《The Banishment of the King》


 Chapter 1

    Time to get up.


    Xuhn grimaced, his eyes still shut. He hated his brain. How did it always know when it was time to be up? He opened his eyes. It was morning and he could hear roosters crowing. He grimaced again. Time for work.


    He removed the blanket from his body and immediately caught a chill. It would be winter in a few days and then he would need the firewood bad. He dragged himself from the bed and went out of his one-room house. He went to the well and pulled up a bucket of icy water, still quite sleepy. After he had done his needs and gotten fresh and the sleep had finally left him, he retrieved his ever faithful chopper from below his bed and left for the hills.


    Aunt Laxmi, his neighbour, was watering her vegetable garden. A plump lady, she had a warm smile always playing on her lips. Too bad her son, Vivek, had fractured his legs sometime ago and she was working twice as hard to meet needs, losing some weight in the process. Aunt Laxmi greeted Xuhn on seeing him.


    ¡°Bound to the hills?¡±


    ¡°Have to get some wood,¡± Xuhn replied with a smile.


    ¡°Bring some for me too. Winter is coming and the water is getting colder every day. Vivek needs warm water.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± Xuhn said. Due to Vivek, Aunt Laxmi had been buying more wood from him so Xuhn actually had some coin to spare on ale and the like for a few days. It wasn¡¯t the best thought, but the truth was what it was.


    Xuhn made his way towards the Frozen Lake, away from the houses of the villagers. The lake had always mystified Xuhn. It was frozen all the year round, even in blistering summer when not a drop of water survived out of shade. Now wispy vapour floated above the lake, which was easily one-sixth the size of their village. Nobody knew what caused the lake to be frozen. Some of the older villagers said that a great beast dwelt in its depths. They claimed that during the time of their fathers, the ice had suddenly cracked one day and then somebody had seen a big head emerge on the surface of the lake, right at the centre, before disappearing in an instant. The lake had then frozen again completely in a day¡¯s time.


    Maybe one morning like today, Xuhn thought, the ice will crack once again and I¡¯ll have a glimpse of the great beast. He would be able to boast about it to people till he drew his last breath.


    Xuhn looked at the skies. No sign of his pigeon, Ritu. He hoped the bird would be home by the time he returned with the firewood. The fear that someone would shoot down Ritu always plagued his heart. If that happened then the luxury of communicating with Mayesha everyday would be gone.


    Xuhn had first met Mayesha about a month ago at the yearly fair in the little town of Maskhowa, which was about twenty kilometres to the south.


    He had fallen for her the moment he saw her amidst her friends. How he had managed the guts to actually speak to her he didn¡¯t know. But he had, and she seemed interested in him. She had given him her pet bird, Ritu, so the two of them could keep in touch after the fair. Xuhn had been very worried that Ritu would not reach Mayesha¡¯s home when he had first sent her a letter through Ritu. But apparently the bird knew its way well, and the very next day Ritu returned with a letter from Mayesha. Xuhn didn¡¯t know how long the relation would last, especially since the only time the two of them had met was at the fair. But the letters meant that the roots of love were still in ground and there was hope. He planned to visit Mayesha the coming month.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    When Xuhn reached the spot from where he usually cut firewood, he set to work. Unlike other wood cutters he knew, Xuhn preferred cutting branches instead of bringing down entire trees and chopping them to pieces. So he climbed up one big tree and began hacking at one branch after the other until each fell down. His muscles felt leaden, but the cold abandoned him altogether and so he rather enjoyed the strenuous work.


    It was when Xuhn was finally tiring that a scene unfolded in the distance and grabbed his attention. At least ten wolves were chasing a person on the frozen lake. The person was Mitral, a newcomer who had arrived in their village last year but had left suddenly a couple of months ago. The villagers had been worried that something had happened to Mitral due to his disappearance. But here he was, being chased by wolves. Mitral was skidding on the ice and occasionally tumbling down and it was a wonder that the wolves hadn¡¯t caught him so far.


    But if they did they were sure to rip him to pieces. Xuhn couldn¡¯t allow that, not when everything was going on in front of his eyes. He had to intervene by all means.


    Xuhn climbed down and raced towards the lake. He wanted to sit down and catch his breath, which was already strained due to his previous labour, but he pushed on. Maybe he could scare away the wolves with his chopper.


    Mitral saw him and ran towards him, arms flailing wildly.


    ¡°Help me!¡±


    Xuhn picked up some stones and threw them at the wolves as Mitral reached him and cowered behind him. The wolves made angry noises, but Xuhn held his ground, his chopper raised and ready, lest any animal lunged at him.


