Adventures of Advik (Part 5)

Wind blew spare palm trees in the night. The half-moon provided some light as the crowd silently made their way down the street. Many were tempted to buy more food, or crawl into corners and hide, but forced themselves to stay in line. Parinazz and several others were walking on the outside of the crowd, wearing black cloths over their foreheads to dim the magic light from their foreheads. There were still people out and about, but not nearly as many as during the day. A few people looked out of their windows, wondering why an old lady and several people was reaching through the air, guiding people that were not there. Parinazz seemed to be straining under her effort to keep the spell strong. Advik stared at the heads in front of him, anxiety growing with every step.  Please, Shiva, Krishna, anyone, let my family be safe. There was a firm tap on his shoulder and a glare from Keye. “You may call yourself, Mitul’s friend, but I do not trust anyone who goes against his values. If you hurt Mitul, you will wish that Brahma had never created you.” Shivers crept down Advik’s spine. “And for the love of Kali, don’t do anything stupid,” she added.

Eventually, they reached the dark alleyway where the grates were located…only to discover guards with glowing foreheads. One of the guards raised their hands and spoke, but was knocked out by a swift punch from Mitul. He opened the grate and people climbed down one at a time. Water dropped eerily from the cavernous ceiling. Advik came across the stone door and said “Indranil sucks.” Nothing happened. 

“Oh no, now what?” groaned Advik. “Can’t you use your head?” scoffed Keye. Advik started to run with his head down, but Mitul held him back. “I meant with your magic…” Keye was cut off with a blast of light struck the wall, which was now pieces of stone on the ground. “You’re welcome,” said Parinazz who was leaning against the wall. Her invisibility spell was broken and the effort exhausted her. Mitul and Hiran helped steady her and steered her in the direction of the crowd. Advik burst in, yelling, “Let my family go, old fart!” To his horror, the passageway was already open and Kiaan was nowhere to be found.

Surprise,” said a deep voice. A man came out of the shadows wearing a dark hood. The black snake weaved her way around the stones on the ground. Ojas jumped off Advik’s shoulder and faced him with an angry hiss. “What did you do to them?” asked Advik. Mitul, Keye and Hiran clenched their fists. Taaj grinned. “It took some effort, but my father and I were finally able to break into her memory and open the passage way with the secret spell. She is over there if you want to speak with her.” Advik looked to where he was pointing. To the right, a woman was tied to a pole, unconscious. 

“Mom!” cried Advik, running toward her, but was frozen in his tracks with Taaj’s magic. “Oh, I wouldn’t do that yet,” Taaj smirked. “Not when you can meet my wonderful friends!” Moving figures came from holes in the walls and more where hanging from the ceiling with ropes. Advik heard a hissing from the snake and yelled to the crowd, “Shut your eyes!” With his own eyes shut, he couldn’t tell who got hypnotized or not. 

Just then, Advik thought of something. He took deep breaths, in and out. He forced himself to think of positive thoughts. The crowd moved closer together, bracing themselves for the attack. “I apologize” Taaj said mockingly, “but I have to go help my father. I am next in line after him. Have fun.” Ignoring the yelling of the citizens and the stomping of feet, Advik concentrated. As the enemies descended upon the rebels, a flash of magic knocked several people away from Advik. He focused on the ceiling and lifted his hand. A flash of white light shot out of it and hit the stalactite.  The rock and the rivals hit the floor with a crash. Taaj was in the opening, in the process of moving the stone door back, but Parinazz and Advik hit him at the same time with a wave of magic energy. Taaj fell to the ground and a woman with a glowing symbol on her forehead froze him in place and pushed him back toward the battle. Keye took out a knife and cut the ropes binding Samira. Advik quickly surveyed the battle. 

The rebels were not outnumbered, but they were outmatched. Almost everyone in Kiaan’s army could use magic or has objects that could help them. One man threw another against the wall with his mind. Another knocked a rebel out after she was hypnotized by Kadru. Even a young child pushed another person into a puddle. The rebels would be detained in a matter of minutes. Reality was split as a blue hand grabbed a dying man, then disappeared. The man’s cold body lay on the floor. Then the same thing happened several more times as more blue hands sealed the fate of the dying warriors on both sides. Keye gasped in shock as she saw an image of Kali, the goddess of war and death. Her skin was blue, hair long and black and she had a dozen arms, some with jewelry on. She wore a garland of skulls and a skirt made of human arms. She lifted a finger and pointed it at the unbound Samira. Her eyes slowly opened and she groaned, “What happened?” Advik embraced her in a tight hug, tears rolling down his face. “Everything is alright, Mom,” he said.  

As Kali stared at Keye and nodded, a look of determination and newfound courage crossed her face. Keye turned to the group and said, “You all go on! I will stay behind and help the others.” “No!” cried Mitul. “I am not leaving you here. I will help fight.” He ran over to her as he dodged a spell cast from an enemy’s wand. “Whatever you decide to do, make it quick,” remarked Keye. “That spell won’t work on that crazy man forever.” Sure enough, Taaj was stating to move again and the woman was wearing down. Advik wanted to help these people, but the safety of his family and the emperor was top priority. Mitul, Hiran and Parinazz followed Advik down the corridor. Mitul looked left and right, unsure of what to do. He stayed by Keye and kicked at a rival just as Taaj broke free of the spell. Parinazz muttered the spell and the rock started to roll into place. Mitul tearfully looked at his friends again before they ran off. Three of Parinazz’s companions who had strong magic, were closing the rock with magic, straining against Taaj and his army trying to open the door on the other side. No one noticed the snake slither under an opening under the rock and travel ahead.

