Five Days: an adventure (A Fantasy Adventure)

by Krishna Pareek

  Swooshes of flashes were passing by his ear, face or in one word – by his entire body.

  But he felt relieved when he collided with someone, most probably a soldier and heard. ‘Are you insane?’

  ‘She’s hurt,’ he said opening his eyes. ‘We need a medic.’

  Though the guard looked furious, he showed them a way and went to look for a medic. ‘Get in with others!’

  When they got into the basement through the staircase, which was enormous as everything in Sana, they found fifty other people getting their wounds dressed or recovering from other effects. There were hundreds of chairs and tables for the survivors and unlucky ones. Although he couldn’t see anyone dead there but it was obvious, many had died in that blind battle.

  ‘Anna?’ called someone from a distance.

  They turned toward the source of voice to see Chief waving his hand at them.

  ‘Let’s go,’ Anna whispered to Derek. ‘He might tell us something.’

  ‘Evil … pure evil,’ said the Chief, shaking his head in disgust as they went to him. ‘They aren’t sparing anyone – kids, women, no one.’

  ‘But why has he attacked?’ said Derek and he was feeling awkward as the Chief threw a “Why’re you so concerned” look at him.

  ‘We don’t know. They haven’t attacked anything important, they are just disturbing city’s infrastructure and killing people in their way.’

  ‘I don’t think Aurisca needs any excuse to attack us, he did it before and he’s doing it now,’ said Anna, furiously. ‘But why’ve you built a relief camp here? If he really wants something so bad, he’d surely attack the castle with all his might.’

  ‘No, he’s attacking everything besides castle.’

  Derek frowned. ‘He’s not attacking the castle?’

  ‘He is but mildly,’ said Chief. ‘That’s why we have soldiers only at the entrances – but I think I should hurry now, there are things I need to discuss with the king.’

  ‘Sure,’ said Anna.

  Derek got away from Chief’s way and from the corner of his eye, he saw the guard rushing towards them and a plump doctor, just behind him.

  The doctor hurried to Anna and before she could say anything, he found her sitting on a chair and being examined properly.

  ‘… oh dear, don’t worry we’ll fix it …’

  Derek smiled at her and looked at others when a soldier came hurrying. ‘Another died!’

  The guard, who brought doctor, rushed to the stairs and out of sight.

  Derek was having a tough time with his heart, how could one be so horrible. How could one attack a city when it was sleeping peacefully and what this attack would earn them, life of innocents?

  He was cursing Aurisca in his mind when noise of wood scratching the stone floor struck his ears. He turned around and over Anna’s shoulder saw a man wrapped in shawls, applying efforts to open a door at the far end of the basement.

  For no special reason, it wasn’t looking normal. It was a relief camp and the man appeared neither a soldier nor a doctor … whether it was his suspicions or curiosity, but next second he found himself running for him … the man had opened it successfully … he paced up … but it was too late, he was gone.

  ‘Derek!’ Anna called behind him. He stopped before the closed door. ‘What’re you doing there?’

  ‘Nothing – but sir,’ he said as he walked back to them. The doctor was done with treatment and was packing his stuff. ‘What’s in that door?’

  The doctor looked over his shoulder, returned with the packing and answered him absent-mindedly. ‘It leads one into the castle, it was never meant to be used by ordinary citizens … even we, royal doctors, aren’t permissible to use it. And it’s no good to think about it, you better sleep here – until the war is over.’

  He looked up to see thin air in place of Derek.

  ‘What?’

  Then the pair of them was running towards the gates.

  ‘Oi! Where are you going?’

  * * *

  ‘It’s forbidden, we shouldn’t be here!’ hissed Anna. ‘You’ll lose me my job!’

  ‘Don’t worry …’ he said scanning the empty and dark corridor they had just entered.

  There hadn’t been any battle inside the castle, the walls, torches at long distances and everything looked normal and untouched.

