Chapter 28

The warm day seemed perfect for a long trip to Velikania.

From time to time Kalena turned around and looked at the palace which as they moved forward was getting smaller and smaller. Although she had a difficult task ahead of her, she tried not to think about it too much and enjoy the beautiful landscape.

"Are we going to the capital?" From time to time, Mei tried to carefully ask her and Zarkin about the destination and the mission. For some reason, she was very reluctant to ho, even than Zarkin, who was finally convinced after determining the amount of money he would get. She tried to get away, asked several times if she would be needed, explaining that she did not want to be unnecessary ballast since the mission is important and secret. However, she did not want to reveal the reason for her behavior, which is why Zarkin forced her to go with them without even listening to the girl's requests.

Kalena took out a map. She handed her leaning back and at the same time holding the reins with one hand.

"We will stop for a while in the capital city, but this is not our final goal. We're heading to Epag, it's almost at the border with Madegald."

"Will we be there long?"

"Yes for long!" Zarkin paused and gave her a malicious smile. "Why don't you tell me why you don't like this country so much?"

"Maybe she's afraid of Jin-si?" Kalena winked at him teasingly.

"Jin-Si is not dangerous if you don't drink with. She won't be queen here until her father dies, right?"

"Probably not. There is a third, eldest sister and she will become the queen. Galaspiael told me that she rarely leaves the palace. She is getting ready to take the crown and doesn't get along well with her younger sisters."

"She really isn't going anywhere, since I haven't heard of her before." The blond boy smiled coldly. "Maybe she is sick and ashamed to show people?"

"She is a princess," Kalena said. "Why leave the palace if she has everything she needs?"

*

After returning from Yagn-Sho, Jin-Si often allowed her peers to live in the palace. Seth came by right after Galaspiael's coronation party and stayed until their arrival.

They met after her training. Kalena felt a sudden surge of nostalgia, although they've left Yagn-Sho quite recently, she started to miss that place.

"It must have been an extremely tiring journey, right? You look terrible," asked the princess.

"We look just like you," Zarkin growled, "the trip was quite bearable."

"Only once we were able to stay in the inn, we spent the other two nights in the open air," Kalena explained. "Zarkin took some of his map, on which some shorter route was marked. It turned out that we spent the whole day wandering into a dead end."

"You have a nice place here" the boy pretended he didn't hear anything.

The Velikan palace was very beautiful. In Kagolania, the full majesty of the royal residence could only be seen in the highest circle. Velikanian capital was not divided into circles by high walls. It did not have to, because only the richest lived here. Poor people would have a hard time making ends meet in the capital.

It was always bright in the palace because in almost every chamber had at least one glazed window. The whole place radiated wealth and splendor, but Kalena noticed that it was also cold and – ironically - much more inaccessible than Galaspiael's palace hidden behind the walls.

Jin-si came with only one guard she had previously practiced fighting with.

"I have to change as soon as possible because if my father sees me like that, he'll get mad," she said to herself, leading them down a long corridor. "He doesn't like it when I practice."

"Does he even know we're here?" Zarkin ran a finger over a long porcelain vase that tipped dangerously but managed to catch it at the last minute.

"Why should he know? Every day someone comes and they discuss something. I don't think he is interested in my guests at all. Wait!" Jin-Si pulled them into an empty room. "His servants can't see me, either."

"Why don't they let you fight?" Asked Kalena.

"They claim that she won't give birth to healthy children," replied the guard who had followed them silently.

"Only Darmeon thinks so," the princess interrupted. "I have to marry him, so he's bossing around. According to him, what I do is too masculine and I won't be... good enough to be a mother. All Sekanians are crazy over this matter."

"I have repeatedly told His Majesty that a fit and durable woman has a better chance of a healthy and safe delivery... sorry" the guard stopped when Jin-si looked at him with undisguised irritation.

"I think they have already left, come on!"

"I understand now why Galaspiael doesn't like this Darmeon so much." Before Kalena realized that she should not speak loudly what she once read in his diary, it was too late. "He is indeed stupid.

"Stop it. I like him very much… well, I don't like him enough for a husband candidate, but I can't help it. My father wants another alliance, and since there is a young prince in Sekania, it seems the simplest solution.

Seth was already inside the chamber they entered. He smiled warmly and stood up to greet each of them individually.

Their bedrooms were actually small rooms for servants who were supposed to sleep there to be as close to the princess as possible and be able to arrive quickly at her call. Kalena asked for such a place not to attract anyone's attention.

*

Zarkin and Mei had their first warm meal in a few days. Later, he tried to convince her to tell him about the reason for which she hated Velikania so much. The girl, as usual, resisted at first, but he knew that sooner or later he would break her.

"My family lives here," she finally admitted. "I told you about them once, my lord."

"Those people who sold you because you were a cursed child?"

"Yes."

"I understand why you don't want to be here. I don't like going home, either. I guess someday I'll get out for good and never come back."

When she heard about the house, her eyes glazed. She couldn't control her tears.

"No," she interrupted him quietly, "it's completely wrong. I am not angry with them, I would even like to apologize. I would like to ask for forgiveness so badly!"

