The Chronicles of Shamballa

Chapter XLIX: The Mute Monks

“What is it, Mr. Carey? You look uncomfortable,” said the Princess.

“Something seems strange here,” he replied.

“What do you mean? Maybe it’s the elevation, Ram already started having nosebleeds and I feel a little light-headed too,” she remarked.

“Apart from that- don’t you feel something else?” he said.

“Well, I’m cold and hungry and tired and I haven’t had a proper night of sleep, but yeah, all is well,” she replied sarcastically.

“I’m sorry, I never knew that this journey would be so difficult,” he replied.

“Never mind, let’s just get to the village, maybe the people over there can help us,” she said and walked on- she clearly seemed upset.

But there was only so much that Carey could do, the last piece of the Orb was hidden somewhere in these mountains and it was not an easy job to find it. They had faced so many difficulties together and been in death defying situations. He felt bad for her too, she only agreed to come along because she thought it might help her purpose but it seemed like she had long forgotten about her true motive. He was not sure how finding the Lost Kingdom of Shamballa would help her and her father’s kingdom but he knew he had to find it for her. The fact that they had made so many enemies and seen so many strange things on their journey and yet they were miraculously still alive, that could only mean that it was their journey was far from over. This valley- this stone cold heartless valley of ice is all that stands between him and his goal. He resolved to see this mission to its fruition, no matter how deadly it be.

He kept walking behind the Princess and recalled about his visions and remembered how intimate they were in the previous life. He felt into a deep thought of life and its meaning, fate and destiny and free will and their role in the world. Everything seemed so random and chaotic but it all seemed to be tied together by an unbreakable and invisible string called destiny. As he was reflecting about his life, he suddenly paused to see the Princess talking to an old woman and a group of other people. She was smiling and hugging them like she knew them. Two of them came forward and offered to help him with the luggage. Carey gladly handed them the luggage but kept the bag with the pieces close to him.

“What is going on here?” he asked walking up to her.

“These people, ah! How stupid have I been! They know my father, they know me,” she said walking with them to their village.

“How? You were here before?” he asked.

“No, but once my father came exploring her with his guards and suddenly fell sick from a mysterious disease, these kind villagers took care of him for a week and cured him. In return, my father offered them gold and silver but they refused them and only asked that he should never tell anyone how he was cured. My father promised them and swore to send them a huge load of supplies every six month or so to help them. Somehow they immediately knew who I was and welcomed me with open arms,” she replied.

“Ah, but he didn’t keep his promise, did he now- he told you?” he asked.

“Well, vaguely, he said that some villagers helped him once, I never thought that I would be visiting them,” she smiled and walked ahead.

Carey was glad that her spirits were uplifted. But it did seemed strange that they knew who she was. But they seemed nothing like the mountain people that they had encountered earlier so he went along with them to their village. But what was the strange feeling that he had earlier?

He looked around at the strange little huts and shacks of the village- they were built upon an elevated platform, like a small hill, and there were stairs leading up to the houses. The people spoke Tibetan, a language which he had little understanding of but still he could make out what they were saying. But the Princess seemed surprisingly fluent in it for some reason. They welcomed them with warm greetings and Carey saw the parade of little children following them from behind, giggling and cheering as they passed.

“Where are they taking us?” asked Carey to the Princess.

“To meet the Masters, the ones who cured my father,” she replied.

Minutes later, they were climbing up the stairs of a lofty mountain, on top of which lay a monastery. The villagers escorted them to the entrance and left to go back to their daily lives. Carey and the Princess stood awkwardly at the entrance and marveled at the beautiful decorations of the temple, while Ram Babu looked suspiciously around- he had learnt not to trust strange people or places. A faint flow of footsteps echoed in the hallway and they saw a small boy wearing an orange dress walking towards them. His head was shaved and he was barely five foot tall. He walked up to them and bowed to show respect and gestured them to follow him. Carey and the others followed him through the dimly lit hallway that eventually led to a large wooden door. The boy stopped and knocked twice on the door. The door opened and the boy gestured at them again to step inside. They walked in and was awestruck to see five monks sitting in meditation with their eyes closed. There were dozens of small earthen lamps and incense sticks burning all around the room. Carey felt rather awkward and looked at the Princess.

“Now what?” he asked.

“Please be seated!” Carey heard a voice in his ears. He looked at the monks and then looked at the Princess.

“You heard that?” he asked.

“Yes, I did, I think they want us to take a seat,” she replied.



“It might be rather strange for you, but we tend to speak telepathically- through our minds only, we have taken a vow of silence,” said the strange voice again.

Carey and the others sat down on the cushions that lay in front of them. He observed that the five monks were all in deep meditation and their eyes were closed. None of them uttered a single word and yet he heard them speak. Was it all in his head or were they indeed speaking to him telepathically?