Part two- Chapter 36

“When it was dark, you always carried the sun in your hand for me.”

― Seán O'Casey, Three More Plays: The Silver Tassie, Purple Dust, Red Roses For Me

TEMPLAR P.O.V

The Range Rover stopped unexpectedly waking me from my nap. Since I couldn’t sleep last night and the one before that, I had slept throughout the journey. Although, I do remember walking around the airport like a headless chicken!

Blinking repeatedly, I looked at my surroundings. We were in what appeared to be an endless stretch of road with picture perfect dunes on either side.

“Where are we?” I queried sleepily.

“We have reached the outskirts of Ashur” Rett replied.

“Why did we stop then?” I queried.

“I want to take a picture” I heard Jan squealing. Poking my head out of the window, I saw her standing next to the car and focusing her camera ahead.

It was only when I saw a long black mamba snake slithering, I grasped why the cars had stopped. “Dear Goddess” I whispered when I saw the venomous snake that moved towards the dunes with great agility.

Our kind is not safe from snake’s venom unless we are given the proper treatment. And black mambas are known to give a ‘kiss of death’.

“Perfect” Jan grinned after she clicked the picture. “Such a beauty” she muttered watching the snake disappear in between the dunes.

Sitting back, I rested my head on Rett’s shoulders.

I have heard that snake crossing the road when you are going somewhere brings good luck… I desperately want it to be true!

Not just for me and Rett… for Adio and his family too. There has been a lot of tension between the mystics since the meeting two days ago and I totally understood why. The chief of their tribe was risking his own life.

Just like we werewolves depend on an Alpha to provide safety and security, the mystics depend on their tribe leader. When compared like that, the mystics and werewolves seem same but in no way we are same.

They are not shape-shifters like us and we do not deal with spirits like they do. That’s the main element of their kind… literally telling the evil spirits to go to hell.

Twenty minutes later, the vehicle stopped in front of a large gate with fortress walls on either side.

“We have reached” Tarik, who was sitting in the front seat, told us and I took a deep breath. “Stay here” Tarik warned when I was about to open the door. “We do not want the guards seeing you guys.” Sighing, I did as told.

“What is going on?”

“Baba is asking permission with the gatekeepers. My uncle thinks of himself as a king” Tarik mused mockingly.

“Will they let you guys go in?”

“Us… they have to. You… they will not” Tarik said and I pursed my lips.

After another ten minutes, Tarik brought the engine back to life.

The huge iron gates which were locked from the other side, earlier, now got opened and as the vehicle entered inside, I looked at my surroundings. There were five more bald guys standing guard and watching us.

My eyes clashed with one guard’s golden ones and he frowned.

He shouted something and ran after our Rover, but the other guards stopped him and pushed him to the ground. Oh! Adio’s has men working for him inside this fort.

“Another gate?” Rett growled and sure enough there was one more made out of wood.

“There are two more to go” Tarik said sourly and I blinked. Clearly this Nassor dude has some kind of phobia.

Few minutes later, the second gate opened and my eyes rounded when I saw skeletons nailed to the gates. There were at least ten to fifteen skeletons nailed to the large gates.

“They were the ones who had tried to leave the realm. He has had that put as a warning to others” Tarik exclaimed.

“He is sick” I breathed out while Rett growled. I finally got an idea of what kind of a chief Nassor is.

The third gate was made of bronze and thankfully, it had nothing fixed on it!

I sucked in a breath as I saw the fourth gate, immediately after entering passing through the third. “Is that made out of real?” Rett demanded.

“Pure gold” Tarik answered watching the golden gates.

“What’s the next one made of… diamonds?” I demanded.

“This is the last one and then we see the main city” Tarik replied amused and as the gate opened, I saw the kingdom of Ashur. The first car, which had Adio, Dalila and two of their daughters, drove ahead… the next one had Jan and Terence along with Adio’s guards. We were in the third SUV.

All the three SUV’s drove ahead and I looked out of the window to look at the city.

‘Ruins’ that’s the word that first came into my mind when I saw the city. There were buildings, but they all looked old and in desperate need of renovation. Every single head turned to look at us, when we passed them.

“Adio” one man shouted rushing towards the first car. “Adio” the man cried loudly and then spoke something in their native language. I spun my head and watched as more and more people came out of their shops and started running after the vehicle. They were saying something in their own language but judging by their expression I could say that they were happy to see Adio.

“What does Ur mean?” Rett asked Tarik and even I was curious because they crowd was repeatedly shouting Ur and Ra. But I already knew that Ra means the Sun God in their language.

“It means great. They are saying The Great One is here… Ra is here” Tarik said and I nodded.

After driving for almost fifteen minutes, we saw the market, where mostly ladies were working at. There were also beggars in the streets and I hitched my brows as I saw them. The people in Ashur looked worn and scruffy and haggard. Their clothes tattered. Adio was right… Nassor was treating his own people very badly. I could say that just by looking at these people.

