The Legend of Valtera: Chapter 20
Birds chirped high and loud from the tops of the trees above Prea’s head. She sat up on the wooded floor and shook her head, trying to rid her mind of the hazy confusion. Though the pain was better today, the feeling of sickness remained and her body still felt odd. It took a moment to get her bearings and, only when she glanced around, did the truth sink in. They had made it; found their way to the secret home of the sun and the moon in the middle of the mountains of Valtera.
Kael was nowhere in sight. Probably getting some water, she thought.
Prea scrambled to her feet, the world spun and her stomach dropped. She leaned against a nearby tree until everything righted itself and she slowly walked in the direction of the stream. Before she left the woods, she caught sight of Kael by the stream’s edge and paused by a tree, watching him for a quiet second. He was standing in the early morning sunshine, shaking out his dripping hair. He looked up as she stepped out into the light.
“Morning,” Prea greeted.
“Hello, Prea,” Kael responded.
“Have you been up long?” Prea asked, walking towards him.
“A while. I couldn’t sleep, so I walked around a bit.” He played with his hair as Prea leaned down to get some water. “I haven’t seen any wildlife except the birds.” He hesitated, looking off into the distance. “They really are beautiful.”
“They’re also very loud,” Prea said drily, bringing a ghost of a grin to Kael’s face. “How’s your arm?”
“Still painful. Maybe slightly better. I took more of that stuff for the pain.”
“I’ll check it again before we leave.”
“Okay,” he responded, studying her face. “How are you feeling?”
“Me? I’m fine,” she said and stood, returning his gaze. It was clear he didn’t believe her, but she still felt nauseous and really didn’t want to focus on their injuries at the moment. He lifted his good hand to the side of her head, feeling the large bump hidden under her golden strands. Prea flinched at his touch.
“You ran away last night,” he said softly. “You’re not fine.”
“That was nothing. I just felt a bit ill. I’m in better shape than you are.”
“We’ll see about that,” Kael answered as they started walking back to camp.
Prea rifled through their belongings for some food for breakfast. However, her nibbling did not go unnoticed by her companion. He apparently was going to keep an eye on her.
“Where are we headed today?” he wondered. “I take it we’re not going to have to scour every inch of the land to find what we seek.”
“We’re going to the lake,” Prea answered simply.
“Okay.” Kael had learned not to ask questions; she would give him her reasons and explanations when necessary. Anyway, the lake made sense to him somehow. There was a symmetry between water and the sky, an overwhelming immensity that was both fascinating and terrifying at the same time.
With Prea carrying both packs their pace was slow at best, but the two fell back into step as they set off, keeping to the shade of the forest that provided momentary relief from the burning sun. The weather had begun to swelter, summer finally arriving in the mountains. Even the awning of branches couldn’t protect them from the powerful rays, sweat pooling in uncomfortable places. Prea spun her hair, twisting it around itself so her neck was free and clear. The sloped earth made their progress easy and soon the trees ended, leaving only the grassy field between them and the lake’s shore.
“I have never been this hot in my entire life,” Prea complained, wiping perspiration from her brow as they stopped for a break.
“Really?” Kael asked.
“Yes, is that really so surprising? I live on the coast. The sea breeze keeps the air cool.” Prea shielded her eyes as she glanced around in the bright daylight. “I’ve never traveled anywhere else.”
“Then you will never want to go to Nodin, let alone Egan which is far hotter and drier. I grew up in Nodin which can get hot in the summer, but I’ve been to Egan and even I thought that place was too hot. Water is scarce there, the air oppressive and the heat unbearable. This, on the other hand, is nothing in comparison. It’s quite nice, really,” Kael said, quietly chuckling at her discomfort.
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” Prea accused lightly. “But my skin feels as though it’s baking. How do you stand it?” She was quite serious now.
“It’s rough in the beginning, but just like the dark, you’ll adjust to the heat. We won’t be here long enough for you to adapt. And in the mountains, the sun is only bad during the middle of the day when it’s highest in the sky. Once it moves towards the western peaks, the mountain’s shadows will provide shade and the temperature will cool down.”
