The Lost Kingdom (The Fifth Element Chronicles)

Chapter 13 [part 1]

I could start a war.

That's how important I had become.

With just my presence, I could trigger a series of events that would end in a war between Kingdoms.

No one could see me.

Caelus and I were very different, always disagreeing, but on that, on that we both agreed. If someone saw me in this Kingdom without having introduced myself, without being an official visit, it could be a claim of spying that would lead to a conflict that I could not even think of.

I could not allow it to happen.

Somehow, we were to survive two days in Eurus without anyone suspecting our presence.

'Don't get desperate,' Caelus told me as we began to descend the mountain.

'I'm not... I just...' I didn't quite know what to say. I did not want to confess my fear. I still felt I had to show myself strong to Caelus, all the while keeping it that way.

'I know someone who might be able to help us, she' s going to remind me every day of her life, but if I ask her for help, she will help us.'

'Please don't tell me she's another inn keeper, do you go all over the Kingdoms befriending them?'

Caelus paused for a second, he swallowed a comment he might have wanted to tell me, which surprised me.

Was he controlling himself from fighting me?

'Gladys is not just anyone. She lost her whole family when the magic went away. She always saw me as a son, she spoils me, takes care of me and I just let her do it.'

I couldn't help but look at him in surprise.

'I'm not as bad as I look, you know?'

He continued walking down the hill and I didn't quite know what to say.

He was right.

The last test had shown me that what I believed about him wasn't entirely true.

He wasn't the monster I thought he was. Because that monster would have thrown me off the edge without hesitation. But he didn't. He helped me across.

Anyway, there was something that didn't quite feel right to me.

'If you're not so bad, why are even your friends afraid of you?'

'There's a difference between fear and respect. My people have respect for me, a respect that took me many years to build. Those who don't know me do fear me. And a good thing they do.'

I couldn't believe his arrogance, his overbearing way of dealing with life. Why did he always need to appear strong and invincible? Didn't he realize he wasn't going to scare me?

'So, the person we are going to see, does she fear you or respect you?'

'I'm afraid of her.'

So she was a special woman to him.

I should have suspected it, for sure it was one of Caelus' 'friends'.

He stepped forward a few paces, almost to the end of the descent, and turned around.

From his bag, he again took out the mask he had already forced me to wear and simply walked over to me and carefully put it on.

'I don't want to have to do it again... you know... what happened at the inn.'

I thought it would be a funny memory, something embarrassing we should have done in a complicated situation. But after that reaction, something didn't entirely set right.