Chapter 6 Legends of the Past

The mid-morning sun was beginning to climb the skies, each ray touching the Villa's gardens with the life-giving light. It was warm. Her skin felt the beams light up her face; the warming sensations caused her to smile. She wanted nothing more than to sit out on the terrace, bathing in the sunlight. But of course, that was never the circumstance.

Jenni was standing on the terrace steps about to walk down into the courtyard garden's entrance. A beautiful carved archway of limestone greeted her where the mid-relief or half sculpted into the wall, of a feline alien goddess holding a bundle of flowers seemingly beckoning to her. She took a moment to take in the half sculpted artwork. It was quite a masterpiece in itself, almost lifelike. The robes depicted in a soft sweeping motion clinging to her body in the present Greco-Roman fashion, her face soft and detailed, the flowers so lifelike, the artwork was so exquisite. Jenni felt the goddess's pleasant demeanor gazing at her bouquet of flowers. She was absolutely lovely.

She entered into the garden itself which was a large rectangular courtyard separating the Villa from the Servants Barracks. A polished marble fountain stood at almost 10 feet in the center, the floral motif patterns and fountain tiers were exotic to the home world. The courtyard was bordered by floral walkways with a large space in the middle for physical activities. It was there that Jenni caught sight of a little girl at play.

The little one was playing, running back and forth chasing a tethered ball with what Jenni realized was a blue dog. The little girl had long shiny black hair with parts of the sides pulled back into a braided bun. She wore a soft cream robed dress with a red border. Her youthful tan skin was to be envious of how it glistened next to the gold bangles each aristocrat female received, so were her dark brown eyes; Jenni felt a sense of pride looking at the little girl who was not only beautiful, but athletic as well. Jenni's hand instinctively touched her stomach, she knew it was her daughter.

"Madre!" the little girl's attention was to her with a wide smile. Her daughter was instantly next to her, embracing her around the waist. Jenni reached down to hug her back.

"Madre, you're just in time! Stitch and I were playing goal ball. He's up by three ticks, can you be on my side? I want to win this time!" Jenni glanced over to where the blue dog named Stitch was bouncing the tethered ball in a manner one could describe as "hackie-sacking." She let out a giggle kneeling down to her daughter's eye level.

"Of course. But you realize that it doesn't matter how many players you have, it's the level of skill you possess that makes the victory, Lilo." Her daughter gave her a look, a "not another philosophical life lesson outside of studies" expression. Jenni held in her laugh, her daughter was a character on her own. Must be her father's trait. "But I think we can take him." The little girl flashed her a big smile before turning around and running towards the blue dog still kicking the ball. Jenni followed after her, getting a clear shot to kick the tethered ball and continue the game on her daughter's team. If victory was on their side, Jenni was not sure, but she was sure some honey date cake would heal any hurt feelings. She and Lilo were just two ticks behind when a tall, shadowy figure caught Jenni's attention. It was tall and cloaked in a dirt brown traveling cloak, leaning against the back wall. Intense blue eyes were staring in her direction. The grey skin showing from his crossed arms made him recognizable. Jenni stopped in mid-step, waving her hand towards the shadow figure to come next to her. He was walking towards them.

"Madre?" Lilo was instantly by her legs holding onto her skirt. Jenni glanced down to see her daughter almost trembling, her big brown eyes watching the tall cloaked man walking towards them. She heard the growling of the blue dog which made its presence known by standing in front of the girls.

"Stitch." Jenni raised her voice in a commanding tone, the dog turned to her. "Back down. He's not a threat." Stitch looked back at the figure, snorting one more growl before he took his place beside Lilo. "Lilo, I want to introduce you to someone very important." The alien revealed his face, the grey skin with injuries treated and cleaned, the bruises almost gone. His eyes were directly on Lilo watching her intently. Jenni noticed her daughter's expression go from fright to confusion. She wrinkled her nose as Stitch tilted his head with the same look. "Lilo, this is our Guardian, Gantu. He will be watching us every day and every night."

"For how long?" her daughter looked up at her. Her face read 'Really, Mom?'

"For as long as we need him, Lilo. He has taken an oath to serve and protect this familia so you will show him some respect. You will do everything he tells you when certain times arise, and he will follow you wherever you go." Jenni held in her giggle from her daughter's cringing expression. She was a pistol.

