~ 8 ~
"He not only dares to conceive such a loathsome proposition," roared the outraged Kandarpa as soon as Jyotindro finished narrating the Yaksha's story, "but he even has the temerity to expose his brazen arousal before your Royal Gaze!
"He shall pay for his terrible infraction," he thundered, his naked sword flashing in his hand, "his indecent violation of Imperial Propriety, and I shall chop off that vile phallus before he ever lays another hand upon your Royal Self!"
"Calm down, Prince," smiled Jyotindro, caressing Kandarpa's face, crimson with rage, "though revolted, I did allow him that privilege, and now we have all their secrets... and the detail of all their nefarious schemes!"
"You're wonderfully courageous, my lovely Prince," Kandarpa finally smiled, lowering his sword and kissing Jyotindro, "and as incredibly clever as you are beautiful; you have wheedled out every bit of their terrible secret!"
Jyotindro glowed with joy, lowering his gaze as his hands gathered Kandarpa's swaying genitals, giving it a loving squeeze. "Yes, I have indeed unravelled their deepest secrets and their vilest plots... and for you, I'll do anything, my precious Prince!"
"And so will I," Kandarpa smiled, kissing the Royal Lips once more, "anything for you! Now, tell me, brave Prince, what is the enigma of the ogre's life force, and what is the secret of his death?"
"After Barolokkur raised his army of flesh-eaters, and they escaped from the dungeons," began Jyotindro, "Satana knew that the Grand Wizard would not rest till he had hunted them down, and once more imprisoned the pair. They also realised that the Grand Assembly may not be as forgiving as before, and might even order their death this time, instead of simple banishment or incarceration...
"So, the first thing they did after their flight was to tear out their soul and hide it outside their body... making their corporeal structure un-slayable - nothing can hurt or harm them, and no weapon or charm affect their body. They became invincible... almost immortal!"
"WHAT!" exclaimed Kandarpa, shocked and horrified, "So, we can neither kill them, nor defeat them?!" he asked.
"We can," smiled Jyotindro, "and here comes the Yaksha's vile plot, and the mystery of the ogre's demise!"
"And what might that be?"
"We need to get the soul, and destroy it," replied Jyotindro, "and that will destroy not only the evil duo, but also annihilate their legion of resurrected spirits!"
"But where did they hide their soul?" asked Kandarpa.
Jyotindro smiled once more, leaning over as he took Kandarpa's face in his hands, kissing his mouth with surprising ardour, "They hid their soul in a golden parrot kept in a silver cage, and placed it in a crystal dome under the lotus lake of this castle..." "And how may we get it?"
"According to Prabhanjan, fearing that the wizards, or some warlock may still discover their hiding place, Satana put a spell over the dome: 'Fay, fairy, fiend nor titch;
Demon, wizard, warlock nor witch.
Sky-clad mortal with downy awn;
Unarmed, enter without gnawn.'
"Hmm," Kandarpa nodded his head, "so, no supernatural or magical being can enter the dome, and neither can a wizard or warlock..."
"Yes," Jyotindro agreed, "only a young mortal, a teen, unarmed and unclad!"
"So, we can, huh?" asked Kandarpa with an excited smile, his hands running all over the Prince's naked form, "We're already ungarbed, and I shall leave my sword in the Chapel!"
Jyotindro gave a wan smile, gently stroking Kandarpa's naked thigh, "I too had fine robes and rich garments, but after the ogre and his bloodsucking minions ate all the people, including the Grand Master of Royal Raiments, there remained no sartor to make my garments, and since then I've remained unclothed..."
"In your true, natural glory, my dear Prince," remarked the Varman Prince, his hands still caressing.
"And so are you," observed the Poorvendra Prince, "radiant as the blazing sun once the clouds have been torn asunder and cast away!"
And suddenly they were kissing once more, moaning as their hands roved along the masculine contours... exploring every Regal Inch - every curve, and every fold... purring out their desire...
