The Sudarshana

by Aiki Flinthart

  Holding out a steaming cup, he smiled at her. “Here, Leela sent you some tea. Feeling any better today?”

  Jade nodded and ran hasty fingers through her tangled hair with one hand as she took the cup with the other. She must look an absolute fright. Scrambling to her feet, she swayed as a wave of dizziness hit. Cadoc’s strong fingers gripped her elbow.

  “Take it easy,” he sounded concerned, “you had a rough day yesterday.”

  She sighed and took a sip of the fragrant brew. “You can say that again.”

  “It’s not every day you get a snake-goddess in your head and live to tell the story,” he grinned at her.

  She laughed reluctantly. “Well, actually, life’s been pretty hectic lately. So far hardly a day has passed without some god trying to kill me. I’m kinda getting used to it. Ummm…thanks for saving me.”

  Cadoc shook his head. “Not a problem. Just returning the favour. Always glad to help a beautiful maiden in distress.”

  Flattered, Jade smiled shyly at him. She suddenly began to wish for all the things she’d never cared about before – makeup, hair dryers, pretty clothes. Patting her hair again self-consciously, she backed away a little; stumbling over her sleeping mat.

  “Umm… maybe I should tidy up and we can talk over breakfast.”

  “I’ll look forward to it. I must go help Llew. He wants to go out in the sun this morning.” He turned to go.

  “Oh! Wait,” she called. “How is he?”

  He frowned. “He’s hiding it well but I think the wound is troubling him more than it should. He’s not a young man any more.”

  “Would you,” she began, “I mean.. I could heal it if you like.”

  “You can?” Cadoc sent her an admiring look that made her blush. “I would be grateful. Llew is a good servant and shield-mate. While I have a couple of lives to spare, he doesn’t and I’d hate to think his decision to protect me could prove fatal. I’ll give you a few minutes to tidy up and then I’ll bring him in.”

  He bowed and had left the room before the significance of his comment sank into Jade’s befuddled brain.

  A couple of lives? Cadoc had a couple of lives to spare? That meant….. her hand crept to her mouth in astonishment. For several long minutes she stood, staring into space, considering the implications of what he had said. Finally, she shook herself, sipped again at the rapidly-cooling tea and took care of a few morning necessities.

  A short time later, Phoenix burst into the room without ceremony as she rummaged in her pack for clean clothes. He grabbed her arm and gave her a slight shake.

  “Jade, be careful what you say to Cadoc and Llew,” he warned. “Cadoc’s…”

  “A Player,” she pulled free and rubbed her arm. “I know. Why should that stop me from talking to them? Surely it means we can get a message home like we hoped?”

  “No!” He almost shouted then glanced upward like he was afraid someone could hear. “No. Cadoc said Players are all supposed to have different Quests and that anyone who talks in-game about the quests or about their real-world lives gets…deleted. Just be careful what you say.”

  She gaped at him in horror and glanced at the door, wondering if she’d said anything wrong to Cadoc. No, their conversation hadn’t even touched on quests or real lives. Relieved that she hadn’t endangered her new friend or herself, she was more abrupt with Phoenix than she meant to be.

  “I’m not stupid, you know,” she said coolly. “Now would you mind? I need to help Llew.”

  He sent her a quick, hurt look and strode out, brushing past Cadoc who led Llew down the corridor.

  Entering the room, Cadoc glanced back over his shoulder at Phoenix’s retreating back. “Is he alright?”

  Jade shrugged. “He’s just being bossy. He’ll get over it. Now, let’s see what we’ve got. Lie down.”

  Llew sent her a grateful, exhausted smile and sank onto the sleeping mat with a sigh and a cough. Blood spotted his lips. He winced as she eased his vest off and slid his shirt down off his left shoulder.

  She sucked in a long, hissing breath at the sight of the ugly wound. Leela’s daughters had packed it well with wadded cloth but blood had seeped through and crusted the cloth onto his skin. It must have hurt when it came off but he barely uttered a sound. Grimacing, she looked at the man properly for the first time and found him gazing back at her with solemn, pained dark eyes. He smiled, creases forming in his weatherbeaten skin. Reaching out with his right hand, he gripped her fingers weakly.

