Episode 7
Snow followed Alisha as they both tiptoed outside the quarters. As they left the quarters,a high building was next,but they walked behind the walls of the building. Soldiers were walking around, holding lamps and swords. They were looking grim. "How come you are the fourth Rua? You said you were betrothed to him since eight,"snow asked curiously in a whisper as they moved. "I lied. I am the first,but he has abandoned me since he married Mira. I have never loved him."
Then,as they looked on,a group of soldiers were standing at the front of where they could pass. "That is the only place we can pass to the prison. The prison is the place they carry out their works. There is a special place where only the King,the Queen, Lathow, Kalas, some soldiers and Mira know about,"Alisha said, looking at the standing soldiers. As she wanted to wield her hands,snow said,"Let Winsley be your supporting object. He would distract them,"snow said,then she turned to Winsley. "Winsley,your turn,"she said, and the dog went on. As he did, Alisha started speaking in foreign languages, and as they watched,the soldiers walked towards Winsley like a robot. Winsley broke into a run,and they ran after him. "Quick, let's go,"Alisha said,and they walked past the place. The soldiers kept running after Winsley. As they neared the large prison grounds, soldiers were on duty too. "These soldiers are a headache,"Alisha said,truly frustrated. Then she whispered,"Yilamakarede! Yilamakarede! Esgeretonb lamak...Tasitaramatebe." the soldiers here too went still. The prisoners that were tied to woods too were still. Fera was fast asleep on standing,where they tied her too,but something probed her awake. She knew something was wrong. As she looked around,she saw that everyone had gone still. Alisha was around somewhere. Was she pulling her pranks again? Then,she saw the shadow of two people running in the dark, but the illumination of the moon was the only light that made their shadows. She wondered who they were.
*. *. *
Mira and Lathow were on the bed, kissing and caressing. The light shone to their bodies, as they kissed tenderly. Lathow reached for her tummy,kissed it and rubbed it. Mira kissed his forehead.
She drew away from him a little and her thighs were obvious in her transparent underwear. "What went wrong?"Lathow asked, surprised at her withdrawal. "You were eyeing Alisha at the event earlier,"she said, fiddling with the bedsheet on him. "Not again, Mira. Please. Let us enjoy the moment while it lasts. Our schedules are always so tight,that we barely have time for each other,"Lathow said, looking frustrated. "But Lathow..." "When last have I lain with you like this?"he asked. She felt defeated. When she went silent again,he reached for her lips and kissed her. She kissed him back, enjoying him caressing her body.
*. *. *
Snow and Alisha got to a large gate and Alisha easily opened it with her power. She led snow in. There,was another world. The whole place was being watched from high up,where different war weapons were made. There was a bridge of wood, leading downstairs. And in between the woods were spaces, where they saw metals being hit, and it clanged. There were lamps all around,as the men worked. A large pillar was at the centre of where they worked. A girl was tied. She was looking weak. At the other side of the large hall were four sorcerers, speaking foreign languages. One of them was mixing a greenish liquid in a glass bottle,while the others took power out of the girl, speaking foreign languages still. They echoed,and their voices were loud. As they spoke,the girl was getting weaker,and the colour of her skin started to dull. She was writhing in pain. "That is how they take powers, Snow. They dispose them later. That greenish liquid is the essence of all the girl's power. It can make any unique and powerful war weapon,"Alisha tipped Snow.
Outside,the soldiers were still after Winsley. As they ran, Kalas came out and saw them. He wondered what was wrong with them,and why they were not on duty. "Lads! It is not appropriate to chase after a dog while on duty!"he shouted at them,but they kept running in circles after Winsley. Then,he remembered something. Winsley was snow's dog, but she wouldn't let him wander around by this time of the night. Definitely, Snow was not inside the room. Where was she?
Kalas wielded his hands skillfully and controlled the minds of the men immediately. They came conscious. When they saw Kalas,they saluted. Winsley ran away. "Quick,to the prison!"Kalas shouted with urgency. He ran, holding his sword closely. The men ran after him.
