Page 29 of Rhaz's Redemption
I had to bite back a laugh. I knew for a fact his legs weren’t tired. There was no pain or even soreness in this realm, but even if his legs weren’t tired, I could tell that his heart was heavy.
“Sure,” I smiled. “Come here.” I held out my arms to Bhaz who looked to be no older than four or five. He wrapped his arms around my neck and rested his cheek on my shoulder.
Again I was struck by a strong sense of familiarity, but I pushed it aside to focus on the task at hand. The sun was beginning to set and the city was growing closer with each step. It wouldn’t be long now.
Bhaz had fallen asleep in my arms by the time the city gate came into view. The gates themselves were made of a shiny material I’d never seen before. They glowed yellow in the sunlight and were warm to the touch from the reflection of the sun.
It wasn’t just the gates that glowed but the bright blue wings of that very angel shimmered in the distance. I shifted Bhaz’s weight to my other side and elongated my strides. There was a sense of excited anticipation that resonated from this place that made me want to run toward the city, but I didn’t want towake Bhaz. He’d had an emotional day and some sleep would do him good.
“Hello son. It’s so nice to see you again.” My angel, my mother, greeted me with her arms open.
“Hello mom.” I wrapped my free arm around her and she hugged both Bhaz and myself. We held each other for a long moment before I stepped away.
“What was it that brought you here this time? Another jagwa attack?” Concern was written all over her face.
“I wish,” I sighed. “Dameron has a new beast to do his bidding, a shifter named Gil. He hit me with his fists and cracked my skull.”
I resisted the urge to rub my head where I’d been wounded.
“Gil? Aratha’s son? You must help him. Keep him away from Dameron.” My mother insisted.
“I’ll see what I can do. Right now they’ve got me tied up and pinned to the ground,” I lamented.
My mother pursed her lips with disappointment. “I wish I could protect you from him like I did when you were a boy.”
“You gave too much of yourself back then. I’m just glad he can’t hurt you anymore.”
At that moment, Bhaz began to stir. He lifted his head off my shoulder and rubbed his eyes.
“Are we there? Did we make it to the city?”
The young sietling looked up and saw my mother standing next to the golden gate and he immediately straightened.
“Hello, Bhaz. I’ve been waiting for you,” my mother gave the child a warm smile.
“You have?” he seemed hesitant to believe this woman he’d never met, but he also couldn’t take his eyes off her shimmering blue wings.
“Yes, I’ve known about your arrival for some time now. I’ve set up a room for you in my house where you’ll live until it’s your time to go back into the land of the living.”
My mother spared a quick glance at me and there was a suspicious twinkle in her eyes that told me she knew something that I did not.
“Can I go back now?” He asked with hope in his eyes.
“Not yet, but soon,” she held out her hand for him and he squirmed down from my arms to take it.
“I want to see the city!” Bhaz pulled on my mother’s hand and led her to the golden gate, and it did something I’d never seen before. The gate to the city of souls opened.
“Come on, Rhaz!” he waved for me to join him, but I stayed put. It wasn’t my time. I don’t know how I knew that but I did. Every time I visited this place a sense of displacement filled my soul like I wasn’t supposed to be here.
“He can’t come with us,” my mother informed Bhaz.
“But…” he looked up at me and his chin began to quiver. “I don’t want you to go.”
“I wish-” I didn’t even finish my sentence before Bhaz came running back to me and hugged my legs.
“When I go back to the land of the living, I’m going to live with you.” There was a strong determination in his little voice. He meant what he’d said.
“I’d like that,” I patted his head and gave him a warm smile.
