Looking in front, at the thick darkness of the grotto, Alena sighed. She felt a strange pain in her soul while looking at the sinuous paths of the tunnels where Nikkari hid them to save them from evil. Alena felt this because those tunnels reminded her about her past and the tragedy she experienced once. „When being a child, the foxes Ūtā were slaughtered, once and for all.”
Hearing her talking like that, Eṉōl shuddered. The commander was sitting in front of Alena, on the other side of the tunnel they were crossing at that moment, supporting his back on the wet cold wall of that place. Eṉōl didn’t care about this, yet: neither that there was cold nor that it was wet. Why? Because it wasn’t the first time he passed through this. He experienced worse things than the one they faced at that moment. That’s why he felt comfortable in a place surrounded by semi-shadow, where the air was filled with drops of water, those that were dripping off the walls of hard stone, walls that were shaped by water for many centuries. Inside that grotto was so wet that the commander thought at one moment that a sky was hidden in that place, a sky that was always weeping for the world in times of war.
Unlike Eṉōl, who didn’t fear the places sunken in shadow or hard times, Alena always feared them. She was terrified by those places where evil could be hidden and she feared them so much even though she had been part of Ahi’s army for many years, an army that practiced Black Magic and hurt others. Nevertheless, Alena was sure that Ahi and the red foxes weren’t as bad as the evil the world faced at that moment because they never destroyed people. At least this was what she always thought to comfort herself. That’s why, being in that strange place, which seemed to cry the burden of Time and of the Whole World, Alena thought at one moment that they got to hell, the place she only heard others talking about, but which she always hoped to never see. Thus, the moment she remembered the biggest fear of her life, Alena swallowed hard. Her eyes filled with tears after that while her left hand was squeezed in a fist. Alena squeezed that fist so hard that her nails entered the flesh, injuring it to blood.
By doing this, Alena tried to convince herself that she was still alive. She was. She felt that pain deep in her bones, something that made tears flow quicker on her cheeks and the blood madly run through her veins. „As though I relive the pain I’ve lived once and the same period of time. It feels the same as the first time.”
„Period of time? What do you mean?” Eṉōl asked her, soon after this.
Alena said nothing. She only smiled, having her eyes closed, even if it seemed that she kept looking in front. It was only an illusion that she was still looking at the commander’s face. Not the same happened to Eṉōl. The commander kept looking at her, curious to find out about her past. Unlike him, who seemed anxious to find out about her pain and her past, Alena seemed not to be ready to share her memories with others or reveal her fear to the world. She seemed to want to hide all this from everybody.
She couldn’t do this eventually. She understood that it was impossible to hide from the world or from the past. At the same time, she couldn’t avoid answering the commander’s question, one that kept buzzing in her ears and tormenting her soul. It couldn’t be different once those times, about which she whispered only before, had been crucial for her, deciding her fate and which path to take in life. Yes, that past chased her out of her house and threw her into the wave of the madness of the world, hiding her from Fate and evil right in the arms of another evil, something that could have been worse than she could have ever imagined.
This thought made Alena suddenly shudder. Then, opening her eyes, she looked into the black ones of Eṉōl, to whom she said, „I speak about the time when I was only a child. Then… Fate tried to kill me.”
Eṉōl swallowed hard. „To kill you? I don’t understand, honestly.”
„Neither do I, but it has been so. When I was only twelve, the thread of fate of the foxes Ūtā or the red foxes of Samira was cut. That day, an entire group of magic foxes was destroyed.”
„Destroyed? By whom?”
„Cronus? Uranus? What do I know?! I’ve never found this out, honestly. All I know or remember about that night is that the Vanamars attacked us. They attacked us so suddenly, even though we weren’t their enemies or did something wrong to them. Yes, we weren’t enemies, but they slaughtered us to the last one.”
„The Vanamars? Those who are at the Borders of Paṉi Makkaḷ?”
„No, commander. Colte’s dogs aren’t the most fearsome of the Vanamars. Others are even more savage than they are. I’m talking about the red wolves, those who are led by an evil soul… Ṭirākulā.”
„Ṭirākulā? Who’s he? I’ve never heard about him before.”
„It means Fate loves you if you haven’t heard about him.”
„Fate loves me?” The commander asked, stunned. „What makes you think so?”
„You are alive, and this is the proof, commander. More than that, if you had ever met Ṭirākulā, we wouldn’t have ever met too because… you would have been dead now.”
