exact day. I think it was just under a month ago. About three and a half weeks.”

Beda and Alvie shared a look. “Wasn’t that when…” Beda trailed off.

“It’s impossible,” Alvie whispered.

“What? What happened?” Kael demanded.

“That was around the time Carr’s condition changed,” Beda answered and both Dal and Carr looked confused. “It was the day you went on a relay up to Birch, Dal.” He nodded in understanding. “I was visiting Alvie in the infirmary, letting her know Dal was going to be traveling and when I was there…something happened with Carr.” The girls exchanged another look.

“What?” Kael exclaimed.

“He, uh…started seizing for a few minutes and then it stopped,” Alvie said.

“Maybe the events were connected,” Beda muttered quietly.

“Like when she found the stone, it sparked something in him,” Kael finished.

“Yes.” Beda hesitated and turned to the boy. “But you didn’t tell us about Prea,” she accused Carr. “You didn’t tell us you saw her or talked to her.”

“What are you talking about?” Alvie demanded as she looked from Beda to Carr in confusion. “When did you see Prea? When did you talk to her?”

Beda quickly recounted what Carr had admitted the day before when they had first met Kael. When she was finished, all eyes turned on him, everyone staring at the little boy, expecting him to have all sorts of answers.

“I didn’t remember,” Carr said defensively, returning the gaze of all the adults. “I didn’t remember until I saw Kael yesterday. Then…then it sort of all came back to me.” His brow furrowed in concentration. After a minute, he shook his head. “I don’t know how I know, I just do.”

It wasn’t what they wanted, but it was all they were going to get from the little golden boy. Alvie studied her brother, trying to wrap her mind around what he was telling them.

“Huh,” was all she could muster and a few more tears escaped.

“She said we shouldn’t be sad, Alvie,” Carr whispered. “Prea doesn’t want us to be sad.”

It caught her off guard, how her brother talked as if Prea was still alive. He sounded so sure, like he knew exactly what she wanted. But then again, he was Carr and he could always sense more than most would think possible. It was his gift and his gift always spoke the truth.

Maybe I should be a little more like her, Alvie thought; Prea always trusted her instincts. If Carr believed what he was saying, and it appeared he did, then she believed him too. Alvie took a deep breath. “Welcome to the family, Kael.”

The Legend of Valtera: Chapter 23

Previous Chapters

Kael froze mid-step. This couldn’t be possible, he thought. But he knew. He didn’t know how, but he knew this boy was Carr. The sunny boy skipping down the road was Prea’s little brother, the one she had died trying to save. He was a ball of energy, that was for sure. Kael just watched as Carr stopped and turned, calling out to the red-haired woman.

“Beda…” Carr cut off, the name dying on his lips. His eyes had caught sight of Kael and now he was staring. Kael’s heart stopped; the resemblance to Prea was striking, except for the eyes. Carr didn’t have her grassy green eyes.

Carr remained like a statue, gaze fixed on Kael, their eyes locked. The red-haired woman reached him. “Carr, what’s wrong?” She laid a hand on the child’s shoulder and turned to see what had captured his attention. “What are you looking at?”

The boy took a tentative step in Kael’s direction, ignoring the woman’s questions. He walked steadily towards Kael, stopping about ten feet away.

“Kael?” Carr wondered, a quizzical look on his face. Kael’s shock stopped both his mind and his heart for a second. How did this boy know his name? The same way he knew it was Carr, Kael supposed.

“How…how are you awake?” Kael stammered finally. “Prea said you were unconscious. She went all that way to wake you up.”

“She’s not coming home, is she?” Carr asked reluctantly, as if he hadn’t spoken.

“No, she’s not,” Kael replied sadly. “When…when you did you wake up?”

“A few days ago,” Carr muttered quietly.

Beda had followed Carr, her eyes narrowing as suspicion entered her expression. “Carr, honey. Who’s this? What’s going on?” Carr never behaved like this. He had been bubbly and energetic five minutes ago and the sudden change had sparked Beda’s concern.

Kael turned his gaze to Beda and held out his hand. “Hello. My name is Kael. I’m a friend of Prea’s,” he said, by way of introduction and explanation. He still had no idea how Carr knew who he was or what was going on. All Kael was prepared to do was help Carr, so he hadn’t thought much about what he was going to say or do. But now that Carr was clearly healthy, words failed him.

Beda’s head jerked back in surprise and she glanced down at Carr before turning back to Kael. “I’m Beda,” she murmured in greeting. “Have you seen Prea recently? Do you know where she is? When she’ll be back?”

