Beyond

The Palace

The Palace of Auru sat in the very back of the city. Haiv and his father walked four hours before they reached it. They passed so many houses covered in so many strange designs that Haiv never grew bored. There was an enormous allgyn trampling a field of tiny white iphants. He saw one man whose face was blue, like a Lionian, but his body was a reddish brown like Yinco's people on the Island of Sounds. Also, Haiv could see his entire body. These people had absolutely no shame. Though Haiv wasn't sure he'd be too embarrassed either, if he were dead.

It was rather strange walking around all these dead folks. Haiv didn't know how Wakzil could tell that these were dead and he was living. Everyone looked pretty much the same. There was no ghostly aura around the pedestrians they passed. No sign to show Haiv there was something different about them. They all seemed very much alive.

"I'm sorry I sold you to Rodigan."

The apology came so unexpectedly that Haiv almost said, "It's alright," out of habit. He caught himself and remembered the anguish and confusion he'd felt when Hailoh's Japis confirmed that Haiv was Rodigan's slave.

"Why did you do it?" Haiv asked, calmly.

"I didn't," Hailoh said, then quickly went on. "I traded my own freedom for Rodigan's shadow. When I died, you were all he had left of me, so he claimed you, as was legally his right."

Hailoh must have seen Haiv's unconvinced expression because he said, "Let me start from the beginning. When your mother died, my world fell apart. I was selfish and couldn't let her go. She would have come here, and found her way to the Palace without me. And after that, who knows if I would have ever found her again.

"Years went by, and I found employment on The Adamantes. As you got older, I started to see more of your mother in you and I realized how selfish I had been to keep a part of her with me, but I didn't know that you were born a Hekea, let alone part of the To-Free class. If I had, I would have taught you magic from the time you could talk. I made the trade with Rodigan because I wanted something I could use as leverage to get him to take me to Beyond so I could find a Hekea who could Free Lua. The only thing I had to offer for trade was myself.

"When I knew I was dying, I could not abandon you to take my place alone, so I Bound myself to The Adamantes so I could keep an eye on you and make certain Rodigan didn't overstep himself."

"Which he did several times," Haiv pointed out. "And you didn't do anything."

"Yes." Hailoh admitted as they passed between two gigantic statues of animal-headed men. "And it was difficult for me to watch what he did to you. I was walking a delicate line, because I needed Rodigan to get to Beyond. I couldn't teach you how to use your abilities, so I had to wait until you got here and learned enough to Free me. Rodigan knew what the necklace was and what value it held to me. If he thought I was backing out on our bargain...I don't know what he would have done."

"That was why you stopped the ship, so Cap'n Cressy would give me the necklace," Haiv realized. "You wanted to take it out of play."

Hailoh nodded. "But that only made things worse."

"It worked though," Haiv reminded him. The explanations didn't necessarily make things any better, but his father said them with such remorse and with the pain of being unable to speak these things for six years. "The cap'n did give me the necklace eventually."

His father smiled at him gratefully, but Haiv could still see the guilt in his eyes. It reminded him for some reason of Rodigan before Haiv had Freed him. Though, Rodigan had never looked guilty in the slightest that Haiv could remember. The comparison made sense though. Rodigan and Hailoh were both broken men. After all, that's what life does. It grinds and cuts and bashes and bruises. And what's left is a husk. A shadow of what used to be.

Haiv's purpose became clear to him now. Auru had created the Hekea to guide souls to the Palace. The only way to do that was to love them. Why? Because only with love can a person look past impurities and mistakes and mannerisms and see the person underneath. Only with love can a person recognize potential. And only love can patiently wait while a soul failed again and again and still encourage them to do better.

Next to Haiv, Hailoh stopped walking. Haiv followed his gaze and his jaw dropped. A building—if it could even be called a building—stood before them. It filled the sky in every direction. It shone a brilliant gold, as if it had been freshly brought from the forge of a god. White radiant light spilled from every window.

The Palace of Auru.

The pink mist in the air seemed more energetic here. It bounced against the carved golden walls playfully. The carvings themselves were spectacular. Lifelike images of billions and billions of people. Haiv got the feeling they were real people. The portraits of all those who had been worthy to enter the Palace.

"Haivan!" a woman's voice called.

Both of them looked away from the incredible structure to find a lovely woman hurrying toward them. Her brown hair was short and wavy, and her frame was slim. She had Haiv's eyes, but it was her warm smile that told Haiv who she was. His mother.

"Lua!" Hailoh cried and wrapped his arms around his wife's waist. He buried his face in her neck and openly sobbed.

Hailua stroked his hair, but caught Haiv watching them. She winked at him as if saying, "He's being so dramatic, just give him a second."

Haiv grinned. He liked her.

His father was stammering out apologies. For letting her die. For not letting her go to Beyond. For trapping her in a necklace for fourteen years. She pulled away and pointed a stern finger at his nose.

"Listen to me Hailoh. Yes, it was hard and uncomfortable and confusing. Part of me was here, and part of me was with you. And maybe you shouldn't have done it, but don't forget, never forget, that because you Bound me, I got to watch my son grow up." Tears welled up in her eyes and she turned to Haiv.

Her arms opened to him and he stepped into them. It was new and familiar all at the same time. She was tiny but strong, and her grip on him was possessive. That felt good. He could stay in her embrace forever, and he would always know that he was cherished.

He was very pleased to see that he was taller than her by a finger-width.

Haiv loosened his grip, but his mother only pulled him tighter. She was trembling, and soon she was kissing him all over his head, face, and hands. When she'd finally had enough, she stepped back and stared at him with wide eyes. Her eyes were green.

Hailoh put an arm around her shoulder. Haiv looked up at him, grief quickly replacing the joy in his heart.

"You're leaving now, aren't you?"

His father nodded. "It's time for us to move on."

"We'll find you again," Hailua insisted, gripping Haiv's hand tighter. "I swear it. We'll find you again when it's your time to come to the Palace. We'll find you, and we'll be a family again."

Haiv tried to smile, but it didn't quite come out right. He had been reunited with both of his parents and he was losing them again all in a matter of hours. But if he had learned anything from his father was that he needed to let go. They would find each other again.

He didn't move as he watched his parents turn, hand-in-hand and walk to the bottom of the grand staircase that stretched up into the heavens. They turned toward each other and looked back at him, as though wishing he could come too. But they were dead, and he was not. Even as a Hekea, there were places he could not go.

His parents began the climb. Though the staircase looked endless, it felt too soon when Haiv could no longer distinguish their forms from the others making their way into the Palace of Auru.

Haiv wiped his eyes on the back of his hand. He'd been an orphan before. It was a little lonely sometimes, but it wasn't too bad. Besides, he would be busy. There were loads of dead people in this place, and most of them were trapped outside the Palace. Haiv would Free them. He would Free them until he died, and then he could let his mother fulfill her promise.

It wasn't exactly a solid, flawless plan.

But at least it was better than mutiny.