Chapter 8 – Keshia
From the moment the airship came within visual range of the island of Keshia, Hitomi was transfixed on the wondrous sight. A giant mountain was the central feature of the large landmass, covered in dense foliage and colourful blooms. A gorgeous, white sand beach surrounded the perimeter of the island. As the ship neared, Hitomi could start to see buildings dotting the island, but only those close to the beach, where the trees did not hide them. As ship veered towards the harbour, Hitomi was in awe of the huge sailboats that had long, white, billowing sails.
Hitomi was on the bridge again at Van's side. They were both dressed formally for the expected presentation to the King and Queen of Keshia. Hitomi had made sure she packed the lightest of her formal gowns and she choose to leave behind the heavy robes, gloves, and bothersome things. She was dressed in a light violet, mostly cotton, sleeveless gown that had no train. She had put her hair up as nicely as she could by herself and wore her small crown. Van was also dressed formally: black pants, white long sleeve shirt, and a green vest with the crest of Fanelia embroidered on the front.
Van and Hitomi were leaning on a handrail, peering out the large windows, so Van could point out things to Hitomi. He explained that the royal palace was further inland and that they were headed for the dry dock landing, near the harbour. If it wasn't for the great view the windows provided on the bridge, Hitomi would have preferred to be back in her room so she could have opened the window, but she was going to get off soon, so she just had to be patient.
"Are you nervous?" Van asked unexpectedly.
"Am I being obvious again?" Hitomi replied with a grimace.
"You were biting your lip."
"Rats! Oh well. Yes, I'm a little nervous, for two reasons. First, I'm meeting royalty, as royalty, and that still makes me nervous. Second, I hope they can help us or else-"
"We won't know where to turn, right?" Van finished. Hitomi nodded. Van reached over and held her hand.
"I believe we'll find answers here, Hitomi, because I trust in your visions. You wouldn't have wanted to come here so urgently unless something deep inside you told you so. Plus, if we do have a new enemy out there, they didn't seem to want us to come here."
"You're right. I just hope…I just hope the answers-"
"Captain! Incoming message from the Keshian Harbour Control!" A sailor yelled across the room. Van and Hitomi watched as Captain Rennat quickly walked over and took over the transmission. A moment later, he rose to address the ship.
"We've been welcomed and cleared for landing at air dock two. Give the orders to begin immediate descent." The Captains eyes fell on Van and Hitomi and he motioned to some seats of the side.
"Come on. If we don't sit down and strap in, I wouldn't doubt that the Captain would do it for us." Van said as he gently pulled Hitomi away from the window. They sat down and watched the sailors run around to bring the ship safely down.
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As soon as the ship had landed, Captain Rennat informed them that an escort had arrived for them. Captain Rennat led them through the ship to the exit. As soon as Hitomi walked into the sunlight, she gasped in wonder. The morning air was so warm! And the breeze of the ocean was refreshing, and she could hear bird song, and…. Van patted her hand to bring her out of her amazement. Below, at the bottom of the walkway, was a small escort. When Van and Hitomi reached the bottom, a tall, thin Keshian bowed to them.
"Welcome, Your Majesties. My name is Alderan. The King and Queen formally welcome you to our fair isle and bid me to take you to them immediately. I will have people see that your belongings are taken to the palace."
"Thank you, Alderan. Please, lead the way." Van answered for them.
Alderan led them to a small coach, pulled by two white horses. The three of them entered and left the harbour.
Alderan ended up being a very pleasant fellow. He had been informed that this was Hitomi's first visit to the island, so he made sure to point out things to Hitomi, since she was clearly in awe of everything. The carriage traveled on a beige clay road that cut into the heart of the island. Soon, they were under the cover of huge palm trees of various sizes. Some were averaged size, similar to those found in Hawaii, and some were gigantic! The trunks were the size of small houses and they would split off into several trunks, each having a multitude of branches, leaves, vines, and chattering monkeys. Alderan pointed out that the buildings, which were made of white stone with green canopy roofs, were all built around the magnificent trees. Hitomi started to see more of the Keshians. They were all so similar, yet so different to what Hitomi was used to. They all had long, blue hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. The majority of people she saw were wearing very lose, cool garments. The ladies were wearing sleeveless, knee-length dresses, with either one strap or two and the men were wearing t-shirts or tanks with a pair of shorts. Blue and green seemed to be the most popular colour of clothes, but Hitomi was able to see a few more colours here and there. Some people had on sandals, but others went barefoot.