„So fearsome he is?”
„Yes,” replied Alena, shuddering. „He's actually the devil. What makes others think he is? His red eyes, those in which the eternal fire is always seen burning. Eyes that are capable of turning a victim to ashes. More than that, those who know who Ṭirākulā is are more than terrified because he’s capable of swallowing the souls of his victims. Those souls, by being closed in his energetic center, can’t ever find peace or be reborn. Something that that demon looks for, in fact, because… as long as those souls are closed inside him, Ṭirākulā can use their energy and power, and be considered invincible.”
„Nobody and nothing in this world can be considered invincible, Alena. Not even the Titans are. If they had been invincible, they would have been able to prevent this war or avoid it to start.”
„Maybe they want this war, don’t you think so?”
„For power?”
„I would rather call this for the Throne of the World. A throne that everybody dreams of having nowadays.”
„Not everybody,” responded Eṉōl, sadly smiling. „I don’t want that throne, for example.”
Alena frowned. „Why?”
Eṉōl smiled again, innocently this time. „Because… I feel better serving my Queen than being hated by my people.”
„A coward then?”
„I prefer to call myself a wise man because… as long as I live among people, I can understand their pain and help them as much as I can. Being a King, one that sits on the Throne of the World, it’ll be hard for me to do that. I won’t have enough time to do this.”
„Actually, commander, you are unable to get on the Throne of the World. Why? Because you aren’t cruel, a necessity for those who fight for that throne.”
„Should I take as a compliment what you say then?”
Alena smiled as Eṉōl did. „Actually, yes, commander. It’s a compliment because… there are so few of those souls I know that are really kind and don't dream about the Supreme Power or the Throne. You are one of them.”
„And… who are the others, if I can ask? Or… there are so many that we don’t have time to talk about them?”
„No, there aren’t that many souls like that. At the same time, we have time to talk about them because you actually know the majority of those souls. Like… Queen Inlan Diar and her granddaughter Zeal. Master Dike and his twins. A couple of Titans. The worthy ones, I mean, and not the cowardly ones that still hide behind the clouds, like…”
Suddenly, Alena kept silent. She did that when she remembered the first soul she met once and she felt that there was only love in the heart of that person and not desire for having the Supreme Power. Alena met that person a long time ago, when she was still a child, after the attack of the Vanamars and Ṭirākulā. That day, hidden in the tunnels of that grotto, where the foxes of Samira lived at that moment, behind a big rock, the child felt someone touching her shoulder. That touch made little Alena shudder from top to toe, crouching more and covering her face with her palms not to see the terror. She did that thinking that a Vanamar found her. Yet, when she dared to look past her shoulder, she saw a Virgin with blue eyes and long blond hair instead of a Vanamar. That virgin told her that day, „Let’s go now”
„Where?” The child asked, scared and surprised at the same time.
„To find a safe place for you. First, we must get out of here.”
„But…,” the little Alena tried to oppose the idea of leaving that place. „I have to stay here. Mother told me she’d look for me when it’s over. She’ll come. That’s why, I can’t leave!”
The sad smile sketched on the stranger’s face hinted to Alena that it was useless to wait. Because of this, her eyes filled with tears, and the sighs pounced in her chest, blocking her throat and making her sob with a mute cry. The girl even started to shudder at one point the moment the stranger with blue eyes held her to her chest and whispered to her, „It’ll be alright! Trust me, you’ll be just fine!”
Alena trusted the stranger that day and followed her. Nevertheless, while heading toward the exit, she didn’t listen to what the stranger said and looked around. Thus, she saw the terror the Vanamars left behind them. More than that, she saw her mother lying on the ground and the deep wound she had on her throat after a Vanamar bit her. Samira was still alive, even if she was agonizing at that moment. Seeing her mother, Alena ran and knelt next to her, calling Samira’s name. Samira didn’t answer any of the girl’s questions. She only shed bitter tears because it was so cruel for her girl to be left alone in that world.
That day, knelt next to her mother, whom she held to her chest, Alena cried a lot. She cried until Samira’s soul left her body and life stopped beating in the fox’s chest. Then, she felt the stranger touching her shoulder again and whispering to her after that, „Let’s go, Alena! The Vanamars can be back any time because… they know already that a Ūtā fox has survived.”
