All I could think of was how I could impress my princess and still manage to stay in one piece. Amarisa settled down onto the seat next to her King Father. She exchanged pleasantries with the others before her eyes drifted around the field as if to look for someone.
Then our eyes locked, I gave her a discreet smile to indicate our meeting.
Instead, I saw a worried look on her face.
Then the drums and trumpets sounded.
"It's starting," Tepi said as she came to stand beside me.
The Brahmin priests lifted their ancient conchs and blew them in deep echoing moans, silencing the noises of the crowds. The King rose from his seat and addressed his subjects.
"Respected children of Meru gods, my honor to open your duels once again," he said. His voice was strong yet compassionate, carrying resonation of a unique leader, a Devaraja or a god-king. "I pray to the Three Great Lords, and all the gods residing in heavens for their divine blessing. May the battle be fought in fairness and bravery. For the glory of our land and in honor of your holy parents, let the battle begins."
"Long live the King and Queens! Long live the holy kingdom!" chanted the soldiers in unison. Their swords clang against their shields and their spears hit the ground in a vigorous rhythm.
A cold chill crept over my spine. My palms felt sweaty. For the first time, I knew the weight of their expectation. Their sole hope was placed heavily upon this group of children and most of all—it was placed on me.
CHAPTER 25
We had to present ourselves at the arena. It was the first time I saw all the godlings in one place. There were other new faces I hadn't seen. Our team was small compared to Issarak's. The twin brothers were the only ones who didn't join. They now sat with Malis, the tiger, waiting to cheer us on with the floating Devatas.
Kesar was inside the Main Pavilion with her fellow Kennars. They began to play the music to awake the fighter's spirit. The beats were fast and loud, causing my heart to pound harder.
Queen Indradevi whispered something to the Guru, who nodded in return. He stepped out to the front of the portico.
"On behalf of Her Majesty, I would like to announce the pairing of duelists as follow," he said in a loud clear voice. His elephant eyes squinted at us. Issarak's smirk widened.
Sambo read through a scroll of names. I held my breath, hearing my pulse beating in my ears.
"Atith, son of Surya, Dispeller of Darkness and Lord of the Sun," the Guru said. "Issarak, son of Murugan, Wielder of the Divine Spear and Commander of the Devas."
The excitement roared among the people. Issarak stepped forward with a grin. His pauldron covered one shoulder, leaving the other bare. I noticed his golden helmet had a pair of peacock tail tucked behind both ears.
"You go kick his behind for us, Atith," Vorac encouraged him.
"Make us proud," Tusita said. "Let him have a taste of defeat."
"Be careful, Atith," Tepi said, patting him on his armored shoulder. Atith nodded back and strode forward.
He went to stand on the field with an air of bravery. Waiting in the arena was our famous foe. The crowd howled along with the music and war drums.
"I will knock you flat to the ground in a heartbeat, Atith," Issarak said with a sly grin. "You won't stand a chance against my strength."
"Leave your vain words behind, Issarak, and put forth only your actions," Atith said, looking unafraid.
Issarak growled and held out his palm. A sword and a round crested shield sprang out of thin air in his hands. He swung the golden blade a few times, giving sharp whizzing sounds.
Atith drew his golden spear from the swirl of golden dust. The drums roared as the two of them ran into each other.
Then they both started deflecting each other's weapon back and forth. Atith was tough, but Issarak appeared to be more skilled in the sword fight. He dodged Atith's spear and knocked him in the chest with his shield. Atith stumbled back a few steps.
"Without the Kavach armor, you would be dead!" Issarak said. "Is that all you can do?"
Atith composed himself again and his face seemed to glow red.
"Oh you're blushing!" Issarak said with a mocking laugh. Atith yelled and crushed the blade of his spear downward as if trying to split Issarak's skull in half. Issarak parried him off with his sword and kicked Atith in the stomach. He gave another roundhouse kick across his face. Atith flipped in the air from the impact and fell rolling to the ground.
Issarak's sword now disappeared, replaced by a golden mace bigger than the size of his head. He slammed it against Atith's chest and back, sending him a few more feet away.