He didn’t know how to do this, didn’t know how to give such terrible news. He barely accepted what he saw, was still reeling from it all and now he had to fulfill his promise to Prea and help her family. He looked uncomfortable, eyes swinging back and forth between Carr and Beda, as he tried to form his answer.

“Prea…there was an accident,” Kael muttered, stumbling over the words as tears formed. “She fell…she’s gone. I’m so sorry.”

“What do you mean, gone?” Beda countered sharply. “She can’t be gone? She…” Beda’s voice broke. She fell to the ground, grabbing Carr, unsure of his reaction. But Carr was calm, unusually composed. “Carr, honey, are you okay?” Beda asked him, now crying quietly.

“She told me, Beda. She told me about Kael, about everything. She said everything will be all right,” Carr explained slowly. “And I believe her, Beda. Everything is going to be all right.” Kael couldn’t believe that this boy, one who had just lost the closest thing he had left to a parent, was more concerned with consoling his sister’s friend.

“Who told you, Carr?” Beda asked, clearly confused.

“Prea did,” Carr answered simply. “I…I saw her before I woke up and she explained it all. She said we shouldn’t be sad, that she is always going to look after us.” He turned to Kael. “She told me about you. That you were coming. That you’re part of our family now.” Carr’s blue eyes met Kael’s with the innocence and complete acceptance of a child.

Kael was dumbfounded and overwhelmed. He dropped to the ground, clutching his head in his hands. He’d been angry with Prea. She had promised that he could count on her, that she would be there for him. Then she broke that promise and left him. He knew it wasn’t her fault, but he felt abandoned nonetheless. And here she hadn’t abandoned him after all, but was keeping her promise even after she was gone.

She’d given him her family, people he could count on. And in turn, she gave him to her family.

He was jolted out of his pain when Beda gently pried his hand from his face and held it in her own. “You didn’t just know her…” Beda guessed.

“No, I didn’t just know her. I love her. I’ll always love her,” Kael quietly confessed.

Carr patted Kael lightly on the shoulder. “Prea loves you, too. She always will.”

* * *

The three made it to the Reed family home, but the house felt as though all the air had been sucked out, leaving the inhabitants emotionally and physically depleted. Carr and Kael took seats at the kitchen table while Beda began fiddling around the room, keeping herself busy as she cried softly. Kael couldn’t stop either, leaving Carr the only one composed.

“What happened here?” he asked, now that his mind was working again. “Since Prea left. I expected to find Carr in a deep sleep. How did he wake?”

Beda took a moment before she finally answered his question. “We…we actually don’t really know what happened,” she said. “A few days ago, he just woke up out of the blue as if nothing had happened.”

“And you have no idea why?” Maybe he shouldn’t be surprised, he had seen a lot the past few months that defied explanation.

“None. Not even Alvie has a clue. But then again, we don’t know what was wrong with him to begin with.”

“Maybe it happened when Prea got the stone,” Kael wondered quietly.

“She got the stone?” Beda asked surprised. “You found it?”

“Of course Prea found it,” Carr muttered, but the others ignored him.

“Yes, we found it. But that was…a few weeks ago. Would that make sense?”

“I have no idea. I can’t believe it,” Beda admitted, shaking her head. “I’ve always trusted Prea and, basically if anyone were to find it, it would have been her.”

“You never believed in it either?”

“Well, that’s…complicated. My family, not to mention Dal’s, were never big believers in the legend. It was a story, that was it.” She paused, wiping away tears. “And then there were the Reeds.”

“What about us?” Carr wondered.

“Unlike Dal who remains a skeptic to this day, I was influenced by the Reeds, the more time I spent with them. Isa believed in it all. It was…an experience to hear her tell the story. And it wasn’t just the story of the legend, she added details, elaborated on the history of Valtera. It was amazing.”

“I miss Mama’s stories,” Carr murmured sadly.

“I know you do, cricket,” Beda said. “Anyway, after enough time, they made me believe in the legend and other possibilities. Most of our childhood was spent playing in the woods and on the cliff pretending to be Delmare and Aldera. Alvie and Dal would join in sometimes. We had so much fun pretending we were from the heavens and had powers over the land.”

“How come we never played that?” Carr asked.

“Because we were too old once you came around,” Beda answered indulgently before turning back to Kael. “But then I came of age and started working at my parents’ store. Reality set in and I stopped giving it much thought. The story became a legend again, but there was always a part of me that, because of the Reeds, believed in the possibility.”

Kael considered Beda’s story and realized it was much like his own. The more time he had spent with Prea, he hadn’t necessarily believed in the stone, but he believed in the possibility of the stone. He believed in her. “Maybe the closer I brought the stone, the better he got?” Kael said, still trying to work it out.

