by Selva, SK
“The scales are tipping evenly, from everything I’ve seen downstairs. So the magic is still balanced,” offered Karnan. “His presence might just help keep them that way for a little longer this time. I haven’t had a chance to check my personal scales, but I am not worried.”
“And what if, when he starts using the land’s magic, the scales begin to tip dangerously faster?” asked Ubhay.
“It would not make sense,” said Karnan. “The demons were around for hundreds of years previously. The scales were fine then.”
“He is only one creature regardless,” said Charak.
“Do not underestimate the power of one,” said Roshna sweetly.
“He will destroy our land. I can guarantee it.” It was clear Hemadri was not going to give up his position.
“Typical troll,” snarled Yachana. “Just because your clan is inept at magic doesn’t make you an expert at it.”
“You have a lot to learn, young one. Leading a clan is something that requires experience. Being on the council even more so. Just because you got lucky…”
“Let’s settle down,” thundered Karnan, suddenly standing up.
It was clear that things were getting out of control, and he needed to keep the peace.
“Experience or not, knowledge can be mastered at any age. Let’s all agree on that. As for the demon, whether he is here or not, we are not to turn on each other. The Council of Elders needs to be united, maybe now more than ever.”
Another silence filled the room as a fuming Hemadri turned to the door.
“I want the demons gone as well,” said Ubhay. “The other clans not on the Council will not be happy. The ogres, orcs, and merpeople were badly hit during the last tragedy, and they do not forget.”
“How could you fear one creature so much?” argued Yachana.
“How many times do we have to say it? You weren’t there during the tragedy!” shouted Hemadri.
“But unfortunately for you, I’m here now,” Yachana countered. “And I have just as much say as you do. I was given a chance to be on the Council of Elders without the experience of the demon tragedy. That boy deserves a chance to experience his birthright to this world.”
“He will be under the unicorn clan,” said Roshna again. “I will treat him as I would any other member of the clan. And yes, that includes both physical and magical training.”
Hemadri let out a loud, obnoxious laugh. “It’s clear we are outnumbered here,” he said. “Just mark my words. If that demon steps a single toe out of line, I won’t be the only one to make sure he pays. Not just here, but in the human world too.”
“Are you threatening my clan?” demanded Roshna.
“No, I’m threatening the demon.”
“Who is part of my clan, whether you like it or not,” said Roshna. “You threaten him, you threaten us.”
There were daggers in Hemadri’s eyes, but they were nothing compared with look of anger of Roshna’s face. If there ever was a time where she fully supported Samara’s wish to bring a demon into Ilemuria, it was now. She was going to support Veeran, even if it cost her everything.
“Balaraj will never approve of this,” he said.
“That’s my problem to deal with,” said Roshna.
Hemadri looked around for support. Ubhay did not seem like he wanted to speak up anymore, and Charak was holding neutral. He slammed the door on his way out as Charak and Ubhay quickly followed.
“I really hope we’re doing the right thing,” said Yachana after a short silence.
“So do I,” said Roshna. “So do I.”
Karnan did not answer. Everyone knew it was best to leave him alone when he was lost in his train of thought.
Going through the vast wealth of knowledge he had gained throughout his many years, Karnan could not recall any sort of magic that would have caused Samara’s horn to glow in the human world. And this worried him. Something had caused it.
He really hoped that something was on their side.
“We need to tell the king.”
CHAPTER 10
***
H emadri stormed out of the embassy, nearly crushing a couple of frightened leprechauns and dwarves along the way.
Decades he had been coming to Ilemuria and giving his heart and soul to the creatures, his clan, and the whole land. Had there always been peace? No.
But there has been order.
The demon tragedy had nearly killed him, and now it was coming back again. It did not make any sense for Roshna to bring another one back, no matter how much King Nahusha insisted.
He could go to Raja directly, but he did not want to appear weak. The king would not take too kindly to one of his council members being afraid of one demon. Hemadri himself had been on the council when the old demon leader began his rebellion. It had taken nearly ten years before they had been able to come back. Ten long years. He had never heard from another demon again.
*
Two stone pillars caught Veeran’s eye as several creatures lined up in front of them. He watched as two mermaids walked in between the gate and disappeared. Rubbing his eyes to make sure he was seeing things correctly, another group of fairies also faded out of view.
A sudden gust of wind caused Veeran to look up as he saw what looked like winged lions flying through the sky. Even though he was trembling, his amazement could not be contained.
“Griffins,” said Aaryav, following Veeran’s gaze upward. “In their mirakum form.”
“And you can do that too?” asked Veeran.
Aaryav smiled. “Yeah, but I’ll show you another time. Takes a lot of energy from the land.”
“And he has mastered it well,” said a sudden voice.
The boys turned around to see Roshna coming toward them. Thankful that something had finally gone the way she wanted when seeing that Aaryav had found Veeran, Roshna let out a sigh of relief.
“Is everything okay?” asked Veeran timidly.
Roshna hesitated, looking for the right words. “I would not say completely okay, but better than before. You won’t need to hide under that cloak in Marutam at least.”
