Zaiyoz

Chapter 3

With my limited powers, I could still sense they were merely ordinary people. That was curious. Only magicians could detect a powerful stone. They could see it glowing even from afar.

Instead of answering my question, they got up and pounced on me at the same time. Their punches “whoozed” in the air and I ducked easily, attacking the first one with a right palm heel in his mid-section, sending him staggering backward. Then I also palm heeled the other that connected to his chin. He fell with a loud thud to the floor. However, I knew whatever noise we made here wouldn’t disturb the other guests because of the magic around each room for privacy reasons.

The first one came up to me with a sloppy kick and I caught his foot to slam him down to the floor and punched his face hard. This time, he was knocked unconscious while the other stood up again to kick me, hitting me in the side. The second person’s kick was strong enough to make me skid on the floor. I hit my back against the wall. He was fast to stomp my stomach that the air was knocked out of me. I groaned and coughed up, heaving. I caught his foot when he tried to hit my face. I pulled him, dropping him to the floor and grappling with him. We rolled on the floor, knee kicking or elbowing each other. We both groaned whenever we were hit. Then he tried to reach out for my pocket, kicking me in the process. I heard a cracking sound and I guessed it was the stone that connected with his boot.

A stone is hard, why would it crack?

My opponent grinned and managed to reach for the inside of my pocket. “Now I have at least a part of it. The odim stone is sensitive to force if you have no idea, thief.”

My eyes went round. “I’m not the only thief here,” I retorted, smashing his face with my fist. He crawled away fast in spite of being hit. His mouth was bloody but he was grinning, with the larger part of the odim stone in his hand. He was going for the window, I realized. He was even going to leave his unconscious partner behind to save his own ass! Then he was poised to jump out of the window, mocking me and showing me some kind of a glowing ball that pinned me to the floor before he disappeared.

I couldn’t move. When I looked at his sprawled partner, the latter suddenly disappeared. After a second, I could move again and slapped the floor with gritted teeth.

I concluded they must be a dark magician’s underlings, looking for something valuable like the odim stone.

I was about to get up when I felt dizzy, forcing me to lie back. A clear white vision appeared and I saw my father’s grim face. His pinkish lips like mine were in a thin line. He was obviously seated on his precious big throne. I could see the elaborate carvings of gold and white diamonds all over it. The blue crown with the family crest of four-pointed star and a swaying red flame in the middle of it couldn’t be missed on his light brown head.

Emperor Driscar was forty-eight and looked at least five years younger than his age. He was a good-looking wizard of his own right, with a strap beard that became him.

“Listen well, Prince Vowen. We are unfortunately in a very hard time right now.”

My brows furrowed while looking at him. “What are you saying, Father?” I asked him but I knew he couldn’t hear me. Just like my mother.

He sighed and his amber eyes were desperate and dejected, making my heart beat faster. “Your mother… fell ill and…”

“What?” I whispered, remembering she talked to me in the forest on my way to town. I couldn’t believe she fell ill. She was a powerful witch. How did it happen?

“The palace healers and wizards cannot do something more for her at the moment but try to make her comfortable. You know our Head Wizard, Ezohr, he advised me to go to the mountain of Dal’gahn and take home the zaiyoz. You know very well I cannot make that journey, son because I have an empire to take care of. Therefore, you must go on my behalf and take it to save your mother. And in return, you will be whole once more and you can live in the palace again. That I promise you.”

My jaw hung open, blinking my eyes fast. “But the Dal’gahn Mountain is a myth! No one has ever gone there and even came back alive to tell whether it exists or not! And the zaiyoz gem? Are you joking? How can I get that rumored powerful and mystical gem if the mountain itself is a myth?”

He looked at me as though I was just right in front of him and he heard what I said. “I know what you’re thinking now, my son. That it’s impossible. But are we just going to sit around and wait ‘til your mother expires?” His eyes were probing mine. “If there is a chance to heal her, aren’t we going to do as we’re advised? Think well, Prince Vowen. You are our only son, the only heir to Kazron Empire. And I’m sure you love your mother despite her extreme punishment to you.” He shook his head and sighed with regret in his eyes. “I am sorry I couldn’t do anything then. But we both love her and we don’t want her to die! Ezohr thinks your mother has only two months to live. You must start the journey as soon as possible and don’t waste any time! I implore you, my son. This is for your beloved mother. Both you and I don’t want to lose her!”

I swallowed the lump in my throat thinking of my poor mother. Father didn’t even say how she got ill and there was no means I could ask him. My heart was so heavy, recalling how weak she sounded back in the forest. She must be in real pain.

The vision switched, showing me my mother wearing a white robe and lying in her four-poster bed. The gauzy soft curtains were down but I could clearly see her unmoving form, making my eyes sting.

“Mother, how are you in this state?” I murmured to myself. “What happened?”

“Son, the map is now being magically tattooed on your chest by Ezohr as we speak. But you can only see parts of it one at a time as you progress on your journey.”

With that, I felt a burning sensation on my chest, making me gasp and pant. Red glow magically danced around my wide and muscled chest. It took about five minutes or so before the agony stopped. I peered at my chest, which had glimmering green light that traced a sword like a symbol on the left and a winding path right down below it. It said that I must go to the west, to the town called Dunik.

A part of the west of Kazron Empire had a snow desert all the way to the north. There were also rivers, mountains and forest there, not to mention the fierce beasts and dangerous mythical beings that lived the area. It must not be easy to traverse there. And I could understand why those magicians and ordinary people attempting to go to the mystical mountain of Dal’gahn hadn’t been able to come home to tell that the mountain was not a myth. It was rumored that only one powerful wizard did manage to get back. But even that said wizard was merely another myth. No one knew him in person. Anyway, they said it happened some thousands of years ago, so no one could really tell the truth from a rumor, although that rumor had handwritten books.

My attention was pulled back to my father in my vision, who spoke in his quiet deep voice. “I will ask Ezohr of your progress starting the morrow, Prince Vowen. Please be careful and come back home safe! That’s what your mother would want, you to be safe always.” Then his face faded until I left breathless on the floor. I could not take away the sight of my mother lying in her bed like she already departed from the world of the living.

My throat constricted. I swallowed hard, trying to control my emotion.

A little creak of the door told me someone was there but I couldn’t see anyone, even a shadow. I only found a small table magically appear with food and drinks. The smell of beef stew and fried meat with cinnamon was mouth-watering. My stomach growled, making me remember I hadn’t eaten today at all. But I did drink the water from the river I fell in accidentally when I escaped from the Sarangay’s domain. That was really disgusting.

I felt the odim stone in my pocket. I thought it was only a quarter or less left, making me sigh. So much for living without lifting a finger, I thought. Picking up the stool I saw next to my narrow bed that was pushed to the gray wall, I sat on it next to the table and started to eat my fill. I could feel the hot liquid starting to make its way quietly down my face as I thought of my sick mother. How could I accept she only had two months to live?

And my thoughts went back to what happened four years ago.