by J. Naomi Ay
“What was the Dark Continent like?” the boy asked, his voice soft and sleepy.
Gani decided to make up a story about her home. She could embellish it as much as she liked, for Marik would never know.
“Once upon a time,” she began. “I met a guy named Arsan.”
“Arsan!” Marik screamed, bolting upright. He had been just on the cusp of sleep when Gani spoke that dreaded name. Suddenly, his brain flooded with visions of his mother with a man beneath a tree, followed by a fight in the forest with his other nemesis, Arsan. “I hate Arsan. I want to kill him. Do you know where he is?”
“Who?” Gani asked meekly, figuring it was best not to mention him again.
“Find him and bring him here so I can kill him along with that other Korelesk. I’m going to put them both in a pen and make them fight it out to the death. Then, I’ll have Bork kill the one left standing. Or, maybe you. Do you know how to use a sword?”
“No,” Gani whispered. “May I leave?”
“Get him,” Marik growled, untying Gani’s bindings, and kicking her out of his room, his imagination already racing with his new tournament plans.
In the living room of the suite, Vinz was pleading for Lee’s life, although he didn’t know exactly how he came to be in this situation. Only an hour earlier, he had never heard of, nor cared to hear of Lee, and now he was staking his own future on this hung-over Cascadian man.
Lee, in the meantime, was spread out upon the floor, while Bork had him pinioned from above. Eight of the squidman’s appendages were engaged in holding down the Cascadian’s massive arms and legs.
“He didn’t really mean to hurt the young fellow,” Vinz proposed, attempting to negotiate his new friend’s release.
“Yes, I did,” Lee insisted. “I intend to kill him, and anyone else named Korelesk.”
“I’ll kill you first,” Bork replied. “I’m a squid. I have deadly venom. All I’m waiting for is Marik’s permission to inject it in you.”
“No,” Marik proclaimed, coming through the bedroom door with Gani, who was looking completely mystified at the events unfolding. “I’m going to have a tournament, and all my enemies will fight to the death. While the monkey girl finds Arsan, you’ll stay here and work her territory instead. Bork, get off the big guy and give him a stash to sell.”
“What about me?” Vinz wondered. “May I leave? I really don’t have anything to do with any of these people. I don’t know Arsan or any other Korelesk. I don’t know you and I don’t want to know Lee.”
Marik studied Vinz with his pale gray eyes, and for a moment, Vinz was whisked back in time.
“Actually,” Vinz continued, before Marik could decide whether to free him, or kill him. “I do know a couple of Korelesks, but they weren’t called that back then. Your grandfather, Berkan was my college roommate, and your grandmother, Luci was once my only friend. I’m off to see her again. Do you want me to say hello?”
“Grandmother Luci,” Marik murmured, testing the word. He had never had a grandmother in his life. He wondered if she would bake cookies for him, or tell him stories as he drifted off to sleep. She was probably soft and smelled like fresh cut flowers, and sugared frosting, or chocolate cake. Suddenly, the young boy’s heart gave an aching lurch. “Grandma Luci,” he repeated, longing for the Duchess whom he had never met. “Bring her to me,” he ordered. “I want my grandma or you’re all going to die.”
In hindsight, Vinz thought he might have been momentarily insane. Why in the world would he bring his beloved Luci here, assuming she would be willing to come? In fact, that night as he lay in bed, on one of the luxurious hotel mattresses with a thick foam top, beneath eight hundred thread count cotton sheets, and a warm down duvet, he received another visitation from that mysterious voice.
This was the same voice that had spoken to him before, and in the same way, when he wasn’t certain if he was asleep or awake.
“Vinz,” the deep and dulcet tones declared. “Take them all to Korelesk. I shall meet you there to settle the business before us.”
“Okay,” Vinz agreed, staring at a spot of silver light, which seemed to shine from the light fixture above his head. It was a flush ceiling mounted sconce with the Waldorf Astoria logo in the center in gold, yet at that moment, it was glowing as if possessed. “But, what if the boy refuses? Apparently, he’s the one in charge.”