  “You are as kind as you are beautiful, my lady. Thank you for trying to help me but I fear it may be too late. Please, look after my master.”

  Jade blinked at the older man in dismay, wondering if he were right. She had to try, though. Cadoc obviously thought highly of him and she didn’t want to let her new friend down. She pressed her lips together and shook her head, saying briskly, “Don’t be silly. You’ll be fine.”

  Sitting back on her heels, she took stock of her own inner resources. She’d spent a week in the lifeless deserts of Egypt and it had taken a toll. Hers was an earthy magic; linked to nature and the life of the forest. Drawing a deep breath, she smelled the rich scents of warm, fertile earth, water and plants. Deep in her bones, she felt the presence of living trees and drew some strength from them as she did back in England. They ‘tasted’ slightly different in her mind but their essential earth-connection was the same. Magic had been difficult in the dry deserts of Egypt. Here it should be easier. The question was: did she have enough left to perform a difficult Healing?

  First she mixed a few herbs together with a little water and pressed them to the torn flesh. Then, closing her eyes, Jade reached out and laid her hand on Llew’s shoulder. Murmuring the Elvish healing spell, she allowed power to flow through her palm. Frowning, she ‘felt’ the wound; knitting torn muscle; repairing a severed vein; reconnecting a broken tendon. It was a more complex injury than any she’d had to deal with so far. The blade had entered and twisted as it came out, leaving a ragged, deep cut. It had nicked an artery and the top of the left lung, too. She had to repair that and drain the blood that had been slowly filling Llew’s vital airways. She also detected snake-venom that would need to be destroyed before it affected any organs. The healing was a delicate, difficult task and it took far more energy than she’d planned.

  Then, when it was almost complete, his heart stopped. Aloud, Jade yelled “No!” and poured everything she had into the effort. Gritting her teeth, she sent a massive shock into Llew’s body in an effort to re-start his heart. The world began to spin as she sat back and tried to focus on her patient. She had lost the connection with him. Did his heart beat? Worried, she reached for the yin-yang amulet around her neck; hoping to draw power from it as she had in Egypt. Her arms were too heavy. They wouldn’t move. She was so tired. So very, very tired. Perhaps if she just slept for awhile, she would feel better. Sliding onto the floor beside Llew, she barely heard Brynn’s frightened cry before the world vanished into darkness.

  *****

  Phoenix, Marcus and Brynn entered Jade’s room in time to watch the last few seconds of the healing. Jade crouched over the warrior with her eyes closed and a deep frown creasing her forehead. Her right hand hovered over the wounded shoulder. An intense, purple-blue glow shimmered beneath her palm, arcing and crackling around Llew’s shoulder. It seemed to slide beneath his skin, lighting his body from the inside as her magic cleansed and cured the deep wound.

  Her eyes flew open, vividly green against the bruises of tiredness beneath them. She gasped a single, strangled “No!”. The glow at her fingers flashed into a blinding flare then suddenly winked out. Llew’s body jerked. Jade swayed and blinked, a vague look of surprise on her face. Then she collapsed to the ground beside her patient. Brynn ran forward with a cry of fear but Cadoc got there first and lifted her gently in his arms. Llew lay, still and pale, beside them.

  Brynn anxiously watched Jade’s face then glared at Cadoc. “She’s given all her strength to save y
our friend,” he accused.

  “I didn’t ask her to. She offered,” Cadoc said calmly. He glanced over at his friend and reached out to place fingertips on the older man’s throat. Then he did the same to Jade.

  He shook his head, lay her down on the floor beside her patient and looked regretfully up at Phoenix and Marcus. “I’m sorry. She’s dead. They both are.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  Phoenix swore inventively and pushed Cadoc aside to check for himself. He laid his fingers on Jade’s slender, white neck and felt for a pulse. Nothing. Next he pulled her dagger out of its sheath and counted the rubies in its hilt twice. Sure enough, of the seven life-rubies with which she had started this game, only five were still sparklingly intact. The other two had dulled and cracked to lifeless chips of pink stone.

  He shoved the knife back with a groan and glared at the Player. Cadoc stared back, his grey eyes clouded with regret. He laid a consoling hand on Phoenix’s arm. After an internal struggle, Phoenix suppressed his anger enough to speak grudgingly, through gritted teeth.