Issarak laughed. Then the mace in his hand turned into a long golden spear. It sparkled like a million diamonds.
"Oh no! He can't use the Vel! That's against the rules!" Vorac cried out.
"What's the Vel?" I asked.
"Another powerful astra,” she said. “Lord Murugan has granted his son the gift to call upon any weapon he desires. Among them is the divine spear called the Vel. It is as destructive as Tusita’s Gandiva."
"We can't summon astras of the gods for a fight like this," Samudra added, his eyes still glued to the arena. "The holy weapons are meant to fight the enemy only and not us."
Issarak swung his spear over his head then he slashed the air, sending a mass of bright energy blast through the field.
Atith gasped and jumped out of the way. The blast hit an empty chariot parking in the distance. It exploded into flames. The wreckage of the chariot was scattered all over the ground.
Atith could barely escape the immense force himself. He collapsed again and seemed to have trouble getting up this time. If it wasn't for his thick golden armor, Atith's bones would be shattered to pieces.
Issarak walked over to him.
"You can't fight me! You weakling!" Issarak snarled, kicking him on his rib cage again and again. "I bet you would wet your pants seeing the demons!"
It was still painful to watch him being beaten. My head snapped back to where the Queen and King sat. The monarchs observed the whole thing with impartial faces. I was about to run up to the Main Pavilion when Tepi caught me back.
"Nikita, no!" she said.
"Tell them to stop that stupid fight!" I yelled. "This is madness. They're killing each other!"
"Nikita, don't intervene," Tusita tried to hush me. "Atith shall be fine. He's not a quitter."
The royals looked at me.
Amarisa's face was ashen with emotions. It seemed like she couldn’t bear to witness the fight anymore.
"This is part of the training," the Guru said from the pavilion. "The war shall be far worse. They must fight by the gods' will."
"Oh, damn the gods!" I growled in frustration, causing a few of them to gasp. "This is not training! This is killing each other before the demons could even get to us!"
The Guru looked at me with those small elephant eyes that seemed to sparkle. For a moment, I thought he was smiling at me. I thought if he wasn't too far away, his trunk would be in a bow knot by now.
Then we heard another cry from the field. I turned around to look back at the arena. Atith was trying to get up, but Issarak stomped his foot hard on his back, pressing his chest down to the ground again.
"Atith!" I cried. "Do something! I know you can beat him!"
He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. Then he managed to push Issarak off his back and rolled away before staggering to his feet again. We saw a glow of what looked like a symbol of crooked square cross burst from his forehead.
"What is that?" I asked Tepi.
"It's a Swastika, the symbol of the Sun God," she told me.
Issarak stood in a crouching position, ready to attack, but he froze when he saw Atith's face glowed in an unusual light. It was as if melting lava was stirring underneath his shimmering skin.
When Issarak ran towards him, Atith's entire body burst into a massive bright light. His armors glowed red. His eyes burned like two miniature suns, and even the color of
his hair turned gold with brilliant rays. Atith was as radiant as the sun god. I realized it was his avatar's true form, a replica of the god that inspired them.
Issarak crumbled to the ground, covering his eyes with a pained expression. With a growl of fury, he tried to charge at Atith again. Our friend put his palms together. The radiant light intensified and erupted into a blast of shockwave, knocking Issarak into the air. His body skidded across the field. Everyone around the arena was also hurled backward by the sudden brilliancy. The golden light continued to blind us for a moment before it dimmed down again.
Atith drew his spear from the ground. His body was still ignited in golden rays. He walked to Issarak, who lay gasping on the ground. Atith slammed the spear against Issarak's shield. They both were in a deadlock with each other.
"Yield!" Atith cried.
"No!" Issarak said stubbornly. "I won't yield to you!"
But the son of Murugan had trouble opening his eyes from the burning glow. His face reddened by the heat.
