After Tikil’s death, the energy on the Mount of Fear went off the track. This happened because the Death of the Titan meant a kind of Imbalance of Power for nature. This brought heavy rain on the mountain, rockslides, and snow avalanches that got even to the foot of the mountain. Even voices started to be heard from the depths of the mountain as if there were hideous monsters hidden there that were about to awake.
Actually, it was only a matter of time until another Titan of Dread would have appeared in the world because, as Nathaniel told Samaya once, when they got to Rophion Forest, nothing in this world is randomly and if a Titan, creature, or plant disappears, then something else or someone else takes its place. This happens because of the Balance of Power that exists in nature. A power that seemed to act up at that moment when part of it wasn’t controlled by anybody.
The same madness started to control the Veḷḷams too. They, once Tikil died and nobody was able to control them, started to attack and act up at their will. „Yet, it won’t last long,” Maranam hissed through his teeth after the Veḷḷams attacked their allies first, making a lot of victims among the Virgins Uyarvu and even among the Vanamars of Ṭirākulā.
The only ones that hadn’t been touched by the Veḷḷams’madness were the Coal Burners, the Virgins Yātrīkar, and Colte’s Vanamars. They, even though they heard roars up the mountain and understood that their allies had been attacked and suffered, didn’t move from their place, not even a millimeter. Actually, poor souls didn’t even breathe for a while, waiting for the attack over their camp too, hidden behind the big rocks the Coal Burners brought to the Field Ātma as though they had tried to become one with the rocks or to make others blind and not see them there if the enemy had looked for them too.
Maranam didn’t think the same. He, unlike Vokkam, who gave the order to his Coal Burners and to the rest not to move from the Field Ātma, told his panthers when the attack of the Veḷḷams was stopped and they ran to hide in the depths of the ground, „It won’t be quiet for too long on this Field. Not as long as the Veḷḷams are out of control.”
„Then? What should we do, Master?” Kurūcim asked, gnashing her teeth when she licked her wounds that burnt like hell.
„To attack them!” Replied Maranam with hatred. „We should attack them in their den and make them submissive! If we fail to convince them to be our servants, then… they must be slaughtered!”
„But Master,” Koṭumai told him in a sweet voice, taking a few steps toward Maranam. „If we slaughter them, we’ll lose an ally.”
„One that seems not to be by our side anymore,” Maranam gnashed his teeth. „Or what… Do you think that we have only a few victims among us? Of course not: so many brave soldiers have suffered before the final Battle.”
Looking behind Maranam, where the Virgins Uyarvu and Āram took care of their wounded sisters or covered with a white sheet the bodies of those who didn’t survive the attack, Koṭumai said nothing. Only a strange fire started to burn in her glance, a fire ignited by her huge hatred for the Veḷḷams, against whom her huge power seemed useless. At the same time, she seemed outraged because she had also been injured in that fight, wounds that hurt like hell, especially those she had over her neck, where a Veḷḷam deeply bit her, a place that was invisible at that moment. Because of the pain, the panther dreamt of revenge. That’s why she told Maranam in the end, staring into his eyes when she had never done this before, „I’ll sacrifice myself then!”
„You will sacrifice yourself?” Maranam asked her in a mocking tone. „For what?”
„To bring the Veḷḷams to your feet, Master. As your servants and not dead because we need their power now Tikil is gone.”
„And do you think I haven’t had this in mind too?”
„I’m sure you have thought about this. Yet, we have to think about new strategies to stop a new attack on their part. Not only are the Veḷḷams preparing another attack, but others too. I mean now the people of Paṉi Makkaḷ, helped by the red foxes of Inmar and the Kaṇṇīrs of Kkāṟṟu, the only wind that can gather all the other winds and make them listen to his command in times of war.”
„He doesn’t control all the winds,” they heard Āram’s voice right behind Maranam, something that made him look at her past his shoulder. Āram, without losing her temper or being afraid that she cut their talk off, continued her thought, „I talk about Savaṉṉā and Aḻivu, Kkāṟṟu’s brothers and his enemies. They are the only ones who are capable of declaring war on Kkāṟṟu and taking him out of his den.”
„I won’t bet on that,” Kurūcim gnashed her teeth while crawling her injured legs toward the others. „I say this because we all know that both Savaṉṉā and Aḻivu are out of control and none of them will accept ever to bow in front of another master. At least, they won’t bow in front of us.”
