Callia's Redemption
Chapter Twenty-Three

“Oh my gosh! Eve!” Penny yells as she starts running inside. “I know where she is!”

We race inside and quickly try to keep up with Penny. Eve, or Eveleigha, is a girl that went to school with Penny and me. She went on a lot of our adventures with Mary, Moria, and Allie. She always struggled with her magic. I sensed she had great power, but she could never control it. She’d seem…disconnected in a way, from it.

“Where is she?” Allie asks.

“I saw a flash in my mind on where she is. She’s at the entrance.” Penny giggles.

“What do you mean you saw a flash?” Mary demands.

People flatten themselves against the walls as we tear through the halls. Penny is the first one out of the entrance to the Lava God City. She tackles the beautiful blonde haired girl. Eve’s baby blue eyes widen as Penny is crushing her ringlets, designed to frame her hearted face, in a bear like hug around her neck. She’s tall, taller than me even.

Eve gives off a bell toned laugh as she pats Penny’s back. “Hey Penny.”

Moria pulls Penny off of her so Eve can breathe. “Eve.” She says as she gives her a gentler hug.

Eve then hugs each and every one of us, giving me a kiss on the cheek as she pulls back from my fierce hug. “It’s nice to see you breathing.”

I chuckle. “It’s good to be breathing. Purgatory sucked.”

“As I imagine it would.” She looks me over. “What happened here?” She asks as she traces my middle, then waves off my answer. “Girls I have huge news. I finally feel normal!”

She steps back and waves her hand, having the dark magic pool out as a satin sheet and follows it. “Look what the Dark Spirits gifted me.”

Mary eyes her wearily. “You’re not going to turn evil like Gstalt did, are you?”

Eve chuckles. “Spirits no. I am very happy and content in my own skin for once. I have no desire to do any of the things Gstalt did.”

“Thank the Gods.” She breathes a sigh of relief. “We have so much to tell you!” She wraps her arm around Eve’s waist. We link arms and turn around giggling. The boys just stare at us opened jawed and parted so we can past.

As we enter the mountain a man with golden wrinkled skin and flowing silver hair stands at the doorway. He is holding a cane and slightly hunched. He’s wearing a robe that hangs down to just above his feet. He looks at me awkwardly as he shifts uncomfortably. I let go of Moria’s arm. “I’ll catch up.” They nod as they look at me and then the man before walking off.

“We’ll meet you in the bath.” Allie calls as she looks over her shoulder, shooting me a curious look.

I fold my arms as I feel Garth hovering just slightly behind me. I speak out of sheer awkwardness. “Koia I presume.”

Koia stiffens and then smiles. “You look so much like your mother.”

I shrug, feeling a very familiar wall come back up, “I wouldn’t know.”

His face goes hard, his red eyes still remaining soft. “You sound angry. Please know that I didn’t even know you existed until years after you were born. Even then, your mother only told me in a letter. She also sent me a locket with your blood in it to tell me that you existed. She refused to tell me anything else. I never heard from her again until well after you were dead. She came to me with Gstalt, to retrieve the locket and my blood.

“Your mother did what she could to protect you. We both saw the chance to see you alive once again. We took it. I promised your mother I’d introduce myself, and to explain what happened. Also, to tell you about her. She loved you dearly Callia.”

I sigh. “I’ll take your word about that. The woman is a complete stranger to me. I only saw her in a re-creation I created, at the spot I was summoned. She took a lot of steps and precautions to make sure I was not revived where I was summoned. From her actions I can tell she loved me. I do not know that for a fact though.”

He steps forward. “Callia, your mother said if she had to do it over again, she’d do whatever she could to be a part of your life. Please don’t be angry with her, or me.”

“I understand why she couldn’t be a part of my life. What I want to know is; why didn’t you try to replace me when you knew about me? While I was alive. You had the chance she didn’t.”

Koia falls silent before speaking. “That is on me. By the time she told me you were alive, you would have been thirty. I do know that is young in our lives, but it wasn’t in mine. I felt too old to keep up with you. You were of a Water Demigod and a Lava God Callia. I knew your powers would have been great. I-I also had my own family to worry about. After your mother left me I did end up meeting another woman. We had a child that same year your mother left me. If I had known she left because she was pregnant, I would have tried to replace her and you. I would have fought for you.”

“So, I was an inconvenience by the time you knew about me?” I snap, growing angry.

“Father!” A male voice calls behind me, cutting off Koia’s surprised response. I look behind me and see a man covered in blood and dirt. His black hair frames grey eyes and a square face. Red lips are set against semi pale skin. He’s a little taller than I am so I have to look up when he gets to my side. He’s the same man Morticious was about to kill when I intervened.

Koia grimaces as the man talks. “I see you are meeting the woman who saved our hides. Mine in particular. She stopped Morticious seconds before he was about to kill me.”

I keep my face composed as Koia’s eyes widen. “She-she defeated Morticious? I thought she just defeated Gstalt.”

