[Prologue]    [Chapter 1]   [Chapter 2]    [Chapter 3]    [Chapter 4]    [Chapter 5]    [Chapter 6]    [Chapter 7]    [Chapter 8]    [Chapter 9]    [Chapter 10]    [Chapter 11]    [Chapter 13]    [Chapter 14]    [Chapter 15]    [Chapter 16]    [Chapter 17]    [Chapter 18]    [Chapter 19]    [Chapter 20]    [Chapter 21]    [Chapter 22]    [Chapter 23]    [Chapter 24]    [Chapter 25]    [Chapter 26]    [Chapter 27]    [Chapter 28]    [Chapter 29]    [Chapter 30]    [Epilogue]
   

Chapter 12

The leading General of the Forces of Telleria walked into the lounge of the palace in Bermuda in a happy stride. She caught Kane feeding ice cream into his wife’s mouth.
    “Let me guess,” the General stopped walking. “Pol Fruit flavour.”
    The Tellerian King and Queen turned to her.
    “Kis-Rowa? What are you doing here?” Kane asked.
    General Kis-Rowa smiled. “I have some excellent, wonderful news for you. As your trusted friend I’m happy to break this to you.”
    Pella sat up (she was fed ice cream lying down). “Do tell.”
    Kis-Rowa told them. “Jaron and Loria are engaged.”
    Pella squealed and hugged Kane, who hugged her back.

It was a few days later. Jaron, Rida, Loria (who wore her wedding sash with pride), Corina (who was drawing things on a draw-pad), Pella, Kane, Yatri and Zana were in a Sherran Palace 'comfort room’. Rida and Zana were taking turns in telling stories about Jaron’s parents, while strangely, Kane was fidgeting.
    “He keeps on getting different thoughts from different people and mutters them,” Pella explained. “He should stop it in a few minutes.”
    “Well anyway,” Rida was saying. “People always thought of Dad being the one who took matters into his own hands while Mum was the one who stood back and watched it all happen.”
    “Salra was the observant one,” Zana told them.
    Rida turned to his white-headed friend. “Don’t we still have some record tapes?”
    “We have a few.” Zana got up and went over to a panel of buttons next to a large screen. He pressed some buttons. “Here’s a funny one.” He pressed a button and sat down again. Corina had stopped drawing and Kane had stopped muttering. Everyone was watching the screen.
    A picture showed up. It was in the Throne Room of the palace. Vanus was sitting on the throne and Salra was playing with a baby in front of the throne. Zana was standing next to the throne appearing to do nothing but fiddle with his 'forever dagger’.
    “Who’s the baby?” asked Jaron.
    “Him,” said Zana, nudging Rida.
    “Next please!” Vanus called out (on the screen). A Tyron mechanic entered.
    “Your Majesty,” began the young mechanic. “Even though we always go cheap during end-year festivals with all the charity and that, me and the buds thought that the money could help us treat ourselves. You know, have a huge party and have lots of expensive fun.”
    “I won’t interfere with Tyron tradition, now leave.”
    The mechanic walked out with his head hung in shame. 2 female scientists (a Tyron and a Bannon) walked in.
    The Bannon said: “Sir, we have a proposal useful to Takla.”
    Then the Tyron said: “We have a theory that certain metals can generate electricity when heated, but no one will fund us to aid our experiments and research.”
    The other Tyrons all looked at each other, then faced the scientists again.
    “500 thousand Senkos are at your disposal,” said Vanus, waving a golden envelope. “May Lark send his blessings.” The video stopped.
    Everyone faced Zana. “And the funny part is...?” asked Jaron.
    “Zana messed up,” answered Yatri. Everyone laughed.
    Zana was embarrassed. “Okay people, I got mixed up. It happens.”
    “Zana’s half Catlan?” Kane burst out.
    Everyone stared at Zana, he sat as if he was frozen. “What?”
    Jaron stared at Kane in shock. “I’m sorry. I got your blood scanned and the DNA identified. I was supposed to tell you myself...”
    “It’s okay,” mumbled Zana, but he looked very sad.

