Romero
Even if we were walking with the army, the four of us never sat still for too long. With the two riphaths in our union, we could travel anywhere on Mirach at any time, as long as we were together. In a way, I should be grateful I had the two ittoqures there. If the wolves did what they did and I was bound to do this all by myself… It would have been worse for us… Regardless, I was wishing time to pass. In a few days, I would have the final count of how many werewolves were still on Mirach. When Zavier brought the wolves from Palmyra, we had to do a census. Names, affiliations, and ages. Then, we had to scatter them around the globe because there were so many, and the kings and queens of those regions regularly updated births and deaths. After they attacked us and spread out even more, it would be hard to find them all and mark every single one off on a list. Or account for those born in the last hundred years.
Charlene put me down, and Carl dropped Kubra to the ground. Matara Aeolia was usually a haven for me; now, it was a painful reminder of what we could lose. Saleh was his usual self, mingling with the commoners of his city, and did not notice us at the entrance to the palace. Michael and Juliet appeared a moment later.
She scanned the crowd, looking for him, knowing he would be somewhere in the streets. "Saleh! You have guests," she yelled.
The man smiled as he turned toward her voice. He did not expect to see me and took an instant knee; the streets followed him in the acknowledgment. "Come, Saleh, join us."
He took us to the greenery, where he spent most of his time. "I received your communication only yesterday."
"Juliet said there is a large population of werewolves at Eldra'Khaz."
"There is, but we have had no issues with any of them in all this time."
"Do you know if they moved and attacked East toward Dinhaza?"
"No, the tunnels are still not functional—"
"How can you say you have had no problems if they keep sabotaging the communication or travel around this area!"
"Romero. You have done nothing about the raiders in the three hundred years you have been in power. Will you destroy them now?"
"Yes! The valley is the perfect place to settle worthy citizens. They insulted me by harboring the wolves, and I have no more mercy left for them."
"I—"
"No! No more discussions. You will ready your troops and set out. My army will join you, and every—last—one will die."
"Will you—"
"Selah, you might have given up on our way of life and enjoyed the spoils of your hard work… However, I have not settled in any way… Father worked very hard to make them bend to our terms—"
"Wait!" Juliet interrupted. "Saleh, is your brother?"
"Yes. The third oldest."
"And you didn't mention this in all the time I was here?"
Saleh leaned over to her, "I don't like name-dropping… Have you told—" Juliet jabbed him in the ribs. "Ow. Guess not."
"Will Vittore meet with us?" I asked. The two shared a moment I did not understand. Strangely conflicted about answering my question. After an awkward silence, he looked at me, "Vittore passed away… When Juliet was there."
I bowed my head and was in an instant taken back to our youth. How heartbroken we all were. Mother will be unhappy to hear.
"Romero… Who was Vittore to you?" Michael asked.
"He was the second oldest…" I sighed heavily and pulled myself together. "It does not matter whether he was still alive or not… The raiders are also spreading across Mirach. It is of grave concern… It means they have more men than women and need to find other places to take, steal, and plunder… Dividing is their only course."
Juliet's head dropped strangely at the news. Of course, she understood now that a brother may do as he wishes… Or it must still be hard for her to hear what could have happened to her and Charlene… Who knows what they would have done to them. My mark on Charlene is sacred, and anyone at Eldra'Khaz under Vittore's rule would never have killed her to get me out of the way… With every passing day, my problems accumulated.
"May I ask why you never did anything about the situation?" Michael asked.
"They were never a problem… until Charlene arrived and we realized how far they had gone from Eldra'Khaz… The news traveled… The raiders were only waiting for some unfortunate accident to befall me so Vittore could be their next king."
"There's no way anyone would've allowed it," Michael said.
"They did not have a choice… It is the way… He is the second-born! With Fia's birth, the line of succession changed. And I am not putting her in danger for one of Vittore's forced wives' children."
My gaze drifted to Saleh. If he could only find his mate… The true queen has to carry the mark. Before succession, our rooms had more say in who would rule if anything happened to me.