* * *
That night they relaxed on the emerald grass, laying beneath the bright stars waiting for sleep to come. It was cool, but comfortable and peaceful in this hidden place. Prea searched the sky, wishing for a sign or message from the heavens, but the desire only made her long for her mother. It was a keen reminder that her mother was no longer here to offer guidance or support.
“You don’t speak much of Leal,” Kael commented in the quiet.
Prea’s heart started beating harder in her chest and she was glad to be surrounded by darkness.
“What do you want to know?” she whispered, trying to keep her voice steady. It was hard to speak of her lost love; it was hard to speak of anyone she lost. Her grieving period was cut short, dramatically, and her life was in an extreme state of flux. It would take being back home with her brother safe before she would be able to focus on herself.
“He was a sailor, right? How did you meet?”
“Three years ago he came back as one of the crew on my father’s ship after a trip to Delmar. My father brought him home for dinner the first night he was back.” She didn’t want to talk about him, not here, and especially not with Kael. Her heart and mind were a battleground of emotions and, right now, there wasn’t a clear cut winner. Too much had happened, too quickly, and she didn’t really know how to take it all.
Talking of Leal didn’t just bring grief, it brought surprising guilt as well.
“What was he like?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“I’m curious,” he said and looked over at her, but she continued to stare at the stars.
“I don’t really know what to say.”
“You were going to get married, weren’t you?”
“That was the plan,” she answered, surprised that he remembered.
“And yet you don’t know what to say?”
“Why are you pushing?”
“I just find it strange that you’ve talked about your parents, your siblings and your friends, but you’ve barely said anything about the man you loved.”
“Have you ever been in love?” she asked, trying to postpone the conversation as much as possible. And she was willing to do it at all costs.
It took him a long time to answer, longer than she expected. “No.”
“So you don’t know. And I don’t know how to explain.”
“You could try,” he murmured defensively.
“I feel guilty,” Prea snapped and sat up, clutching her knees to her chest. “And it’s not ‘loved’. I still love Leal. I’ll always love him,” she added, but it was more for her benefit than his.
“Why on earth do you feel guilty?” He was dumbfounded, having very little experience with relationships himself.
“I don’t feel like I’m being fair to him. Like other things…other people were, and are, more important than my love for him. Or my grief for him.”
“You lost a lot, Prea. It’s understandable to be stretched thin in terms of grief.”
“But then I look up and think of him as one of those stars up in the sky, shining down on me. What if he’s seeing me more clearly than maybe he did in life? Like he’s witnessing it all. And what if he’s not happy with what he sees? It just feels like I’ve betrayed him somehow.”
She didn’t really know what to do as her eyes pricked with tears. It hurt to talk about it, but it hurt not to as well and discussing it with Kael made it even worse. For having little experience with love or loss, he listened to her and managed to say all the right things. And that made the guilt worse.
“Prea,” Kael said. “Prea, look at me.” It took a while, but eventually she turned to him. “It might hurt, but just remember how you reacted to that dream. That’s proof enough. You loved him so much that your grief almost consumed you. That’s nothing to feel guilty about.”
She laid back down on the grass and searched the sky for Leal, tears falling from her eyes. Prea couldn’t be sure, but she thought she saw one star flash brighter than the rest, if only for a second. But it was enough of a reminder.
“He was a prankster,” she whispered into the night and smiled as that star flashed bright once more.
* * *
The glen was rather small and the two made their way across the open field to the lake in a day and a half. It was a welcome relief, the water the last obstacle between Prea and the stone. They stood side by side on the shore, Prea dropping both packs onto the ground beside them as they watched the still water. This was the answer, the end of the road, the final destination. Everything Prea felt upon finding the tunnel was magnified a hundredfold as she stood in the presence of her heart’s greatest desire.
“We’re here, now what?”
“Now I get the stone.” Prea kicked off her boots and peeled off her shirt, walking away from a stunned Kael. She pulled off her pants, letting them fall on the last bit of dry ground before her feet touched the water.
“Where? How?” That was all he managed; words failed him as he watched her undress on the way to the lake. She left her undergarments on, just as she’d done at the waterfall, but now she was a sight to behold bathed in glorious sunlight.
