Everyone else fell silent. They seemed to fear irritating Gomur. He had a bad temper.
Gomur coughed. He closed his eyes, so that his face now appeared more relaxed, and he continued speaking,
“The girl ran away in tears, and the boy didn’t meet again her for a long time, probably a year, or the next season. Something like that.
“Anyway, when he met her again, the boy said that he wouldn’t let the girl leave him again at all cost. He told her of the many sleepless nights he had had to endure, his mind seeking her constantly. He told her that he loved her more than anything. The girl agreed to go to the village, but before she did she asked him to make a promise—That if the villagers refused to accept her, then something would happen that would forever join the two of them together.
“When the boy took the girl to his village, the elders there realised that in truth the girl was a sorceress. The girl pleaded that she was a sorceress, but she loved the boy dearly and she had never meant any harm to anyone. But the villagers began to throw sticks at her. The boy tried to protect her, blocking the sticks with his own body. But the villagers decided that the boy had committed a sin by bringing the sorceress to the village, and they began to throw sticks and stones at him too. The girl and the boy embraced each other in their final moments. They were bleeding heavily, several stones having struck their heads.
“The girl asked the boy if he wanted to keep his promise of never being separated from her and he told her that he did. All of a sudden dark clouds came over the sky, even though it had been a sunny day till then. Darkness fell, and thunder was heard. Lighting flashed. As the villagers were fear struck at the change in the mood of the sky, a young boy, barely more than seven years of age, pointed at the spot where the boy and the girl had been until then. The lighting had taken away the attention of the villagers for a few seconds and in the intervening period the sorceress had cast her spell. She had turned into a stone and the boy had become a sword. And thus it has remained till day.
“Over the centuries many have tried to pull the sword out of the stone, but everyone failed. The stone itself would not move from its spot. For a while, people who boasted of their strength would folk over to the village to try their hand at pulling out the sword only to return defeated. As people realised that the sword and the stone couldn’t be separated from each other, they began to lose interest in it. A great sickness came over the village as well, so that most of its inhabitants died out. The few who survived fled, and with them they carried the myth that the village was cursed. Over time the forest claimed the village and no trace of the houses or the walls remain any more. However, the stone still remains embedded in it the sword.”
Gomur finished and for a few seconds there was only silence. An owl hooted some distance away.
“See?” a man said, fear writ on his face, “Even telling the myth makes the owl hoot.”
“So where is this stone?” Lana asked from behind me.
“About ten kilometres from here, Gomur replied, “Just near the stone a tree has grown. It is the largest tree in this entire forest. I think you wouldn’t miss it if you go in that flying craft of yours.”
I thanked the villagers for telling us the myth and the location of the stone despite the superstitions and fears that they held concerning the stone. And then we went on our way. Lana manoeuvred the craft, while Danor and I kept our eyes on the forest below, our gaze searching for the tree. It might be big, but there was a good possibility that we might miss it in the darkness of the night.
But we shouldn’t have worried. The tree really was big. It was at least thrice the size of the average tree that grew in the forest. Lana made the craft circle the tree. Due to the poor lighting however, we couldn’t see what was at the base of the tree.
“So what do we do next?” Lana asked me. “Captain?” she added.
I pursed my lips in thought.
“Let me go down,” Danor said, “If I find the stone I will tell you.”
“There can be dangers there,” I said.
“They are just superstitions,” Lana said. “Believe me, I know a fair bit about superstitions.”
“Well, some superstitions have their root in truths,” I said. “I don’t want to take any chances.”
“Mowa would have taken his chances,” Lana said, looking away, a sadness in her tone.
“Who is Mowa?” I asked, confused for I had never heard the name.
Lana seemed to be lost in thought. She snapped out suddenly.
“What?”
“Mowa… it’s a person right?”
“A good friend,” Lana said, “he’s probably a demon now.”
So, Lana did have a boy in her life. I guess I was making my mind roam too much. I had arrived some time too late in her life.
“I am sorry it happened to him,” I said to her.
“Are we going down or not?” Danor asked, he seemed rather excited.
“The two of us are,” I said. “Lana, you control the craft. Take us near a tree so that we can climb down to the ground using it.”
“It’s all trees here,” Lana said.
Once I went out of the Sphere, I tentatively put my feet on the branch of the nearest tree. And then I began the slow climb down. Danor was above me. He was heavy. I should have sent him first. I heard a branch break, as it succumbed to the weight of his giant body. Next moment I was hit by him even as he fell. Danor however acted quickly and he grabbed me and cradled me in a protective manner. Danor hit the ground hard and he groaned. But he hadn’t let a scratch come over me. I was grateful.
“Are you all right?” I asked. He nodded.
“I am fine. It wasn’t a big fall for me.” Danor briskly got back to his feet.
“Thanks for protecting me,” I told him.
“You have protected me many times, sir, this is nothing,” Danor replied.