Atith parried Issarak's shield off, leaving him defenseless. Then he pierced his golden spear into the ground and clapped his hands together again. The light shining through his skin reached its ultimate brightness. Everyone turned their faces away. No one could even look at the field anymore. I, too, had to shield my face away. Even the monarchs were protected by numerous sunshades. The blushing sun-like ray stung through my eyelids.
We heard Issarak screamed like a dying pig.
"Aaaghhh...stop!" he cried. "I surrender! I surrender!"
Then the brightness slowly ceased, and everything went back to normal. We all opened our eyes again. Issarak was lying on his back, panting. His hands still covered his tearful face. The crowd began to cheer, but some groaned in disappointment. The twins, Romany and Romanir, had their fists in the air, laughing. I glanced at the pavilion. The King looked at his wife with an impressed smile.
"My young avatars, you are strong and brave," Queen Indradevi spoke from the pavilion. "But always remember, the thing that might fail you is your very own pride."
Issarak was helped up the soldiers. He looked drained and ashamed. The twin brothers waved to the rescue team to escort him to the Aswin House.
"Atith!" Vorac was the first to run to our friend. We followed her.
"Well done!" Tusita said.
Tepi and I smiled in relief. Atith gave us a weak grin back. His golden hair and light-drenched body had returned to their normal state.
"You fought well, brother!" Samudra said and slapped Atith on the back. He reeled and waved his hand.
"Thanks, but now I think I need a very long nap," he said, grinning weakly. "Then a big pot of rice and a cup of Soma."
We noticed he could hardly stand still and let him rest. Whatever power he had summoned to defeat Issarak also cost him great power.
The conchs were blown again and a bronze gong was struck, signaling another duel.
Sambo then announced the next duelists.
"Morokot, daughter of the Fire God, Messenger of the Devas, Acceptor of the holy sacrifices," the Guru bellowed for the crowd to hear. "And Tusita, daughter of the Dragon Slayer, Wielder of the Lightning Bolt, and Lord of the Sky!"
CHAPTER 26
After we finished giving encouraging words to Tusita, we stepped back as she began to march towards the arena.
“Hey, wait!”
Vorac went to her and spun her around then pulled Tusita over for a long hard kiss on the lips. Tepi dropped her face into her palm and sighed. Samudra and I blushed at their heart-melting moment.
"Can’t you wait till nighttime?" Tusita murmured. Then they parted with Vorac slapping her armored arm.
"For good luck, silly" Vorac said with a look, making Tusita grin.
"If I win, will you reward me with something sweeter than your lips?" Tusita whispered. Biting her bottom lip shyly, Vorac gave a slight nod. I wished Amarisa could also give me a good luck kiss if my name was called.
But would she be ashamed of being emotionally involved with an ungodly combatant like me?
I had no skills or magical gifts like the others. No wonder why everyone wanted to test me, to see if I had hidden power inside when forced to. But I was certain that once I got out there, I would be dead meat.
I glanced at my princess again. Her nervous eyes caught mine in the midst of tension. I wondered if I was the one who burdened her heart.
Morokot was waiting with her arms crossed over her chest. Her hair cascaded down her richly crested armor that sent off a reddish glow.
"Tusita, wait!" Samudra said, looking coyly. "Please, go easy on her."
It didn't take long for us girls to understand.
"Hmm...looks like I'm not the one who plays with fire here," Tusita said with a laugh.
The Guru heralded a new battle. Wrought also in golden armor and silk clad, Tusita stepped towards her opponent. Her shiny greaves that made soft clanks as she walked. The handsome girl earned a few gasps of awe from the maidens, which made Vorac grimace.
Our fiercest friend set foot into the wide field. Morokot frowned at the great golden bow fashioned upon Tusita's back.
"Are you still much of a coward to bring along your Gandiva?" she said, holding her chin up. "Surely, it shall be better if we fight with unarmed strength."
"No worries." Tusita shrugged. "Glad you whine about my bow for I know you will cower in fear once I wield it."
Morokot glared at her. Tusita made her divine astra vanish into a plume of gold dust. Morokot smirked as if she had been waiting for. Immediately, vicious tongues of red flame burst to life. They curled and danced over Morokot's hands. Her hair wildly lashed about her shoulders in the powerful blaze.