"Fia is too young," Charlene said.
"Yes, I know!" I said harshly. Charlene pushed up onto her legs and left the circle. I did not have time for her attitude. Juliet and Saleh watched her go.
"Why did your brother never try to kill you like Qadir with his siblings?" Michael asked.
"Assassination doesn't count," Juliet said softly, "The dheka don't honor corruption."
"You also never went in to save the taken women… It is a bit of a double standard… Those women were forced to give up their marriage rights… It feels like you're still not answering my question… They are either a problem or they're not."
"Like you—I can not tell you why my father made the decision he did... A peace treaty is either respected or not. Vittore could not help that some of his members defected… The valley has not taken any women since I came into power."
"You hope! And now, with Vittore out of the picture, who's in charge?" Michael asked.
Saleh looked at Juliet, who was still deep in thought, not really part of the discussion. Why was Vittore and that battle such a sore subject?
"When we were last there, they did not have a successor, so I do not know. Our men in their ranks were found out and killed," Saleh answered for me.
I stood, "Perfect. Then you leave in three days."
"Yes, brother." On our way out, he asked, "Where are you now? What are you doing?"
"The wolves killed Iloyohe and took over Gal-ha and the whole region." It was the first sign Saleh understood how serious it was. The wolves could—if we leave them be—take over. My army could not be everywhere at once… And it was all my fault.
I stepped toward Carl, unable to ask Charlene for this teleportation. With Juliet's stone, it will only be a formality from here on out. No more fighting. And if Juliet could get the other stone from Satya, we would be able to transport the army wherever we needed it.
Once we gathered with Semaj's troops, Michael left immediately to go to Chris, who was waiting on Earth. The two were still looking for his mother. Our whole future lay in this one possibility: that she would give us the stone, and it would work to harness the power.
Fia and Jaali joined us. She came toward me with a beautiful smile on her lips. Although she was much lighter than any of the dheka, she was the rightful queen, and our lives as a race would never be the same. Fia and Naji's union would be another test for the rooms, our family, and the planet. Naji had to make the decision if he wanted to stay on Mirach… It was not the way. None of this was the way… Already with Caleb and Basaam, it was proof, our mates were not only on Mirach. It was as if the very soil we treaded was hot, and our race had become a burden... A state of lost hope for the others who thought they only had to look on one planet. "How are you, Fia?"
"Well, Father."
"How are you handling the changes in your body? It will be difficult to handle your impulses."
"It's hard… The purple colors struck me like a wave when Michael brought me over… Naji is the one; it is our sign of a rightful joining…? Juliet said it was."
"She did?" I looked at my wife… Who would've told Juliet? Saleh did not—if Juliet did not even know he was my brother… Semaj maybe? "It is, Fia... You can not tell anyone of the outsiders."
"I know. We won't."
"Good, do not trouble yourself about the future too much; we have a lot to do."
"I wanted to ask if you would allow us to make the journey."
"We are very far from home, daughter."
"If all ends well, the four of us would like to travel together."
"How do you and Kaia get along? Could she and Caleb be persuaded to work with you to take on your first rule? I would need someone I can trust to take over Ghal-ha."
Even after I said it, I already doubted if it was still the best course of action to take. Could I go against our customs and mix the species? With Charlene, it was one creature in a remote village. No one could deny it was fate and a miracle… The children she would have had with Kubra and Carl would have gone back to their respective planets. The island Yazen allowed us to settle on was to keep our traditions, yet have a place where we could live as the mixed species we were. How could I have trusted Brylee's word… Was I making more mistakes in trusting to integrate our lives?
Fia did not answer me. They have not even discussed the situation. Naji would become restless at some point. If they were not able to travel and were stuck on another island, what would the two do? Marcus would leave for En-gannim, and if Fia and Naji are bound to Mirach, how would it be for him if he could not even travel to see anything, let alone all the worlds we did in one of Juliet's timelines? Where would everyone settle? Or will our entire family be divided across the galaxies? And again, it would be my fault. My breathing was instantly labored. My indecision was causing me indigestion.
