Chains of a Succubus

by Lanak F Tanor

  Gorain indeed was shivering.

  “Even I am not getting the plan, sir,” Danor said.

  “The plan is, the dragon would take Gorain down, pretending as if he wants to hand him over to the tyrant king,” I turned at Gorain, “Those devices can shoot the big arrows at the sky, but I don’t think they are much good striking objects that are too close to them? Since they are big I also assume it is a chore turning the devices and taking aim.”

  “It is, indeed,” Gorain said. He had finally stopped shivering, getting my plan better now. “But what after the dragon takes me to the king?”

  “That’s the tricky bit,” I said. Wait a minute. The dragon could just open his mouth and reduce the king to ashes. At the same time I didn’t feel like I should take the king for a fool. If he had managed to keep so many people under his rule, he had some brains. He would be likely to make arrangements that the dragon’s mouth is pointed in a different direction and not towards him.

  The sand demons… Could they be of any help? They were scared of the king, it was evident. It was also likely that the king knew about the existence of sand demons and how to deal with them since the desert was not at a great distance from the tyrant’s kingdom.

  Lana? Could she do something? Perhaps she might be able to grab the king and take him to the skies and drop him from there. But she would have to get her hands on him first.

  Then there was Danor. The big man hadn’t failed to surprise in the past. But what he could do was usually unpredictable.

  Finally there was myself. I could tame succubi. The tyrant wasn’t a succubus.

  Suddenly, Danor snapped his fat fingers.

  “Send me down,” he said, with a twinkle in his eyes, “I will go down with the dragon, riding him, holding a sword. Lana would also go down with me, and so would Gorain, albeit with a broken nose.”

  “You are not making sense, Danor,” I said.

  “And why me with a broken nose?” Gorain asked.

  Danor, who had been sitting on the floor of the Sphere for so long suddenly go to his feet. There was a certain air about him in the moment that declared that he and not I, was the main man in charge.

  “Lana would be a princess from under the earth, and I her protector—or something like that,” Danor said in a booming voice, “We have come from under the earth with the sole purpose of meeting the King, because you, sir,” he pointed a fat finger at me, “being the king from under the earth is impressed by the iron hand with which he rules over his kingdom and wishes to talk with him and is even ready to give your daughter,” Danor now pointed at Lana who raised a brow, “in marriage to him because you want to secure a good friendship between the two kingdoms. Your main motive, sir, of coming here is learning about his rule so that you can enforce a similar rule on your own people, who are beginning to complain too much against you.”

  I looked from Gorain to Danor to Lana.

  “You are my daughter?” I asked Lana.

  She rolled her eyes.

  “What next?” she asked Danor.

  “You are going to ask the tyrant to follow us up to the Sphere, where our king is, since he cannot set foot on solid land. You’ll fly up and halfway you’d drop him and that would be the end of his tale.”

  I did not suppress my laugh.

  “And none of the soldiers would fire the big arrows at us?” I asked.

  “They would not actually,” Gorain said though he didn’t look very certain. “With the king dead the charm would be broken… Still I don’t understand about the broken nose.”

  “Ah, well,” Danor said, “it’s because you came to us saying you want help from us to kill the tyrant, but apparently you chose the wrong party. So we beat you up and take you to him. The broken nose is for conviction.”

  Gorain didn’t look very delighted to hear that.

  I put my head out and told the dragon about our plan. He thought it was crazy, but he agreed to it.

  I held Gorain by the arms, while Danor prepared his fist.

  Smack.

  Gorain let out a shrill cry and fell to the floor, blood gushing out of his nose.

  “Are you okay?” I said, placing a hand on his back. Gorain nodded, but he looked like he was in much pain. He looked up with watery eyes,

  “I really hope this plan works.”

  ***

  Chapter 25: King Arunzaki

  I watched through my telescope as the dragon descended. On top of him was a stout man, who was a giant at least eight feet in height, behind him was the traitor Gorain, and behind him still was a beautiful young lady.

  Gorain’s nose was bleeding heavily. He hung his head in fear.

  I did not understand this. What was going on?

  “Should I ask the bell to be rung, sir?” one of my servants asked. The moment the bell was rung hundreds of the big arrows would shoot up towards the dragon. I shook my head. I was confused at what to do.

  The dragon and the metallic ball had hovered for some time just outside the range of my big arrows. It was without a doubt that Gorain had told them about the range of my weapon. Yet, I did not understand why they would beat him up.

  I decided to let the dragon come to the palace for that was where the beast seemed to be headed. Meanwhile, the metallic sphere remained in the sky.

  After a few minutes the giant beast had landed in the middle of the royal courtyard. The beast was immediately surrounded by my men. Yet the beast didn’t flinch, nor did its riders. If anyone showed any fear, it was Gorain. The young woman grabbed Gorain by the neck and threw him to the ground. She sure seemed a powerful lady. If I made her my queen she would probably end up as my favourite. Then she and the giant man stepped down rather gracefully from the great beast.

  “We want to meet your king,” the giant man said to the guards.