„What about my mother?” The child asked, still hiding her face in Samira’s fur, which was soaked in blood. „What will happen to her? I can’t leave her here to suffer more.”
„This won’t happen,” the stranger told the girl in a sweet voice. „Samira doesn’t suffer anymore.” After that, taking the girl’s hand into her, the stranger forced Alena to follow her. While leaving, Alena kept looking back, into Samira’s lifeless eyes, those eyes that still shed tears even after death.
***
„What happened that day happened in the rocky area of Kaṟkaḷ Pēy,” Alena continued her story when she and Eṉōl were already advancing through the tunnels. „It happened in the rocky area where Tetapas is hidden.”
Eṉōl shuddered again when he heard her saying the name of that snake. „Tetapas?” He finally asked, frowning. „But… that rocky area is damn dangerous.”
Alena stopped, insistently looking at him. „Do you know where the grotto of Tetapas is, commander?” Eṉōl nodded. „Why?”
„Because I saw it,” he replied in a shaking voice. After that, looking to his right, he deeply breathed in several times to calm down. Only after that, he said, „I saw that grotto a few days ago when we went to check what was the deal with the noise heard from deep underground.”
„Narakattiṉ olikaḷ,” murmured Alena. Then she also shuddered when she felt the commander’s glance focused on her.
„The Noise of Hell?” Eṉōl asked, confused, seeing her looking behind them. „I have the feeling you know the story of that noise even if it was heard for the first time only a few days ago.”
„You are wrong now, commander,” whispered Alena, still looking behind them. She looked over there hoping to see Nikkari coming. She felt, for an unknown reason, that there was a connection between Nikkari and her. She felt it there, in front of the Ring of Fate when Nikkari healed her wounds. Yet, even if Alena insistently looked for her, Nikkari didn’t come. Understanding this, with sadness in her soul and mind, Alena finally looked in front, saying, „That noise started to be heard a long time ago. It was heard for the first time 20 years ago when the Titanide of the Limitless Sky, Zayleea, came to the rocky area of Kaṟkaḷ Pēy to visit Tetapas.”
Eṉōl stared at her with wide-open eyes. „What? Princess Zeal’s mother visited Tetapas in the area of Kaṟkaḷ Pēy?”
„That’s right! I don't know the exact reason for that visit, but… no matter what her reason wasn’t, I would be grateful to her forever because, that day, she saved my life.”
The commander frowned. „What you say is that the Virgin that saved you from the Vanamars, the Virgin you mentioned before, was Titanide Zayleea?”
„Yes, commander! Zeal’s mother saved me that day! I clearly remember this because… I saw her in Zeal’s eyes.”
„You saw what? How did she save you that day?” Alena shook her head. „Then?”
„Her mother’s face. I saw Zayleea in Zeal’s eyes, commander. And, right after seeing this, in Zeal’s eyes, I understood that it was my duty to stay by your side and be faithful to the People of Paṉi Makkal forever. It’s the only way I can pay back to Zayleea for her sacrifice that day.”
„Sacrifice? What are you talking about, fox? You said that Titanide Zayleea saved you that day.”
„And it was so. Yet, right after that, Zayleea returned to the grotto Kaṟkaḷ Pēy, from where she never returned.”
Staring into the black eyes of the commander, in that confused and amazed glance, Alena smiled. She sadly smiled at that moment, having a big secret in her soul, the secret of Zayleea’s death. Yes, Alena kept the secret of Zayleea’s death all those years, the Titanide that saved her life when she was twelve. What others didn’t know, but Alena knew was the reason why the Titanide of the Limitless Sky returned to that grotto that day: she tried to save three more souls from death. Yet, she never returned home after that…
***
TWENTY YEARS AGO
„Let’s go, child! Let’s hurry!” Zayleea kept telling Alena, who was barely standing while advancing on the rocky paths of Kaṟkaḷ Pēy. The path they were crossing was damn difficult. This made their feet often slide, forcing them to grab whatever they could to avoid falling: rocks, grass, or any other safe thing that was strong enough to support their body. They did that because it was the only way they could avoid ending up in the bottomless chasm of Kaṟkaḷ Pēy, which could be found to their right.