Charlene approached me with a confrontational look in her eye. I turned away from her and walked to the rear guard of the long line of soldiers. I had been harsh… Before Carl, she would have ambushed me, traveled me out to some remote area, and coaxed me to talk to her. We would mate… I shook myself inwardly—again. I had to do it multiple times every hour. After Carl changed—fortunately—she could not manipulate me anymore... Nor did I indulge in her antics. Her earth ways. I scoffed.
Two days later, we approached the wall where Marcus found Chris; the building of it had ceased, and no wolves were working on it. Juliet and Caleb had already put the stone in the settlement's water source. They were not even going to try and live, fight, or become grounded... Everywhere we had seen the stone, the creatures had given up. Did it have more effects on them than simply losing their manifestation?
We traveled along the wall toward the City: Ghal-ha. I cried when I found out the wolves had overtaken and slaughtered women and children. Every last dheka was killed. Ilyohe did not have a large number of trained soldiers. She was a young ruler, and the dheka had only moved there a few years earlier. The wolves saw the advantage and took it.
On the one hand, I wanted to advance our own civilization with all the things the other planets had to offer. My own eyes were open the day I went into the room so long ago. Experiencing all I did in moments—changed me. Earth was, in some ways, dimmed by their own desires—like a hollow wind… Nevertheless, the humans would not give up. Planted roots. Cultures came together. Others were separated by war. So many people suffered. Did being bound together as different bark have to come at such a high price?
Walking through the streets after the army had drifted through was never a victorious feeling. Bodies everywhere; endless death. How could all this pain and suffering not come with a cost? The wolves only wanted to go home… I could not fault them for it. Although the other alternative was this. And in allowing the harem system into the royal family, I understood why Michael said I was allowing double standards.
Bodies were being taken away, named, and meticulously crossed off our lists. I was overseeing each sketched face, and it would take us days.
***
Charlene
Juliet and I helped the army with the corpses, carrying them to a central location for the dheka to take over. Each time we had to pick up a baby or child, Juliet sniffled, wiping her eyes and nose. I had put on my vampire face to cope with what I had to do for the last hundred years. "You should follow my example. You'll never make it."
"It doesn't help. I'm not like you. Never will be."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Juliet at least chuckled, "Don't start with me, woman. I know who you're really angry with."
"Mmm." Even if I wanted to complain about my own husband, there was gossip to be had… I glanced around to see how isolated we were. I couldn't hear anyone walking through the houses we were searching. "So, are you going to tell me what happened with Vittore?" I whispered.
She opened another door—her shoulders moved with her expressive head, "Ahh jeez, this is f—ed up! I shouldn't have come."
I followed her inside only to see a man holding a child in his arms, lifeless on the bed. The bodies were already a little smelly. Juliet gently scooped up the small body. I took the man, and we moved outside, leaving the rest of the house empty. "Juliet!"
"I don't want to."
"Did you cheat on Marcus, and that's why you haven't slept with him? Which I think is cruel, by the way."
"Again! I'm not your husband." Juliet wasn't so reactive anymore. I laughed lightly at the way all of us had changed, being so long apart without any influence on one another. "No…" she said softly, "I did not sleep with anyone."
I paused and abruptly turned to her. "Did he rape you?"
"No…" she said with a heavy sigh. "He… killed himself."
"In front of you? How… disturbing."
"I know… It's different—"
"Yeah… What did you do?"
"The dheka were right there; they could've helped him… Everyone just… let him die. Even Saleh! His own brother."
"Do you know why?"
She nodded and began walking again after our little pause in the street. The woman of the army moved past us to clean wherever we came out. I glanced around; Agatha went into a house as Silvanus and Ira walked out with two men in each arm. It was probably not the right time to have a personal discussion with so many of our children around, who were hearing every word.
As we put the bodies down, I touched her arm and squeezed twice. Juliet disappeared, and we went back the way we had come. "You can't tell anyone."
