The Chronicles of the Caltamere Twins: The Prophecy

In the Keep Where It Reveals

Standing at the entrance, her figure let out an aura of superiority among Henry and mom. Mom is quite protesting about Abigail’s—but they call her Sharhea—decision of telling me what’s going on. But she doesn’t have much choice but to follow her. 

She nodded at me to follow and she went out. Too stunned to move, my feet are glued to where it stood. I’m completely disoriented from what’s happening.  Henry went to where Joan was lying. He took her in his arms and carried her out. Mom followed Henry to the door but stopped and took a glance to me, waiting for me. 

“It’s going to be alright, Jenny. I promise,” Mom said sensing my doubt about following them. I blinked from my early stupor. I’m too reluctant to follow. Pools of questions swirl inside my head. What would happen if I knew? What should I do after? Should I follow or should I not? Should I trust them?

“Oh, by Nature! The sun is nearly setting and we ought to get moving,” Sharhea yelled at the background. She came back with a sudden urgency in her voice. “You know we are useless once the moon’s up. Come along now, Jenny. You ought not to be afraid of us. You want answers? This is the right opportunity to seek it.”

“What do you mean by ‘useless once the moon’s up?” I asked. Confused on some surface details she was willingly spilling. Sharhea glanced at me and just produced a crooked smile. Nodded at my direction and said, “C’mon! Time is of the essence.” She turned away with her footsteps fading out. 

It was only mom and I left in this shattered diner. 

Mom was uncomfortable. Probably trying to win my confidence again, but I too felt this awkward wall between us. I could see mom’s chest rising and falling. She looked at me softly, waiting for me to come with her. 

“Jenny,” she barely made out a word, seemed quite reluctant to speak to me. “We have to go. The time for secrets is no more.” Firm yet gentle, her eyes locked on mine, the wall between us starting to crumble but a new wall is replacing it. Something that could separate us for quite some time, I found her seriousness in her voice which made me wonder what I should expect from this venture for truth. 

“I guess, I don’t have a choice but to follow you,” I said submitting and toning down my stubbornness. “But you will tell me everything, won’t you?”

“As I said, the time for secrets is no more,” Mom ended this short conversation with a slight unrecognizable resolution. There’s something cooking up within my mom and I have no idea what it is. 

I followed mom outside. A black van is waiting for us there. Henry’s on the wheels. Joan was lying on the backseat with Sharhea on her heels. Mom went for the front seat which leaves me to sit where Joan is. I raised her head on my lap and fastened myself for the ride.

“Where are we going?” I ask.

“Somewhere safe,” Sharhea replied. She turned to Henry and told him something in a language I do not understand. It was like a mixture of Latin and slavish tongue as they converse with it. He nodded, understood the instructions, and started the car. 

“Pray to have a smooth ride, Princess,” Sharhea suddenly spoke as she glanced at the sky. “We are worthless once the moon’s up. If we’re going to be attacked, you’re on your own,” she said it without any hesitations. Saying things like this to a teenager who’ve just gone through hell would sound like a threat of dying. 

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Your rightful age is nearing, it will commence soon.” A shiver in my spine crept to me. I’m not sure if I would laugh or be threatened but the way she said these things like they’re usual things to say. I didn’t press further for she shut down herself from the conversation. I took a glance at mom and noticed she was eyeing me in a way I could understand that she’s much worried about the outcome of this.

We passed by Stone Hills Cemetery driving out of town. We’re nearly at the outskirts when I’ve noticed something different on Joan’s face. She looked clean. I touched the part where she was supposed to have a cut on her face but it disappeared. Amazed yet terrified at the sudden disappearance of her wounds, I glanced at Sharhea pleading for answers. She noticed my discovery but she just let out a soft smile. Pleasing to see that something’s happening to Joan, her face seemed satisfied. She then gazed at me with an excitement sparkle in her eyes. 

“What’s happening to her?” I asked.

“She’s regenerating. You’ll understand later.”

“Regenerating? How is that even possible?” Just then, I could feel some warmth surrounding my wounds. I peeled off the dressing on the one covering my chest and I could not believe my eyes. The stab wound is disappearing. 

“Calm down, Princess. You don’t need to sound hysterical,” she said matter-of-factly. “As I said, your answers will be acquired soon enough. Just be patient.”

“Patience isn’t my strongest suit.”

“Tuh,” she mumbled other things after this which I didn’t catch. Whatever it is, maybe it’s the time for me to try to be patient. After all, both Joan’s and my life is at stake here.

After about an hour drive out of Redville, we reached a small, dingy cabin at the outskirts. It was covered with outcrops and tall grass which, theoretically, would have had the cabin camouflage. From a distance, the cabin doesn’t seem to catch any attention to travellers passing by this route. It seemed very remote and deserted and well concealed. 

