Chapter 16
CHAPTER 16
KAI
W e started our journey by setting out from the highlands, then made our way through ancient forests, and then crossed the rolling plains. It took us days to pass through the deserted wastelands and climb the jagged foothills After about a month of our tiring journey, we arrived in the feline kingdom.
As Eli Anna, and I approached the feline kingdom's beautiful gates; the tall ornate gates slowly opened. Artists had skillfully carved images of felines guarding the kingdom into the gates. A tall, intimidating figure with emerald-colored eyes asked the purpose of our visit. I held up the sparkling amulet in the air, "We come in peace." The guards looked at one another and their boss nodded and motioned for us to follow him. "Very well," he said. "The gifts of the fate keepers are very rare. We'll take you to see our king."
We told the king everything and he was surprised by the evil witch’s audacity at attacking the canine kingdom and ruling over it for so many years. We asked the king to lend us his army, we knew we wouldn't be able to reclaim our throne alone. We gave him assurance telling him he could send his most trustworthy man along with us. The king told us the conditions to retrieve the artifact and we sent Anna deep down into the lake. Thankfully, she was successful in her retrieval.
When we were on our way to the avian kingdom, the sky turned pink and purple and I felt a familiar pull in my heart. Valéria was calling me using our bond. She showed up right in front of me when I closed my eyes. She tried her best to stay calm as she asked, “ Where are you now?”
I looked at her but couldn’t touch her, “We have completed our mission in the feline kingdom and are now heading to the avian kingdom.”
Valeria asked, “ How long it will take you to reach the avian kingdom ?”
I cleared my throat, “ I have no idea.”
Valeria asked, “Do you think you will be back before the tenth of this month?”
I sighed, “We can’t gather all our allies before the tenth of the next month. The distance between the kingdoms is far greater than Eli and I ever imagined.”
Valeria hid her disappointment, “I see. So, it will take months for you to be able to return with full strength.”
I felt an ache in my heart, I couldn’t do anything for Valeria, “ Yes, unfortunately. But we will push forward.”
A faint smile appeared on her face, “I understand, I know you're doing everything you can.”
“How are you doing?”
Valeria put her hand over her swollen belly, “I’m fine, they are growing faster, or maybe this size of my stomach is normal for a month and a half.”
“ Every moment away from you is agony.”
Valeria trying to comfort me, “I draw strength from knowing you're out there fighting for your family and for our kids to restore our kingdom.”
We said our goodbyes after Varleria told me she was sleepy. I wanted to kiss her, wanted to touch her, wanted to feel my babies under my palm, but fate had written something else for both of us. There was a time we could be together and now it was crucial for us to live apart for a while.
It was before we reached theaviankingdom even with the use of the feline's skyblades. After we told the avian king our story, he gave us his army and let us take the phoenix feather. The avian king also said we should go to the gryphon's kingdom. I had never heard of them before.
The fate keepers hadn’t mentioned the gryphon kingdom, but it was possible that they knew the avian king would suggest it. We needed as many different shapeshifters as possible. We didn’t know which ones would work best against Zamorra’s strong magic and gryphons were known to be very strong creatures.
The gryphon kingdom was a lot bigger than we thought it would be. The kingdom was a mixture of natural beauty and architecturally complex buildings. It was set between tall mountains and lush valleys. The gryphon king and queen gave us two days to rest and gather food. The avian and feline forces also used the time to refuel. The gryphons' warm hospitality made us feel better. I reached out to Valeria through our bond after everyone went to sleep. I needed to be with her.
“ Did you know about them ,” I asked her.
Valeria was sitting on the bed and rubbing her belly, “I had no idea what gryphons even were.”
I raised my brows, “You know, I think we deserve to be attacked by evil forces. We never came to any summit while we lived inEldaria. I mean, Eli and I are royal blood and we didn’t know about our own world’s kingdoms.”
“No, you are wrong. No one deserves to be kicked out of their own kingdom. You guys may lack in some areas, but that is not right.”.
I smiled, “Only you could find good things in a completely bad situation.”
“Tell me something about gryphons. What do they look like?”
“Hmm, they have the wings of an eagle and the body of a lion.”
“They must be extraordinarily powerful.”