The three sorcerers continued speaking, bringing out the power in the girl. As they did this,the third one near the sorcerer with the green liquid was transferring the power into the bottle. And suddenly,the girl turned a skeleton,and fell to the floor. The green liquid was then transferred to the blacksmithing side of the place. And they poured it,little by little. It formed different war weapons. "That is the limit of the girl's power. Some create awful beasts,that are chained in the lower dungeon of the prison until war time,"Alisha said. Snow wondered what her power would be capable of. But she felt sad that the girl was ended just like that.
Kalas and the men ran to the prison grounds and saw the men there still as steel. The soldiers tried to shake them, but they remained still. Kalas was relieved when he saw the prisoners still there,but they were still too. He knew somebody was playing pranks. But then,he saw that Fera was still conscious, and so,he rushed to her,"You did this, didn't you?!"
"I swear on my life,I did not!"Fera yelled.
"Then,why are you still conscious,while others are still?!"
"I...I don't know! Everybody knows my only power is to manipulate people's minds and create petty illusions,"she said, but then realized the gravity of what she said,and kept quiet. "That explains it all. I would change your position when all these end,"he said and went away from her. He bent and put his hands on the ground. A bluish force was building, and as it touched the people,it felt like they were unfreezing. They ran towards the prison.
Lathow and Mira were still cuddling when the door flung open. They quickly released themselves. "Your Highness, someone has infiltrated the prison grounds!"a soldier shouted with urgency. Mira was busy covering her body with bedsheets and Lathow quickly got out of the bed.
Alisha felt triggered suddenly. She had an intuition that someone was coming. "Someone is coming, Snow. We have to go now!"Alisha said quickly in a whisper. Snow got up from her crouching position and whispered back,"How do we pass the front door without them noticing?"
Kalas and the men saw that the door of the place was open. Somebody was there. A stranger. He didn't want the soldiers behind him to know about all these,and so,he commanded,"Go and stay with the prisoners,I would handle this!" "Yes, General!"they shouted in unison and ran away. He went in.
"What do we do? This cannot be happening now!"Alisha said, starting to panic. But snow wasn't panicking. "Actually, I'm not that crude. I know what to do,"Snow said, looking confident.
Kalas ran down the rocky stairs with urgency. And he got to the point where they had been. Everything was in order. They had escaped. He was disappointed.
*. *. *
Lathow flung snow's door open. He met her feeding Winsley some cheese peacefully. She looked up when she saw him.
"I was expecting you all night. I see you finally came,"snow said mildly. "Where have you been? Did you go out of this quarters?"
"Where do you expect a Rua to be than here? What happened?"snow asked. Lathow was burning with words, but he couldn't speak. He didn't want her to know anything. "Nothing. I heard there was an uproar tonight in the palace. And I was worried my Rua was involved, so I came to check,"he said through gritted teeth. Snow got up and walked to him,put his hand on her waist,and looked into his eyes seductively. "Why do you suspect me,when nothing is ongoing? I thought you would lay with me tonight as you threatened,"she said mildly,her voice tempting. Lathow was looking down at her,hatred clearly in his eyes. He squeezed her to himself and whispered into her ear,"I must not find you involved in any chaos. It would only hasten your use,"he threatened. "You would tell me the use when the time comes,"Snow said, releasing herself from him. Lathow stormed off. Snow smiled to herself.
*. *. *
A forest was shown,and the leaves rushed past. Music was playing from a flute. A lady wearing heavy make-up was the one playing the flute. She had fierce, red lipstick on. She had long, flowing black hair and was wearing a sexy robe, which showed her cleavage. Two men were at the trunk of a tree in front of her, writhing in pain. She stopped playing the flute.
"Did you enjoy the performance,or you want an encore?"she asked,her voice low and sounding devilish.
"S..sp... spare us,lady. W...we are deeply sorry,"one of the men,the one who was in deeper pain said, staggering at intervals,when the pain hit him.
The lady laughed. "Did you just call me lady? You called me names, remember?"she asked, sounding in a mock way. "We...we are sorry!"the second of them shouted, holding his neck. "Actually,you would guide me into town,"she said,and smiled wickedly.