It took us about a few minutes to pass through the thick outcrops and tall grasses. The ride was bumpy as we got nearer. At the open, a wide range of plain soil beds surprised me. It was well mowed, not expecting to see clean cuts in this side of town. Through the cabin, it looks uncannily foreboding. I rolled down the window and a waft of humid leaves penetrated my nostrils. The van made a squishy sound against the mud.

At the horizon, the sky embarks a scarlet hue as the sun slowly consumes the night sky emerging. A pair of seagulls circled the sky, telling me that we’re near a coast. I noticed Sharhea rolled her window too. She studied the sky for a while until she let out an approving breathe and set on a smile of victor.

Henry parked the car in front of the cabin. Mom stepped out and went straight to my side of the door. She opened it and waited for me to step out. I did as Sharhea. Henry reached in to carry Joan. Together, we approached the porch where an old stool lay untouched. The cabin looked so old, and dusty. 

But what the eyes see deceives the mind. As I get nearer, I’ve noticed an invisible veil surrounding the door. I blinked my eyes several times to adjust to the light but the veil was still there. Curious, I stepped in closer and raised a hand to confirm what I saw. I waved my hand through the air until I felt something resisting my movement. A force blocking my wave indicates the invisible veil at the door exists.

I turned to look at everyone with me and all of them seemed not too surprised for me to discover it. Something they’ve expected me to have seen it. 

Confused, I stepped back a little and gave way to Sharhea. She just stood in front of the door and chanted something that sounded like slithering K’s and L’s. It was quite terrifying at the same time amazing. 

After Sharhea recited her chant, the floor rumbled slightly, dust came raining from the cabin, and the door glowed golden white light responding to her chanting. Soon afterwards, the rumble slowly subsided as the golden white light glimmered through the peeping holes of the door. Then, at the four sides emerged fiery carvings that look like a form of writing in which language I found to be very old, ancient even. 

Several clanks of metal and a hiss opened the door. It slid back into the darkness of the cabin. With a loud thud, the cabin door halted and what lies ahead is unseen by the darkness. The glimmering golden white light vanished. I took a step forward to see what lies beyond. Immediately, as it sensed my presence, a jolt of light flickered and all I saw was metal. 

Pure pristine metal fields with different ornaments of foreign culture adorned the walls of the cabin. I felt awe at the sight. Inside, who would have expected something glamorous as this when the outside looks like a deserted cabin? 

The room goes on several feet from me. A long aisle of white marble floor leads us in. It took me a while to realize that the size of what’s inside doesn’t seem to agree with what it looked like outside. 

“This is the Sanctum,” Henry announced as he laid Joan on a nearby couch. “This is where we meet to discuss things. We’re safe and stronger here.”

“Like what?” I ask.

“Things on how to stop assassins coming for you. Reports on your growth and progress and what happens in Beyond.”

I take it that they’ve come here very often. I look around. At the far right corner, I found a small round table with glasses untouched. On the other side, there were five capsule-like beds. I wonder how they sleep in those. The room looks pretty modern but a mixture of ancient glamor lingers within the room. Several old rolled parchments on one side stacked heavily, gems and jewels in a compartment and the things I love most about the room, there’s a whole compartment of weapons.

Swords, daggers, shurikens, spears, crossbows, bows and quivers of arrows lay neatly in that compartment. Hanging on the wall were different kinds of guns, modern guns and guns I’ve never seen before.  My mouth fell at the sight of the numbers of weapons they have. The compartment was about five feet wide and at least about four feet high. 

“This is incredible,” I breathe. “Why do you have so many weapons? Is there a war coming?” I ask intentionally to put sarcasm in my voice.

“Since you’ve asked, yes, we are preparing for a war, a war of the Realms,” Sharhea answered from behind. I shot a glance at her when I heard about the War of the Realms. I didn’t get that.

Sharhea went across the room and sat on a chair. She gestured to me to follow suit on the chair in front of her. I did and Henry and Mom followed. 

We sat there nearly thirty seconds of silence until Sharhea started, “Well, let’s get this awkward air break. We—,”

“Start from the beginning,” I said. “All of you—” I glanced at mom and Henry then back at Sharhea—“tell me every truth. Nothing left behind.”

“Right you are, dear.” Sharhea began. “As you can see, your mom and Henry are not who you think they are. They’re Keepers as well as Mage Warriors.”

“Keepers? Mage Warriors? What are you talking about? Is this some kind of video game cosplay?”

“Let me finish first,” Sharhea replied with a slight tone of irritation. “We call them Keepers because they were assigned to keep an eye on you, keep you safe and raise you. Mage Warriors, however, as well as Keepers, they are fighters and mages. Meaning, they can match any combat, and perform supernatural displays.”

