The Destiny of Amalah (38 page)

When Garrick and his sons returned home, he sent them to their room promising to deal with them in the morning. He had never been so angry in his whole life and he knew he could not deal with his children while he was feeling that way. He made himself a hot drink and sat under the night sky in his garden, calming himself down and trying to relax but every time he thought of Qomolangma and those children on the mountains in the thin air and ice and snow, his anger rose once again. He spent the next few hours cooling down before he returned to bed and fell into a fitful sleep.

Rakan on the other hand could not sleep at all, at first he was frustrated and disappointed that his father had reacted the way he had and then gone on to blame him in front of everyone and treat him like a child. He thought of his travels and Qomo and everything he had done over the last nineteen months: living off the land, surviving, travelling, the magic’s, the freedom. He had felt like a man then, and now – he was in bed – sent there by his father like a child, awaiting punishment and it made him feel extremely angry and resentful. He longed to be back on his travels with his four friends and brother and the horses and the more he thought about his current predicament, the worse he felt.

The frustration and disappointment continued to turn to anger and resentment, which was levelled mostly at his father who had made him feel this way. Rakan stared in the darkness thinking about the evening, the way things had gone with his father and Qomo. He thought about Kalon who had let their secret slip so quickly and so carelessly but he couldn’t be angry at his brother, because he knew he had done it accidentally and he knew that he was feeling terrible for getting them all into trouble. His mind went round in circles until he gave up on the futility of the exercise and finally went to sleep.

When Kenaz returned home he was disheartened and when he entered his home his father who was home alone, saw his son’s face and became concerned.

‘Son, what troubles you?’ his father asked.

‘We are in trouble,’ Kenaz said glumly. ‘I’m in trouble,’ he continued.

‘Michael will be here tomorrow to speak to you,’ Kenaz said looking at his father.

‘I don’t want to hear it from Michael in the morning. I want to hear it from you now,’ Kenaz’s father replied.

‘We climbed Qomolangma,’ Kenaz said, waiting for his father to explode like Rakan and Kalon’s dad.

‘What? You – you climbed Qomolangma?’ he asked raising his voice.

‘Yes father, all six of us did.’

‘How, when?’ his father asked.

‘From the west to the east and with great difficulty.’

‘My son climbed Qomolangma,’ Kenaz’s father beamed.

‘I’m sorry,’ Kenaz said, as he waited to bear the brunt of his father’s anger.

‘Sorry, sorry, son why are you sorry?’ his father asked incredulously.

‘You mean you are not angry?’ Kenaz asked surprised.

‘Angry! No! Far from it, son I’m proud of you,’ he beamed as he hugged his son tightly. ‘You climbed Qomolangma. No one has
ever
done that, no one.’

‘Father?’ Kenaz said, not quite knowing what to say.

‘Weren’t you scared?’ he asked.

‘Yes, and cold and hungry and tired,’ and with that, Kenaz’s father burst out laughing and slapped his son on the back.

‘I always knew you would do something good and make us proud but I had no idea. I could never have imaged you would do something this great,’ he said looking at his son proudly.

‘I’m so happy that you are not angry father,’ Kenaz said relieved.

‘Far from it son, you’ve made a happy and proud father, now tell me everything,’ he said sitting back in his chair and so Kenaz recounted their time on Qomolangma.

Kenaz told his father of Gangay and how they prepared for the trip, he told his father about the first few miserable days when they all thought they were going to die – except for Rakan. He explained about the magic the boys used and when Rufus and Waldon nearly lost their lives in the avalanche, and then he told him about the final climb and when they finally reached the top of Qomo and how, once more: that they felt on top of the world and beyond.

Kenaz’s father listened in complete silence, pulling faces or moving excitedly at times of tension, or action and when he had recounted Qomolangma, he told of east Santeb and Li Wang and then Aradene and travelling to Mantor where he met the mighty Zulus and Xhosa’s and how Kalon saved Waldon from the deadly mamba bite and got bitten himself, and how it took six days for him to wake up. Kenaz’s father was spell bound by the story his son was telling him and when he had reached the end of Mantor Kenaz stopped and looked at his father.

‘Don’t stop,’ his father said, almost ordering his son. ‘Go on,’ he urged.

Kenaz told of Basimine, Filine and Equer moving from forest to snow and snow to mountains. He told of living with the mountain people in the caves and then sledging across Equer with the huskies and finally travelling through Parades by reindeer or wolves and then onto Lansten before they returned home to Amalah. When he had finished, Kenaz waited for his father to speak.

‘Incredible,’ he said slowly. ‘Absolutely incredible, my son ventured all over the nations and through Qomo and he returns safe and sound along with all his friends.’

‘So you’re not angry?’

‘Far from it, my son you have proved you are a man. Not only did you travel the world, you did it as part of a team. You stuck together, worked together and at times – I have no doubt – saved each other. You got scared and cold and hungry and faced death, yet you went on. I’m proud of you, proud of all of you for what you achieved and how you achieved it. I need never worry about what the six of you will get up to, for I know you will always look out for each other.’

‘But Garrick was so angry with Rakan and Kalon, especially Rakan,’ Kenaz said thinking of his friend.

‘In some ways I am not surprised, when Garrick lost Sarah he was devastated and the only thing that kept him going were his two sons who he vowed to love and look after.’

‘But why does that make him angry?’

‘Because the thought of Rakan and Kalon climbing Qomolangma scares him. He could have easily lost both his sons and I don’t think that has ever really crossed his mind until now: but Qomolangma aside, Rakan did defy him by using magic’s. I know I’m proud of you for doing what you have done Kenaz, but if you had defied me too I would probably be reacting differently. Incredible,’ Kenaz’ father said slowly. ‘Absolutely incredible, my son ventured all over the nations and through Qomo, and he returns safe and sound with all of his friends,’ he repeated.

