by Eric Vall
Annalise cut me off with a single raised hand as she stared into my face with sharp, narrowed eyes. The high queen’s lips pressed into a hard line then parted soundlessly as she thought on what to say.
“Kazama. You?” the swordswoman questioned as one of her slender fingered hands drifted to her stomach where our child rested within her.
“Yes,” I confirmed with a nod of my head.
“Who’s Kazama? I’ve never heard that name.” Carmedy whispered over to Rana, and the redhead looked pained, unsure how to answer.
“A name that haunts people all over the world to this day,” Annalise replied in her raspy voice and then she turned suddenly to look at Haruhi and Morrigan. “You knew all of this? You didn’t breathe a word of this to us simply because he asked you not to?”
“He is our Master, he asked us not to,” Morrigan replied in a cold tone.
“I’m confused, can someone explain?” the alchemist whined as she scratched at a lowered ear.
“Have you ever heard of the Salvarians?” Rana questioned in a tight voice. “They were people that lived deep in the desert, it’s believed to be somewhere close to Valasara.”
“The lost civilization of Salvaria.” Haruhi corrected under her breath.
“Sure, but it’s just a legend…” Carmedy grinned then faltered as she looked to each of her sister’s. “Right?”
“The god Kazama was displeased with the city that worshipped him, they’d stopped throwing festivals in his honor, stopped leaving offerings at his temples, basically forgot him…” Annalise responded in a cold tone as her chocolate brown eyes met mine.
“They weren’t lost to time, they were destroyed because of an unhappy god. He burned their city to the ground, slaughtered every citizen and then swallowed up the remains into the sand of the desert.” Annalise informed the alchemist.
“Is that you?” Carmedy asked in a frightened voice as her eyes widened.
“Yes, it was me,” I told them in a firm voice.
“Kazama, destroyer of worlds and eater of souls,” Morrigan said in a firm voice as she looked to me with admiration. “The most feared god in the heavens and on earth.”
“Every cautionary tale started and ended with his name. He ravaged lands that were not his own, killed those who were innocent. Parents used his name to chastise their children into behaving, saying that the god Kazama would steal them away in the night and eat their souls.”
“Well, that part isn’t particularly true,” I snorted, and Carmedy peeked at me out of the corner of her eye and snickered along with me. “I never threatened to eat a child’s soul, I’m not a monster.”
“But you are,” Annalise slammed back as she whipped her head to me. “Do you know how many horrible things I’ve heard about you? How many times I laid in my bed at night as a child and feared you’d come for me too?”
“Yes, that is who I was,” I told them in a firm voice.
I wasn’t going to lie anymore, this was the time I’d lay all the truth out in front of them. There was nothing I could do to stop them from judging me or turning away from me, but I wouldn’t let them leave me, they were mine for all eternity as they promised.
“All of it is true, I won’t deny it,” I uttered as I rested my closed fists on my knees and looked into each of their faces. “I was often described as a horrifying creature that slipped from shadow to shadow and stole away lives in the dead of night. I was the evil creature behind every scary tale, the monster under every bed and around every corner. The god that burned down towns without reason, starved cities when they displeased me and waged wars for no reason other than I wanted blood spilled. I was the ravager, the destroyer, the god that asked for more and more and destroyed when I didn’t receive what I deserved. That is who I was and who I will always be.”
“You…you’re really him?” Rana questioned as both of her black-tipped ears twitched with agitation.
“I destroyed more than just Salvaria, I can name them off if you would like, but I believe that would frighten you more than you already are,” I stated, and their eyes widened in surprise. “I told you, I’m not going to keep secrets anymore. Each land upon this earth has felt my wrath at some point, even Tamarisch and Tintagal. They’ve known my name and the destruction that comes along with it. I’ve wiped cities, even whole countries off the map with a single wave of my hand, there isn’t a mountain town so remote that hasn’t at least heard a whisper of my name. Am I ashamed? No. I only did what I thought was right and what was expected of me in the heavens and the Underworld. Sometimes, you forget that this is who I am, I am not only the man you love, but I am also a ravager, a killer in all senses.”