    ¡°Back off!¡± Xuhn yelled at the wolves. They wouldn¡¯t understand his words, but his tone would be obvious to them. The wolves continued to make angry sounds. Xuhn could not help but shiver with fright and wondered what would happen if the wolves didn¡¯t go away. Thankfully, after some time they slowly retreated and disappeared into the woods.


    The threat gone, only now Xuhn remembered he was standing barefoot on ice and the stinging cold shot up his legs.


    ¡°We would rather move away from this lake,¡± Xuhn told Mitral.


    ¡°Okay,¡± the latter replied, his teeth chattering due to fright and cold.


    ¡°So how did the wolves get you?¡± Xuhn asked Mitral after sometime as the two sat down on grass wet with dew.


    ¡°They weren¡¯t any ordinary wolves!¡± Mitral said and then his eyes widened, as though he had spoken more than he meant to.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Xuhn asked as doubt on Mitral quickly sprouted in his mind. Had those been werewolves?


    Mitral hesitated, then decided to go all out.


    ¡°Werewolves they were,¡± he said, not meeting Xuhn¡¯s eyes.


    Xuhn got to his feet, refusing to believe his ears.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Werewolves and humans are at peace¡­ They only attack vampires.¡±


    Mitral put his hands over his face.


    ¡°I am one,¡± he confessed.


    Xuhn could only stare at Mitral. In the north war was going on between the vampire and werewolf races. The kingdom of Sura had been declared a neutral zone due to its human majority. The vampires and the werewolves were breaking the treaty by bringing their war to Sura. While werewolves were known to dwell in the woods in northern regions, vampires were a wholly alien race to Sura. Xuhn recalled the strange death of a pig belonging to a fellow villager called Uncle Mada. Now he knew what had killed the pig.


    ¡°Why are you coming here?¡± he asked Mitral and he didn¡¯t care if his words were offensive. ¡°You killed Uncle Mada¡¯s pig and quenched your thirst for blood, right?¡±


    Mitral nodded. His facial muscles convulsed suddenly and he let out a remorseful sound.


    ¡°I was going mad¡­ what could I do?¡± Mitral said, sobbing. ¡°I thought I could suppress my thirst for blood and live among the humans in peace. But how could I go against how the gods designed our nature? One night I was losing my head thinking of blood, so I ran away from your village to the woods. But I am no hunter, the rabbits and squirrels I caught occasionally had little blood in them. Deer were too fast for me and I was on the verge of insanity. So I returned to the village one night and¡­ that pig. If I had the money I would have bought it first!¡±

 Chapter 2

    A moment of silence passed, Mitral¡¯s lips quivering with high emotion. Xuhn considered the man. He had heard well about the mad thirst vampires had for blood and how it made them ignore all sense and lose control over themselves. He was sure that if there was no pig nearby the next time Mitral went crazy for blood, Mitral would kill a human to calm his inner beast.


    Mitral had to go.


    ¡°Those werewolves would have killed you,¡± he told Mitral, his voice vacant of emotion.


    ¡°Aye,¡± Mitral replied. ¡°They would have torn me to a thousand pieces. I guess they didn¡¯t wasn¡¯t to shift into human form in front of you so they went away.¡±


    ¡°I saved your life, you agree?¡±


    Mitral looked at Xuhn with confusion in his teary eyes.


    ¡°I¡­ do.¡±


    ¡°You are in my debt. You must do what I tell you to.¡±


    ¡°I- I will, of course!¡±


    ¡°You must go away from these parts once and for all. If you do not, I will inform every villager about your identity. Not only werewolves, but humans as well would be hunting for you then.¡±


    ¡°I have nowhere to go!¡± Mitral cried. Xuhn raised his chopper slightly to indicate that he could get violent if need be.


    ¡°This is for your own good, Mitral,¡± Xuhn said, keeping his tone cold. ¡°Humans and werewolves have lived in relative peace for ages in these parts. You want to bring your war to our kingdom, eh? It was the vampires who started it all, am I not right, killing cattle of werewolves in the border areas?¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°They have stricter laws in the south,¡± Mitral said, his watery voice begging for mercy.


    Haven¡¯t I shown enough mercy already? Xuhn thought.


    ¡°Where you go is up to you. But gone you must be. Next time news of another pig¡¯s mysterious death reaches my ears, consider yourself done for. So you better go.¡±


    So saying, Xuhn turned on his heels and left the spot. The sound of Mitral¡¯s sobs followed him for sometime as he walked to the place where he had been cutting wood. When he looked back there was no sign of Mitral.


