Sword of Flames [Book I] - {#Wattys2017}

Chapter 13 - Her Hefty Promise

Chapter 13 - Her Hefty Promise

Zikarith stared at Levana, then Itbek, and then Levana again. "I had no say in this," he spat, shocking his siblings with his negative attitude. "Grandmother, why?"

She told Levana to stretch her hand across the table, and when she did, she held it firmly without any intent of letting go. Their interlocked fingers sat there, close enough to the food to feel the radiating heat transferring to her arm sleeve.

"This girl right here is important to the king." Levana felt uneasy as such a statement was thrown into the air about her. "If you help her find the swords, our family can become Aboves once again. It is our chance for our family to live good lives without being known as lesser beings." She stared at Levana in the eyes. "We can get our honor back."

"You can become Aboves again after being exiled?" Levana wondered. Matanda redeemed herself by stepping up to explain.

"In theory it is possible, but only two families out of the hundreds in history have ever transitioned back. You have to do something extravagant in order to revert. For example, a Below saved a king during his travels through the forest about fifty years ago. Because of that he and his family became Aboves once again." Matanda seemed pleased with her thorough explanation.

In the meantime, Zikarith repeated the word "no" over and over under his breath. Panic overwhelmed his sense of judgement. "No way! Grandmother, do you realize that these are the people stripped the identity away from our family in the first place? Why would I want to do anything to benefit them?"

"Quiet, Zikarith! Do not display such selfish views! You must think," Itbek hollered as powerfully as her old lungs allowed. "Do you want your future family to live the way you have?"

Zikarith's facial expression drastically changed. Although Levana was not a Below, she could understand why; their shaggy house, aged clothing, and need to hunt to find food indicated that their way of life was full of endless restrictions. His hand clenched itself around the edge of the table, the sharp point digging into his palm. He took it off and Levana noticed that it was red from blood that had flowed to the surface of his skin.

"But how are you guys going to work this out?" Zikarith asked rather vaguely. "I do the laundry, I cook breakfast, and I hunt whenever Ixantra cannot. There's so much I do that will make living here that much worse."

Devina laughed; the hiccups were humored on the surface, but there was so much sadness and pain in her voice that she decided against showing. Elanine made eye contact with her older sister, both feeling the same grief. As she realized that the situation surfaced because of her arrival at the house, she wished to leave and let the happy family be. It was too late, however, as Itbek had already made the ultimate decision. She curled her feet under the table.

"We can do laundry and make breakfast, Zikarith," Devina joked halfheartedly. Her face grew dark. "I don't want you to go either, but just thinking about how much better the quality of life would be for our future children is so welcoming. There's no fear of sickness because we can buy medicine at once; there will be no more hunting or growing or sewing because our children will be privileged enough to access them all without danger." She stood from her seat and put her arms around her brother in a tight embrace. "No more grief or regret," she finalized, putting tears in not only Zikarith's but her other siblings' eyes as well. The Earthian did not know what those last words meant, but their importance made Zikarith consider the other side.

"Fine," he muttered just audible enough for everyone to hear. The others smiled with a fake grin. The Earthian's guilt did not stop growing.

Itbek turned to her once again and made her statement into a question she could not deny. "Levana, will you take Zikarith with you? For the sake of our family?"