The Land In Between

C H A P T E R 2 5

Author's Note: I'm so sorry this took a while!!! Wattpad's currently not cooperating on my laptop so I'm trying here on my phone. My apologies again!!!

"Your Majesty, I can see you seething through my cloak." Hiwaga tells him as she crosses her arms. Makisig, funnily, says nothing; the man was the chatterbox between them when it came down to the pair. He just stares at the ground in intense anger that it's starting to affect everything around them. Bright white tendrils of energy sneak through the cracks of his palace and if he continues any further, the entire ceiling could collapse in on them.

She grabs his arm and almost immediately, Makisig stills. He looks at her through white lashes and gives a wry smile. "I know that it was all in the past, and there's nothing I can do about it." Makisig relaxes despite the tense words, "But seeing how your death was never excused because—" "Our death" Hiwaga stresses, "is something we cannot undo. What is important is the here and the now." She rights herself and lifts a little part of her hood just so Makisig could see the look of her eyes. "And the here and the now states that we are together once more. That is enough." Makisig absentmindedly nods, "That is enough." He repeats.

Makisig's power no longer runs amok, so Hiwaga counts it as a success. However, her husband asks "Have you told them?" Hiwaga turns her head a bit, "About what? There are many things I have yet to say." Makisig gives a small wince, remembering his blunder earlier with Amihan. Bue he clarifies, "About your meeting. Your stay. How after this..." There is silence as Makisig urgently reminds her, "You are fond of them, and I do not see fault in that." He cracks a tiny smile, "I am too. But you know the rules." Hiwaga nods her head so minutely, Makisig wouldn't have known if it wasn't for the sound of rustled fabric.

She answers, "I know the rules, Your Majesty. I only ask that you let me tell them on my own terms this time." Hit by another reminder of his mistake, the High King lets out an almost whiny tone. "As my wife commands."

***

Likha's face was scrunching up in focus as she said "Kuya Ligid wants Ama!" Her hand was still patting Ligid's arm and both Amihan and Banawag stare at her like she's grown a third head. Thinking that it was okay to talk, Likha continues. "Kuya says he wants to wake up but he's, he's like, he doesn't want to feel like...b-burden."

Her words were less structured come the end of her sentence, but it seems Amihan and Banawag got the point because they both scrambled to Ligid's bedside. Amihan immediately grabs Ligid's smaller hands and hurriedly says, "N-no! Never a burden! You are always wanted!" Banawag nods beside him and also adds, "I promise if you wake up, I'll buy you all the watermelon you want! You're gonna cry at me haggling but it's very worth it!"

Likha feels a tingle in her arms as she giggles in joy, "Kuya's very happy!" Both men stare at his face, where small tears begin to form from his closed eyes. The tears eventually fall down the sides of Ligid's cheeks. Amihan's hand shakes as he gives a pat on Ligid's head. "Rest now," he whispers, "we'll be here once you wake up. We'll make good on our promises."

Likha doesn't feel Kuya respond anymore, so she lets go of his arm and says to her guardians, "Kuya is sleeping now. No answer." She gets hoisted up by Banawag, who presses a tiny kiss on her hair. "How did you do that?" He asks in wonder. He then turns to Amihan, "Do you think it's because of the Soul Star?"

Likha knows she's a smart girl and answers instead, "No! Mama says it was always my power! Tel-Telep—" She stumbles on the word as Amihan helps her out. "Telepathy?" He asks. Likha recognizes the word, "Yeah! Mama says I can read minds as long as I touch people." Amihan then asks, "How come you didn't tell us before?" Likha shrugs her shoulders, not knowing as well. She seems busy playing with Banawag's hair. "Never worked before."