Son of The Prisonland (The Myth Shadow Trilogy Book 1)

by Saladin Siddiqui

  Chaya felt thunderstruck. Her face became pale. She couldn’t move any of her limbs for a few moments. The thing they were worried about was going to happen. And they had no clue about it yet.

  “But I thought the gypsy leader was the only man who is after us,” she spoke at last.

  “The Gypsy leader?” Maya asked.

  “Yes, the person who is responsible for your condition and trying to kill us is the gypsy leader Bimb. I was informed by one of my agents this very evening. I was planning to tell you what I’d learned in the morning.”

  “Bimb Halehsor, Ah?” Maya smiled cruelly, “the name sounds familiar. I think somebody from King Khuli’s court needs to show their faithfulness.”

  “Indeed, my sister. But we have a greater threat now. The incident we had been thinking was just a myth is coming true,” Chaya reminded.

  “We are going to look into the black fire, now,” they said in unison.

  All the sisters gathered in the middle of the room as if they could see in the dark. It was easy for the others, but not Chaya. She was the only one who had the normal vision. All seven sisters circled the blackwoods, holding each others hands. Maya threw some cinder and the black fire lit up.

  Blackwoods was a rare kind of sturdy wood, which could only be found in the middle of the Dark Forest that could be used only by the wizards. It had various uses. For a long time, the woods were kept hidden and safe from dark powers. At this moment, a traitor wizard revealed it to the Dainees. Since then the middle of the Dark Forest had been invaded and controlled by the Dainees, guarded by the Danobs, a race of giants. The Black fire made from the Blackwoods was used by the witches to spy or put a spell on their enemies. The fire was cold and a dark, not black as its name might suggest, rather it burned murky yellow in color. And only a complex structure of the person standing beside it could be seen.

  Maya muttered the spells, “Show us the face of our enemy!” Then she raised her voice, “show us that nasty creature”. Her sharp voice grew louder and louder. Suddenly she screamed, “Reveal him”.

  The rest of the sisters joined her saying in the chorus, “Show us the face of our enemy!”

  Maya continued, “Reveal him, reveal him…”

  Sisters, “Show us that nasty creature…”

  Their sharp and loud voices made the air inside the room thicker and heavier as the sound resonated through the walls, creating an eerie, ungodly atmosphere. If any human were present there at that time, the sound would’ve induced an excoriating pain, likened to having one’s heart wrenched from their chest. The Dainees felt nothing, despite the sound being worse than death itself. The Dainees were heartless.

  Chapter Two

  When Aylan woke next, he found himself inside his own dreams. He saw his teenage self, looking at his own reflection. He was a good-looking, tall, healthy but arrogant and an ignorant teenager. He was so proud of his looks and being the son of the tribe leader. He realized that this dream was not one of reliving past experiences, rather it was as if he was a passenger in the tale of his own life. He reflected on who he had been and found himself feeling disappointments of his past self.

  He had been a quitter, giving up on anything that he couldn’t easily learn or master. Worse was that he had been shamelessly arrogant, blaming any failure on his lessons or his teachers but never on himself. Even though education was not a significant task to any gypsy tribes, his ancestors had always valued it. But Aylan always hated to study. He assumed he should be the best by right, expecting all the gain without any of the hardship. Becoming tribe leader after his father was rightful inheritance. He’d dreamt of a luxurious life but his father Bimb had a different plan. He decided that Aylan would have to work harder than anyone else if he was to become the next leader. Aylan knew that he wasn’t able to prove himself. And that was the reason he escaped as a thirteen-year-old boy. It had been ten years since Aylan left.

  By the time Aylans childish views of life had started to fade, He found himself surrounded by unsavory sorts, swindlers and thieves. He dwelled in cold uncaring places where he had only himself to rely. To survive he was forced to walk in places where he would see no mercy or human kindness.