Āram frowned. „We are talking about the Great Master Maranam, Kurūcim, the one in front of whom everybody in this world should shudder and be submissive.”
„I’m sure that not everybody thinks the same,” said Maranam, taking everybody by surprise. „Just a thought I have because… I’m not the only one who dreams of controlling the world at his will.”
„Then, what should we do, Master? Should we only wait for the end or fight and change things as we want?”
Maranam squinted at Koṭumai, who had talked to him so boldly. He wasn’t upset, but thoughtful because… there was a seed of truth in the panther’s words. Yes, Koṭumai was right in thinking so because… when the exchange of powers was taking place, it was time to be brave and not cowardly. At least not when there was still hope for them. „At the same time… Tikil is not the only one who vanished off this mountain’s surface. Accam Kuṉṟu also died, just as the ancient Titan of the Sun, Tī did. Thus, we can consider ourselves winners because… the other army lost two powers when we lost only one.”
„I won’t be that sure that it’s as you say,” Āram cut off Maranam’s joyful speech. „The Veḷḷams are out of control and… I think that’s a matter of time until other allies will ask for their rights. Let’s not forget that among us are a lot of souls that also dream about the Throne of the World.”
Āram’s words, spoken harshly, made Maranam attentive. He, even if he didn’t know why, seemed to feel that if someone rebelled someday, then the Virgins Uyarvu had done this first. Why were they the first on Maranam’s list of enemies? Because… he knew that Helyos forced the Uyarvu to fight by his side after Maranam had promised him the right to lead over the sky and the light because he was absolutely sure that Helyos wouldn’t have accepted a pact with him without that promise. What Maranam didn’t know or seemed to ignore deliberately was the real intention of Helyos, who told Āram when he tried to convince her to betray the rest of the world and stay by his side, „If Uranus and Cronus fall, the next Supreme King is me, and you, Āram, you will stay beside me.”
„Saying this, you forget about Maranam, Great Helyos,” Āram told him that day, thoughtful. „He won’t give up on the Throne of the World so easily, just as you aren’t strong enough to defeat him. Not as long as you don’t have control over the rest of the world.”
„I can have that control through you.”
„Honestly, I don’t see how it’ll help you.”
„Simple: turn the enemies of the „Great Master” into your allies. Thus, when the moment comes, HE falls, and WE will rule the world.”
„Something that won’t ever be easy,” whispered Āram, making everybody stare at her. She, seeing their glances focused on her and understanding that she had talked more than she should have done, winced, looking at them, frightened because she thought that they not only heard what she said but also read her thoughts about her plans with Helyos.
Āram was wrong in thinking so because, for an unknown reason, neither Maranam nor his servants could read others’mind while being on the Field of Fate. Yet, even if they knew that, they didn’t say a word about this, afraid to be considered weak and suffer a shameful defeat eventually. Another attack that Maranam decided to avoid at any cost, killing everybody if necessary. Because of this, he looked into Āram’s eyes, to whom he said, „You also go!”
„Where?” Āram pretended not to understand the message.
„To the heart of Kaṟkaḷ Pēy. You will help Koṭumai to win the fight against the Veḷḷams and make them submissive, bringing them back to help us in the Big War.”
„Something very hard to do, as I said.”
„Yet, not impossible,” said Maranam cunningly. „Or… are you against this idea because you have something else in mind? Another master plan maybe?”
Āram looked at him, frightened. „He knows,” she said in her head. „About my plan to fight here at Helyos’s command. But… how did he find out? It seemed to me that he isn’t able to read thoughts.”
„He’s just testing you to make sure you’ll not betray him eventually,” she heard Helyos’s voice from the sky. „Even so, we have to make sure he won’t find out about our plan.”
„It goes without saying. Nevertheless, I don’t see how to make him trust us,” Āram replied with the voice of her mind.
„Simple: Just humor him, for the moment! For this, follow the panther to the heart of Kaṟkaḷ Pēy. Yet, going there, you’ll follow another plan: to make the Veḷḷams fight by our side, even though you’ll seem to help Koṭumai.”
„Nothing hard. To deceive her, I mean. Yet, I’m not sure we’ll make the Veḷḷams our allies.”
„If you don’t manage to convince them, then… destroy them as we planned because… if someone’s against us, kill him, before he does this to you!”
