I had the feeling something was about to happen, and I knew better than to ignore it, it didn’t feel like something bad, just something relevant. I was walking back to my Suite in the Palace, lost in my own mind, but still aware enough to realize I was being followed. I just needed a little focus to realize who was, but instead of sending my guards after him, I used telepathy to let them know I no longer needed them. I was sure they had noticed we were being followed, but still, they followed my orders. I took a few more turns and then went inside of the many rooms there, not long after Camil followed me inside.
“Greetings, Camil, I guess you wanted to talk to me?” I told him.
“That’s right,” he said, “I’m sorry for the approach, it’s just I wasn’t sure how to ask for a meeting.”
“That’s alright, how can I help you?”
“Melchizedek spoke greatly of you, that’s why I decided to ask you for advice,” I could briefly feel he was uncomfortable, but I had to admire his courage to talk to me.
“If there is something I can help you with, then I would gladly do it.”
“I don’t know if my grandma or uncle have talked to you, but they decided it’s time for me to step into my place inside the Dominion and become the King. The thing is, I don’t think that’s the best option. From all I have been told, and all I have seen, I believe William is doing a good job, and I’m not sure I’m the right person to take over. There are a lot of things I don’t quite understand yet, and I don’t want to fail people depending on me. What do you think? Do you think I should just get over my doubts and become the King?”
“I don’t like telling you what to do, but I think that your feelings are valid and it speaks greatly of you that you have those doubts, the fact that you are paying attention to them shows that you have a good head over your shoulders. I think that you should first think about what you want, that’s the important part, then you can think about everything else, and decide what’s more important for you. You need to look for alternatives, see if there are other options where you would feel more comfortable. You are right by saying that William has done an excellent job, he is a very good King, despite everything, but you must know that even if he loses that position, he has other options and he will find a way to keep working for the good of the Dominion and its people. And you could do the same.”
“It’s just that my grandma and uncle talk about it as if it’s a sure thing, and I don’t even know what to think anymore.”
“Both of them love you, and want what’s best for you. If you feel that being King it’s not the best for you, maybe they will help you find alternatives.”
“So you don’t think I’m being selfish for not wanting to be the King?”
“We didn’t bring you here because we needed you to be the King, but because this is where you belong, and because you were at risk, in fact, if it had been safe for you to stay in the Kingdom, it’s possible that Sofia wouldn’t have asked to bring you here. William and Sofia want only what’s best for you, and your happiness it’s important to them, that’s why I think they won’t have a problem if you decide you don’t want to be a king, just make sure that whatever decision you make, it’s for the right reasons.”
“Thank you, I really appreciate your words, and I think this chat will help me a lot,” Camil gave me a small bow and I could feel his sincerity. “Our talk has given me a lot to think about, so I will leave, thank you for taking the time to speak with me, I really appreciate it.”
Camil left the room, and I moment later I did too, and I found my guards had returned and were waiting for me. At first I had thought that the feeling I was feeling had something to do with Camil, but after our talk had finished, I realized that I still had that feeling that warned me something was about to happen.
I wasn’t sure what it was, but since it wasn’t a bad feeling, I decided to keep my routine, I had dinner with Kimball and Ethan, talked about our days and I let them know what I knew about the Empire. The Succession Battle had ended, and as I suspected, Trajan’s son had won the right to be the next Emperor. I wasn’t sure if he was going to be a good ruler, but I hoped he would be a good one, if he was anything like his father, I just hoped it would be easy to speak with him and that it would be possible for him to recognize the Shadow’s Clan without him making a big issue out of it.
It wasn’t until I was lying down in bed that I realized what the feeling had been telling me, I felt a call at the distance, a need, and without thinking about it, I went into the astral planes, following the call. It didn’t take long to find Malkia, and I could see that she had been trying to contact me for a while.
‘Greeting, Malkia. To what do I owe this meeting?‘
‘It’s good to see you, I wasn’t sure you were coming,‘ she told me, and I felt angry at her words.
‘If you need me, then I will be here,‘ I immediately replied.
‘I know, you haven’t failed me yet, even if it has been a while since we had a talk like this one. I don’t know if you are aware, but a new Emperor was chosen. As allies to their clan, the Assassins had a right to be there, but Antrax and I had to stay, again, because we couldn’t risk something happening to me. Dendro insisted it wasn’t a good idea for me to be there.‘
‘And he was right, your presence during the battle would have been really dangerous for you. You may not believe me, but not being there probably saved your life.‘
‘Why? That’s what I want to know. Why it’s so important for me to stay away?‘
‘Because, as the daughter of two high ranking officers, you had a right to be there, just like the others taking part of the battle, but none of them would be willing to let you take that opportunity.‘
‘What do you mean by that?‘ Malkia asked, her tone turning tentative.