Zayleea could have used her power to teleport herself to safe places that day. However, she didn’t do that because, for an unknown reason even to her, she hadn’t that power next to the little fox. She could have done this if she had left the girl behind. Yet, as she couldn’t do that, Zayleea decided to take that rocky path to get up the mountain, aware that Ṭirākulā and his Vanamars, those thirsty for blood wolves, were stepping on their footsteps while walking up the mountain.
This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Actually, also because of the fear that Ṭirākulā and the Vanamars would catch up with them and hurt the child, Zayleea kept looking back, spurring the girl to hurry up to get to a safe place. Meanwhile, Zayleea remained a few steps back, looking for the Vanamars or for their spy behind them. Zayleea did that, determined to fight with them if one of them had been there and do whatever she could to defend the girl at any cost.
Nevertheless, there wasn’t any enemy soul behind them. Only a strange silence was felt around them and a thick white fog was seen above the chasm. Here and there, the strange whistle of the wind was heard from time to time. „A whistle that does not belong to any of our winds,” Zayleea thought, preoccupied.
Looking in front, to see where to put her foot while climbing, Zayleea winced. She did that because of the girl, who was stopped, only a few steps from her, insistently looking at her. Seeing that glance, Zayleea felt confused. She’d been even more surprised when she heard Alena’s question after this, „If it’s not your wind, then whose wind is this one?”
„Can you read minds?” The Titanide asked, in amazement.
„Let’s say I can,” the child replied drily, shrugging. „And you didn’t answer about the wind,” Alena insisted.
Zayleea smiled. „I didn’t say anything because I don’t know the answer.” After that, taking a few steps in front, she approached the girl.
Looking at Zayleea’s face, Alena read concern in the Titanide’s eyes, those who pierced the horizon at that moment. „Even so, this wind preoccupies you, right?” Alena asked again.
„It preoccupies me? What makes you think so?” The Titanide lied to the girl.
„Because this is something you don’t know. At the same time, the unknown always scares others,” the girl replied. Then, turning her back to Zayleea, she continued advancing; somehow bowing in front to make sure her feet wouldn’t slide eventually on that steep path.
Looking behind the girl, Zayleea smiled again. „You know, I like you, actually,” she told Alena, following her.
„You like me for what?” The girl asked, without looking at the Titanide. „That I don’t complain about my loss, but keep advancing?”
„Of course not. I like you because you seem mature and understand that there are priorities in this life. Like the one that you have to survive at any cost, especially when others sacrificed themselves to save you.”
„It’s not the only reason to keep living.”
„Then? Why are you doing this?”
„Because I’m the only Ūtā fox that’s still alive.”
The girl’s answer and the confidence in her voice, despite the sadness in Alena’s soul, made Zayleea confused. Yes, she knew that Samira’s tribe disappeared that day, a tribe that fought for decades against Cronus and Uranus, who tried to make the foxes use their power and help them, but… there wasn’t something a twelve-year-old girl could have been preoccupied with. Yet, Alena seemed concerned and aware of this… that she was the only alive Ūtā fox, a magic fox that had to survive at any cost. Understanding this, Zayleea sighed. She also did that because she once again understood that life on earth was hard and that not everybody survived.
A strange noise, heard from the valley, made both of them stop and look over there. They looked with concern in that direction, thinking that the Vanamars approached that much without them being aware of this. Yet, they were wrong because the three souls that they saw descending that rocky path of Kaṟkaḷ Pēy, heading toward the grotto they left behind, didn’t seem against them.
Who the three souls were? Zayleea didn’t know. They wore gray cloaks, with the hood on, trying to hide in the shelter of the rocky mountain’s shadow. Even so, looking at them, Zayleea understood that there was a woman and two children. She understood this by looking at their walk and by hearing the voices of the children who asked their mother in a whisper if they had a long way to walk. What the woman answered to her children, Zayleea didn’t hear. She only felt the concern sneaking into her soul, even if she didn’t understand why. Zayleea even felt a strange pressure in her chest, coming from her stomach. Feeling this, she started to tap slowly with her clenched fist over there, trying to chase that pain away.
She winced eventually the moment she heard Alena saying, „They come from the rocky area of the Coal Burners. They seem to hide.”
Looking at the girl, Zayleea saw Alena’s eyes focused on the three silhouettes. Yes, she was sure that the girl carefully looked behind the three souls that descended the mountain, about whom Alena said that they were hiding. What Zayleea didn’t know was why Alena knew about them. Then, so soon, the Titanide heard an answer to her thought when the girl said:
„I read their destiny. That’s why I know who they are. Just as I know that they’ll die today.”