Ojas meowed suddenly and bound ahead. The group came up to a fork in the road. There were two paths and there was a hole in the wall on the left. Ojas sniffed around the hole in the wall and walked into it. “Ojas, wait, you are going the wrong way,” cried Advik. Advik looked back and saw the yelling from the other chamber grow louder. “We better get moving,” warned Hiran.

Eva felt scared and helpless as she sat on the ground, her head concealed by a bright pink headscarf. Currently, she was tied up and wearing a gag over her mouth. If only she knew how to use magic, then she could free herself and unite with her family. Since she had none, all she could do was dreadfully wait. She remembered Taaj and the old man prying into her mother’s mind with magic. She did everything she could, used all of her mental will to resist but eventually, they discovered what the spell was. Kiaan had put his hand on the door and the same Swastika symbol glowed in the rock. The round boulder then rolled away, clearing the path. Knowing of her powerful magic and no longer having use for her, they knocked her out and tied her up as Eva screamed in horror. She could not get that horrible, wrinkled chestnut colored face out of her mind. She could see greed and hunger in Kiaan’s brown eyes. His voice and words sent a chill through her body as he said, “After my son and I take our places as rulers of this land, I will come back and we will have some fun.” She did not want to know what that meant.

She lifted her head and saw a sweet furry face looking at her. It was Ojas! A smile formed on her face as Ojas rubbed against her. In an instant, the wall melted to a black jelly-like substance and splashed onto the floor. Another face appeared from the large opening and it was the face of an old woman. She walked into the new area, clutching her walking stick to steady herself. Eva flinched and scooted herself back a little. “It’s alright, dear girl, I am here to save you,” said the woman. Her forehead glowed, illuminating the clear crystals growing along the walls. With a snap of her fingers, the ropes broke in half and Eva freed herself. She untied the gag and said, “Thank you, so much. They took me away from here, an old man and his crazy assistant. I don’t know what they want with me.” “They were using you as bait to threaten Advik and the rebels.” “Rebels?” asked Eva. “He came with an army?” “Yes,” said Parinazz. “This army, many who are living in the streets and slums was led by a strong woman named Keye, a rare thing to happen these days. I volunteered to heal them with magic, tend their children, bringing them food, anything to ease the pain of being banished.” 

“What happened?” asked Eva. “Long story short, I warned the emperor of a war that would come to India in the future. He thought it was a joke at first, but then he slowly grew fearful. The fear eventually turned to panic and he thought that magic was to blame for the war. He wanted to protect his family and his throne from magic. This resulted in officials, healers, court members and anyone with magical ability being banished from the palace. I was one of them, as was my brother Kiaan.” “Wait,” Eva interrupted, “Is Kiaan the evil wizard?” “Yes,” answered Parinazz. “Adjusting to a new life was hard, but it was harder for Kiaan. Both of us wanted to help other people and use our special gift, but we were not allowed to use magic anymore. Eventually, I adapted to my new life in poverty and I found natural ways to heal people. My brother, however, sought revenge. He sold his potions underground and convinced people the so called threat the emperor posed.” Several more shouts echoed off the walls and Parinazz looked out the hole. “One moment,” she said. She went outside and blasted back the rivals who were trying to get through the opening. She walked back inside and continued. “Soon, more people bought his products in secret, and started to believe him. I will admit, the emperor has strict rules and the class hierarchy is far from fair, but he does not intend to harm anyone unless they perform criminal acts. It is tradition and the order of the law and the gods, according to him. Some people used magic in the open to get arrested and to prove Kiaan’s point about the emperor being ruthless.” “How do you do and Advik do magic?” Eva asked.  “It comes from a state of well-being, hence the Swastika symbol. “One has to be in a calm, typically blissful state to clearly focus. It is often used for healing and divine practices, but it can also be used for evil.”

She turned and spotted a large vial of clear liquid that was perched on a small dusty shelf. “Oh, I wondered where I put that,” she said, reaching and taking the potion. “I temporarily stayed here until I decided what I wanted to do. The potion shows who you really are inside and what ought to be a good path for you to take. I looked into the liquid and I saw myself helping those in need, with and without magic. After that, I knew what I had to do and I set off on my journey.” She looked at the potion and added, “But now I have fulfilled much of my destiny, thus I only see my reflection. What do you see?” She handed Eva the vial and she took it in her hands. She looked inside the liquid and a different woman stared back at her. She looked like Eva; she had the same dark curls, brown almond eyes, a dimple in her cheek and a sweet look. But this face seemed braver, confident and more beautiful than ever. What was more surprising was seeing two dark figures in the background, reaching out to her. Who were they? Where they kidnappers? Magicians? Thieves? Or where they her parents who abandoned her for some reason? She thought she saw flashes of warm dark brown faces. Those faces where replaced with the faces of her mother, brother, and father. She gave the potion back to Parinazz. With a determined look on her face, she raised her fist and said, “Let’s go save my family and kick some wizard butt.”