‘So you really aren’t angry then?’ Kenaz said, not believing his luck or his father’s reaction.

‘Far from it,’ Robert replied. ‘Garrick needs time to calm down.’

‘I understand father,’ Kenaz said; ‘but still, I have never seen Garrick so angry in my whole life.’

‘Garrick rarely gets angry,’ Kenaz’s father replied; ‘but I admit, when he does it can be scary.’

‘Poor Rakan,’ Kenaz said.

‘Don’t worry son, I will speak with him in the morning. I will ride over to his place after breakfast.’

Kenaz and his father retired to bed and the next morning over breakfast, Kenaz heard his father relay the story to his mother; she was proud of her son but more scared and terrified by some of their antics and close calls than her husband was.

Kenaz left the house to find out how Waldon and Rufus’ had fared with their parents and like Kenaz, Waldon’s father had taken the news well and was proud of his son and so the two ventured to Rufus’s house to find, that although they were not best pleased with Rufus’ antics; they knew that at nineteen, he had become his own person and what was done was done.

They cherished their son but still chastised him for being so reckless and not getting their permission first, but they did not display anywhere near the amount of anger that Garrick had. The three boys decided to not call at the palace nor the house of Garrick that day, for they feared that they would only irk the adults even more with their presence.

Kenaz’ father Robert, rode out to Garrick’s place that morning, hoping that he could convince Garrick that what the boys had done was a brave and incredible thing to do and to not be too harsh on them but Garrick was already meting out their punishment before Robert got there.

‘Good morning father,’ Rakan said in a low voice.

‘Good morning Rakan.’

‘Good morning father,’ said Kalon.

Good morning Kalon.’

The three men sat down to breakfast and ate in silence until Garrick broke it.

‘Yesterday I learned that the two of you climbed Qomolangma and Rakan – you defied me – despite promising to not use magic unsupervised, you did so anyway. I am not going to let those deeds go unpunished. I cannot begin to tell you how angry I am at both of you for being so reckless and stupid and even more so at you Rakan for blatantly defying me.

Rakan for the next four weeks, you will work at the palace for the guard. You will muck out the horses, clean them, brush them and ensure that they are well tended to and in that time for the next two weeks you will return to this house every night before the sun sets.’

‘But father…’ Rakan said beginning to protest.

‘But father nothing. Continue to object and I will continue to add the weeks on.’

‘Kalon you too will help your brother for two weeks and also you will be back in the house before the sun sets.’

‘Yes father,’ Kalon replied humbly.

Rakan wanted to object but he did not want to incur any extra week’s punishment from his father so he sat and stewed and his facial expressions showed his discontent.

‘You are the eldest and therefore bear the brunt of the responsibility, further more, you defied me,’ Garrick said answering Rakan’s unasked question. Garrick stood up and prepared to leave for the palace. ‘Make sure you clean and put the breakfast dishes away,’ he said to his sons before leaving them to their own devices.

Garrick left the house and went to his horse, he brushed it down and then mounted it, and he was just about to head off when he saw Robert ride towards him and so he remained still, waiting for Robert to get closer.

‘Good morning Robert, good to see you.’

‘Garrick, Good to see you too.’

‘What brings you here?’

‘Six children climbing Qomolangma.’

‘I thought as much,’ Garrick said grimly. ‘I’m so angry at them,’ Garrick said.

‘I know,’ Robert replied. ‘Kenaz told me, but I come here to ask you not to be?’

‘What! How can I not be?’ Garrick asked, raising his voice. ‘More to the point, how can you not be?’

‘Because I’m proud of what he did Garrick, he told me everything that happened. I’m proud of him, of all of them. They stuck together, helped each other saved each other and they toughed it out. They –
your
children and mine – toughed out Qomolangma. How could you not be proud?’

‘Because what they did was incredibly stupid and they both could have been killed.’

‘I know but I think that you are more angry at the thought of losing both boys than at what they did. Climbing Qomolangma made it a real possibility.’

‘He defied me, risked his own life and that of my youngest son, not to mention the life of the princess. Ellora, the daughter of Kai and sister of Amara, the Empress who I swore to protect and in my absence, I entrusted Rakan to look after them both.’

‘You made a lot of promises Garrick my friend. You promised Sarah and yourself that you would always love and protect the boys, and you have –wonderfully. You swore to protect Kai’s daughters and you swore to the Empress to protect her and her sister and you have.’

‘I know about the promises I made,’ Garrick said.

‘Yes, you do but do you realise that’s a lot to take on and a lot to invest in and god forbid if anything happened to them it would be a lot to lose.’

‘If anything happened to my sons…’ Garrick choked.

‘I know my friend, I know and I think Qomolangma was a real shock to your system. I don’t think you’ve ever been scared for your sons in such a way; magical battles with the Empress notwithstanding; and I think that scared and angered you more than their defiance did.’

‘When Amara hurt Rakan before, I was angry,’ Garrick admitted. ‘But a part of me knew he was going to be alright, but when I heard they went up and through Qomolangma I knew that they had faced death. You know as well as I, that the Sherpa’s have tried and failed to conquer Qomo, they went up but never returned.’

‘I know Garrick, but I heard the story from Kenaz and I am amazed by what they achieved. They faced death, Waldon and Rufus more so and I know that Rakan defied you and that should not go unpunished but you should listen to them, listen to their story and then make up your mind. Be angry but not this angry,’ Robert said to his friend.

‘What do I do?’

‘Listen to their story,’ Robert said again.

Garrick and Robert went into the house to find Rakan and Kalon cleaning the breakfast room.

‘Good morning Rakan and Kalon,’ Robert said cheerfully.