The Legend of Valtera: Chapter 13
Hours later, night was arriving when Prea opened her eyes. She glanced around the candlelit room, stopping when her gaze landed on Kael sitting by the window looking out into the coming darkness. The candles nearby threw slight shadows across his face and, though he had slept earlier that day, Prea could tell that he was still spent. And not just tired; his anger was evident, bubbling just below the surface.
She had made a real mess of things, that was for sure, but Prea had always known that she was going to have to do this on her own. His presence had momentarily distracted her from the truth of her situation. She couldn’t rely on him forever. She was grateful for his help and guidance these past few days, but he could go on now and live his life however he pleased.
“Where did you go?” Prea asked quietly, though he refused to look at her.
“I needed some space, time to think. I talked to some people down in the tavern. Had a few pints of ale.” Kael finally met her gaze. “You’ve been out for a few hours.”
“I feel a bit better. The sleep did some good, at least.” She averted her eyes.
“I’ve done a good deal of thinking while you were asleep and…” He took a deep breath. “I’ve decided that I’m coming with you for the rest of your journey.”
Prea froze. Her eyes flew up to meet his. This was unexpected, to say the least.
“What…what are you talking about? You don’t have to do that. I expected to do this by myself and I’ve accepted that fact. You can go on and do whatever you want with your life.”
“What if this is what I want to do with my life?” Kael countered. “I’m old enough to make my own decisions and I want to go with you. That’s that.”
“No, that’s not that. Before you were questioning me, asking how I could believe in this and leave my family at home. And now you want to go with me? Why?” Prea demanded.
“I don’t want to be the reason something happens to you,” Kael admitted quietly. “I’m capable of going with you and offering any assistance you need. So that’s what I’m going to do.”
“You don’t have a life to get back to? Family? Friends? You can just up and leave for who knows how long to help me?”
“As a matter of fact, yes, I can. I lead a transient life, living off the land, traveling wherever I want. When I need money or something, I have skills that are useful in finding easy work. So, yes, I can leave for who knows how long to help you.”
“But why?” Prea still wasn’t convinced.
“We’ve spent, what, two weeks together? Believe it or not, I like you and I don’t want to see you get hurt, or worse, when there was something I could do to stop it. And while I don’t believe the stone is real, I’m intrigued. I want to see what you find.”
They stared at each other in a silent standoff while Prea made up her mind. Just as nothing Kael said was going to stop her or change her mind, she had a feeling nothing she said would make a difference either. She was not responsible for Kael, for his decisions or his actions. He was a grown man and could take care of himself, or so she reminded herself.
“Fine,” Prea conceded reluctantly. “But I want you to know that you can leave at any time. Whenever you’re done, you’re done. No hard feelings. I won’t blame you for anything.”
“Whatever you say.” Prea made no move to speak any more, so Kael continued. “First things first. Where do you think this stone is? We need to know where we’re going in order to know what to pack. We need to have a plan.”
“I don’t really have much of a plan, just an overall route and destination. It’s not very specific,” Prea admitted quietly.
“Well, whatever you can give me.”
“My plan was to travel through Colter into Rodor. Then immediately turn south. The final destination is somewhere in the mountains in the center of Valtera. I have a map. I can show you where we need to go.”
“Okay, show me.” Prea did as he asked, illustrating her plan and where she believed they needed to go. “All right. I’ve never traveled anywhere along that route, but I’ve been in the higher elevations in other cantons.”
“So what do we need to do?” Prea asked.
“How are you with horses?”
“Not great.”
“Actually it’s probably better to just not bother with them given we’re heading for the mountains. We need food, herbs and some medical supplies, and some blankets, things for colder weather.”
“Can we get all of that in Flint?” Prea wondered.
“Probably. If not, we can replenish in Colter. How much money do you have with you?”
“Enough.” She had brought the better part of a year’s salary with her. They weren’t exactly wealthy, but her father had had good, steady work, as did she and now Alvie. They were prudent and she had both taken enough money for herself, and left enough behind for her siblings so that everyone was taken care of.
“Are you well enough to shop?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s go.”
* * *
After a restful night at the inn, Prea and Kael set out together on their new journey the following morning. The comfort of a soft bed and warm room had healed her ribs more than Prea ever would have imagined. She woke renewed and surprisingly refreshed, enough to carry her own pack. Her injuries wouldn’t be subjecting Kael to more than his fair share anymore; that was one worry off her mind, at least.