“He will come,” the voice replied. “I shall see to it. Your destiny awaits you there, as does the fate of all concerned. Farewell then, Vinz. Oh, and by the way, Berkan says, Hello.”
Chapter 16
When the front bell rang at the manor house in Korelesk, Ber was the first to get up from his seat. He had been at the dinner table with the Duchess Luci, enjoying a quiet meal, something they had been doing every night in the three months that Ber had been living there.
Marie and Loran had returned to Cyganus within days of the boys’ arrival in Taner’s limousine.
“There’s no point in staying,” Marie had insisted, her eyes red and puffy from shedding tears. “This shan’t be Loran’s inheritance, so we might as well go home to Cyganus. I’ve already notified my sister, Queen Elana III.”
“I shall miss you,” Luci replied, although she had not wept.
Instead, she stood with her back ramrod straight, and accepted Marie’s dutiful kiss. After which, she had gone to her suite, and locked the door, remaining alone until one week later when Ber had knocked.
“Come out, Grandma Luci,” the young man had begged, having spent too many hours wandering the dark and depressing manor house by himself. “Surely, there is something we can do together.”
The unlikely pair took to walking about the gardens. The first time, there was only silence bridging the gap between them. The second time, Luci held Ber’s arm, and the third time, she took him the duck pond. This was the very pond Duke Berkan had installed when he was still alive. In the center, stood a stone figure, around which the placid ducks would aimlessly swim.
“What is it?” Ber inquired, twisting his head to see the effigy at a better angle.
“An eagle,” Luci replied. “I despise eagles, especially those that are extraordinarily large and black.”
Ah, yes. Now, Ber could see it, although the creature was upside down. His feet were pointed at the sky, and from the talons spewed colored water. As they did so, music played what sounded like Hail to the Chief.
“Why dead?” Ber had asked, noting how the splayed-out figure was covered in bird crap.
Luci smiled for the first time in weeks, recalling the late Berkan’s wit and charm.
“Berkie had quite the sense of humor,” she replied. “Best to leave it at that. Let’s take another turn around the roses.”
During these walks, Luci began to talk, to tell Ber all about her life over the course of her many years.
“Would you believe I was born into abject poverty? Not far from here, as a matter of fact. There were nine of us children in a ramshackle house with a broken porch. My father was perpetually unemployed and my mother was a drunk."
Luci also told Ber about her four brothers and four sisters, of which she was the eldest, and the one in charge. She talked about her move to New Mishnah, her life as companion to the noble Aunt Klair, and the great cattle call where she was first introduced to Berkan, and his best friend, the then Crown Prince.
"And, then there was Vinz," she explained. "My friend who lived just down our street in a house even worse than ours. His mother was a whore, and his father was unknown, but he was my friend and I cared for him very much.
Later, he came to New Mishnah and met Berkan whilst they were both at school. I thought I would marry Vinz, but he ran off with my sister, Baby instead. It was all for the best, you see, even though I was heartbroken at the time. It was through Vinz that I was reintroduced to your Great-Grandfather Berkie. And, the rest is history, or so they say, and that's the end."
"That's not the end at all," Ber said, squeezing Luci's hand.
He liked to let her talk as much as she desired. It was good for them both, cathartic and healing. Ber enjoyed hearing her stories, especially the one about his namesake, who had died a year before Ber-Kie were born. "That was only the end of one chapter, and the beginning of something new."
"Indeed," Luci replied, gazing fondly at the young man. "I have come to realize that with every loss, there is a gain. Sometimes, it is so tiny at first, it is very hard to see. Yet, there is always something there. Something to give one a reason to continue on in this life. Something to be grateful for, an inner knowledge that I am blessed."
Ber wasn't certain whether he agreed with these sentiments or not, as his heart was still aching for the loss of Kie. Still, he forced a smile and kissed the Duchess's soft cheek.
"I am glad you are here with me, Ber," Luci said. "You remind me so of Berkie, especially now that you’ve got only one head."
