Beyond The Realms

Chapter 14

We have been walking deeper  into  the forest and as usual the Prince  is silent as he carefully scans the path ahead of us with his violet eyes and avoids the parts of the forest that have now chosen to ally with the enemy.

" I think the Djinn law is too constricting " I speak as a way to initiate conversation.

" Why so ?" The Prince questions.

" You said the Djinn laws of the land  forbids the Djinns from killing other Djinns but Ayelet and her people have killed a lot of your kind,don't you think the law is unfair ?"

" I do not " The Prince replies " Killing your brethren no matter how far they have fallen isn't the way of Djinns . Ayelet and her followers have fallen too far but they will be punished for their crimes"

" How ? You won't even kill them " I point out .

" Not me , but by their actions have created a prison of eternal punishment "

Seeing the bewildered look on my face he continues " The ancestors of all the Djinn kind when they decide that their time spend in the realm of living is long enough they  merge into  the eternal  trees  of souls known as  the daråkth grove"

" Didn't you say the Djinns are immortal ?"

" They are " The Prince replies " But you have to understand immortality in itself is tiresome and over time it becomes a burden " There is something in the Prince's voice that makes me look up at him but as usual he keeps his face devoid of any emotions .The mask I'm beginning to hate  is firm and impermeable as always.

" So the Djinn ancestors choose voluntary death ?"

" To term   it as death is inaccurate " The Prince remarks " Their weary souls seek and find much deserved peace in the daråkth"

I wonder if Prince Ruslan's mother had chosen to be one among such souls but  do not voice my question but the Prince however sees it as clear as day on my face" My mother chose to be among them" He says his voice full of soft affection.

" Do  you resent her decision  to do such a  thing  ?" I  tentatively question him ,  after all  loosing a parent is not easy .

" May be I  would have had I not been aware of her  reasons but to know that she has found much deserved  peace there gives me no reason to resent "

The sincerity in his words makes me realise how deep his love is for his departed mother is.

Why doesn't he feel the same way about his father ?

I don't question him and carefully look away so he doesn't figure out what I'm thinking .

Though his face never betrays emotions I have  learnt to read the  shadows that thrive in his eyes whenever he talks about his father.
And they don't promise  a pretty story.

" Umm.. but Ayelet and her people  get to kill you people, that still doesn't sound fair to me " The bad guys certainly  have an edge over the good ones.

" They don't always kill " The Prince remarks " Their weapons vary too"

I arch an eyebrow " How so ?"

" It depends  on the kind of  demon they summon from hell and extract the essence from "

" You mean to say Djinns can even summon demons from hell ?" I can't keep the shock out of my voice despite being here with the Djinn prince for so many days it seems I still don't completely know the powers or the depth of strength his kind possesses .

" Only the most powerful ones of our kind  " The Prince says
" Demons are as  deadly  as they are  beings of vile greed.   Overpowering  them is not something every Djinn can do "

" What do Djinns do when they overpower the demon ?"

" They rip out its life force and merge it into their weapons " The Prince taps the hilt of the sword he always carries with him " Some swords can paralyze the opponent's with one strike , while attack with others can take away all of their memories "

I look at sword and can't help but shudder because I know for a fact that his sword can paralyze.

I have seen immobilised  assassins sent by  Ayelet to finish me getting dragged into the ground by tree roots one morning.
It wasn't a pleasant or an easily forgettable sight .

The Prince doesn't deny when I ask him if the demon he took the essence of had the power to paralyze

" Does that mean the kind of Demons Ayelet's people summon have the power to kill Djinns ?"

" Few demons have the power of sucking away a Djinn's life force " The Prince says solemn " They are called Dhasrals"

I wonder how many of his people he had lost to them.
Swords induced with demon powers ,it makes me realise that Djinn wars are so much more dangerous and morbid than I had thought.

We continue to move in silence as I mull over his words until the Prince suddenly pulls me behind him and at the same time unsheaths his sword.

" I sense their presence  " He says in a low voice  only I can hear.

I don't even have to ask who as when the Prince calls out in a loud confident voice into the forest  ringing with  command  " Show yourselves "

Not one but five groups of Ayelet's trusted assassins step out from the cover of trees .

Reeking of hostility and malice they glare at Prince Ruslan
And judging by the smug looks on their faces it is clear they have already established that the Prince and I are a goner.

In a quick glance I make a note of their numbers . Twenty eight.

It's two against twenty eight .

Suddenly the Prince whirls around at a blinding speed  and shoves me towards the trees yelling " Protect her"  at the same instant with his sword drawn  he leaps towards the huge group of Assassins .

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Hi ,

I'm dedicating this chapter to  Mytra_Myth  , she is an  awesome reader and an amazing supporter  and her support only kept increasing as the number of my  stories increase .
Thank you  !!