Then we came to the rows of houses. The majority of the houses in Ashur was made out of bricks and in few places, I saw people living in the tents.

“I am amazed those walls did not collapse. They look old” Rett stated watching a house.

“They are old. At least hundred years old” Tarik answered. Children, who were naked and playing in the road, moved to the side and clapped in excitement when they saw the cars. Smiling, I poked my head out and waved at a little girl.

“Holy Goddess” I gasped as I saw that the people from the city were still running behind the Range Rover because it was the one at last. Women from those markets had joined them too. Judging the gestures they were making using their hands, I could say that they were asking for us to stop. But since Adio did not stop his car, Tarik too didn’t and we drove ahead.

Five minutes later, we reached the place where I guess only rich lived because the houses were big and beautiful, the people here were better dressed and flaunted jewelry every way they could.

“These people look fine” Rett mumbled.

“That’s because they are my uncle’s dogs” Tarik hissed without even sparing a glance at those people.

“That’s the family house” Tarik specified after some time, pointing ahead. My eyes widened when I saw what he was pointing at.

“House? That’s a Palace” I announced watching the building in awe. It was wide and magnificent and superb! The door of that palace was made out of gold and so were the window panes.

“I think your uncle does not know what to do with all the gold he has” Rett mused watching two golden statues of naked women on either end of the first stair, leading to the palace door.

“You realized that just now?” Tarik smirked shaking his head.

The guards in and around the house, who I guessed were loyal to Nassor, rushed ahead to stop Adio’s car, but he drove swiftly, not wasting time on the likes of them.

Adio finally came to a halt, right in front of those entrance stairs. Watching that, even Tarik stopped the car, “Stay here” Tarik warned us before climbing out of the car.

“This seems like the devil’s abode” Rett muttered looking out of the window. Resting my knees on the seat beside Rett, I bent forward to look out of the window.

‘Tem, are you guys planning to go out?’ Jan asked through the link and I replied with a negative.

The main door, which was made out of gold, flew open, just when Adio stopped near the foot of the stairs along with Dalila, Tarik and their guards.

Two guys, holding spears came out first and behind them came a man clad in a golden color silk robe. The man, who seemed to be in his late thirties, just like the other people of this tribe was bald, had coffee-brown skin, but unlike the others, he had eyes dark as night. He was also was holding a spear, taller and sharper than the others.

“I am sure he is Nassor” I whispered.

“He is” Rett confirmed wrapping an arm around my waist and helping me sit on his lap.

“Wish we had a translator” I sighed when they started talking. The Nassor guy was downright sour because the moment he saw Adio, his face screwed up to a look of disgust and after that he started spitting words and judging by his loud tone and Adio’s angry stance, I knew he was insulting Adio.

After hearing Nassor’s rant for almost five minutes, Adio got so angry that he caught a spear and threw it straight ahead. Nassor ducked and the spear hit the wall behind him.

At that precise moment, we climbed out of the car and marched ahead.

It caught Nassor’s attention because slowly he stood up straight and watched us, until I was standing right next to Adio.

“Cursed creatures” Nassor muttered and we werewolves growled murderously. How dare he call us that? “Do you really think this little group of cursed creatures can defeat me brother?” Nassor sneered at Adio and I frowned.

“Not the whole group. Just one of them is enough to defeat you” Adio hissed.

“They are paired at birth aren’t they? If you kill one, the other one dies too” he mocked and I glared at him.

“Just try” I dared and Nassor eyes turned into slits.

“I can kill you with my eyes closed” Nassor said and smirking, he pointed the tip of his spear, which was also made of gold, in my direction. Almost immediately Nassor javelined it.

Rett caught the spear while it was mere inches from my heart and then twisting it, he broke it into two pieces and then handed the pieces to me and Terence. We broke it into another half before flinging it to the ground.

“My precious gold” Nassor seethed and glared at us, his dark eyes flaring in anger.

“Two eyes wouldn’t be enough for you to watch me as I move around” Rett growled and Nassor frowned. Slowly, he directed his glare towards Adio.

“What is he talking about?” Nassor demanded.

“He will be the one fighting with you in the battle field on behalf of me” Adio proclaimed.

At first Nassor just stared and then he burst out laughing as if Adio had just said the joke of the year. I clenched my fists and beside me Rett growled louder than the last time.

“This… this cursed creature is going to challenge me? Me? Nassor the King of Ashur?” Nassor said extending his arms beside him.

“He will not just challenge you. He will defeat you” I spat taking a step forward. Nassor’s smile slowly started fading when he saw me and I knew my eyes were the color of blood.

“She… She... -” Nassor stuttered.

“The daughter of moon Goddess? Yes” Adio confirmed. “But don’t get scared little brother. She will not kill you” Adio derided and I smirked, while Nassor curled his lips.