The Simoqin Prophecies

by Samit Basu

  ‘It was a last test, my child,’ said Erkila. ‘Your pardon! I will not seek to deceive you again. Follow me to the vestibule, and you will have speech with the Scorpion.’

  She walked out of the burial chamber gracefully, her white paws not even stirring the fine layer of dust. They followed her down a narrow, dark tunnel to the chamber of the Scorpion Man.

  ‘These mortals seek an audience, Master,’ said Erkila in a hushed voice as they stood outside the chamber.

  ‘There is no moon tonight, and the world is free of evil dreams,’ said a voice inside the room that sounded like a thousand snakes hissing together. ‘Who are these mortals, Erkila? Why do they not sleep? Bring them in.’

  After seeing the magnificence of the Pharaoh’s tomb, they had expected the Scorpion Man’s chamber to be richly decorated. But it was completely bare, and the only thing in it was the Scorpion Man himself. He filled the room, towering over them, looking down with a mixture of sorrow and weariness in his eyes.

  From the waist down, he was a scorpion, black, translucent and terrible. His curved, venomous tail was the deadliest weapon they had ever seen, or would ever see. Above the waist, he was human-shaped. His arms, neck and head were grey, and his torso was shining silver. His body was taut and rippling with muscles, his hair steel-grey, and his eyes, like Erkila’s, were infinite pools of darkness. But where Erkila’s eyes were sinister and forbidding, his were wise and sad. His arms ended in huge, curving pincers, and there were six legs under the scorpion part of his body.

  ‘Make your wish, and if I can, I will grant it,’ he said as Asvin entered, head bowed, palms clasped together.

  ‘Gracious one,’ said Asvin, ‘I wish to save the world from a terrible rakshas that threatens it. I have come here tonight to beg you for the gift of your armour. With it, I think I have a chance to play a part in the vanquishing of the forces of evil, which grow stronger every day in this diseased world.’

  ‘A smooth tongue and strong arms will get you far, my son,’ said the Scorpion Man, bending forward and looking deep into Asvin’s eyes. ‘I am bound by my sacred oath to give you what you crave, and to ask you no questions. Yet I can see inside your heart, and it is pure. That is a good omen. But do not use my armour for evil purposes, son – this I must ask as a favour.’

  ‘I will not, I swear it,’ said Asvin reverently.

  ‘Bare yourself above the waist, hold out your hands, and close your eyes,’ said the Scorpion Man. Asvin did. The Scorpion Man cupped his pincers together and held them a little distance away above Asvin’s, as if he was about to pour water from his hands to Asvin’s.

  Maya and Gaam watched as a thin silver stream flowed down from the Scorpion Man’s pincers to Asvin’s hands. From Asvin’s hands the silver liquid flowed to his waist, and the Scorpion Man’s shoulders turned the same grey as his arms. They realized that the silver liquid was the armour, and it was slowly passing in a thin stream to Asvin. It collected near his waist and rose upwards, covering his skin and moulding itself perfectly to his body. When the armour was wholly given, the Scorpion Man’s chest was completely grey and Asvin looked as if someone had covered his torso with mercury.

  ‘The rest of your body is still vulnerable,’ said the Scorpion Man, ‘so this armour does not make you invincible, son. But know this – no weapon, no curse, no power of nature can pass through the material of this armour. You can never take it off, as it is now a part of your very skin, but you can conceal it with clothes. When you die, it will vanish, and return to me.’

  ‘Thank you for this invaluable gift,’ breathed Asvin. ‘I promise you I will use it well.’

  ‘That is as it should be. This may all be a game, a trick of the gods, but we are no pawns, and while the great moves are theirs, we may still make the choice to perform them with honour,’ said the Scorpion Man. ‘Now leave, children, for I must return to my meditation. Show them out, Erkila.’

  ‘Yes, Master,’ said Erkila. ‘Follow me, little ones.’

  She led them out of the Scorpion Man’s chamber and towards her own.

  Chapter Fourteen

  ‘My king wants to know why we sit here in silence. He orders you to start the council,’ said Tungz, flinching slightly as his eyes met Bali’s.

  In the chamber behind the idol in the temple outside Vanarpuri, the second meeting of the Brotherhood of Renewal had not exactly gotten off to a flying start. Bali, Angda, Leer, Tungz, Kirin and Spikes sat at the great table. Conversation was not flourishing.

  ‘The rest are coming,’ growled Bali. ‘Tell him to shut up and wait.’