The moment she stopped hearing Helyos’s voice in her head, Āram slowly bowed in front of Maranam, whispering shortly after this, „I’ll do as you said, Master.” After that, turning her back to the others, Āram headed toward the Virgins Uyarvu to tell them that she’d be missing for a while.
„Do you think she plans something against us?” Koṭumai asked her sister, still staring behind Āram.
„Most likely yes because I see a black aura around her. Why I see all this, I don’t know, honestly.”
„We’ll find out then,” replied Koṭumai confidently. „In the depths of the earth if she doesn't want to reveal who she really is on its surface. There, nobody guarantees her safety because there is our realm and not hers.”
„Don't be so sure of yourself, Koṭumai. The Virgins Uyarvu are smart and I’m sure they have secrets from us, secrets we have no idea about. At the same, they can have allies among our enemies.”
„Do you mean the People of Ice?”
„Not only they. Let’s not forget that there are a lot of souls against us now. Yet, let’s talk about this another time! Now it’s time for you to go, Koṭumai! Even so, keep one thing in mind before entering the heart of Kaṟkaḷ Pēy: stay away from Tetapas’s grotto at any cost because he’s been our enemy since this world was made and he has always craved for our souls!”
„I know: he wants our souls to help him open the Gates of Maranam’s Kingdom,” whispered Koṭumai, shuddering.
„And you don’t even know how true your words are, sister of mine. That’s why, never allow Tetapas to find you. And, if you are forced to meet him while being there, don’t look into his eyes! Never! More than that, don’t enter his grotto no matter what, or your grave will be there!”
Koṭumai, shuddering once again with all her body, understanding that truth, closed her eyes for a few moments. She felt confused and terrified because she heard others talking about Tetapas so many times before when they still lived in the Underground Kingdom. The panther also heard the story of his transformation into a snake and about Koṭi, the Fire Jar of Fate, in which, if she had ever been closed, it would have meant that her soul was lost forever and that it would have been the end of Maranam’s ruling on that world.
***
It was heavily raining when Āram and Koṭumai started to descend the rocky slope of Kaṟkaḷ Pēy, heading toward the former Grotto of the Coal Burners where they hoped to find a Gate toward Tikil’s hidden kingdom. A gate about which they found out while they were still on the Field Ātma. Who told them about that second gate? No one other than Vvokkam because they asked him how to get to the realms of the Veḷḷams.
„It’s the only way to get there, through that gate,” Vvokkam told them, confidently. „Only behind that gate, you can find the path toward the Kingdom of the Veḷḷams.”
„I knew there were two gates to get to Tikil’s kingdom,” said Koṭumai, frowning. „Yet, you say that’s only one.”
„I never said that,” Vvokkam suddenly cut her off, hissing the words through his teeth because he felt wronged by the panther, who was talking to him as if he was her servant. „I only said that it’s a single gate to the Kingdom of the Veḷḷams, not to the one of Tikil. This is different.”
„Different from Tikil’s kingdom? What do you want to say through this? That Tikil didn’t rule over the Veḷḷams right from the beginning?” The leader Uyarvu asked.
„That’s right,” replied the Coal Burner, looking straight into Āram’s eyes. „The first king of the Veḷḷams wasn’t the Titan of Dread, but…”
„…Tetapas!” Growled Koṭumai. Vvokkam nodded. „Something difficult to believe because, as far as I know, Tetapas was after something else not after power.”
„That’s the trick, actually,” said Vvokkam, cunningly smiling. „To make everybody think that he wasn’t interested in this when he looked for this in fact.”
„The Throne of the World!”
„Like the rest of the world, Āram! Actually, we aren’t so different from Tetapas because we also want supreme power.”
„Themis’s throne!”
„I would like to call it a run for Themis’s power. Yet, you are also right, Āram: Themis is the Throne of the World, in fact, the Supreme Power, which controlled us for millennia. Even so, we still dream of controlling Her in fact, even if we know that we don’t have the power to do this.”
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„Then, if we can’t defeat Themis, do you think it’ll be better to make Themis fight by our side in this war?”
„An impossible dream,” replied Koṭumai instead of Vvokkam. „I’m sure of this because Themis won’t ever be by someone’s side. Themis is a Balance eventually. A Balance formed from Shadow and Light. Thus, being a balance, Themis has to always be by both sides: Evil and Good.”