A pregnant silence fell over my three minions who didn’t know the truth. Tears fell from Annalise’s eyes, and she hastily scrubbed them away as she sniffled. Rana stared at me with wide eyes, not saying a single word at all. Carmedy seemed to be the only one unaffected, though she stared at me, she smiled the entire time. The alchemist placed a paw on the high queen’s shoulder and said something I never expected.
“I understand how all of this news is upsetting but does it really surprise anyone?” Carmedy questioned as she leaned out and looked into Rana’s eyes. “I mean, really? We’ve been with him this long, he’s trained us to be warriors, he’s killed gods and mortals before our eyes, is it that much of a shock?”
Morrigan blinked rapidly and tried to hide the smile that flashed over her plump lips. Haruhi kept silent but nodded in agreement.
“It doesn’t surprise me, and honestly, it doesn’t change my opinion on him at all,” the alchemist stated as she crossed her arms over her chest and grinned over to me. “He’s still our Master, he’s still the same man we met in that dungeon so long ago, and I, for one, still love him with all my heart. He’s our Master, he’s our husband, would this revelation change your whole view of him?”
“I said the very same thing when I found out,” Morrigan uttered in her emotionless voice. “We knew what we were getting into when we released him from the dungeon. There were runes holding him in place, put there by the Holy Order. That should’ve given us at least a sign of what we were getting involved in. There is no need to be upset with Master, in fact, I applaud him for having the courage to tell us.”
“I didn’t tell you for so long because I wanted to protect you,” I admitted as I squared my shoulders. “There are certain dangers that come with being with me, Isolda learned that, and now you have too. I have protected you from my secret and all other dangers that have come down the road. I will continue to do so because you are my minions, and I love you. I understand if you no longer wish to be involved with me, but I simply cannot allow that to happen.”
“W-what do you mean?” Annalise stuttered as her chocolate brown eyes narrowed.
“You pledged your life and hearts to me, each of you did,” I stated in a cold voice as I crossed my arms over my chest. “I cannot force you to love me, but I cannot allow you to leave my presence. Call it a verbal contract if you will, you are mine as you promised you were.”
“I’m not leaving,” Carmedy said firmly. “I’m your wifey-for-lifey, no returns or exchanges, all sales are final on this kitty-cat!”
I chuckled softly then turned my attention toward Rana and Annalise. They both observed me but didn’t speak yet. The two women who were the most apprehensive about this were the two that carried my spawn within their bellies. It should’ve been a big clue to them that there was no turning back from this point. The high queen was already my wife, and in the near future, the fox would be too.
“Let me ask you this,” Morrigan offered, and the two women looked to her. “Does it change your mind about him? As I said before, we’ve witnessed what he can do, but we’ve already fought battles and wars alongside him. We believe in the same cause that he does, the heavens and the Holy Order are corrupt. They need to be brought down, may it be at his side or someone else’s. Master is the only person ever to rise against them, an
d I whole-heartedly believe in him. Remember the Tichádáma, Euron, and even Athar, whom you didn’t meet, they suffered because of both parties.”
“Rana…without Master, you wouldn’t have defeated Tuzakeur or found your family,” Carmedy persuaded in a whisper. “We’d still be out there helplessly searching for the sacred items if it weren’t for Master.”
“You would’ve never met me,” Haruhi murmured as she folded her paws. “Or saved Heijing from Tuzakeur, the last dragon would be dead by now if we hadn’t had Master by our side. Just because he did bad things a long time ago before he met us shouldn’t change your opinion on him. You love him, I know you two do.”
The elven woman’s explanation seemed to reach both of the women, and they nodded slowly. They thought for a moment, and finally, Annalise gazed into my eyes with such an intensity that I’d never seen before.
