[Legacy of a Martyr #2] Liberation from the Masquerades (A Key Keepers novel)

Episode 5: A Son's Homecoming

Kayleigh. Dad was home. Of course, he was home when we came through. Now what?

"Were those friends you made while you were gone?" he asked.

"Yeah..." My flames frantically coursed through me.

Dad set his coffee down. "Your mother left me a message saying you'd probably be coming back. You want to talk to her, right? She's at the winter property."

The winter property? My and T's birthday was yesterday. That meant it was still August. And that meant it was still summer.

"It's still August."

"Atarimae." Dad put down his paper. "She had work to do over there." He fixed his shirt. "As for why I'm here, no one can go into the office. Someone found mold, so we have to get it out before we can go back."

Mold? Jeez... That wasn't good.

"So, did you really come back just because of the girl? You haven't seen her since you were four years old."

"Konkeinai." Against my every instinct, I didn't move my head. "I want to help find her if I can. Mama told me she wanted to see me again, but I'd already left by then."

He took a breath. "That doesn't make what happened your fault. Is that the only reason you're here?"

"It's not. We got intel saying our friend could find something she lost. To do that, we need help from someone who lives out in Artania."

"What if you can't find the thing the girl's looking for?"

"Then we gave it our best shot. We'll have to go from there."

Dad looked straight into my eyes. "Did you find the thing you were looking for when you left?"

"I did find them. Maybe you could meet them sometime."

"So, you're going to be staying in Artania for a while?"

I nodded.

"Well, I might be out here for a while. Working on a new deal. Not sure how it's going to pan out yet. If you want to take our room, I have no objections. I don't think your mother will mind."

My flames were really going now. I was glad no one else was here.

"I need to get back to my friends before they start worrying."

"Kiwotsukete."

"I will..."

When I came out of the room, Tony was waiting for me. He was leaning on the wall. "Who were those people?"

"Friends I made while I was gone. We have work we need to do. We just needed to stop by. We're heading out for Artania in a minute."

"Then good luck, I guess..."

Thanks, I guess...

We left straight away after I caught up with everyone.

***

Anyway, I went into the mountains after I put my stuff in my room and got Recah settled, so that the others could have the opportunity to do the same.

I needed time away from people. That was nearly, if not truly, impossible to get. We all lived there. Leon had brought back servants who worked under Cece's reign.

The palace was just four walls. At the very least, it was as big as the house on our winter property if not dozens, even hundreds of times bigger than it was.

The garden was a fraction of the size of the abandoned town of Takiran. Still, wandering that ghost town didn't alleviate my feelings of the walls closing in on me.

If anything, I felt worse whenever I tried it.

I preferred books to playing ball, but I also didn't necessarily like holing myself up inside. In grade school, I always wound up on edge by the time the last bell rang if I didn't get a chance to be outside. In junior high and high school, I ate outside if the weather let me. Mama made a point to ask for that.

Each step I took into the mountains... Each step lifted weight from me. My heart was lighter. Breathing was less of a chore. The tension in my body flew away.

I'd missed this beyond words. There was nothing like being alone in the mountains.

There was no need for technology out here. I often brought a few books when I camped since it was a bit of a habit, but I rarely if ever read them.

The plants and birds had their own appeal. Most people probably didn't enjoy being woken by singing birds, but I did. It was better than any old obnoxious alarm clock.

It was one of my favorite places to be in the summer. I'd spent countless hours here in my life. I knew by the song which bird or birds were overhead.

Time almost ran differently here. It ran a lot slower here than it did in town. Especially nowadays, most people would probably find it maddening. I enjoyed it.

Moments of peace were fleeting things. One had to enjoy them whenever they appeared.

That was a lesson I learned young.

There were times where Tiana would fall asleep on my shoulder in my arms as I grew older. I had few if any memories of her having any nightmares, but I never assumed she only dreamt of bliss. Some nights she'd ask to bond with her mom or just play. Those weren't things she really got in limbo.

It was why she made it a point to stop when she was happy. She'd hold onto the feeling as long as she could. Feelings and situations could always change. That may have been her biggest lesson in there.

The air was crisp. It was warm. It was gentle. This was the best decision I could've made.

I was never shackled here. I could run. I could stand and bathe in the sun. Heck, I could even fly. Kayleigh willing, of course. That was the greatest place on Earth. It was without compare. It truly was.

***

Thoughts on seeing Ain in the forest? His dad? Theories? Predictions?

~Shino out!