    Xuhn¡¯s mind was filled with thoughts about Mitral and the vampires as he carried the wood back to his house. Had he done the right thing? If he had known Mitral was a vampire he would have never gone to save Mitral from the werewolves by risking his own life. He did not feel any pity for Mitral or the other vampires. They were the root of their own grievances. In the southern parts of Sura several vampires had been hung mainly for crimes like killing cattle for quenching blood thirst. It was evident that Sura wouldn¡¯t be a neutral kingdom for long, the neighbouring ones having already pledged their alliance to the werewolves.


    It was only when Xuhn reached his house and heard the flutter of wings above his head that his mood lightened. It was Ritu, a letter tied to his leg. Xuhn took the bird inside and removed the letter from Ritu''s leg. He put Ritu in a cage and excitedly unfolded the letter. It was shorter than Mayesha¡¯s usual, but it sent excitement coursing through him anyway.


    Xuhn,


    I might come to your village tomorrow. I¡¯ll send you a letter through Ritu before we leave from home. Some others will be there too so I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be able to meet you, but I¡¯ll try.


    Mayesha.


    That would be a good thing in a long while, Xuhn thought. He longed to see Mayesha again. He read the letter over and over again just to convince himself it was true. He grabbed his pillow, as though it were a person, his heart going butterflies. Then his stomach groaned and he remembered he hadn¡¯t eaten anything since morning. Suppressing his hunger he wrote a reply letter to Mayesha¡ª a little poem about his delight to see her again. He folded it as many times as he could and tied it to Ritu¡¯s leg before letting the bird fly away.

 Chapter 3

    After breakfast however, thoughts of Mitral floated back to his mind. Recently some more people had moved in to their village. Were the newcomers vampires as well? He really wanted to find out. But how? It reckoned it would be rude if he simply asked the newcomers if they were blood thirsty vampires. What if they weren¡¯t? It would be like an insult and Xuhn didn¡¯t think they would respond very nicely to him.


    The firewood.


    Wouldn¡¯t he be going around the village selling firewood? Maybe he could ask the newcomers if they needed firewood and in the process find out their true identity? It was well known after all that garlic repelled Vampires like nothing else. If any newcomer behaved oddly he would know their true identity.


    He didn¡¯t have garlic.


    Aunt Laxmi was an easy solution to the problem and he also delivered her share of wood when he went to her house asking for garlic. He was almost about to say that he didn¡¯t need the money when she offered him both the garlic and the money for the firewood together, but held back his tongue just in time.


    Never say ¡®no¡¯ when someone offers you lovely coins, a voice yelled in his head.


    ¡°How¡¯s Vivek?¡± he asked instead.


    ¡°As usual,¡± she replied with a sad smile. ¡°Tries to stand on his feet before the pain gets too severe and he needs my help to lay him back to rest.¡±


    ¡°Can I see him?¡±


    ¡°Of course, come in.¡±


    Vivek was sitting on his bed. His eyes were focused on some spot on the wall opposite him and his brows were drawn together in a foul frown.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Xuhn said, making Vivek snap out of his trance.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°Xuhn,¡± Vivek said and tried to smile. But his smile came off as an awkward expression, full of gloom.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Xuhn said, and at once regretted as Vivek¡¯s face darkened.


    ¡°Sitting,¡± he replied.


    Xuhn went and sat next to him on his bed.


    ¡°You will get well, Vivek,¡± he said, placing a hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°I guess,¡± Vivek said. ¡°Someday maybe. Though I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to run fast again.¡±


    Vivek had won every single race at every fair that had been organised in the past two years.


    ¡°Hey Xuhn,¡± Aunt Laxmi called from the other room. ¡°Tell him to smile sometimes. I slave away for him all day and all I get in return are grimaces and frowns and eyes swimming in self pity.¡±


    Xuhn grinned.


    ¡°She¡¯s right, you know,¡± he told Vivek. ¡°Be happy. You¡¯ll heal faster if you are happy, I promise¡­ plus, look at the luxuries of getting your leg fractured,¡± he dropped his voice to a whisper, ¡°your mother doesn¡¯t even scold you for not going to master Mahendra¡¯s place!¡±


    Master Mahendra was the scholar of their village. He seemed to know a lot about everything. He taught young people such things as reading and writing and history and geography.