"Little Earth girl," Gantu had knelt down while Jenni was talking and the sound of his voice stopped Jenni in mid thought. She saw Gantu extending a hand to Lilo before continuing, "I pledged to be your Guardian. I promise you I will protect you and your mother for however long you need me." Jenni noticed her daughter still scrunched her nose before replying.

"Do you promise to be good?" Gantu's eyes had widened for a second before returning to their normal squint. He reached for his shirt's collar, pulling out a gold coin medallion attached to a glistening chain around his neck. He took it off and brought it to Lilo's eye level; the medallion bore the etching relief of a whale fluke or tail on top of a sun. Jenni watched her daughter take the pendent into her hands, gazing at it intently.

"This is the symbol of the Guardian." Gantu answered. "Every soldier wears the medallion as a reminder of who we serve and protect."

"Wasp Mummies?" Jenni covered her mouth holding the urge to laugh. Oh from the mouth of babes.

"The innocent." Gantu was obviously not amused, but Jenni sure was. Her cheeks were glowing red, trying very hard not to laugh at her daughter's earlier response. "I'll make you a promise, little one," Jenni watched Gantu place both his hands around her daughter's, closing the coin medallion into her tiny hands. "As long as you have my medallion, I promise to be good. I only ask that you give it back to me when I need it." Her daughter kept her gaze on the coin for a few seconds before flashing her big brown eyes up at the alien.

"I'll hold you to that promise."

At that moment an overly large husky man with dark purple skin and four eyes entered the courtyard. He was wearing a beige under robe with a navy blue sash around his right shoulder signifying his scholar status. Jenni noticed him when he entered the gardens, she knew it was time for her daughter's lessons.

"Little girl, 626, time for da lessons of da evil science." The scholar's heavy Russian accent called to the little ones. Jenni saw Lilo shrug before she replied,

"But all we do is learn science! Evil science! Can't we learn something else?" Her daughter shrugged, dragging her feet towards her home tutor scholar. Jenni noticed the dog, Stitch, was imitating Lilo as they both walked out of the garden. Jenni could not help but laugh at the two… they were two peas in a pod.

"Your Highness," she heard the panting of someone behind her. She turned to see Chef 625 bowing to her, a basket in hand. "Malady, I was in the middle of preparing ingredients for midday eating when I noticed the absence of lamb meat. Your daughter requested lamb for today, I beg for your forgiveness in this mistake, and I…"

"Chef 625," Jenni put her hand up, trying to calm the little chef. He was out of breath and obviously flustered. "It's alright, you don't need to bow and ask for forgiveness. I'm pretty sure my little daughter's mind forgot about the lamb meat today. You know how floaty a child's mind can be." The little alien looked up to her, Jenni could see the instant relief in his body language. "I'll go to the market and pick some fish up, it's better for her anyway. And I need to purchase some supplies. I haven't been to the market in a while, it would be lovely to go. I think I will ask our Guardian to escort me." She turned to Gantu, who was already standing awaiting her orders. He nodded, waiting for Jenni to lead the way.

She took the basket from Chef 625 giving the little fur alien a smile. "We'll be back before the sun hits the high angle. All I request is that you make the tomato puree' with melted cheese on toasted pita bread." Jenni felt her stomach grumble before continuing, "I absolutely request that." She smiled. Her private cook stood with a huge grin.

"Yes, Malady." He turned and left the courtyard almost skipping. Jenni brought her attention to her overly large shark-like body guard, he was standing off to the side waiting for her with his arms crossed. Jenni walked next to him, catching the stare of focused blue eyes as she passed.

"Escort me to the market, please." Her Guardian covered his face with the cloak's hood, he fell in step behind her as Jenni's legs carried her to the courtyard's exit. The same eerie black fog awaited her. To the market she went.

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The Turoan Market place was a civilization on its own. The market had its own language, customs, and diverse culture from all over the empire. So many different merchants from all trade routes claimed by the Turoan Empire were represented, each culture selling their city-state's most prized exports. Men arguing and haggling over prices on food items, women chatting with each other and modeling the newest silk clothing arrivals, children playing with the exotic animals and mesmerized by the sweets counter. Every item a civilian could ever want or need could be found in the bustling intersections of the loud crowded market. Everything from fresh seafood, locally grown plant vegetables, and sweets to home décor, clothing accessories, and weaponry. Everything… except a certain candle wax Jenni had been searching for the past few weeks. She would just have to wait till the next ships docked from the trade routes in the West. Those merchants were at least dependable and the most valued.

