40 Dungeon tales - 2

The sudden neighing of the horse startled Nubeous and he turned around to figure out what was happening, but he could see nothing. All that he could hear was the faint galloping that faded in the direction of the butterfly garden.

There was strange haze that was blocking his view. It was weird to see a haze when it was pouring to this extent. Nothing was burning, but he had definitely seen the smoke. He rubbed his eyes, just to ensure that his eyes were not clouded.

He craned his neck to figure out what was happening but the chaos that had spread on this side made him turn back.

The sight in front of him was devastating.

He was no ordinary man. He possessed no guide, yet the power that he possessed was ginormous. Even though he had turned him into ashes, he had turned his heritage building into rubble.

Mincing his anger, Nubeous right now badly wished for that man not to be dead. He wished to torture him so that he could see the fear of death in his eyes. But alas! the deed had already been done.

Soaking wet under the rain, he looked up at the sky and he could see that slowly the dark clouds which had been swirling ever since had started drifting away. The downpour had become a drizzle, that was drop after drop, reopening the wound of insult.

He could hear people mumbling,

"Was he really as a peasant?"

"Is he... Is he the one?"

"Will he return?"

Unable to bear the sight of his men, panicking because of the might of the man, who he had just killed agitated him to such an extent that he lost all his cool and shouted.

"Silence..........."

And the entire crowd of his soldiers started shaking like leaves as it was never a good omen to see their master in anger.

So one of the soldiers immediately rushed inside the palace and came back with a blanket to cover his master who had been soaking in the rain.

He ran towards Nubeous with the plush velvet blanket that he was hiding behind his cape to prevent it from getting wet.

"Master!"

He said and then covered his master with the blanket. That poor man expected his master to be happy with his gesture, but instead, he was welcomed by bloodshot eyes.

Listing him up, with his hand that gripped his neck, Nubeous gritted his teeth and asked,

"What took you so long?"

All helpless, unable to utter a word, that soldier tried to move his arms, but everything was in vain. And when he stopped moving, Nubeous hoised him even higher, before throwing his body far away from the stage.

It was the calling of his vengeance that making him do its bidding.

The fire that was there in his heart still hadn't calmed down. Morpheous had ruined his day. Even his triumph looked more or less like a joke. But right now there was nothing that he could do. So with fiery eyes and flared nostrils, he marched towards his chambers all alone.

No one dared to sound the foghorn.

No one dared to follow behind him.

He always took pride in his brutishness, but today a mere peasant had made his pride fall. He had to take measures. So as he entered the palace, he called his keeper and ordered him to ask the members of the council to assemble in his royal chamber.

He was pretty sure that his bolt had killed both Morpheous and Damianos, but there was something fishy about that haze that unsettled him.

As he changed into fresh robes, he gulped the wine that was remaining in his room since morning. That helped to calm his nerves a bit.

Soon enough the ministers assembled in his room, but neither of them had any courage to say anything for they all were aware of the fate that the soldier had. Even a good deed had no chance today!

He sat on the cot and narrowed his eyes and looked at Diogenes, who was the newly appointed head of the general council and asked,

"Have you ever seen a man rise from his grave, Diogenes?"

Evincing the symptoms of uneasiness, Diogenes replied, "No master!"

"Then why on earth, are people pinning hope on his return when I have turned him to dust?" enquired Nubeous and resumed back on his wine.

Diogenes, even though loyal to Nubeous, had been scared after seeing the sight today. People had started to talk about the prophecy that had been long forgotten and he along with the other council members had heard it too.

Till now that had believed that their master was the one, for he was the one who conjured the bolt of death. But seeing the mayhem today, they definitely had second thoughts.

Nubeous saw that his councilmen were hesitant. Perhaps the killing of the soldier had scared the hell out them.

Letting out a grating laugh, he said,

"Fear not, for I shall not lay a finger on your lives!"

Mustering up a bit of courage, Diogenes replied, "Master it is all because of the prophecy."

"I know what the prophecy says. It tells about me, the son of God, the chosen one..." and saying that he started narrating the words from the prophecy.

'The bolt of death,

Will perch up in the sky.

Oh, the suitor of death,

The throne you would decry,

The son of God will Rise,

Cross your heart and hope to die.'

"I rose and I killed him. Get it?" he said and looked at his council members in search of approval. But all he could get was blank eyes and sealed lips that said nothing, gave nothing.

His face burned with mortification and mingled rage for he was aware that their silence was nothing but an insult that was slowly getting smeared on his face. Resenting their presence, he went towards the window and tried to look into the distance.