The Thief

by Rama Nugraha

  “I’m sorry, Kahisar,” he deadpanned. “Whatever it is you’re thinking about, you will never get it.”

  “You sound overly confident.”

  In keeling position, the Ludaj slammed his balled fist to the ground, making a pseudo-earthquake, making everyone shaken in fear. He then took a deep breath like he was inhaling the entire air in Angare.

  Irirana widened her eyes when he realized something. He knew what the Ludaj was about to do. “Datan!” Irirana screamed. “Datan, get out of there!”

  It was too late.

  The Ludaj blew hard that his heart deflated, letting the burning air in his lungs out. Dry, burning air was blown hard. Lush green grass was burnt, so did all of the decorative plants in the pots. The branches of the trees lost their color. Everyone felt like they were trapped in a forest fire. They covered their eyes right away to protect themselves from the blast of air.

  The crowd went panic.

  The Yardara Guards near the Ludaj managed to get away, but Datan could not. His distance with the Ludaj was merely two meters. The breath hit him directly. It felt like he was blasted by hot water. He groaned in pain as his vision was impaired. He wobbled and his right arm felt worse, it was burning still.

  People screamed in horror.

  Tarlak swung his arm, whip the air with Fire Whip so that the air surrounding him were blown, stopping the blast of hot air. The burning gold sparks in the air was no more. One of the guards was fast enough to catch Datan before he collapsed, while the other threw their spear at the Ludaj.

  The Ludaj winced as the blast of his breath was stopped.

  The spear thrown made a curve. It made a squelching sound as it pierced through the creature’s flesh and muscle in his abdomen. Before he even took another breath, a guard threw the Egg Mud at him. The liquid covered his twitching nostrils, clogging his capability to do any magic. He screamed in agony and anger. His hand slapped the guard so hard that the poor man hit an iron bar, making him squirm in pain.

  “Sonso!” the other two guards screamed.

  “Bastard!” the Anag cursed. The back of his hand wiped his nostrils, though it did nothing to the yellow slime clinging to his coarse skin. “Sonso, you Bastard!”

  The crowd began screaming.

  “Kahisar Irirana!” someone yelped.

  Two other Yardara Guards came through the crowd. Forcing their way into the yard, they bring Irirana a roll of red rattan rope. In between the strands of rattan was nails covered in white liquid. The thing vibrated towards the ground like they could no longer wait to stab the soil surface.

  Irirana gave her approving nod, she pulled out another bow and targeted the Ludaj once more. “Tarlak!” she yelled, her eyes never left the Ludaj. “Make him kneel! Yardara guards! Addan Seal Formation, charge!”

  The Ludaj turned around, he looked like he was being choked by invisible hands. His eyes were bugging out at the sight of Irirana, realizing that he would have no way to escape, were he to be captured. Tarlak walked closer, with one stomp, he lashed out the Fire Whip towards the Ludaj’s neck—

  But then there was an explosion. The Ludaj, along with his giant form, exploded.

  The explosion blasted a gush cold air into the air, neutralizing the remaining heat. It turned into floating black dust in the air before swirling into one spot and was gone in an instant, leaving only the echo of a sucking sound. The Fire Whip was lashed into the throttling air. For at least five seconds, no one did not move a muscle. They were still overwhelmed with tension as the wind blew mournfully.

  It was until they were woken up by Datan’s painful groan.

  ◆◆◆

  It was dark. There was a pain. There was only pain. Ache and suffocation.

  Datan remembered being engulfed by the Anag’s hot breath. Back then, it did not feel this bad. This time, Datan felt excruciating pain all over his body. It felt like he was buried in a coffin along with millions of starving Red-Clawed Fire Ants, and those creatures could think nothing but stinging him, releasing their toxin, chewing his flesh. Every inch of his face, chest, and back was burning. Leaving nothing inside an already weakened body.

  Datan could only felt his bottom that was painless.

  He could not move. Even after he tried, he could not even open his eyes. He could not do anything to ease up the pain. His consciousness was trapped in a blind and paralyzed vessel

  What should he do now? He was sure he was alive, though. Of course. How could he die now? He had to save Father still. In a second, Datan threatened himself in anger and hatred. He felt insulted. How far would Nymeria come after him? How could Father be deceived by that evil of a woman? She and her pet should pay for this, all of this.

