The Chronicles of Shamballa

Chapter XXX: The Highlanders

It would seem that the valley of Kathmandu was a pleasant and beautiful land, full of exotic flora and fauna and wildlife. The beauty of this untouched land lifted the Princess's mood while Carey kept consulting his map to make sure they were on the right path.

“There’s a village up ahead. Maybe we should seek help from the villagers and rest for the night,” suggested the Princess.

“Yes, maybe you’re right, it would be wise to set up camp over there,” Carey agreed.

“No- no, your highness, respectfully, I would like to suggest that we do not trust the locals, we should set up camp somewhere nobody can find us,” Raza interrupted.

“And why would we do that? Leave a completely safe village and rest in the jungles, to be attacked by wild animals?” asked the Princess.

“Well, I have heard strange things about this land and its people, things that keep me awake at nights,” Raza replied.

“Oh, stop that, you are even scared of your own shadow. Come, nothing’s wrong with asking for help,” Ram Babu remarked.

“Yes, he’s right. Also I’ve been wanting to ask- why do you dress so lavishly, like a medieval foreigner? Your men- I saw that they have barely any proper dress to wear, yet you overdress for any occasion!” she said, mocking him.

“Oh! I dress to impress, your highness,” smiled Raza and slowly excused himself- the Princess shook her head in disappointment.

He definitely didn’t like the way he was treated, nobody took him seriously, but he didn’t protest because he knew that the time would come when he would be laughing at them. His men were expert trackers and were not far behind. Once he had his army, he would raise his signal and overpower them and snatch their treasure. But he had to make sure that he didn’t get into any trouble with them- he tried to warn them of the locals but they wouldn’t listen. He thought of making an excuse and hiding in the bushes and watching them as they entered the village.

Raza was not wrong about the locals- not all of them but the hill folk. These people were peculiar and strange, they did not know anything about the modern world and were highly superstitious. Also, they worshipped a huge piece of rock and had strange practices- some even say that they were cannibals!

Their village lies downhill almost two kilometres from the base of the hill. Carey could see small shacks and a few people. He led the team down towards the village but as soon as he saw those villagers, he started to feel a strange tingling sensation at the back of his neck- like something was not quite right with those folks. They stepped towards the shacks while Raza slowly stepped away and positioned himself behind an oak tree. The Princess saw a group of men idly sitting in front of their huts, smoking a long pipe. They were all dressed in rags that looked like they were made of straw, which covered most of their bodies. Some women were doing their household chores and they were dressed in a similar fashion. They had long unkempt hair and it didn’t seem like they had discovered the concept of cleaning themselves or washing. Carey went first and stood a hundred metres away from them- raised his right hand and waved at the men- they waved back and went back to their smoking. They didn’t seem to be bothered at all or surprised. He was beginning to doubt his decision now. These people did seem a bit odd. He looked at the Princess and she looked back at him. He stepped forward and approached them. Ram Babu watched curiously, holding the bags. As he reached the group of elderly men, they stood up and looked at him and began to laugh hysterically. Soon they began to jump and dance around him. Carey was starting to get scared now. The others watched in surprise- the men spoke a strange language and began touching his hair and his face.

“Ah-ah, Princess, could you just tell these men that we are looking for some food and shelter?” yelled Carey, but soon more and more people from the village joined and began to dance around him.

It was odd that they only seemed interested in him. Maybe it was the color of his skin or his hair. Whatever it was, they surely were rejoicing at his arrival and soon came the offerings of fruits and vegetables that they laid down at his feet and they wouldn’t let him go. One of the women touched his cheeks and placed a flower garland around his neck. The Princess was amused for a while but she knew Carey was uncomfortable.

“Okay, this is getting out of hand,” said the Princess and rushed in to help him- the others followed.

“Hello, excuse me, stop this, we want your help, hey there!” said the Princess, yelling at the mob.



But nobody listened and they continued their mad dance with Carey standing awkwardly in the centre of the crowd.

“Kali, can you please rescue the man,” said the Princess, giving up.

He pushed and shoved the villagers aside, grabbed Carey’s arm and pulled him away. The villagers immediately stopped their cheering and dancing. Their smiles and laughter turned into frowns and they stared angrily at Kali. Carey turned around only to find a huge spear pointed at his face. Suddenly, a large group of armed men and women surrounded them from all sides with poisonous spears. The Princess drew her sword and so did Kali, but they were outnumbered- there were literally hundreds of them. One of the elderly people came forward with a walking stick and began to yell at them in a strange language while making awkward hand gestures. Carey had no idea what they were saying. The Princess knew that it was no use to fight and looked at him for help. Raza giggled as he observed the entire incident from a distance, thinking he was safe.

The mob clearly wanted Carey to come with them and it was evident that they thought he was some kind of a prized animal or rather a sacrificial lamb which they were trying to fatten up as an offering to their Gods. These simple folk spoke a strange language that involved clicking sounds and Carey was finding it impossible to understand. The rest of the team were not sure how to react.

“I think they want you to go with them and, by the looks of it, they are going to sacrifice you,” said the Princess.

“Blimey! We should have listened to that Raza and never should have set foot here. What should we do now?” Carey remarked.

Suddenly, a huge ugly man stepped forward and approached the Princess. He smiled through his broken teeth and tried to touch her face. The Princess immediately took her sword and pointed it at his throat. The man paused for a moment and the crowd laughed.