Kitanna
Chapter 123: THE ENEMY OF MY ENEMY

Chapter 123: THE ENEMY OF MY ENEMY

[MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: HAPPIER THAN EVER ~ BILLIE EILISH]

"Sit back down Almaria," Deonisia bellowed. Her cousin sister had just been acting out of character since they escape the palace. They had left the prison on a horse, riding as fast as they could because the princess was hot on their tails. Even with old age Deonisia didn’t want to get caught, they finally arrived at a place they didn’t know because it was still dark and they were ushered inside a small room. They had no idea who helped them escape or why but Deonisia just wanted to rest, as her whole body was aching her from the long ride. But Almaria wouldn’t let her have some good rest or even sleep, she kept talking about going back to bring her son.

Almaria turned to look at her for a moment, then she said. "Do you know what they will do to Khelan and my grandchild if I don’t go back? No matter what Khelan is my son. I can’t leave him there all alone and unprotected." It appeared that the former queen dowager was aging faster than usual. Her usual smooth and silky skin now looked pale and dry. Her eyes lacking composure.

Deonisia shook her head, "Unlike us, Kitanna wouldn’t take a life that easily. I mean you should know her by now, even when she was an assassin did you not complain that she didn’t carry out her missions completely. Khelan will be fine, we should be talking about who helped us escape. And hope that Misam doesn’t rat us out because that’s who she is. She can do anything to survive."

Almaria finally sat down, bringing her hands close to her chest. "Khelan, stay safe. I’ll come back for you" She was distracted with the claps that suddenly erupted in the room.

A very tall beautiful woman, slim and elegantly dressed appeared at the door, clapping her hands in excitement. When the clap finally died down,

"So heart wrenching. A devoted mother, who lives only for her son." The woman said, her words filled with mockery rather than compliments and the two older women noticed it. They glanced at each other before looking at the young woman who spoke to them like she was their leader.

"I know you have a lot of questions, I’ll answer three. Then you both will answer mine, let’s hear it" the young woman beckoned.

Deonisia cleared her throat, and asked, "Were you the person who saved us?"

The young woman clapped again, "I knew that would be your first question. Well it depends, I might be your saviour indeed, or your doom. Next question."

Almaria and Deonisia looked at each other for a brief moment, they have never been in the position to answer others. They left that life a long time ago when they decided to covert the throne of Morado. But with the look of things, despite being younger than them, the woman in front of them controlled power.

"Why?" Deonisia asked, "Why did you help us?"

"Mm....let’s see, for this question you can still refer back to my first response. Why I helped or why I’d finish you off, everything depends on you both, if it’s a help or a curse. We will find out soon. Last question" the woman clapped her hands again. She was the only one enjoying the question and answer game.

Almaria didn’t allow Deonisia to ask, she raised her hands and spoke, " Can you go back and bring just one more person.....umm no two, two...my grandson and my son please." She asked eagerly.

Deonisia palmed her face, why Almaria was acting out of character was what she didn’t know what she was doing anymore. But it disturbed her, was it because she suddenly lost the power and authority she once controlled. Because she was no longer invincible? It worried Deonisia so much, that her cousin wasn’t thinking straight anymore.

The young woman was stunned for moment, "I don’t know if is to praise your motherly bravery or foolishness. Are you bringing your son here when you’re not sure what I’ll do to you."

Almaria paused her lips, when she heard herself being called foolish. She looked at Deonisia for back up but her cousin sister refused to meet her gaze.

Deonisia looked away from Almaria. She had it coming when she asked an irrelevant question which had no alignment with the situation at hand. She decided to speak, "If you didn’t kill us immediately, it means you need us. I bet we can all be of help to each other, you already know us. Tell us who you are."

The young woman nodded, at least someone was wise among the two women. "Nice, but like I said I’d only answer three questions. Now is my turn. I am Panha, and my question is, Do you know anyone by name Calissa?"