  Aylan felt that whoever or whatever was causing him to relive his past did so to remind him of all the bad choices he had ever made. He didn’t want to see anymore, it was a past he would rather have forgotten. He tried to wake himself up to get rid of the nightmare. His eyelids felt heavy but forcing himself, he looked up and then around his surroundings. His vision seemed dull and the ache in his head seemed even worse. He lay still, not daring yet to try to rise and sought to hear the sound of flowing water. He could feel the breeze and could smell the sweet, fragrant smell of divine flowers. He could hear to the flapping of wings from the birds in the distance and the hustling and scuffling of animals nearby but there was no sound of flowing water.

  “It’s gone,” a harsh voice announced. It came from somewhere above. Aylan tried in vain to move his head, toward the source of the voice. His exhausted body remained stubborn. Again, to move his head to see the source.

  “Stay as you are. It will take a bit more time to heal, I guess,” the voice continued. “In case you are wondering who I am, let me introduce myself.” Aylan heard the sound of flapping wings again. Within a moment a blackbird landed on his chest and leaned into his face. “My name is Cro, and yes you are talking to a bird.”

  Aylan smiled. The blackbird flew away to a safer distance. He thought Aylan would be surprised to see a talking raven, but Aylan had seen far more surprising things over the last ten years. The rare sight of the Danobs, the Betaals, a unique kind of animal, who had the face of the lion and body of the serpent. And they could speak in human voice. There was almost nothing else left to surprise him. After a long glance at the bird, he opened his mouth. “I have seen a lot of things in the past few years, but never seen a talking crow, to be honest.” Then he thought about the ring in his pocket. The dying monk gave it to him and said it was a great ring. It could fulfill almost anything he wishes. Aylan couldn’t remember if he wanted to speak to a crow. He had forgotten about the existence of the ring in his pocket, until this moment.

  “For your information young man, I am NOT A CROW!” Cro shouted.

  “But you look like a crow anyway,”

  “I am a raven,”

  “Sorry, but you are nothing like a Raven my friend,” Aylan said sarcastically. “By the way, how did you know that I’d understand what are you talking about?”

  “Well, that’s because I can speak in any language sir,” Cro explained.

  Aylan narrowed his eyes. Wasn’t it the magic of the ring then? The raven was somehow speaking like the human. He looked at Cro, noticing the bird’s bored expression, coming to the conclusion that the bird must have flown over the desert to get here, the same way Aylan walked. “Do you want to drink some water, Cro, the Raven?” he asked.

  Cro stared at him for a few moments. That’s the reason why I am here, to drink the miracle water.”

  “How did you know about it?” Aylan felt curious.

  “I have been here before. Exactly one hundred years ago.”

  “What? How old are you now?”

  “One hundred and twenty-five years, my friend,”

  Aylan inquired, “Is that not a bit old for a Raven?”

  “It is, indeed,” Cro agreed. “Unless you have drunk something that gave you a long life and some unexpected power,” his voice sounded dramatic this time.

  “What do you mean by…” Aylan did not finish his word. He was not sure if Cro said about the yesterdays’ mystical water. But Cro guessed his thoughts and nodded to him.

  “Yes, the water. I named it the MYSTIC FOUNTAIN. Well not me, the other guy who came here a hundred years ago,” Cro said.

  “The other guy? Does that mean other people know about this mystic fountain too?” Aylan wrinkled his eyebrows.

  “I don’t know to be honest. But the young man who I m
et right here a hundred years ago, told me that this fountain would be appearing on a night of the new moon in exactly one hundred years later. Since then I have waited for that evening. I have been traveling the world but always thought about the mystic fountain.”

  Aylan looked at Cro. The Raven did look like very aged. Its feathers looked dull and faded. It was smaller than any raven he had seen but there was no way he could clearly indicate the age of the bird. “Well, how did you meet him?” he asked at last.

  “Right here, exactly at this time, exactly one hundred years ago.” Cro’s voice sounded gloomy. He slowly walked toward Aylan. “I can still remember that day. I was about to die of thirst. I flew a long way and could not move anymore. Then that young man found me. He put some water in my mouth, and I felt a surge of strength inside me. I felt young again… I felt life.”

