The secret kingdom path.., p.15
The Secret Kingdom: Path of the Apprentice mage, page 15
“What do you think, Rendon?” Riya said.
“They might take care of our dilemma for us,” he said. She nodded.
“I’ve had enough of these people,” Riya responded. “Senna said it best. They’re insane.”
Riya saw Lissa pull out a small knife. Then she used her foot to trip Wesley. As he fell backwards, she jumped on top of him, keeping his hand away from the small crystal. It was out of reach for both. She reached forward to slit his throat, but he rolled to his side and pushed her away. She stood and tried to race for the crystal, but he got there first. She flew towards him and pushed hard on his shoulders, causing him to stumble backwards again, but he caught himself.
Hodu flew close to the platform and Riya faced Wesley and Lissa together. “Would you like to go inside and make yourselves comfortable, or do you prefer to fight to the death?” she said calmly. “Doesn’t matter to me one way or the other.” As she said the words, Lissa saw that Wesley was distracted. She quickly ran over and pushed him hard enough he lost his balance. He tried to catch himself but couldn’t. In a last-ditch effort to stay on the platform he grabbed her outstretched arm. It wasn’t enough to stop his fall but she couldn’t get free. As he fell off the platform backward, she followed as he pulled her by the arm. She flew directly above him headfirst with a look of rage and hate still in her eyes while she reached her knife out to cut him.
The cliffs below were unforgiving. At the base of the sheer cliff, rocks and boulders stretched into the desert. Their chance of survival? None. The prison cell was located deliberately in these cliffs. While reform was a welcome possibility and honored the ancient code, escape was not an option.
Chapter 24
Kai, Senna, Rendon, and Ming li sat with Riya and Manni at the formal table upstairs in the castle, looking at all the crystals Wesley and his friends had stolen from throughout the Kingdoms of Kalendra. It was quite a haul, and the room buzzed with the energy they held.
“I’m separating these ones out to take them back to the Secret Kingdom,” Senna said. “I love that place’s name. Suits it perfectly, don’t you think? Nobody knew it was a Kingdom because it had a shrine instead of a castle. And its inhabitants had lost their way.” Rendon met her eyes, curious to hear more. Riya simply nodded.
“Sad but true,” she said. “June’s up to the task of turning that place around. She’s going to be horrified when she learns about Lissa’s true character, and who she really was. But when she recovers from all she’s been through, she’s going to build an incredible community and become unstoppable.”
“Do you think she suspected her friend at all?” Kai asked.
“Not until today. She left her alone with her kids, remember? I think she had a bad habit of accommodating everyone else and putting her own needs last. She assumed everyone was trustworthy in their own way.” She smiled. “I’ve seen people come up with a lot of strategies to make their lives work. We all do that, right?” Kai looked at her and nodded slowly.
“There’s something about June. She reminds me of my mom, in a way. I mean …” he said.
“How’s that?” Manni asked.
“Well,” he said slowly, “my mom also insisted on seeing the good in others. She had the same generous spirit. She welcomed people in and wanted everyone to feel like they belonged. She liked to see people happy and thriving. It brought her joy and was the most important thing in her life. If only they both had better judgment. My mom might still be alive.” Kai’s felt the tears come to his eyes as he bit his lip. “But how do we get that? How could they have known?” Everyone sat in silence. Finally, Manni spoke.
“I know I have no credibility whatsoever, especially after today … you know.” Manni said and glanced at Riya. “But in my experience, it is something a person can acquire by believing people when they show who they truly are.” He sighed. “Love, like your mom had, and June has, is the most important thing in the world. It just is. If people didn’t have it, the world would be a far darker place. It’s important to recognize that. Healthy communities wouldn’t exist. We’d just all relate to each other in superficial ways, and everyone would take advantage for their own selfish purposes. Kind and caring people make everyone’s lives more valuable. But selfish people are going to have issues no matter what. Look at Wesley and Lissa.