On the evening in which the doorbell rang, Ber and Luci were dining on roasted quail. There was also a chutney sauce, which Ber didn’t like, but he ate it anyway, just to be polite. Without question, Ber did like living in the manor house, and this wasn’t solely because of the exquisite black truffle soup. No, Ber enjoyed the privileges of wealth, as well as the deference and respect from the servants of the family. Such luxuries he had never known as the dual-headed bastard son of Princess Angelica.
"Have you thought about it lately?" Luci was asking, interrupting Ber's thoughts just as the quail was cleared away, and a Grand Marnier soufflé was set down before him.
"I haven't," Ber replied, although this was a tiny lie. He had been thinking about Duke Taner's invitation nearly all of the time. "You know I don't want to leave you alone."
"Yet, it shall be necessary if this duchy is to be yours. It is important for the Emperor to meet you, and for you to earn his trust. I’m afraid he thinks all Korelesks are half-witted traitors. Certainly, most of them have turned out to be just that, and mind you, I am speaking of my husband and sons."
Ber still didn't care whether the Evil Emperor trusted him or not, although he kept that comment to himself. Although the pain of Kie's death had dulled, it was always there, poking like a knife point in his side. Ber was afraid if he went to Rozari, if he was anywhere near the Emperor's presence, he'd be inclined to kill him, or worse.
"He's really not that bad," Luci continued, as if reading Ber's thoughts. “I, for one, have known him better than most.” She dipped her tiny spoon into her own soufflé, releasing a breath of fragrant steam, and a dribble of thick vanilla cream. "Well, actually, he can be terrible. Horrible. An absolute monster. Someday, I shall tell you all about the royal wedding and the smashing chandeliers. But, at the same time, I have seen him do such good, you couldn’t imagine it was the same person in both places. I believe, you simply have to trust that he sees a bigger picture. Well, not see see, as you know, he doesn't see at all, but you understand what I mean, don't you, my dear Ber?"
"Yes, Grandma," Ber replied, bolting to his feet to answer the front door, spared from continuing this conversation any further. Ber knew in the next breath, Luci would begin reminiscing about the Empress Katie, who she spoke to every night, although the woman had gone missing for several years.
Indeed, as Ber pushed in his chair, and made for the hallway door, Luci began to recite a tale of long ago.
“Shika and Petya had to be about four years old, and Marik was six, or was he seven? At any rate, one day I came upon those naught boys misbehaving. They were drawing caricatures upon the walls of their playroom in the Imperial Palace. I said they ought to be punished, but Katie said it was good for their imaginations. The picture Shika had drawn of Taner was quite accurate really, especially for a child of such young age. It was terribly funny, I have to admit, although at the time, I certainly wouldn’t. In fact, Katie and I had quite a row over this. But…” Her voice trailed off as Ber entered the magnificent front foyer of the house, where the life-sized portrait of Duke Berkan graced the wall.
As Leta-Reta stood before the ornate wood doors, and the shiny brass knocker of the Korelesk manor house, for a moment it was almost as if they had been whisked back in time.
“Our palace looked a lot like this,” Reta whispered. “Do you remember our butler, Jeff-Rey? I wonder what happened to him. He was always so very nice to us.”
“Of course, I remember him,” Leta snapped, and then, immediately apologized for sounding so uptight.
The truth was, she was nervous, so very anxious about meeting with the Duchess. When their heart pounded and their blood raced liked this, the emotions manifested differently in each of the sister heads. Leta became anxious, while Reta grew terribly excited.
“Oh, I can’t wait to meet the Duchess,” Reta squealed. Reaching out to lift the knocker, Leta snapped at her sister once again.
“Remember, we’re here to find Ber-Kie, in order to bring him back to Marik. We have to remember where our loyalties lie.”
“Right.”
The door swung open to reveal a man with pale blonde hair, and curious ice gray eyes, as light as the color of water on a clear day.
“Marik?” Reta gasped.
“You can't be Marik,” Leta scoffed.
Marik had red hair, and Marik was presently in Farku. Still, except for the hair, the man was as close in resemblance to their young master as if they were each one of two heads.
“No, I’m not Marik,” the young fellow replied, studying the dual-headed woman before him. “Who are you? What do you want of the house of Korelesk?”