  “I am here, watching you,” I said. I went to the edge of the balcony, revealing myself. “What is that you want? And what is the reason behind you treating my chief inventor in so bad a fashion?”

  “We treated your man badly because he deserves it,” the giant man said, “he was trying to incite us against you. I hope you will give him the punishment he deserves. He is a snake that you have been keeping in your house for way too long, and tonight he meant to bite you.”

  I made a gesture with my hand and at once my guards had grabbed Gorain. I’ll deal with him later in my own way.

  “As for the reason why we have come,” the giant continued, “it is a very peaceful one. We hail from a kingdom deep down under the earth’s crust, yes that is right, there are indeed human kingdoms under the earth’s crust contrary to the belief of most who live above the crust. Our king has learnt about you and the excellent ways in which you rule over your kingdom and he seeks to talk with you. You see, our kingdom is in decline. The unity between our people is thinning. As such, our king wants to seek your valuable advice. In return he would gladly offer you access to certain powerful minerals which are only found deep down under the crust of the earth. Also, he is ready to offer his daughter’s hand in marriage to you.”

  The young lady made me a low bow.

  “I would be honoured to be the wife of someone as great as you,” she said. She had a beautiful voice.

  I made her an approving nod. A powerful king did need a powerful queen. My other queens only possessed beauty. They were helpless otherwise. I had also not had a new wife in a while.

  “So where is your king?” I asked.

  “He is in the device that you can see high up in the clouds, shining in the light of the moon. That flying craft is powered by one of the magical minerals found in our kingdom,” replied the giant.

  “But why doesn’t he come down?” I asked. “Does he not think my land a worthy one for him to set foot on?”

  “It is because he cannot,” the giant replied and there was a sadness in his voice, “a long while ago he heroically battled a monster in our kingdom, but alas in the process it bit him. Because of that bite he cannot set
foot on any land that is over the crust of the earth. As such, it will be very kind of you if you would ascend to the flying craft with our princess who is capable of flight. And one thing, our king has also sent me and this wonderful dragon, among the best specimens that we possess, as a gift to you.”

  I thought over it. Was this a trick of any sorts? I did not feel so.

  “So you and the dragon would not fly up, is that right?” I asked the giant.

  “Yes, your majesty, that is right,” the giant replied, “but if only you accept us of course.”

  “I accept the gift,” I said. The dragon would definitely survive quite a few of my purposes well. But whether I would accept the princess or not I would only tell that once I have talked to her father myself. The princess can now take me to him.”

  With a single leap the princess flew up and was standing next to me in a moment. She was even more beautiful up close. She made a bow.

  “Allow me,” she said. She held me by the arms and off we went towards the skies to the sphere that was awaiting me.

  “Do not look down, your majesty,” said the princess for I was looking down at my castle which looked so small and a feeling of dizziness had taken over me. But I refused to be frightened of the heights. I was king Arunzaki. I feared nothing.

  Higher and higher we went. Then the Sphere was just a few metres away from me. A lid at the top of it opened and a man appeared. He was a young man. He didn’t seem like he could be the father of the princess at all. A sudden panic took hold of me.

  “Wow,” the man said, and there was much surprise on his features, “Danor’s plan actually worked.”

  The princess let out a laugh, but there was a hint of nervousness in it.

  “It sure did,” she said.

  “What is he talking about? I demand to know,” I said.

  “May you be a merciful man in another life in another world,” the princess said. And she let go of my arms. I plummeted towards the earth. Even as I fell, I was less fearful and more angry. Angry at myself for falling into the trap. A trap that made little sense to me, except that I knew there was Gorain involved in it. His broken nose had been to fool me!

  The land came closer and closer, the wind roaring all around me. The very land that I had ruled for so many years would kill me now. I closed my eyes.

  I didn’t feel the impact.

  ***

  Chapter 26: Zurk

  It was my wife. She was smiling at me.

  “I have missed you so much,” I said to her. She smiled a radiant smile.

  “I have missed you more,” she said. We were in a strange place. My wife was the only one who was distinct. All around me I couldn’t make out any shape otherwise. I didn’t even know if it was filled with light or darkness.

  “Is this heaven?” I asked my wife.

  “Yes… and no,” she replied. “It depends on what you believe is heaven. If you believe it is than it will be.”

  “Any place with you is heaven,” I said. I went and wrapped my arms around her.

  She hugged me back.

  “But you are not meant for heaven,” she told me. I frowned and looked into her eyes.

  “Why?”

  She held up my hand. Her ring that I was still wearing and which was ultimately also the cause of my death was glowing bright. But I didn’t care. I was with my love and it was all that mattered.

  “This ring is no ordinary one,” she said. “It was given to me a long time ago by a… good friend. This ring gives you two lives.”

  “So?”

  “You must return to the world. You must live.”

  “I don’t want to live,” I said, shaking my head.

  “But you must,” she said, running a hand down the side of my face, “for me. You are going to do something great.”

  She kissed me on the cheek. I stared at her in much dismay. The ring began to glow brighter. Eventually it was so bright that I couldn’t even see my wife.

  And then there was blackness.

  I opened my eyes. I felt a great weight on top of me. I found it hard to breathe.