Deonisia hummed for a moment, she finally turned to meet Almaria’s eyes. Tilting her head as if to ask her if she knew the person.

Almaria raised her hands, "Am I supposed to know just anyone? I don’t know any Calissa..." She shrugged her shoulder.

"Well for someone who was acting so emotional about her son a while ago anyone would think you’re really close to him. Your son used to be inlove with Calissa, she even came to the palace for his wedding." Panha said with her lips paused in annoyance. Her sister wasn’t even regarded by the royal family.

Almaria raised her eyes, "I know every woman Khelan had an affair with during his youthful days. And I killed them....." She quickly noticed the heavy air in the room, and she knew she had messed up.

"Calm down, I know all of them and their names. I don’t remember any Calissa who even attended the weddi...." Almaria halted for her moment, her mind trying to gather her thoughts together.

’Meet Calissa, she’s my work maiden’s Kitanna’s voice resounded at the back of her mind on that day she found her in the cottage. It was actually Khelan who was with that woman that day. The information now sunk deep into Almaria’s bone.

"That vermin!!! She deceived me to the end!" Anger was now seething from Almaria’s eyes. She clenched her teeth out of frustration, Kitanna had been two steps ahead of her the whole time.

"Do you remember something? You killed her?"Deonisia asked worriedly, with the way things were going the Calissa maiden seems like their only ticket to survival. She prayed that Almaria didn’t kill her like others.

Almaria sighed, "Thanks to Kitanna, I didn’t. She said the girl was a work friend of hers....I suspected it too, I should have known!" She hit the table, when her eyes met the angry eyes of Panha, she gave out a dry smile.

"I didn’t do anything to the Calissa maiden," Almaria raised her hands in defense, "You should be kidnapping Kitanna not us. She was also the one who invited her for the wedding, I didn’t bother to ask again" she exonerated herself from anything it was that involved the Calissa woman.

Panha gritted her teeth, so it was really true that the princess killed her sister. And even discarded her like she was nothing.

Deonisia noticed the look in Panha’s face, it was look she was familiar with. She took it as an opening and spoke,

"Is Calissa someone you know? We would have loved to help you look for her, but as you can see the princess took away or authority. We share a common enemy."

Panha scowled, her face scrunched in hate. "Someone I know? Help look for her?" She chuckled.

"Calissa was my younger sister, you don’t need to look for her because she was brutally murdered by that princess. I would do anything to make sure she meets with the same fate." The woman’s body trembled in anger.

Inwardly Deonisia was happy, the rage the younger woman was fuming was enough to boil a large pot of soup. It was enough to finish Kitanna off, by a good plan of course. Rage without plan they say, is a suicide mission. With these thoughts Deonisia finally smiled,

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Why don’t we join hands together to get your revenge so that your poor sister’s soul can rest in peace. While we get back what is ours, It’s a win-win, everybody is happy. What do you think?" The sly old woman asked, her words nothing less than the slithering slits of a serpent.

"What would you need?" Panha asked, ready to go into the palace and get rid of the princess.

Deonisia stood up properly, raising her head up high she said, "Sometimes death is a privilege if easily given to likes of Kitanna. We should make sure she feels twice of what we all felt. And there are people I want us to remove first, the silver haired man helping the princess is fearsome but there’s this kingdom unknown to many who defeated the white lords years ago, we should pay them a visit. I’ll be the brain, you get the resources. We’ll get this ship sailing in no time" the conniving chubby woman grinned, her thick neck hiding her jawline.

"And for the first target....I know just one person" Almaria chipped in, enjoying the omnious aura that now filled the room.

Panha cocked her head to the side, out of curiosity she asked, "Who?"

Almaria clasped her hands together, "They call her, the high priestess....." Her voice trailed.

Far away from where the three women plotted to bring down Kitanna, inside the royal shrine of Morado. The high priestess who was sleeping, sneezed out loudly.