  “It’s not your fault. I’m sorry about your friend, too.” He stood up and went to stand by the door with his arms folded. “Jade’s always giving more than she can; doing more than she should. She’s too soft; but at least she has more lives.” He ignored Brynns’ reproachful glare and Marcus’ look of resigned understanding. Marcus, alone, guessed how hard Phoenix found it to depend on Jade – or anyone.

  The group watched for a few heartbeats until the particular ‘magic’ of this digital world did its job. Colour returned to Jade’s pale cheeks. She drew a deep, shuddering breath and began a new life. Her eyes flew open and she stared at the ceiling for a moment before grimacing and sitting up with a moan. Nobody said anything as she pulled out her dagger and looked at the gem-studded hilt. With a sigh, she slid it back into its sheath.

  “Thought so,” she still sounded tired. “Well, that was unnecessary and stupid, wasn’t it? No, don’t answer.” She held up a hand as Phoenix opened his mouth. “I’m sorry, ok. It’s been a long couple of weeks and I just didn’t realise how drained I was. It won’t happen again, I promise. Oh!”

  She twisted around and reached a hand out toward Llew but stopped just before her fingers touched him. Her face crumpled and she knelt beside the man, obviously fighting back tears. Cadoc crouched beside her, draping one arm over her shoulders and pulling her into a sideways hug.

  “I’m so sorry,” her voice was muffled by her hands. “I tried but his heart stopped and I couldn’t get it started again.”

  “I know,” the Player reassured her. “I saw.” He peeled the herb poultice back and showed a perfectly-healed shoulder on his friend’s body. “You did an incredible job with the healing. I just think he was too old for this adventure. I shouldn’t have let him come. I should have chosen a different Companion.”

  Sighing, he rocked back on his heels and pulled Jade to her feet. “Come on. You and your friends go have breakfast while I make arrangements. Then we’ll have to continue our journey.”

  The four companions edged out of the room, leaving Cadoc to his silent grief. Marcus followed Jade as she stumbled toward the kitchen, saying to Phoenix as he passed, “I’ll make sure she eats.”

  Phoenix nodded gratefully; glad Marcus was there to look after Jade. She was sure to blame herself for this death and Marcus had more patience with her than he did when she was in that sort of mood.

  Brynn tugged on his arm, jerking his head to indicate he wanted to speak to him in private. “I don’t trust him,” he murmured, eyeing the bedroom darkly. “He doesn’t even really care that his friend is dead.”

  Phoenix glanced at the closed door. There was no way to explain to Brynn why a Player didn’t much care about his digital companion. To Brynn, this was real; to Cadoc, it was just a computer game. Phoenix had mixed feelings about the Player but they had more to do with envy than trust. “I don’t think he’s a bad guy, if that’s what you mean,” he hedged. “It wasn’t his fault Jade overdid the healing.”

  Brynn sent him a knowing, scornful look. “Don’t let his pretty face blind you.”

  Phoenix shook his head, “It’s not that. He’s fine, Brynn. He’s a good fighter and he’s got extra lives, like Jade and I do. We need all the help we can get in this world and I’m not going to turn aside someone who knows what’s going on just on a whim. We trusted you, remember?”

  Brynn glowered at him for a moment then turned away and stalked out the back door.

  He disappeared for an hour. When he did return, the confusion of packing, arranging for Llew’s burial and taking leave of their kind hosts didn’t give Phoenix a chance to talk with him. Overriding Samir’s protests, Jade pressed several small, silver Roman coins into Leela’s hands as she said goodbye. Phoenix was glad, as the village was too poor to feed and house travellers for free.

  The five moved out of the village about mid-morning, heading east along the river. They were followed by twenty or more laughing, skipping, singing brown children and an assortment of scrawny yellow dogs. At the outskirts of the farmland, the children stopped and began waving and calling out good luck messages. Phoenix and Brynn waved back but Jade, deep in conversation with Cadoc, didn’t seem to notice. Marcus rode alongside listening, with an expression of polite interest, as Cadoc told stories of some of his adventures. Phoenix and Brynn nudged their horses closer, eavesdropping shamelessly. Together, they rode east, squinting into the rising sun.