  Tungz spoke to Leer in a low voice, and Kirin, understanding a few of the words, smiled. Tungz was obviously more of an interpreter than a translator.

  ‘My king graciously accedes to your request, but warns you that time is pressing, and his patience is drawing thin,’ said Tungz.

  Angda put a warning hand on Bali’s arm, but it was unnecessary; Bali smiled, and said ‘I’m touched.’

  ‘I hear you met my brother, Karisman,’ he said, turning towards Kirin. ‘Let me tell you something about him.’

  But Kirin never learned what Bali had to say about Djongli, because just then Bjorkun entered the chamber.

  ‘Omar is here,’ he said in a low voice.

  Omar, wearing a cloak and hood over his white robes, swept past him into the room, pearly teeth glinting in a brief smile as he sat down. ‘The roads were watched,’ he said. ‘There are spies in your jungle as well, Bali. I hope your soldiers are doing something about it.’

  He drummed his fingers on the table. ‘Where’s the samurai?’ he asked.

  ‘Dead,’ said Bali, briefly.

  ‘Indeed. But no doubt the mighty Bali has already thought of a hundred solutions to this trifling problem. Are we all here? Let us begin.’

  ‘No, we’re not all here,’ said Bali.

  Heavy feet stomped down the stairs. Bali threw a questioning look at Bjorkun. Bjorkun nodded.

  A rakshas entered the chamber. His fiery red eyes swept the room and settled on Bali.

  ‘I used to think monkeys were only good for eating, and now the king of the monkeys is bringing back my brother!’ he shouted. He laughed, a deep belly laugh that made them all flinch.

  ‘The Brotherhood of Renewal?’ he roared. ‘That’s good, that’s very good. Danh-Gem would have laughed his head off.’

  ‘We’re glad you could come, mighty Aciram,’ said Bali. ‘Please take a seat. There is much to discuss.’

  ‘Now, which one of you do I eat?’ yelled the rakshas, ignoring him. ‘It was a long walk, and my belly is empty!’

  He looked around at their stunned faces for a few seconds, as if weighing them in his mind.

  Then he drew his red lolling tongue back into his mouth and smiled, his fangs shining horribly.

  ‘Obviously one of my better entrances,’ he said quietly. He turned himself into a man, sat down and looked around the table, grinning as relieved expressions flooded their faces. ‘Don’t I get a nice white hood?’ he asked Bali.

  ‘Aciram? The Aciram?’ asked Omar.

  ‘That’s me,’ said Aciram. ‘Don’t bother telling me who you are, westerner. I won’t remember.’

  ‘There is one in this room who you will rejoice to see,’ said Omar smoothly. Kirin’s heart sank. He knew what was coming. ‘We have a Karisman among us!’

  ‘What’s that?’ enquired Aciram.

  ‘You know, a Karisman,’ said Omar. ‘The human sorcerers who were Danh-Gem’s closest advisers?’

  ‘Never heard of them,’ said Aciram irritably. ‘As far as I know, I was Danh-Gem’s closest adviser. Who is this Karisman?’

  Everyone’s eyes turned to Kirin. Bali and Bjorkun looked shocked. ‘What is this, Kirin?’ asked Bali.

  ‘No one knew about us except Danh-Gem himself,’ he said, trying to keep the panic out of his voice.

  ‘Rubbish!’ roared Aciram. ‘We have an imposter in our midst!’

  Bali and Omar
stood up and drew their swords. Kirin jumped backwards and stood against the wall. His hood fell off and the fear on his face was clear to all of them.

  ‘I think, Kirin,’ said Omar, ‘that you owe us a little explanation.’

  ‘Why would Danh-Gem tell other rakshases about us?’ said Kirin. ‘They would obviously disappear when the magic levels fell. That’s why he chose humans in the first place. And we were dedicated to bringing him back – nothing to do with the War at all. Besides, this was a secret best kept very secret – there was always the risk of betrayal. Not that I’m implying the great Aciram was untrustworthy.’ He shot a look at Aciram, and noticed with satisfaction that the rakshas was looking shocked.

  ‘Besides,’ continued Kirin, ‘if I was working for Kol, I would have killed Spikes long ago –you would never have found his claw. I would have not translated the book. I would not have raised the chariot.’

  ‘Gaining Bali’s trust,’ snapped Omar. ‘Looking to seek out and betray the whole Brotherhood.’

