“Do not concern yourself, my friend. I have foreseen challenges that would surface upon her return. Reincarnation is not like tangible science. Our queen will join us, but it will take time and careful planning.”
Talokta knew his master well and predicted almost word for word what he would say, without divulging anything at all.
Kalvich was indeed thinking about his next step. Now he had incontrovertible proof of who she was, it was up to him and to a degree, Talokta, to rid Kate of her fear, doubt, and confusion to clear the way. Yes, she was inundated with questions in her mind that required answers, and it was more than typical human curiosity.
Establishing her state of mind before she arrived on Heliostronus was crucial. He knew he could only entrust this to the discretion of his 2IC. He needed his commander to continue to observe and report exactly what she could recall, offering necessary reassurance during the journey.
Talokta’s latest report stated she was becoming quite stressed, over the ordeal of what he called an identification crisis. Plus, he repeatedly voiced his concern her true memory could surface before they reached their destination. Kalvich had considered quite possibly it may never resurface. Nevertheless, what he had in store for his queen would bring her around, whether she received total recall or not. He hoped the meddling, nosey gods steered clear, but he could deal with them. The most important issue at present was reassurance and getting her to Casus Belli.
In the beginning, Talokta had asked him why he did not accompany him on this historic and “most important mission of a lifetime.” The simple and succinct answer he got back was his very presence could cause a negative reaction before he was truly prepared for her arrival. “My relationship with her was rocky, to say the least. Not to mention the killing and subjugating of her people did not pose very favorably. Do you understand, Commander? Everything is to be handled discretely. Can I count on you?”
Lord Talokta, like his fellow Trimadian leaders, knew another ‘discrete’ reason was Kalvich did not want to leave his Fortress through unnecessary exposure to the god’s leader Zakaroid, who could still stick his nose where it did not belong. Talokta recalled Kalvich promising him, during one of their drunken episodes that “he with his queen by his side would deal permanently with his problem upstairs. Then nothing stood in their way.”
For the Supreme Ruler, nothing had faded from his memory.
Plus, he needed to stay close to Cemel. “To see what tricks the old bastard has planned upon Leah’s reincarnation. I may still require his services.”
It was now time to visit Cemel the alchemist.
Four months earlier, Kalvich had confronted Cemel, telling him the time was close to Leah’s arrival. The old man thought he was simply doing his usual “spot check” torture. But Kalvich held out his hand and smugly observed the alchemist’s eyes as they widened at the glowing mass. It was the first time since he had known him that Kalvich had seen a youthful sparkle in the old man’s eyes.
“Y–you had my stone. You knew!”
Kalvich just sneered at him and strode out, a devious grin spreading ear to ear.
Up to that moment, one daily thought had churned in the old man’s mind:
If he only had time, would he get a second chance? Would his hurried blessing, six thousand years ago still work? Even if she did reincarnate, would she remember?
Kalvich never dispelled the propagandous rumor that Cemel the almighty alchemist was actually working for the Supreme Ruler. The reason for this was simple. If he was a prisoner, therefore an enemy of the Trimadians, that factor alone could have turned him into a martyr. Working for the Trimadians, he would gain no sympathy and be hated, feared, and respected throughout the galaxies. Plus, more importantly, as he was associated in the past with the Chosen One, this would add credence upon her reincarnation. So, it was vital for Leah to remember, or at least get to know Cemel again. This may help to soften her new role within a stringent male dominated environment. All goes well, his plan would make even the hardest, most critical, misogynistic warrior sit up, shut up, and take notice.
Kalvich once remarked to Talokta that “Cemel was a handy tool, but with limited use.”
The stark reality for Cemel was he was worse off than being a mere prisoner. To dispel unwanted attention, Kalvich had housed the old man away from all other prisoners, in the far reaches of the prison boundaries at the back of the fortress. No one was allowed to communicate with him, including the guards that brought his food and supplies.
Upon occasion he would torture the old alchemist, including forcible removal/reimplantation of his Cathexistome. For his “special” prisoner he took much gratification at public degradation. Only the threat that Leah, once reincarnated, would be tortured and killed, directly in front of him if he failed to obey, even once, was enough for Cemel to agree. Poor Cemel knew that may not happen, but would never underestimate Kalvich. It was more than possible that the Supreme Ruler’s lust for power outweighed the desire and lust for one woman. Who was he to play god with another’s life?
If the Supreme Ruler desired entertainment for guests, he would “encourage” Cemel to perform all sorts of amusing tricks, as mild as turning water into wine or changing a sunny day to rain. It was demeaning, but Cemel would never complain or give in to his nemesis.
One time two idle gossiping guests spoke ill of Kalvich, which was unfortunate for them. In front of all the other guests, they began to lose their hair and speech, and began to dance in a spasmodic way that made everyone roll around with laughter. It was all good clean fun as far as Kalvich was concerned.
The two idle gossipers were never seen again.
His dungeons and cells were always reasonably populated, full of Cantal dissidents and infiltrators ready for torture or execution, or, if numbers were down, recruited to the mines.
For Cemel, the one tiny spark of light that kept him relatively sane from the cloak of darkness shrouding his soul and finally succumbing to evil was the fact that one day, somewhere in the future his queen would return. Kalvich wholeheartedly agreed with him. That part was guaranteed. The question was, when?
