Hail Thy Gods (Books 1 & 2 Complete)

Chapter 99: Dena'Hal


Kalon

Chapter Ninety-Nine: Dena'Hal

Galactic Quadrant: Darna Quadrant

Ruling Government: Talum Merchant Federation

Solar System: D-447

Planet: Ora

Location: Tarvashal, middle residential district, The Terrarium

My mind wanders as Luna moves her hand through her holopad, answering another message from Kotina. Her eyes narrow at the message, replying back quickly. There are questions that I have for her, ones that I mean to ask, but don't know how without feeling the hope they bring. It is one thing to ponder a brighter future, but a more dangerous thing to speak of it. The peaceful chorus of my heart tells me to ask her though.

"Luna," I begin, she glances over at me, swiping her hand through the holopad before setting her arm to rest on her lap, from the floor of the room, a large bed pulls upward, each corner made perfectly, "I have questions."

"Perhaps I have answers," she says, grabbing my hand and pulling me up and towards the bed, her eyes catching in mine, the look of wanting I saw before stirring in them once more, "Come, you must be weary."

She sits on the bed, waiting for me to follow, there is little hesitation in me. She falls back into the pillows, gently moving a finger to beckon. I follow. She places my arm around her as she draws close, trying to squeeze away the distance of our bodies.

"What do you want to know?" she asks softly, nuzzling in my chest, her arms wrapping me tightly.

"What would happen if I did go with you?"

She glances up, her eyes searching mine before she rests her head back down, somehow pulling herself closer to me.

"Well, for one, there would be many more days like this one."

My hand strokes the hair from her eyes, "I would not mind that."

She smiles, then thinking on it further, she says, "My father, he likely will not approve, at first. However, once he sees your potential and gets to know you, I think he will."

I am unfamiliar with how her people's houses operate. The approval she speaks of, I can relate to that, Nekam was much the same about Nevari and me. My jaw flexes, I don't want to think about her, nor the fact that I could have brought her father a city, and it never would have been enough. Neither for him, nor her. Yet with Luna, I offer little, and she offers me a future.

"Are there many Kuwathi in your house?" I ask.

"There are, mostly on the outer reaches of our territory," she says, her brow furrowing, "It is hard for them, even in the Republic of Hekate, one of the few places that they are born free."

Born free. More questions, ones that I can ask her later though.

"After we free the brothers, what then?" I ask.

"Well, where do you plan to take them?" she asks, leaning up to look at me again.

"I…" my eyes blink, I hadn't thought about that, will I return them to Nekam's Clan? Their prospects there are unsure.

"There is something that has been on my mind," she says, pulling up a little more, "You have spoken of Arrum before, always favorably," she pauses, weighing her words, "Why do you not seek to return to him?"

My jaw tenses at her question, the words find difficulty parting my lips, "It is complicated."

She strokes my face with her hand, "Try and explain it."

My tongue presses against my teeth, "I… I want him to thrive, if I were to return, he would know that he was lied to by his uncle Nekam, it would fracture them, maybe even leading to blood."

"His uncle… is he the one who sold you?"

"He is," I say, my eyebrow twitching. Anger falls away though as I look into her eyes again.

"What lie was he told?"

"That I died."

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"Arrum thinks you're dead?"

"A mercy that Nekam gave him, one I was glad for, if he had searched for me, he would have died in vain. If he knew that Nekam sold me, then he would have done everything he could to seek me out, forsaking his chance to be with Isola in the process."

Her face scrunches as she pulls me tighter again, "That is why you said there is nothing left for you there," she looks away for a moment deep in thought, "Will the brothers not tell him that you are alive?"

"I don't know if they will want to return, they were Ulima in Nekam's Clan, they may seek to work in Tarvashal or somewhere else…" my words halt, what will they do? Free is but a word, I saw the hollow eyes of the Kuwathi that live here, will I lead them to such a path? Is that all I can offer? My own future is uncertain, how can I give them more? A sigh falls from my lips. There was little hope that I would succeed before getting Kotina and Luna's help, now with it being almost certain, I realize that I should have thought more about it, even some semblance of a plan. Where can I send them that they won't suffer? Heavy thoughts begin to fall upon my shoulders. Luna's voice pulls me from them.

"This Isola, is she Arrum's only tether to your city?"

"She is the strongest tie he has there."

"Well, why don't we just take them with us?" she asks.

"Take them…" my eyes slant down to hers, she is not joking.

"Arrum is important to you, so are the brothers, why would you leave them on this world?" she asks.

Why would I leave them… is she serious, is she saying she would take them in?

