The Destiny of Amalah (82 page)

The carriage arrived and it drove them to the place where Kalon was to be buried and when the carriage came to a standstill, Michael got out first and he helped everyone else out after him. Häkan and Thaddeus stepped out of their carriage and they walked to where their friends were standing and joined them.

They walked in silence and after a while, they heard the sound of two more horse and carriages. They were carrying Kalon, the guard and the celebrant; the carriages rode at a slow pace until they arrived yards from Garrick and the others and once in position, they then came to a full stop.

The celebrant and the six guards got out of the carriage and joined Garrick and the others and when the celebrant gave the signal, he and the six went to the carriage that was holding Kalon’s coffin. Michael led Garrick and Ellora to the place where Kalon was to be buried and they gathered around the hole in the ground and waited.

The six men gently lifted Kalon’s coffin from the carriage and hoisted it onto their shoulders and walked towards Garrick and Ellora and the celebrant walked in front, leading them on to their place. The celebrant stopped at the foot of the hole and then walked around to the other side of the hole. The first two guardsmen walked to the edge of the hole and stood opposite the celebrant. Thaddeus moved away from Häkan and stood next to the celebrant. Thaddeus nodded to the two guardsmen and they moved their hands away from Kalon’s coffin and put them down by their sides; the other four followed suit by putting their hands down by their sides, until Kalon’s coffin was resting on their shoulders.

Thaddeus outstretched his arms and pointed them at the coffin and then raised them into the air and as his hands rose, so did the coffin. It levitated into the air and then he brought one hand towards him at the same time and as his hands moved, Kalon’s coffin came towards him. Thaddeus worked his magic until the coffin was directly above the hole in the ground where he let it hover from there.

The celebrant began to speak and after a few minutes, his sermon came to an end and he signalled to Thaddeus, who used his magic to slowly lower Kalon into the ground. Garrick and Ellora watched as Kalon was lowered and when the coffin entered the hole and Garrick saw his son, he cried out.

‘No Kalon, No!’ Garrick cried as he went forward to try and retrieve his son. ‘God please, do not do this to me, bring him back,’ Garrick begged, as he fell to the ground onto his knees. He began to frantically move the soil that was falling on Kalon’s coffin and then frantically claw his way through to the coffin. ‘Kalon, no – don’t leave me don’t go. To the gods I beg of you – no – bring him back,’ he cried desperately. ‘No, no, no.’

Michael and Häkan moved to Garrick’s side and they tried to pick him up from the floor but Garrick would not be moved. The two men knelt down besides Garrick and held on to him; Häkan knelt behind Garrick and put his arms across his chest so that he could hold him back.

‘Why Häkan – why?’ Garrick asked tearfully.

‘I do not know,’ said Häkan.

‘Why Michael?’ Garrick asked.

‘I know not either,’ Michael replied.

‘It should have been me; I should have gone instead of Kalon. I should never have sent him to Basimine – oh god forgive me,’ he wailed.

Garrick’s outburst was too much for Ellora and she too burst into tears. Amara and Thaddeus were at her side and they held onto her as she cried for Kalon, her lover and her soul mate and she cried for her pain and for Garrick’s pain, which as an empath, she felt first hand.

Garrick was distraught and inconsolable and Häkan and Michael could do nothing for him except be there for him and to hold him. The soil now completely covered Kalon and his coffin and he was now out of sight to Garrick as he sunk lower and lower into the ground and all Garrick could do, was watch the soil crumble into the ground and rise up again until there was an even surface. He stared at the soil for an age; he stared hoping that he would be able to see through it and see where his son would eventually lay but he knew he would not be able to and so he stared and he wept and he grieved for his youngest son whom he had loved more than life itself.

Eventually Häkan and Michael were able to lift Garrick from the ground and when he was on his feet, they led him back to his house. They all entered and sat down in Garrick’s lounge. They sat and talked and comforted and consoled Garrick and Ellora. They talked of Kalon and their memories of him and all of them said kind and wonderful things about him.