I squared my shoulders” “I don’t know, but their kingdom is way bigger than feline or avian.”
“Would they be best against Zamorra’s magic?”
I shook my head. Valeria told me to go and get to know my army instead of talking to her. I laughed and blew her a kiss before opening my eyes.
After spending two days with the gryphon's, they advised us to visit the reptile kingdom. They were rumored to have excellent defensive skills against evil magic which was excellent news, so we decided to head there. After weeks of traveling, we finally arrived at the reptile kingdom. I experienced a sense of unease and darkness for the first time. Despite the reptile king's refusal to assist us, he pledged, by the ancient royal code of conduct, that he would not share any information with Zamorra. They had a favorable relationship with witches which he didn’t want to upset.
As we journeyed towards the witch's region, we stumbled upon an unfamiliar kingdom. It was a kingdom of foxes that had paranormal powers and would be a good fit against Zamorra. They called themselves Kitsune. I didn't feel comfortable approaching them for assistance, so I presented them with the amulet to ensure our safety.
Before we left the head of the kitsune's said that if I wasn't brave enough to tell them about Zamorra then I shouldn't have come to their kingdom in the first place. Surprised I inquired about their knowledge of Zamorra. I discovered that the kitsunes were the most intelligent species in all of Eldaria. They had good relations with the witches, like the reptiles, but they would come with us to talk to the witches.
I told them if they didn’t want to go against their ally, there was no need. The head of the kitsune told me that without his people I wouldn't be able to enter the witch region as they didn’t like visitors. I informed them that my brother and I were of royal blood and they must allow us to enter their kingdom.
The head of the kitsune shook his head, “If they followed any rules do you think they let Zamorra attack your kingdom?”
“Why are you helping us despite having good relations with them?”
“Yes, we do have good relationships with the witches, but we don’t support breaking laws set by our elders.”
I kept my hand on my heart, “I would appreciate the help.”
The head of the kitsune sent a few people with us and when we told the witches about the artifact first they lied about it and said they didn’t have it, but when we showed them the amulet they let Eli retrieve the heart of the ancients. The witches also refused to take part in the battle, but they pledged not to support Zamorra.
One night before heading back to our kingdom we were attacked by Zamorra. I went to talk to Eli and Anna. When I told them we were not heading to the canine kingdom, but would be returning to the highlands. They asked the reason and then I told them what I had been hiding from everyone including Valeria.
When last I spoke to her, I knew her delivery time was near so I changed plans but didn’t share it with anyone. When we were on Earth I told Valeria about the time difference but maybe she forgot and was expecting her delivery in nine months. However, I knew she’d deliver in three.
Eli jumped off where he was sitting, “Damn, how could I forget?”
I nodded, “It will take us a few months to get the hang of our world.”
“But I delivered in nine months or Eli is not from Eldaria?”
“Eli is of the royal blood of Eldaria, but your pregnancy was on Earth and Valeria’s is here in Eldaria.”
“How long it will take us to go back to the highland,” Elli asked.
I sighed, “I think about a week as we have visited every kingdom except the dragon kingdom. Witches live closer to the highlands and one of the Kitsune told me about a shortcut.”
Eli sighed, “I wish we could go to the dragon’s kingdom.”
“I wish the same, but they live thousands of years of distance from us.”
Eli took a deep breath, “I think what we have done to Valeria is unfair.”
Anna nodded, “Yeah, she left everyone behind for Kai and he wasn’t even there with her when she needed him the most.”
I sighed deeply, the weight of my decision bearing down on my shoulders, but I said nothing. The next day dawned fresh and clear as we began our journey back toward the rough highlands. The soldiers marched behind me, their footsteps reverberating in synch.
Before departing, I gathered the entire army and spoke with firm conviction. "Listen to me carefully," I told them what I intended to do, ensuring that every soldier could hear. "I made up my mind. Anyone who chooses to reject my plan will be sent back to their kingdom immediately."
The troops murmured and exchanged suspicious glances, but I held their gazes firm. "I cannot leave her alone," I said, my voice lower now. "Especially when she is about to deliver my babies."