"Morokot! You said ‘unarmed’!" Tusita yelled in outrage.
"I'm not armed with any bow or sword, am I?" Morokot laughed, amused with her successful trick.
Before Tusita spoke again, a ball of blazing red fire slammed into her. Our friend shielded the flames using her forearms as her only protection. The fire split open her fighting guards. I could see hot smoke coming off the scorched armor.
"Hey! That's my favorite pair of vambraces, you idiot!" Tusita said, rubbing her arms from the burn.
"Just so you know, if you poke at a fire, it will flare even more fiercer," Morokot replied with a smirk. Flames continued to burn across her body like frenzy dancing tongues. She opened her palms and raised another vibrant burst of red flare. I prayed that Tusita wouldn't end up like a roasted chicken.
In a swift motion, Morokot hurled the fireball forward. Tusita deflected the glaring blaze with a spinning kick in midair. The daughter of Agni hurled several more fireballs, but Tusita dodged and blocked them with grace. She looked like a dancer moving with ease.
Morokot hissed in frustration. She rushed forward and flipped herself in the air. In a twirling motion, she pitched a fast-speed fireball from her hand with true accuracy and strength.
Tusita had no time to sidestep the searing fire, which almost knocked her off her feet. Tusita blew out the burning flame from her clad. She clenched her jaw and stared back at Morokot.
"If it so pleases you, then I shall give you the fight you deserve," Tusita said. Her face was a mask of confidence. She raised one hand to the sky. Suddenly, a faint sound of thunders growling in the distance. Storm clouds formed over our heads.
We looked up as thick darkness slowly veiled the sky. Then a roaring thunder broke open the clouds. A flash of lightning zigzagged down to the earth. It happened so fast, Morokot's eyes widened before she gathered her senses and rolled out of the way.
In a split second, the lightning struck the arena with a tremendous force. Everyone covered their ears with a terrified yelp.
My mouth flung open. The thunderbolt landed where Morokot was standing just a moment ago. We saw the fire god’s daughter crumble onto the field in a heap, covering her head with her hands. The powerful lightning must have scared the living hell out of Morokot. She didn't seem to move until T
usita walked towards her. The avatar girl looked up with an ashen face. She backed away from our friend in obvious fright.
"Yield?" Tusita asked in an amused tone, looking down at Morokot with her arms folded over her chest.
Morokot hissed and sat up. She raised her hand, intending to wield her fire again, but Tusita tilted her head to the side with a warning look.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," she said.
The darkened sky still stirred threateningly with flashes of built-up lightening and growling thunders. We could see the humming of electrical tension still crackled through the heavy clouds.
At last, Morokot thought better of it. She dropped her hand to her side then and bowed her head in defeat.
"I surrender," she murmured with no further rebuff.
Another joyous cheer erupted from our team. The clouds had now cleared away from the sky again. The light illuminated through the field. Tusita walked back to us with a victorious smile, sunlight framing her like a warrior goddess. Vorac ran up and jumped into her lover's arms in pure joy. They kissed again as the crowd cheered.
"Oh Meru gods, Tusita, you should've struck her true," Vorac said. "She deserved her punishment."
"Well, I could have, but Samudra wouldn't be pleased if I did," she said, quirking her eyebrows at him.
"I admit, Tusita," I said. "You're truly amazing and kind of hot!"
Tusita looked confused then glanced at Morokot, who was being carried away to the Aswin House. She made a face.
"No, I'm not hot but that fire wielding girl is," Tusita said. "I almost got burned, see?"
"No, 'hot' in my time means desirable," I explained with a laugh.
"Oh well, in that case, I'm the massive fiery blast the god ever made into existence. I could melt maidens like wax candles with just my stare."
"Oh please, enough of that," Vorac scoffed with an eye roll.
We all burst out laughing. Our team won another round, which, according to Tepi, was a new achievement. Then the Guru announced another set of duelists. My heart pounded again, wondering if it was going to be my turn. Tepi grabbed my hand and gave me a light squeeze.
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