  But I wasn’t bothered at all, thanks to the knowledge that I had awoken from death itself.

  My wife had asked me to live for her, and I felt obliged to do so. I began to push against the weight, which I knew was soil. Soil that the mahout had put over me in my grave. I was beginning to feel like I would suffocate when the loose soil gave way. I clawed my way out of the grave and then breathed in the air. It was all I did for a while.

  Then I saw that I was in the same spot where I had seen the mahout making the grave for the mayor.

  And just metres away was the other grave, with the late mayor in it. I stood up. I did not know what length of time had passed with me being inside the earth. It was morning. Birds were chirping in the trees. I recalled the manner in which I had met my end. The wizard had been sly. But thanks to luck, I was going to reveal his true identity in front of all.

  I looked at my wife’s ring still in my hand. Before I knew it I was sobbing. Had she not given me the ring and worn it herself then she would not have died. No disease would have been able to kill her. But she had decided to give me the ring. She had really loved me so much. I wiped my face and looked at the river flowing nearby with determination. I was going to free the village of the vile curse of the wizard today. I had never thought myself capable of anything heroic. But today I felt like a different man altogether.

  I waded my way across the river. I felt a new energy in me as I marched towards the town. When I reached it, it was one of my neighbours who spotted me first. He came running towards me.

  “Where were you for the last two days?” he asked. “You know, I was worried something happened to you. You shouldn’t be going to the forest so frequently.”

  “The mayor is dead,” I said to him. “The evil wizard got him killed.”

  My neighbour stared at me for a while as if not getting my words. Then his eyes went big.

  “Are- Are you sure?” he asked. I nodded.

  “I can show you his grave,” I said, “the wizard even tried to get me killed, but I escaped. Call some more men; I’ll take you to the mayor.”

  “Well, the wizard did tell everyone that the mayor has gone to a nearby town for some purpose,” my neighbour said, “even the mayor’s wife didn’t seem to know about this.”

  “The mayor isn’t in another town. He’s dead. Now go call the others.”

  I waited for a few minutes sitting down at the foot of a tree beside the street. I suddenly realised I was very hungry and my mouth was dry and I had an intense desire to drink something. But I suppressed it. First let’s deal with the important things.

  My neighbour had gathered a few men and women who came to be in various states of excitation.

  “This better not be a joke,” one burly man said.

  “I hope it was, my friend,” I said as I got to my feet. I led them back to the river.

  “Where is the grave?” one woman asked, looking about the place.

  “The opposite bank,” I told her. The small party crossed the river, me leading. Finally we reached the site of the graves. I pointed at the one in which the mayor was buried. One man had brought a shovel and he began to dig. In a few moments a putrid smell began to emerge from the grave. A little bit of the extra digging confirmed that the mayor was inside the grave. Everyone was shocked.

  “How did you get to know this?” one man asked me.

  “I came to the river at nigh searching for my lost ring. I saw a light at this bank and came over and saw the wizard and the mahout digging the grave to put in the mayor. They saw me and I ran for my life. I have been living in the jungle for the past few days, staying away from the wizard and his mahout.”

  I distorted some of the fact. If I told the townsfolk that I had woken up from the dead, they would declare that I had gone mad or something. Sometimes truth was not digestible.

  The mayor’s body was dug out and he was taken to
the town by the small party. Everyone saw the dead mayor. The townsfolk marched for the mayor’s residence which also contained the guest house where the wizard and the mahout were staying. At the time we arrived there, the mahout was rubbing the elephant with a wet towel. He ran inside the house seeing the crowd that had gathered.

  The crowd entered the premises of the mayor’s residence and surrounded the guest house on all sides. They began to bang and hit the doors and windows of the guest house that the wizard had closed. Eventually the wizard and the mahout were forced to come out. The wizard had his arms raised up and he was shouting at the top of his voice.

  “What have I done?!” he demanded, even as a few people slapped him on the face, “I am not guilty of any crime!”

  “Shut up,” one man said. “All you wanted was to kill the mayor.”

  “I didn’t do it!”

  I made my way through the crowd to the place where the wizard was getting beaten up. I reckoned it was time to give the wizard and the mahout a little shock as they hadn’t seen me until now.

  “I saw you do it,” I said. The wizard and the mahout turned their heads towards me, their faces filled with horror. The wizard didn’t seem to understand how I could have survived.

  He pointed a shaking finger at me.

  “But I killed you!”

  I let out at laugh.

  “See?” I said to the townsfolk, “He killed the mayor and it has affected his brains and now he thinks he killed me!”

  The agitated townsfolk weren’t merciful towards the wizard and the mahout. None of the magic tricks he knew could save him from the wrath of the townsfolk. They beat him to death, almost every man and every woman of the town taking a shot at him or the mahout. Both of them were killed and their bodies were left at a good distance outside the town to rot in the sun. The elephant and the horse that belonged to the wizard were also chased out of the town.

  Then the townsfolk finally turned their attention towards the dead mayor to give him a proper cremation. The wife of the mayor had fainted and his son was nowhere to be found. Many people wondered if the son had been killed as well by the vile wizard.