The Chronicles of Shamballa

Chapter XXVII: Here comes the Dutchman

After having a decent meal and getting themselves clean, Carey got back to his research just to make sure that they were on the right path. Their cabin was fully occupied by the five of them and they decided not to get out of there to avoid unwanted attention. There were police officials everywhere but their disguises helped them to remain unnoticed. All of them looked like a group of wealthy Indian locals on a journey...Carey took out the piece and began observing it. Raza noticed and drew closer.

"What is it?" he asked in Hindi.

"Nothing, 'kuch nahi'," he replied, putting it away.

The scheming pirate smiled and sat back. But Carey was trying to understand what it all meant. He did this? In another life? How's that possible? He always thought that reincarnation was a myth. But now everything has changed. His perspective on the mission changed. This was not just an exploration anymore- this was his destiny. He was supposed to put the pieces back together and find Shamballa. But he could not help but wonder what the place would look like. Why couldn't he remember anymore? Maybe the Princess was right- he might find answers later. But he couldn't help but notice that he was feeling different. His body was going through a change both physically and spiritually. He felt stronger like a huge surge of energy was growing in him. Maybe that's what the nose bleed was about, because he had never had it before. After a moment, he stopped thinking and stared at the beautiful scenery outside. The train was gliding smoothly over the mountain tracks- the weather was beautiful- the Princess was asleep on the top bunk. Kali sat near the door with his eyes closed- something told him that he didn't like him very much but neither did he ... the sun was out, it was 2 p.m.

On the same train, sat a fine English gentleman, reading a newspaper and sipping some tea. The train had an exclusive dining room, reserved only for foreigners. He sat alone at his table while the other dignitaries sat there chatting and smoking. But unlike them, he was no government official, rather he had an ulterior motive for being on the train. He was the same assassin who was looking for Carey- he was none other than the Dutchman himself, disguised as a British official. Somehow, he found out about Carey and his friends and immediately got on the train. He also knew exactly in which compartment he was. His job was to keep an eye on him, but he was always used to using lethal force and he really hoped he had to kill Carey, otherwise it would be too boring. But those were not his orders- not yet. He had to let him find the mysterious place and acquire the artefacts and then he was free to kill him. But there were others too- his friends, especially the woman and that man with the killer eyes. He had to get rid of them too if they got in the way, but he was not paid to do so. For now, he had to lie low and gather more information about the group....

Back in some remote location, sat the Elder thug, anxiously waiting for any information about Kali. He couldn't let him get away after he betrayed the clan. So he sent word to every group of Thugs across the valley to look for Kali and if anyone were to find him, they were asked to bring him back- dead or alive, it didn't matter. He was going to make an example of him, to show the clan what would happen if they betrayed him. Soon enough, some of his men would bring the news that he was seen getting on a train to Kathmandu. The elder thug smiled because he knew he was running towards his death. Kathmandu was a major powerhouse of the thugs. They ruled the streets and the jungles over there and the chief of the thugs was a friend of his. He would love to teach Kali a lesson and so he sent word to the Kathmandu chief to get his men ready for his arrival. He was going to slay the betrayer personally with his bare hands....

Carey dozed off as usual and started to dream again, but this time he began to find the answers he was looking for. His past life began to play out like a movie in front of him. He saw the king and queen that he once served- they were kind and majestic, they looked like Gods with their otherworldly appearance and beauty. They kept peace and harmony across the kingdom and everyone was happy. He saw the Orb, which stood in a secret chamber in the palace, and he was in charge of looking after it. The thing glowed with power and it kept the kingdom and its people in peace with an abundance of everything. Nobody was poor or hungry, everyone had enough of everything. He couldn't imagine such a euphoric place in today's world but... Things would soon change, dark forces would emerge, the other kingdoms were envious of the peace and prosperity and they knew that it was the Orb which was the source. Five forces of five neighboring kingdoms united and attacked from all sides, killing and injuring innocent civilians. The king's army couldn't stop them so he took the Orb and gave it to Carey, who ran away into the jungles. As the fight continued, the king and the queen knew that they would lose, but he had one last trick up his sleeve- the ultimate power to teleport an entire kingdom! It would be fatal for both of them, but they had to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect what was left of the kingdom and so they did. They grabbed each other's hands and chanted holy phrases- the earth began to shake and things started to disappear one by one. Slowly but steadily, everything and everyone disappeared in the kingdom. The palace was gone, the people, the houses, everything just disappeared into thin air until there was nothing left but the enemy troops. The king and queen were turned into stone statues, but the kingdom was safe and far away in an ancient place....

Carey woke up suddenly and realized what he had seen-

"Shamballa! It was Shamballa- I was there. Oh good heavens!"