That’s not too bad, thought Veeran. Maybe I can settle in with the unicorns, at least.
“All right, boys,” continued Roshna. “I trust you’ve seen enough of our market village. Let’s go home.”
Suddenly aware of how exhausted he was, Veeran carried his heavy legs to the same stone pillars he had watched those creatures disappear through not so long ago.
“Yonder Gates,” said Aaryav. “Quickest way to travel.”
Several mermaids cackled as they stepped through the gate. In the split second it opened, Veeran was sure he saw the ocean.
“Probably won’t see any of them until the games themselves,” Aaryav remarked.
“To Marutam!” said Roshna strongly to the portal.
A small gateway appeared between the two massive stone pillars. Roshna stepped through, and Aaryav followed. One leg disappearing through the portal, he turned around.
“Unless you’d rather go back to the human world,” he suggested with a playful smirk.
Veeran laughed and jumped through the gate at full speed.
A furious Hemadri and Ubhay watched from afar.
“Let’s go see Balaraj,” said Hemadri. “I know where he is.”
*
A grizzled old warrior sat by himself in the corner of an ancient pub. Several empty glasses had been cleared away, but the bartender made sure to always bring a new one.
Balaraj looked down, still able to see above those around him. Even though the battle had long since been finished, he could still hear their cries throughout the night. Being back in Ilemuria made it even worse. He had rejected Roshna’s request to come with her to the meeting. He was about to not come at all.
But then who would train the young ones in case it happens again? Someone has to tell them what occurred.
His sense of duty to his clan and the land had prevailed, and he stepped
through the portal and made his way past the Great Vayil right before it closed.
His scarred knuckles gripped his cup harder as he lifted it past his unkempt beard. Closing his tortured eyes, he took another swig that finished the glass. A loud clunk echoed through the pub as he laid his cup down.
“You’re going to need another after what I tell you,” said a voice.
Not looking up, Balaraj felt a presence ease onto the chair beside him. Another was breathing heavily in the background.
“What do you want?” he asked.
Ubhay winced, but Hemadri remained calm.
“After all we’ve been through, I would have thought you would show me more respect,” he replied.
Balaraj did not answer as another smoking cup was placed in front of him. The drink did not help him feel better, but it certainly did not hurt either.
“Have you heard?” asked the troll leader.
Balaraj took a deep sip and waited. He then slowly shook his head.
“They’ve returned. A demon is here,” thundered Hemadri. “And what’s worse is that your leader brought him back. He’s also staying in your village with your clan.”
It got noticeably quieter as several other creatures turned their heads to listen in.
“That’s impossible,” said Balaraj softly after several moments.
“I would not lie.”
Balaraj’s mind slowly began to awaken. He had long felt as though he was in a slumber, but awake. He would never forget the demon tragedy. The raging battles against the demons and the land itself. The many that had perished. Balaraj had never been able to sleep well again. No one could ever understand.
Hemadri remembered how much had changed with Balaraj back then. He had dedicated himself to becoming the strongest warrior he could ever be. Thankfully, there had been no wars since then, but he was always at the ready. Perhaps even to a fault.
“It’s an outrage,” Hemadri ranted. He continued on about what an outrage it was, but Balaraj was not listening.
The drink had been helping him cope. There were those that said the mind grew weaker each sip, but he felt it helped his open more.
“I’m getting rid of him,” said Balaraj. “Roshna cannot do this without consulting me.”
“What?” asked Ubhay, finally speaking up.
“They are all alike,” he continued. “We saw what they did before. It was right to ban them. We need to cut this monster off at the head. No second chances for anyone. I need to get back to Marutam.”
“I have already talked to Roshna,” snarled Hemadri. “She will not agree. She thinks we need to give him a chance.”
“That’s the same thing Samara used to say,” said Balaraj. “She should have made me leader of the unicorn clan. I had the most power. I could have helped us attain greater glory.”
“To be fair,” said Ubhay, “you’ve kept your council seat under Roshna’s full rule.”
Ubhay struggled to breathe as a giant hand groped his neck, lifting him high into the air. Hemadri watched in shock as the griffin’s legs dangled from the floor. The other patrons in the pub stayed back, even the bartender.
“Do not speak of her accursed rule,” Balaraj said venomously, tightening his grip.
Ubhay’s eyes began to pop as he gasped for air. His choking words begged for help. No one came close. They did not want to be next.
Balaraj opened his grasp as the griffin fell to the ground, sucking in the oxygen his lungs craved. Despite himself, Hemadri felt a tug of sympathy.
“To the Yonder Gate,” Balaraj shouted.
Ubhay thanked the gods as they left. As he struggled into a chair, cursing to himself, the bartender suddenly appeared with a long bill in his hands.
“You’re in no condition for this,” Hemadri tried to reason with the angry unicorn, struggling to keep pace. “I really don’t think now is the best time for you to go.”
“There will never be a perfect time,” said Balaraj. He had not felt this focused and determined in years. “The demons are a danger. We all know this. I need to save the village. We need to save the land.”