    Vivek smiled¡ª a genuine smile.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯ve got a point there,¡± he said. ¡°But I¡¯ll have to go there after I get well. You are lucky that you¡¯ve left the classes forever.¡±


    Xuhn himself had been going to master Mahendra¡¯s place until recently deciding that he had had enough education. Master Mahendra charged money for his lessons¡ª he had to for he was a frail man and there was no other way he could support himself and his family¡ª and Xuhn needed money for other things more. Yes, half knowledge was a dangerous thing, but he didn¡¯t have a choice. Besides, it wasn¡¯t really possible to have full knowledge. There was always more to learn about something or the other.


    ¡°You know it¡¯s because I can¡¯t afford it,¡± Xuhn said. He just wanted to make it clear to Vivek that he wasn¡¯t the only one having problems in life and not to incite sympathy or anything¡ªXuhn actually enjoyed not going to the master¡¯s house every morning.


    ¡°Nah, you won¡¯t be going there even if you had the money,¡± Vivek said, grinning. Now that was the Vivek of old.


    ¡°True!¡± said Xuhn.


    After some more minutes of talk, Xuhn got up to leave.


    ¡°What¡¯s the garlic for?¡± Vivek asked suddenly.


    ¡°How did you know?¡± Xuhn said, surprised. The main door was far away from Xuhn¡¯s room and he couldn¡¯t have possibly heard Xuhn asking garlic from Aunt Laxmi earlier. Plus, he had put the garlic in his pocket and Vivek hadn¡¯t seen it either.


    ¡°My sense of smell has sharpened I guess,¡± Vivek said, winking.

 Chapter 4

    Xuhn returned to his house and gathered the remaining firewood. He tied up everything with a rope and heaved all the wood onto his back. Then he set off from his house. To lighten the load, he sold some of it to people who usually bought wood from him and then he began visiting the houses of the newcomers. The first house where he asked already had a quantity of wood and they said they didn¡¯t want to buy anymore. The beefy man of the house who came out to talk with him did not make any expression that suggested he was being affected by the smell of the garlic in Xuhn¡¯s pocket. Therefore Xuhn went to the house of the next newcomer¡ª a mother and daughter family.


    He placed the wood on the ground near the doorstep ad stretched himself, his back aching. He could have already sold the wood to so many loyal customers and relieved himself of the labour, yet he was here, sweating away. The sun was higher up in the sky and the morning cold had gone. Boy, he did care for his village, didn¡¯t he? So much for finding out vampires in disguise.


    Xuhn knocked on the door.


    ¡°Hello!¡±


    After a couple of minutes the door opened. Xuhn couldn¡¯t help but stare. It was the daughter, Ritika or whatever her name was. She was so beautiful that Xuhn found his voice stuck in his throat for a moment. And then she put her hands over her face and ran back in.


    Now, what was that?


    Was she very shy? Had Xuhn looked at her in a rude way?


    ¡°Why have you come here?¡± Ritika¡¯s muffled voice came from the inside.


    ¡°Um, do you need firewood?¡± Xuhn said.¡±


    ¡°No, we don¡¯t. You can go away.¡±


    Now that was rude.


    Such a pretty girl, and should she behave like that? Xuhn felt his temper rise and prepared to heave the wood back onto his back.


    Wait a minute. Could it be the garlic? Ritika¡¯s beauty had almost knocked that out of his mind.


    Ritika had forgotten to bolt the door in her flight, and it was now partially open. Xuhn took out the garlic from his pocket. Such a pretty girl and should she be a blood-crazy vampire?


    Xuhn took a deep breath. He held the garlic in front of him as though it were a sword. Then he entered the house, very cautiously.


    Xuhn immediately had to admit that it was a very dark and damp atmosphere inside the house and he could almost sense something sinister was at play.


    ¡°Hey there!¡± he called to the occupants of the house.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± a lady appeared at a door that led to another room¡ª Ruponi, Ritika¡¯s mother. Behind her was Ritika, and she was cowering. The moment Ruponi¡¯s eyes fell on the garlic she went pale. Both mother and daughter took a few steps backwards.


    ¡°What- what do you want from us?¡± Ruponi said.


    ¡°Why are you so afraid of this garlic?¡± Xuhn asked as he went closer to the pair.


    Ritika and Ruponi both seemed at loss for words, their eyes fixed at the garlic with fear.


    ¡°Tell me your true identity,¡± Xuhn said. ¡°Do you accept that you are vampires?¡±


    ¡°Please put that away,¡± Ruponi said in a helpless voice.