Jenni had found the food items for the midday meal, the fish wrapped in cloth hidden in the basket. She was happy to get out of the Marina. The smell of old catches was bothering her, not to mention the whistle calls from the fishermen. Though they abruptly stopped when Gantu stood directly behind her and say something in the ancient Turoan language she did not quite understand. By the frightened looks on the fishermen's faces, Jenni knew she should not ask.

They had passed the food district of the market, entering into the trade market itself. Jenni was mostly interested in venturing where most of the Empire's women gathered, the shopping district. Women from all over the Empire were crowding around trading posts arguing, chatting, and haggling prices with the merchants and their clothing accessories. From the glared looks the women gave her as she passed, Jenni found herself very grateful that Gantu was escorting her through this place… otherwise she was not sure if she would make it out of the market alive.

Her eyes caught the glisten of gold in one of the merchant's stands. The merchant himself was human, with long black hair braided behind him and seemed to have eaten a small cow by the size of his belly. The man took one look at her and his eyes lit up, bowing to her and reciting her name.

"Your Highness," the overly large man addressed her, motioning for her to walk to his stand. "I just received new gemstones from the North. I, myself, have traveled on the Knowle Sea and handpicked the precious gems from the mines. I have a special piece that might interest you, your Highness." He disappeared under his stand, Jenni could hear him wrestling around with cargo boxes. The human with braided hair popped back up holding a square wrapped in white linen. Jenni felt anticipation rise as he pulled the cloth away, revealing a gold plated necklace with blue-grey crystals and a stunning silver pendant of a whale's fluke. The pendent itself was pure silver, hammered into a unique open design inside the whale fluke pendant. The blue-grey crystals sparkled against the black backdrop, the sun shining on the both precious metals made the piece dazzling. She had to try it on.

"It's beautiful…" Jenni caught her breath, taking the necklace into her hands, still staring at the pendant.

"Not as beautiful as the lovely Daughter of the late Emperor." Another voice caught her attention. It was deep, a voice she had never heard before from a human male she never saw before. He was tall, muscular built and had dark skin of deep brown. He was also bald with a tattoo of two intertwining cobra snakes on his left arm. His robe was bright white with red trim. He wore the deep red sash off his shoulder with gold leaf print on the seams; the mark of a Senate status. The human Senator was still staring at her; he was smiling, though he seemed as a person who would not often smile.

"Dear, Jenni, how more beautiful you've become. How has Malady been since last I saw her?" Jenni took a step back away from the Senator who knew her name, feeling her entire backside against her body guard's armor. Her Guardian's hand rested on her shoulder with a slight squeeze beginning to pull her in the opposite direction. It was then that the thought came to her. She knew his name, the tattoo was her clue. Cobra… his name was Cobra. Jenni felt the connection between this man and her father was deeply rooted, and his bond with her since she began to walk. This Cobra man was a friend of the Familia's… a lifelong friend.

"Senator Cobra," Jenni addressed him, pushing back against Gantu's hold on her shoulder. "You startled me. Please forgive my demeanor." Her hand touched the alien's, and his grip immediately released, and Jenni quickly straightened her posture.

"It is I who should be asking for your forgiveness, Malady. I didn't mean to startle you or your…escort." The last word stuck out to her. Jenni did not need to turn around to know the same glare given by Senator Cobra was reciprocated by her shark alien Guardian.

"You are fine, Senator Cobra. How goes the Grand Council?" She made an attempt to deflect the men from glaring at each other, though she had no idea what caused it. Senator Cobra's gaze finally fell onto Jenni.

"The Grand Council is busy with politics and legislation that you know I cannot speak of publicly. But let me not bore Malady with such talk. How goes your daughter Lilo? She is of studies age, correct?"

"Lilo has been under scholar studies since last summer cycle." Jenni felt herself smile and beam talking about her daughter. "She has quite a natural talent for exotic animals in both identifying and behavior. They respond to her quite well." Jenni notice the Senator's expression soften.

"Just like her father of late. Your husband would be proud to see his daughter taken after him." Jenni let out a soft sigh, she knew he would.

"Tis kind words, Senator." Jenni heard shifting movements behind her. She wondered if the conversation was getting uncomfortable. She took notice of Senator Cobra flickering the same annoyed glare up at the alien behind her before returning his attention back to her.

"How does Malady herself do? The responsibility of a widowed mother at such a young age I hear is daunting." Jenni took a moment to ponder her response. On the outside she felt composed and adjusted to life without her husband, but on the inside… she was crumbling under the pressure.