Well after dawn, they stepped out into the street and walked towards the outskirts of Flint in the direction of the Rodor border where, in two days time, they would reach the border city of Colter. The two had decided that they would not be halting their journey and staying in Colter for the night unless it was absolutely necessary.
They traveled in companionable silence until they reached the town limits.
“I think our best bet is to stay on the road all the way,” Kael said. “There isn’t really a reason why we would need to veer off into the woods, but at least we know it’s always an option.”
“That’s fine,” Prea agreed. “So we’ll just step off and find a place a few yards into the woods to make camp at night? It seems like it would be the easiest way of doing things.”
“We’ll make sure we’re out of sight of the road, so we don’t have to worry about others coming across us. But yes, that’s the plan.” Silence extended for another few minutes. “Aren’t you going to tell me anything else?” Kael prodded. “Like why you think the stone is real? Or where you think it is? Or any type of explanation at all?”
“No, no, no. Not yet,” Prea said. “It’s your turn first.”
“My turn for what?” Kael demanded, glancing at her sideways.
“Your story,” Prea replied. “I’ve told you mine, or at least some of it. Now it’s your turn. Where are you from? What do you do?”
She waited patiently for Kael to answer as they walked. It took him awhile; it seemed he was having trouble figuring out what to say.
“There isn’t much to tell really. I grew up an only child in a small farm town in central Nodin. My father is a furniture maker, my mother a home keeper,” he explained. “I left as soon as I was able and I haven’t been back since.”
Prea was speechless; she couldn’t imagine ever leaving her family without the expectation of return. She could never truly say goodbye to them. This would be her one and only journey away from them. Never again.
“You left and you’ve never been back?” Prea was unable to keep the disbelief out of her voice. “How old were you?”
“Sixteen. I left as soon as I came of age,” Kael answered. “I had skills and knew I could find work anywhere.”
“But why?” Prea pushed.
Kael shrugged. “My father isn’t exactly what you would call a warm, loving person. As soon as I was old enough, he put me to work in his shop; made sure I knew that everything in my life was there by his choice and he could take anything away whenever he wanted.” Kael paused. It was clear that he didn’t talk about this often. “As soon as I was working, I paid my own keep. My mother loved me, but he could make her do anything he wanted. She never stood up to him, not for herself, not even for me.”
Prea had always been aware that she was very lucky in terms of family. But she could never imagine her father being that harsh or strict with her or her siblings. Her parents did nothing but love and support her, and she always knew it.
“It wasn’t the best childhood ever, but it was far from terrible,” he continued calmly. “I am grateful, though. If I hadn’t grown up the way I did, I may never have left. I wouldn’t have traveled, wouldn’t have met the people I’ve met or seen the things I’ve seen. All in all, my life has been pretty good.”
Prea held her tongue. She did not ask him if he ever planned on going home and seeing his family again. It wasn’t her business either way.
“Where’s the best place you’ve ever been?” she asked instead. “I used to love hearing my father tell stories of all of his voyages, everywhere he went, everything he’d seen.”
The change of topic brought a small smile to his lips. “Well, let’s see. I’ve been to every canton of Valtera. I do not care for Nodin or Egan and I’ve only been to Rodor a few times. I don’t like the lack of trees, being out in the open. It makes me feel bare and vulnerable,” he confessed.
“I’ve spent most of my time traveling around Delmar and Alder. Inland Delmar is a pretty nice place; there are so many different rivers and they’re braided through the land, criss-crossing all over the canton. You travel by boat everywhere. But the marshland by the coast is my favorite; in some places there are water forests where trees have sprouted through the marshlands and you can row amongst them.” He stole a glance at Prea. “It’s beautiful. You can float along on the water and stare up at the branches and leaves, watch the sun peek through and throw shadows everywhere.”
“Really? That would be a sight to see one day,” she admitted. “But it will probably never happen,” she muttered as an afterthought.
“Why not?” Kael wondered.
“I’ve been reading about the history and geography of Valtera practically since I was born. My mother taught those two subjects in school and my father always told me stories of all his travels. When I was younger, all I wanted to do was travel everywhere and see everything,” she explained. “But I have responsibilities. Just because you want something doesn’t mean you’re going to get it,” Prea said, her voice sobering. “I haven’t been able to think about it much the last five years. My family has always depended on me.”