Kalvich’s men brought forth a variety of unfortunates to receive various forms of “treatments” in front of Cemel as an incentive. The vivid memories of bloodied flesh, flayed skin, and broken bones, not to mention the screams would stay with him forever. But Kalvich went one step further and made sure the alchemist shared in the pain. Only when the alchemist, in tears and begging on his knees, would the torture finally cease.
Cemel’s real pain began the day his beloved queen died, thoroughly acknowledging it was his fault for not preparing her for the darkness that one day would invade. She was born with the power, his job was to develop her potential, to teach, prepare, and guide her. She was an intricate part of the prophecy and without her the next level would not be achieved. Why he had procrastinated honing her skills and preparing her against the many facets of evil that would inevitably stand in the way, he had no real answer. He loved her dearly, like a daughter. Maybe he never wanted her innocent mind exposed to the possibility of evil. Perhaps he was too close to her, so his means of protection was no exposure. He never meant to cause her pain and anguish. But through his pathetic narrow mindedness, he did just that. If he had taught her, she would have the knowledge, the means to defeat Kalvich and his dark forces.
He vividly remembered the day Kalvich had made his appearance in the Kingdom of the Old World, 4000 B.C. He was absent, collecting herbs for his potions away from the hot dry land of the Old World. When he did arrive, it was too late.
The world changed the next day. His beautiful queen survived for quite some time. But death and mayhem was choking her and her people. She was brave beyond words especially when he was driven to perform the hardest task he would ever carry out by granting her request to die to stop her succumbing to Kalvich’s will. She knew with his obsession toward her, that her inherited powers were going to be used against Zakaroid’s children. He
r death could stop or slow down the evil warlord. Cemel knew she was the god’s last hope to keep the mortal thread from snapping. Thank Zakaroid, he had the foresight to put a reincarnation clause in her blessing, but he never had perfected it; so the future would never know when she would walk once more in the mortal world. If there would be a world at all.
Though Kalvich had slain Sidonio out of pure jealousy for Leah, the old alchemist had put his anger aside and quietly promised Kalvich’s parents that he would not harm their son as they had suffered enough through the demise of Sidonio. However, when the prophecy came to fruition, it was out of his hands. They stated their parental love for their Kalvich could never be compared to the love for all their mortal children for whom they held dear. All actions and consequences decide the future.
After Leah’s death, to return the unselfish favor, they promised they would keep an eye on the Chosen One upon her reincarnation, but they could only do so much without the other Elder gods stepping in.
The old wizard thought he could easily control the evil Cathexistome that had been implanted in him, but fighting it wore him down, much to Kalvich’s delight. Cemel did not believe in personal revenge. He simply held on to the belief that no matter what, the prophecy of queen Leah’s rise to power would control the shadow world. He only wished he knew when and would see her before it would be too late. He knew by keeping close to his enemy, there just may be a chance. Obviously Kalvich still needed him.
Cemel had underestimated the power of love.
When Kalvich held Leah, dying in his arms, watching in shock as finally her light extinguished, he discovered her hand was grasping a small stone. He took it and the memory of the day he saw Cemel fashioning three stones in his cauldron came soaring back. A quick analysis revealed it held Leah’s blood. Now he understood and realized what the old man had done. Kalvich searched her Palace, the grounds, the temple, the mines, everywhere. He never found them. So he kept this one stone close to him and his arch nemesis even closer.
He returned to Heliostronus.
Kalvich, still grieving, locked Cemel up, and harshly yelled at the old man,
“How do you feel, using your cursed magic to murder the queen?”
Cemel simply said, “I would rather live in perpetual torment than to ever expose her to the darkness that would take over her world.”
“Be careful what you wish for old man, it may come true.”
And until the queen rose again, he made sure the old man suffered.
Even the dominating gods were on a limited time line as he possessed the cursed sword and that alone made them only capable of observing. Kalvich hated them more than Cemel, who at least, never cowered or showed fear to his enemy. He openly claimed his ex family as inept fools, cringing in their lofty dimension fearful for whatever he would do. He despised them and he despised their hypocrisy. He would give them “limited” time alright, but he would never let them see him coming.
His personal force field and his magnificent fortress gave him afforded privacy from their constant need to watch his movements. If he stepped out of his home, they would see all, but that did not concern him. What could they do? When other worlds were plundered by the Trimadians, the gods would be cringing. That brought much pleasure and satisfaction.
The moment Cemel had seen the bloodstone glow inside Kalvich’s palm; he felt he had been reborn again. His blessing had worked! By Zakaroid, she had returned, the prophecy would be fulfilled!
Cemel, like Zakaroid, knew all to well that it was a question of how strong Leah was to fight the evil that would inevitably seduce, betray, and consume the light in her heart.
He hated the fact he was useless to her: a bag of old bones rotting in Kalvich’s prison. What could he do? Apart from torment, why had Kalvich allowed him to stay in the land of the living? Worse, Kalvich possessed one of the sacred stones—how much knowledge had he gained and did he know the significance?
Cemel remembered the day he swore the sacred oath to his old friend Zakaroid, when he first took this mission to the Kingdom of the Old World. He would see the whole prophecy though, no matter what. He wondered what the god’s leader would think of him now. He had not communicated with him for thousands of years thanks to his Fortress imprisonment.
Cemel was surprised Kalvich had left the gods alone. Surely, his Trimadian warriors would be growing impatient.
For the last six thousand years, Cemel was nothing but feeble and impotent.
Now his heart had awakened. He felt a little of his strength returning. There had to be hope above all, or what would there be left but sorrow and pain.