They arrived at the palace much quicker than Hitomi thought possible. They rode through an impressive gate and up the road to the main doors. The palace was made of white marble and was very beautiful. There were statues of people, animals, and birds here and there, and the grounds were breathtaking with tall trees, fountains, and flowers.
Alderan exited first and offered his hand to Hitomi, to help her down. Alderan led them up the small set of stairs and towards the doors. The guards on either side of the wide doors stepped forward and held them open. They were each armed with a sword hanging at their side and they carried spears. As soon as the three of them had passed, the doors were shut behind them. Beautiful frescos covered the walls inside. They showed images of ships, dolphins, mountains, fishing, and swimming, everything that must be part of life in Keshia.
The walk to the throne room wasn't long. Hitomi was trying to focus on the meeting about to happen. She was feeling much better than she had earlier. The beautiful sights had put her at ease and now she was more eager to start asking questions than she was nervous.
They came to large, empty room that seemed to be a conjunction in the palace. To right and left were a few doors that went off in to the other corners of the palace, but ahead of them stood large glass and wire doors that led to a naturally lit room. Alderan continued towards those doors and once again, two guards opened the doors for them. The room they entered was magnificent. The ceiling was much higher here and was made up of a series of skylights, which allowed the sunlight to flood the room. As a cloud passed by, the room would slightly dim, and then become bright again. The walls on the right and left were made of glass, with a few doors on the bottom that led out to more beautiful grounds on each side. Windows were propped open above to allow the breeze to enter the room. Hitomi felt like she was outside again. The room wasn't that big, not as big as the throne room in Fanelia at least, but it was impressive. At the front of the room, on top of a small dais, in between two large palm trees, sat the King and Queen of Keshia. Their thrones were carved of wood with intricate designs around them. The King and Queen were dressed a bit more formal than the people they had seen in the city. The Queen had on a long, royal blue gown, with one strap over her shoulder. It had silver embroidery designs of sea creatures along the edges and near the bottom of her gown. Her hair was artfully put up on top of her head and it was crowned with a silver band and a few colourful feathers. The King was wearing white, cotton pants and a royal blue shirt that was also embroidered with sea creatures. The King also wore a silver band for a crown, and his long, blue hair was pulled back behind him. The King and Queen also wore matching silver belts.
Alderan escorted Hitomi and Van to the front of the room. The few people in the room quieted down and turned to watch the presentation.
"Your Majesties," Alderan began, facing the Keshian royal couple. "I have the pleasure to present the King and Queen of Fanelia, Van and Hitomi Fanel." Then Alderan faced Van and Hitomi. "May I present the rulers of this fair isle, King Loran and Queen Maysera."
The King and Queen of Keshia rose and bowed towards Van and Hitomi, and Van and Hitomi returned the gesture. The two leaders walked down the short dais and came to stand in front of Van and Hitomi.
King Loran broke out in to a big smile as he and Van clasped hands.
"It's good to see you again so soon, Van." King Loran said.
"And you too, Loran. I'd like you to meet my wife and queen, Hitomi."
Loran took Hitomi's hand and gently kissed the back of it. "It is an honour to finally meet you, Hitomi. Van told us so much about you last time. Plus, to actually meet the Seer of the Mystic Moon, a hero from the Destiny Wars!"
"Now Loran, you're making her uncomfortable." Queen Maysera said, gently patting her husband's arm. Hitomi was surprised to see Maysera wink at her. Hitomi already liked her. "Please," the Queen continued. "Let's move out to the gardens where we can sit and talk. I fear that this is not a social visit, but something of a dire nature." Maysera took Hitomi by the arm and led her towards the gardens.
"Did you have a good journey here, dear?" She asked Hitomi.
