The Journey into the Forgotten Lands

Chapter 3

Zoe

Shit…shit…and fucking shit. I can´t believe Kema is here. He never leaves Traman unless things get really bad, but he normally sends his Demons to do his dirty work. I wonder which person escaped death. That doesn't matter now, Damon, Mal, and I just need to keep on kneeling so he won't send us to his realm. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Castteel starting to get up off of the King of Morta. I hold my hand up so he doesn't draw attention to himself, but fucking shit it drew Kema´s attention onto me.
¨Now here are two people that I haven't seen in a long time,¨ Kema drawls in the language of the gods, towards Damon, and me.
I keep my head low. I see that the other rulers and if their generals are here are starting to stir. Someone that looks exactly like Aiden starts to get up except his hair is past his shoulders. If I do anything it could bring Sona here and…shit if she comes here everything I've worked for will be lost. The only thing I can do is go into the others' minds and relay If you don't want to die stay down. Kema will kill you if he thinks you're going to attack. He's here for a reason, let him state it and let him leave.
I get out of their minds before they start to question me getting into their minds. I look up a little bit to see Kema smiling at me as if he knows what I just did. Then he starts to speak in the common tongue and says to all of us, ¨You have disgraced us. The kingdoms have forgotten us and we no longer get any recognition for things. If we are remembered it is bits and pieces. There are only two people who remember us fully and they will lead you into Traman. Once there you must find the temple of the Gods and there you will find Sona. She will tell you what you need to do to get on our good side again. Plus this will stop this war because you will either figure out your differences or someone will kill you all and that person will rule all the kingdoms.¨
Once he is done giving us our mission he is gone in a flash of darkness, just as he arrived. Once I know for sure Kema is gone I get up and help Mal and Damon up as well. I turn to see that the others are staring at us like we are ghosts.
¨What in the fucking hell was that?¨ The King of Malta exclaims pushing Castteel off of him to get up.
¨The proper term is: ¨What in the fucking bones was that?¨I tell him stalling because I don´t know what it fucking was.
They all seem to be regaining their minds and all start to get up. The King of Somanta asks, ¨What did he mean to go to Traman? That place does not exist.¨
I shrug and tell him, ¨It does exist but you´re probably too young to remember.¨
¨What do you mean too young!¨ He exclaimed to me, ¨ I´m JJ King of Somanta. I´m 180 years old.¨
I laugh at him and ask him, ¨Well JJ King of Somanta do you know who that was? Do you know how old I am? Do you know who founded my kingdom?¨
He looks sheepishly and the floor and says, ¨I only know that your name is Zoe, you´re the Queen of Rakatala, and you´re fucking old..¨
¨Okay, that means you´re too young to remember.,¨ I tell him and ask the others, ¨Can any of you answer the questions I just asked him?¨
I start to tap my foot and just as I was going to tell them, Aiden says, ¨ If I remember correctly from the texts I've read, that was Kema God of Death and King of the Gods. I believe you´re over 16,000 years old from the exchange I heard between Cas and you. For who founded Rakatala I have no clue.¨
I tip my head towards him and I decide I like him. He is good and I love that his kingdom has text about Traman when it is normally Damon and I have to tell people. After doing some recollection of what life was like when I was younger, I tell him,¨You´re right, that was Kema, I am over 16,000 years old. If you want the exact age I´m 16,650 years old. For who founded Rakatala it was the Goddess Zoe and her brother Damon.¨
I hear everyone inhale at the same time as I tell them I was named after the Goddess.
¨So you have the blood of the Gods in you?¨ The General of Malta asks me.
¨Both Damon and I do,¨ I tell her and I think Castteel said her name was Athena.
¨What did he mean about going to Traman? And find Sona,¨ Athena says but I think it's more of a question if she's saying everything correctly. I nod towards her to let her know that she is saying everything correctly.
I look towards Castteel and it seems like he's trying to piece together a puzzle by the look on his face. I decide that I want to get him out of his mind by asking, ¨Is there any place where we can sit and discuss what Kema said?¨
¨Yes there is,¨ Castteel and he gestures towards the table and chairs that are behind me. One of the chairs is pushed backwards as if someone had been sitting in it and someone had been…me.
¨Any particular chair that can't be sat in or is any chair up for grabs?¨ I ask him starting to walk towards the table.
¨Actually there is,¨ A gruff voice says from behind me.
I roll my eyes because I already know which chair it is. But instead, I ask, ¨Which chair is that?¨
¨The chair that you had been lounging in when I first came in here,¨ Castteel says coolly like he is trying to keep calm.
