Chapter 139 - Battle

"HAHA! HAHA!!"

The whole colosseum laughed with the savage man. 

"You humans are really laughable! " said he.  The whole audience had turned silent. "Do you really think you all can catch me let alone interrogate me? " 

"We will see that," said Oman.  "Noone, who dared to cause trouble during the event, will be spared. Not to speak you dared to harm my son. I don't care whether humanity can afford to offend you or not. I only know if you didn't give me a satisfactory answer only one us leave alive from here. "

Oman's solemn voice boomed out, The air grew heavier. Ishit felt spirit rapidly begin to gather into the arena. He couldn't help but be amazed at the power of Maharathi. His father didn't even summon it. Just his anger had triggered spirit. 

"Haahaa!"  The savage man laughed again as Oman had told an amusing joke. "I don't doubt a son of Manu. However, Believe me Oman you're not my match. And I can smell a crisis is impending upon you. So if you're wise you will let go of the dragon boy, and save your energy for what is more important to you." 

Sakunit frowned. Tissa's eyes widened. However, Oman remained impassive. A brooding silence fell in the stadium. 

Ishit glanced at Oman, and then at his mother, whose face had darkened. So his insticts were right. He 

"Oman!" Padma called out. However,Oman didn't seem to listen to her. His eyes staring at the man, as if want to see his soul. 

"Oman! You can't shed blood, atleast not before ..." The queen of Garuna didn't finish the sentence. 

"What is your name?" asked Oman in tone of a lord. 

"Nameless!" replied the savage.  Oman and all frowned. "Ask your book worm! " he added with an evil grin. 

"I'm leaving now. If you survive this test. We'll meet again, boy." 

"Who said you can leave, motherfuker!" Tissa roared as he attacked.  The powerful attack land on the savage man burning him into ashes, no leaving anything behind. A gaint crater appeared where the man was standing. Everyone left dumbounded. What the hell it was! 

Tissa looked most surprised. He blinked his eyes not daring to beleive his eyes. The aura he had sensed around the bagger was not a slighest bit weaker than his father. There was no way his casual attack could kill such a powerfulbeing. But the truth was before him. 

Was the man just bluffing all the while? He wondered. Was he a behrupiya (an impressionist)? Or else Tissa's mind couldn't see any explanation. 

"Haaha! The son of witch was a behrupiya! " He let out a loud laugh like borish man, breaking the odd silence. Padma gave him a dispised look. As he let go of Ishit's hand. 

"Prince, language! you're in public."  Sakuni said, his thick brows still knotted. He looked around in the crowd as if searchign for someone. 

"Where is the boy?"  The black raven turned to Ishit. Ishit looked  behind were he had droped Al-Drum after sealing his nadis.

The dragon boy had disappered from his place, leaving behind a pile of sand. 

Oman swept his glance and the dust settled down.  There was no singn of him. The crowd erputed into loud chatters. 

Ishit checked the memory-stealer in his counsious. It was still there, floating calmly. 

Sakuni walked over to the pile of the dust. His gleaming eyes examined it. He took some in his hand and after exmining for a while he put it away. 

"Lord Oman, I think your culprits escaped. " he turned to Oman. a cunning smile blooming over his face. 

"Should we proceed with the next match?" asked he. 

Oman nodded, and the crier's voice boomed out again. After a mild argument among them, the judge declared Ishit the winner. 

Ishit's joined Karuvaki's in the auditorium.

"Why didn't you kill him? " asked she as soon as Ishit sat down in his chair. "Now he has escaped."

"I didn't want to." said Ishit.  However, the truth was different. As soon as Ishit discoved Al-Drum want to destory his memories, his blood boiled up. 

Hearing myraids of stories from Suta, Ishit had learnt one thing  perfectly 'To be kind to your enemy is to be cruel to yourself'. 