“The problem is when you want to see goodness and love too much,” he said looking into his hands. “You don’t see what’s in front of you. This is going to sound ridiculous, and I don’t want you to think I’m making excuses for my behavior, even though I am … But I think deep down I wanted to believe someone could love Wesley. Yes, I know, she used that crystal on me, but I was receptive to the idea that there had to be something good about him. I forgot to have healthy skepticism like Kelne’s always trying to pound into my thick skull … And I didn’t get the memo that Wesley was a murderer as well as a thief. If I had known, her enchantments wouldn’t have worked. At least. not as well.”
“You will always be my favorite softie,” Riya said to Manni. “You’re one big teddy bear.” She smiled. “Should we add this one to the scoreboard?” Senna looked at her with a question on her face and Riya laughed at the inside joke while she addressed the question. “We all make mistakes, and Manni and I go way back. At some point, we started keeping a tally about the times we had to rescue each other from unfortunate situations, shall we call them.” Senna and Kai leaned in.
“Who’s winning?” Kai asked with a look of delight on his face.
“That all depends on how you tally it up,” Riya said. “The rescuer’s efforts to repair the damage, or the mistake maker’s blunder in the first place. There’s lots of ways to break it down. Manni is more trusting than I am, so I’ve rescued him more often. He has a weakness for softspoken and flustered ladies. But one must consider the severity of the situation also.”
“Riya expects people to behave logically,” Manni countered, “and when there isn’t any logic, her blunders happen on a more epic scale. So, in that sense, we’re even.” Riya met his eyes and nodded.
“Fair enough,” she said, remembering her last mistake.
“I thought we were going to die today,” Kai said. “That was intense. I’m glad the crystal to release the serpents fell into my hand,” Kai said.
“And the crystal I grabbed tripled my strength.” Manni said. “We owe great thanks to Hodu and Rendon.” Manni looked at Kai and Rendon apologetically and placed both hands on his cheeks.
“How long have you two known each other anyway?” Kai asked.
“Since… Well, since we were apprentices your age. There were three of us and we were all inseparable,” Riya said.
“Who was the third?” Senna wanted to know. Riya and Manni looked at each other.
“His name was Bentara,” Riya said. Manni looked at her, wondering if she’d say more, but he was too impatient to wait.
“He was our best friend,” Manni said. He met Riya’s eyes. “And the love of her life.”
“Unfortunately,” Riya said, “We had to let him go.” They saw tears come to her eyes and Manni touched her gently, knowing how sensitive this subject was. “He was sent on a mission alone and we don’t know when he’ll return.”
“What should we do with these crystals?” Ming li asked. They all looked and saw that while they were talking, Ming li and Rendon had used protective gloves and organized all the Dynasty Crystals using Kai and Senna’s notes and the ancient scroll.
“And what are we going to do with Joe and Brutus?” Rendon suddenly remembered.
“Oh, my goodness. I forgot,” Manni jumped to his feet. “They’re up in Wesley’s apartment. That was the easiest place to put them after they were captured. Quintin took them there. They are together and no one’s getting out.” Manni, he sat back down.
“No girlfriends to cry on his shoulder,” Riya teased. Then she turned to Manni. “Although, speaking of girlfriends, you are going to love our new friend, June, Manni. She’s incredible, and she’ll be available once she recovers from all that emotional abuse she’s suffered. If you had a love in your life like her, you wouldn’t be so easily manipulated” she teased kindly.
“Matchmaker,” he said, and put his head back in his hands to cover his smile. He trusted Riya’s judgment.
“You will love her,” Senna said. Kai nodded.
“So, now you’re all going to conspire against me?” Manni asked. They nodded.
“Yes,” Senna said bluntly. “Come with us when we return the Dynasty Crystals to her community. They probably belong in the shrine. You’ve got to see it. Does it show on the scroll where they were intended to go originally?” Senna asked Ming li.
“I’m just saying,” Riya said. “Too many of the wrong type of women have gotten under your skin. And that’s not fair to you, my dear friend. I want to see you thrive.” Manni looked down. Then glanced at Riya and nodded his agreement.