  “And he told you that the fountain would appear again. Did he say anything about himself?” Aylan took a wild guess and tried to get more information to prove that he was right.

  “He said almost nothing. Though he asked me to go with him. I couldn’t, I had to go to find my flock. I never found them, ever.” Cro came close to Aylan and looked up to see him.

  Aylan looked at Cro with sympathy. “Did you lose their trail?”

  “No. You may know our kind, we never leave each other. We had gotten ourselves caught in a sandstorm and before we knew it we were separated from each other. When I went back to the desert, there was no sign of my flock. Then I came back here, but that guy has gone too.” Cro sighed.

  “Sorry to hear that, Cro. I guess you could not join any other group?”

  “No. If I were a common raven, I would’ve died a long time ago. But you can see I survived.”

  “So, it is miracle water then?” Aylan looked back at the three mountains and the place where they were. No one could say that there was a fountain here last night. He thought about what Cro said earlier. It was supposed to be a night of the new moon. All he could remember was that the night was not dark at all. He saw a strange kind of light, like a halo in the sky. Then he looked at the water sack lying on the ground. “Hold on a moment!” He rose carefully onto his feet and walked toward it with shuffling steps and picked it up. He shook the water sack and could hear sounds of water.

  Cro was looking at him. Aylan turned to him and smiled. “I think you do not need to be worried about the mystic water my friend,” he said. “There’s some water left in it.”

  “How can you be that sure about that? It could be the water from before,” Cro didn’t seem to believe Aylan’s claim. His tiny heart was beating fast, and a storm began to take place in his head. At last, his journey was not unsuccessful then?

  “Uh-huh,” Aylan said. “I can remember that there was no water in the water skin for last two days. It is not clear. I think I tried to draw some water last night, but before could finish it, I lost consciousness.” He poured a few drops of water into the lead and put in front of Cro.

  Cro looked at the water for a few moments and sighed. Then looked up to Aylan and said, “You know what, I think I have lived enough time. You keep it.” He sighed again and asked, “Would you take me with you please?”

  Chapter Three

  The dim, yellow light slowly began spreading to all corners of the room. There was no shadow of any of the Dainees on the floor. The more they screamed, the thicker the air became. While the others screamed, Maya muttered more spells and threw a hand full of ash.

  The sisters gradually slowed their spell. Their hands were shaking from excitement. They wanted to know the assassin’s identity. The rest of the sisters waited eagerly for Chaya’s declaration. They were dependent on her because of their lost vision, both inner and outer. Bimb Halehsor the Dainee Hunter had destroyed them with his arrows. Chaya was still silent.

  “What happened?” the sixth sister, Daya cried. She could not wait to hear something positive from their young one. “Tell us what you see?”

  Chaya was hesitant. She had seen no more than her blind sisters. “I saw what you saw sisters. I am sorry, I am sorry,” She cried.

  “No!” Maya screamed. “It is not possible. You have seen something, you have to see something. You, you are our only hope. Don’t you know that?’’

  Chaya stood in the dark, silent and her head down. She felt guilty even though she knew and her sisters all knew that she tried her best. Chaya had not enough power left to do something about it. Suddenly she thought about Bimb Halehsor, and she hissed, “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! I cannot take it anymore. We have lived hidden far too long. We have to solve this problem as soon as possible.”

  All seven Dainee sisters stayed quiet for a few moments. Then Maya broke the silence. “But how are we going to do this? Even if we manage to kill Bimb Halehsor, there will be another, even greater threat outside. Wouldn’t he find it easier to destroy us if we show ourselves to the public?”

  “Yes,” said Laya. “All we have seen is his shadow and his bird. We have no idea what he looks like, how old he is or what sort of power he is going to use against us.”

  “I do not think it is that disappointing. At least we know ‘He’ is a man and has a bird with him. We should stick to it,” Chaya assured her sisters. “I am going to ask my son to give an order to keep eyes on each, and every man with a bird enters the city from today. If they see anything suspicious about them, arrest if possible or execute on the spot.”

