Canto 18 ‘Twas You Are Familiar

From the pathless woods and a sandy dirt path, the Dark Fae city, Crete, stood in the distance. A darkish-purple and black castle had a haunting aura. Keisha and the others walked in the middle of Lucius’s Dark Fae Knights. The Arc walked with them as the Fae had light conversations with them.

“And there are these machines called cars that are as effective as riding an animal?” The Arc’s ruby red eyes were huge as he eagerly awaited Keisha’s answers.

“Uh-huh, and faster. You can go anywhere! My favorite places to go are the mall and the museums. Sometimes the theatres when there’s something good playing.”

Lucius nodded, pinching their brows together as the Fae tried to picture what Keisha was saying. “This…mall, and the-a-tre. You make them sound delightful.”

Keisha beamed. “That’s cause they are. In malls, you can go into any store, and as long as you have money, you can buy whatever you want.” She chuckled. “Okay, not everything. Mamma would always tell me to spend money wisely cause it doesn’t grow on trees.”

“Ah, so this mall is like markets. We have the same system, it seems.” Lucius pointed happily. A broad smile spread across the Fae’s face at the accomplishment of figuring it out.

“Mmhmm and movie theaters are like dark rooms, where they display moving pictures on a screen of any genre they have playing,” Keisha said, trying her best to explain it to the Arc.

“On a screen, you say? We have things like plays here, but these screens seem by far the most advanced. I have to say, Keisha, your world is quite interesting. I can speculate there are no dangers there either. It makes quite the ideal location.”

She shrugged. “I mean, it doesn’t have scary woods and Demi’s running loose, but there are dangers in the concrete jungle.” Keisha pursed her lips together. “People can hurt and steal. They can say mean things to people for no reason, and sometimes even at schools, people bully others.”

Verona had been listening on the sidelines. She watched Keisha’s crestfallen expression as she talked about the unpleasant side of the outside world.

“I am sorry that such atrocities exist,” Lucius said, then reassuringly held Keisha’s shoulder.

Keisha quirked a grin. “Thanks. It rarely happens to me, but when it does to mamma and me, it makes me sad, but you show them you aren’t afraid. Stand up for what you believe in, as mamma would say.”

“Your Mater is a strong and courageous woman.”

The two gazed at one another with reassuring looks. It wasn’t until Frederick pulled their attention away to something ahead.

“Sire, we’re nearing the Aye River.”

Keisha turned to see a flowing stream bled with red. There was a bridge that reached from one end to the other.

“Why is this stream red?” Keisha asked as the traveling party crossed the bridge.

“We’re getting closer to the end of the Illicit,” the familiar voice that spoke was surprisingly Frederick. “Long ago, the Natura didn’t see eye to eye with the Nephilim Giants. They no longer had any use for them, and war broke out between the Natura Borne, the Demi, and the Giants. Legend foretells of the ‘The Ruby War’ that in the end was stopped by The First; the stream you see is all that is left of the battlefield.”

The mention of The First perked in Keisha’s ears again. They were the first that shared the blood of a Shikari and Legacy. The legend had been scattered around, and a few knew of the tale. Older Demi knew it because they had been there.

Once they crossed the bridge and headed for the shore, the traveling party trekked along the wide plains that had once been the event of the war.

The Dark Fae Knights sounded trumpets and called out to the sky, spying Shades from above.

Everyone readied for a fight, Lucius and Frederick drew their swords, and the Knights circled them. Verona and Keisha called forth their forms, transforming, and Celra shifted into her massive wolf form.

The Shades plummeted to the ground in ghostly, black masses that stirred through the air despite no wind. Their faces were not seen behind the cloaks, and Keisha was sure she didn’t want to see it. Several dozen Shades dropped from the sky, ready to attack until one Shade stepped forward and stopped them.

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The Shade that had stopped the others paced in place, but they didn’t seem threatening. He removed his cloaked hood, and nothing was disturbing about the figure—it looked human.

He was older looking with thin, layered gray hairs on his small head. His skin was spotted and wrinkled, his pale gray eyes were dull, but as he looked at Keisha, they extended.

“Why do you share Dante Alighieri’s face?” the old Shade questioned. He squinted and peered at Keisha. Yet, oddly, he still paced.

Keisha furrowed her brows. Realizing that the strange old Shade knew her papá.

“Do you know this Shade?” Lucius asked her.

Keisha shook her head. “I don’t. But he seems to know my papá—who are you, sir?”

“Let’s ask him to send those Shades away before we get into pleasantries,” Frederick remarked.

The old Shade turned and waved at the Shades, who whittled away and disappeared from their sight.

Keisha stepped forward, but Verona grabbed her hand and hissed, “Keisha, we shouldn’t blindly trust him. He is a Shade, after all.” Celra growled in agreement.

