Shadows of Death

Chapter 1(Christopher Section)

"Christopher Section"

Second time zone: Remainder Life Time

Local time 9:15 a.m.

Shamiranat – Tehran – Iran

An old man named Edward Artimani said in a commanding tone, "Robert, tell us what you saw."

Edward sat in the graceful black leather chair behind the big brown table. He combed his white long hairs on the back side of his head. One could guess that he was between sixty-seventy years old because of shrinkage of his face skin. He eagerly looked at Robert, big and full of muscles, as he waited for an answer.

Robert was wearing a black suit. By most standards he looked like a bodybuilding athletes, but his short black hair showed that he's a bodyguard for Edward. With polite and also formal words, Robert said: "Just as you said, sir. They started just three minutes after the full moon."

Edward interrupted to mutter to himself: "War between the Daevas and Peris..."

After saying these words, he looked down at the newspaper on his table. He had already read all of the newspapers before Robert be there. The "Tehran times" sat on the top the pile.

Robert said: "Yes, sir. But I saw an unbelievable sight. The queen of the Peris was there."

A boy who sat on a sofa under the window a few meters away said in surprise. "The queen of Peris?!"

The boy had been quiet until then. Though surprised, the tone of his speech was dry and inexpressive. Robert turned his head toward him and politely confirmed: "Yes, Christopher!"

Christopher wore a black suit, just like Robert. His face was serious and grim. His white shirt showed that he was a formal young man. In fact, Christopher was the grandchild of Mr. Edward Artimani.

Edward said impatiently, "Continue, Robert."

Robert spoke on: "Parnia, the queen of all Peris, attacked twenty Daevas with about forty Peris just twenty minutes after midnight. The Daevas weren't ready for this attack. They were outnumbered, but just five Daevas died in this attack."

"And how many injuries?" Edward asked.

Robert answered: "Three injures. But the Daevas took them with them before they ran away."

For a second Edward Artimani was about to ask "Where did they go?" but he stopped himself. He already knew that no one could answer this question, not even he himself. After a long pause, he asked: "Is that all?"

Robert answered: "No, sir. The battle was over fast but the queen of the Peris didn't look good. Like she..."

"Like, what Robert?!"

"She just looked...sick. As you commanded, we watched them from high skyscrapers through binoculars. A few times we saw the queen not feeling good. She coughed and hardly could hold the crossbow in her hand. In fact, she hardly participated in the battle at all."

Edward Artimani gasped. He hummed, half to Robert and half to himself: "She was sick? She couldn't fight? Why she should come to Tehran and enter into this fucking war in the first place, then? I can't believe this. Why didn't she send someone else, anyone instead of herself?"

After a short pause he asked Robert: "Was just the queen sick or were other Peris sick, too?"

"No, sir. Just the queen appeared to be sick."