Chapter 110 - Laghter

After what seemed an eternity, Kasma woke up in a cave with more than a dozen tunnels leading into pitch-black darkness. His fingers were still clasped around his Almawt (bow). The way he was leaning against the cave wall, it seemed he had stopped there to take some rest and fell asleep.  Bewildered, he felt his head. There was no bump, scab, or any such injury that would suggest he was hit on the head.

Kasma didn't dwell over it too long. He rose to his feet checking his spatial ring the only thing he cared about. It was still on his finger, untouched. He checked the dingy tunnels with his spiritual sense, they were alike, twisting and turning, with no exit in sight. 

What the hell Capalis wanted, the Moriyan wondered.  As he scrutinized the passage, hoping to find any clue. 

There was no Capalis in Moriya as there was no samsana in Moiya. The followers of Mora used to bury thier deads with feet in the south. According to the Codex Magica, once Mora, the first Gazi, conquered the whole Mazia, and wiped out all pagans, the door to Swarga (heaven like Loka) would descend from heaven and all the deads would wake up from their long sleep and enter Swarga. 

Capalis in Moriya were considered heretics and vehemently abhorred.

When the slave failed again, he pondered for a while. The stuffy air in the small enclosure was proof that there was no outlet nearby. There was no footprint or anything on the muddy floor. How the hell did they bring him here? 

Did Pishachas (soul-eating demons) deliver him here? The thought rattled Kasma. In the dark valley of the ghost mountain, when he and Jora had to go there to bring a flower of death for Mir, Kasma had met a pishacha. 

The evil creature was thirty feet tall with bulging veins and protruding, red eyes.  Jora had to use his life-saving hexes to kill the demon. 

Kasma had no confidant that he would be able to kill one by himself.  The thought made him realize his life was in great peril.  He had to escape from this suffocating prison. 

After some pondering, the slave yanked out some hair.  He cut open his index finger and dropped the crimson red blood on the lock, chanting hex-- named invoka serpentine. 

The stuffy air in the dark cave sizzled as the hair wiggled and turned into small snakes with eyes blue like tiny gemstones. 

The snakes detangled themself and rushed off into tunnels. 

Kasma closed his eyes and sat down leaning against the wall as he waited for the good news. 

Time slowly passed by which was its job.  Kasma didn't move, nor did he open his eye except he would occasionally groan in pain or his grim face would lose its color as if he had witnessed Rairav  Narka (inferno), the destination of all pagans, promised in the Codex Magica. 

After a long time, Kasma opened his eyes bloodshot eyes and coughed out a mouthful of dark blood. His face was sullen as if he had seen his death lurking in those tunnels. 

The slave wiped his mouth as he jumped to his feet. He put away his bow and summoned his blade. A lightning blue sword as sharp as death materialized in his right hand. It was not an ordinary sword forged by moriyan smiths. Jora had gifted this sword, after recounting the tale of its forging. 

According to the old gazi, in his young days, Jora had an opportunity to meet werehyenas of Levanta. Gazi assisted Nyde, the alpha werehyena, in his bloody battle with skinwalkers and thus won favor from the divine forger. 

It was Nyde who had forged the blade using twelve souls of captured skinwalkers and nirvanic steel. The birth of the sword enraged the sky. According to Jora, the terrifying lightning had rained over the blade for three days straight, giving the blade its color. Nyde's daughter, who was a great namer, named the sword-Skofnung.  Skofnung had accompanied Jora throughout his life, had drunk the blood of almost every race of Mazia. 

As to why Jora had bestowed such a blade to a slave, only Jora knew. Kasma never asked, nor did the old gazi trouble himself to explain the reason behind such a priceless gift. The slave was grateful to his master, and the master was pleased with his slave's loyalty, that was all. 

Kasma walked over to one of the numerous tunnels. The passage was not very large. The Moriyan had to squeeze himself in. 