„They’ll die? What are you talking about, child? Are you sure that they are meant to die?”
„Yes,” Alena calmly replied. „There’s nothing we can do to protect them because… the one who had to protect them with his life is also dead. He died, trying to reach a great dream. Instead, he killed his entire family.”
„Who exactly?” Zayleea asked, anxious.
„Rueb, the former King of the Coal Burners.”
„The former? Why the former? As far as I know, Rueb of the Coal Burners is alive.”
„He was, until a month ago when he was killed in the fight with the Alshamals. He was killed while trying to conquer that big city without being aware that it had never been meant for him to conquer it.”
„Rueb is dead?” Zayleea whispered with sadness, even if she had never been friends with the Coal Burners or met Rueb. Even so, that soul died and everybody who cruelly died made Zayleea’s heart fill with pain. „Then, we should save his family at least,” the Titanide suddenly whispered, looking behind the three silhouettes that were heading toward Tetapas’s grotto. Feeling that she had to do something to save them, Zayleea approached Alena, to whom she said, „Keep advancing, my child! Go straight up until you get to a field. Then, next to those big rocks, go south until you get to the borders of Paṉi Makkaḷ. Once there, tell them my name, and tell them that Zayleea sent you there to be safe. You can omit telling them who you are or what people you belong to. At least for a while keep silent about who you are. Even if you say who you are, the people of Paṉi Makkaḷ will receive you among them and will protect you because they are kind and they never leave someone prey to danger.”
Saying this, Zayleea took her cloak off her shoulders and put it on the girl’s shoulders. After that, also putting the hood on the girl’s head, she squatted in front of Alena, staring into her eyes. While holding Alena’s hands and looking into her eyes, as though fulfilling a secret ritual, the Titanide allowed the girl to see her leaving and never turning back. That’s why she told Zayleea after this, „I think we should go together, Titanide Zayleea because… the path you want to take today is one toward nowhere. You’ll never turn back if you take it.”
Zayleea smiled, still looking into the girl’s eyes. „Nobody knows the Fate of this World. Just as nobody knows if he turns back when he leaves his home. So, don’t worry: I’ll take care of myself while I'm there. You should do the same because you have to get safe up there, did you understand me?”
Alena nodded yes. Tears were flowing down her cheeks when she told Zayleea, „Maybe you stay, huh? If you go, two souls will cry for you… forever.”
„If I’m not going, three souls will die instead. Nobody is there to protect them. I have to do this for them. I have to protect them too because… I’m sure Fate has sent me today here for this: to save you and them. Thus, as I’ve saved you, I’ll do with them too. And, until you realize that you are alone, I’ll be back. I promise.”
While saying this, Zayleea kindly smiled at the girl, wiping the tears off her cheeks. Then, she held Alena to her chest, trying to give her some comfort. The Titanide also closed her eyes at one moment when she felt the pain overwhelming her. She felt that the girl was right and that it might be that she would never return to her husband and daughter. Nevertheless, she decided to take that path no matter what. That’s why, when she felt that it was time, Zayleea told Alena to go, something the girl did even if she did that reluctantly.
Zayleea stood in that place for a long time, watching behind Alena who kept climbing. She was concerned about the girl. That’s why she tried to make sure at least the girl would be safe that day, even if she wasn’t next to her. Then, when Alena turned right once she had been next to the big rocks, Zayleea turned her back to the girl and descended the same path they climbed by then. She did that while trying to save three souls from death, without knowing that she took a path with no return in fact.
***
„She should have listened to me and turned back that day as I told her,” Alena sadly said when they exited those sinuous and wet tunnels. „Yet, stubborn, Zeal’s mother decided to step in Death’s footsteps that day. That’s why she never turned back after that.”
„What do you think happened that day? Did she meet the Vanamars?”
Alena nodded. „That’s right. Because of the Vanamars, four souls entered the Grotto of Tetapas that day.”
Eṉōl shuddered. „Tetapas’s Grotto? Are you sure of this?”
„Absolutely, commander. Actually, I still see that image right now.”
„Image? Which one?”
„Of Titanide Zayleea and the image of a scared mother that was holding her two little sons to her chest while moving back until they entered that grotto. Fate did everything for them to get to that place actually. And they fell into that trap and entered the grotto. They did that because, right in front of them, were the wolves of Ṭirākulā, with their snouts wide open and thirsty for blood. Actually, I think I’ll see Ṭirākulā once again in this life.”