  Datan knew he was laying down, perhaps in the Hospital Wing.

  He could hear his surroundings. He could hear hasty footsteps on the marble floor, Petan’s hysterical scream, Irirana’s steady instruction, Aunt Muri shouting at her assistant. He could hear names of potions, Sarili, Tanjiji—Ludaj’s urine—and Koripa, followed by chants of mantras. Soon, his hip was pierced by a needle. The liquid injected through that needle spread coldness all over his blood vessels, reaching for his heart. Right after that, his body trashed around like he was being electrocuted.

  If only Datan could see what happened.

  His left arm was nearly skinless. His flesh was eroded that his bone was visible. He bled through the broken flesh, though the blood did not drop to cause bleeding. The blood solidified and dried. His skin was red as if his entire being was sunburnt, some part of it bubbled. His face was a mess. No longer was his face flawless.

  His condition was concerning, to say the least. It would be hard to undo the damage.

  Datan heard the sound of more people. They voice bleed with pity. He could hear Jaco and Sena, Tarlak, the employees of the League whom he knew, including the Yardara Guards. He could even hear Edgar and Pobos. Yet, his eyes were still shut. He was right in between consciousness and unconsciousness. He could only hear ever so slightly and felt pain. He could not even smell the air in the room. He was in-between.

  Until the black around him darkened, and his world changed.

  Chapter 26

  Telepaqua

  They were in a small dim living room. The ceiling was low. The wall was made of grey limestone. A glass of water vibrated every now and then on the table. The shadow of the furniture moved along with the shifted in light from the lantern. Behind a square window, the glass of which was wet with drops of water, was a stormy night with thunder that rattled the whole house.

  Sami Famash sat weakly on a stone chair. Both of his hands were tied in his back and his mouth was gagged by a dirty mop. His head was down and his shiny hair was messy. His beloved Kirki was no longer intact, the beautiful feathers were plucked from their place. It was torn into two and was spread on the owner’s head. It was a form of humiliation for a Haedin. Black blood dripped from his nose onto his thigh. That man was tired of being tortured that he had lost the capability to even lift his head.

  “You should have stopped coming for me when we met in Fardas, Sami,” Nymeria said, she smiled sadly. “If you did that, you shall live longer.”

  Sami??!

  Sami said something inaudible. His breath was ragged like had severe asthma. He groaned pitifully. His body was getting skinnier, dryer, and his healthy skin turned yellowish.

  “He looked worse each day,”

  “Soon, he would stop breathing, Meria,” a new voice joined in. “If only you know nothing gets in the way of Pahana. Even Unum the Creator had given up.”

  Nymeria giggled. “Except you, right?”

  “Of course, because I am the creator.”

  Nymeria did not bother to turn around. Her sight was glued to Sami, curious. She was overwhelmed with thirst. She had been feeling like that for at least half an hour, it was like a soft call of a mother she missed badly.

  She took a deep breath, blinking. For a moment she went to the world of grey, where what
ever she looked, there were only shades of black and white. There was no concern nor sympathy. No more compassion.

  Nymeria pulled out the dagger from her waist. Straightening her feet, she approached the other.

  Nymeria snatched the Kirki, Sami’s prized possession, and threw it into the blazing fire in the fireplace. She pulled Sami’s oily damp hair. Making the man looked up forcefully, she stared at his face. His face was already as yellow as papaya, he was drenched in sweat and his lips cracked. Not to mention the bruises forming in his right cheek. Sami tried to push her away with the remaining of his power. With a muffled scream, his eyes bugged out as he stared at Nymeria’s silver ones. That man was like staring at Death.

  Nymeria slashed the short neck. Black blood oozed, spurting everywhere.

  “He’s a good man. Unum will forgive him.”

  Nymeria turned around, wiping the spots of blood in her cheek. “How do you know that?”

  The other man just laughed. “It’s just a guess,” he replied easily.