"Yes, well, there were some difficulties, but overall we made excellent time." Hitomi answered, as she started to wonder if perhaps the winds had been tampered with again. Hitomi looked over to admire the Queen of the Keshians. Maysera must have been about fifteen years older than Hitomi. However, she was so beautiful and slim that she looked much younger.
"When Van was here last time, it was pretty much all business, so we urged him to come back with you some day for a more pleasant visit." Maysera sighed. "Oh well, I guess we will have to do that later. Here we are."
The four monarchs and Alderan arrived in front of a comfortable set of chairs in the shade of a large tree. Refreshments had been placed on the circular table and the five of them took their seats.
"Alderan is our top advisor." Loran explained to them. "We value his council and we hope that the three of us can help you. I hope you don't mind that I'm jumping right in to it. Your message wasn't very clear, but we sensed it was urgent and had something to do with the mysterious storms plaguing Gaea."
"That's right, Loran." Van said. "We've discovered that these storms are much more than they appear. They are one of the signs foreshadowing the end of the world."
Maysera gasped and looked back and forth between Van and Hitomi.
"I believe Hitomi can tell you what happened better than I, since she was the one who made these discoveries." Van said.
Hitomi cleared her throat and told Loran and Maysera everything that had happened starting the day the Storm began and up to their arrival. Loran, Maysera, and Alderan were silent as they absorbed everything she said.
"So, it was our hope that we could speak with your Mystics and hopefully they could answer some of our questions. Everything seemed to point towards Keshia, so that's why we're here." Hitomi finished.
"That makes a lot of sense. The dream you described to us sounds exactly like our Mystics." Loran fidgeted in his chair. "This is most disturbing. We have received many reports about the Storm raging all over Gaea, and except for few terrible rain storms the first day or two, we haven't experienced anything like you have. Our skies remain blue while we can see some of the darkness of the in the distance. We were also perplexed and sent for our Mystics. They agreed to go to their mountain sanctuary and try to discover what is happening."
"Mountain sanctuary?" Van asked.
"It's sacred ground and only the Mystics can go there. They go there to read the stars, perform complex spells, and whatever else they do. I'm afraid I don't know everything that goes on over there. It's always been tradition that the Mystics provide counsel to the crown and help for the people when needed, and we leave their sanctuary alone."
"Are they still up there?" Hitomi asked.
"Yes." Alderan answered. "There has been no word from them yet."
"Is it possible to go see them without disturbing the sacred ground?" Van asked.
"No…but we can send a runner up to give them a message, at the designated location. It's the only way." Alderan said as he stood up. "I'm going to dispatch one right now. Please excuse me." Alderan said with a bow and then turned and left.
"Not much can be done until the Mystics come down, so why don't we get you two comfortable." Maysera said, urging everyone to rise with her. "You two have been travelling for a few days and probably would like to clean up and change out of those warm clothes. I took the liberty of getting you some proper clothing to use during your stay on the island. It will be much cooler than anything you probably brought."
Hitomi was ready to kiss Maysera for her thoughtfulness!
"Maysera and I have some things to take care of," Loran said, "so how about we meet again in a few hours for lunch. During that time you can relax in your rooms or take a walk around the city."
"Thank you, Loran." Van said.
"See you in a few hours." Maysera called as an attendant led Hitomi and Van away.
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About an hour later, after Van and Hitomi had been shown to their lavish guest quarters and had time to bath and change in to some cooler clothes, Alderan came by the room and offered to take them on a tour before lunch. Hitomi eagerly agreed.
Alderan started by showing them around the palace. Hitomi was very impressed with the beautiful art and floral arrangements. Van could almost hear her making mental notes. As they passed through the main doors to the palace and headed outside, Hitomi asked Alderan another question.
"Lord Alderan, may I ask about the military here in Keshia?"
"Of course, Your Majesty. What puzzles you?"
"Well, I don't know much at all about Keshian history, but when Van first described this place to me, and then I saw it for myself, I found myself surprised to see guards stationed around the castle." Hitomi blushed. "I guess I'm wondering…why? Keshia is isolated by the ocean around it and I know the Mystics can control the weather, so they could probably discourage any attacks."