Muscling his way past those in line to use the gate, Balaraj stood between the stone pillars, almost as tall as them himself.
“Marutam!”
The Yonder Gate opened a portal, and he stumbled through. Hemadri could only watch helplessly as Balaraj disappeared.
“This won’t be good.”
*
Long wooden poles, entrenched in a deep earth, did their best to light up the village with tiny flames as the sun set. Not a single door was closed in the stone huts that were sprinkled out beyond the earthy path as villagers were welcoming their old friends into their homes. As Veeran followed closely behind Aaryav, his eyes could not help but find the grand building in the distance.
“Is that a palace?” he whispered.
“Our embassy?” laughed Aaryav. “If you think that’s a palace, wait until you see the dragon’s castle.”
A great gust of wind nearly threw Veeran off his pace. Quickly regaining his balance, he looked up to see several large silhouettes flying in unison through the skies. Though he could not make out clearly who they were, he would have bet anything that he knew which creatures he saw.
“Welcome to Marutam!” said Roshna.
“This is brilliant,” said Veeran in awe.
Several unicorns called out to their leader as they walked deeper into the village. An enchanting song filled Veeran’s ears as they got closer to the embassy. Resisting the urge to add a little dance to his step, he tried to walk as normally as possible. Though there would never be any shortages of new wonders in this world, Veeran had still not got rid of the tension building up deep within him.
The embassy neared, and Veeran could barely make out what looked like a giant clock above its entrance. He did a quick jump as it suddenly pounded several times. A small glint from the moonlight caught Veeran’s eye as he noticed another cathedral-type building near the embassy. Its glass windows were decorated with paintings, clearly depicting an ancient story.
“That’s our temple. The clock on the embassy signals the top of every hour,” explained Aaryav.
It did not read like any clock Veeran had ever seen, but perhaps time moved differently here.
As the music grew louder, Veeran could feel his anxiety slowly ebbing away, despite himself. They had reached a small clearing where several unicorns were playing strange instruments on what looked like a temporary stage as many others danced, celebrating their first night back.
Roshna stopped suddenly and turned to Veeran; her eyes had never looked more serious.
“I am going to tell everyone about you. You will be protected while you are here. If I did not think this was a good idea, I would not do it. Do you trust me?”
Veeran had not expected this. And so soon. He tried to get his breathing under control as he looked back at Roshna.
“I do,” he said, not feeling she had left him with much choice.
Roshna climbed onto the stage as the band politely stopped playing. Cheers and applause came from the villagers as their leader stood proudly before them.
“Welcome home, everyone!” she shouted. “It is good to see you all back. And for those of you here for the first time, an even more special welcome.”
More cheers and hoof stamps filled the air. Aaryav watched Veeran carefully.
“As you all know, the games are coming. I trust those that wish to enter will be training hard. I will need to know the names of anyone wishing to represent our glorious clan a few days before. And I do not doubt you will all work to keep our council seat.”
“We will never lose our spot!” someone shouted from the audience, to another raucous cheer.
Roshna smiled widely. “I know you will do us all proud, but as such, I have some very important news regarding all of Ilemuria.”
The curious whispers grew louder as everyone exchanged confused looks. What could she be talking about?
“Most of you were not old enough to be here during the demon tragedy, but your elders have done well to make sure you are well aware of the land’s history. It was a great and terrible period that we wish to always avoid. The old demon leader Ravanan was banished, and his clan went with him.
“Samara, my predecessor, had always been against banning the whole clan due to the actions of a few. I have agreed. King Nahusha himself has said this was a mistake, and he wished to undo the wrong. The Council was ordered that if anyone were to find a demon child, we were to bring them to Ilemuria. It won’t bring back the years lost, but we must look ahead.”
It had gone deathly silent. Everyone in the audience was hanging on to each of Roshna’s words.
“Years and years have passed, and no one had been able to find one. Until now.”
Roshna turned to the cloaked figure that was trying to hide behind Aaryav. Every unicorn followed her gaze.
Veeran knew Roshna had forewarned him, but that did not make him feel any braver. He was seriously considering just shaking his head and running, but what would that accomplish? Trembling fingers grabbed at his hood, slowly pulling it back.
“Hold it!”
“Balaraj!” shouted Aaryav. “It’s okay, we’re fine…”
Clearly not interested in what his student had to say, Balaraj shoved Aaryav out of the way as easily as though he was a rag doll. Ignoring the help from a few concerned unicorns, Aaryav quickly jumped back up. Balaraj barged straight at Roshna, behind whom the cloaked figure had quickly taken refuge. The musicians quickly cleared the stage.
“You should have consulted me first before bringing that thing here,” he roared.
“Raja gave us orders,” said Roshna softly but firmly. “I also discussed it with the council afterward. I’ve decided to accept responsibility for his time here. We are following the king’s rule.”
Balaraj could feel years of anger flowing through his very soul as his face was inches from Roshna’s. She did not give an inch. He peeked behind her to see whatever was hiding in the cloak cowering in fear. Admittedly, Balaraj expected more of a fight, but the easier this was, the better for them all.