„Ṭirākulā? Do you think he’s still alive? Let’s not forget that twenty years have passed already. It’s possible that he’s very old or dead.”
„Yes, he’s old, but still strong,” Alena hissed through her teeth. „That devil has eternal life because of Maranam. Ṭirākulā bowed in front of the devil to live forever, like a scruffy dog that has felt death blowing down his neck.”
„Let’s not insult dogs, fox Alena. Eventually, dogs are faithful souls that always stay by our side.”
„There are also dogs that bite the hand of the master that feeds him. This is also true, commander.”
„Yes, you are right, but still… I trust more dogs than foxes, honestly. No offense because I said this with no mean intention. It’s what I feel.”
Alena smiled, to the commander’s great surprise. After that, she said, amazing Eṉōl more than ever, „It’s your right, commander.”
„Which one?”
„Do not trust others. I do the same. It’s the only way I kept my fur in one piece.”
„Yet, you trusted us, the nymphs, and Nikkari when you were hurt. Why?”
„Because… even if I don’t trust others, I still read souls. Something you should also learn, commander.”
„Something I won’t ever be able to do. Let’s not forget that I don’t have magic powers.”
„You don’t need magic power to see someone’s soul. All that you need is to trust your sixth sense and have a pure heart. Something you definitely have, commander Eṉōl.”
„Even so, I don’t think it helps me too much. You, for example, using your magic power, can see if someone betrays you or not. However, I… I can only suspect that the one whom I don’t trust will stab me behind my back. Even so, I’ll stay with him until the end, hoping he won’t betray me.”
„Actually, you are right because… each of those we meet in our way leaves a mark on our soul. Like a teacher. Thus, by learning that lesson, we won’t fail the next exam.”
„Maybe you are right,” said Eṉōl, putting the hood on and squeezing the handle of his sword. He did that when they got to the edge of the forest that was surrounded by darkness and shadows, a too-wet forest that night, something the commander actually disliked because… there hasn’t been rain for days. Getting there, he said, „I hope to never learn that lesson again.”
„Which one?” Asked Alena, following him soon while forming the famous fireball in her left hand to use for illuminating the path.
„The lesson of betrayal. This is something I hope to never experience, even if I have the feeling that I’ll do it soon.”
After such words, Eṉōl kept silent. Just in time because, right after entering the forest, two black eyes opened on the trunk of one of the trees that formed the first row. Eyes that Eṉōl didn’t see. Not the fox, who grinned after spotting them. She did that on the sly, somehow behind the commander’s back. Yet, she didn’t do that because she was planning something against him, but to protect him from concern that night. Then, when she had the chance, she sent another black ball toward those eyes, blinding them. After that, she didn’t calm down. On the contrary, Alena seemed more preoccupied than ever because… she didn’t know who controlled those eyes and what message they sent to their master, one who could have known them both.
***
„Eṉōl hasn’t turned back yet?” Zeal asked, suddenly entering Inlan Diar’s room.
„No. Why do you ask?” The Queen inquired, insistently looking at her granddaughter, whom she felt concerned.
„Because… I feel that someone entered the Forest of Shadows tonight. I… don’t see who exactly, but I think it is him!” Zeal replied in a shaking voice. Even her eyes were dancing, embraced by tears.
Leaving her handicraft on the table, which she took from one drawer to chase the black thoughts away, Inlan Diar approached Zeal eventually, and, taking her hands into hers, she deeply looked into the girl’s eyes. Then, when Zeal finally looked at her, Inlan Diar kindly smiled, trying to chase the clouds of concern away from Zeal’s glance. After that, the queen said, „That forest is not one of terror, Zeal, and you know that.”
„Yes, I know this, grandma! Yet… I cannot be concerned with the commander. Moreover, when I know who lives in that forest.”
„It’s something normal for you to be concerned with someone you care about, sweetheart,” Inlan Diar whispered, forcing Zeal to sit on the bed. Then, when both of them were comfortably sitting on the same bed, she looked into Zeal’s eyes again, saying, „Even so, you should trust the commander. It’s not the first danger he meets in his way.”
„Yes, but… it’s the first time when he’s not with someone he can trust.”
„Do you mean the fox? Alena?”
