Lorkana by Emily Zimmerman. (free e books to read TXT) 📕

through the forest. It startled the puppies and they ran to their mother, hiding behind her.
I smiled as they peeked their heads around her and watched as the rocks rolled away to reveal the cave opening. We all walked through, the mother as calm and complacent as ever. I wondered what to call her, she seemed strong, brave. I wanted to call her and her pups something that sounded it.
I puzzled for a long time, over what to call her, glancing down at her from time to time as she trotted down the stairs beside us.
Then it hit me “Aileen” I said out loud.
Logan looked at me with a confused look “I’ll name her Aileen, it means noble” I explained.
Logan glanced at Aileen, and then at me with a look of approval. He nodded, looking into my eyes for a second, before looking back down at the stairs. As we reached the light at the end of the tunnel, the puppies scurried over behind their mother, this place was strange to them, their mother was not nervous, probably because I felt fine. We walked into this place, the light was now like the light of the sun, it lit the large room perfectly, so I could see. Everyone was running around this place, and I realized why, this was like a second town square, with stores, homes, inns and other things. Everyone stopped what they were doing to bow their heads and greet us, giving the pups and mother an inquisitive glance.
Suddenly, a small boy broke through the crowd, I recognized his face somehow, but where did I see it? I jumped off of Logan, he stopped to see what I was doing, the boy was breathing hard, and he seemed to have been desperate to get to me, I leaned down in front of this boy “hello, do I know you from somewhere?” I asked softly.
He nodded quickly “I’m Valor, you helped me when my mamma died” he said. I gasped, that’s how I knew this child, his mother was murdered by thieves, and they left him in the streets. I had been bringing him food and water since he was five. “You are a beast?” I asked. He nodded excitedly “I changed when I turned ten” he said, he still spoke like a small child.
I remembered the night he disappeared, the only thing I could figure was that the beasts had killed him, but he was one. A part of me was glad that he was okay “are you doing alright, living with someone? Are they taking care of you?” I asked.
He nodded at every question I asked “my new mama treats me nice, she feeds me every day, I have friends and even go to school” he said.
Relief washed over me at his words “good, I have to go, but I’ll be sure to visit, you be good, don’t get into trouble” I said sternly this time.
He bowed his head once and smiled “I will, bye Jo-Jo” he said, hugging me.
I kissed his cheek and touched his nose with the tip of my finger “bye” I smiled.
I got up, realizing that everyone was staring at us, the entire room gaping. I turned toward Logan with a confused look, what were they looking at? This was a boy I had known for five years. I didn’t recognize him because he had changed in the few years I hadn’t seen him, he must have only been eleven. Logan was staring at me with that strange look again, I jumped onto his back and leaned over, picking up the pup that had woken me up this morning, I was going to figure out a strong name for this one too. Maybe Aiden, which meant ‘fire’ but that sounded too much like Aileen. As I contemplated, we entered the large cavern. The mother started to get nervous, I could tell because she was crying slightly, I looked at her, confused, she was staring straight ahead, a dreadful feeling came over me.
“Logan, run, the dogs will catch up, find my father” I said urgently.
Logan looked at me with a confused look “Logan, go!” I ordered.
Without needing another order, he took off down the cavern.


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Chapter four:

We arrived at the front gates, they were standing open, and people were crowded around the gates, they parted for us as we ran by, the dogs were barking and yapping behind us. I felt dread overtake me as I thought about my father, whom I never knew, what was wrong with him? Why did I feel this way?
We ran through the castle, the door to the throne room was wide open, and that only heightened my angst.
We burst in, as soon as we were in, I jumped off of Logan while he was still moving, the woman and the man that guarded the door were leaned over my father who was on the ground, I ran over to them “what’s happened?” I asked in panic.
“We don’t know” the man said.
I lifted his head in my hand, checking his temperature.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes and looked at me “Johanna, I saw your mother…she was there, in front of me” he whispered, obvious pain in his voice.
“Father, it’s going to be okay” I whispered.
He was staring over my shoulder “Mirrala” he breathed.
I looked behind me, no one was behind me “but what about our daughter, Mirrala?” he asked no one.
“Father, look at me, I’m right here, there is no Mirrala” I whispered.