When she remembered that short conversation they had had with Vvokkam, Āram frowned. After that, she looked at the panther, who was descending the slope only a few steps in front of her. Thus, looking behind her, Āram realized that Koṭumai was worried about something she couldn’t understand because, as far as Āram knew, Maranam’s panthers had never feared anything by then.
„A wrong thought this one,” the panther suddenly said, making Āram shudder because she finally understood that Koṭumai could hear her thoughts already, once they left the Field of Fate. Because of this, she had to be careful about what she thought if she didn’t want to reveal her plans of war against Maranam, plans made by Helyos. „And you are wrong again,” said Koṭumai confidently, stopping and looking past her shoulder at the Virgin Uyarvu, who was stopped a few meters from her. „That I’m your enemy, I mean.”
„You aren’t my friend either. Let’s call things by their real name.”
„Now you are right: I’m not your friend either and I won’t be your friend ever.”
„Because of Maranam?”
„No. Master Maranam has nothing to do with this,” replied the panther, turning her back to Āram and continuing advancing. By doing this, she also forced Āram to keep walking.
„Then, if it’s not because of Maranam, why are you doing this? I mean, why are you here, fighting by his side, when it seems to me that you have a different opinion about this war?”
„Because I swore this. A long time ago.”
„You swore? To whom?”
„To myself,” whispered Koṭumai, shuddering as the Virgin Uyarvu did. „Yes, I swore to myself once to be faithful to a single master. When I’ve been about to die, I swore this, and I’ll keep that promise no matter what.”
„Something strange in my opinion because, as far as I could find out from others, you and Kurūcim have always been faithful to Maranam. I thought that’s because he created you.”
Koṭumai smiled, suddenly turning into a beautiful virgin, taking Āram by surprise this way. The Virgin did that to protect herself because the slope was too steep, narrow, and slippery. She could have crossed it as a panther too, but… considering that it was wiser to do it in her human body, something that could have helped her to camouflage in a dangerous area as Kaṟkaḷ Pēy was, Koṭumai continued advancing in that form. Then, when the amazement in Āram’s face was changed by bewilderment, Koṭumai said, „You are wrong again, Āram: that the black panthers of the Underworld have been created by Maranam.”
„Then, if not he created you, who did that?”
„Iruṇṭa.” Āram shuddered again. Koṭumai didn’t shudder this time but calmly continued her thought after she turned her back to the Virgin Uyarvu and kept advancing. „The world knows Iruṇṭa today as Tartos or the Ancient Titan of Darkness. It’s also said that he created this world, helped by Chaos, Life, Fate, and other forces we don’t know. A Titan that’s history today, forgotten once this earth has been covered by beautiful things, Joy, and Life.”
„Forgotten, but not gone.”
„Yes, Āram: Tartos hadn’t ever been gone. He’s only… hidden, in the depths of the Underworld, in the Realms of Narakam or the Realms of Tartar.”
„But… why is Iruṇṭa hidden there? More than that, why did he allow Maranam to rule that kingdom in his place?”
„Honestly, he had no choice but to do that. Better to say, Tartos was forced to give up on his throne when his family betrayed him: his daughters, whom he loved most.”
Saying this, Koṭumai strangely smiled, then kept silent. She had a lot of things to say to the world about the big secret of Tartos’s disappearance, bringing light into a world of darkness. Yet, she preferred to keep silent about this because… the guilt was killing her inside. She felt that she wasn’t built from hard stone anymore as it happened before but from friable rock, one that was abundantly moistened by the tears of regret and guilt. Because of this, the walls inside her were slowly dissipating, at a sure step. It was actually only a matter of time until the sand castle with the name Koṭumai would have been cast down. Yet, it was also a secret well hidden from the entire world, just as nobody knew the place where Maranam closed Tartos forever, not giving him any chance to see the light again.
***
On the northern rock, from where Kaṟkaḷ Pēy was seen as if having it in her palm, Zeal was carefully looking at the two silhouettes that were descending the steep slope, heading toward a sure target: the former grotto of the Coal Burners or the ancient Kingdom - Kari Makkaḷ. „A place from where they will never return,” Zeal suddenly hissed through her teeth when the famous neck of a cobra appeared behind her. „I also hope that they’ll find their eternal grave in that place.”
„They still have a chance to escape,” said Eṉōl, who was by her side. „Actually, I’m sure they’ll be just fine because Maranam isn’t stupid and he wouldn’t have sent one of his trustful allies to a den of iniquity.”
