What is this? Jhanka couldn't believe his eyes, this is definitely some kind of sorcery, a white woman, no a red woman walking in the caves of fire, towards him… this is it then, this is the day he dies, the goddess from the flames will devour him. What a terrible fate, to be exile into the flames of Cygon. Well he knew he will not be a match for an immortal like the goddess. Yes, he is a mighty warrior of the natural, not the supernatural.
He believes in no god; but he thinks destiny have somehow favors him, to behold such beauty of a white goddess worthy enough to take his life; he Jhanka, the warrior prince of Cygon, the only heir to the throne, expel from his own land by his own people for killing his own father the king of Zanka out of anger, because his father Tygon, publicly executed his own wife the queen Zoreefa, the beloved mother of Jhanka. Jhanka can forgive anyone for anything, but not for this one thing.
On his way back home from war; unifying the warring clans and bringing peace to the lands far and wide as the eyes could see, a victory he promises his beloved mother, after 8 years of fighting a bloody war losing virtually all his men, Jhanka came back home to learn the whole story about his mother, the beloved of the king himself. Jhanka went straight to his father's court to accost him, his foul rage taking possession of his whole being. It was at that moment Jhanka knew anyone who stand on his path will become a dead man; and his father was the one standing on his way now, drunk and having fun with his concubines, Jhanka didn't have time to count how many. upon seeing the deadly mask of fury on his face all the women melted away as if into thin air.
Now Jhanka was face to face with his old man; except that he looks like his twin brother. It seems like the man never age a day. Jhanka knew that if there is anyone that can defeat him in a combat then it's this man standing in front of him. In a trembling voice he asked just one question, "why father?"
"your slot of a mother was seeing another man" the king answered in a level tone taking his stance akimbo his left hand touching the hilt of his sword, ready to draw...
"And what proof do you have father? I knew you were always worried about losing mother because of your insecurities, but you were always the only man she loves and you know that; oh, I knew you were getting paranoid but I didn't think it was this worst. But what if she was seeing another man, its only one man. What about you father, you have more than a hundred women in court all to yourself…"
Now Jhanka strike a nerve; he could see the fury crept into his father's eyes making it more red than it already was from all that drinking; then he lash out "don't you dare talk to me like that boy", in a quick motion he draw his sword and swing at Jhanka's neck, and Jhanka swiftly dug under at the same time tuning three sixty, at a lighting speed, a motion that set him right behind his father, too fast for the older man to comprehend what was going on, as he runs his blade through the Achilles heel of both legs, making the man fall on his needs, screaming in pain.
Jhanka then stood up straight pointing the sword against the man's throat, as more soldiers flood the room, both his men and his father's men, his men were outnumbered two to one, but that was no worry to the warrior prince, his men have faced more deadly foe. Jhanka looked down on his father and spat in shame, and was about to turn around and walk away when his father said something he can never for forgive or forget, "you are not my son, you are a bastard I broug…." he never finishes that sentence as it became the last he ever authored because right that very second his head was no longer on his neck. There seem to be blood everywhere…
The soldiers stood transfix to the spot; nobody could move…. This is something alien to them, they have never seen such a thing happen before; a prince decapitating the head of his king was so new to them, they were no rules to deal with such a situation, no one could've imagine that in their wildest possible dreams, not even the mystic…..
At the mere thought of his name the mystic materials out of nobody knows where, and the silence in the big hall becomes more depressing than it already was. No one could look into his face, no soldier in the room is that brave. Only jhanka looked up; and said in a calm voice that was so out of this world, even to his own ears "I am ready to…." One raise of the hand from the mystic quite him, and a voice that was barely a whisper but was audible to all, singing thrilling chills down the spine of all present in the hall, a remarkable day that will change the history of Cygon forever. He spoked in the accent dialect of Cygon that was known to few "go hither into the flames, the goddess awaits you" and with that he took a few steps towards the door and was gone before nobody could tell where.
The soldiers present, knows the verdict by the mystic also called the oracle was final. Jhanka was a dead man. No man can walk through fire and survive. An exile into the fire was the cruelest way to die in Cygon. Jhanka knew this and accepted his fate in good faith. Yet a gnawing thought disturbs his mind, what did the oracle meant by "the goddess awaits him" that phrase was totally out of place, yet it seems he is the only one who heard it. Well, a goddess in the flames will definitely be the one to take his life.
On seeing the white woman technically approach him now, all doubts he had pertaining to the above phrase delivered by the mystic vanishes from his mind. And haven't set eyes on a white woman before, Jhanka concluded that must be it as the gap between them dwindles. He psyched up his mind to be impale by her powerful flames, but nothing ever happened.
On the contrary, he saw the goddess collapsing right in front of him as he drew much closer and she would have probably fall into the huge waves of flames below had he not acted quick. Instinctively he extends both hands to hold her to himself in a firm grip, and easily lifts her fifty-eight-kilogram weight onto his shoulders, turn around and retrace his steps on the path he had come from. However, in sheer desperation to save the life of the woman he got lost in one of the many tunnels in the caves leading to the unknown, swallowed in the darkness.
He walked on without ever stopping, thanking nature for his abundant strength, the heat was still close by but was getting fainter and fainter. He begins to feel moister beneath his feet. His gladiator sandals wet on the inside and the tunnel got cooler as he advances, a sign that there is water ahead. This filled him with renew hope, and with that came new found energy and strength.
More than half a mile ahead of him illuminates a faint glow on the almost straight path he trod. Minutes in his walk, he picked up a barely noticeable smell of dampness accompanied by the sound of flowing water, perhaps a hundred yards away or more, he couldn't be sure as the random echo's resonate in the channel, an indication of existing life forms in the vicinity.
So Jhanka was not taken by surprise when a thick mass of flying bats approaches his way. He only stoop low cradling the lifeless body of the white stranger to his chest protectively, turning his back and stopping on his tracks to wait for the alarmed creatures to pass by over his head, some brushing and scratching his naked back on contact.
Relentlessly he presses on, his heart beaming with optimism. Soon he enters a wide opening and found himself standing before a beautiful pond of water, the white woman still hanging on his right shoulder, breathing narrowly with barely a noticeable pulse.
At least she is still alive, he thought to himself. Jhanka admits to himself the woman is different, a peculiar human creature, the kind he had never seen before, another child of creation thriving in the gaia like any other organism with flesh and bone and can die, that's why he saved her not some goddess.
She is a rare breed no doubt, upon all her bruises, swollen broken lips, blood shut eyes, she is the cutest female he had ever laid his eyes on. He places her down on the cold wet ground, after escaping from all that heat, it will do her some good.
Upwards was an opening on the roof of the cave, through it Jhanka could see the bright day sky. Quickly he directs all his attention on the white woman. He fetches some of the water in his palms, and allowed little drops to flow through his hand into her half parted mouth.
Jhanka removed the big chunk of soft white cotton fabric he had covering his long dreadlocks, and rapped it around Dreeda. In all his confusion in the caves, he had forgotten the woman was wearing anything.