We approached the great tree. It was quite evident that there was a great stone, a boulder, at the foot of the giant tree as we could see its outline well. And when we went near to it, I saw that there was indeed a sword embedded to the stone.
“Wow,” I said, “this is actually real.”
“So what do we do? Pull it out?” Danor asked.
I didn’t feel that would do much good.
“No,” I said to him.
The people who had come to pull out the sword had been haughty. They had disregarded the love of the boy and the girl and they had tried to separate the two of them. Because of this they had failed.
“But won’t we need the sword?” Danor asked.
“We do, but…”
I suddenly kneeled down in front of the stone. I gestured Danor to do the same.
“Why are we doing this?” Danor asked, confused.
“Nobody respected their love,” I said. “All these years since the beginning, they have been here. Even after they turned to stone and sword, people tried to separate them. Clasp your hands, Danor, and close your eyes. We will not take away the sword, never with the consent of the two lovers.”
I myself clasped my hands and closed my eyes, and I bowed my head. I wanted to show the boy and the girl that I respected them and their love. I was sure the myth had roots in truth, for countless men had failed to remove the sword.
“Please,” I said, “I do not know what your true names are. But I do know of the difficulties that the two of you have had to endure. But I require the sword. I have no wish to take away the sword, but I beg that for an amount of time I need to use the sword. Lives of thousands are at stake, and the sword can come of great assistance in completing a task which would ultimately lead to saving the lives. I promise, that after the deed has been done, I would return the sword to the stone, for it is his rightful place.”
I waited, not raising my head or opening my eyes.
A minute passed. The silence hung limply. They were testing us… and our patience.
And then the stone and the sword began to glow. I could see it even with my ey
es closed. I heard Danor gasp. I opened my eyes. I had thought that the stone and the sword would be glowing too bright for my eyes to really stand it. But the light, even though bright, had a certain amount of coolness to it so that my eyes didn’t hurt.
The light took the shapes of two people behind the sword and the stone, one male and the other female.
“Nobody like you has ever come here,” the female said, a sweet ring to her voice. “All want to show their brawn or ignore us altogether. Rise, both of you. You have respected our love and we shall respect you as well.” Slowly I got to my feet. Danor behind me did the same.
“I have never let him go away from me,” the female continued, “but today I shall. For I trust that you will return him to me again.”
“I will,” I promised, “even if I have to overcome odds.”
The female smiled. Then she and the male embraced.
“You can take me with you now, and accomplish the quest that you are after,” the male said. The light dimmed. Soon, we were again in darkness.
I grasped the hilt of the sword and pulled.
The sword came out like it had been buried in butter.
“You pulled it out, sir!” Danor said.
“Because they allowed me to,” I replied. A notification appeared.
Congratulations!
You have completed a unique task by pulling out the sword from the stone!
This was followed by a fuzzy feeling.
You level up!
I absorbed the sword into my mind. Danor and I climbed up one of the trees and we were able to re-enter the craft.
“That’s impressive,” Lana said, “you got the sword at your first try.”
“A bit of respect goes a long way,” I said.
***
We flew along the direction in which the dragon had told us that he travelled after he was possessed by the charm of the succubi. Lana and I piloted the craft alternately, so that we could maintain the top speed without having to destroy our minds with the extreme exertion.
It was at the break of a new day when we spotted the dragon, a mere spot in the far distance, moving about the sky like a small snake.
“There he is,” Lana said, who was the pilot then.
In about half an hour, we had neared the dragon such that he was flying only about a hundred metres ahead of us. We were directly behind him, so he couldn’t see us.
“How do we kill him?” Lana asked me.
I had repeated the scene many times in my mind how to carry out the task in the safest way possible. I had my plans ready.
“Fly over his back,” I said. “Keep the craft steady. I would leap out and land on his back and then I would make the distance to his chest and pull out his heart.”
It was the first time I was telling about the plan. Both Lana and Danor looked at me like I was crazy.
“We are flying thousands of feet above the earth,” Lana said, “if you make any mistake, you will fall down and that would be the end of you.” The warning was clear in her tone.
“Let Lana do it,” Danor said. “She can fly on her own, without the craft. It will be easier for her to tackle the monster.”
It was a better idea. But I was too worried that the dragon just might turn its head and breathe fire and burn her. I was the undisputed captain. I had to care for the two of them. I shook my head.
“This is my quest. I take the risks. I will do it.”
I looked at the two of them with a hard face meaning that my decision should not be questioned.
Lana shrugged.
“Fine. Just don’t die,” she said. She increased the speed, so that the Sphere moved over to the back of the dragon. I pushed opened the lid. Both the craft and the dragon were flying at full speed. The rush of air was unbelievable.
Trust the favourable factors, I told myself. And I went out.
But the craft was hovering too high above the dragon’s back. I put my head back inside the Sphere.
“Lower it further,” I told Lana.
“Any, captain,” she replied. The craft began to go lower. It was now only mere inches over the back of the dragon.