The quiet resumed as they traveled. For hours, the thud of feet against ground, accompanied by the shaking of branches and the song of many birds were the only sounds present. Conversation ceased and thinking took its place. The morning had been enlightening as Prea finally got a glimpse into Kael’s soul. The past didn’t define a person, but she believed it provided certain insights into a person’s character.
Eventually Prea was tired of silence, tired of thinking. She was curious and wanted to know more.
“You never mentioned what you do for a living. I teach,” Prea offered. “I mean, back home I’m a teacher.”
“Well, I grew up fixing furniture in my father’s shop. I’ve always loved finding out how things work, so I’m basically a repairman,” Kael answered. “I don’t like to stay in any one place too long, so I’ve spent my time traveling around Valtera fixing what people need fixed. What subjects do you teach back home?”
“History and geography, just like my mother. She taught me everything I know, everything that she knew about the land and its past. My mother believed in the power of the elements, the power of nature and taught me to cherish it, but more importantly to respect it. I wanted to honor her life and legacy, to pass that knowledge and respect onto other children and the next generation.”
“So your mother was a teacher and your father was a sailor, correct?”
“Yes. Just as my mother was drawn to the elements and nature, the sea was in my father’s blood, it ran through his veins.” Prea chuckled. “Or at least that’s what he always used to say, anyway. It called to him; he could never stay away from the ocean for too long. He worked hard and ended up captaining his own ship. We live on the Bay of Aldin and he made his living transporting goods from the bay to the other cantons, mostly timber.”
“He was gone a lot?”
“He was, but he did it for us. He did everything for us, everything he could to provide for his family. It just so happens that to do that, he had to be away for long stretches of time. But when he was home, he only had time for us.”
“He sounds like a wonderful man,” Kael murmured.
“He was. I haven’t talked about him like this in a while. I’m still having trouble wrapping my head around the whole thing.”
“What do you mean?” Kael wondered.
“Well, my father was always gone and the three of us got accustomed to being on our own. There was no way of communicating with him while he was at sea, so he would give us a general time frame for each voyage. But sometimes he would just walk through the door, surprising everyone,” Prea said, her voice surprisingly steady.
“There are times when I actually forget that he’s gone and he’s not going to walk through the door at any moment. Then something will remind me and the guilt over my forgotten grief leaves me reeling. It’s not as if I feel his loss every day; there isn’t a gaping hole in my life where his presence had been. We would go weeks, months even, without seeing him. I had become so used to not seeing him.”
“I’m sure that’s normal for someone in your situation,” he offered.
“I don’t even know what normal is anymore, to tell you the truth. I don’t know what anything is really. There’s only one thing I know for sure—my brother and sister need me. I have to find this stone if I want to save my family…what’s left of it.”
“What are they like, Alvie and Carr?” Prea skipped a step at Kael’s question, shocked that he remembered their names. Maybe she shouldn’t be that surprised, she thought. She did talk about them only last night. Maybe he actually cared what happened to her brother? That possibility hadn’t crossed her mind.
“Alvie is…the most intelligent person I know. It almost seemed like she shared a mind with our father, their connection was that substantial. It was impressive to watch them together, though most of the time it appeared as though they were barely interacting. I even made a game out of it when I was younger—watching them, trying to decipher clues about their conversation,” Prea described, laughing lightly. “I was never very good at it and I stopped playing once Carr came along. He’s always been a handful, playing games, fighting with me on every little thing. But he’s a good kid, always happy. And he has an amazing ability to brighten even your darkest day. It’s his secret talent.”
“I always wished for a brother or sister, someone to play, to share, to grow with. Someone who knew me inside and out, understood me.” He paused. “And on a selfish note, I wished for someone to draw attention away from me, bear some of the burden.”
Honesty. Prea noted that in her mind. He was kind, caring, protective and honest. Does he have any faults? she asked herself. It didn’t seem like it.
“There’s nothing like siblings; you can love them and hate them, mostly at the same time. Alvie and I are very different and we don’t always get along, but Carr and I are very close. I would do anything for either them,” Prea said emphatically. “I’m sure it’s not that way with all siblings, but it is for me.”
“Just the same, you don’t have to go through life alone,” Kael muttered under his breath, so low Prea was sure he didn’t mean for her to hear it.