"It's quite all right, Your Majesty. We isolate ourselves by choice. Years ago, Keshia was attacked by treasure seekers and many people were killed during the raid. It was a time when the Mystics were few and weak and our army was small and not well trained. Eventually the plunderers were chased out and it was then that the current king changed things. He ordered that every male would enter the military at the proper age for training and take time serving the island. Those who wished to make a career out of the military stayed in the army. So, although our formal army is not very big, every male on the island has formal training and a massive army can be called upon very quickly. Our Mystics can control the weather and the ocean to a point that discourages unfriendly visits, but the general idea is to be safe rather than sorry."
"Fascinating!" Van said.
"It must also serve to give young men direction and it keeps them in good health." Hitomi added.
Alderan chuckled for a moment. "Yes, it does, but Keshians have never really had to worry about being in good health." Hitomi looked puzzled.
"We tend to learn to swim before we can walk. We are children of the ocean and never stray far from our dear mother." Alderan quoted. "Come, I'll show you what I mean." Alderan led Hitomi and Van down the city paths and towards the beach. Once they neared, Hitomi saw exactly what Alderan meant.
The beach was full of Keshians, young and old. Some were relaxing on the beach, but most of them were out in the water. They did look like children of the ocean with their wet, long blue hair dancing on the water's surface. Hitomi was amazed as she watched swimmers dive below the surface and swim away. She started to become worried as she noticed one little boy did not surface right away, but she exhaled as she spotted him pop up shortly after.
"The more time our children stay in the water, the stronger their lungs get and the longer they are able to hold air in. We can stay under water much longer than the average person." Alderan told Hitomi.
"They sure are good, strong swimmers, too." Hitomi added. "That one little boy swam a lot further under water than I ever could."
"Well…." Alderan started, "We are strong swimmers, but we are also built for it. I'll have to show you what I mean." Alderan motioned for Van and Hitomi to follow him to the edge of the water. Alderan knelt down and waited for the wave to come to him. When it did, he dipped his hand in the water for a moment and moved it around. Then he stood up and showed his hand to them. Van and Hitomi both gasped in amazement. His hand had become webbed.
"How did that happen?" Hitomi asked.
"When our hands and feet come in contact with the ocean water, a thin layer of tough skins relaxes from around the fingers and toes and forms this webbing. See…." Alderan said as he held up his dry hand to his wet one. "You can't even see the webbing when the skin is dry."
"Amazing!" Van said. "No wonder those little ones can swim so far. They are able to push more water."
"Exactly. It is very useful with all the time we spend in the water." Alderan led them back to the paths and continued the tour around city. He explained that there were only a handful of cities around the island. The one they were in was the largest. The cities were always close to the ocean. Hitomi had a hard time believing they were in a city, since it was nothing like a city in Asturia or even Earth. There wasn't a lot of brick and stone, noise, people, vendors…well, they had that, just much more relaxed and not as great in volume. It was probably all the greenery that threw her off.
"Alderan, how long will it take for the Mystics to come back to the city?" Hitomi asked.
"It will take the runner about day to reach their sanctuary and then possible a day or two for them to come down." Alderan replied.
"Oh." Hitomi replied, disappointment clearly written on her face.
"Don't worry, Hitomi." Van said, giving her hand a squeeze. "Everything is moving as fast as possible, so it won't do any good to worry about things we can't speed up."
"I'm sorry. I guess I'm just anxious." Hitomi said. After a moment, she continued. "How does a Mystic become a Mystic? Is it something anyone can choose to become?"
"No, in fact, just the opposite. The ocean chooses the Mystics. If you will recall, when three of our Mystics visited Fanelia, you probably noticed they had blue, swirl designs on both cheeks." Hitomi nodded and Alderan continued. "Those marks are bestowed by the ocean to certain Keshians. They enter the water unmarked and when they come out, they have the marks."
"Is it part of a ceremony?" Hitomi asked.
"No, in fact, it's all very sudden. People have been marked as young children to young adults. Oh, and they are always female."
"Why?" Van asked.
"I don't know." Alderan said with a shrug. "No one does. Well, maybe that's not true, the Mystics probably know, but they keep it to themselves."
"They seem to be very secretive." Hitomi said. "Does that bother you at all?"