I leapt.
The wind pulled me away. I landed on the very edge of the dragon’s back, a good distance from the place over which I had leapt. For a moment I just concentrated on hanging onto the scales of the dragon. I wished the dragon had hair, it would have been easier to hold onto. But the rough scales were better than nothing. I could put my hands in between them and maintain a hold.
And then I began to make my way towards the chest of the dragon.
It was then that the dragon finally felt my presence on him. A giant claw came towards me. I moved quickly and the dragon scratched himself exactly over the spot where I had been mere seconds ago. I breathed a sigh of relief. The claw went away. I remained still for a moment. And then I resumed moving.
I began to make my way towards the chest again. I could feel the beating of the dragon’s heart. I reckoned it was gigantic. I made the sword appear in my hand.
I made a quick prayer to the gods and then I plunged the sword into the dragon’s chest. The dragon’s hide was thick and I didn’t think any other sword could have been able to cause any damage to it. But the magical sword, propelled by the power of love, went inside the hide with relative ease.
I heard a great cry leave the mouth of the dragon, which was a good distance away from the place I was hanging to.
I put my hand inside the wound I had created.
I just realised how stupid I had been. The heart would be big. I needed to make a bigger wound.
On top of that how the hell was I going to carry the heart in my hands? Lost in thought, I didn’t see the claw of the dragon come again. One of the nails struck me hard, and I fell, losing hold of the sword which was still embedded in the chest of the dragon.
I cried out like mad. Was this going to be the end of me?
I felt dizzy, not just because I was free falling, but also because I was bleeding. The nail of the dragon had pierced into my back even as it had pushed me away.
I saw my blood suspended in the air all around me.
My vision began to fade. Far away, I saw as Lana finally seemed to have realised that I had fallen and she shot the craft towards me. At the same time, I saw the figure of Danor walking on the dragon’ back. He looked so tiny!
And then blackness took over.
***
I opened my eyes with much effort to see the face of Lana just an inch or two away from my face, peering hard at me.
“What are you exactly doing?” I asked her.
She seemed to been taken off guard by me suddenly speaking. Behind her, a few metres away, was Danor. A good distance behind Danor laid the head of the dragon, his giant tongue lolling out.
I pushed myself up. My back hurt.
“Easy, captain,” Lana said. “I can heal, but my powers are limited and they work way too slow. If that wound opens up again, consider yourself dead.”
I decided to heed her advice. I lay down again on the ground.
But I strained my eyes and I saw that when the dragon had crashed down, his body had felled hundreds of trees. And then I noticed something in Danor’s hand. It was like a sack of sorts, the size of the head of a human. It was moving rhythmically and it was drenched with blood.
The heart.
The heart of the dragon?
So small?
“Is that the dragon’s heart?” I asked.
“It is, sir,” Danor said. “I managed to pull it out. I also managed to get the sword.”
He held up the blood drenched sword he was holding with his other hand. I was relieved to see it. I had promised to return the sword to the stone and I didn’t want to break the promise at any cost.
“I reckon it was not easy saving me?” I asked Lana.
She rolled her eyes.
“I think I will have to stop calling you captain,” she said, and she wasn’t being playful. “That deci
sion to get the heart yourself was stupid. When we saw you falling, Danor jumped out of the Sphere. Thankfully he didn’t get stuck like usual. I made the Sphere shoot towards you. While still in mid air I had to come out of the Sphere, fly to you and get you, and then return to the falling Sphere. It wasn’t easy at all.”
“And Danor? You didn’t go back for him?”
“I rode the Dragon to earth,” Danor said with a grin. “It was exhilarating.”
So Danor basically fell thousands of feet and still survived?
“The Dragon was still flapping his wings once in a while even after his heart had been taken out,” Lana explained, probably seeing how dumbstruck I was hearing of Danor’s act.
After a while, my wound fully sealed. While the pain remained, I could sit up and stand without fearing to lose blood. I took the heart from Danor’s hand.
“Too small for a dragon, isn’t it?” Danor said.
“Heck it is,” I said. The heart was still beating. How it managed that I couldn’t fathom.
It was then that I noticed something. When I moved my hand in any particular direction, the heart would either increase its beating, or it would slow down.
“Did you see that?” I asked Lana and Danor. And to demonstrate the behaviour of the heart, I held it in the four different direction turn by turn.
The heart beat the fastest when I held it towards the east.
“It’s almost as if the heart wants us to travel east,” Lana said with a curious frown.
“Remember, the dragon told us that we would have to find the succubi vessel,” I said.
“So the heart leads to it?” Lana asked.
“Could there be any other possibility?”
We went to the place where the stone was and I kept the sword back in the hole in the stone. There was a flash of light. The boy and the girl appeared in their spirit forms. They thanked us and we thanked them.
Then we travelled east, for that was the direction the heart wanted to go.
Chains of a Succubus Page 12