The Chronicles of Shamballa

Chapter L : The Last Piece

“Do not doubt your senses, stranger,” said the voice again. “Speak your heart, why have you come here?” said one of the monks telepathically.

“I seek Shamballa, holy one!” Carey replied softly but still his voice echoed in the chamber, “Me and my friends have made this arduous journey to this ice cold barren lands, we have faced many challenges on the way, we have seen many strange things and I, personally have felt a change in my soul and my heart… I have the pieces of the Orb and all I need is the final piece to complete my journey and find Shamballa,”

Suddenly there was pin drop silence in the meditation chamber, the monks didn’t replied. Carey stared at them anticipating an answer.

“I’m afraid that your journey shall end here, stranger!” said another monk.

The three of them sat in total silence in front of the monks and yet they were able to hear them speak. They were surprised to hear what the monk had to say.

“Shamballa is sacred and no mortal shall behold its magnificence!” the monk said.

“But- you understand that it is my destiny, my fate, I’ve been reincarnated and brought here to revisit the place,” argued Carey.

“Your reincarnation is of no value, you are disillusioned to think that you- a mere mortal can step into Shamballa’s doors. The Orb that you possess is useless without the last piece and only we know its location and we swore to protect it with our lives. Shamballa shall not open its doors for any human being- ever! Leave Here! And do not come back, you may replenish yourselves with some food and supplies for your journey back but that is all we can do for you. We have been hospitable towards you only because of the Princess- whose father has helped us in our dark times. But we can help you no more, our debt is paid!” said the monk and the voices went silent.

The three of them were startled at this revelation and looked at each other in surprise. Carey wanted to protest but the Princess held his hand and urged him not to. They silently went back the way they came. Outside the shrine, they stood in disbelief and disappointment.

“What on earth! What in the name of God was that?” shouted Carey.

“Calm down Mr. Carey, Calm down,” replied the Princess.

“How can I? Did you see how rude they were? What are we supposed to do now?” said Carey sitting down on the steps with his head buried in his hands.

“The monks are obviously hiding something- they don’t want us to find Shamballa but you know Mr. Carey, deep in your heart, you know what you want and if you believe in yourself we will find it without their help!” she said gently placing her hand on his shoulder.

“C’mon Mr. Carey, cheer up! You are a genius, the smartest man that I’ve ever known- lead the way, here- look into your notes and find the last location,” said the Princess handing him the bag of notes.

Carey slowly raised his head and looked at her smiling face. His mood suddenly lightened up.

“You’re right, screw those monks! I shall find us the way, thank you!” he said taking the bag from her hand- something had sparked in his head.

“And what about Raza?” asked Ram Babu from behind.

“Oh! He’s alive I’m sure, scared to death, but alive and I know how to find him, come let’s gather some supplies!” he said grabbing the Princess’s hand and walking down the stairs of the shrine enthusiastically.

It was almost three in the afternoon when they got ready to set out into the journey once again. Properly fed and hydrated and well rested, they gathered some better clothes and supplies and a big hairy Yak to carry the goods. Carey consulted his notes for one last time and wrote and scribbled on them like crazy, he was beginning to mutter to himself- a sign that his genius was in full swing. When he was done, he drew a sharp breath and his eyes began to shine with excitement.

“Mr. Carey? Are you sure we should set out now? It will be night before we get out of this valley,” asked the Princess.

“But of course, night is what I want,” he muttered like a mad man.

“Er, what?” she responded.

“Come now, Princess, we have no time to waste, I want to see the sunset, I hear it is heavenly here,” replied Carey almost dragging her away.

The Princess was glad to see him rejuvenated but she also doubted that there were some dangerous elements waiting for them out there in the snow. If the Yeti doesn’t kill them, the sub-zero temperatures will definitely do. And soon they said good bye to the kind villagers and set out into the snowy valley with the big Yak behind them led by Ram Babu. An hour later, they were well out of the village and half way across the cold and rocky valley which span like a desert for miles and miles with no sign of life anywhere near. The train engine which they left behind was in the opposite direction, which meant that if they faced any grave danger, they couldn’t take shelter anywhere- this was a one way journey to the last piece of the Orb and possibly Shamballa.

“North- north, yes- then that must be west,” Carey muttered while consulting his compass.

“What are we looking for Carey?” asked the Princess.

“The Sunset, Princess, I told you before, I want to see- woah!!” yelled Carey and suddenly fell waist deep into the thick snow.

The Princess and Ram Babu managed to get him out. Carey cleaned himself and looked around. They were supposed to be on a rocky road but suddenly the rocks ended and the snow began. Which meant that they were approaching the edge of the valley and into unknown and formidable territory.