All Chapters of The Shambala Chronicles : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

"You were supposed to be in the maze, Anbir," Rudra said aloud. The thunder had stopped but the sky was still grey with rain falling in buckets."I don't know, I just killed the Phoenix and suddenly I was in the middle of a thunder," Anbir replied wiping his forehead.His clothes were slowly getting soaked in the rain."Come here, this cave will provide us with some shelter, " Rudra said.He looked inside, he could see the silhouette of Toshani pulling on her dress. He sighed with relief, it would have been embarrassing to be caught a few minutes prior.A few moments later Toshani, Rudra, and Anbir were sitting in front of the fire. Anbir glanced at the red-faced Rudra and Toshani after they explained how they ended up in the cave. They had skipped over the intimate details of course, but Anbir could guess what had transpired between them.He burst into laughter, while Rudra and Toshani looked flustered..."This is in

Suchihero pondered over Shrushaw's words, then rubbed his temples with his fingers."What do you mean by powers? What powers does Toshani have?" "She is the heir of Godess Aditi you know that. Somehow her presence at the shrine broke my maze. Perhaps it's because of her age, she is 16 now. Her powers were eventually going to show up.""You haven't answered my question? What powers does she have?" "The prophecy...." Shrushaw said."Yes I know the prophecy, I want to know what does Toshani has to do with breaking your maze?" The king insisted."The shrine is the hiding place of the source, your majesty. Toshani's presence must have affected it somehow,  which created a mystic surge and broke the maze."Shrushaw explained though she herself wasn't sure about it."What do you suggest? What should I do?" "Keep her away from this forest, and the shrine your majesty.""You know that's impossible. Toshani is

Toshani could feel Revati's gaze boring into her as she accepted Rudra's offer to dance. The minstrels were already playing a lively tune.She took his hand as he pulled her towards him. He held her close,  though still maintaining the respectable distance."You know what I love about Shambala?" He said."What?""You people really love to celebrate, who could have thought of a camp ball!"Toshani laughed."When people are happy and the land is prosperous, celebrations are a normal occurrence.""Indeed." He quipped," perhaps, I should suggest this to my father.""What? Not declaring wars on unsuspecting neighbours?" She raised an eyebrow."No, campfire balls," he chuckled," but I like your other suggestion as well."She narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you making fun of me?" She gave him a challenging look."No, it was a genuine compliment," he moved her along the music, "and don't worry, no harm will ev

"This is preposterous!" Anbir was fuming.The applause died down, and most of the eyes in the court had turned towards Anbir."I have won 3 of the previous tournaments, how can you choose someone else ?"Rudra closed his eyes for a moment, this was embarrassing. Revati looked visibly terrified while King Suchihero narrowed his eyes."Was this some sort of a joke for you? If it was all about making a choice then why hold such an elaborate contest ?" Anbir fumed."Perhaps, you must go through the terms of the Svyamvaar again, prince Anbir, they clearly state that the contest was being held to help the princess make a choice. How was she supposed to make a choice when she didn't know any of you? I appreciate your participation, and I would have been blessed to have you, my son-in-law. But my daughter has chosen prince Aditya. I have to respect her choice." King Suchihero explained.Anbir was about to make a threat when he felt a hand on h

"Hey, are you still sulking?" Anbir smirked as they rode back to Vatsaya. "I am fine," Rudra gave a curt reply.The truth was he was never going to be the same again. At least not until he reached the Citadel of Kashi. Perhaps, the rigorous lifestyle at the Ashram (learning center) would keep him busy enough to not miss Toshani. He hoped so."I know a very good place, which can make you forget anything brother," Anbir said."I am not interested in your whorehouse," Rudra replied.Anbir burst into laughter, "I was talking about hunting, but whorehouse definitely sounds better."Rudra made a face. His brother was back to his usual self. He seemed happier, now that the pressure of Svyamvaar was off.The only person who seemed to be suffering was Rudra himself.They crossed the grand gates of the Vatsya empire. A huge statue of a trident, it's symbol adorned the gates.The capital of Vatsaya, Nasivara was impregnable. The royal