  ◆◆◆

  A bunch of people argued in a low voice. They sat on carved wooden chairs in a small garden in the Hospital Wing. It turned out that they were not the same visitor as the previous day. They did not come to simply wish the patient a speedy recovery, or visit him out of curiosity. Datan woke up startled, he was panting and sweating heavily. His eyes bugged out, staring at the high ceiling where the golden old lamp was hanging.

  Datan was inside Nymeria’s head for a moment.

  Those experience felt more and more real every time. He could feel the handle of the dagger, a soft leather, in his palms. Mustering every bit of his energy, he lifted his trembling hand to his head. His fingers were odd and coarse. It felt like that hand was the one stopping Sami from breathing. The sensation lingered as if he had just pricked his fingers with cactus thorn. But then he realized something was off about his hand.

  Just then, he could hear airy footsteps approaching him.

  “Mother! Uncle Datan is awake!”

  So, that was Petan.

  “Petan, dear, calm down,” Irirana reminded him.

  Datan whimpered in pain. Leaning on his left arm, he lifted his back and tried to sit up. It felt like he had just slept for a whole year, with a body covered in pine oil. He saw that he was wearing a bright blue pajama with his left arm wrapped with a white bandage. The top of his head was throbbing.

  He saw Petan stand next to the bed, looking at him sadly. He put his tiny hands on top of Datan’s, which were not damaged.

  Datan gave him a smile like it had been an obligation, “Hi, Pe,” he greeted.

  “Hello, Uncle! I am glad that you were awake,” Petan exclaimed with eyes glowed in excitement. “You looked really red,” he sounded fascinated, his silver brows crooked.

  Datan frowned. “Red?”

  He gasped as he remembered something. Taking his left arm to his line of sight, he saw that his skin was no longer fair. It was red, overheated. He gasped. His heart raced, feeling uncomfortable. He knew his form was marred now. He looked at Petan who was grinning awkwardly.

  “What’s red, Pe?” Datan asked demandingly, “My hands?”

  Petan shook his head, covering his mouth with his left hand as if he was afraid he would say something he should not have. Datan glanced at his left arm once again, hoping that it was just his eyes experiencing color distortion. He shivered when he realized that it was indeed red. Abnormally red. While the fate of his left arm was unknown. His felt like bracelets was put on forcefully in his arms, as it was covered with layers of bandages up to his underarm area.

  “Mirror,” Datan said, could no longer hide his fear. “I need a mirror, Pe. Can you get me—“

  “You’re alright, Datan,” Kanas retorted, making him startled. As he walked closer, the man with citrus scent continued. “You can look at the mirror later. Thank Unum, Aunt Muri really took care of you. You have been sleeping like a dead man for two days. We could hear you snore from afar.”

  Datan turned to see the others tailing behind Kanas.

  Filia was there too. She approached her brother right away to hold him back in case the youngest decided to jump onto the bed to give the patient a hug. Datan tried to focus, regulating his breath before finally looked at Irirana.

  The Lady was standing amongst the visitors. Her two-toned straight hair was oiled and arranged neatly in a high ponytail. She was wearing a shirt with a long ivory pant. It was simplistic, but enough to make many men beg to be her partner. Her eyes were burning like always. Now, though, her gaze made it hard to tell what she was feeling.

  Irirana nodded a little, whispering to Petan’s ears softly. The boy listened carefully though his gaze was glued at Datan. After Irirana finished, the youngest looked startled. He stared at his mother for a while, hugging her and kissing her cheek. Right after, he nodded understandingly.

  He left the room with Filia after that. Waving at Datan, he shouted, “I’ll see you later, Uncle Datan.” Filia gently nudged her brother to the door. “Get well soon!”

  As the door closed. Peace befell the room inside. There was no other patient than Datan. The birds in the small garden chirped, accompanying him. Mountain breeze entered the room through the ventilation space in the gigantic window, moving the silk drapes. As an Ingran, he could smell various scents in the air. He caught the scent of roses in the garden, herbs, old wood of which the room was made of, even Sal and Irirana’s vanilla scent.

  He realized he was about to be interrogated.

