My Kingdom Come book 1: The Saints We See
Chapter 2: Brave

651 standard years after the signing of the Alliance treaty

Mikhail was in the meadow where he and his mother had lived for a while. It had been his favorite home. He was running through the meadow chasing a purple butterfly. The sun was warm and delicious on his skin. Mummy was rooted in the soil, half asleep, drinking from the earth. He didn’t understand why she liked drinking out of the soil so much, it hurt when he did it. But they were different he and his mother. She didn’t have the ability to heal the way he did, or to feel other sentient’s emotions.

The butterfly flew up, out of Mikhail’s reach and then out of the meadow. Mikhail ran back to where his mummy was and laid down in the soft grass near her, enjoying the warm feelings of content radiating from her.

She nuzzled at his cheek. “Little one.”

Mikhail frowned, the meadow was fading, losing color. He tried to turn away.

Mummy kissed his cheek softly. Mikhail could feel her love for him. A strong cord running from her heart to his. The meadow faded away and Mikhail opened his eyes. It was dark, but Mikhail could sense the sun rising outside.

Brenhala pressed her nose to Mikhail’s cheek and snuffled warm breath against his neck. Mikhail giggled and squirmed away from her.

“Good morning my little sunshine.” There was a smile in her voice, but deep sadness in her heart. She felt like that sometimes.

Mikhail yawned. “Mummy, it’s too early to be awake yet.”

“I know. But it’s time for me to go.”

Mikhail stilled. He pushed back up to her side, hiding his face against her. “Forever, this time?”

“Yes. You’re three standard years old now. A big boy.”

Tears began to fill his eyes. “No, mummy. Stay a little longer.”

Brenhala gently rubbed her son’s back for a few minutes letting him cry against her. “You know that the Jurverian are looking for me, little one. They will replace me, and if I’m still here when they do they’ll replace you too.”

“What if they don’t replace you?”

“They will. They always replace their prey.”

“Well, if they replace us together maybe we can stay together after they catch us.” Mikhail pushed himself up slightly, hope filling his chest. “Please? Stay with me and let them catch us both.”

Brenhala touched her son’s cheek softly. “I am going to miss you so much, little one.

“When the Jurverian catch me, they will take me back to Chentzo, my master. I’ll be fine, he takes care of me, but he would not be good to you, my sunshine.”

Tears filled Mikhail’s eyes again. “Why, mummy? I’ll be good for him.”

“Of course you would, love. He just wants you and me for different reasons. He only takes things from me. He would sell you to sentients who are very bad. That’s why he had the scientists make you grow in my belly.”

Mikhail dropped his face and hid it against Brenhala again. “I don’t understand.”

“I know, love. If I could stay with you forever I would, but I can’t. You’ll be safe here. The captain is a good man.”

“He’s not you.” Mikhail started to cry again.

“I know. But he’s smart and he’s good. He can keep you safe. Listen to him and be good for him.”

“Okay.”

Brenhala rubbed Mikhail’s back in silence for a few moments. “You say that you can feel my heart connected to yours. Right, love?”

Mikhail nodded.

“You can feel it even when I’m far away from you?”

Mikhail nodded again.

“Then we will always be connected. You’ll always feel my love for you because I’ll never, ever stop loving you. Okay, sweetheart?”

Mikhail nodded again, but he felt worse than before. He wailed into his mummy’s side.

“I know, my love. It’s horrible and sad, but we have to accept what the gods’ give us in life. Be brave.”

Brenhala held Mikhail and sang softly to him till he fell back to sleep.

* *

Mikhail startled awake to the sound of a harsh curse muffled through his door. His Mum’s side of the bed was cold and empty. Mikhail’s body tightened with sorrow. He felt for his connection with her and felt it humming straight through his heart as strong as ever. He could just pretend she was outside, drinking the sun and the earth.

There was a knock on his door. “Brenhala?”

Mikhail got out of bed and padded over to the door. He opened it and peered out.

The captain stood there looking rumpled and feeling frustrated. He was still wearing his pajama bottoms. He wasn’t wearing a shirt. Mikhail stared at his furry chest with fascination.

“Is your mum in there?”

Mikhail shook his head. “She left.”

The captain rubbed the blue fur on top of his head in frustration. “Do you know where she went?”

“Back.”

The captain blinked. “What? She went…back? Shit.” Sudden fear bloomed out of him. He turned away and stepped back into his room, next door.

Mikhail followed him and stood in the doorway. The captain’s fear was twisting into anger. He cursed softly as he quickly stripped out of his pajama bottoms, snatched a pair of pants off the floor and started to shove his legs into them.

“She said the Jurverians were going to replace her and it would be better if they found just her and not me too. She said she had to go and she’ll be okay and…and we’ll be okay.”

The captain fastened his pants, grabbed a shirt that was hanging off the end of his bed and just stood there for a moment with the shirt in his hand. He turned and looked at Mikhail with his piercing blue eyes.

Mikhail shifted uncomfortably. “We will be okay, right?”

The captain’s emotions quickly fell from anger into deep sadness. His shoulders drooped and he sat on the bed. “Shit.”

Mikhail went over and leaned against the captain’s knee. He peered up at his face. “We’ll be okay. Right, captain?”

“I told you not to call me that. My name is Galor.”

Mikhail bit the side of his cheek. Mummy had always told him that he couldn’t call the captain ‘Galor’, but she wasn’t here anymore. The captain was in charge now. “Okay.”

The captain let out a deep sigh. He laid a hand on Mikhail’s shoulder. “Your mum was right. We’re going to be okay.”