    ¡°Do you accept that you are vampires?¡± Xuhn repeated.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Suddenly Ritika pushed Ruponi aside and came towards Xuhn with her fangs out. Perplexed, Xuhn couldn¡¯t move and she grabbed the garlic from him before he could react and threw it out through the door. And then Ritika immediately fell down on the floor, clutching the arm with which she had touched the garlic, her face convulsing with pain. In moments she had become unconscious.


    ¡°Ritika!¡± Ruponi cried and rushed to her. She took the unconscious girl on her lap and began wailing. ¡°What have you done!¡± she asked Xuhn, her eyes blazing with hatred.


    ¡°I- I,¡± Xuhn stuttered. Would Ritika die? She had been so afraid of the garlic that she was ready to die just to get rid of it?


    ¡°I am sorry,¡± Xuhn said. Vampire or human, he hadn¡¯t really meant any harm. He knew vampires dreaded garlic, but he hadn¡¯t really known the extent of their dread.


    ¡°C- can I help in anyway?¡± Xuhn asked Ruponi.


    ¡°Please bring some water,¡± Ruponi said.


    Xuhn rushed to the kitchen and brought some water in a cup. Ruponi sprinkled it over Ritika¡¯s face and fanned her. After a few tense moments Ritika returned to consciousness. The skin below her eyes seemed to have darkened, but she still looked strikingly beautiful even in her weak form.


    ¡°I am sorry,¡± Xuhn said.


    Ritika slowly sat up.


    ¡°My girl,¡± Ruponi said and kissed her forehead.


    ¡°You must understand,¡± Ritika said, her tone weak, ¡°we aren¡¯t here to harm you¡­ we just seek help.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry,¡± Xuhn repeated, not knowing what to say. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean any harm.¡±


    ¡°This is not simply about war between vampires and werewolves,¡± Ritika said. For a brief moment Xuhn found himself lost in her face even as she continued speaking. ¡°¡­ awaken Mortugal.¡±


    ¡°Er, Mortugal what?¡± Xuhn asked, returning to reality. He thought about Mayesha and felt guilty for getting lost in another girl¡¯s beauty.


    ¡°It¡¯s the beast that dwells under the ice in the frozen lake,¡± Ruponi explained.


    ¡°There¡¯s really such a thing?¡± Xuhn said. Myths were one thing and reality was another.


    ¡°The elderly here do not speak concoctions of their own minds. The frozen lake is no natural phenomenon. Only the dragon Mortugal can end the war and make peace between the vampires and the werewolves.¡±


    ¡°Like a real fire breathing dragon?¡± Xuhn asked. Master Mahendra had told about dragons in his lessons. They had scales so thick that no arrow or spear could give them the tiniest scratch, and with their great wings they could fly high up to the clouds. And when they were angry they could spew flames, destroying whatever lay in front of them. Mostly they dwelt far north in the snow clad mountains.


    ¡°Yes, exactly like the ones you might have heard of in legends,¡± said Ruponi.


    ¡°But how do you know all this? What connection does Mortugal have with the war between vampires and werewolves?¡±


    ¡°We found an ancient scroll,¡± said Ritika. ¡°We couldn¡¯t decipher the entire text since it was written in an ancient tongue, but we know that only Mortugal can stop the war for once and for all. Mother, why don¡¯t you show him the scroll?¡±


    ¡°Yes, just wait a moment,¡± said Ruponi and went to the next room.


    Xuhn felt rather odd being alone with Ritika, who was still sitting on the floor.


    ¡°Erm, that garlic,¡± he began awkwardly.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay,¡± Ritika said with a smile.


    ¡°I met another vampire today,¡± Xuhn said.


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Mitral. He killed Uncle Mada¡¯s pig, so I was angry and wanted to find out if there were other vampires in our village.¡±


    ¡°Mitral maybe a vampire but we aren¡¯t with him. He fled his land, but we came here seeking for help. He visited our house many times when we first came here. Mother doesn¡¯t like him, he¡¯s a weakling. He cannot control his thirst for blood at all.¡±


    ¡°Do you, er, drink blood as well?¡± Xuhn asked.


    ¡°Sometimes,¡± Ritika replied. ¡°But we haven¡¯t after we came here.¡±


    Ruponi returned with a very delicate and ancient scroll. She placed it on a table and helped Ritika to stand up, and then the three of them gathered around the scroll. It was written in a script that had many pointy letters.


    ¡°It¡¯s written in ancient Vampree,¡± Ruponi explained.


    ¡°Where did you find it?¡± Xuhn asked, curious.


    ¡°In our garden, believe it or not,¡± Ritika said.