"What was the Yaksha's plan?" Kandarpa finally asked pulling back reluctantly, aware that they couldn't waste time, nor indulge in what their young souls so intensely desired... not until they had achieved their goal, their purpose of being there.
"Prabhanjan's plan was to stay back tonight, feigning sickness," continued Jyotindro, "and take me to the lake at midnight - 'That's the reason I taught you to swim, even though Satana was adamant that you never leave your room,' he said to me. And once there, I had to retrieve the cage in a single dive, and then the Yaksha would slay the parrot and end the reign of the evil pair."
"And how did he plan to slay the bird?" questioned Kandarpa.
"Well, though I asked, he simply smiled, stating that Satana had put a spell on the bird, to confuse whoso may manage to seize the parrot:
'Neither by fire nor deluge,
Nor death cometh by scrouge;
The merest touch of thy warm grume,
Upon all born of earthen womb;
A thousand goblins doth emerge,
Satana's powers double and surge.
"Hmm," Kandarpa thought for a moment and then shook his head, "it means we can't drown, burn or suffocate it!"
Jyotindro nodded, "And neither cut, pierce or impale, for each drop of its blood that touches the ground, or anyhting earth-born, will raise a thousand new goblins and double Satana's powers!"
"That would rule out all kinds of weapons!" replied Kandarpa. "And we can't allow its blood to flow and stain the floor either..."
"Rock and stone, metal and bone... fabric, bark or leather; timber, grass or feather, NOTHING!" Jyotindro shook his head, the handsome brow creased in confused puzzlement.
Both Prince remained silent for a while, lost in thought, when Kandarpa finally smiled, "Well, I'm sure we'll figure out this conundrum when the time comes..." Jyotindro smiled, "We sure will!"
"So, how come Prabhanjan didn't stay back, today's the fourteenth night, and tomorrow at dawn Satana plans to suck out your virgin milt?!" Kandarpa asked.
"Well, I convinced him that if he stayed back, Satana, being so suspicious of late, would sense something amiss, would probably return sooner than usual and catch us in the act. So, I suggested that he should leave with them and then, just before dawn, return secretly and wake me up..."
"You're ingenious, my dear Prince, my sweetheart..." grinned Kandarpa, embracing Jyotindro, "and now we must hurry and get the parrot!"
"No, dear Prince, no," Jyotindro shook his head, "for, the moment we touch the cage the evil Satana will sense it and come rushing back, and we can't have each other's seed till the shining light of dawn brightens the eastern sky. We'll be powerless before him and the warlock, besides, the Yaksha too will fight against us, and we can't defeat him without magical charms...
"So, we must wait till the last hour before dawn and then getting the parrot, share our vestal seed. Once empowered by the magical force of our first ejaculate, we can then face the trio, and slay the lot!"
"Bravo, Prince, bravo!" cried Kandarpa, taking Jyotindro in his loving embrace.
"But Prince, it must be done with care and great speed..." said Jyotindro, "for once the parrot is taken, the ogre will fly home, and before that we must drink our orchis milk and prepare to face him..."
"Don't worry, my lovely Prince, together we shall do it!"
"Then come, Prince," Jyotindro smiled, "let us both rest for now, to rise again and set out for the lotus lake an hour before dawn..."
"Prince, my beloved," Kandarpa whispered, his gentle fingers stroking the royal head, "the hour has finally arrived, and dawn fast approaches. Let us set out for the lake and retrieve the golden parrot with the evil souls..."
"Yes, Prince, we must hurry now," replied Jyotindro, smiling up at Kandarpa, taking and kissing his hand, "and remember, in one, single dive must we reach the dome, breach it and take the parrot!"
"It shall be done as you say," nodded Kandarpa, both getting off the bed.
Together they set out on their terrifying mission, silently creeping through the empty palace... down dark passageways and past deserted halls... unarmed and naked... crossing the threshold and going out onto the palace grounds...