I take the seat that´s at the other end of the table. It's right across from where Castteel has to sit. I sit as I was when Castteel came into the room. My legs hanging over one side of the chair and using the other armrest as a backrest. I get odd looks from the others, even Mal and Damon. Plus it's more comfortable with my wings. I just shrug at them, once everyone is seated I ask, ¨Before we start I would like to know the names of all of you. I already know Castteels´, Aidens´, Athena's, and JJ´s names.¨
¨Only if your companions tell us theirs,¨ Castteel told me.
¨Okay.¨
¨My name is Malcula or Mal,¨ Mal tells them, ¨I prefer is you call me Mal.¨
Damon takes a deep breath and says, ¨My name is Damon.¨
¨So how are you all related and stuff?¨ Aiden asks
I look at him for a second and then say, ¨D is my twin brother and Mal is my son.¨
¨Who´s the father?¨ JJ blurts out almost immediately after I'm done speaking.
I shrug and as I´m about to say something Athena says, ¨Lor the male we tortured and killed at the order of our fathers.¨
She looks at me and I shrug at her. With that she tells us, ¨If you look at the similarities between Her, Lor, and Mal you´ll see he takes after her in hair, ears, wings, and height. But he has iridescent horns and blue eyes, which are from Lor if I remember his description correctly. But I don't know where he gets the star pupils from.¨
I´m astonished that she knows this much. She's very quiet I´ll give her that, but what she doesn´t say is saved as information.
¨Were you just speechless at Thenes information she gathered?̈ JJ asks me.
I flip him off and as I say, ¨Anyways we gave you the names you wanted now hold up your end.¨
¨My name is Kirean King of Wemola,¨ said the same gruff voice from earlier.
¨My name is Luc General of Wemola,¨ a lighter version of the gruff one said.
I look at them and see they look exactly the same. Their hair is silver with green streaks in it, their eyes are an emerald green, and their skin is dark from being outside all the time. The only difference is that Kirean has shoulder-length hair and Luc doesn´t.
¨I´m Aries King of Malta,¨ he said to me. I roll my eyes at him. With what he looks like it's a wonder someone hasn't killed him and taken his title. Well, he probably uses Athena as a shield. I don't even think he's related to her with his crimson-colored eyes, pale skin that would burn to a crisp if it was exposed to the sun for too long, and even his hair is weak and limp. His hair is a brown color and the only thing that seems to be strong on him is his onyx horns. His pupils are a circle like all people from Malta, Wemola, Kamala, and Somanta.
¨Sweetheart I´m Adam,¨ A voice says. The voice he uses is one you would use with a lover.
I roll my eyes at him and notice he's the one that looks exactly like Aiden but with hair that goes past his shoulders. He must be the General of Centola. Most of the time a ruler will make their sibling the General if they are made ruler.
¨Last but not least we have a general,¨ I say pointing at the cloaked figure sitting by Castteel and JJ.
The cloaked male I figure out laughs. I recognize the laugh, it´s Xen. I´m out of the chair and running towards him faster than anyone can track. He's barely out of the chair before I give him a hug that takes us both to the ground. He returns the hug just as fiercely as I am hugging him. He laughs again this time lighter then he tells me, ¨It's good to see you and before you ask Cally and Zack are doing great.¨
I pull back and take in his features, they haven't changed much since I last saw him. His eyes are the same silver they have always been, his nose slightly crooked from the first time I met him. That punch I gave him set off a lifelong Philia. Then the scar that slashes through his lips that Cally gave him when they first met and found out they were Anánkē. I look to see the hood of his cloak slipped and I see his auburn hair hasn't changed a bit…wait are there gray hairs in his hair?
¨Are those gray hairs?¨ I ask Xen genuinely shocked.
¨Yes, Zack has been doing some dumb shit lately that's been scaring the shit out of me,¨ Xen replies.
I laugh and get off of him and give him a hand to get up. He takes my hand and once he is up I ask him, ¨Has he become a guard?¨
Xen looks nervous at me and then says, ¨Yes.¨
¨Shit.¨
¨He would never…¨
¨He would,¨ I cut him off with, ¨He's been working at this since he was 16. If he were ordered to, he would. He's just like me when I was a guard for the bitch. I would've done anything to get her favor. Is he working as one of Kema´s punishers or one of her actual guards?¨
¨Both,¨ was what Xen replied with.
¨Double shit.¨
¨Like you said he's just like you,¨ Xen tries to joke but fails.