    ¡°You mean in our village?¡± Xuhn said. Finding an ancient Vampree text in a land where vampires hadn¡¯t dwelt for centuries would be an interesting affair.


    ¡°No, back in our own kingdom,¡± Ritika said. ¡°One day mother was gardening and she found a chest, which contained this scroll.¡±


    ¡°See this sentence?¡± Ruponi said, placing her finger on a particular line of the pointy letters.


    ¡°What does it say?¡± Xuhn asked.


    ¡°From what I gather, it says that only a human would be capable of awakening Mortugal.¡±


    ¡°Why would that be so?¡±


    ¡°Because humans are the only uncursed race,¡± Ruponi said.


    ¡°But you aren¡¯t cursed either,¡± Xuhn said, then realised his words had probably sounded hollow¡ª the vampires were cursed with their thirst for blood. And the werewolves were cursed to keep shifting between the dual forms of human and wolf. It wasn¡¯t like humans didn¡¯t have their own faults, but those faults weren¡¯t exactly curses because even the gods had them if one would believe mythology.


    ¡°But we are,¡± said Ruponi. ¡°It forms the reason why everyone hates our kind.¡±

 Chapter 5

    Xuhn nodded and said,


    ¡°So, do you want me to talk to the other villagers about awakening Mortugal?¡±


    Mother and daughter exchanged looks.


    ¡°You think they would want to help us?¡± Ruponi said. ¡°Yes, we did come here with the sole purpose of convincing your people to help us but¡­ Whenever I talk about vampires to any villager they seem to get angry. They say it¡¯s bad luck even to mention vampires.¡±


    ¡°But you do need the help, don¡¯t you?¡± Xuhn said.


    ¡°If whatever is written in the scroll is true,¡± said Ritika, ¡°then even a single human is enough to help us.¡±


    As it dawned upon Xuhn what she meant, a voice inside his head told him to be cautious. They were vampires after all.


    ¡°You want me to help you?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Ritika, with a look at Ruponi.


    Xuhn pursed his lips. Should he believe the two vampires? What if he helped them awaken the dragon and then it began attacking humans? He would be responsible for everything. At the same time he could not see any reason why Ritika and Ruponi would risk lying to him, since it would ultimately result in bringing the vampires into even poorer light. Besides, he was just unable to answer ¡®no¡¯ to Ritika. Her eyes were so hopeful.


    ¡°What will I have to do?¡±


    A look of great relief passed over the faces of Ritika and Ruponi.


    ¡°There was this big nail that I found along with the scroll in the chest,¡± said Ruponi. ¡°We''ll draw two concentric circles in the middle of the lake for you, and you must bury the nail at the centre of the circles.¡±


    ¡°Can we do it today and be done?¡± Xuhn asked.


    ¡°No, the morning is already gone," said Ruponi. "It has to be done in the early hours of morning. We can do it tomorrow if you agree.¡±


    ¡°Then tomorrow morning it shall be,¡± Xuhn said. Then a thought came to him. ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡± asked Ritika.


    ¡°I will help only on one occasion?¡±


    ¡°What occasion?¡± the new tension was clear in Ritika¡¯s voice.


    ¡°You must leave our kingdom after Mortugal is awakened. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust you or anything, but I would like my kingdom to remain peaceful.¡±


    ¡°We understand,¡± said Ruponi, her face crestfallen. ¡°We will leave once                   Mortugal is awakened.¡±


    After Xuhn had sold all his firewood, he returned to his house. He kept thinking about the day¡¯s events even as he cooked lunch. First Mitral, and then Ritika and her mother. Had he made a mistake by trying to find out if the newcomers were vampires? Even on the occasion that Ritika and Ruponi were speaking the truth, he could not ignore the fact they had themselves accepted their inability to decipher the entire scroll. What if the dragon made matters worse instead of fixing them?Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Forget boasting about seeing the beast under the lake. Xuhn would be remembered as the one who messed up the war between the vampires and the werewolves.


    Xuhn sighed as he served himself lunch. He had given his word already and he wasn¡¯t turning back now. All he could do was wait for the events to unfold.


    ***


    Feeling something soft rub against his face, Xuhn opened his eyes. Once the blur faded, he saw that it was none other than Mayesha¡¯s pigeon, Ritu, a letter tied to its leg. Xuhn sat up and held the bird to untie the letter. He read it.


    Xuhn,


    I have arrived at your village. We are staying at a hill top just near the frozen lake. Come along please, maybe we can have a glimpse of each other.