„I agree with the commander Eṉōl this time,” said Nemirā, who was to Zeal’s right and to her right was Kirivas. „We shouldn’t underestimate our enemy. At least, we shouldn’t do that until we don’t find out their weaknesses and secrets.”
„Something easy to find out if we split them.”
„I don’t see how to do that, Kirivas,” said Eṉōl, thoughtful. „We have a strong enemy, we must accept that. Actually, we are forced to accept it once we have come here, on the sly, not to be seen by those who are still on the Field of Fate, capable of slaughtering us in seconds if they have seen us.”
„I doubt this.” Said Nemirā, making everybody look at her, confused. She, still staring in front, at the two silhouettes that were moving further and further from them, continued her thought. „I say this because I’m sure they won’t attack us. Not until they make sure that all their allies are with them and not against them as it happened with the Veḷḷams, which are against them this time.”
„The same monsters that also hurt us had injured them too. Something that makes me think that’s a good idea to have them fighting by our side,” whispered Zeal. Kirivas and Eṉōl shook their heads. Staring confused at them, same as Nemirā, Zeal asked, „Why not when they can be our salvation?”
„Or doom us,” replied Kirivas suddenly. „Why? Because the Veḷḷams don’t listen to anyone, Princess Zeal. They don’t listen to themselves either. Thus, it’s damn difficult to be controlled.”
„Something Tikil managed to do,” said Nemirā confidently. „If we want this, we can make it too!”
„Of course not because we don’t have what Tikil had,” Eṉōl cut their talk off. „I mean his malice. At the same time, we don’t control Black Magic.”
„With a little bit of luck and effort, we can control this too!”
„Then, Princess, we have to declare you lost and forever because if an heir of Accam Kuṉṟu uses Black Magic one day, then we won’t be able to count on him anymore.” Zeal, even more confused than before, stared at Kirivas because she really didn’t understand what he was trying to say. Only when Kirivas said, „I talk about Tetapas,” she understood the truth.
„If the one who controls the Power of the Holy Stream allows evil to enter his bones even for a short while, then Caktiyiṉ Ātāram will flow toward Hell and not toward Earth as it should have been. Its power will stop blessing the world.” Kirivas nodded.
Everybody looked at Nemirā eventually when she confidently said, „A stream whose power can be by our side if we decide this.”
„I don’t see how we can manage this, Nemirā,” whispered Zeal. „The Holy Stream controls my power, it’s true. Yet, I can’t control its power. Not for the moment.”
„You aren’t aware of this. Yet, unconsciously, you can control it because, if it hasn’t been so, Accam Kuṉṟu wouldn’t have chosen you as his heir.”
„Still I don’t understand your point, Nemirā,” Kirivas joined the girls’talk, somehow upset.
„Simple,” the Titanide responded, smiling. „By doing the same thing as the army of Maranam. How can we do that? By using that double-edged sword over there,” she said, pointing with her head toward the two silhouettes. „You are probably wondering how to do that.” Her companions nodded. „Let’s use the one we fear the most: Tetapas.”
„You must be crazy to propose this,” Eṉōl hissed through his teeth. Then, the moment he understood that he whispered those words and not only thought them, the commander swallowed hard. Then, looking into Nemirā’s eyes, while waiting for her to turn him into God knows what kind of crawling creature, he saw her smiling. „It can’t be,” Eṉōl whispered. „What you want to do is to deceive Tetapas with a similar face as he has?” Nemirā nodded. „But it’s insane,” the commander opposed her idea. „Princess Zeal cannot be exposed. She also can’t go to the rocky area of Kaṟkaḷ Pēy. It’ll be suicide for her.”
„Who said that Zeal would go to his den to lure him out? That's what anyone can do if he has her face.”
„A good idea, but still a risky one. Why? We don’t have the power to turn someone else into Zeal.”
„I know someone who can do that,” Zeal whispered, thoughtful. „The one who controls the power of Caktiyiṉ Ātāram can also change someone’s face at his will.”
„And I already have the perfect candidate to turn into you,” said Nemirā, smiling. „For this, we should return to the camp. In the Camp of Beasts, the perfect place for cheating on others.” Saying this, Nemirā grabbed Zeal’s hand and Zeal grabbed the commander’s hand. Then, using her power, Nemirā made them vanish from that place like the wind. The same trick Kirivas used to vanish from there because he was also curious to find out what kind of plan Nemirā had in mind.