“Looks like we have a few deliveries lined up,” Ming li said. “We can create a schedule. There are two that belong in that Lost Kingdom you mentioned. It doesn’t say anything about a shrine on this scroll. But there is an unusual marking next to them that the others don’t have. Maybe that’s what it means. Anyway, there are three from the Kingdom of Wind and Sand too.”
“And one is from my community in the Kingdom by the Sea.” Rendon said. “Koryn, I mean, my dad and Kelne will be delighted.”
“Some of these are from really far away,” Ming li added. “The Kinezad is nearly all the way to the Land of the Midnight Sun. How in the world did he acquire all of these?” She pointed to the scroll.
“That was his map,” Senna said. “He told Riya when she gave him his truth serum. He said it was easy once he had that scroll.” Riya nodded.
“Don’t get me started,” Senna responded. “He was horrifying.”
“I agree, and as terrible as it sounds, the criminal couple were found at the base of the cliff, identified, and I believe, cremated. You will never come across them again.” She looked at Senna.
“Thank you for telling me. That ought to help with my nightmares.”
“What are we going to do to get these to their rightful owners?” Ming li asked again.
“Maybe the four of you will return them to the Kingdoms together. It would be a good errand for you to take together,” Manni said. “But first, come with us to the Lost Kingdom. We should all get to know that place. It will become important to all our communities,” Manni said. Everyone nodded in agreement.
***
“Sheez, man,” Brutus said to Joe. “What are they going to do to us now … “You know, Wesley probably did worse stuff than either of us knew. I mean, I remember when I confronted him about all the people who had left the village. I wondered where they’d gone, and he gave me this strange, cold stare. It gave me the chills and scared the bejesus out of me, so I dropped it right away. I always wondered if he did something to them, but didn’t dare bring it up again. Another day, he and Lissa were laughing about someone else who disappeared. Laughing about how that loser would never be missed by anyone. They seemed all cozy about it too, you know, like maybe they hurt someone together. Gave me the creeps and I pretended I hadn’t heard, but I always wondered if they’d killed the old gardener guy together. He used to plant and keep the land here strong, at least a little. I hung around for the robberies, same as you. I knew they needed my animal enchantment skills.” Joe nodded, thinking about how he’d told Brutus not to return here earlier today, to get lost somewhere else in Kalendra where they weren’t known. Start over. Before Lissa convinced them.
“I didn’t know. Thought people had slowly moved to other villages,” Joe said. “I liked the power of those crystals, especially when we dimmed the sun. That was fun. But I wasn’t addicted to them like Wesley was. They had a spell on me for sure. I think that’s why I stayed. If we didn’t have those, I’d likely have left.” He shrugged.
“Nothing holding me there either. But what do we do? We’re going to be marked for being involved with Wesley,” Brutus said. He went over and sat on the loveseat by the front window with a glass of water.
Joe pointed. “They don’t expect us to share that bed, do they? I’d rather sleep on the couch. He walked over and stretched out on it. It was long enough for him and comfortable. “Yeah, I like this. Way better than what I used to have at home.” Brutus nodded.
“Good, because I want that big bed. I’m the burly guy, after all, so if we’d fought for it, that’s how things would have worked out. Glad that’s settled.”
“Do you have any idea what happens next?” Joe asked.
Chapter 25
Kai and Senna, returned to the Lost Kingdom together, with Rendon, Ming li, Riya, and Manni. Each carried a ceremonial sword of wellbeing.
Kai smiled at the others. “We can cleanse this entire land here, I’m sure.” The others nodded. “But I want to be sure June’s with us. She needs to see the good energy as it cleanses the land.”
“Don’t we need to cleanse the neighborhood and the shrine?” Senna wanted to know. Everyone turned to get Riya’s opinion. She was nodding.