  But this didn’t suppress Derek’s freight, it was as though Aurisca would just appear in thin air and would slash them to death, but he knew it was least possible.

  ‘You didn’t see Aurisca?’ he asked her, proceeding in the long corridor which had no junctions at all.

  ‘No, he must be battling Christin. But I still don’t agree with you. We should go back at once.’

  ‘Is my little Annie – what is the word – scared?’

  ‘I am not scared!’ she hissed.

  ‘Then what is stopping you – your conscience?’

  She shot a threatening look at him.

  ‘Okay, no violence now …’

  For an instance, he felt like words were not the only thing that came out of his throat, something humans called heart had also leapt to his mouth as his eyes caught the explosion of violet light and a soldier fell dead in their front.

  ‘Bul—’

  ‘Oh no!’ shrieked Anna, gripping his arm tightly.

  But things were worse: they saw a shadow advancing on the dead body – but who came out of the corridor wasn’t Aurisca, it was Christin.

  He crouched down on the body (unaware of them), closed his lashes and when, to Derek’s helplessness, his eyes fell on the pair of them; he was undoubtedly-unquestionably-surely furious.

  But when he spoke, his voice was as though forced calm with a superhuman effort. ‘What – are – you – doing – here?’

  ‘We were just—’

  ‘You know, this enemy soldier …’ – he pointed at the dead figure – ‘could’ve killed you even before you’d any hearing.’

  Derek kept glaring at him but he couldn’t deny he was right.

  ‘We shouldn’t meddle in things we don’t understand, kid – LIKE THIS!’

  He felt as though a mini cyclone had just crossed him but when he had a closer look, it wasn’t a cyclone but a violet flash passing an inch away from him and someone yelled in agony behind them.

  He looked around and saw another soldier, falling dead.

  ‘Consider yourself lucky – I don’t want to know how you have been in here or why are you here - just get lost.’

  ‘But, sir—’

  ‘You know what get lost means, don’t you? And if you don’t, it means go away without a word!’

  He opened his mouth again but Anna pulled him by his arm and steered him away from Christin, who was looking at them with utmost disgust on his face.

  ‘What are you doing?’ he said to her.

  ‘Stop exploding everywhere.’

  They reached the door, swung it open to go out but before they could –

  BOOM!

  This explosion had surely taken place in castle itself. He rounded back to the corridor and saw another violet flash closely followed by a metal scratching the floor: it was surely Aurisca heading for Christin. He took a step forth but Anna over-powered him. ‘This is none of your business. Emperor is a great warrior and he can take care of everyone around him.’

  ‘No! No! NO!’

  The gardens of the Police Services of Sana were deadly silent except for the loud Anna, who was watching a black wolf, named Bear, lying immobile on a stretcher with teary eyes.

  Derek didn’t have to labour too much to know the cause of his death as a purple wound – slashed by a sword – was shining brightly on his chest.

  The explosions had stopped, Dark City had retreated giving lifelong scars to Sana and to themselves. Sana lost twenty thousand men while Dark was rumoured to have lost fifteen thousand along with some of the most intellectual battle tacticians. There was also a report in newspaper that –

  This w
as true? No one knew and it wouldn’t be incorrect to say that nobody cared.

  Derek was standing at a distance, so did chief and other officers, quietly holding their breaths and watching a brave girl like her being so helpless.

  Many times, Derek thought about shushing her but she should be left alone, his inner voice would say. What if it was him on her place, would she have been standing aside and let him cry?

  For the first time, he wanted to see Alicia not out of desires but to be there as a caring friend for Anna.

  But where was she though? He hadn’t seen her for quite a time and when he stepped forward to ask Chief, the thought of disclosing her secret of sneak-outs stopped him. On the other hand, he didn’t know Chief very well, too: if he really knew about Alicia or not.

  But in the way he was standing helpless and broken at a distance didn’t raise his suspicions a bit.

