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I walked into the tower to the room where she was being held. A healer passed me and bowed her head. I walked in to see Ava laid on a bed with a blanket draped over her. Healing bandages had been placed on her arms and chest and neck, while a salve had been rubbed into her forehead. The scent in the room was one of herbs. She looked peaceful though, her eyes closed and her chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. Lanas sat beside her, ever the dutiful companion.
“How is she?” I asked as I approached.
“They say she’s going to recover. Have you come here to gloat?” he asked, his words strong and bitter.
I chuckled. “I don’t know what kind of people you think we are, but nobody is here to gloat. In fact, everyone is treating Ava like a champion. I see now why she was so quick to issue a challenge to my father. With her skills she must have been confident of defeating anyone.”
“At home there was nobody who could better her. She even longed to challenge the previous leader, her father, but he would never accept her challenge.”
I frowned. “Doesn’t that go against the way of the lions?”
“He did not care. He said that he could not face his daughter in battle, and none dared object to his ruling. At the time I thought he was justified, but now after having gotten to know her better I believe that he was just a coward because he knew she would have won, and then she would have been free.”
There was that sentiment again. I cocked my head. “When you say free… Ava mentioned something about being kept a prisoner. What actually happened in your world?”
“Things back in our world are not like they are here. There are stories that get passed down through the generations, stories about people who can do incredible things, things that are feared. Ava has the ability to walk between worlds, and this was seen as a curse.”
“A curse, why?”
Lanas shrugged. “As far as I can tell it’s because people are afraid that she may open a path to another world that holds nothing but danger for us. I have only recently learned of this myself. She wore a bracelet that her father gave her when she was younger. It suppressed her powers. I was the one who helped her rip it off. After that we came here, seeking salvation.”
“Her own father tried to stop her from using her gifts? But that doesn’t make any sense.”
“Cruelty seldom does,” he replied.
My gaze turned to Ava and my heart swelled with pity. It was clear that I had no idea what she had truly been through, and it was easy to see why she thought I had an easy path through life. Although I was not what my parents hoped I would be, they never treated me like this.
“So, she came here using her gift for the first time and she finds us mistrustful.”
Lanas nodded. “She doesn’t have the best attitude towards authority figures. All she wants is for people to listen to her plight. We are not our ancestors. We are not criminals. We have just suffered from a world that has changed, and Ava wants to bring her lions to safety so that she can prove that she is not a monster, that her gift is not to be feared. But you seek to stop us.”
I pressed my lips firmly together. “I will speak to my fathers, Lanas. I will see that you get what you deserve.” I wasn’t sure why I did it, but it seemed natural at the time; I placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned towards me and shot me a glance, but he did not say anything.
“Are you sure we can get what we need?” he asked as I reached the door. I had believed he was going to remain silent.
“I’m not sure, but I’ll try. I know things can feel like they’re unfair, but my parents have a way of doing things. Sometimes these things don’t care about fairness. They just take their time.”
“Not all of us have the time to waste,” he said softly. He then inhaled. “Ava asked me to make sure that we got what we needed. She wanted me to fight for the pride, but nobody can fight like she can. I’m not sure that I can do as she asked.”
“I know how you feel Lanas. I promise I will speak to my parents for you,” I said, and then I left. I noticed some parallels between myself and Lanas, which was the first time I thought of this. I saw the weight in his eyes, the weight of an impossible promise. It was the same thing that had been in my soul ever since I was young. Sometimes we carried things with us that were impossible to fulfill and they clung to our souls, making us feel useless and unsure and utterly wrong, as though our very existence was a mistake. All he wanted was to make his leader proud, something that I could understand well.
I walked to the upper levels of the tower with bated breath. My anxiety increased with every step. Confronting my parents was not the easiest thing, especially on a day like today and a matter like this.
My father had completed his restorative procedure and was now with Divad and my mother. They were all sitting together, sharing a moment of intimacy. No doubt they were congratulating Naaro on another fine victory, and perhaps consoling him on the lengths he had to go to in order to defeat Ava.
I cleared my throat as I entered. Mom drew her dress together and shielded her immodesty from me. Divad stepped away. Naaro met my gaze.
“What is on your mind son?” Naaro asked.
I pressed my lips together and bowed my head. I sighed and clasped my hands behind my back, trying to remember that I had a right to see them.
“I think we should do what Ava asked,” I said.
“And why do you think this?”
“Her people are suffering. They are lions, just as we are. I think if the roles were reversed and we were living on a dying planet we would want people to show pity on us,” I said.
“I understand your points, but you do not remember what happened before when we were invaded, how close we were to losing our home. We are the guardians of the ancestral plains of Orestes and we must try to keep it protected. We cannot risk losing it,” Naaro said.