As the day went on and evening came, it was time for Thaddeus and Häkan to leave first. They spoke with Garrick and promised him that if he needed anything, they would be there for him. Garrick thanked them and the two men left, but not before they offered their condolences to Ellora and extended their promises to her. Night time had arrived now and only Garrick, Ellora, Amara and Michael remained in the house. Michael rose to his feet and went to Garrick’s side.

‘My friend it is time for us to leave now; will you remain here or will you come back to the palace with us?’

‘I cannot remain here,’ Garrick replied. ‘The pain...’

‘I know my friend,’ Michael said, patting Garrick on the arm.

‘I will pack some things for you now if you would like, then you can remain at the palace for as long as you would like.’

Garrick nodded and then spoke: ‘Thank you.’

‘Wait here Garrick and I will fetch you when we are ready.’

Garrick nodded his head and Michael rose to his feet; he went to Garrick’s room and packed some of his things. When Michael was done he went to the horse and carriage and put Garrick’s things on it. He then returned to the house and nodded at Amara and she in turn, led Ellora to the carriage. Michael looked at his friend for a while, he was desperately sorry for him and he hoped that in his lifetime he never suffered the pain that Garrick was suffering now. He went to his friend’s side and touched him on the shoulder gently.

‘We are ready now Garrick.’

Garrick looked up at Michael and nodded. He slowly rose to his feet and when he did, he stood still; Michael took him by the arm and led him out of the house. Michael left Garrick at the front and returned to secure everything, when he had finished, he returned to Garrick and the two of them made their way to the carriage. When they climbed in and closed the door, the carriage driver began the journey back to the palace. When the four of them arrived back, it was late; they climbed out and Michael took hold of Garrick’s things and Garrick turned to Michael and took them.

‘Thank you,’ Garrick said simply. ‘But now I need time alone.’

‘I understand,’ Michael said, as he stepped forward and hugged him. ‘If you need anything.’

‘I know.’

Garrick turned to Amara and Ellora and embraced them both before he went into the palace and made his way to his room. Amara, Ellora and Michael walked into the palace together and when they reached the bottom of the steps, Ellora stopped and turned to Amara.

‘Like Garrick, I wish to be left alone.’

‘Ellora are you sure, I can stay with you,’ Amara said.

‘I am sure and I know you would stay with me, but I really need to be by myself. Thank you Amara, I could not have gotten through this day without you or the ones before it after Kalon died. Thank you too Michael.’

Ellora leaned forward and kissed her sister and then Michael and then made her way up the stairs to her room. Michael and Amara watched as she did so and when she was out of sight the two of them stood alone at the bottom of the stairs.

‘I don’t want to be alone tonight Michael,’ Amara said.

‘You won’t be,’ he said.

He took hold of her hand and held her gaze, and then he cupped her face in his hand and brought her closer to him. He kissed her on the forehead and then led her upstairs to her room. The two of them prepared for bed and when Michael climbed in next to her, she moved closer to him. He wrapped his arms around her and she rested her head on his chest and held onto him. She snuggled into his neck and he kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair.

‘I feel so sad Michael.’

‘I know; I do too.’

‘When I am not sad I am scared and I wonder if this is the way things are going to be from now on.’

‘No they will not,’ he said vehemently. ‘We live in troubled times and there will be sadness but it will not always be. We will fight long and hard and we will be triumphant and our lives will return to what they once were.’

‘I hope so.’

‘I know so.’

‘How can you be so sure?’

‘Because we faced this before and we won and we started again.’

‘I wonder what fates will befall us,’ she asked.

‘I do not know but whatever it is, I hope I am by your side.’

‘So do I,’ she said as she lifted her head up to kiss him.

