Akira felt warm. She opened her eyes. She was resting inside a small ball of ice that protected her from the snowstorm outside.
There was a small fire burning in front of her. She got up and sat.
Lady Tara was nowhere to be seen. She looked around the sphere of ice, polished smoothly and just big enough to accommodate the two of them.
"Wow... so this is orc magic! It's so beautiful!" she exclaimed to herself as she touched the cold walls.
Tara came in carrying some fish.
"I found these in the frozen sea. I feel strong magic here. I think we should go and meet the lord of these seas."
Akira gave her a blank stare. "Sorry, Lady Tara, but I am lost. Could you please explain to me in words I can understand?"
Lady Tara repeated herself. "This land is the portal to Pātāla. The reason why the Gate to heaven was placed here was because of its strong magic. I feel this is the right place for us to build our school."
Akira blinked at her, feeling more stupid by the moment.
"Lady Tara, no one would want to study in the blizzard. And where do we get the resources to build a school here? This place isn't even on the map. If not for the stardust, I would never have found this place."
Lady Tara smiled. "Lady Akira, trust me. Let's go meet the lord of the sea. We will get his blessings. I believe that is where we need to start."
They ate their meal quietly, each lost in their own thoughts.
Akira was the first to interrupt the silence. "Say, Lady Tara, if the lord of the sea is from your place, do you know him?"
"Only by name, Lady Tara. Legend has it that Lord Airavan fell in love with a human warrior princess, and they had a daughter who could live on land and sea. She is half-Naga. She, in turn, married a prince and had a son. Not much is known from there. It has been over 3,000 years since the lord has been living in these waters, renouncing his own world after the death of his wife.
Sometimes, he comes to Pātāla, on request from the Council of Elders for guidance on stately matters. But he mostly lives in Gaya. I would be one of the few honored to be in his presence, if he would bless me with it."
She looked excited.
"What is the Council of Elders?"
Tara looked surprised. "Do you not have something similar?"
Akira shook her head.
Tara explained, "The head of every race forms the Council of Elders. A race may have many kings and queens, but they will follow the command of the Elder, the wisest and supreme ruler of the race. His word will be absolute, though he seldom interferes with the daily operations."
Akira sounded amazed. "I wish I could visit your sphere. It sounds so beautiful. Humans are the only race here, that are said to be evolved in Gaya, and they only fight and kill each other."
She was quiet for a while. Then she continued. "In many ways, it is better that many of us don't know about your spheres; our greed may lead to a lot of disruption."
Lady Tara smiled. "The King of Shambala was very well loved by our people. We harbor no ill intentions against humans in general."
"Have you seen the king? When he was alive, I mean?"
Lady Tara giggled. "I am as young as you. He lived during the time of my great-grandmother."
Akira was a bit lost for words. No one called 500, no wait, now she was 600, called 600 years young. Otherworld standards would certainly need some getting used to.
"Lady Akira, I think we should start now. We should be back before nightfall."
Akira got up and followed Tara to the frozen sea.