    Mayesha


    Xuhn looked out through the window. The sun had yet to rise and it was still relatively dark outside. Mayesha had said yesterday that she would send him a letter before she left from home. But apparently she had already reached. All Xuhn wanted to do was fall back into the world of dreams under the blanket¡¯s warmth. But of course that was out of question now. Pleasing a girl sometimes involved doing without some sleep. Besides, he really wanted to lay his eyes on her again after two months.


    Xuhn jumped out of the bed, put Ritu in the cage, flung a cloak around himself and went out into the cold. Mist was thick outside and the frozen lake in the distance was not visible at all. But he put one foot in front of the other and went along in the lake¡¯s direction. Despite the deerskin cloak, the cold bit his skin and he caught a chill. He increased his pace, hoping to generate some heat with the exertion.


    Chilly as it was, Xuhn couldn¡¯t help but admire the twilight. He was used to waking up early, but this was even better. Some might feel spooked, but Xuhn enjoyed the quietness. By the time he reached the Frozen Lake, the sun peeped out of the hills in the far east, and Xuhn marvelled at the delightful sight.


    Then Xuhn waited, looking around.


    There were three hills near the frozen lake. So which one?


    Then, just near the peak of the hill at the foot of which he often cut wood, he saw a figure waving at him. It was a woman no doubt, clad in white. Although he couldn¡¯t clearly see her face, light from the newly risen sun bathed her and she looked simply majestic.


    Mayesha.


    Xuhn began his climb of the hill. He wondered why Mayesha and whoever was with her were staying at the hill top. The path that people from outside mostly took to come to their village was actually near Xuhn¡¯s house and few ever came through passes in the hills. But all that was secondary. What mattered was that he was going to see Mayesha.


    It took him almost half-an-hour to reach the peak. Mayesha wasn¡¯t there.


    Is she playing games on me?


    ¡°Hey, where are you?¡± he called. ¡°This is what, a hide-and-seek game? I can¡¯t wait any longer.¡±


    Xuhn expected to hear some giggles and see Mayesha reveal herself from behind some tree. Nothing such happened.


    ¡°Hey Mayesha!¡± he called again, getting desperate. ¡°Where are you?¡±


    The silence puzzled him. Then fear crept up his spine. Had something happened to Mayesha?


    Getting worried, Xuhn decided to search for her on the other side of the hill. He climbed around the peak and went to the other side, battling the fauna and the steep hill face. At the foot of the hill on the other side he saw smoke rising. The mist was lightening by now and it wasn¡¯t hard to distinguish the smoke.


    That must be where Mayesha is, Xuhn thought. Somebody, maybe her father, might have called her and so she had to go. Xuhn considered making his way down. He imagined Mayesha¡¯s father¡ª Xuhn hadn¡¯t really seen the man before¡ª a foul-mouthed grey-haired man. Xuhn¡¯s mind contrasted the man with Mayesha in every way possible since beautiful girls often had hot-headed fathers who were ready to rip out the eyes of any man who dared to look toward their daughters. Xuhn had no intention of losing his eyes, plus he was sure Mayesha would only be happy if he spared her any awkward scene. He instead returned to the side of the hill that faced the frozen lake. He sat down on a stone there and hoped Mayesha would eventually come after sometime.

 Chapter 6

    He had a good view of the valley and rather enjoyed the scenery from high up.


    Almost an hour passed. Mayesha didn¡¯t come.


    His spirits lowered. He had lost his sleep and he had lost his chance of meeting Mayesha. He had even forgotten to bring his chopper along in the excitement of seeing Mayesha. So he would have to go all the way back to his house if he wanted to cut and sell any firewood today.


    Suddenly, Xuhn realised that a black dot was moving over the white frozen lake. A person. He frowned hard.


    It was Ritika. It just had to be her.


    Xuhn had forgotten all about his promise to the two vampires! After sometime another black dot joined Ritika¡ª Ruponi. Xuhn imagined the two of them going to his house, only to find it empty. Maybe they expected him to come near the lake for cutting firewood as usual. A tight knot developed in Xuhn¡¯s stomach like he wanted to shit. That always happened to him whenever he was torn between two options. Should he wait for Mayesha or should he go down to the vampires?


    The former option was what he was inclined to, but he knew it was the latter that he had to choose. Before he could make up his mind, more black dots appeared at the edge of the lake¡ª five men who seemed to be carrying weapons. They sped towards Ritika and her mother.


    Now what exactly was happening?