"Actually, no. We are taught to accept it as young children and the Mystics have never done anything to make us feel suspicious or wary. They protect the island and care for it in ways not all of us can comprehend. Everything about them is very mysterious. I once saw a Choosing. I was a little boy and was on the beach with my brothers when I noticed a girl, exit the water very slowly and regally. It didn't take long for others to notice and a path was cleared for her. The swirls stood out on her face and her eyes seemed clouded over. She stopped in front of a group of Mystics, that most of us hadn't even seen gather. They gently guided her away and with that she became one of them."
"Wow…the Mystics were just there?" Hitomi asked.
"Yes. They always seem to know when a Choosing occurs."
"What happens to the young girls? What about their families?"
"Once chosen, the young girls are taken to the sanctuary where they begin their education. They do get to come and visit their families, but their number one duty becomes serving the island."
"The poor parents." Hitomi said, surprising Alderan. "I mean, it must be a great honour to have a child Chosen as a Mystic, but it seems like that child is taken away from them. And I wonder how the girls feel."
"I've never thought about that before…."Alderan said thoughtfully. "We seem to accept it and move on with our lives, knowing that the Chosen one has been blessed by the ocean and has special duties to attend to. I've never had someone close to me be Chosen before." They continued to ponder in silence until they reached the palace.
Van and Hitomi had a very pleasant lunch with Loran and Maysera. Hitomi really liked them because they were kind and wise. Millerna had taught her a lot about being a queen, but it was different with Maysera. Maysera was older and a new role model for Hitomi. Hitomi hoped that she would get more time to spend with Maysera…after everything they needed to do.
Half way through lunch, Van and Hitomi were introduced to the royal children. Crown Prince Hanyel was a serious ten year old boy with shoulder length blue hair. Princess Bricca was a beautiful seven year old, and two year old Prince Kelan was napping in his nurses arms. Hitomi was delighted and her mind started spinning about having children of her own someday soon. After the children left, lunch was quickly finished and Maysera and Loran told Hitomi and Van to go down to the beach and relax, since there was no use waiting in the palace. Trying not to feel guilty about it, Hitomi agreed and she and Van changed in to borrowed bathing suits and headed to the beach.
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"We should have come here on our honeymoon." Hitomi sighed, as she and Van walked along the beach with their Keshian clothes over their bathing suits. It was the late afternoon and they had spent the last few hours swimming in the ocean and sunning on the beach. The beach wasn't crowded, since they were using a stretch away from the city residence and closer to the palace.
"I guess we could have come her, if the correct politics had been in place at the time." Van answered. "But…."
"But what?"
"But I don't think we would have spent much time outside, considering all the time we spent inside." He finished, raising his eyebrows.
Hitomi blushed.
Van laughed and squeezed her hand. "This is a wonderful holiday though. I just wish I could totally relax and forget for a minute that the world is falling apart around us."
"So do I. It's this waiting that's killing me. I hate waiting. Waiting for that stupid gun to go off before a race always made me feel sick to my stomach."
"Well, we should know something in two days, at the latest, and then we can start doing something."
Van and Hitomi continued walking, immersed in their thoughts, until Van broke the silence.
"Hey look! A cave. Want to go in?"
"I guess so. We should have lots of time before the tide comes in. Let's put our sandals on first, it looks rocky over there."
They walked towards the cave in the cliff side. The entrance wasn't very big, but the cave opened up inside. The cave was refreshingly cooler and darker than outside. The sounds of water dripping and surf hitting the rocks echoed throughout the cavern. It wasn't very noisy at all. Hitomi could tell by the moss growing on the side of the cave walls that the high tide would rise to about her knees. They went further back and as they turned a bend they both gasped in amazement. They were surrounded by hundreds of colourful sparkles coming from rocks lodged in the cave walls. Hitomi was immediately reminded of quartz from back on Earth.
"It's beautiful." She replied.
"I think this is what they decorate some of their walls with in the palace." Van noted, as he kneeled down to examine a piece more careful. Hitomi was just thinking if they could be removed easily, and if she should, when she froze and inhaled sharply.
"Van! There's a presence in here!"