The man shakes his head. “Negative. She’s stronger than me, that’s for sure.” He turns towards me and holds out his hand. “My name is Kih. Thank you. I know I wouldn’t be alive without you. You should join my father and I for dinner. As a thank you.”

I feel myself mentally applying brakes as I reel from that offer. “I have to go.” I say as I take a step back. This is way too much for me to handle right now.

As I’m rounding the corner I hear Koia say that I’m Kih’s half-sister. That is followed by a loud “what” that echoes in the hall. I hear Garth start talking to them as I walk out of ear shot.

I head to the baths. The girls are all there giggling. I just strip off my clothes as I walk into the warm water. I dive under it and swim to Moria’s side. I refuse to surface. I refuse to deal with what had just taken place. I do not want to talk about it. My supposed “Father” chose to ignore me. That is…I can’t even think of a word to describe how horrible that makes me feel.

I feel a hand on my shoulder as it shakes me, trying to get me to come out. I shake my head at that and try to sink further into the water. Soon I’m pulled out of the water by Moria, my head just above the water as I stay limp in her hands. “What’s wrong?”

“I just met my dad.” I sigh. She’s in so much shock she lets me go and I plummet back below the warm water.

I’m quickly pulled up again and turned around, forced to sit. Moria looks at me like I’m insane. “I’m sorry, I thought you said you met your dad.”

I nod. “I did. That was the man I left you to talk to. His name is Koia.” They all gasp

Moria’s eyes go wide. “I know him. He’s very revered in our clan. His son is Kih. Did you meet-“

I nod as I look at her. “I apparently saved Kih’s life too.” I rub my face as Allie comes and hugs me from the side as she rubs my arms. I tell them of the conversation I had with Koia as Moria tries washing the mud from my hair.

“That sucks.” Mary hisses.

“Man, I was hoping if you ever met your dad, he’d be proud of you and want to get to know you.” Allie sighs. “That sucks honey.”

I nod. “Well he’s not my dad now or ever in my opinion. If I was such an inconvenience for him then, I’d hate to be one for him now.” My words are in anger, but I’m definitely ignoring the man for a while.

“Callia,” Penny sighs. “You know what no. After what that man said to you I’d say you’re right to be angry.”

Eve looks at me with shock in her face. “This is not what I was expecting to happen today.” She touches my leg. “It’ll be okay Callia.” She looks down. “By the way, why are you guys leaking?”

I start laughing as Mary explains. After explaining to Eve what happened we talked more to catch up. She stands up long after we’re all wrinkly from the water. “I have to get going now.” She snaps her fingers and a black robe twists around her, cutting off at mid-thigh. “I’ll see you girls tomorrow. I have to get settled into my new realm.”

“Why tomorrow?” I ask as I smile up at her. Eve always knows how to cheer me up.

She giggles. “You really have been dead for a while Callia. Tomorrow is all of our birthdays. Remember?” She bends and kisses my cheek, then vanishes.

I laugh. “I can’t believe I forgot.”

Allie nudges me. “Well we had more time to get used to it.” She winks at me as they stand.

Moria pulls me up. “Time to get ready. The Lava Gods are throwing a huge celebratory festival since the war is officially over!” She squeals as she hugs me. “Almost all of the Elders from every clan is coming. They’re teleporting in.”

“Since when?” I laugh as Moria throws clothes at me.

“They announced it when you were talking with Koia.” Allie says while I step out of the water. “Besides, Mary has to return the returned Wind Stone.”

“After tonight it’s no more play. We have to figure out what our new roles are.” Moria says as I pull up the body suit. The red suit cuts off at just above midthigh for me. I lace up the sandals she hands me and allow her to brush my hair out. She twists my hair up into a loose braid and pins it in place with some of her gold jewelry. Pieces of my hair frame my face and cause her to sigh.

Allie takes my arm and Moria the other. We all link arms and start walking down the hallway, giggling with our heads put together. We head to the library to see if we can replace anything more on The Magic.

Moria pulls out the book she found. It’s thick. It’s grey and the pages are yellowing. It is old. Moria blows on it to get more of the dust off of it. We all gather around the book as she opens it. The words mean absolutely nothing to me. I look at Allie and she looks just as confused. So do Penny and Mary.

“Can you understand that thing?” I ask Moria as her fingers follow with the words.

She looks confused. “Yes. You can’t?”

I shake my head. “It looks like a bunch of scribbles and pictures to me.”

“Same.” Mary sighs as she plops onto a chair.

“Maybe you can only read it since you’re the only Lava God.” Allie suggests.

“Likely.” She says as she starts skimming the pages. I go and sit by Mary. I look around. The room is covered in red satin. Red satin is used as drapes, furniture upholstery, and rugs. God lines are in various patterns for decoration and color. Their chairs are stuffed and soft, which I sink in the one next to Mary gratefully. I stare at one of the hundreds of bookshelves, trying to figure out what is to come next. The anticipation is killing me.

“What are you thinking?” A male voice asks next to me.