    Xuhn threw away his cloak, broke a lower branch off a tree, and ran down the hill. By the time he reached the foot, Xuhn saw that the five men were chasing Ritika and Ruponi, but hadn¡¯t yet managed to catch them. The vampires were too fast for the men. Every time they tried to encircle the duo, Ritika and Ruponi would slip out from some gap. Then the two of them spotted Xuhn and ran towards him, the men at their heels. When they were close enough, Ritika threw him a very big nail that he caught.


    ¡°Bury it at the centre of the lake,¡± she shouted, ¡°we have already made the circles. Don¡¯t worry for us.¡±


    Seeing that Xuhn now had the nail, two of the men came towards him. They were short and very ugly with big noses that looked odd on their relatively small heads. Both were wielding daggers and snarling. Xuhn hit one on the arm as the man lunged at him, and he dodged the other¡¯s attack and fled towards the lake¡¯s centre.


    He took a glance back mid-way and saw that the two men were still in hot pursuit, while the other three had caught Ritika and Ruponi. He saw one man slap Ritika and his temper flared. But he told himself the nail was more important since the two vampires had tried to protect it with life and limb, and increased his pace.


    There were two concentric circles etched on the ice at the very centre of the lake, the bigger one about a metre in diameter. Xuhn skidded his way to the circles and fell down on his knees. The nail had intricate designs along its length and was no doubt a magical artefact. Xuhn hammered the nail into the centre of the smaller circle with his branch.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Just as he finished, the two men caught up with him. Xuhn hit one as hard as he could on the head with the branch and the man fell down, unconscious. His companion scowled at Xuhn, wielding his dagger threateningly. As the fallen man began to stir, a deep rumble sounded all about the place.


    It was the ice. Cracks appeared on it, all beginning from the place where Xuhn had buried the nail.


    Xuhn sprang up and ran.


    By the time he reached the safety of solid ground, he turned back and saw that cracks had appeared on the entire ice sheet covering the lake. The man whom Xuhn had knocked cold was still trying to get to his feet, while his companion fled to the place where the other men held Ritika and Ruponi captive. The rumbling noise was still in the air and it had gotten louder. Then suddenly, the noise reached its peak and right at the centre of the lake something large surfaced tearing the ice, sending waves all about the lake. The man who had been unsuccessful in fleeing fell into the water and that was the last of him.


    The large ¡®something¡¯ turned out to be a great beast. Only half of it had emerged so far and already its height surpassed seven or eight metres.


    A dragon?


    The beast had great bat-like wings sure, but it had no scales. It had yellow fur instead and three horns crowned its head. The monster flapped its wings and drew itself out of the ice. Giving out a cry, it took to the air. But it had barely risen a few feet that it fell chest first into the lake. Apparently its skinny wings were too weak for flight. But it flapped its wings harder and somehow made to solid ground.


    Captivated by the monster, only now Xuhn remembered about Ritika and Ruponi. He looked towards the spot where they and the four men had been last. They were gone, probably into the woods.


    Oh boy.


    What was he to do now?


    The dragon¡ªor whatever it was¡ª meanwhile turned its head this way and that, as if searching for the person who had awoken it. Xuhn didn¡¯t know it was instinct or what, but his arm shot up on its own and began waving at the dragon.


    ¡°Here,¡± Xuhn¡¯s voice shouted on its own.


    The dragon saw him and moved towards him fast on its four legs, each of which was at least thrice the girth of Xuhn¡¯s torso. Xuhn¡¯s heart nearly stopped beating when the monster reached him. Would it help him now, or was it going to eat him? There was a very angry expression carved onto the dragon¡¯s face and the second idea seemed to be playing in its mind.


    Then the dragon spoke. It sounded like a male human voice all right, only abnormally gruff, but Xuhn could make no head or tail of the language in which the dragon spoke. It was gibberish to Xuhn. All he understood from the voice¡¯s tone was that the dragon was agitated.


    Xuhn shook his hand in a gesture to indicate that he didn¡¯t know dragon-tongue.


    At this the dragon bent and touched Xuhn¡¯s forehead with its own. Xuhn felt like his soul would abandon his body out of fear.


    The dragon drew back its head.


    ¡°So, do you understand now?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Xuhn replied in awe. The dragon had learnt human-tongue just by touching his head?


    ¡°What was your purpose behind awakening me?¡± the dragon said.


    ¡°To fix the war between vampires and werewolves,¡± Xuhn said and then curiosity got the better of him. ¡°Why do you have fur, Mor- Mortugal, isn¡¯t that your name?¡± Normal dragons have scales, don''t they?


    Mortugal gave out a wild cry.


    ¡°You dare to ask me about my fur? You imbecile!¡±