"What! Where?" Van said as he reached for his sword that wasn't there. Frustrated, he moved protectively to Hitomi's side, eyes narrowed and scanning the cave.
"I don't know, but it wasn't here a minute ago and it definitely isn't friendly." She closed her eyes to take a second to search with her inner one. Nothing showed up until a flash of a dark outline came and suddenly left. Hitomi's eyes flew open.
"I can't make out who, but someone is using powerful magic. I could sense them, but they're gone." She told Van.
"I don't like this. Let's get out of here." He said, taking her elbow to guide her out. The cave started to get very noisy at that point. They looked nervously at each other and tried to pick up the pace as they made their way over the rock strewn cave floor. As they turned the bend, they stopped dead in their tracks. Water was surging through the cave mouth, almost as if the entire cave was being pushed under water. In seconds the water would reach them and smash them against the cave walls and drown them.
"Oh shit!" Van cried as he tried to pull Hitomi back. Without thinking, Hitomi whipped out her pendant and clung to Van as tight as she could. A pink sphere formed around them just before the water hit and sent her world spinning….
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The cool sensation of water washing over Van's legs woke him up. He was sore all over and he had trouble remembering what had happened. As he opened his eyes and regained his senses, he found himself lying on his back on the beach, starring up into a pink and orange sky. He shifted slightly and moved his head to see what was on top of his stomach. It was Hitomi. She was lying on her stomach, half on the beach and half on top of him, with her arm wrapped around him. She wasn't moving.
"Hitomi! HITOMI!" Van cried as he sat up as carefully as he could. He reached over and rolled Hitomi on to her back, where she started coughing and spitting up water. It was then that Van realized they were both soaking wet.
"Are you okay?" He asked her, after she stopped coughing and started breathing normal.
"I think so." She croaked. "You?"
"I'm fine. What happened in there? What did you do?"
Hitomi rubbed her arms and squeezed out her hair. "I don't know. I saw the water rushing towards us and I just reacted. It's hard to explain. I wanted to run, but I knew the pendant would save us some how."
"I remember a pink sphere appearing around us. It must have protected us…to a point. We still must have gotten thrown around due to how sore I feel right now." Van said as he stretched out sore limbs and slowly stood. "How do you think we got out here?"
Hitomi took Van's outstretched hand and stood up. She careful tucked the pendant back under her bathing suit. "I think the sphere protected us from being smashed against the rocks and drowning. We must have still been thrown around though, while in the sphere, so we probably knocked into each other and the wall of the sphere. I remember holding on to you and the pendant for dear life, feeling like I was riding a roller coaster. At some point, the water level must have gone down and we floated out or we were tossed out in the current. The sphere faded somewhere along the line, probably when I lost consciousness.
"Damn it. I think who ever attacked the airship just attacked us. We have a powerful enemy out there." Van said. Hitomi started to shiver with fear.
"KING VAN! QUEEN HITOMI!"
Van and Hitomi turned to see a group of Keshians running towards them. It was mainly composed of soldiers, but Alderan was in the lead, with a Mystic running close beside him, her blue robes flying around her.
"Mystic Fillodam!" Hitomi exclaimed when the group met up with them.
"Are you alright, Your Majesties?" Fillodam asked. Her swirling blue marked face was pale with concern and she seemed to be trembling.
"Oh my goodness, what happened?" Alderan asked, just as frightened. "Oh wait! Where are my brains! Let's get you inside first. It is almost dark and it can get chilly at night." Alderan barked a command and soldiers surrounded the three of them, on full alert.
Van and Hitomi told them what had happened as quickly as they could during the walk to the palace.
"This is horrible. I'm so sorry." Fillodam said sadly.
"Why are you sorry?" Hitomi asked.
"We shouldn't have been so careless. I received a warning, about your safety, not too long ago, and I hurried as fast as I could to the palace to gather help. I should have gotten here faster…but thank goodness you are alright."
"I thought you were in your sanctuary?" Van asked.
"I was, but I came down to meet you two. I met the king's messenger half way. You two are to come with me up the mountain."
"To the sanctuary?" Hitomi gasped.
"Yes. It is there you will receive your answers."