  A couple of people entered the park and went to Bear’s soulless body, carrying a gravestone reading –

  Anna didn’t protest and quietly stepped aside, knowing she had to. There was no chance that honourable creature was going to come back.

  He closed his eyes, even if Bear never liked him he was brilliant, he was brave and loyal, too.

  He opened his eyes – the people were still as stone, their heads hanging. Winds had also begun to flutter their well-selected wearing for the dark day. For a moment he did feel they were over-reacting, they never helped her when her parents died and now when she had a nice place and knowledge they were feeling pity for her? What were they playing at?

  He shook his head and noticed the only man in act, Chief was walking away from the crowd toward the fences. He frowned but continued to watch … he shook hands with someone on the boundary of Police headquarters and began, what looked like, a serious conversation.

  The chief nodded when the conversation looked to have ended after couple of minutes and the person he was talking to, jogged away.

  He walked back to his place, resembled his spot as nothing had happened and after an hour, when the people were leaving after saying words to Anna, he shook his head and took a step towards her, too … but stopped in his tracks … turned toward Derek’s direction and started toward him instead.

  What the hell he wants from me?

  ‘All right, my dear boy?’ he said, patting him on the shoulder. ‘Hope your wound is healing.’

  ‘Yes,’ said Derek, who didn’t know if brightening of purple colour was healing.

  ‘Great – great – it’s – um – I don’t know if Anna is strong enough to take this blow or not … see, you got to tell her on my place – you don’t have to work too much just tell her exactly what I say – by the way, Anna hasn’t told you anything about the royal family?’

  His tone of voice made Derek say – ‘No.’

  ‘Ah! Good, very good – it’s not so important – just tell her - “Chloe is dead and Alicia has been kidnapped.”’

  * * *

  Sun was already blood-red that day and the garden was completely deserted except two people standing at a distance from each other.

  When one of them, Derek, noticed the orange shades everywhere, his brows automatically raised in surprise. How fast could time be?

  Like Anna didn’t get bored of staring at Bear’s grave all day, in the same way, he wasn’t getting tired of watching her like that.

  He took a deep breath and looked toward Anna’s left - most of the people had left messages on a board beside Bear’s grave –

  And the one from Anna (her hand was trembling) –

  She would’ve wanted to write more but she couldn’t …

  The only difference between their brains was – Anna’s mind was completely empty and Derek was feeling his brain to be the busiest international airport and all his thoughts aircraft, something new was arriving every second.

  That wasn’t possible, she couldn’t be kidnapped and Chloe … who was she? Chief said she was one of the royal, so … she must be the queen! Did she die, too?

  What the hell was going on? And how could Alicia be kidnapped, she had best of protections … she had such an over caring father and why would Aurisca need her, anyway?

  He just didn’t want to believe it … they had just met … Christin was a big fool, he couldn’t even have protected her daughter, what sort of father he was?

  The grass in Anna’s corner rustled … he looked up and saw Anna getting to her feet.

  How would he tell her?

  She touched the top of Bear’s gravestone and whispered something before heading towards the gates. She didn’t even look at him.

  ‘Hey, Anna—’ he said as she crossed him. Neither stopping nor turning. Her long shadow was covering the ground before her.

  ‘Please—’

  She was at the gates.

  ‘Alicia’s been kidnapped by Aurisca!’

  The words did affect Anna: she stopped in her tracks and looked sternly at him. ‘What?’

  ‘Aurisca took her away, killed someone named Chloe, she was the queen, I suppose.’

  ‘Yes,’ she said in a small voice. ‘But who told you?’

  ‘Chief. He thought you wouldn’t be able to take it so …’

  There was a pregnant pause, Derek knew he didn’t feel like talking anymore and so was the case with Anna.

  The Sun was a long way down now, shadow of the tall Headquarters’ building had already taken both of them. The scene reminded him the very same evening when his death was five days away.

