The Chronicles of Shamballa

Chapter XX: Calm before the storm

The five of them treaded carefully in a straight line, one after the other, along the muddy path of the jungle. The incident form earlier had shaken each one of them but Kali stood unbothered as he wielded a sharp dagger and cut through the thick leaved. He secretly hoped that the creature that attacked him earlier would appear once again so this time he could finish it once and for all. It didn’t matter to him whether it was a human or a monster, the killer inside him had awaken and he had finally found a worthy opponent!

But the dangers of the forests had just begun. It would seem that the malevolent creatures had given up but they hadn’t. Far from the highest branches of the oak trees, they sat watching with hungry eyes as the group proceeded deeper into the jungle.

“We are almost there, look! The peak, it’s visible, we are almost at the base of the mountain,” remarked Carey.

“Sahib, we better get there fast because it’s almost evening and soon it will be night time,” said Ram Babu.

Carey realized what he was talking about, he was afraid of the dark and he had every right to be.

“What was the thing that attacked Kali?” Carey asked the Princess.

“Don’t know Mr. Carey but right now, we need to get to the base of the mountain and find a shelter to stay the night, we cannot continue in the dark and we need to arm ourselves up for any other things that go bump in the night,” replied the Princess looking at Kali with curious eyes.

Carey was feeling a change in her behaviour, she seemed more curious about the Thug but then even he was curious by now at the strange man walking boldly ahead of the group- he was just attacked by something monstrous and yet he seemed as cool as ice.

Rakshak, the hawk, flew over the forest in search of the ‘keeper’. Its eyes scanned the dense foliage underneath. The holy priest knew about the dangers of the forest and he believed Rakshak was the only thing that could help him. It perched upon a branch of a tall tree and stared at the vastness and saw Carey walking towards the hallowed mountain. It let out a friendly welcoming cry that echoed through the forest which also served as a warning to the dark creatures that meant harm to the ‘keeper’.

Carey heard the cry and paused for a moment. The call of the bird seemed friendly to him, he felt like he had heard it before but soon he forgot about it and began to concentrate on his journey.

"We shall stay here," said the Princess.

They had walked almost 6 kilometres into the jungle but it was getting dark now. Everyone thought that it would be prudent to take shelter for the night.

But the jungle had other plans. As soon as they set up camp and lit a fire, a strong wind began to blow. b

It was strange considering that there was no clouds in the sky and the rains had just stopped.

Ram Babu tried hard to keep the fire burning but Kali knew otherwise.

"They are here, get ready!" he remarked and took out the dagger.

"What is it now?" asked Carey to the Princess.

She too prepared herself for a fight with the unknown hoping that whatever is out there can be possibly killed with a sword.

But they waited for over an hour and nothing happened. The Princess took her guard down and sat down to consume the last of the supplies. Three hours later, everybody was tired, everyone except Kali, he sat down on a rock with his weapon at the ready anticipating an attack. Carey was exhausted and sleepy, Ram and Raza had already dozed off. While the Princess was staring at the dying embers of the fire.

The forest came alive at night; the sounds of various animals kept echoing in the air. But there was something in the mellow sounds of the cicadas that lured them to sleep. The Princess rested her back against a tree and closed her eyes but Kali kept watch. He couldn't let anything happen to the Princess and so he stood guard. This was the first time ever that he felt anything like that. All his life he had been trained to kill and he was the best. But he didn't know how to respond to this strange feeling that was growing inside him. Is this love? If so how was he supposed to express it? And will the Princess ever accept a Thug like him?

Minutes turned to hours and everyone else had fallen asleep. But Kali knew better, this was the best time for the enemy to attack-. a time when they were the most vulnerable. His jaw tightened as the overwhelming feeling of a sneak attack grew stronger. He thought it best to get closer to the group and keep watch, in case someone should get snatched. He looked at the foreigner and scoffed. Had it not been for the Princess, he would have gutted him long ago and he cursed his luck for having to protect him. He would forever remain an enemy in his eyes- that's what he has been taught since he was a child- kill the foreigners, protect the country! He wondered what the Princess was doing with him anyway and what lies at the end of the journey?

He looked at the sky and saw the moon reach the centre of the sky and he knew that it was past midnight and all the more reason to be cautious. For he had heard that evil spirits are most active at this time of the night and after the previous incident, he wasn't going to take anymore chances.

"Come now, you scum, show yourselves so that Kali can end you!" he whispered and waited anxiously but not even a single leaf moved out of place.