Kitanna
Chapter 155: THAT WHICH HAS NO LIFE

Chapter 155: THAT WHICH HAS NO LIFE

[MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: LITTLE BIT MORE~ SURIEL HESS]

Panha ran towards the other side, limping. She was going to slash the sword at Larel. Why did that dumb concubine step in? She gritted her teeth as the stone impact coursed through her whole body causing her immense pain.

"Where is my son?" Khelan asked when he noticed it was only the woman coming towards his direction.

Panha scowled, "I barely escaped with my life. You can go get him yourself." She dragged her feet, escaping from there.

Khelan turned to look at the direction of the palace, then at the woman who was escaping. He decided to leave his son; moreover, being alive means he would have another child in the future. He followed Panha behind as they escaped the palace through another gate.

Venantius, who was now ready to continue with his journey, entered his carriage. He had been waiting for news that the palace was now conquered, but nothing was heard. Maybe it was due to the heavy rain, he thought. He decided to go there by himself. They hadn’t gone for too long when his carriage stopped. He looked through the window to find out what caused the sudden stop.

"Supreme king, you need to see this," one of his guards said.

Venantius stepped down from his carriage and walked towards where two persons now stood helpless. One female and the other male, who had a striking resemblance to Almaria.

"Are you by any chance Almaria’s son?" Venantius asked the young man who appeared to be in his early thirties or late twenties.

Khelan was surprised that the man knew his mother. That was when he noticed the peculiar cornrows, which the other tall man back at the palace had too. "Yes, yes, are you the backup my mother sent? She needs your help right now!"

Venantius smiled, "Easy lad, I am Supreme King Venantius. Not some servant of yours. What happened back at the palace?" He asked, taking in the appearance of the woman standing beside the young man.

Panha didn’t allow Khelan to speak as she interjected, "The princess came back, and she had more soldiers with her. They have defeated almost all the men Lady Almaria came with." She reported, trying to pressure the man into charging to war with his men.

Venantius smirked; the princess was not an easy target just as Deonisia had said. He thought to himself, his eyes trailed at Almaria’s son, as he contemplated whether to go and continue the fight or just turn back to his kingdom. He didn’t want to end up like his own father. After much hesitation, he decided to go and help Almaria. If she rules Morado, then he had more to gain than to lose.

As he was about to step inside the carriage, a tall figure staggered towards them.

"Dominique?" He called out the name of his right-hand man and best friend.

"Supreme king," Dominique bowed, as his wounded body bore sword marks, which were now dripping blood.

Venantius rushed to help the man up, "Someone come over here. Help him inside the carriage, which monster did this to you?" The supreme king couldn’t help but wonder; the marks were precise and at vital points. If it were any ordinary person, the person would have died, but seeing that it was Dominique, he had survived.

"We are retreating!" Venantius shouted as he walked back inside his carriage.

Khelan held the man tightly, "But... but my mother she’s..." He couldn’t leave her behind when she had come to save him.

Venantius sneered, "I have taken a big blow in one night; I won’t risk the lives of my soldiers anymore. You can go and get your mother; I’ll ask my men to give you the weapons needed." He wriggled his hand free from Khelan’s grip and entered inside his carriage.

Panha didn’t need to be told; she jumped inside the carriage, leaving behind Khelan who was contemplating whether to go back or run. After a few minutes, he joined them in the carriage and prayed his mother would forgive him.

Back in the palace, the rain was now reducing its intensity. Kitanna stood at the far end of the room where the throne was as she watched Almaria.

Almaria sat comfortably on the throne, her hands resting on both sides. "How long has it been, daughter? Since you bowed to your mother," she asked, trying to daunt Kitanna with her words and at the same time stall time for the supreme King, who unbeknownst to her was now on his way back to his kingdom.

Kitanna started walking towards the woman, "You know, in the past I cried myself to sleep asking why you never loved me. Was it because after my birth father died, I just couldn’t wrap my head around it. I didn’t know I was worked up for no reason because you were never my mother." She said, her voice sounding a little distant.

"Oh but I played you, I played you and your father so hard. Your poor mother, she didn’t even get to breastfeed her child as she lay weak on her death mattress, still taking the poison I gave her every morning," Almaria threw her head back, letting out a sinister laugh that was aimed at triggering Kitanna.

Kitanna clutched her knife tightly; she wanted to kill the woman herself but she knew that was what Almaria wanted but death shouldn’t be given to likes of her that easily.

Almaria noticed the girl holding herself back; she continued. "I had thought the poison would even affect you so someone like you won’t be born into this world. But she used up her last energy to bring you out, and a tenacious girl like you struggled even without the love of a mother. Despite everything that was done to you, do you know that I knowingly lost you in the forest when you were just this little?" Almaria used her hand to indicate the size of young Kitanna.

"Oh how your poor father cried his eyes out and I had prayed for the wild animals to gobble you up, but then you returned to the palace. Even when Misam had locked you up in a large drum for three days without food. You still made it out alive and it makes me wonder haha..." Almaria continued to taunt Kitanna, tapping into her past pains.

Kitanna felt tears roll down from her eyes as the memories flooded in at the same time. Memories she had pushed away; when she was tied around a tree without food, locked in a dark room without anyone protecting her, and thunder rumbled making her scared, she remembered these pains that she almost stopped breathing for a minute. Then her memories moved to the happy ones; when Nix came into her life, and the recent times she met with Axilla, and Larel and also how Clephas protected her all this while.

She raised her face to look at Almaria, "It was all in the past, now I have people around me. People who love me genuinely, who risk their life to keep me safe. Do you have that Almaria? Where is your family?" Kitanna asked.

Almaria was shocked at the new look of confidence in the girl’s eyes; she thought she was defeating her by bringing up old wounds turns out that Kitanna was not moved by it anymore.

"My family... my family... I have my son! And grandson!" She blared, trying to keep her composure.

Kitanna smirked, "Where are they? Nobody is coming back from you, Almaria. You are all alone, and what about your cousin? In the end evil never wins no matter how hard you try." The princess said quietly.

Almaria scowled, "You have a lot of fancy words I see, because you feel victorious now. Just wait, wait... when the supr-" her words hung in the chilly air as Nix stepped inside the room.

"Is just you left, Almaria, step down and accept your punishment," Nix who had just finished fighting the last remaining intruders interrupted.

Almaria shook her head in disbelief; the supreme king had promised to protect her. When she saw Nix coming closer and she knew it was to lock her up again, she wasn’t going to face such an embarrassing situation again which made her almost lose her mind. Almaria took out a knife from her gown and held it to her throat, before Nix could take another next step, she slashed herself.

As she watched Kitanna who stood unmoved at a distance, she remembered how she had first arrived at the palace with her cousin. And everything that had happened until now, then her mind moved back to the last words Kitanna said to her.

’Where is your family?’ At the end of one’s life, they say; their whole life flashes in front of their eyes. It was the same for Almaria; she had never spent quality time with her own son, or even carried her grandchild all because she wanted the throne. Now she locked up her cousin in another kingdom, Almaria held her neck tightly, holding back the blood, as tears streamed down her eyes, then she allowed the white light to take over as she limped on the throne.

Kitanna stood at the same position, she dropped her sword on the ground. "That which has no life, has no sin." She muttered.