They said legendry King  Kalyan had captrured Haider, a moriyanin warlord, in the first battle of Tarain, but he didn't kill him. Later when his chief minster Kadambavasa  died and his kingdom was in weak state, Haider attacked him and killed him, with the help of some traitors. The evil deflier king raped his two daugher in the sqaure before the whole city, and then gave them to his Gazis, who were worse than savage beasts.

As for Kalyan's wife, the queen Ratna, she met worse fate than her two daughters. 

Thousands of defilers first raped her , keeping her alive by feeding her unicorn blood, then they paraded her naked around the city. Once they had done with her, they sold her to a whorehouse. 

History of Varta was filled with such heart-wrenching tales. And that was enough to make Ishit understand that your enemy is not your spoiled son who would rue his sin once you reprimand

him a bit. 

This was the reason he wanted to kill the boy then and there and steal his memories later to check who had set him up on the evil task. 

However, his father's voice had stopped him. Ishit could still feel the solemnness in his voice as he forbade him from killing  the boy telepathically. 

"Why? Are you a stupid? He would come again and attack you. " Karuvaki said, her charming eyes glaring at him, so did her  winged lion. 

"Can you stop calling me stupid again and again? " Ishit couldn't help be angry. His mind was already reelling with questions. He didn't know what his mother meant by 'you can't shed blood before--'.

Before what?  Ishit pondered. 

And what was the crisis?  Ishit couldn't make out what could threatened his father now. After all, Griva had arrested every defilers  hidden in the city. No province would attack Garuna. They were all under Aslan's control. 

This left only with two possibilties. 

Either Aslan himself wanted to destroyed Garuna or defilers were still hiding somerewhere waiting for an oppertunity to attack. 

Ishit canceled the second possibity. There was no way so many defilers could filer in again so soon; at least not now when even Aslan's men were looking for them all over Varta. 

Thus only Aslan could be the casue of this so called impending calamity. Ishit didn't doubt it. Not after seeing the ghost scroll. 

No wonder Tissa had brought so many Master Warriors with him this time, and the black raven too. The unsual Interest of many pretegious academies, which had never shown any curiosity in Inna's feast before , was not just a coincedence. They must have come here to assist Tissa in his wicked plan. Then his uncle, Vasu and his two uncanny copanions, were they too here to aid Tissa? Ishit gave Karuvaki's scrutinizing glance. 

"What? Why are you staring at me like an idiot?" Karuvaki snapped at him. 

"Why are  you all here?" Ishit asked solemnly. 

"Where?" Karuvaki gave him a puzzled look. 

"Here in Minaak!"

"Are you sure that Al-Drum hasn't stolen away your brain? " Karuvaki said. 

"Tell me why all of you are here!" Ishit ingnored the girl's jibe. 

"To see you, attend this boring event, or for what. " She replied, putting displeased look.  "I didn't want to come, but Pitu dragged me. Why are you asking?"

"And you've no idea why he has brought those evil men with him?" 

"They are not evil. Ok! They had been working for my father for years. And if you judgeing them by what happened in the dinning hall, then let me tell you. In Kalinga, not only in Kalinga, but everywhere, commeners are treated like this. They have got only one purpose to serve their betters. And it's natrual. I don't know what you shoutherners  want to show by acting differently. You can't change natural order. A lion can't be treated like a deer. And a deer can never get the respect of a lion. "

Karuvaki burst out. 

Ishit's lips twitched but he didn't argue with the girl.  He knew you coudn't change someone's mindset by debating with them. Not if the person doesn't want to change. 

Only his personal experiences could do that. His ancestors pitied commoners for they had witnessed their sacrifieces, their loyality, and knew commoners too had heart and feelings just like spirit wielders or so called betters. 

They believed Spirit had bestowed powers upon them to serve helpless,and weaks not to oppressed them. Of course, it was a phylosphy of Old Ways. 

Ishit sighed. Perhaps, Lord Vasu hadn't told the girl about his sinster plans. 

However, what puzzled Ishit, if Vasu had known that a battle would occur in Minaak, why he had brought his two children. 

Was he not afraid of any mishappen? After all in battle of Maharathis, apprentices were ants.