"I manage. Lilo does take after her father's stubbornness, you know." With this the Senator was laughing, and then asked,

"I feel sympathetic to the boy who will be betrothed to her, handling both fires of her father and mother! The poor lad will burn. Have there been offers for her hand as of late?" To this, Jenni did not know. Lilo had offers for her hand but none of them have been of the best intentions. As her mother, she would be picking the male, but since the death of the Emperor, every aristocratic family in the Turoan Empire had been waving their sons at Jenni. Each more power hungry than the last. A small voice inside her said to keep this information secret.

"Not as of late." Jenni wished to put a stop to this talk of her daughter. What was asked next was not any better.

"And what of your hand? I have heard your name circulating around the Senate halls. The widowed daughter of the late Emperor is news to us old men. Certain Senators have expressed their…" he paused raising an eyebrow, "their interest in you." Jenni felt her stomach drop. "And your beauty is hard to ignore, Malady. Even the Chancellor himself I hear finds you hard to ignore." The image of the gerbil-like Chancellor flashed in her mind. Jenni tried to hold down the gagging reflex.

"Well… that is news to me…" Jenni needed to leave the market immediately. Family friend or not, the Senator was making this conversation uncomfortable. She turned her attention to the human jeweler merchant and suddenly remembered she was holding onto one of his most precious pieces. "I will take the necklace." The merchant had told her the price as she reached for her coin purse when the Senator spoke.

"Allow me, Malady. I can see I have offended you in some way." His hand already dropped the coins into the merchant's hands before the sentence finished. Senator Cobra had taken the necklace out of her hands and turned Jenni around where she was facing Gantu. Jenni could not tell if he was watching her or Senator Cobra behind her, but her sudden gasp from the cool metal of the necklace contacting her skin seemed to have caught Gantu's attention. Instantly Jenni was pulled away from the Senator and found herself standing a good distance away, her Guardian now standing between the two humans. Gantu's arm was pushing against Jenni, the other holding onto the hilt of his blade, waiting to draw. Jenni was expecting a violent reaction from the Senator, him cursing or stirring up the crowds in a frenzy. But he was silent, staring intently at her body guard with a cool confidence. It was eerie how calm and collective he was. The annoyed glares exchanged between them were visible enough for anyone to notice the tension. Jenni rushed forward in between the two men, standing with her arms extended.

"Enough. We are leaving. Thank you, Senator Cobra, for the talk and gift. Both have been greatly appreciated." Jenni looked up at the Senator, keeping a calm composure herself even though her heart was racing. He bowed to her, saying,

"Good day, Your Highness. Hopefully we can speak on more pleasant terms, when the stench of fish is no longer around." Before anyone could react, Jenni turned on her heel grabbing a hold of her Guardian's arm pulling him away from the merchant hut. Jenni was sure she heard deep growls and curses from a language not known to her. She pulled on Gantu's arm, which in her case was more like annoying tugging to someone three times her size, towards the Turoan Market's exit. It was not until they were a few yards away from the Market's exit that Jenni heard her Guardian speak words and not grumbles.

"Political rat… I don't know what reeks more, the stench of his fallible politics or his body odor." At this Jenni found it hard to contain her laughter. The sudden outburst of her laugh caused her to pause her walk as she covered her mouth, letting little giggles slip out. When she looked up, she was surprised to see her body guard watching her, only this time he did not appear to observe her so harshly. His face had softened, his eyes were a little wider than their normal squint with an eyebrow raised, and his jawline relaxed. The look Gantu gave her reminded Jenni of an amused smug. "Does Malady find it amusing?"

"Quite amusing." She answered. "And you can call me Jenni, Gantu. You're my Guardian; I think you can call me by my first name." She let out a small giggle, smiling as she did so. To her surprise the shark-like alien smiled. It was not a wide toothed grin, but a small smile which seemed fascinating to her. She did not stop herself when her voice spoke, "So you can smile. I was beginning to think all you could do is scowl." She laughed as she began to walk again. To this the alien fell in step next to her, laughing as he did so. It was loud and deep, but unusually pleasurable to see another expression from him other than his seriousness.

"I only scowl when the time calls for, Lady Jenni." And just like that the two began to talk, exchanging jokes, stories, and political views as if they had be lifelong friends, making their way up the hill side towards a Temple placed at the top of the coastline.