  Reasons had changed, scenes had changed, and characters had changed but that burning sensation, as though his chest was on fire, was same as before.

  He didn’t know what to do … Even Anna’s wooden face wasn’t helping him … he could not leave Alicia like that and how was he going to save her was a mystery.

  Then something, like a bulb, glowed in his mind. ‘Anna – what if – we two go to Dark City to rescue her?

  ‘I know this sounds crazy but we got to something, we can’t wait for more now – I mean if we sneak out of the city and find some way, we can creep in and rescue her … and I mean I’d really like to do it … and if you don’t agree we can think of something else but it looks more than obvious to me … and if you choose to stay I won’t mind—’

  He said all this so fast that he had to take long breaths to overcome the deficiency of oxygen in his lungs.

  But he didn’t know if Anna was happy with that …

  ‘We’ll go.’

  ‘Hey look I think you should consider it again – hang on – what did you say?’ he said as though he had heard her wrong.

  ‘We’ll go,’ she repeated more sternly than ever.

  ‘Yeah, that’s my friend – Hurray – but how’ll we get out of Sana?’

  ‘Leave it to me.’

  He finally smiled, probably in hours – but he did – but it faded again when he noticed Anna was staring at Bear’s grave and he didn’t know if she was doing it out of his love.

  But she had agreed and they’d be off on a journey he didn’t know a bit about.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Desria

  Derek and Anna found themselves seats in the usually crowded café of Bernard, his hill was the only one which had survived the trembles, deadly weapons and was still hovering in the air.

  Most of the citizens were still living in the Relief Camps set up in the open parks and areas, well supplied with food and water. The security round the perimeter was doubled in every possible way, so it was next to impossible for Dark City’s soldiers to attack again and for them, to come up with any suitable plan.

  And being honest, Derek didn’t expect Anna to come up with anything after she saw her pet lying dead, but she did tell him about the invisible protective dome in which Sana was built. He was having troubles in believing something he couldn’t see but if it was like that, they could do some hacking then.

  They could not hack the dome, they couldn’t fool it – Anna told him at once – it could
only be opened by one of the head soldiers.

  Derek thought about kidnapping one, but next moment he’d find himself in the prison – Anna said ruining his plan.

  The hours were passing and Derek could feel Alicia going away from him; she would have been traveling, yelling or protesting in any form. But why was Aurisca so interested in her?

  After nine o’clock, light murmurs of the crowd died away and he found café completely empty besides themselves. Bernard, too, got up to go to his home – asking Anna to lock the café when she felt leaving.

  Just as he was out, winds lofted thick plumes of dust from outside high into the café.

  Another problem was the filter system of the city, which, according to the officials was most affected.

  And it could really be seen, streets were foggy in dusk and full-moon night had been turned into a sky which looked to have been hosting the world cup for clouds.

  Derek looked out of the window then at Anna, wanting to tell her about the weather but her thoughtful face resisted him.

  ‘You are alr—’

  ‘I have a plan,’ she said in a matter-of-fact tone.

  * * *

  ‘You participated in plays, didn’t you?’ said Anna briskly.

  ‘Yes,’ said Derek, half horrified of her plan.

  They were watching a troop of soldiers, guarding what he believed, something invisible because they hadn’t moved a bit – so they for sure weren’t patrolling, they were not having a hangout, either.

  They were having, what looked like, an interesting conversation.

  ‘Sir?’ a soldier was saying after discussing things with his fellow.

  ‘Yes?’ said the tallest guard.

  ‘Is it true that your highness was fighting alone in the castle? He refused to take anyone’s assistance?’

  ‘Yes,’ said the leader, thoughtfully. ‘He didn’t want to commit soldiers, one of his closest friends told me.’

  ‘But how have they kidnapped the princess when he himself was securing her?’

  ‘Aurisca, you don’t know who he is. He is gifted with hypnotising abilities. He can hypnotise anyone as he did to our Security Dome.’