“When I met you, I promised my life to you,” the high queen stuttered through her tears, and she let them trail down her cheeks. “When I married you, I promised my heart to you. It takes so much strength to admit these things to us, and I am very sorry that you felt the need to hide them away from us for so long. I can speak for myself and the others as well, we love you so much and will never ever want to leave your side. Like Carmedy said, no returns or refunds, all sales are final.”
Rana was the only one who hadn’t spoken up yet, and her baby-blue eyes fluttered closed for a few seconds. We waited patiently for her response and when she opened her mouth to speak, none of us breathed or made a sound to interrupt her.
“Did you do all those things…Kazama?” the redhead questioned.
“I did,” I stated in a low voice.
“Are you sorry?” the fox questioned as she opened her eyes and met my gaze.
“As I said before, no,” I told her. “It is my life, I’ve lived it the best I could and how I was taught. Would I undo it all if I could? Possibly but there is nothing I can do about that now. I am sorry that all of you have to find out this way, I wish I could’ve told you from the moment we met, but there was no way you’d have freed me and allowed me to journey alongside you.”
“You’re damn right about that,” Rana chuckled and shook her head. “It is shocking, and it sucks that we had to find out like this. We trusted you and put our faith in you. You’ve hidden this from us for a very long time, we loved you, we married you, some of us even--”
Rana cut herself off before she said something about the holy children resting in her and Annalise’s wombs, but I understood straight away.
“But that’s not the point right now,” the fox said with a dismissive shake of her head. “You kept this secret for so long because you were afraid. Isolda knew who you were, and she got hurt because of it. You thought that if you avoided the subject, we wouldn’t be hurt. It’s understandable, but it still ended up hurting us in the end.”
“This is it then?” I asked the fox as I rested both hands in my lap.
“What? Me? Leaving? Hell no, you helped track down the sacred items, kill Tuzakeur, and get my family back. Do you really think I’d walk away from you after all that?” Rana asked as she scrunched up her nose in disgust.
“All of you, you’re accepting me for who I am?” I inquired as I looked to the three women.
“Duh.” Carmedy giggled as she rocked back and forth happily.
“We knew what we were getting ourselves into when we freed you. You’re ours now.” Annalise smiled tenderly.
“You’re not getting rid of us that easily,” Rana cackled as she waved dismissively toward me. “You think we’re gonna leave Haruhi, Morrigan, and Heijing to have you all to themselves? Fat chance, bucko.”
I barked out a laugh then threw my head back as I guffawed. I hadn’t expected this, Morrigan accepted me without much thought but to have all of them willing to stay by my side until the end of time was a miracle. I loved them, each of them, with all my heart and would do anything to keep them by my side. I wanted nothing more than to fight these two last battles, and then to live in luxury with my wives and our children. I would make all of it happen, I’d build a new world for them, new, polished, and perfect just for my minions.
No man nor god could stop me, not the mages, not the gods and not any measly army that stood in my path. I would reign supreme despite all the horrible things thrown at me in this life, and my women would be there to witness all of it.
Chapter Seven
As night fell over the encampment, most of the soldiers and my women settled down for the rest of the night. I’d chosen my specific regents to stand guard, and I gathered them around me as I briefed them on the plans for tomorrow.
Ansel, Amos, and Adam stood together on my left and Ezra, Shida and Makar stood on my right. Since our camp was so large, a few of their most trusted men stood behind them and waited for my instructions. Each man looked much different from each other and, the colors and armor they wore represented each country they came from. Though Ezra was in the navy, I knew that the cat-man hadn’t seen battle before he came here. Ansel gave Haruhi’s brother a mighty broadsword, and Ezra carried it with pride.
All of us stood outside in the darkness, a ring of hastily hung lanterns surrounding us. In the middle of us, one of the lower-ranking soldiers set up a rickety table, and I placed the book we’d found in Athar’s dungeon on it. Inside the book were the inner-workings and layout of the fortress, never before seen by any of our eyes.
