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Chapter 25: Thunka Remembers
The red lanterns that surrounded the Entertainment Palace were all lit, shedding rays of red light on the pathways that all led to the main octagonal structure. They drew in Thunka's customers, mostly wealthy traders who came to Alnoc from different cities of Sendorra. Thunka's servants were all busy pouring wine on seemingly bottomless glasses and filling platters with sumptuous servings of roasted chicken and beef. Glass bowls were laden with fruits that came in from local traders and merchant ships. Everything glittered under the colored lamps of the palace and the richest customers displayed the full splendor of their gold jewels and gem-studded attire.
Merry music from the small gongs and the bamboo flute intermingled with the laughter and the noisy chatter from customers who were busy talking with their favorite performers from Thunka's troupe. Lounging on her usual seat and watching everything that was happening around her was Thunka, glamorously dressed in finest silk
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Journey Through the Shadow Realms Chapter 26: Thunka Gets a Visit
Thunka thought about these events that happened after she woke up in her private room and felt her anger return. She was further incensed upon her discovery that her feather bag was also missing. As if to taunt her, Mira put her empty diamond jar in its place. Thunka felt her face grow hot and had a servant fan her more vigorously. When she had sufficiently calmed down, she reclined comfortably and watched her dancers perform.Suddenly, Thunka saw soldiers in black uniform block her view of the performance. She was about to shout angrily when she noticed the Imperial insignia of the soldiers."Jal Dalik, I was wondering when you would visit," said Thunka, raising a hand to the newcomer."Thunka," said Dalik as she kissed Thunka's hand. "Lovely as ever."Thunka had her servants prepare a seat for the Emperor's general and had the finest wine served to him. Dalik eyed Thunka with interest and asked, "How are you, my old friend?""As you can see, I've
Journey Through the Shadow Realms Chapter 27: A Moonlight Chase
Casser clicked his tongue repeatedly and flicked the reins to get Noha to go faster. Noha protested and looked behind her at Casser as if to say that she was already going as fast as she could. She brayed and snorted, then continued to plod along the moonlit road. Eldion looked repeatedly outside and expected the soldiers or the magic hunters to come out of the inn anytime. He wondered whether it was wise to use Noha to escape the soldiers or if they would be better off on foot.Wen could not believe how slow Noha was going and was thinking of just telling Casser that they leave Noha and the cart. She fidgeted with her hands and shifted in her seat as she kept looking behind them. She wished that she had a mantle of invisibility at that moment to hide their escape from their pursuers.Casser led Noha to the right side of the main road and then down a dirt road that was partially obstructed by shrubs. Eldion heard shouts from behind them and saw one of the soldiers look out of the windo
Journey Through the Shadow Realms Chapter 28: Lankko Finds Shelter
The ground had become softer and wetter the more that Lankko walked on as he followed Mira's scent. Lankko took the lead while Enzir followed closely behind him. Soon, the landscape changed as more mangroves grew on the water and Enzir could see the moon mirrored on the watery surface of the swamp.Lankko held the chicken that was the mankora on the crook of his arm. The chicken clucked and Lankko stroked its feathers until it calmed down and was able to sleep. He cooed at the chicken as if singing a lullaby. When Lankko lifted his head, he saw that Mira's trail was leading them westwards over the vast wetlands that bordered Alnoc forest. Lankko walked on wondering when the effects of the magic elixir were going to wear off and what they would do when it did. He only had one full bottle of magic elixir left in his pocket and knew that he would need to make more of it if they were to track Mira. The problem would be where he could get the magical artifacts from which he could
Journey Through the Shadow Realms Chapter 29: Stories of Alanca