He kissed her back and then she rested her head back on his chest. She closed her eyes and fell asleep and Michael held her as she slept. He wondered what fate would befall him and her; he had been in love with her for so long and now that he was able to start sharing his love and his life with her, he hoped that it would not be snatched away by a cruel twist of fate.

Michael lay in the dark thinking about her and the both of them together and then he thought of the world the way it was now and he wondered about the future. “It was all so fragile.” he thought to himself. He finally brought his thoughts back to the present and he was happy to live in the here and now, with Amara in his arms. He wanted to stay that way forever and when he closed his eyes, he thought of doing so until he drifted off to sleep.

The next day the palace was buzzing with activity; everyone knew that there was only three months before they would have to face Rakan, Waldon, Kenaz and Rufus and their army and they knew that they would need every single minute of every single day to prepare and to face them.

Every day Häkan and then a few days later, Garrick, would train the guard. They split the guard into groups, ensuring that the experienced ones were among the inexperienced ones. They trained hard and they fought every day, they fought hand to hand or with swords or daggers, or with both. The people of each nation brought different skills and techniques and they shared them with each other. Callan and John worked even harder than the rest of the guard, when the guard was dismissed for the day, they would still be sparring, or running, or training their bodies.

Everyone in the palace had something to do; there were two nations to be evacuated and food to be supplied and stored and an army to clothe and feed. The teachers from the schools of sorcery had now arrived in Amalah and were also preparing for battle and they went about their days teaching those who had the power of magic and honing their own skills. Thaddeus and Amara were among the teachers and they spent everyday helping others. Zach was among the students but it was clear to all that he was a most powerful sorcerer, despite not having attended any of the schools or been tutored before.

‘You are very powerful Zach, how long have you had your gift?’ Amara asked him.

‘Since I was a young boy; I used to wish for things and they would appear sometimes. Other times, I would just know what to say to make something happen.’

‘Well I and everyone at the palace are glad that you are here and that you have chosen to fight with us.’

‘This is everyone’s fight,’ he replied.

Garrick and Häkan had their work cut out for them; not only did they have to train the guard but they had to ensure that Amalah was defended and they also had to ensure that the palace was impenetrable, for it was their last line of defence and it was where the crucial decisions were being made. Over the next few months Amara’s home went from being a palace to becoming a heavily defended fortress. It saddened Amara and Ellora to see their home, which they loved so dearly, change so drastically but they knew that they must defend the palace: for it was at the heart of everything.

As the days went on Amalah and its people underwent a transformation. Amalah was now home to many of the people who had been displaced from the five nations as well as the people who already lived there. Despite the huge influx of people into the nation everyone pulled together and did what they could to prepare for the coming months.

As Amalah was transforming, Seth and Imogen arrived in the city. They went straight to the palace where they found Zach, John, Zinzi and Hannah. The friends were glad to see each other and when they had caught up, John and Zach took them to meet the Empress, who at the time was with Garrick, Häkan, Michael and Callan Knight. They introduced each other and Imogen and Seth told of what they had seen and where they had been.

‘I Imogen of Filine, returned to warn my family and friends of what was about to happen. I had seen what had taken place in Mantor and I was determined that the same fate would not befall my loved ones.’

‘What happened?’ Amara asked.

‘I arrived in Filine with Seth ahead of the army but then they arrived, and they swept through the jungles like a swarm of pests – they overtook us. They swept past us, killing everyone and everything in their wake – my family included,’ Imogen said in a distant voice. ‘They were all gone: mama, papa, my brothers and sisters, and every single one of my aunts, uncles and cousins.

Now I was following their trail and I saw that they were joined by the Hittite’s and the Inca’s. It was pre-arranged, for when they met, they laughed like true conspirators and joined forces. Then I knew they were unstoppable. As you know, John came here to Amalah but Seth and I, followed them to Basimine. I wanted to come to Amalah but there were soldiers everywhere and it was proving impossible to move. We spent weeks in the forest just avoiding them; we also wanted to go to Equer and warn the people there.’