  ‘I am not you, Omar,’ said Kirin, getting into his stride. ‘I could have told the world about the Brotherhood long ago. I am too deep in your counsel, Bali. You must know I am not a spy. Besides,’ he said, putting a hand in his pocket, ‘when you left me alone, free to go wherever I wanted to, when I could have gone straight to Kol and told the Civilian everything about you, would I have risked my life in Avranti to get this?’

  He took the Tear of the Sky out of his pocket and held it up in the firelight. They gasped in awe as the magnificent gem sparkled like living flame.

  ‘Are you satisfied, Aciram?

  ‘Yes,’ said the rakshas, never taking his eyes of Kirin. ‘I am very satisfied.’

  Kirin looked at him. The rakshas actually winked at him.

  ‘Now that you mention it, Dan-Gem did say something about humans who would bring him back,’ he said. ‘I never paid much attention to conversations about food. I beg your pardon, Karisman. Your enemies are my enemies.’

  He smiled again.

  Omar looked disappointed. He turned towards Bali. ‘I am still not happy with this,’ he said. ‘My heart tells me the Karisman is concealing something from us. I agree he has served us well, and when Danh-Gem rises he will surely be rewarded richly, but I propose we remove him from the Brotherhood.’

  ‘Why are you so eager to remove him?’ asked Aciram. ‘Is it because he has done all he can do for you, and you do not need him any more? I do not think you and I will be friends, westerner.’

  ‘The Karisman stays in the Brotherhood,’ said Bali with finality. ‘My apologies, Kirin.’

  ‘Whatever you say, Bali,’ said Omar softly.

  ‘In any case, Omar, you do need me,’ said Kirin. ‘Unless you want to go and steal the Gauntlet of Tatsu yourself.’

  ‘We seem to have forgotten why this council was called,’ said Bali. ‘Five objects are required. The ronin has failed. But do we have the other things?’

  ‘My king has the Iron Crown,’ said Tungz. Leer took the asur crown out and put it on the table.

  ‘And I,’ said Omar, ‘have the jinn-lamp.’

  He put it on the table. Kirin kept the Tear of the Sky beside it.

  ‘You have done well, mortals,’ said Aciram. ‘The rakshases, for their part, are finally ready to unite. But there is only one banner that will unite us, and that is Danh-Gem’s. When he rises, we are one.’

  ‘Accursed Ventelot is not with us,’ snapped Bjorkun. ‘The Civilian of Kol has been at work. And our journey to the North was not a success, but we achieved some things. The ice-giants and the werewolves will not venture from their lands. But they will not fight against us. The werewolves at least would have joined us if we had reached earlier. But the Silver Phalanx had been there before us. We spoke to their chief, and he said he would hunt with us if Danh-Gem rose again.’

  ‘If Danh-Gem rises,’ snarled Bjorkun, ‘half the world will stand by us. But until then, we must soldier on against the forces of evil.’

  ‘If Danh-Gem rises,’ repeated Omar in his most gentle voice. ‘And when will Danh-Gem rise? Does our friend the Karisman know?’ But Kirin saw that Omar’s gaze was fixed on Bali. Don’t look at me, Bali, don’t look at me, please.

  But it was too late. Bali had already sent a conspiratorial glance in his direction. Under the hood, Omar’s thin lips curved into a smile.

  ‘We will come to that,’ said Bjorkun gruffly. He shook his head impatiently, his long mane of yellow hair swishing most heroically in the firelight. ‘There is one matter I want to clear up first, a matter we touched upon last time – the issue of leadership. Bali and I discussed this at length during our journey to the north. We decided that the Brotherhood of Renewal should have no leader – we should work side by side, as equals. I want everyone to accept this.’

  ‘I admit I find that a little difficult to digest,’ said Omar. ‘I am used to being in command. But I will accept it. For the good of the Brotherhood.’

  Aciram, Kirin and Spikes nodded their assent. Leer mumbled something.

  ‘My king says this is ridiculous,’ said Tungz. ‘It is obvious that he and no other should lead this Brotherhood, as the asurs are not only the most faithful of Danh-Gem’s servants but also the most numerous, and hence the most powerful. My king, as the most powerful leader here, assumes his natural right to the leadership of this Brotherhood.’

  Bali smiled. ‘You were right about them, Bjorkun,’ he said. He leaned forward, his shadow covering the asurs. ‘Tell me then, powerful one,’ he said, ‘why is it that the asurs of Kol, with their cunning brains and full pockets, do not come to our aid? For of all asurs they are the most useful.’