"The story of Alanca is as old as the temple ruins that lay across the vast swamplands to the north of Alnoc." Enzir remembered his father telling him the story when he was still a boy.There once was a king who ruled over the lands that included the Alnoc and extending northwards up to the Kanima Mountains. Alnoc fortress did not exist then and the king lived in a large stone palace that was built on a flat piece of land just across the swamp. Most of the king's subjects were fishermen who earned their living by fishing in the rough seas of the Corian. There were still no large merchant ships and the boats were a lot smaller and could only carry up to three fishermen and their catch.However, the kingdom became known for its beautiful stone sculptures that rivaled even the decorations in the palaces of Lazar. It was said that Alnoc's guild of sculptors became so skilled in their art that the master sculptors could create statues that could come to life. The king loved
Journey Through the Shadow Realms Chapter 30: Tale of the Peasant Girl
Enzir woke up with a start as he felt the warmth of the sun on his face and heard the different sounds of the jungle. He thought he was having a bad dream, but soon realized that he had been forced out of his castle fortress and the jungle might as well be his new home.He looked around him and remembered that he was within the temple ruins of Alanca. The lichen-covered walls of the temple were bathed in the morning sun, revealing more of the carvings that he saw the night before. Not far from him were two statues of ancient gods that may have guarded the entrance to the temple. One of the statues had been toppled to the ground by a large tree that had taken its place in the pedestal, but the other was intact and revealed the artistry of the ancient Alnoc sculptors. There were sounds of birds that were fleeting between the trees as well as the cackle of a hen which Enzir realized was coming from Kora who had made a corner of the temple her own comfortable space.Enzir's stomach grumble
Journey Through the Shadow Realms Chapter 31: The Dancer's Heart
Eldion woke up to the sound of birds and insects in the jungle and found that he was alone inside the cart. He was able to rest well after being exhausted with the events of the previous day such that he feared that he might have slept too long. He wondered where Wen had gone to and looked out of the covered cart."He's awake!" said Casser and beckoned for Eldion to join them. Beside him was Mira who smiled when she saw Eldion's head poke out of the cart. Eldion knew it was Mira from her confident posture and how she behaved around Casser."Come and have breakfast, Eldion," said Mira.Eldion got off the cart and joined his two companions who were having breakfast under a large tree. He was immediately given a plateful of rice, dried fish and vegetables by Mira and some water by Casser."Where are we?" asked Eldion as he ate his breakfast. "Are we still in Alnoc?""He really does not know, does he?" Casser asked Mira.Mira caressed Casser's a
Journey Through the Shadow Realms Chapter 32: Tale of the Stonecutter
The stonecutter's name was Shaan and he was in the service of the king of Alnoc. Every day, he would toil under the harsh sun or the torrents of rain. He would lift his mallet and hit his chisel to take out a portion of the mountain for use by the master sculptors of Alnoc. The work was hard and tedious, but the stonecutter devoted all of his time extracting the best stones for the king.One day, the rain poured in torrents and the wind blew hard on the mountain face that the lead stonecutter halted their work and they all looked for shelter. Shaan strayed from the others and came across a narrow cave on the mountain side that served to shelter him from the rain. As the rain poured outside, Shaan saw an image of a beautiful woman appear on the wall of the cave. Then, as abruptly as it appeared, the image vanished before the stonecutter’s eyes.The stonecutter wondered who the woman was and he was haunted by her beautiful image. She visited him constantly in his dreams, always smiling b
Journey Through the Shadow Realms Chapter 33: The Temple City
The three traveling companions followed the trail which led through the swampy forest. Tall reeds grew densely from each side, making it difficult to tell if there was any swamp creature waiting to pounce on them. Water rose past their ankles and they had to be careful with their steps should there be a deep hole or protruding rocks that could throw them off balance or make them twist their ankles.Casser took the lead, wading through the swamp water as fast as he could while Mira followed closely behind. Eldion took up the rear and wondered if he had made a mistake. With the stories about Alanca still fresh in his mind, Eldion was on edge and would jump at the slightest sound of reeds snapping underfoot. He looked constantly behind him to see if there was anything that could pounce on him from behind and tried to discern any movement from the reeds rising at his sides. Quite a few times, he was startled by what he thought was a swamp creature hiding behind the reeds, expecting a large
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