I give him a half-hearted half-smile. I head back to my seat just to find everyone staring and Xen´s and mine exchange. I shrug and tell them, ¨It´s been a while since I saw him.¨
I start to walk back when JJ asks, ¨ Are you the Aliner of the Stars?¨
¨You can remember Xen but can´t remember the Gods?¨ Damon asks under his breath.
¨What did he say?¨ JJ asks and that's when I take his features in for the first time. His hair is long and the same color as his feathered wings are ashen gray, with gray eyes. His face has an arrogance to it that he shows when he speaks. His ears are rounded and his pupils are a circle.
I look directly at him and say, ¨None of your fucking concern.¨
He looks shocked at my talking to him like that and asks me, ¨What is your fucking problem with everything?”
I take a deep breath and say to him, “You trying to get up in everyone´s fucking business. Some things are better left not heard or heard by the right people!¨
He stands and I feel the air change, two can play that game. I draw shadows around me and have fire ignite along my arms. There are gasps from around the room from my power. JJ doesn't back down with his arrogance that is going to get him killed one day. I look towards him and see he starting to regret his choice, so I tell him in a lethal calm, ¨You can either try to fight me and lose or you can stand down and we can discuss what my…¨
I cut myself off before I finished what I was saying. JJ looks amused at my cutting myself off and asks, ¨Going to finish your original statement or are you going to come up with another thing to say in its place?¨
¨Never question why I stop on things,¨ I tell him starting to walk around the table, ¨You want to question it you can after we please Sona.¨
Once I´m on the other side of the table does he question, ¨So you're saying if we survive this mission, we can question you on stuff?¨
¨ I'm saying you´ll have all the answers you´ll need after this quest,¨ I tell him and draw WindBreaker. Flames ignite along the blade, only then do I say, ¨Just as Kema said either we all get to Sona or someone will kill others.¨
JJ draws the sword at his side and asks, ¨Why do you change what people have said even when it´s the right fucking thing?¨
I raise my eyebrow at him and say, ¨You´re not saying some things correctly, so I´m telling you what to say instead.¨
JJ laughs at that and I ask him, ¨What's so funny?¨
¨You think you know everything just because of how old you are,¨he says through his laughter.
¨I know bones of a lot more than you do!¨ I yelled at him.
¨Why do you say bones instead of the proper term hell?¨ He exclaims towards me.
I take a deep breath and try not to swing WindBreaker at him. I succeeded at not swinging the sword at him. Once I am calm enough I tell him, ¨Οστά
or Bones is what you call the part of Traman Kema presides over. Serial and Comala preside over λάκκους μάχης. Zoe and Damon preside over κόλαση or hell. They also preside over Kema´s φυλακή.¨
JJ looks at me astonished at speaking in the language of the gods. I hear Castteel say, ¨Wow, you speak that beautifully. Is that where you get that accent from?¨
I turn to him and with a puzzled expression ask, ¨I have an accent?¨
I waited for an answer but it was Athena who said, ¨You may not notice it because it is something you have had all of your life. But for us, it is very noticeable because it isn't what we hear daily.¨
¨Okay, I just thought we all spoke this way,¨ I say as I put WindBreaker back. They openly gawk at me for putting it away with the dark fire still on it. I turn and return to my seat, in the same position as before.
¨So, how do we get to Traman,¨ Luc drawls from where he is sitting. I look at him and he seems disappointed the fight between JJ and I ended before it got really bad and bloody.
Wolves and their taste for blood.
¨Through shadow or light traveling,¨ Mal says as he puts his booted feet on the table.
¨Wha…wha…what?¨ Kirean asks as if he's never heard of it before.
I shrug at him and say, ¨If you have shadow or light powers like Damon and I, you already have the major part for it. The tricky part is figuring out whether you have enough control over your powers and if you´re powerful enough.¨
They look at me as if I´ve grown two more heads. But the look on Castteel´s face tells me he's starting to put it together with what I said. He takes a deep breath and asks, "So I might be able to do light traveling?¨
¨How much light or power do you have over light?¨ I ask him wondering cause this will be vital to the quest.
He thinks for a moment or he's going into his power to see. Once he is done light flares as he says, ¨I have good control over my powers and it seems like I have a good amount of power.¨
I turn my head towards him and say, ¨With how that light flared from you it doesn't seem like you have good control. But that may just be something that happens all the time. As for figuring out how much power you have, we need to do a test.¨
¨What type of test?¨He asks, his face going pale.
¨The best type of test,¨ I tell him as I smile so wide it probably looks like I'm insane. Castteel´s face is now completely devoid of color now. I get out of my seat and draw one of my many daggers, as I walk towards his seat.