The night was dark under the clouded sky, silent and still... the cold air laden with the myriad fragrance of flowering shrubs and trees.
Hurrying along, they quickly crossed the expansive gardens, and the scented orchards... past the Royal Stables (now empty of elephants and horses), and the desolate Royal Pavilion and Royal Arena - two celestial beings, almost divine, glowing in the darkness with their own virtuous light - one, the Lord of Love, the other, Love himself!
"Here we are..." whispered Jyotindro at last, taking Kandarpa's hand.
The water was tranquil in the stillness of the night, mysterious and foreboding in the darkest gloom before dawn... the lotus bloom darker shadows upon the placid surface.
They embraced, their naked body pressed tight, their genitals meshed together... their lips locking as they kissed with a renewed vigour...
This was it, their hour of trial had arrived, and now they had to demonstrate their courage, validate their Kingly birth; claim their own glory for all eternity!
Taking a deep breath, and still holding hands, they dived into the murky depths of the pool...
The water was freezing... and heavy, but the Princes cut through the dense fluid with powerful strokes... swiftly going deeper and deeper still... heading straight for the crystal dome at the bottom, the centre of the lake.
They could see nothing in the all enveloping darkness... sense nothing other than the chilling coldness of the water... their body slowly turning numb... their lungs crying out for air... their head begining to buzz... when suddenly they perceived a soft glow, further below... something pulsing with an eerie blue light...
With renewed vigour they speeded up, lashing out with their legs and arms, swiftly cutting through the water... when right before their amazed eyes loomed the dome of crystal... and in the centre of the dome, on a crystal pedestal sat the silver cage with its golden parrot.
Their heart slammed, and their pulse raced... for a moment wondering how they were supposed to breach the dome... or if there was a door...
But as they neared the crystal wall, they saw the surface undulate... roll and ripple, heave and flux, like the dance of some molten liquid...
Tentatively Kandarpa reached out with his hand, and it went past the melding wall without resistance or hindrance...
The two Princes looked at each other and nodded... and with simultaneous strokes of their feet, sailed right in... inside the crystal dome!
Satana and his horde had travelled to a very distant land that day... first emptying two tiny hamlets and then descending on the sleeping populace of a small town, wrecking mayhem.
He had done it on purpose - tomorrow he would have his 'vestal milt' and he was excited, but it also made him weirdly restive...
For one moment he had toyed with the idea of not venturing out that night, but then, the ghouls and goblins would become furious if they couldn't go out for their regular nightly hunt; didn't get to eat fresh human flesh and drink warm blood...
The warlock wouldn't be able to manage the horde, and the Yaksha was worthless, and so, he had to come.
The hour of dawn was fast approaching, and as the gluttonous cannibals fed upon the human carcases, Satana sat apart, silently watching...
He didn't feel like feasting that night... neither hungry, nor sated, simply agitated with anticipation.
At dawn he'd get back his human form, and all the powers of a Grand Wizard... and the first thing to do after that was to destroy the warlock and the Yaksha... and then, he'd be the Master of all Three World!
Nothing, and no one, could stop him now!
A sudden ache shot through his entire being, a vice like grip seizing his heart... making him sit up with a start, beginning to sweat.
"Someone's entered the dome!" cried Barolokkur running up to him, his cadaverous form drenched in sweat, quaking with terror.
"WHAT?!" Satana gasped, barely able to breathe, sweat now pouring out of every pore.
"Order your legions, we must return immediately..." Barolokkur staggered, panting as he spoke.
Satana could barely respond, his limbs numb, and his throat parched, stumbling as he stood up.
Forcing himself to stand erect, with great effort he raised his hands and waved, invoking the spell... and the two slowly began to rise... up into the sky... the goblins and ghouls ripped from the bodies they were feeding on... unwilling, but helpless... sucked up into the air like a million wasps, screeching and complaining at the rude interruption of their devilish feast.
to be continued...
If you like the story, please mail me: outlaw@aol.in
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Copyright © Author, Nov, 2011
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