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From what Jenni could see, the Temple was built on the rocky coastline facing the sea. It was ancient, older than the Empire itself. The walls were polished marble with timber beams along the sides with a wooden roof overhead. The wood was painted sea foam green with a basic shell pattern and gold leaf border. It seemed so old and so simple in design, but yet it entranced her just the same as she found herself standing before the Temple's steps. As custom to Turo, when entering a Temple of the gods, a female must be accompanied by a male to enter. So it came as no surprise to Jenni when Gantu held out his arm signaling for her to place her hand on it. But what did surprise her was his skin. Since shark skin was made of tiny teeth and supposed to feel like sandpaper, Jenni thought his skin would be rough and coarse-like. It came as a shocker to her when she touched smooth skin, warm smooth skin in a dry spell. It felt like whale skin when she thought about it. It took all control for her not to stroke the skin, her curious mind wondering about his origin; shark features, whale skin, warm temperature instead of cool… he was puzzling and fascinating to her at the same time. Jenni had not noticed through her mind's wanderings that they both came to a stop in front of a magnificent statue.

Of the statues she came across in the Turoan Empire, this marble figure of the female Mother Goddess of the Turo Seas stood out above them all. Her statue carved from the purest white marble had the very likeness of skin. Her body, her dress, her very expression, they were so life like Jenni swore the statue gazed upon her admirers with a motherly tenderness. The Mother Goddess of the Turo Seas stood with one hand holding onto her legendary Triton while the other caressed her stomach with such gentleness Jenni almost wanted to touch it to feel the life inside. Both her veil and dress were captured in motion from a fierce wind and her long hair following the current. Her soft face, round and full of life, had whale features, even more evident was her massive fluked tail behind her. To think her creator was a mere mortal artist, well, Jenni wondered if he was divine himself.

Jenni turned her attention to the basket around her arm. She took her hand off Gantu's arm, pulling out a candle she had bought earlier from the market. She walked closer to the statue holding the candle in both hands and grabbed the lighting stick used for candle vigils. After she lit the wick, Jenni placed her candle by the others, some still lit others melted, and knelt. She lit a second candle, placing that one next to the latter. Jenni sighed, bowing her head with her gaze at the two candles, their flames dancing.

"Mother Goddess, I ask you to take these two candles to my late father and late husband for they may need their light and warmth on their journey to the afterlife. Tell them we honor their memory every day, and we miss them." Jenni felt a lump in her throat, but she continued. "Tell them little Lilo has her father's fire and her grandfather's wisdom. She is growing well and has been granted a Guardian to watch over her. Ask them to watch over her throughout her life. Grazie Madre Dea."

She finished her prayer and stood, expecting to see her Guardian waiting. But he was gone from the room. That was quite odd, Jenni knew there was only one room and she was standing in it. So where did he go?

She walked outside the Temple, smelling smoke as she did so. She followed it, the scent becoming stronger as she moved towards the back of the Temple. When Jenni turned the corner, she found her Guardian standing in front of a life size marble statue of a man where two disks filled with oil were lit aflame on either side. The closer Jenni got to the statue, the more detailed it became. The man was wearing a travelers cloak with the hood up; parts of it were open to show the armor he was wearing underneath. His one hand was carrying a shield bearing a sun design as the crest while the other was holding out his arm towards the sky. In his hand was a sword pointed downwards, he was holding it by the blade and not the handle. Jenni thought that was odd. She had not realized she was standing next to Gantu until she heard his voice.

"He's called the Guardian, in case you're wondering." Jenni turned to him quickly. Gantu was staring intensely at the marble figure, his arms crossed. "They say he was an ordinary man, given the gift of courage from the Mother Goddess herself. She was frightened for her children from the evils of this world, and asked him, a mere mortal man, to watch over them. He developed The Code, a set of rules for generations of men and women who call themselves Guardians to the innocent to follow. The Code is even followed to this day by not just us Guardians, but soldiers who protect their land and their families. When I pledged to watch you and your daughter, I meant his Code." He paused for a moment before adding, "His hold on the blade is our most absolute law; fight only to protect and not to assume power. In case you were wondering…" Jenni glanced up at the statue of the Guardian, trying to find his face under the hood.

"Yes, I was actually."

"Interesting." Gantu continued, only his head lowered a bit, the hood covering his eyes. "Your late father asked me to serve him in the army protecting Turo, something so precious to him. And now, you, his daughter, ask me to protect his granddaughter, another precious item so dear to him." Jenni watched his lips curl into a toothed smile. She was suddenly looking at two blue eyes. "Even in death he asks for my help. Everything comes full circle…" Gantu was facing away from the statue now; his arm was extended to her waiting. Jenni knew it was time to leave the Temple.