“I’ll be fine; just watch my back.” She grinned to reassure Verona, and she hesitantly let her arm go.

“My name is Keisha Alighieri. I’m his daughter. May I ask who you are?”

At the mention that she was Dante’s daughter, the old Shade’s eyes grew huge and brightened.

“Ah, so you are the product of Dante and Bea’s love—A daughter! How beautiful, you look so much like him. You have the shape of his eyes, and you share Bea’s beauty.”

The old Shade brimmed with a smile from ear to ear. He circled Keisha, and, at first, she thought he was surveying her but realized his walking was from habit again.

“I apologize for mistaking you. I would not have thought Dante would allow his kin to come back to a place he left from.”

Keisha smiled as her gaze followed his circular stride. “That’s alright. May I ask who you are that you know my parents?”

The old Shade popped the side of his head with his hand. “How rude of me. I am Ser Bruno, Dante’s mentor.”

Keisha recalled a mentor from Rosetta when her papá had told certain people he was leaving.

“Do you mind if we walk? I am dizzy from me walking in circles. I am cursed to walk forever from my actions back when I was alive.”

Keisha turned back. Lucius and Verona stood with worried glances.

“I’ll be fine.”

Verona protested, but it was Lucius who spoke, “We’ll be right behind you if you need us.”

Both Keisha and Ser Bruno walked down the sandy trail with the Dark Fae Knights in tow.

“’ Twas you are familiar,” Ser Bruno asked as the two walked side by side. “May I ask why?”

Keisha pinched her brows in confusion. “Don’t you remember? My name is Keisha, Dante Alighieri’s daughter.”

Ser Bruno blinked a few times. A glimmer of realization cast in his eyes. “Oh, yes, yes, forgive me, forgetfulness is a part of the curse… Dante had left and had a life with the Earthborne woman, Bea.”

“Yeah! You said you were my papá’s mentor.”

“Oh, quite. I taught the boy the ways of a Shikari. He was a fine pupil. There isn’t a moment that goes by I don’t think about him and how he was a fast learner.”

Keisha brightened at the thought of learning more about her papá, especially from someone who worked closely with him.

“What was he like as a boy?”

Ser Bruno looked to the sky, thinking about Keisha’s answer. A small smile was placed at the corner of his lips, and he nodded, recalling a memory.

“He was calm and thoughtful, always rose early in the morning, and would head to the stream to meditate. He’d keep a journal near him and work on expanding his verses. He was prone to calculate actions before he reacted to them.”

Keisha nodded. “That’s how I remembered him too.”

“Of course,” Ser Bruno said, holding out a finger. “His studying and thoughts would get in the way. He was too focused and would lose sight of what was in front of him.”

Ser Bruno laughed. “That is until he met Beatrice. He was smitten. You could tell there was a different look in his eyes— eyes that had seen something special.”

Keisha squealed hearing about her parents' love story again. She clasped her hands together and bounced on her heels as they walked.

“I heard that was the first time they met. He saved her from a Demi, and he was surprised that she fought it and could see him.”

Ser Bruno nodded. “Aye, they’d see one another again after that. It was sad to say there was never a spark between him and his first wife Gemma. He confided in me and said it wasn’t right, but the Monarch would never let him shirk his duties aside. So he left it all behind, wrote an apologetic letter to Gemma, and he never came back.”

“And here you are, a product of their love, a spitting image of him! I daresay I would have never believed he’d allow you to come back here. How does the Monarch feel about your being here?”

Keisha explained her mamma being kidnapped by the Black Hand and her papá had long ago returned when Virgil Maro came to get him.

“And some aren’t happy I’m here because of what my papá did. So it’s just been me, Verona, and Celra looking for my mamma, helping others along the way.”

“Oh, dear. What a heavy burden you are carrying.”

“I’m sorry to ask, Ser Bruno, but do you know anything about Pluto? Or the leader of the Black Hand? Where my father might be?”

Ser Bruno solemnly shook his head. “Unfortunately, no. But I will keep my sights out for him.”

Coming up close, the Dark Fae Empire came into view. The sky grew darker, and there was a fair light of floating blue mist that dispersed throughout Crete.

“It seems I must be on my way.” They stopped and paced in place. “It was a joy to see you, Keisha. I can sense you are strong. Your aura might even be stronger than Dante’s. But I must give fair warning about the Black Hand; they are dangerous and ruthless.”

“Thank you, Ser Bruno,” Keisha said. Her eyes lit with determination as she gazed up at him. “But I don’t need to think long about my decision. I’ll find both my parents and bring them back home, making a name for myself as a Legacy.”

Ser Bruno smirked. “Father like daughter.”

“Goodbye, Ser Bruno!”

Ser Bruno slowly disappeared until he was no longer in sight. She pulled her attention away from where he had been and waited for the others to meet up with her.