The Heart Eaters

Chapter III

I got the smell of the burning wood and I woke up.

"Where is Kumbha?" I asked immediately.

"I am here. Are you okay?" Kumbha said.

"Yeah, but something is burning. I am getting the smell. And how am I alive?" I asked touching my neck and continued. "Oh! My throat is alright. And you are alright as well. But how am I here? We were in woods. Aren't we? Who took me here?"

"So many questions. I will answer every single one of them. But first let me take you to the dormitory." Kumbha said and helped me to stand up.

We came out of the hut. Everything was burning there. Huge flames were raining from the sky. People were running here and there. Children were crying and women were screaming.

"What happened here? You did these?" I asked Kumbha.

"No, this is the wrath of the dark power holders. Now they are the king and the queen." Kumbha said.

We stepped inside an underground dormitory. A huge crowd was present there. Children, women, men, old people and some pets too.

"I want you to come with me." Shreya said to us.

We came to another room, where I saw an old man sitting wearing a shawl. Says "Come here my kid. Watch inside my eyes." He continues. "you are adorned with some extraordinary qualities and I can see a future where everyone is free. You can free all of us. You can be our savior. You have the power and strength. You can assassinate the dark power holders and break the magical wand. Just have control on your emotions and you can free all of us. But......................... "The old sorcerer stops.

"But what?" I asked.

"I can't tell you. There will be many obstacles, they may kill you. You have half probability to live and half to die. So, stay aware." Sorcerer said.

We came out of his room. It was dark here. There wasn't enough light. The dormitory was big but people were still fighting for food and place.

And suddenly I saw my friends!

"Riya! Ankita! Prachi!" I exclaimed with joy and hugged them.

"Thank god! You are alive." They said hugging me back.

I introduced them to Kumbha.

"Both of you come with me." Shreya said to me and Kumbha.

"Stay here, I will be back soon." I said to my friends.

Kumbha and I entered inside a room. But this room was full of weapons. There was a big round table at the centre and chairs around it. I guess it was a meeting room. Some people were already present there. They were the warriors whom I had met in the woods.

"Please take a seat." Anmol said.

We all sat down.

"This is the map of our kingdom and we live at the center of it, and we have to go to that end. It is about thirty miles from here. Anmol said showing a map to us. And continued "We will have to cross two rivers, two dark forests, one hot desert, one mountain and its cold desert. Let me tell you the sequence and their width. First will be the dark forest, about eight miles long.

Then the river of width two miles.

Then comes the hot desert which is four miles broad.

Then the river again with width of two miles.

Then comes the mountains and the cold desert of width eight miles.

And finally, the last one! The dark forest again. It is six miles." Anmol said.