“Who knows? We’re in a whole other realm here and the only one who understood any of it, is the one who isn’t here,” Beda explained her voice breaking on the last part, tears still falling.

“Would Alvie have any ideas? Now that we know the stone is real?”

“Perhaps. But she didn’t believe it was real either. She thought Prea was crazy for going after it.”

“I know. Prea told me.”

She studied the stranger sitting in her kitchen. “You knew her well.”

He nodded. “I’d like to think I did.”

Beda began to make tea. “What happened? What happened to Prea?”

Kael eyed the boy sitting across from him. The last thing he wanted to do was ruin Carr’s memory of Prea. He didn’t want to burden him with the knowledge of her final moments and risk him imagining her death. Prea had gone days without eating or sleeping because the image of Leal’s last moment had been too much for her. He didn’t want to do the same thing to Carr, or anyone for that matter.

“I’m not sure how much I should say. I don’t want to make things worse for anyone,” Kael muttered quietly. He was waiting for a signal, permission from this boy to divulge the details of his sister’s death. He never imagined in his wildest dreams that he would ever be in a situation such as this. Kael didn’t want to remember that day or her face or how her last words had been that she loved him.

Carr nodded minutely. That was enough for Kael.

He sighed and steeled himself. “We were coming back over the mountains near the border between Alder and Nodin. The air was frigid and we were climbing down an icy glacier. She sneezed, slipped on the ice and fell to the ground. I was downhill ahead of her. She got to her feet but rested for a minute. The summer sun must have melted the ice. It began to crack and the ground below her shattered,” Kael whispered, choking on the words. This was without a doubt the most difficult thing he had ever done or would do in his life. “She fell, but managed to hold on to the edge for a little while. The rest of the ice broke under her arms and she disappeared.” The images of her face from that day raced through his mind over and over. Kael released a quiet sob.

Carr’s composure finally dissolved and tears rolled down his face. Beda had turned away and stood, staring out the window as the kettle whistled loudly.

“I’m so sorry,” Kael exclaimed. “I should have done something more to save her. But she wanted nothing more than to see you safe.”

The boy was wise beyond his years, seemingly taking everything in stride. “There was nothing more you could do. You kept her safe,” Carr said reassuringly.

* * *

The shroud of darkness descended outside before any noise reached the front door. Alvie and Dal were laughing when they crossed the threshold hand in hand. Three heads lifted in unison and turned toward the doorway, as they waited for Alvie and Dal to enter the kitchen. The couple stopped in their tracks when they saw the group sitting quietly at the table. Smiles vanished and happiness fled as the two deduced that something was unbelievably wrong.

“What’s going on?” Alvie asked anxiously. “Beda…Carr, who is this?”

Beda stood and took a step towards the pair who hadn’t moved from the doorway. Alvie immediately took a step back and held up her free hand. “Stop, Beda. What’s going on? What’s wrong? Just tell me.”

“Alvie, this is Kael…he,” Beda stammered. She was never at a loss for words, always got right to the point and tact wasn’t exactly her strong suit. But right now, she couldn’t get the words out. “He knew Prea,” she finished softly.

Alvie’s face was a kaleidoscope as confusion hit first, followed by a spark of fear before reluctant realization crept in. Her icy eyes were wide, her lips framed the word no, her head shook back and forth and her grip tightened on Dal’s hand. Dal reached the same conclusion, though quicker, and his face lost all color until it was snow white in understanding.

“Beda, you said ‘knew’,” Alvie choked out, eyes welling with unshed tears. “You said he knew Prea. What happened? Where is she?”

“There was an accident, Alvie,” Beda explained. “Prea…she fell. She’s gone, honey.”

“No…” Alvie sobbed. “That can’t be. She can’t be gone.”

Dal was prepared and caught Alvie as her legs gave out and they slumped to the floor together. He pulled her close, wrapped her tight in his arms as she sobbed on his shoulder. His hand stroked her back soothingly and his own tears streamed down his cheeks.

The similarities were striking as the scene mirrored the night Dal told Prea about her father and Leal. He had been there for her, catching her as she collapsed to the ground in grief. Just like Prea, Alvie had now lost the last person who had looked out for her, her last guardian on this land and in this life. She had lost her sister, her friend and her guide. This time, though, Alvie wasn’t furious; now she just felt completely alone. Carr was her only family now and she was the responsible one. She had to look after him, raise him, be his parent, his sister and his entire family.

There was nothing to be done. Beda, Kael and Carr couldn’t do anything to help Alvie or Dal. They could only wait for the emotions to play out.