Zarkin grabbed her wrists and forced her to sit on the bed next to her.

"Is this a problem? If you want, we will go there and do it."

"If it were that easy, I'd do it long ago! Even if I dare, they won't listen to me if the High Priest tells them to."

"Who?" He asked, but Mei went silent for a long time again. This time he did not press, he waited until he calmed down. When she wiped the swollen tears and red eyes and sighed deeply, she began to speak a few times.

"I didn't tell you why I was sold specifically, sir." My family worships Zatofar, a deity that hardly anyone heard of. I was raised with this cult, and so did my brothers. I was the fourth child in a row and you must know that for the followers of this religion it is the most damn number. The high priest told my parents to get rid of me, but they refused. They promised that they would devote extra attention to me and I would become a good woman. Everything was fine, but finally, I began to feel that I was not treated right. There was still someone watching me, waiting for the slightest stumble, and I think this was the reason for my corruption. I lied for the first time when I was nine. They asked me if I went to the temple and I wasn't there. I was warned about lying, just like against every other sin, and I avoided it like fire until I saw how much it could make life easier. Then I began to lie and break the rules more and more every day."

"All right," he interrupted, "and do you want to apologize to your family for that?"

"You see, sir, one day I talked my brothers to lie with me, but we got exposed. All my earlier sins have come to light. My family did not want to defend me anymore. They gave us to priests and we were marked as liars. The brothers decided to sell me to cleanse my family name."

When Mei finished, Zarkin began to sympathize with her as never before. He understood everything she was trying to hide. It was now clear to him why she accepted slavery so quickly. At the same time, he wanted to shake her hard and shout to make her come to her senses.

"Don't worry," he murmured, "from what you say, I don't think you should blame yourself so much." I have done a lot worse in my life and I was my firstborn son. I've killed several times already, and this is much worse than lying to any priest. And once I read in history books that a Kagolan king was the ninth child. To take the throne, he knocked out his older siblings. Which one you are in does not affect what you will be in the future.

"But High Priest..."

"Why do you care about him, let him talk what he wants. You should try to fight for yourself. I can help you."

*

The next day, Kalena wondered where Zarkin was.

He didn't tell her where he was going and she began to worry, and at the same time, she was angry at him for leaving her alone. She wanted to wait or start looking for him, or just continue the mission alone.

Jin-Si asked the guards. They told her that Zarkin and Mei had left recently, but no one could tell exactly where they went. The answer "somewhere towards the city" did not say much. Kalena promised herself that she would wait one more day and then go to Epag herself. Fortunately, Zarkin returned late in the evening.

He entered her room without knocking. He slammed the door and threw himself on the bed, making a strangled cry full of frustration. His lips were contorted all the time in a grimace of absolute rage. Kalena also saw his left cheek was swollen and red.

"Where have you been?" She began cautiously. "What happened?"

"I want to get rid of her," he finally said firmly, "free or give away to someone. I'm sick of her."

"Why?"

The boy snorted softly.

"I went with her to her family and you know what happened? Her brother came. Complete fools, I could hardly believe they're siblings. Anyway, he didn't even want to hear about the reunion. And their mother seemed afraid of him because she was even willing before. But that's nothing. This moron girl thinks it's because of me. Because I made her go there, you understand?" He showed the mark on his cheek. "I won't forgive her. I never want to see her again."

"I don't understand it," Kalena admitted, and he sighed heavily and told her the whole story of Mei, devoting a lot of time to describing their quarrel when they returned to the palace.

"... that's why I can't be with her anymore ... I can't... I can't stand her!" He finished.

"Did you gave her back when she hit you?"

"Of course! What was I supposed to do?" He shook his head. "She hurt me a lot. I would expect it from everyone, but not her."

"I also hit you once, but you forgive me," she reminded, "think about this decision, you love each other..."

"What?!" Zarkin frowned. "What a stupid idea! Mei is my slave!"

"There were many cases when the master fell in love with a slave."

"I don't love her," he replied calmly, "and after she humiliated me like that, I know that she didn't love me either. The end. I don't want to see her again."

"If you'd sell it, you might regret it later." Kalena no longer knew how to convince him to abandon the idea that was born in his head. "It's just one argument. Let her return home. You will think about it during our trip to Epag." she advised. "You'll manage to calm down during this time."

"When will we leave?"

"Yesterday, if you hadn't left me," she snorted and gave him the message, "read it. Okiani Takiwa is already waiting for us. We can leave tonight."

Zarkin said there was nothing to wait for and they should leave before midnight. Mei stayed, at her master's order.

It was not a happy goodbye. None of them managed to reach out to the other.  Deep down, Mei realized that this was the end, and that thought was breaking her heart. She was angry at Zarkin because meeting her brother and mother had finally crossed out the slightest chances of reconciliation. But she also did not want to part with her master. For several months spent together, he became a family for her.

Kalena told her not to worry about Zarkin's behavior. She told her how at the beginning of her studies at Yagn-Sho he was also deadly offended and it took several months for their relationships to improve. However, Mei did not believe that this time it would be the same.