The elders sat in a wide circle on the floor, on woven mats, their bodies held up straight while their tails coiled under them.
"State your purpose," one of the elders spoke up in a painfully low voice, the one in the middle. The man's wiry gray hair fell to his shoulder. That and his salt and pepper beard and mustache said he must be around sixty years of age, but Bali knew Naga tribesmen lived for centuries without looking so.
Bali's patience had snapped. "Allow us to pass through your land, or else your necks will be at the end of our sword," he gave them his own order in his thunderous voice. His hands had curled into fists, ready to swing.
Tantric Vyom coughed aloud, a flicker of amusement in his dark eyes.
Before Bali could continue with more of his threats, Uncle Bhringi interrupted, "What meaning Prince Bali said was we beg favor from yours highly to let us pass, and we return it kindness. Generous gifts the king shall bestow upon you."
The light from the torches on the wooden pillars of the pavilion fell on the solemn faces of the elders.
There was an awkward silence that Bali sought to fill with more words of caution when the tantric spoke in his usual offhand manner, "They don't care for generous gifts, I am afraid, Lord Bhringi. But they surely care for assistance." He then directed his words to the elders, "You will have the force of fifty men blessed with vast martial and tantric power at your disposal, and in exchange, you must let us go free," Tantric Vyom bargained.
The elder in the middle looked around at the other elders and then returned to the travelers before him. "What your tantric companion says is true. We have little regard for generous gifts or bestowments, but nor do we seek to do business with the outer world, especially ones with enormous powers. We have found having powerful allies can be just as dangerous."
"Then, let us leave, and we will be on our way," Sage Parasu spoke at last, looking annoyed by the tiresome confrontation.
The elder chief regarded the sage for a moment and then nodded. "Keeping you here was never our intent, and neither do we plan to keep you here for long. But rules must be followed, and price must be paid," he said in his low, hoarse voice before clearing his throat and continuing, "we will let you leave, but you broke the rule by entering the forbidden forest. In return, you must sacrifice one of your own."
A tense hum rippled through the crowd around them. The onlookers watched Bali as intently as Bali was watching them. He had never seen so many serpent people gathered in the same place. They were the secretive kind, hiding in the deepest of the jungles or highest of mountain peaks. They were the descendants of Lord Shesha, a thousand headed serpent who was said to be the constant companion of Lord Puru, Bali's ancestor. After the Merging of the realms, they lost the netherland where they dwelled and now lived in the nooks and crannies of OneRealm, hidden from common eyesight.
"If you harm one of us, each of you will suffer the same fate," Sage Parasu shot back. Although Parasu could be short of temper, so far in the journey, he had shown nothing but restrain. So, the menace in Parasu's words was a surprise to Bali.
"It is the rule of the forbidden forest," a second elder spoke up, "that we must uphold, as the dweller of the forest. We mean no offence to you or your realm. And to be kind, we leave the choice up to you." He looked far younger than the rest he was sitting with, almost Bali's age, and oddly familiar. It was strange that the tribe had chosen him as one of the 'elders'.
Bali exchanged glances with the rest four. The kindness that the elders were offering them sounded thoroughly unkind. To choose a sacrificial lamb from one of their own was a test that few prepare for.
"I offer myself as the sacrifice," Uncle Bhringi proclaimed in a high, unwavering voice, taking a step forward.
"Impossible," Bali shot back before a word from any other, snapping his eyes around to find the bee demon, "you are the last of your kind, Uncle. I do not permit this."
The elder chief scrunched his face for a moment, and then cleared his throat. "It will, then, relieve my prince to know that one cannot offer oneself as the sacrifice. You must choose another."
Bali's gaze immediately shifted to the scrawny young man, who had little reason to come along that journey to begin with and who had little to boast of when it came to martial and spiritual powers.
"I select the human boy, in that case," Bali said with no regret. Hard decisions must be made, Bali remembered his father say in the council chamber many times. And if the boy has true honor, he would proudly accept being the sacrifice for the greater good.
The boy's olive colored face paled, but he remained quiet.
Sage Parasu heaved a long, exasperating sigh and then named the tantric as his pick. Beside him, Uncle Bhringi stood and took his time, his head lowered in contemplation.
"I must apologize, and I bear you no will," he spoke at last and turned to Tantric Vyom with his big, round eyes, "but I must select you." He did not explain the reason, but Bali knew it must be the kindness for weak in him. Uncle Bhringi was not someone to expect hard decisions from.
Vyom, who was standing with his finger across his mouth, chuckled and bowed. "I would happily die knowing I helped my friends. Sadly, there is some business I need to take care of before I pass. So, with great sorrow, I must name you, my friend Sachi." He made his decision known and Sachi, the pupil, only gave a single nod.
The boy's downturned eyes stole a glance at the elders and returned to staring at the wooden floor. "Before I offer you a name, I implore you to let us all leave unharmed. We were attacked by unseen foes, even lost five men, and this forest was our only refuge," he appealed to the serpent elder council with as much grief as he could muster.
"Offer us a name," one of the elders asked coldly. The boy lifted his ashen face.
"I cannot name myself; you said so. And I dare not name my guru nor could I name our prince and his guardian." He spoke as if justifying what he was about to say. "I must name Tantric Vyom," he declared and hung his head once more.
For a moment, there was nothing but silence as the tension in the pavilion hung heavy. Bali was warming up to the tantric, and his skills would have been valuable in the journey. But now, there was a common verdict and a name. Tantric Vyom, to be sacrificed to the serpent people.
A fuss started somewhere behind them, and Bali turned to find that the crowd had parted to make way for a familiar face, that made him sigh in relief.
"Naga Rathi!" Sage Parasu was the next to notice.
The serpent lord from his father's court was hurriedly making his way through the crowd, his silver circlet gleaming brightly on his head with blue sapphire in the center, his serpent stone.
"This spectacle must stop, now," he proclaimed, slithering up the stairs of the pavilion. His cleanly pleated white stole hung down his right shoulder, the other end circling his left wrist, the courtly way to wear stoles. "These men are on this journey by the king's decree."
Naga Rathi glided straight over to the younger serpent elder and held out a rolled piece of paper to him.
"Brother," Naga Rathi addressed him.
The young elder raised his serpentine body and took the paper with a hint of doubt in his eyes. He opened it and began to read wordlessly, before the rest of the elders clustered around him and murmured to each other.
"You can thank me later," Naga Rathi proudly mumbled to Bali. Their interactions in the past had been frosty to say the least but at this moment, Bali was grateful that the naga had come to their rescue.
"Once we return to the capital, I will make sure you are properly rewarded," Bali promised in a hushed tone.
The slits in Naga Rathi's yellow eyes dwarfed with a smile. "Rewards are common, Prince Bali. Allow me to accompany you in the quest, and I will consider it a reward."
Of course he has a motive, Bali thought.
An eager buzz was ebbing in the crowd when the elder chief cleared his throat. "Indeed, a decree from the king changes matters. Since they crossed our lands out of necessity, we withdraw our verdict from before and declare the visitors free to leave. And as a sign of goodwill, we offer them the hospitality of our settlement for tonight."
In the end, Bali and his companions happily accepted the hospitality and decided to spend the night in the serpent village.