Leta immediately assumed he was a bigot, someone who hated the two-headed races simple because of what they were.
“You’re a racist!” Leta declared, bunching her hand into a fist. “What’s your problem? Have you never seen a two-headed woman before, you single headed scum?”
“Princess Leta-Reta?” Ber gasped, as the realization struck him like a bolt of lightning. He looked down at their blue travelling robe with disbelief. “Don’t tell me you’ve become a Rossorian too?”
“Oh no,” Reta cried, pushing off her hood, and staring intently at the young man’s face. He did look familiar, but she thought that was due to the resemblance to Marik. Did they know him from somewhere else, and if so, where?” “We’ve only dressed this way, because we’re traveling incognito. Do we know you? Surely, you must be one of the Korelesks.”
“I am,” Ber replied, stepping back into the hall.
He held the door open while quickly trying to come up with an explanation of who he was without alarming them. They would never believe he was Ber of the Ber-Kie duo, and telling them of Kie’s death might shock them too much. Frankly, he was completely taking off guard by their appearance at the manor house’s door.
While in school, Ber had known Leta-Reta, but only from a distance as they were a princess and far to upper crust for the Angelica’s bastard son. There was also a rumor they had their heart set on Ren-Ste, although his roommate’s inclinations didn’t run in that direction. In any case, at this moment, Ber’s heart was leaping with unexpected delight as the lady stepped into the hallway and looked around.
Was she always this beautiful, he wondered? Did she always have such thick and shiny auburn locks? Were her faces always as pale, and smooth as soft ice cream?
“What are you staring at?” Leta snapped. “You act like you’ve never seen a dual head before.”
“Well, I…” Ber began, but Leta interrupted.
“Save it. We’re here to see the Duchess. Please announce us. We have business with the Lady.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Ber replied, and stumbled away, his head in a fog, and his heart beating double time with exhilaration.
Luci wasn’t in the mood for visitors, so when Ber returned to the dining room and informed her of the guests, she begged their pardon and retired to her suite.
“I shall meet them in the morning,” she told him. “See them to an empty suite, of which we have many. Goodnight, dear.” She kissed him on th
e cheek.
In her bedroom, Luci took off her heavy gown, and all the jewelry she wore each day, before unpinning her mane of thick gray curls. Once upon a time, her hair was a bright blue-red, and once upon a time, her body was big and round. Now, she was so thin, she could encircle each wrist with a finger and thumb. Her clothes hung from her frame like a shapeless drape, no matter how many tucks her seamstress made.
“What difference does it make?” she told herself, wincing at the reflection in the mirror. “No one is here to look at me, or appreciate my lost beauty.”
But, as Luci gazed at her sad image in the glass, she knew it wasn’t her physical appearance that was making her so depressed. Inside, she was lonely and wistful for a time when her house was filled with joy. She missed the sound of her boys running up and down the staircase, and the front bell ringing to announce the arrival of her friends.
Now, she had only Ber, and while she was enormously grateful for his presence, a young man shouldn’t be confined to old house with an even older lady. He needed to find himself, and hopefully, his true love along the way. In the morning, she decided, she’d again encourage him to venture to Rozari, and join the Imperial Court.
Luci put her night cream upon her face, and brushed her hair one hundred strokes. She tied it up in a knot, and climbed into her king-sized four poster bed. She patted the pillow where Berkan’s head had always lain, touching her finger to her lips as if to kiss.
“Goodnight, dear,” she told it as she always did. “Pleasant dreams, my darling, my love. Godspeed to Marik and Petya and their wives, our grandchildren, and great-grandson, Ber.”
Luci lay down and stared across the room, out the windows at the forest and beyond, at the same landscape, the same sky, and the same stars.
“Katie,” she said aloud, in the same manner she did every night. “I’m so very lonely tonight. I should really like to join you wherever you are.”
Sometimes, Katie would answer. She’d say things like, “Luci, you know you hate traveling in space.” Other times, she apologize saying, “I’m on a mission very far away. When I return, we’ll get back to our old routine. You and me, girlfriend, just like we were before, BFF’s, soul sisters, and all that.”