Everyone agreed to my decision and we headed to the highlands twoardValeria. It was our first day of returning and I had no idea it might be my last conversation with the love of my life. I felt the usual tug of our mental link as I hiked across the rough terrain of the high mountains. I closed my eyes briefly and focused on Valeria, who was sitting in the serene silence of the open corridor, where she often found tranquillity.
“Val, Can you hear me?”
“Kai? Is that you? Why do you sound so anxious?”
“I wanted to tell you something.”
“Do you need more time?”
“No, but there are things I haven't told you because I couldn't stand to see you worry.”
Valerie rested her hand on her swollen tummy and furrowed her brows, “What is it?”
You are scaring me, Kai. What is it you haven’t told me?
“You are not three months pregnant with our triplets.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You're further along than you think. I was trying to protect you and keep from scaring you.”
She took a deep breath, “Kai, how far along am I, and why did you wait to tell me?”
Valeria, you're getting close to giving birth. I didn't want you to panic before I could get back to you, I had to make sure everything was ready.
“I wish I had known. I'm not ready at all.”
“Valeria, you're not alone. I am heading back to you. I promise we'll get through this together.”
“What? You are coming back?”
“I have gathered everyone, but I’ll wait to attack Zamorra until after you give birth to our babies.”
Valeria sniffled, “Maybe this was the reason fate keepers took such good care of me but refrained from telling me anything about me and the babies.”
Valeria started to disappear from our link. I told her she was exhausted so she needed to go and rest. I ended the link and opened my eyes. During the next six days, I called Valeria continuously but there was no response from the other side. I regretted leaving Valeria alone.
Anna and Eli tried to comfort me, bI could not stand to think about not knowing about her health or if something had happened to her. What if she had given birth to our kids by herself, without me there? The thought made my heart hurt and I was flooded with fear and guilt.
I knew I would never forgive myself if she had been through something so important without me. Still, I held on to a thin thread of hope as I could still feel her presence. The kind of devastating anger that would make me destroy everything in Eldaria ’hadn't taken over just yet. This lack of a strong desire to kill everyone reassured me that she was still alive and holding on somewhere.
When we got to the highlands, I held the amulet high above my head. I told the fate keepers, "I have not come to attack." My voice was loud and clear, "I'm here to see Valeria and give you back your charm."
The fate keepers finally allowed me to return to the mountains after what seemed like forever. I didn't waste a second and ran as fast as I could to where Valeria was. Everything around me became fuzzy. I felt a wave of relief wash over me as I got closer. I had made it just in time.
Valeria screamed. ]voice was full of pain. Immediately I ran to her side and took her hand, "Val, I'm here."
She looked at me with teary eyes. Soon after, she gave birth to our three children—two sons and a girl.
As soon as Valeria was finally asleep, I had an overwhelming urge to share this moment with my family. After giving her a soft kiss on the head, I picked up our babies and held them close. Something hit me like a wave. It had been a while since Valeria had seen her family. It hurt my heart to think about her suffering.
In all my thirty years on Earth, I was never alone., I was with my brother through all the ups and downs in life. I promised myself that I would find a way to get Valeria back to her family. In the meantime, I held our kids close and felt so thankful and happy.
Valeria recovered quickly due to her powerful lineage. She looked at me and said, "I want to join the fight."
"Val, you need to rest."
But she was set on doing it. She was ready to fight.
We were now faced with a big problem, what to do with our new babies? We couldn't bring them into such a dangerous fight, but we also couldn't leave them behind.
"We need someone we can trust. Someone who can protect them while we're away."
"The fate keepers They've helped us before, and they have the strength and wisdom to keep our kids safe."
“But what if anything happened to us? Our kids are part wolf, they couldn’t survive in the highlands for long. The fate keepsers wouldn’t be able to keep them forever.”
"Val, I have a small army of kitsunes waiting down in the hills. These kitsunes have amazing supernatural powers. We can use their magic to ask them to hide our kids."
She raised an eyebrow in interest, "Kitsunes?"
"Kitsunes are magical fox spirits. It is possible for them to hide things or people from plain sight because they have the power to make illusions and protective shields. Together, they can hide our kids from everyone, even Zamorra if we ask them to. No one would ever know that our kids were with us the entire time."
Valeria's eyes got bigger as she took it all in, "Do you think they can keep our kids safe? We are going to fight.”
I nodded.