“I am called Sharhea. I am Head of the Keepers and the High Mage Warrior. This means, they work for me.”

I gaze at them. I tried to stifle my laugh but it came out nonetheless. 

“I’m sorry,” I said as soon as my laughter subsided. “I just couldn’t take it. Do you know how pathetic you sounded like earlier? What makes you think I’ll believe in those kinds of things? Who really are you people?”

“Jenny,” this time, it was mom who spoke. “You have to know, the life you knew is not really the only life you should know. There are others at the Beyond with the same practice but different in many ways you can imagine.”

“Hold on. What are you trying to say?”

“What I’m trying to say is that, there are other worlds that linger in the Veil that most people do not know about. A few, thousands of years ago there were chosen people who were given a task in protecting the Veil. They were called Sentinels of the Veil. They keep people from snooping around in grounds they’re not supposed to. They monitor the in and out activities in the Veil.”

“Might as well show you the Beyond, Jenny,” Sharhea said whilst standing and going to the parchment shelves. She scanned the stack until she found what she was looking for. She came back holding a long old parchment with glittering red ribbon in the middle. She pulled it off and rolled the parchment on the table.

At first I only saw a set of drawings of trees, mountains and waterfalls. Several borders draw from different directions on the parchment. It took for me a few while before I noticed that the parchment drawing looks like a crooked checker with each space were words I’ve no idea about. But at the east end of the parchment, glittering in green ink was the word “Earth”. My guess that this is the earth. 

In the middle of the drawing, in golden ink was a word “Caltamere” at which hit me with such a heavy familiarity. A sudden recognition fell on me as I read the word repeatedly inside my head. Then, a flicker of memory appeared in front of my eyes.

A map.

An Armory.

A man and a lady.

A smile.

Then fire and blood all over. I could hear screams of agony, grunts of defeat, splash of blood and hiss of a burning wood, and crying of babies realizing that they no longer have a family.

I stumbled back at these images. So suddenly, my head seems to dematerialize things that were seen before but have forgotten for a long period of time. I fell on my knees, and put my hands on my head, squeezing it as images add up to my memory. I grunt. 

A hand touched me and all those images ceased to come in. I look up. It was mom, holding me in her dear arms. I had tears forming in my eyes. Feeling lost and ignorant, I fell to her chest, seeking her warmth as this sudden coldness of perplexity shivers my body.

“What was that?” I ask, barely words I speak. Numbness in my voice impeded me from making a sound. A hand stroked my hair, calming me down. I could hear my heart wanting to burst from its cage. Pounding, every breath I take, my chest burns from its beat. 

Slowly, her warmth and caress tame my wild heart. My breath slowly quiets. Mom pushed me slightly so I could see her. Eyes weary and terrified, but her face showed no weakness to my shattered self. I carefully read what my mom is showing. Something she had never shown me before. Her acts today gave me an idea of who she really was. She may be said to be a Keeper or a Mage Warrior, but her presence, her warmth and caress are of that of a mother, my mother. It’s still her, in spite of who she is, she’s still my mother.

I fell to her chest once again and embraced her. Asking her to secure me from the things I’ve just seen inside my head, but then she pulled herself from me again and made me look at her.

“Jenny, you saw something, didn’t you?” she asked.

I nod. “What were those things? Why am I so familiar with that word in the middle of that parchment? What is that? What—,”

“Let’s take a seat first, Jenny. You’ve been through a lot and taking everything in at once will shatter you more.”

“I am already shattered! Ever since she died!”

“I know. I know, love. Please, take a seat and give us a chance to tell you everything, to make you understand. No more wise comments, okay?”

I nod, surrendering my stubbornness of learning things I ought to believe once are not true. 

When everything calms, perhaps, when I calmed, Sharhea let out a breath and continued.

“This is the map of the Beyond. The lines you see that separate from each space are what we call the Veil. This—” she points at The Earth, “—is where we are now, The Earth.” 

“What you see here are Realms in the Beyond. You have to understand, this is not the only world here. There are other factions of worlds in the Beyond, countless, but only a few were ever discovered by the Great Conqueror. And these are the few.” 

“You mean, there are other Realms besides these?” I ask, “Like parallel dimensions?”

“Yes, and no.”

“No?”

“No, because in parallel dimension, theory says that each world has the same person as the other one had but only living a different life. Here, the worlds in the Beyond are not parallel. They are different. Very, very different. And we were told that there were others but their activities are too quiet to be noticed by the other worlds.”

“Why are you showing this to me? What’s this Beyond got to do with me? With Joan?”

“Because Jenny,”— this time it was Henry who spoke. “You and Joan do not belong to this world. You belong to this,” he pointed at the middle where the flash of images started to come to my mind. 

“You and Joan belonged to the Kingdom of Caltamere in the Land of the Realms, Alda.”