  ‘My king laughs disdainfully,’ said Tungz after a little frenzied muttering. ‘The rats of Kol are merchants and thieves. We do not need them. They will tarnish the glory of the Asur nation.’

  ‘Of course, said Bjorkun, fingering his axe. ‘But tell me, do the danavs follow Leer, or the Iron Crown? For I have heard that they will follow even a human if the crown is on his head.’

  ‘Lies and blasphemies,’ hissed Tungz, without bothering to consult Leer. ‘It is true that the Iron Crown is the supreme symbol of royalty and one does not have to be a danav to wear it, but we will never follow a human.’

  ‘But you might follow a Koli asur, yes?’

  ‘It could never be,’ replied Tungz. ‘The Koli asur would have to challenge King Leer and wrest the crown from him. And King Leer is the strongest asur walking the earth. No sniveling Kol-maggot could defeat him in a fight.’

  ‘But let us pretend,’ said Bjorkun, standing up, ‘that one did.’

  He hurled his axe across the table at Leer. The axe cut into the middle of Leer’s skull and carried him to the wall, where he hung like a butterfly stuck on a pin, his limbs thrashing uselessly.

  ‘I like the general tone of this discussion,’ said Aciram, watching Leer’s death-throes, ‘but did that serve any purpose?’

  ‘You can get up,’ Bali said to Tungz, who was groveling on the floor. ‘We’re not going to kill you now.’

  ‘What did you do that for?’ asked Kirin.

  ‘We need the support of the Koli asurs,’ said Bali. ‘And the Imokoi asurs will follow the Iron Crown. Under a Koli king, the asurs will finally be united.’

  ‘And who is to be this new king, and what has he done to earn your favour?’ asked Omar.

  ‘He helped the Karisman solve the riddle that revealed what we had to do to raise Danh-Gem.’ said Bali. ‘Hooba!’ he called. ‘You can come in now.’

  Hooba entered the chamber. ‘You are now the king of asurs, and a member of the Brotherhood of Renewal. Take the Iron Crown, and we shall consider it duly wrested from the last king,’ Bjorkun told him. Hooba assimilated this for a few seconds.

  ‘Ell right,’ he said. He grinned at Kirin.

  ‘This is your prime minister, Tungz,’ continued Bjorkun. ‘He will help you in all matters concerning kingship, and tell your fellow asu
rs how you defeated Leer in a duel. Is that not so, Tungz?’

  Tungz looked around the room for some time. ‘Yes,’ he said finally. ‘I will serve you faithfully, King Hooba.’

  ‘And Hooba speaks their language, too,’ said Bali. ‘It was a good idea, my friend.’

  ‘That’s settled, then,’ said Bjorkun.

  ‘Wait a moment,’ said Omar. ‘Did you say the asur found out about the five objects we need?’

  ‘With the Karisman,’ said Bali, but the slip had been made. Bjorkun smiled grimly.

  ‘I was under the impression that the Karisman knew everything about this,’ drawled Omar. He looked at Bali. ‘It seems, vanar-lord, that you and he are holding something back.’

  ‘And do you blame me, human?’ snarled Bali, finally losing his temper. ‘We are surrounded by spies and traitors! Who can be trusted?’

  ‘Who exactly are you accusing?’ hissed Omar. ‘What is your game, vanar?’

  ‘Peace!’ said Bjorkun, pounding on the table. ‘I confess, Omar, that one day in the north, when Bali told me when Danh-Gem is supposed to rise, my initial reaction was anger, too. But he has a point. Could he have revealed it to you two months ago, when the Avrantic minister, Leer and the ronin were sitting here? And, for that matter, did you really expect him to trust you with this most crucial piece of information? He had just met you.’

  ‘There are such things as private conversations, Bjorkun. And you did not tell me either,’ snapped Omar.

  ‘I wonder why.’

  ‘What are you all talking about? When is Danh-Gem going to rise?’ thundered Aciram.

  ‘Two weeks from now,’ said Bali, ‘full moon night of Dragonmonth.’

  ‘Where?’

  ‘The Circle of Darkness, in Imokoi.’

  ‘And we have to get the Gauntlet of Tatsu from Xi’en to Imokoi in two weeks! That is impossible!’ shouted Omar.

  ‘I think this running around to get things to lay down for Danh-Gem is quite ridiculous,’ rumbled Aciram. ‘I knew Danh-Gem. If he wanted to rise, he would rise on his own. He would not depend on anyone else. Especially not you charmers.’