Once there was Darkness

Chapter 20

Part 3

Abraham stood, bowed his head and left.

Once he was out of the room, Kol asked; “do you think he’s telling the truth?”

“What does he have to gain by lying, my king?”

“I trust your judgment over anyone’s. What is your gut reaction to this?”

Kessa didn’t answer him right away. Why couldn’t he accept this as the gift it was and let it go? She said a little prayer that Max, Frego, anyone would show up to redirect his attention. Someone did. His mother.

“Come,” Kol offered when there came a knock at the door. The porter let his mother in.

“Mother.”

She looked that the box and it’s contents displayed all over the floor. “If Clara wasn’t dead, I’d dismiss her. This stuff was to be thrown away.”

“You don’t have to name a stone in her honor in the garden and piss on it,” Kol’s voice was flat. “She did her job. Someone saved this stuff. How may I help you?”

“You’re busy, I can come back.” She turned to leave.

Kol stood, “now is fine.” Kessa moved to get up but Kol motioned for her to stay.

The look on his mother’s face spoke volumes to Kessa. She was not welcomed. “Why don’t you use your father’s study to interact with people? It’s much more official.”

“This part of the library does me just fine.”

“Have you been in your father’s office?”

Kol eyed the box on the floor before he answered her, “yes I had it cleaned out. The priest took a lot of stuff to the temple. There is a good amount in the public section of the library.” He pointed to a massive pile of books, papers, and scrolls in the corner of the room. “I’ve been going through the rest of it as I have time.”

“What about your father’s work?”

“What about it? Why do you think I spend so much time in here? I know nothing. I don’t know why the council was formed. I don’t know why I had to recite an hour’s worth of meaningless words when I was crowned king. What can I change? What has to stay the same for authorities sake?”

“You’ve have certainly made a lot of little changes.”

“Elaborate.”

“I was never allowed to be in the room when your father was with someone.” She pointed at Kessa. “To has just enough food in the kitchen for a week. And he told me that any leftover food that wasn’t used was given to the people at the wall or taken to the market and given away. Scraps fed to the livestock.” She huffed, “People at the wall, your father would have ran them off but you let strangers sleep in the shadow of the wall.”

“I know all about how dad treated the people at the wall. You chose not to rule after dad’s death. You don’t get to sit on the island and judge how things are progressing.”

“Or the lack.”

“Lack?”

Kessa knew by the inflection in his voice he was getting upset.

“It’s about time you got rid of that nasty ring your dad gave you.”

Kol looked at his finger where the ring had always been. “No, lack?”

She smile, “why did you build a new, smaller prison? Two rooms? What is Mecca going to do with two rooms?”

“I didn’t want a prison at all.” Kol looked at Kessa. “It was brought to my attention that we need something.”

His mother huffed, “we had something.”

“The old building is being turned into a shelter for the people at the wall.”

“THE PEOPLE AT THE WALL!” She shouted.

Kol raised an eyebrow and his eyes got large. He stepped over and was almost in her face. “You can disagree with me all you like but you will not yell at me.”

She turned to leave but stopped long enough to look at the box of history again. “Apparently someone didn’t like our parenting choices either.”

After she left, Kol sat on the edge of his large desk. He looked lost. Kessa walked over to him standing directly in front of him. He put a hand on either side of her waist. “God may be leading me down a path that I can’t go down alone. Will you walk with me?” Ecclesiastes 4: 9 – 12

With a gentle finger she lifted his chin, looking deep into his violet eyes. “I will go as far as you will let me.”