„Who else?!” Replied Zeal, frowning. „They are too cunning, not something to my taste.”
„Yet, you are wrong now.”
„What makes you think so?”
„Inmar. She helped you when you returned from the forest, right?”
Zeal made a wry face. She hated to accept that, but she had to because… thanks to Inmar, they saved themselves from Tikil and the rest of the devils that followed them that day. This didn’t mean that she could trust the fox, yet, because „She did that to save her fur, not my skin.”
„Maybe you are right. But… she could have done this without helping you too, don’t you think so?”
„If she had done this, she would have taken the risk of being ripped off her skin,” replied Zeal, grinning. Inlan Diar looked at her, confused. „I mean… if she had turned back without me, I’m sure you wouldn’t have left her alive. Or… am I wrong now?”
„Of course, you aren’t. If Inmar had returned that day without you and if I had found out you suffered because of her, I would have made her suffer too. Yet, I wouldn’t have killed her.”
Zeal frowned. „Actually, I feel disappointed right now.”
„Why? Because I don’t want to kill someone to punish him for another one's death?”
„Yeah, absolutely because my death wouldn’t have been a random one. Or what, don’t you love me that much to avenge my death by cutting that fox’s head?” Inlan Diar burst into laughter. „I didn’t say something comic.”
„I think you said this. Why? Because… I think jealousy speaks in your place now. Or… maybe the caprice?”
„Jealous? I? Not in a million years.”
„I think you are jealous. Do you know why? I see this in your eyes, Zeal. You behave like a little child, whose parents didn’t allow him to do what he wanted. This isn’t good at all, in fact.”
„It’s the only way I still can be a child,” Zeal sadly replied. „I can behave like that time when Mother was still here.” Then, sighing, Zeal looked elsewhere, trying to hide the tears from her glance.
The moment she felt Inlan Diar’s warm and soft palms touching her face, Zeal unwillingly burst into a cry. This made Inlan Diar kindly smile and tell her, „Cry if you feel the need, Zeal! It’s good for your soul.”
„No, it’ll make me feel worse than ever because… this is a subject I don’t want to talk about.”
„I want this instead. To talk about Zayleea.”
„Why?”
„Because it’s the only way your soul will be released, sweetie. It’s the only way you can leave the past behind and move on.”
„I can’t do that, Grandma.”
„Because of Zayleea?”
„Does this seem a little odd to you? She went away without saying a word to us. She vanished without at least saying goodbye to us or leaving a track to find her. This hurts. A lot.”
„Maybe she couldn’t do that, don’t you think so? To tell you goodbye and that she loves you. This doesn’t mean your mother didn’t feel this.”
Zeal suddenly wiped her tears. „What if she didn’t love me?”
„Your mother? Impossible! Do you know why I’m so sure of this?”
„Because you knew her?”
„Not only because of that. It’s also because I could read her soul. Your mother was someone who cared about the world. About the whole world, Zeal, that world she tried to protect up to the end.”
„A world that didn’t protect her eventually, is it?”
„This is a question I don’t have an answer for. As you said, Zayleea didn’t leave a track behind her the day she disappeared. We also don’t know what happened the day she went away. Even so, I think she had a strong reason to leave us behind. A reason that we’ll find out eventually. Then, we’ll make her justice for sure, if we have to do this.”
„What if we don’t ever find out about her, Grandma? What will we do then? Will we get revenge?”
„On who?”
„On Fate. Fate took my mother from us.”
„And? Will this help us in something?”
„Honestly, I don’t know. What I know is that it’ll be easier after this.”
„Or maybe harder, don’t you also think so? Nothing good happens when you spill blood, Zeal. At the same time, it doesn’t help you in anything if you take revenge on others.”
„Then, according to you, using kindness like a war weapon helps more?”
„Maybe not! Yet, it helps the one who uses this as a weapon. At least he feels better after this, with no remorse or sins because… killing someone or hurting him means to have stains on your soul, Zeal. Black stains in fact.”
After such words, Inlan Diar kept silent. She only held Zeal to her chest, convinced that the bird with the name Love, the one that flapped her wings in her soul, was something that could help Zeal in understanding the meaning of what she said. Yes, the queen was sure that she taught Zeal a good lesson that day: that paying with evil for an evil that was done to you wouldn’t help you in anything. It only makes your soul savage and sows the seeds of evil no matter where you go.