I jump and try to catch my breath. “Don’t do that Lee.” I hiss as he giggles. “I’m trying to figure out what our role with The Magic is. Also what exactly The Magic is.”

He folds his arms as he frowns at me. “I’ve already told you. The Magic is just that. Magic. It’s a being that is more or less alive and is the core of our world. Without The Magic there is no Magic. It spends most of its time in its realm watching Mortals. Since it was paying so much attention to mortals it forgot about the Spirits. Thanks to your vision Callia, the Spirits you saw have been banished from the Spirit World. Now it’s your job to replace them and take their magic.”

I groan. “How am I supposed to do that?” I demand. “The number of realms is infinite.”

Lee nods. “Very good for paying attention in school Callia. You five have to track them down one at a time I guess. You need to be together to create one of those stones you used on Morticious. Callia, you’re the only one that can activate it.”

“Why?” I whine. I hate being the stupid key in peoples plans. Why can’t I retire?

“Why can’t The Magic tell us where they are?” Allie demands. She seems more tired than I am. Probably because I just woke from a very long nap. Did she even sleep?

“If they’re not using their magic it cannot replace them.” He sighs. “Now to tell you what you are, you are magic. Your bodies are the vessels that it filled. As long as magic lives, so will you. This is why Callia lived after Hiram tried to kill you. Yes Callia, that was Hiram. That attack is what made The Magic look into your lifeline and see that vision you had of those Spirits. You five are the balance between your world and the Spirits. You will act as warriors for The Magic when it has need of you as well. You are now of its creation, and you belong to it.”

“What?” All five of us yell.

“Grandfather?” A voice comes from just outside the library. Lee looks over and sees Garth standing in the door. His face is one of regret as he vanishes. Garth looks to me “Was that?”

I nod. “That was Lee. Well as young as the last time I saw him. It’s probably why he chose that appearance now that I think about it.”

“What was he doing here?” Garth demands.

I speak with care. “Your Grandfather swore an oath to protect me at all costs. According to him it applies in death. The Magic is likely what is making him act as a messenger between our worlds.”

“The Magic?” Garth looks like he’s going to faint. I walk him over to my chair and explain to him what is going on with the girls and me.

“If what Lee said is true, then that explains how we were able to drain Gstalt as well as we did. I thought we were going to be toast.” Allie sighs. She sits on the arm of Penny’s chair.

Penny nods. “And why our blood is now the color of our magic. Moria was right.”

“Is that so hard to believe?” She chuckles. She snaps her fingers, making the book vanish. “I’m keeping this baby safe. It is updating itself. Your battle with Morticious is in there Callia. Very impressive by the way.”

I blush a little. “Thanks.” I stand as I hear raising voices. “Sounds like the festival is about to start.”

“Let’s go!” Penny yells as she races out the door.

“I swear no one has that girl’s energy level.” Moria sighs as we follow her out to the hallway.

We walk into the center of the mountain, where we hear music coming from. Stringed lanterns are everywhere as floating fire light the mountain. A fountain rests in the middle, steamed water coming from it. People are dancing and vendors with food are everywhere. Games are being played. At the far end are tables for people to eat. There is a long wooden table that stretches the length of the hall that all the other tables are pointed to. Those are usually for the guests of honor.

“Let’s go!” Penny grabs my hand and drags me into a dance. Mary claps as she joins us on the dance floor. The rest of the festival went by quickly as Allie and Moria dragged me to games and food vendors. I was always careful to avoid Kih and Koia, though I can feel them watching me. Kih tried a couple of times to approach me, but I was always pulled away by someone or another.

A couple of hours in the other Gods arrived, and esteemed Demigods. They all flocked around us and demanded to know what happened. I explained to them while still trying to keep my mind off of the century long war my friends and I just ended. I want a day to relax before my life goes insane. Just in time for my birthday.

A bell rings, calling everyone to dinner. I am the one that is forced to make the speech. For once I wish I weren’t the center of attention. I hold a glass of ale up, the room immediately falling silent. “Ladies and Gentlemen, this is a day that means the world to anyone in this realm. Today Gstalt has finally fallen, and a new Goddess of Darkness has taken over. Lady Eveleigha is going to be the best one yet.” People clap as I hope she heard that from her realm.

“Mary, Penny, Allie, and Moria have fought beside me to drain Gstalt and destroy the Banishee Morticious. However, none of this would have been possible without Garth, Arin, and Alaric.” Everyone cheers as they stand and nod quickly before sitting. “Many have died in this war, myself included.” A laugh fills the crowd. “For those who have passed on and made sacrifices beyond most can comprehend we thank you. We pray that the afterlife is filled with peace, and as far from purgatory as possible.”

“Amen.” The crowd ripples in unison as they touch their hearts.

“Now let’s enjoy this peace and meal in their honor. For this is a day that is filled with hope. A feeling we all hope will last.” I take a sip and keep my mind calm as the crowd cheers. I can live in this life of peace for one day. I’ll even fight to keep it.