She stopped at the sound of his voice, looking over her shoulder at him. Her smile was wicked and knowing as she revealed her last secret.
“I saw it…in a dream.” Prea turned, running until she was knee deep before diving into the water.
Under the surface life took on a distorted feel, vibrant and enhanced. She glided through the deep blue before breaching the surface for air as she swam across the calm lake towards the mountain. As she moved closer, she spent more time slithering under the surface, sinking downwards through the remains of a stone courtyard on the lake bed.
The mountain glen was where Aylin and Ciro lived, but the stone was located in their home. She had seen it as it had been, long ago, the temple carved into the mountain base with its stone courtyard beautifully mixed with elements of nature. The plants and shrubbery of the courtyard were no longer there, not suited to life on the bottom of a lake; the lake which had formed from the runoff of the melting glacier on the mountain slope above.
One last time she surfaced, took a deep breath and plunged deep into the lake. The light dimmed as she descended; arms slicing, legs kicking, she crossed the threshold into the temple home of the sun and the moon. And there on the opposite wall, in what could be called the foyer, was an amazing depiction of Aylin and Ciro etched into the solid rock. The light was brighter here, the rock ceiling glowing just as the tunnel had. The wall gleamed as well, illuminating the etched image, bringing it to life somehow. It was as if they were still there, just under the surface of the stone.
Ciro’s profile was inscribed on the bottom of the western side of the wall, his gold curls flowing around his head. His eyes sparkled in awe of his love, his incredulity at her presence, and yet it was tinged with a hint of sadness. His arm extended upward, reaching desperately for his beloved. On the top of the eastern side, Aylin’s face turned downwards, her hair flying behind her. Her eyes glittered with the love only found in dreams, with respect and poignancy. Her arm was lowered, offered towards her other half.
It was utterly breathtaking. Prea’s eyes had never seen anything that embodied the immensity, the purity of everlasting love. And in the space between their outstretched hands was a brilliant gleam of light, emanating from a stone set into the wall. The light bloomed, love pouring out to her in the water, passing through her, almost suffocating her with the enormity of it.
Quickly, Prea raced to the surface, sobbing with emotion as she sucked in fresh air before diving once more. This time she laid her hand on the carving, a shock trilling her fingers, rushing up her arm and vibrating throughout her entire being. She dug at the stone, hope threatening to burst her heart wide open. Astonishingly, the stone came free with very little effort and floated onto her palm. She held the heavens in her hands for a moment, then ran her left hand lightly over the etching, feeling everything there was to feel, committing it all to memory, before she flew back to the water’s tranquil surface.
* * *
The infirmary was quite empty, the warm weather keeping away any serious sickness in town. Anyone that came in now typically had problems relating to heat which could be remedied easily. As a result, Alvie wasn’t very busy with patients and was taking time to organize some of the infirmary’s supplies.
Clean cloth and linen needed to be folded and stacked, oils needed to be extracted from herbs and the dirty bandages and linens needed to be burned. She had a list of things to do and once the list was finished, she would check on Carr before heading home.
Alvie hummed while she folded, feeling the warm air coming through the open window. Soon a bird joined in on the harmony, singing along happily. After she finished with the linen, she returned to the window where the bird sat on a nearby branch, its song now hushed.
“Thanks, beautiful. For the song,” Alvie muttered through the window. The bird turned towards her for a second and Alvie nodded slightly in recognition before it took off. She watched the bird fly away for as long as she could, wanting to witness the bird’s complete freedom.
“Hello, Alvie,” Beda said, coming up behind her.
“Hi, Beda,” Alvie responded, turning around to greet her sister’s best friend. “What are you doing here?”
“Just checking in. Did Dal get in touch with you?”
“No. Why?”
“He stopped by the shop, said he was needed for a quick relay up to Birch. Just left.”
“How long?” Alvie wondered reluctantly. She didn’t like it when he was gone, even for a short trip.
“Just tonight. Though he might not be back until tomorrow afternoon or evening.” Alvie looked away, her expression dejected. “Don’t worry, Alvie. He won’t be gone long.”