*. *. *
The emperor's death was not really a huge thing to the people. They continued their daily lives as usual. The only part of the population was the politicians,who were involved in the Emperor's death. It was the day of the Emperor's funeral. All legs were present at the Emperor's palace grounds. The people and the other politicians were mandated to be present at the emperor's funeral. They all stood,like soldiers. Gerald was looking as grim as usual. The baker was standing behind him.
"You look as though it is your father's funeral,"he said, humour in his eyes. "You do not need to hate him till the point of death. I stay loyal forever,"he said,not turning to him. The baker smiled, making it look like Gerald had entertained him with a joke.
"Announcing the arrival of our dear Emperor!"someone announced, and drums were beaten. A black coffin placed in a golden case,with flowers on it was being carted by four hefty men. Ella's father and other governors were following behind the casket,and they were dressed in official wears. They all looked sullen. Ella,the other officials,Lady Myre, Lord Lucas and others were present too.
The flag of the country was raised high. It was an emblem of tiger head. The atmosphere looked tense.
*. *. *
"I see you are finally feeling free around the Palace,"somebody called from behind Snow,as she looked outside of the castle. It was the Queen. She had two maids behind her,and was in her full royal regalia. Snow gave her another mock bow.
She walked closer to Snow. "You must love the airs of the palace. Even though it would not last long,"she said,her voice commanding and thick as usual.
Snow knew what she meant by that. All of their statements were in parables. Parables only they thought they knew.
"Have you spent any time with Lathow? Since you are the latest Rua,you must be close with him,"she said, wonder in her voice. "I enjoy much more free time than ever. The Prince must be busy,"Snow said.
"Ah,you are indirectly telling me he does not spend time with you, right? He has so many women surrounding him. Maybe he is still confused as to whom to choose."
Snow gave no answer, but gave an affirmative nod. Then,she saw Mira and some maids coming. Now was when Snow could really observe her. She was a beauty,and had a radiant skin. Her hair was braided in thick braids,and she had just the right amount of jewelry and adornment. Her steps were royal and modest. And she had the right gait. Snow could see her hips in her long, flowing gown. She was a slim woman, but curvy as well. She was not wearing her crown today.
As Snow finished registering her features,their eyes met,and Snow quickly gave another mock curtsey. The Queen looked back as Snow did this. Her face turned sour.
"I see our new Rua has not learnt the manners yet. You do not bow to another lady of the castle while the Queen is in front of you,"the Queen said,deeply embarrassed. Snow did that on purpose,to understand the kind of relationship between the two women. "Pray, your Highness, forgive me. I do not know the manners,but I promise to yield myself to learning,"Snow said, feigning meekness. Mira gave a bow to the Queen. "Greetings, your Highness." The Queen gave little or no regard to her greetings. Mira looked up at Snow,envy in her eyes.
What a pure beauty and youthfulness to be wasted, Mira thought, eyeing Snow.
Mira was looking keenly at snow's neck. She didn't have the Rua's necklace on, but she said nothing.
"I see you look rather pale these days, Princess Mira?"the Queen asked on purpose,her gaze pinning down the poor Mira. She felt a shiver run down her spine as the queen said that. "I must be a little bit behind the weather. I promise to work more on my appearance,"she said,now taking over snow's drama of feigning meekness. The Queen was giving her a contemptuous look. Then, she turned to Snow, "Get to spend more time with Lathow,I am sure he is dying to share the bed with you, considering your beauty and elegance. He is just timid. It would not last forever,as I said earlier,"the Queen said and walked away with her maids. Both snow and Mira bowed as she went. Mira was burning with anger,that she brushed aside snow's greetings,and stormed back to her room. Snow found this very humorous.
"The palace is a place of drama,"Alisha said, watching as the Princess stumped off in anger. She was having a laugh. "I have been entertained by both the Queen and the princess. It was so hilarious,"snow said, joining in the laughter.
"The Queen thinks that Mira controls the Prince more than her, and so she has never hidden her hatred for her,for trying to take her son from her."
Snow chuckled. "You still have not told me how you made us teleport the other day,"Alisha demanded. "It was my thought that worked. I did nothing,"snow said.
"We must not be seen together often. Kalas would surely suspect something odd,"Alisha said. "You could come to my room in secret. No one would know. Now,let me get going,before anyone sees us,"Snow said,and they bowed to each other as a facade. They departed.