“Yes, the soul of this entire region needs a bath. I have no idea what the history was before those men got here, but we can cleanse it’s past, keeping the most positive times in its heart. That’s what the Dynasty Crystals were intended for. Re-establishing the optimal life of a community. We’ll ask June and give us a tour.”
Kai carried the crystals of the Kingdom in his pack, along with his magic board. “This is going to be our best Sword Sage Dance yet,” he announced. Senna smiled at him and nodded. “And I’m glad you two are joining us this time. What about Quintin?”
“He’ll come to the ceremony later,” Riya said. “Right now, he’s having breakfast with Joe and Brutus, giving them a nice strong draft of truth serum. I suspect they’re not half as dangerous as the two who chose their own punishment before our eyes. They didn’t even consider an alternative.” She looked at Rendon and shook her head in dismay.
“Brutus and Joe will receive some choices,” Riya continued. “From what I understand, Joe’s not a danger. But he needs to prove himself before he’s free to live a normal life. And he knows we’ll be watching him like a hawk. Brutus is harder. I don’t know the details of his past. That’s what Quintin’s learning. I’ll talk to June.”
They walked through the village, showing Rendon and Ming li the room that housed the crystals then walked over to the shrine. The back door was open, and they stepped inside to look at the beautiful stained-glass dome.
“It does look like an old Secret Kingdom,” Ming li said. “It’ll be a pleasure to bring the magic back here.” Rendon nodded.
“Those stones will make a difference,” Rendon said. “I didn’t understand before. I sense they’ll bring a feeling of purpose back. When the Dynasty Crystal was taken from my Kingdom, something felt off. It was subtle, but you could still feel a difference.”
“Yeah, Riya said. “We’re still trying to learn as much as we can about them.” They turned onto the steppingstones and walked down the path. When they got to June’s cottage, Senna ran up to the front door and knocked. Instantly, they heard Sasha and Kanie laugh, and the door swung open.
“Oh, come in. Come in. I’m ready for a party,” June announced. The apprentices led, and Manni and Riya followed. “It’s been so quiet here. Not that you’ve been gone very long. I trust the people who haunted my life are gone.” It was a question and a statement.
“You don’t have to worry about them anymore,” Senna said.
“Well, in that case, Tea Service for seven,” June said with her hands held high, clapping twice. “I never got to properly host you last time you were here.” The buffet table in the corner came to life with fresh snacks and tea. A fresh bouquet graced the table. She smiled and laughed. “This is my pleasure.”
“Ooh, look, mommy,” Sasha said. Kanie picked up her little sister and the two giggled.
“June. I’ve brought some people for you to meet,” Riya said. “This is Ming li and Rendon, Kai and Senna’s friends and classmates. The two bowed politely, and June bowed in return. “And this is my good and oldest friend, Manni. I’m happy for you to get to know each other.”
“Good to meet you and your wonderful daughters,” Manni said bowing formally. “They must bring a great deal of happiness to your life.” She smiled and nodded. “I love children.”
“Please, help yourselves. Then you can tell me about your visit. I can’t wait to learn more.” They went over to the buffet. Manni picked up a plate.
“Did you select these snacks or did Shaman Moon do that? All my favorites. Shortbread cookies and strawberries. Yum.” Senna looked at Riya briefly. Everyone got settled at the table, while June and Riya sat on the couch.
“We’ve been doing some research into the Dynasty Stones,” Riya said. “We went through all the scrolls from the shrine. We learned more than you want to know. But the best thing we discovered was how to repair this Lost Kingdom here.” June gasped.
“It’s true? Are you sure? We weren’t just playing let’s pretend? I got home after you left and thought it couldn’t be possible, that there was no way it was true.”
“You’ll believe in it soon enough,” Riya assured her. “Wesley, Lissa, Joe, and Brutus will not be back. Maybe Joe, but I think that’s unlikely.”
“Where are they?”
“You might as well know, and we’ll get past that part. Wesley and Lissa decided to fight to the death if you can imagine that. They succeeded at killing each other. June looked at Riya in horror.