Zana was sitting on the grass, looking at the bronze mountains. The first and last time he was here, was just before the Catlans raided Tyrony. A red squirrel came up to him and he stroked it.
    “I am half Catlan,” he thought. “What will people think of me?” The red squirrel scampered off. “That’s why it was so hard to find my parents. How will everyone else react?”
    Jaron came along and flew down. He landed on his feet, but he collapsed and sat with his head flopped forward, he was also panting. Neither Tyron said anything for a bit, Zana just stared at the mountains.
    “I can understand needing your own space, but you didn’t have to fly this far this fast,” complained Jaron.
    “Yes I did,” murmured the white-haired Tyron.
    The Tyron King finally lifted his head and looked around him. “What kind of island is this?”
    “An undiscovered one,” Zana answered, still staring at the mountains. “I found this island just before the Catlans raided.”
    They sat, staring at the mountains and not saying anything.
    Jaron then started to talk. “In half an hour it’s dinner time, I’m starved.”
    Zana then spoke. “Jaron.” Jaron turned to Zana. “Would they hate me for what I am?”
    “We won’t,” Jaron answered.
    “I know you guys won’t, but will they? Your loyal subjects?” asked Zana.
    “They don’t have to know,” said Jaron.
    Zana thought about it and smiled. “Guess not.” He stood up and picked up a yellow rose. “Wanna go back then?”
    Jaron had only now noticed the yellow roses around him. “Hey, roses are blue.” Then he stood up.
    “Not here,” said Zana. He grinned. “Come on, let’s go.” Then both Tyrons flew off and slowly glided back to Sherran.

Everyone was gathered in the Dining Hall, breakfast was about to be served.
    “Don’t you want to know who your parents are Zana?” asked Corina.
     Zana shook his head, then said: “No, for all I know my Dad could’ve been some mean Catlan soldier who forced my Mum to...you know. It’s better if I didn’t know about it.”
    “So, you’re half Catlan,” said Loray at a corner in the room, who had crept in with Kiar.
    “He’s a sign of Taklan Peace,” Kiar said.
    “Zana doesn’t want anyone else to know about it,” Rida told them.
    The 2 Catlans looked at each other then shrugged. “Fine,” said Kiar, “we won’t tell.”
    All of a sudden, Zana tensed up.
    “Zana, what’s wrong?” asked Pella. But Zana couldn’t hear her.
    None of them knew it, but Zana was seeing and hearing things they couldn’t and he didn’t like it. After a few moments, Zana shivered and looked around him.
    “Zana what happened?” Pella asked.
    He looked at her and swallowed. “I had visions.”
    “What?” asked Loria.
    Zana shook his head and looked at the floor. “They seem to be memories. There’s a man-a Catlan man, he’s looking happy and holding a baby. The woman is a Tyron-she’s out of breath-she just gave birth-”
    “Is it a crime or something?” asked Jaron.
    Zana shook his head. “They’re a family, but it’s scary. The baby’s cryin’-there’s a raid outside-people screamin’-the woman shouts to run away and the guy gets scared and-”
    “Zana, calm down,” said Loria, who put her hand on his shoulder.
    “Could the visions have shown what happened to him?” Jaron thought.

Zana walked along the corridor of the just finished hospital. He had his yellow rose with him. It’s because of the yellow rose and Jaron as his witness that the Taklan people are starting to explore the island, as reported by the news.
    Zana stopped walking outside a room. He could see a sleeping Tyron woman inside. He went in the room, quietly.
    Inside were 2 other patients, but they were playing cards with each other. Zana stood next to the woman’s bed. She was sick and looked 60. She wasn’t that skinny, but was muscular and looked like she had a story to tell. She also looked like a proud mother.
    “Funny,” he thought. “She looks…familiar. Have I seen her somewhere?”
    She then woke up…and smiled at Zana as if she knew him. “Zana.”
    “How d’you know my name?” he asked.
    “You may not know it, but I’ve known you since you were born. My name is Riga.” Zana didn’t know what to say. “Can I hold that rose?” Zana gave it to her. Riga smiled even more. “Where’d you get it?”
    “From an undiscovered island,” he answered.
    “They’d probably call it ‘Yellow Rose Island’ then.” She grinned.
    “Can’t you laugh?” asked Zana.
    Riga shook her head. “Too sick.” She then fell back to sleep.
    “Wait-”

It was next morning, Zana was running to Riga’s room. He ran in. Then stopped dead. Riga wasn’t there.
    “Where are you Riga? I’ve got questions to ask you!”
    A nurse came in. “Can I help you?”
    “What happened to Riga?” Zana asked.
    “I’m afraid she took her last breath early this morning,” the nurse sadly told him. “Why? What is it?” she asked.
    Zana tried to explain. “I just thought...she told me...I just have questions that’s all.” The nurse didn’t know how to react, so she went away.
    He walked slowly over to an open window, shaking his head. And flew through it. He hovered for a while, feeling quite sad, then he saw what looked like a black Jet Ski-it’s a Jet Ski that flies through the air.
    “What’s a Catlan Mini-Jet doing here?” Zana thought. He then just flew off. “I’m checking it out.”
    But during all that time when he was outside, he was being watched. Watched by a Catlan dressed in black and holding the yellow rose Zana gave to Riga.

©Ruth Amy Louise Hüneke 2008