"Louis isn't here. I won't blab."
"Vittore got his purple powers when we were fighting in the ring."
"No S—! No wonder!" My heart hurt for the possibilities. A one-in-a-billion chance of happening. A fate taken away without any closure. It was how Romero would've felt if I never came back. Why Saleh had given up, and so much was wrong on Mirach. "I don't want to seem insensitive, but what are the chances that two brothers in the same family received their signs for other races?"
Juliet laughed mischievously, "No, don't say anything but Nami and Kaia… the moment they touched the two brothers." I giggled. "Naji and Fia… only when she walked on the soil… Their whole world is changing because you landed here… So no. Everyone on Mirach, including Saleh's mate, might be out there…?" Juliet gestured to the surrounding air… "I can understand—because of all of us—Romero has a lot on his plate…"
I looked away, not ready to deal with my cold husband yet. "You never know. Romero has always been open-minded… Maybe he will stop this tantrum he's throwing, and he'll come around… And in that case, of course, we have to find Saleh's person for him…."
Juliet laughed out loud, "The man is really messed up… Tantrum is a little—"
"I know..! I know now how you felt with Marcus and Louis... Why you went back in time… You just wanted things to be back the way they were."
"Yes, exactly… And yes, I would love to play matchmaker… But how in the world do we play cinderella for Saleh?"
"Ohhh, yes… We will summon every last being in the galaxy to come marry the prince."
"It will give us something to do."
"I'm with you there… I'm so sick of ruling a planet I can choke on the number of times I gag at the way my life turned out."
"Charlene, of what I saw, you're not ruling anything… Anyway… you and Carl seem happy?"
"I'm so happy. That's the problem…" I smiled, "It's very different when you get to marry your best friend… And it's weird, you know… for me, he was never even in the friend zone."
Juliet giggled, "No, you always said he was hot, and you told me about your dreams about him: the two of you can't leave each other alone."
"It's not dreams anymore… And my guys are different than yours… Like you said, you're not like me… I can put them all in boxes... And Kubra's box is adorable and caring."
"I'm so happy we never had the same taste in men."
"Didn't we, though? Not one?"
"Well, husbands aside… Ben, Jerry, Lincoln, Jessy."
"No, it seems we don't have the same taste in men."
"I never liked Kubra in that way… Nor Carl… And Romero… I wouldn't have given up my freedom for him."
Our whole convo about Romero sent my emotions spiraling; he was doubting choosing a mate the way he did. If he didn't love me anymore, I could ask Carl to push them all off and be free again… "Jules… what would you have done?" We entered another building. The bodies on the floor were together in each other's arms.
Juliet let me go, and we were visible again, "Something stupid, I think."
"I'm so happy you're here again… Everything is always better when we're together."
***
The evening air was chilly in the winter, and Romero didn't allow fires anymore. He didn't like the deforestation! Or that the planet would end up like Earth! The chances of fires breaking out in residential areas were—I mocked him—of great concern. After my stunt in Nasuq with setting the whole place ablaze, he had another reason to be pissed at me. If he didn't love me anymore, why did he take my beating for me? A hundred years was a little more than punishing someone with the silent treatment… I sighed; time meant nothing anymore.
I pulled the thick pelt across my shoulders and pulled a face at his reasoning. At some point, I was going to snap… Tell Carl to abduct him and take him to the island where we all would've lived in peace and harmony. I was going to build the biggest fire, use our porta-potties, and dance the night away.
The group was in a bit of a lull after the few days of cleaning up the mess. Although we were eating dinner in small clusters, it was too quiet for my taste. Small things in life didn't seem to matter to Romero anymore. The little things that made it all worth it.
I looked up, hearing the familiar bamf sound of teleportation—Juliet was jumping into Chris's manifested arms. He embraced her with all his color back and the thinness gone. His hair would take some time to grow. It didn't stop them from their nesting ritual. My brother. Juliet and I were truly sisters now. The next moment, Michael appeared with my mom. I jumped up, already in tears, and she held her arms open for me. It would be that moment I broke and sobbed like I've not done in a very long time. My dad soon joined us, and the hurt of all those years they were so distant was gone. We would finally have the relationship with the truth out in the open.