He looked at me strangely “it’s my time, Johanna” he whispered.
“What? No, father, please, I have not even gotten to know you” I said, my voice thick with tears.
“Perhaps it is better that way, Johanna, your mother is here, with us, it is my time” he said.
“Please father, tell her to give you more time, please, just let me get to know the only parent I have left” I begged, tears falling.
He shook his head, bringing his hand up to touch my tearstained cheek “I know we have only just met, but I’ll always be with you” he whispered.
“Father, I- I love you, I didn’t get to know you, but I know that you would have been a wonderful father, I’m so sorry” I whispered.
He smiled slightly, closing his eyes “I love you too, my kind-hearted daughter, there is no need to apologize, your mother and I will visit you often, we promise” he whispered.
His hand dropped from my cheek, his breathing slowing, I took the hand that was on my cheek tightly in mine, my breath coming out in quiet sobs as I watched him die.
“Goodbye father” I whispered.
I kissed his forehead gently as the man whose name I never knew checked his heartbeat.
“He is gone, majesty” he whispered.
I closed my eyes and nodded “Logan, Demetrio, go and tell the others, I’ll stay here” the woman said in her gentle voice.
The shuffling of feet was all I heard, The woman got up, and sat back down beside me, she put her arm around my shoulders “your majesty, he would want to be buried beside his beloved, I know it’s painful, but we have to do this” she whispered comfortingly to me.
I nodded, opening my eyes to look at her “what is your name?” I asked.
“Vivia, sister to Logan and Demetrio, Logan was the heir to the throne, but since you came back, the responsibility will be handed to you” she explained.
I nodded, I could do that; I was the Lorkana.
“My brothers and I are sworn to protect the King and/or queen of the beasts, or wolves as we call them here” she said.
I nodded, staring at my deceased father on the ground “shall we take him to the memorial yard until the grave is ready?” she asked softly.
I nodded “of course, we cannot leave him here, that would be disrespectful” I whispered.
She nodded, getting up and helping me up, she picked him up with no struggle at all, which surprised me, with how small and delicate she seemed. We carried him through the castle; the guards leaned down on their knees, mournful looks on their faces, as we passed. We passed the others in the town square, all bowing and whispering words that explained in themselves the wonderful king that my father was.
They whispered things like “long live the king” and “he was a wonderful man” it all made me wish I had been there to experience these years that he ruled, to get to know this man that I hardly knew as a father.
We passed through the other town square, and everyone bowed on one knee, I noticed Logan, standing with the dogs.
Aileen trotted up to me, crying slightly, I pat her head and she followed me, her pups trailing behind her.
A man stood beside me, bowing his head, I nodded to him in greeting “your grace, we have gathered at the grave yard, and are ready to start on the grave, where shall we dig?” he asked.
“Beside my mother’s grave, he would have liked to have been close to her” I informed.
“Yes your majesty” he said, bowing and quickly walking away.
He walked into another cave opening and vanished, Just as we were about to do. This was a much grander cave opening, with a beast head carved into the top, and swirling patterns along the sides, it looked as if it were an opening for a grand hall. As we entered, it seemed that way too, paintings of what I guessed were our ancestors, kings and queens from the past lined the walls. “The memorial hall is where all kings and queens go to be given their prayers and, hopefully, given a peaceful rest, after he or she is buried, they put another painting up, this tradition started in the seventeen hundreds, we have lost some of the paintings, but the ones from the eighteen hundreds up till now, we have plenty of room for more, our kings and queens live for a long time, King Nefarious was one hundred and two” she said.
I looked at her in shock “and Mirrala?” I asked.
“Her majesty was only two years younger than your father when they married; she died seventeen years ago, only eighty five. Quite young for the average time of death, actually” she replied.
I nodded, still in shock; I would have guessed that my father was only thirty, maybe forty.
“My father didn’t look one hundred and two,