"Do you mean that you would allow them to come?" I ask, my eyes blinking slowly and measuring the lines of her face.

"If they are important to you, of course, it would be good for you to have people besides…" she looks up slowly, "Besides just me."

"Luna, I don't know what to say," I admit, there is no falsehood in her beautiful purple eyes. From those eyes, dreams begin to fill mine. Dreams of seeing Arrum and Isola happy upon a world not encased in frost and doom. To see the brothers thrive and not be outcasts.

"Kalon," Luna begins, her eyes tracing something rolling down my cheek.

My eyes blink as I press my hand against my face. Wet, with a tear. My head turns from her quickly in shame, but she pulls it back, pressing her forehead against mine.

"You don't need to be ashamed when you're with me," she says softly, looking up into my eyes, "I will never judge you harshly for caring."

My eyes hold in hers, tears rolling without consent, but I do not try to hide them from her. She grasps me and pulls me in tightly. It feels like before, when I sought her comfort after we found the Arasha woman and realized Riza's fate was bound to be the same. The same as when I released everything inside. Yet, this time, I do not shy away from her. Perhaps it is because I have grown tired of holding it all in, but in these moments, I feel tension falling away, the teachings of my people becoming deaf upon my ears. Even if it is a moment that will not last forever, I feel it etching itself across me.

Perhaps Kotina was wrong about the Goddess Leora, if she led me to Luna, and the things that Luna says come true… Arrum, Isola, Haki and Daki, if Luna is really willing to take them into her house. To show them a life without so much hardship… for such a thing, I would swear myself to her and her house. Even her Goddess might find thanks upon my lips. I feel the hope spilling into me, pressing past even the hardest of walls that I have spent a lifetime building. My heart feeling more full than ever before. The pain of the past washing away with each new breath.

"Why are you so kind to me?" I ask her, my voice soft, perhaps softer than it ever has been before, "I have little I can give you in return."

"You do not need to give me anything, helping people is the right thing to do," she whispers, pulling me tighter, "Besides, all I want is you, that is more than enough."

Her eyes trace up into mine. Holding it there, as though she is asking if she can have me.

"Dena'Hal," I say.

Her eyes search me, anticipation written on her lips, wanting scrawled across her eyes. Pulling her close to me now, I whisper the meaning.

"I am yours."

Her hand pulls me into her, the gravity finding our lips entangled once again.

***

Light blooms the next morning, coming from the ceiling, my eyes open slowly to it. Laying on my shoulder is Luna. As I begin to move, her eyes draw open, a smile cresting her face as she sits up, pulling the sheet over her naked body. Still shy to be exposed in the light.

"Good morning," she says, then looking down at her holopad, her expression changes, "Slag."

"What is it?"

"Um, I'm not sure, Kotina sent me a special phrase, one that she taught me years ago."

As I pull on my clothes, Luna finishes reading through the messages.

"I think she's in trouble," Luna says, giving a quick reply then jumping from the bed, wrestling on her clothes quickly, "We should skip breakfast and get to her, I have a bad feeling about this."

Nodding to her. Does this mean that Kotina failed to free Fennec? Another thought rises, wondering if it will affect us rescuing the brothers. Dread creeps into my bones, Luna looks at me and sees the expression.

"Don't worry, we will still get them."

I nod again, but her expression does not give confidence.

Within five minutes, we are moving out of the room, heading toward the exit of this building, the same woman from the day before greets us.

"I hope you enjoyed your stay, are you sure you don't want to stay another night?" she asks, though her tone is strange.

"No, we are fine," Luna replies, moving past her quickly.

"It's just…" the woman says, her face looks tense, "Well if you change your plans, please keep us in mind."

Why was there apprehension in her tone? Brushing it off, I follow Luna. She no longer waits for the steps to glide us downwards, she bounds them five at a time. Keeping pace, we reach the bottom quickly. I know that she kept the pace manageable for me, but even a few months ago, I never would have been able to keep it. The boundaries have changed me, I feel much stronger than before. I wonder… the thoughts fall as we move through the entrance, there is no one here like there was last time. Strange.

She moves out into the open street which is darker than yesterday, unusual considering the time of day, following her, I stop when she does, the streets are completely empty of people. Why though? Luna looks around, checking her holopad then turning her head skywards.

"Frag," she utters, eyes growing wide.

Looking upward, my own eyes widen, now seeing why the streets are cast in shadows and darker than the day before. A massive ship, more than five times the size of Flagship Thorn looms over the city, even thousands upon thousands of paces above, it dwarfs the large city entirely. On the belly of the craft, is the largest emblem I have ever seen before, its owner clear… The Theocratic Imperium.

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