***
„What you want to do is to use a snake and deceive another?” Kkāṟṟu asked, frowning. The wind was standing right in the middle while the rest of the members of the Camp of Beasts were around him. They approached Kkāṟṟu and the others when they heard Nemirā’s plan, who told Kkāṟṟu about what she, Zeal, Kirivas, and Eṉōl talked about while they’d been in the northern area of the Kingdom of Ice. „Not a simple snake you want to use, but one that has a wind body.” Nemirā nodded. „Okay. The question is: how do we do that?”
„Simple: we need Karayel and Zeal for this trick. We’ll take care of the rest.”
Inlan Diar looked confused at Nemirā because, even if Eṉōl explained to her what they tried to do, she still couldn’t understand that plan, and neither did she like it. Then, understanding that they didn’t have another solution and that they had to at least let Maranam know that they weren’t weak, the queen asked, „Why do you need Karayel for this plan? As far as I remember, you said you need a wind. It can be any wind.”
„No,” replied Kirivas instead of Nemirā. „It must be Karayel. He’s the one known as the Empty Bag of the Mount of Fear. Thus, he can absorb power without hurting the one who controls him. It won’t be the same if we use another wind, who can’t control themselves and who they are.”
„If we think carefully about this, you are right, Kirivas. Yet, you forget one thing: Karayel has a hot soul. Thus, as the hot air is felt from him and Tetapas isn’t any fool, he’ll understand quickly that we are trying to deceive him.”
„Not if I take care of this,” they heard Inmar’s voice behind them. Looking over there, they saw the fox approaching them along with Alena and Keṉṉal. „I won’t take care of this alone. My sisters will help me. Thus, by controlling the power of the Ring of the Red Foxes, we can make Tetapas think he has visions and that’s why he feels hot air from Zeal. More than that, once he knows already that she has Accam Kuṉṟu’s power, it won’t be difficult to succeed.”
„For this, we have to be close to Karayel and to Tetapas’s grotto. And, so as not to be suspicious, we must have a well-made plan,” said Keṉṉal.
„This is easy,” whispered Zeal. „What can be more credible than the Master of the Holy Stream? And, as Tetapas probably also knows that you have control over the third Ring of Fate, it won’t be strange for him to see you by the Princess of Ice’s side.”
„There’s one more detail we should think about,” the queen interfered in their talk. „Āram and Koṭumai are around. They cannot be deceived as easily as Tetapas.”
„I’ll take care of them,” Zeal told her great-grandmother.
„If you want to do this, you have to go to the rocky area of Kaṟkaḷ Pēy, sweetheart. Something I won’t ever accept.”
Zeal smiled. „I never said that I’d descend the same steep slope, great-grandma. I only said that I’d do something to impede them from telling Tetapas about our plan of deceiving him. The best trick to deceive two cobras like them is to use cobras. The real ones.”
„A clever movement, this one,” said Kkāṟṟu, folding his arms over his chest. „Yet, to make sure of our success, I say to ensure our backs and keep those who can help them busy.”
„Maranam and the Virgins Uyarvu.”
„Exactly, Eṉōl. For this, we have to organize the attack of the winds earlier than we’ve planned.”
„No if we can use another deceiving trick,” responded Eṉōl, making everybody stare in amazement at him. „Just… trust me! I’ll take care of the rest.” After that, quickening his pace, he moved away from them, heading east, where Strebasus and part of the army were.
Squinting behind him, Kkāṟṟu cooked his nose. „What is this one planning?” He wondered in a whisper.
„Nothing good, for sure. For Maranam, of course. Yet, it can be a damn useful plan for us,” Zeal defended the commander. After that, she gave the order to everybody to be ready and in position, because it was necessary to be careful in everything they wanted to do. In the end, when she made sure that everybody correctly understood the message, she and Inlan Diar headed toward the palace because it was necessary to tie up some minor details and make sure their plan would be a successful one, even if all of them already knew that it was a risky plan. Even so, all of them were determined to try it because it was necessary to do something and make sure they would survive eventually.
***
„Doesn’t this place seem weird to you?” Āram suddenly asked, looking afraid around. They were halfway through the slope toward the grotto of Kari Makkaḷ when the heavy rain that poured by then stopped and the wind started to blow more powerfully than before. At the same time, the vibration of the air on the skin was felt weirdly while the black clouds, filled to the brim with raindrops, were chasing each other.