As they walked off the grounds, a thought came across her mind. If Gantu had served her father in the army… then how did he end up in the gladiator-slave position fighting for his life in the Collosorena?

"I am puzzled, Gantu," Jenni found her voice as they walked down the trail towards the main road. "You speak of times where you fought in the Turoan Army with my late father. I heard you were Captain of the Armada, his Second in Command if I'm not mistaken, and his Battle Coordinator. Forgive me if I am wrong, but after my father's passing, wouldn't you have the title of control over the Turoan Army until a new emperor was instated? If you were there, what changed after my father's death which caused you to fall into the death pit of the Collosorena?" There was a pause between them that left Jenni wondering if she offended the war vet alien.

"Curious creature you are, Lady Jenni. Clever and curious." His voice held a certain playfulness as he seemed to muse over her questions. "To answer your first question, yes. I would have assumed control of the Army until the new emperor came to power. To answer your second question, well, that's a long story."

"It seems we are at a nice distance until we arrive back at my Villa. We have the time for a long story." The shark-like alien chuckled.

"You humans are very persistent, I'll give you that." Jenni watched him flash a glance over at her before returning his gaze back onto the road. Her question was going to be answered. "Well, my journey started when I came to the Turoan Empire. My home world had been annexed into the Empire; Emperor Zeottualus's empire spanned several planets at the time. I was young when my father and fellow brothers in arms came here; the Emperor showed us great hospitality and made a treaty to connect our home world with Turo as citizens. As custom dictates, the first born son is given to the army. My whole life has been surrounded in orders and militant training. Emperor Zeottualus being my main mentor.

"I rose through the ranks fast, and was granted titles that came with it until I was promoted to Battle Coordinator. Your father asked me to take the position of Captain of the Armada, saying I was ready for all the responsibilities if death had taken him unexpectedly. That included militant and senate control dealing with the war front. That does not mean I was to be named his successor, just be the absent Emperor's voice in the Grand Council and assume all militant affairs until a new Emperor was instated.

"The newly appointed Chancellor Hamsterviel had taken control of Senate affairs in your father's legal absence and was visiting when we were stationed in the East. I expressed my concerns to the Emperor, the Chancellor seemed too power hungry for someone in that position. Your father told me to discard the matter and retire for the night." Jenni noticed he stopped walking for she herself had paused; waiting on the alien's every word on the story.

"The morning Chancellor Hamsterviel left the camp was the morning Emperor Zeottualus never walked out of his tent. Oximus, who you met, was the foot soldier who discovered the Emperor's body, rushed to tell me about it. Before I could assume command and send word to the Grand Council of the Emperor's death, Hamsterviel's personal guards arrested me under the orders of the Chancellor himself. My men cried mutiny and tried to fight against it, but they were placed in chains alongside me. One moment I was at the top, and the next I was stripped of all titles and sitting in a slave ship being transported to the outskirts of the Empire where they train slaves to fight as soldiers. Imagine the surprise when my 'owner' bought me.

"I was forced to fight and slaughter innocent men at the expense of my owner's wealth. Oximus is the only man who I could spare, I…" Jenni heard him draw in a rattled breath, "I couldn't slaughter a fellow brother in arms. I would rather die than have the blood of my loyal men on my hands. That was the first time I managed to fight back at Hamsterviel since my slavery began. Hearing the Chancellor's voice demanding my name was surreal but being able to spook the little rat woke me up to the reality of the situation. And then," Jenni heard his voice change. It was not so deep but softer as if he was making a realization. "You came." She found herself looking under the hood and onto his face. The scars were disappearing, even though the one over his eye was still healing. Jenni began to realize he was watching for her response for his eyes were focused on hers. If she looked closely enough, she could see the soft white ring of the pupils searching her face for a sign. A thought crossed her mind. Was Gantu showing her his own vulnerability just as Jenni shown hers to him the night before about her daughter's safety?

And her father's death she heard was in battle... was there foul play from the new "stand-in Emperor" Chancellor's hand? Why her father...?

"And here we are." Jenni heard Gantu say as his gaze returned to the road. She turned her attention to the road; there was the gate to her Villa, right in front of them. She was not sure if his last sentence was about the story or their destination, but he never mentioned anything else as they walked up to the Villa's steps where the same eerie black fog awaited them. As she entered the fog, Jenni noticed she never took her hand off her Guardian's arm.