  “Hey,” Irirana greeted with a gentle smile. “How are you feeling?”

  Datan blinked, unable to decide how he felt.

  “I…” he coughed to ease out the stretchy feeling lingering in his throat. “I think I need a ship,” he said in a hoarse voice. He then remembered something important. He looked down as heat crept to his cheek, not wanting his mortification and concern be seen by others. Datan did not want to appear weak, he had to stay strong.

  Irirana had inserted Nymeria’s letter in between his right fingers which bent awkwardly inside, covered in bandages as well. Irirana knew it was what he looked for. The letter somehow survived the incident. The best guess was that there was some type of protection mantra in it.

  “What actually happened that night?”

  Datan looked at the others. “But I—“ he sounded miserable.

  “Tell us so we can help,” Kanas cut him impatiently. “Tell us everything.”

  Irirana crooked an eyebrow. “Kanas said you get a new friend?” she made sure.

  Datan felt exhausted. Whether he liked it or not he had to tell them everything. So, he did. He told them the whole thing. He did not feel relief after he did, though. He even told him the humiliating parts of the story.

  “Nymeria…” Datan said. “That woman did something to me. She got the slightest chance to touch my face and I felt my memory went awry. I didn’t know what happened. But ever since that night, I kept having a vivid dream, like how she met my father. It was really strange.”

  Irirana kept looking at him in the silence. Wordlessly she took the arm of Sal the wizard, pulling him farther away from Datan and the others. Datan felt like the rest of the people in the room tensed.

  “It felt like you see through her, right? You move and breathe as her.”

  Datan’s pupil dilated at Kanas’ description. “Yes, it happened to you too?”

  Kanas crossed his arms before his chest. Then, he frowned with the scarred forehead like he was thinking of something beyond the ordinary. “Telepaqua… could that be it, pan?” he muttered to himself in disbelief. “Two become one. Does this woman had something specific, pan?”

  “Telepaqua? Well… yes, she always wears a brooch of a cracked mask,” Datan answered.

  “A mask, pan?”

  “Yes, a mask,” Datan repeated. “A mask of a laughing face.”

  Kanas was stunned, he blinked as if he thought of something.

  “One thing for sure, she claimed
to know more about Zu,” King Lucas spoke, could no longer contain his curiosity. “What did she say she knew about it?”

  “She could have lied, Your Majesty.”

  “Well, judging from what she had done to Datan, kidnapping his father, no… I don’t think she’s lying,” King Lucas asserted. “This woman knows what she’s doing, Kanas. I want her caught, for she killed my Thar.”

  “You don’t need to worry, Your Majesty. I am sure Sami Famash is working on it as we speak.”

  King Lucas turned at Kanas. “The Royan who captured Andiri Banae, wasn’t he?”

  “Indeed. One year ago, he captured Andiri Banae and took him to the Hanging Prison in Red Canyon of Bavarat. He’s a reliable man, Your Majesty.”

  “Then, why wasn’t he present in the Thar’s house? Why was it Datan the one encountering this woman?”

  “About that, pan… for Unum, we haven’t heard any reports from him.”

  “Sami was hurt,” a deep voice interjected. “Not only his body but also his mind.”

  King Lucas and Kanas turned back to see Pollo stood rigidly with both of his hands inside his pockets. That man loomed over both of them even with his slanted right shoulder.

  “What makes you think so, Pollo?”

  “My hunch, Your Majesty,” Pollo slightly bowed at the King, before turning to Datan. “Sami was not a rushed person like Datan. He took Royan’s Operational Code seriously. If my hunch was right, Sami was wounded, which forced him to back down for a while. So, it’s no wonder that he wasn’t present at Thar Ubaga’s mansion. That hunched man must be thinking of a strategy.”

  Datan’s heartbeat got louder.

  “At least we know that much,” Pollo continued. “Nymeria is a tough opponent. She could kill the entire Red Necks.”

  “Who were either sick or poisoned,” Datan added. “Do you know that? There are many sick people in Fardas.”

  With utmost care, using his hand that had a ring in the middle finger, Pollo brushed his silver hair. The familiar soft clattered was heard as he did so.