Kasma took a deep breath. His eyes shone like embers in the dark as he stepped in the pith black tunnel going down. 

**********

With the blush of the east, Minaak awoke.  Today was a great day.  The sky was as clear as the spirit shine pool on which bank the stone-eyed was sitting. 

Chalukya, the chief awakener, was frowning as if something was troubling him. His assistant Lupa was standing beside him, waiting for his instructions. 

After the visit of the young lord of Minaak, the spirit-awakener had shut himself in the sanctum.  And it was today he had come out. Like always, it had amazed Lupa and others how the old man was still alive, for he hadn't had a meal or even water during all these days. 

"Lupa, have you heard Ronan?"  the stone-eyed spoke. 

"Yes, Mahapragya (honorific title-meaning the wisest one) " Lupa replied, " He was the most talented falconer of Minaak." 

"Was? " Chalukya looked surprised. 

"Yes, Mahapryagya. Three years ago he had gone missing. And there is still no news of him." Lupa explained. 

" No news doesn't mean he is dead, Lupa. You should use words more carefully. Once in a day, Mother Spirit bestows divine tongue to every human. The power to make true what you say. As we never know at what time mother gifts this power to us. So you see if you accidentally say something ominous in the divine tongue, it will become a curse. "  Chalukya said in his solemn tone. 

"I'm sorry, Mahapryagya. I'll be careful from now on" Lupa replied.  He had heard this surprise gift of Mother Spirit before from others too. However, just like others he also took it as mere superstition. If it was really true, he was sure his granny had killed almost half Minaak by now. From dawn to dusk, the old woman had nothing to do but to curse everyone. Going by the stone-eyed logic, one person cussed by her needed to die daily. But his mother was still fine and in good health. 

"Good!" Chalukya said, satisfied with his conduct, "I have a task for you, Lupa. " he added. 

"Tell me, sarvagya ( one who knows everything, another honorific title). " Lupa said, giving a light bow, a sign he was willing to accept the task. 

"Ronan has a son, named Guha. an apprentice of the falconry guild. " Chalukya said, his stone-eyed was looking into the space. 

"A poor boy, you should go and wait for him at the northern gate.  At dusk, when Inna (sun) will visit his second consort, Pakshim, the boy will leave this city." 

Lupa listened to the spirit-awakener, hiding his shock.  It was not the first time he had heard such a prophecy of the old man, he knew it wouldn't be the last one. But they had never failed to shock him. He could still remember the first time he had received such an order from the stone-eyed.

Lupa was new in the shrine, appointed in place of his father. The ways of awakeners were still alien to him.  When one day, the stone-eyed had invited him, of all trained dasas (servants).    He could see all the other dasas were jealous of him. That had puzzled him. 

Chalukya looked at him. (Ok, it was what Lupa had thought that time).  The stone-eyed smiled and asked about his ill father, and after some other pleasantry, he have given his first task. 

" You will wait till you hear the city guard yelling at a conch-shell vendor. " Chalukya continued as if recounting a preplanned script, "And as soon guard walk over to the seller, you will follow the boy and when he will stop at mango tree, and look at you. You will tell him that you know immortal Uluka." 

Lupa listened to the stone-eyed silently as the blind priest went on instructing him how he would answer the boy's questions and convince him to come with him to the shrine. 

" Take this medallion with you will need it. " Chalukya took out a silver medallion from his cloak pocket and gave it Lupa. A warrior with a spear in his hand and two giant wings on his back was engraved on the ancient medallion. 

Lupa scrutinized the figurine and could recall any deity who shared such features. 

"You can leave now, make sure you get there one hour early" Chalukya dismissed him. 

"But How am I supposed to recognize him, I have never seen him before. " Lupa hurriedly asked, 

"Oh! He will be wearing an olive-green cloak, he will be looking very sad..  In his right hand, he will have a newly forged bow, and in his left hand, you will see a ring with blue sapphire. "