“Tomorrow, we will break through the enchantments and lay siege to the Holy Order’s stronghold,” I told them as I pointed behind me toward the last wall that stood in our way. “They will bring forward their strongest mages, more powerful than any of the others we’ve seen already. I want all of you and your men to be prepared. We may lose some of our troops, but I will try to keep them safe though I cannot guarantee it.”
“What comes after we breach through the wall?” Amos asked, all of his usual silly antics gone and replaced with a serious expression.
“The Tamarisch army is our largest out of all,” I stated as I tapped the hand-drawn sketches of the layout of the fortress in front of us. “You will follow me into the inner sanctum of the Holy Order.”
“Understood.” Ansel nodded as he placed his hand on the pommel of his sword.
“Adam, I am going to place Amos in charge of your troops and put you in place as the leader of the Tintagal soldiers,” I told them in a commanding voice. “They are our second largest group, and I want you to spread out along the wall and take out all mages in sight.”
I pointed on the worn paper where I wanted him and his soldiers to move. Just inside of the second wall, was a large common ground that allowed the mages and Elders to move about freely during their day-to-day lives.
“The Tintagal soldiers will surround all of the outer fortress and prevent any mages from fleeing,” I said as I raised my eyes and looked directly into Adam’s eyes.
“Of course, Master,” Adam nodded as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned forward to take in the layout of the fortress.
“Next, the troops we collected from Valasara, Machstein, and the Canartian islands will be joined as one, making it the third-largest of the armies. Makar, your men, are the most heavily trained out of all of them. I want you to keep the Machstein and Canartian armies as safe as possible, as the Tamarisch troops and I move into the inner sanctum, you will siege the rest of the fortress. Go through all the halls and rooms, kill anyone in sight. It will be close quarters, but I believe it’ll be the safest for those who are unskilled with their weapons.”
“As you wish, Master.” Makar bowed his head respectfully.
“And what will you do?” Ansel asked as he looked deeply into my eyes.
“My minions and I will enter in through the main gate and head straight to where the Elders reside,” I told them as I tapped the center of the page of the book. “Those are the men who have the answers I need the most, I will fight and defeat them. I need to find out why the gods are
so interested in ending life on earth, there must be some reason other than greed and hatred. Are there any more questions?”
“Will we be joining you in the battle against the heavens?” Ansel asked, and a weighty silence fell over the rest of the men.
There was no easy way to answer this question, I knew that all of my men and troops wanted to fight alongside me when we journeyed to the heavens. There was no feasible way for all of them to travel with us to the god’s realm, the only possible way my women could make the trip was because I’d place my holy children within them.
The only people who would fight with me during the last battle would be my women, the four other gods, and the two transformed dragons. My plan appeared audacious at first glance, especially since powerful gods would surely outnumber us, but those deities didn’t realize that I held the powers of other gods within my body. I was more powerful than all of those in the heavens combined. It wouldn’t be an easy battle, but I would defeat all of them in the end. I would make my father bend to my will, and I would personally watch the light leave his eyes.
“No,” I said in a firm voice, and Makar drew back slightly, his expression hurt. “Only gods or holy beings may enter through the sanctum of the god’s realm. I wish that I could have all of you by my side as we enter into the heavens, but it is simply not possible. I have other plans for you if you wish to hear them.”
“Of course, Master, what is it you need from us?” Ansel questioned as he leaned against the table.
“Galencia, the soil that we stand on is tainted by the Holy Order’s presence,” I boomed, and each of my men nodded in agreement. “I want it demolished. Each building, each remnant of the Holy Order and its mages, tear up each and every goddamn inch of cobblestone. I want nothing here but a flat plot of land with nothing remaining of the Holy Order. It is here that I will build my kingdom, this will be the capital of all lands under my rule.”