  “That would be a good first attempt at defense.” Maya approved her sister’s plan. Then she murmured, “Chaya, my sister. Can you come close to me? I want to touch you; I want to remember how I was once.” She raised her hands toward Chaya.

  Chaya looked at her sister in the obscured light. She hesitated but stepped forward. As she came closer to her, Maya held her shoulders and took a long breath. There was a difference, a sweeter, and a very feminine smell coming from Chaya’s body. Maya did not like it, but said, “Ah, that fragrance!” Before Chaya said something, the other sisters came closer and started sniffing her. “I want to get the old look back,” Maya said again. The sisters shook their heads and sighed.

  “You will, my beloved sisters. Once we get our damori back, you will be the same again. I promise,” said Chaya.

  “I do not like the ‘humanly’ smell,” cried two of the sisters. “And you are wearing very thick clothes too!”

  “Well, I am the Queen Mother. I must smell and look elegant,” Chaya replied.

  “Look elegant, huh?” Maya’s voice sounded a bit sarcastic, ignoring what the other sisters said. She raised her hands up and touched Chaya’s face. “Your skin is so smooth and soft too, no wrinkles like us. You must look more beautiful than before my sister!”

  Chaya felt a bit disgusted, the way she never felt before when her sister touched her face. She felt like shouting at Maya, “Do not touch my face you ugly Dainee with your wrinkly hands. You do not know how long and how many things it needs to apply to keep it like this!” Instead she said, “The same thing, my sister. As a Queen Mother, I need to look better than others.”

  “You know what Chaya? I was wrong about you all the time. I feel like I would do anything to be like a human. Trust me! They must be enjoying their life a lot of different ways,” Maya said in a sad voice. She could not believe the words that came out of her mouth; she could not believe she was admitting to her sisters about her desires. She knew that she had hated humans all her life for no reason and did a lot of things to harm them just for her own sick, twisted amusement. Hearing what Maya said, they too went to touch Chaya’s face. But Maya shouted, “Get lost you bunch of pricks. There’s nothing to feel here!”

  “Let them touch me, please. I know my sisters are curious, too.” Chaya said.

  The five sisters came closer and put their flat and wrinkled hands on Chaya’s face. She felt genuinely sad for them. The more they stayed in the dark, the more pale and wrinkled they’d became. Yet they had no choice but to stay hidden inside the Queen’s tower, for fear that the wit
ch hunter would learn where they were. If he found any of them he would kill them without a second thought. “Bimb Halehsor!” Chaya muttered angrily. She opened her fist and closed for a few times. “Your end is coming very soon!”

  “Okay, my sisters, try to take some rest now,” Chaya said. “Tomorrow is going to be an exciting day.” As the sisters went back to their bed, and Chaya exited the room and carefully closed the door behind her. She walked with her head high, but deep inside she was a storm of emotions taking over her thoughts.

  Chaya had lied when she’d told her sisters about her informant. Well, lying was one of the common bad habits for the Dainees. They lied even when they did not need to. The truth was that guards had caught a man from the border where he was trying to climb the wall to go to the other side. He was brought to the King Goran Khuli‘s court, as it was a by default order that if anyone try to escape from the ‘village’ they would be brought in front the king and he would trial (better read torture) them by himself.

  When the man was presented in front of King Khuli the third, he was shaking with fear, as he knew the consequences of getting caught trying to escape. He was brought to his knees with a guard holding him down at each of his shoulders. The man didn’t seem to have the courage to look up and see the king’s brutal, merciless expression. The guards did not want to present him in front of the king like that, but the stain of mud and blood was still visible on his face and uncovered arm and legs. And the smell of blood lingered on him.

  King Khuli was sitting on his golden throne. The immense power the King had could be seen from the rare gems and ornaments embedded into his throne, a symbol of real wealth and greatness. Two servants behind him held fans in synchronization, they moved up and down. The King’s eyebrows were always squeezed together, giving him a look of perpetual annoyance.

  King Khuli looked at the captive. Why on duray do they do it again and again? Aren’t they happy with the life they are living? He thought. He asked the man with a loud voice, “What is your name?”