„Weird? What makes you think so?” Koṭumai asked, also looking around.
„I don’t know how to explain this,” the leader of the Virgins Uyarvu whispered this time, fixing her glance on the upper rocks of Kaṟkaḷ Pēy. „As though someone lurks on us from there.”
Looking over there too, but seeing nobody, Koṭumai frowned. Then, she looked upset while staring at Āram, about whom she got to think that wasn’t normally thinking. After that, she told her, „I think you see strange things where they aren’t, Virgin Uyarvu. Something you shouldn’t have seen once you passed by here before.”
„Now the wrong one is you, Koṭumai. The Virgins Uyarvu never came to the area of Kaṟkaḷ Pēy.”
„And this miracle?” The panther asked in a slightly mocking tone.
„It’s just… not the place we are taking our power from,” replied Āram, scared, looking again around. Something was catching her glance, something that was on the upper rocks of Kaṟkaḷ Pēy. Yet, no matter how hard she didn’t try to see who was lurking on them from over there, she couldn’t. At the same time, she was sure that if someone was there, he wasn’t a stranger to those places because those who were guarding the Field of Fate at that moment were the Virgins Uyarvu and Maranam, who wouldn’t have ever allowed a stranger to get there. However, there was someone, she was sure of this. „Someone I think I’ve met once. Yet… who he might be?” Suddenly, Āram winced. „Is it because of…?! No, it can’t be! Is it because of the myth?”
„Because of the myth? Which myth?” Koṭumai asked, looking in the same direction as Āram.
„The myth of Kaṟkaḷ Pēy. It’s better to say that’s because of the monster that lives in the depths of this mountain, one that could have awoken now, once Accam Kuṉṟu is gone.”
„Are you talking about the Dark Power of the Mount of Fear?” Āram mechanically nodded. „Wasn’t it a legend only? The dark power of the mountain?”
Āram swallowed hard this time. Then, she whispered, terrified, „These aren’t only legends… the stories heard about this mountain, Koṭumai. At the same time, I don’t think that’s randomly what we see around because… as you told me the Legend of Tartos and that he created Tartar, it’s also said that Accam Kuṉṟu created this mountain. Not alone, but with Payam.”
„The Fears?”
„That’s right: the Titanides that have lost themselves once on the mountaintop.”
The terrified whisper of the Virgin Uyarvu made Koṭumai feel itches on her skin. She even felt a cold blown of air that deeply entered her bones and this was because, suddenly, there was damn chilly in the rocky area of Kaṟkaḷ Pēy. Not only the cold air was felt around but also the stones started to move around them as though that Titan, who lived in the depths of the mountain, had awoken and was slowly moving his long feet while heading toward the earth’s surface.
Suddenly, when the croaking of a crow was heard above them, both Koṭumai and Āram stopped looking at the stones that danced around them and looked up. Up there, not only a crow was seen, but many. There were flocks of birds, black like pitch, that blackened the horizon and were similar to a huge enemy army that was about to attack a village of good people.
The croaking of the birds made Koṭumai frown. Not this she had expected when she thought to go to the area of Kaṟkaḷ Pēy. What she had hoped to find in the depths of Kaṟkaḷ Pēy were friends, forces that could be considered allies and able to fight by the Army of Evil’s side. Yet, she was wrong because the Mount of Fear had its own secrets, deeply hidden in the depths of his body. „Secrets that seemed to be ready to kill us,” Koṭumai suddenly whispered, shuddering.
Catching a movement to her left, she looked over there only from the corner of her eyes. There, she saw the stones dancing on the earth’s surface as though they had been beans on a huge cloth intensely hit with a mace. The panther wasn’t the only one looking at those stones. Āram did the same because, unlike the panther who only saw things, she heard sounds too. What kind of sounds? Āram didn’t understand at first. Only when she clearly heard the hissing of a snake, did she wince and shout to Koṭumai, „Watch out! The snakes are attacking!”
„The snakes?” Koṭumai asked, stunned. „What the hell are you talking about?” Looking behind, where Āram was, she barely avoided the bitter kiss of a cobra. Thus, jumping to her right, Koṭumai allowed the forked tongue, of a big brown cobra, to pass by the right side of her neck. Even so, even if that tongue didn’t bite from Koṭumai’s neck, it still left a visible wound on her skin… one painted in the red of the blood…