“I know, but I tend to notice someone’s absence more than most.”
“Sweetheart, I know you feel like you’re all alone, but you’re not. I may be closer with Prea, but I’ve known you your entire life and you’re just as much my little sister as you are hers. We’re family after all. Always have been, always will be.”
Alvie turned back to Beda, someone who she had, in fact, known her whole life, but was now seeing in a new light. “I never knew you felt that way,” she said.
“Are you kidding? We don’t talk about it much, but Dal and I always felt more at home with your family than either of ours. I love my parents, but Prea and Dal are my sister and brother. So are you and Carr.”
“I don’t know what to say,” Alvie replied, caught off guard by Beda’s admission.
“You don’t need to say anything,” Beda responded simply. “But I do want to add that Dal’s always had his eye on you. It’s nice to see you two spending more time together.”
“Alvie!” someone called anxiously, causing both girls to turn in the direction of the voice. “Alvie, come quick. It’s Carr!”
* * *
Prea moved slowly across the lake, feeling the power of the stone heavy in her hand. She flipped over onto her back, closed her eyes and floated on the warm surface, her feet lightly propelling her towards the shore. She wanted to absorb everything here: the sun’s warmth, the water’s fluidity, the stone’s power. In this moment, she felt the energy of the universe surround her and she finally believed that life might work out after all. Prea spun right side up as the shore came closer and waded out of the water, walking up to Kael on the dry ground. Holding out her hand, she let the stone spill off her fingers and fall into Kael’s outstretched palm.
Kael’s blue eyes glowed for a split second in the reflection of the stone as he stared, turning it over in his hand. In the light, Prea could see it clearly. It was small and round, fitting perfectly in the palm of her hand; a luminescent white color with speckles deep inside, changing colors in the light.
“It’s…heavier than you would think,” Kael whispered. Prea sat on the ground beside Kael and hugged her legs to her chest, resting her cheek on her knee. “And mesmerizing. It’s the entire universe locked into a little piece of rock.” Kael held the stone between thumb and forefinger, raising it up to the sky, looking at it with wonder. “You said you saw it in a dream…” Kael began, placing the stone back in Prea’s hand.
“I saw it as it was, long ago. I saw them here, living in their home. And I saw the stone after they were gone,” Prea explained, caressing the stone lightly in her hand. “It was incredible. The lake didn’t used to be here, instead it was a stone courtyard and there was a temple cut into the base of the mountain. They were gorgeous, ethereal, clad in pure white; they were light on their feet, almost floating along just above the ground. In the dream, they were brilliant and their love was palpable, even their love for their children. It was almost as if I was there with them,” she revealed softly.
Prea shook out her now damp hair, brushing the fingers of her free hand through it. The last of the shining sun had almost dried her completely. She extended her legs out in front of her, put the stone on her thigh and leaned back on her hands.
“There’s a carving on a wall in the entrance to the temple, an etching of Aylin and Ciro, arms extended towards each other in yearning, but just out of reach. In between their outstretched hands was the stone, set into the wall. East of the Sun and West of the Moon, just like the poem said. The whole scene gleamed in the darkness.”
She stared at the miracle sitting atop her leg. Its existence still surprised her. Kael lightly traced the stone on her leg, tickling her. “I still can’t believe it’s real and I found it. I feel like I’m still in the dream,” Prea murmured.
Kael brushed the hair off her face forcing her to look him in the eye. “You seemed so certain,” he said confused. “You were positive of its existence. And now you’re surprised?”
“Just because I believed everything didn’t mean that it was going to be here or that I was actually going to find it.” Prea grabbed the stone off her leg and climbed to her feet. “And now that I have it, I have to get back to Carr.” She threw on her trousers and shoes, tossed her shirt into her pack and shoved the stone into her pocket.
But, after looking around for a minute and contemplating her surroundings, Prea decided that there was no point in setting out right now. Her head and body still ached, and she was exhausted; the water had stripped away her energy and the light was fading off in the distance.
“Let’s face it…we’re probably better off camping here for the night, starting fresh and early tomorrow,” Prea decided reluctantly and settled in for the night.