Once I stopped sobbing, my sniffles didn't want to cease. Emily patted my back, not in a comforting way, but to get my attention, "Charlene, why are you so sad? You never used to be this emotional."
"Here, give her to me…" Juliet pulled me away. "I think there are some other people who want to see you."
"Who?" Emily asked without even acknowledging Juliet. Silvanus came towards my mom. She held her breath, eyes wide, stretching out two hands to him. He was there to take hold of them and pull her into an embrace. "How are you here? Why are you here?"
[hmm, chuckle] "It is a very long story. I'm so happy you are alive."
"As you can see."
Silvanus laughed, "Still the same old Satya..." He patted her shoulder.
She pushed him away a little, "Enough of the dramatics… I guess if you're here, Ira is also here somewhere." Silvanus chucked a thumb over his shoulder.
The two greeted each other in the regular riphath way. No emotions involved. Or any recognition of the past they had shared.
"Weirdest baby daddy encounter ever," Juliet whispered.
My dad had not aged a day. Neither my mom. She was still as beautiful as always. "Charlene, will you introduce me to your family?"
I have recovered enough to remember how my mother always was, and Silvanus was right; she was still the same person. However, I was not… This riphath attitude was not going to work on me anymore, "I'm sure you'll manage."
Satya didn't even realize the slight or didn't care, "Very well, let me see… Carl! You, I remember… Still alive? Who did you connect with?"
"Hello, Emily. It's nice to see you too."
"You kids who grew up on Earth were always a little… Ira, what's the word?"
"Sensitive."
She laughed, "Yes! Now, Carl, I think you are upset with me… but my only goal was to keep Charlene safe… And she would come out human! Heaven knows why my family was the only one able to have more than one child."
Kubra stretched out his hand towards her, "Nice to meet you. My name is Kubra."
"So you're the vamp who did this to her… Was it worth it…? You just gave her away…" The crowd was a little quiet after the two subtle jabs thrown in there. "Nothing to say? Typical." Ira actually held back a laugh. "What is so funny, Ira?"
"Oh, don't start with me… I wasn't born yesterday."
Romero approached her without holding out his hand. "Who do we have here?"
"Romero…"
"The dheka? Interesting… Any spawn, Romero?"
He held out a hand, "This is Fia. Our daughter. Jaali, Kubra's son and Minè is not on Mirach."
"Good, can we sit down? It's been a long day."
"Well, Charlene, no wonder you never told your mother you were pregnant… Looks like we have another Brylee in the making."
Satya turned slowly to the voice… She manifested and reached out for his neck. Caleb was already towering over her and slapped away her hand. "If you think these ways will work here… in this family… It won't."
"Caleb?" Her smile was so genuine. Satya even showed tearful emotions.
"You make a terrible first impression."
"Look at you… Yes, you'll be perfect to take over from Chris one day… You have that Ira jab in you."
"I won't… Not even if you both paid me… F— I thought Ira was bad."
"Do I need to let Silvanus show you how to respect your elders?"
Every last person there manifested, even Silvanus… "If you ever touch him… I will kill you," Juliet slowly iterated every word.
She scanned the crowd and, with condescension in her tone, said, "Like I said—sensitive."
Ira took her shoulders in hand and led away, "I think we should have a talk."
"Wait, I didn't know Chris's kids were going to be here… I've not even seen Sammy."
"She's hard to miss."
We all looked at my dad. How did he ever fall in love with her? Was he even in love with her? "She has… some good qualities… I think we all might need some time to adjust."
"Yes, Dad, but I don't think she's going to give us the stone, is she?"
Instead of answering, he scanned the crowd of creatures. A few humans in the mix; his eyes landed on Warden. A little ticked off at the sight of him, he said, "She has a lot of conditions."