The ship was sailing over the turbulent water of the mighty river Brahmaputra. Ganga the sacred river had yet to descend on Earth.Lorna being the Vassal state of Shambhala it was technically in Shambala boundaries.Revati stood over the highest deck reserved for the royal couple. The ship was a gift from Suchihero. Lorna was quicker to reach through the water route than the land. It was just two days journey down the river Brahmaputra. It was 5 days through the land as they had to circumvent the river.Revati stood at the railing looking into the deep blue water. It had been absolute bliss. Though she missed her home and family which was obvious there was a thrill of being with Aditya, and being in Lorna.She heard the slight footsteps and rustling behind her. She turned to face Aditya wrapped in a robe who had come to join her on the deck.She smiled feeling a blush creep up her cheeks. Their lovemaking had been the way she envisioned, slo

The torch faltered and hissed as water dripped from the low ceiling. Prahastha kept his gaze ahead and tried his best to ignore the stench of the sewer and the dirty water that splashed around his boots.He walked down many twisting passages, arriving at the spot he was looking for. The stretch of wall in front of him looked no different from anywhere else. As always, he bent down and found the brick he was looking for. He pushed it and it sank deeper into the wall. He stepped back and watched as a section of the wall began sliding sideways, revealing a box. As expected there was a note inside it. His latest contract. Prahastha reached inside the box and pulled out the note.It just read - The docks, midnight.Which meant he would be meeting his latest client at the docks. He smirked and closed the empty box. Pushing it back into the wall. Sometimes the human emotions amazed him.He never had a dearth of a client requesting him to kill someone

Prahastha barely had time to be bewildered, watching her sink into the embrace of the river. With a newfound sense of urgency, he followed after her. Jumping from the branches onto the ground he ran, he ran downstream following her. She couldn't be lost - he had no idea why he was doing this. There was an undercurrent to his emotion - some innate sense that he would lose something precious - but he hardly had the time to register it.The Vatsaya soldiers had left pursuing Toshani. They had a bigger problem. The crown prince was dead.Prahastha spotted Toshani and immediately dove in the direction of her ripples, aware that he had precious little time to act. He had dropped off his clothes and weapons and was clothed lightly underneath. He waded deep down, one arm extending to quickly encircle her waist.But there was still too much of her dress, too many layers weighing them both down now. Thinking quickly, he unsheathed the dagge

Shrushaw was exhausted by the time she had finished changing and healing Toshani. The princess was now tucked comfortably under thick blankets. Her injuries were healing fine. Though the full impact of her trauma would only be revealed once she gained consciousness."She will sleep now," Shrushaw declared.She arrived near the hearth and sat down next to Prahastha as he prodded the flames with a long stick. A kettle with some stew boiled away over the fire.It was early morning now and he was tired, though sleep was still far away.He turned towards her expecting her to break the silence."It's been a long time Prahastha, ever since you left the order. Things have changed," Shrushaw said moodily.The order, he thought. How long ago that was? 50 years maybe? Mages stayed young for a long time. No one could guess that Prahastha who looked 27 was more than 80 years old.Mages like other people followed the different school of though

Vatsya - Bhairav held his torch tightly and gingerly descended the stone steps leading to a deep basement. The rough walls were covered in runes. He descended into a circular room and lit the first torchlight, then another and another. Soon the room was lit with a circle of torches.He approached a shrine in the middle of the room and bowed. He mumbled an incantation and threw some twigs in the firepit.It was ablaze with a crackling fire."I summon you, Mother of demons," he mumbled.The fire blazed with a swish and began to take shape of a woman. A figure of a woman appeared in the fire. Her long curls fell until her knees. Her face was lovely yet cruel."Why have you summoned me, my servant," her ethereal voice resonated in the room.He laid flat on his stomach on the floor and paid his respects."Oh goddess Diti the mother of demons, forgive me for I have failed to do my work."The fire blazed higher."I know, you