  “I’m sorry if this sounds rude,” Jade was saying, “but why didn’t you want to stay for Llew’s funeral?”

  Cadoc sent her a surprised look. He waved a hand around at the wide, green world. “I know this is all very realistic but you do remember what he is, don’t you? Completing the Quest is more important. You can’t afford to let anything get in the way of that.”

  Jade bit her lip and cast her eyes down. Phoenix guessed she had forgotten that, to Cadoc, this was just a game. Phoenix saw Jade send a speculative, sideways look at Marcus and Brynn. They were supposed to be only digital constructs but it was too easy to forget that. Phoenix wasn’t so sure any more. According to the old woman who had come to them in Albion, this world was real in its own way. Everything certainly seemed very real.

  Of course, Cadoc was still outside the game, connected only by a virtual headset and a control console. It was weird to think they were travelling with someone who didn’t really inhabit the body they saw. To him it remained a game; a game he could get out of or switch off any time he wanted to. To him, Llew was nothing more than a construct of that game – not a real person to get emotionally attached to.

  Phoenix jumped into the conversation, not wanting Jade to continue a topic that might lead to awkward questions about why she felt so strongly about her Companions.

  “So,” he called across to the warrior, “what were you doing in the Naga caves?”

  Cadoc shrugged. “Got sidetracked by the promise of treasure. The Naga are famous for being the guardians of huge riches. Unfortunately, they proved to be very good guardians. What about you? How did you end up in there?”

  “We came into this level through a portal in the Naga caves,” he replied diffidently. Behind him, Phoenix could almost feel Brynn’s interest and disappointment at the mention of riches lost.

  Cadoc’s gaze sharpened. “Really? Now that’s interesting. We came in through the Karla caves temple in the mountain range toward the west. It’s a lot further away, though, so a portal around here would be handy.”

  Jade shook her head. “The entrance is blocked by a rockfall. Even if you could get past the Naga, you wouldn’t be able to get to the gate.”

  With a sigh, the warrior shrugged. “Oh well.”

  “Where are you going now?” Jade’s expression was easy to read. She was feeling bad that she’d wrecked his plans. Phoenix sighed. She really was way too trusting. Cadoc seemed like a nice guy but he was still another Player with his own agenda. He was out to win his Game and, if they
were in his way, he wouldn’t think twice about getting them out of it, one way or another.

  Cadoc pointed east. “About twenty-five kilometres downstream the Mula river comes out of these mountain ranges and turns south. There’s a small market town there called Punya-Vishaya or Pune. We… Hmmm I’ll have to find a new Companion, I suppose.” He shook his head as though ridding himself of the memory of his late friend. “Anyway…I need to get to Pune to complete my quest. ”

  “Really? So do we,” Jade blurted, apparently forgetting Phoenix’s warning. She gasped and slapped a hand over her mouth. Phoenix groaned.

  Cadoc laughed, his face lighting up. “Don’t worry. It’s only if you start talking details about your quest or your real world life that you get in trouble. It’s ok to travel together and just chat. I’m glad you’re going to Pune.”

  Jade smiled back. “Me too.”

  Phoenix closed his eyes and scrubbed a hand over his face. Even he could tell she liked Cadoc. How many problems was this going to cause?

  As he pondered how to deal with the situation, he saw Jade’s expression lighten. She drew a deep breath, sucking in the warm scents of trees and earth. Phoenix followed her gaze as she turned to look around. It definitely was a heck of a lot nicer than the desert of Egypt. To the north and south, mountain ranges, tiered like giants’ steps, rose steeply into the blue sky. Above the farmland valley, tall trees dotted the ridges, changing to deep, lush rainforest in the valleys.

  “I smell...” she closed her eyes, “sandalwood, patchouli and lemongrass.” She smiled. “It’s almost like being at home in my dad’s hothouse. I’m so glad to be back amongst the trees.”

  Cadoc raised his brows and caught Phoenix’s eyes in question.

  Phoenix shrugged. “We spent a week in the desert on the last level.”

  “You want trees,” Cadoc chuckled, “you should have been with me. I was in South America being chased by spear-waving natives,” he pointed to his ruby arm bracelet. “Lost three lives there. One when a spider bit me – how dumb is that?”