The Legend of Valtera: Chapter 25
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.