‘That’s one of the reasons we have worked so hard to keep you away from anyone that could recognize you. You are part of a great dynasty, and because of that, you have a right to the throne,‘ I knew that I was taking a risk by giving her another piece of the puzzle, but I needed her to really understand the situation, and to start giving her the information she deserved to know.
‘Even if that was true, I’m Antrax’s partner, I have no intention of leaving him for another clan,‘ even if her words were sincere, I also knew she haven’t had a chance to process the information I was giving her, besides, she didn’t understand that it didn’t really matter what she intended to do, the others would still take any actions they could to keep her away from the throne. My own experience showed what some people would be willing to do to secure the throne.
‘That doesn’t matter, many people won’t listen to your words, they will just act. If you had been present before or during the battle, you would have put a target on your back.‘
‘But I’m Antrax’s partner, the future leader of the Assassins, I can’t keep hiding forever,’ Malkia said angrily, and I had to admit she had reason to be mad at the situation.
‘And you won’t have to hide forever, once Pompeyo solidifies his position, your presence won’t be such a big threat. There will still be some risk, I wan’t you to remember that, but there will be other factors that will help for your position not to be so dangerous. I just hope that you had taken my advice to heart and are prepared to fight for your life if you need to. You will need to be ready to face really powerful enemies.‘
‘What did you do that was so terrible that even I have to face the consequences?‘ Malkia asked, and I could hear some resentment in her voice.
‘I did something they couldn’t forgive, I dared to be stronger than them,‘ I explained. ‘There were many that weren’t happy with that, many that did their best to take me out of their way, and then resented me for fighting back. For many the fact that I was more powerful than them became a personal affront. And the problem is that many that couldn’t defeat me, will see you as a second chance for revenge.‘
‘Even so, the next time we receive a summon from the Empire, I will answer,’ Malkia warned, and I knew I couldn’t blame her for that decision.
‘All I can do is wish you luck, and ask you that you keep your guard up as soon as you enter the Imperial Palace’s territory. I really wish it could be different, but this is our situation. I’m sorry that I couldn’t be more clear from the beginning, and for everything I hid from you, but I want you to know that everything I have done, I’ve done it thinking on your best interest. Yours and your sister’s.’
‘Thank you,‘ Malkia said, ‘I actually feel better after talking to you.‘ Malkia got lost in her own thoughts for a moment, and I realized that she had more questions, but wasn’t sure if she should ask them. I couldn’t blame her, since I wasn’t always forthcoming with my answers. ‘When are we going to meet? You said that one day we would be able to meet each other, but years have gone by and you still keep your distance. For a long time I thought you were nothing but a fragment of my imagination.‘
‘The time for us to meet is approaching. There are a lot of things going on in the world, and that means that our chance to meet is coming. Again, I’m sorry that we haven’t had the chance to meet face to face before now, but there is a reason for that.‘
‘I will trust you, for now,’ Malkia said, ‘but I hope that the next time we talk to each other, it will be face to face,’ she asked, in part as a request, but in part as a threat.
‘Maybe, or maybe not, you are about to get some surprises, and I hope you can see how much I love you once you get them, and that you can see that no matter the circumstances, you are always in my thoughts.’
‘Again with the riddles,’ Malkia’s astral representation smiled a last time before starting to dissolve.
‘Thinks will become clearer, sooner than you think,’ I told the air, as Malkia was already gone.
Malkia wanted to see me, but it wasn’t our time yet, but Kimball would get to see her soon, which would likely give her more questions than answers, but that would give her some explanations. I knew, even if I didn’t fully understand, that Kimball had always seen Malkia as a daughter, and that he would give his own life for her, just like he would for Ethan or Greca. Greca was also going to get a big surprise once Kimball arrived to her clan, and I wondered how long would it take her to realize who he really was to her. Mzansi’s rules stopped him from interfering or revealing any information to her, but I knew Kimball didn’t mind ignoring those rules when he needed to, like what he had done when Malkia needed him, I also knew that it would be proud and honored if Greca managed to guess by herself who he was.
There were so many things to be done, and so little time. I got out of the astral planes and went back to my body, and I found it being held in Kimball’s arms. I felt more calm and confident about the future, and I went to sleep, hoping to get some rest so I could be ready to face a new day.
Kaiserin Novel 