*. *. *
"Now that the Emperor has passed away,we cannot leave the country without a King. It is dangerous. The people of Tibor must have heard our woes now,"the Governor of Old Town State said. It was a meeting of governors with the elders.
"Should we not find the assassin who murdered the Emperor? Most loyal subjects are whispering about the outcome of our judgment,"one of the Governors said.
"And if your concern is that, Governor Diego of Tic State,I suggest you say that we expose the empire to the pleasure of the enemies,"Ella's father chipped in again. Governor Diego adjusted on his seat. "I suggest we hear what the Elders have to say,"one of the Governors said, making both arguing men keep quiet.
The oldest of the Elders,who had a bald head, and huge royal beads on his chest spoke with quavering voice,"Governors of the Sixteen states of this empire,I beseech you,to please take it easy,for another war might arise. In the past month,the Governor of the Old Town State arose with some other officials to go against the Emperor,and he is here with us again, discussing the way forward to another regime. Perhaps,he had his eye on the throne."
Ella's father stood up now,"I suggest Elder Philebog go straight to the point. Do you mean I rose against the emperor to get the throne for myself?"
"If Elder Philebog is not ready to speak that way,we are! The Emperor would not have died,if not for you!"one of the Governors,who sat with some other governors on a row of the chairs said. They were the loyal subjects of the Emperor.
"I would do no such thing,as it is treason!"Ella's father yelled.
"Hear him! Going against your King was treason enough!"another Governor from the same side said.
"We all know my old Town State citizens are complaining,of the way the late Emperor molests women, both young and married ones. He..."
"That was just an excuse to question his tenure. You had no right to start the war in the first place!"the first Governor who spoke from the Emperor's side said again.
"And what about the issue of drug barons in your State? Did the emperor make you mad on that as well? Or the way you make the Talented live freely in your territory!"the governor said again.
"We all know you hated it when the emperor appointed me the governor of Old Town State,as you were eyeing the throne yourself!" Ella's father spat back.
"Enough!"one of the Elders,who had been keeping quiet all along yelled. There was peace and quiet once again.
He was Elder Fila. The head of the Elders. He was the most powerful man after the Emperor. He was feared all through the empire. "Have you all lost your minds? We just lost an emperor,and not a mere handmaiden,"he questioned, looking around at all of their faces. They were all quiet. "I decide the end of your arguments,hope you know? Now,get your heads back to shape as we talk business,"he said, looking serious now. They all calmed down to hear what he had for them.
"We would choose another Emperor. And the good news is that,the emperor has chosen someone to be,"Elder Fila said, enjoying himself among these power drunk politicians. They were murmurs all around the room. They all wondered whom it might be. Ella's father was praying in his heart. He needed someone,who would not spoil the game he had been playing his whole life. And if such person arose,it would take him less time to wipe him off.
Elder Fila got up and announced,"The Emperor has chosen his youngest son of Queen Tisha,to become the next Emperor of Migora Empire."
More whispers and murmurs followed. That seemed to be an easy ball to crush to Governor Richard. He looked relaxed in the chaos.
*. *. *
"Hey! Your pass,"the soldiers at the entrance of the border of Old Town State demanded from the people one by one on the long line in front of them. Some were on duty,while others checked.
The lady with the flute earlier was with the two men. She had the two of them at her front. She had changed her appearance now,to a less suspicious one. She had a ragged cloak on.
"We do not take the Talented and refugees!. Anyone found in these two categories would be killed!"a soldier was announcing, walking down the long line. The lady was looking suspicious and at alert. She moved with the others. "Do not try anything stupid. I would find you and I would kill you,"she threatened. The men looked scared. As it reached their turn,the soldiers searched the men and turned to her,"Where is your pass?"he asked.
"We are a family,officer. She is my wife, and here is my brother. We just brought him into town. They are both using my pass,as she lost hers on the way here,"the one who looked older of the men said. The soldier looked at them carefully and as if he was scrutinizing them. "Go to the government secretariat to get their passes soonest. Next!"
The lady smiled in an evil manner as they were allowed to enter. She had arrived.