Chapter 13

Albus was in the stands again today, this time to cheer for Morag, as she took on the fencing arena. Today, it was built in the form of two raised rings, with a boundary erected across each. They were each around 10 feet in circumference, and was presently packed with dirt all around. As each round passed, the arenas would change to incorporate a different surface. Up until now, it had changed into a marsh ground, a rocky terrain, a desert floor with scorching hot sand and marble and tiled surfaces as well. They were currently in the last day of the first rounds of the Games and because the number of participants in Swords-play was more than any other game, it took up an entire day to accommodate them all. This was why the event was postponed to the last day. The rules were plain and simple. There would be no blows below the waist, and there would be no magic used. Every time a player's torso touched the ground, they would lose a point. Three lost points would mean the loss of the game. The players will continue to spar, until only twenty-five of them are left, who would advance to the next challenges.

Morag was presently not in the ring, as she had currently finished her previous round. Albus was rather astonished to see how good her technique was. Being a swordsman himself, he could see and appreciate the nuances of the game. Every blow and block had to be perfectly timed. The strength of your grip mattered just as much as your skill with it. He had seen many today who had simply been defeated by a light strike on their blade, simply because of their dismal grip strength. Agility and swiftness were also an important aspect of swordplay.

Morag, it seemed, was in command of all of these qualities. She wasn't as big as the others in the arena, but she was very quick. Her lightness of feet had saved her many times today, and she was also surprisingly strong. He saw her put down a man twice her size with a powerful attack, and despite being nearly twice her weight, immediately crumpled. Her father had taught her well

The two men in the arena were sparring rather brutally, with the loud clangs of their swords literally echoing through the arena. The chatter of the people, either cheering them louder, or heckling them nearly drowned out the sounds, but more than that, they were giving them audience a show.

In the five days in which Albus had attended the games, he had realized that more than anything, the players who fought were trained soldiers, trained not to fight, but to entertain. The vast majority of these, he discovered were people who had come from the innumerable tribes all around the region. Sreenagar was sort of a Mecca for them, not in the sense of bondage or mastery; rather because it was the only place they could all meet and interact without having to worry about animosity between their states. All of the tribes were independent in their own right, with their own laws and leadership. The tournament was a way of each tribe showing the best of its skill to the other, and Cashmere, being the largest of them all, and had no stake in this. He noted that not a single soldier he had seen in the palace before the Games were competing. Of course, he hadn't seen each and every soldier of the army, but what he did see was that none of the one's he had seen were. He asked around a little, first Mrs. Lall, and then once, to Abdul Saboor. He concluded from their rather vague replies that it was an unspoken agreement that the soldiers of Cashmere would not participate in any of the games. He thought about it, and understood why it was necessary, because only then can the King ensure complete transparency during the process.

In his five days here, he had also learnt a lot more about the city and its cultural heritage. The King had permitted them all to tour the city as they please, with the only condition being that they dress as commoners. He said that this was necessary for their safety, as they were foreign guests. They would be accompanied by a guard, who would also act as a translator for them. For Albus though, the translator was unnecessary. Before going, he had gone to meet his Aunt Hermione, and when she learnt that he was going to a foreign country, taught him a handy spell she had developed, which allowed him to understand and speak any foreign tongue, as long as it was activated. The spell had come in very handy during his stay, because it allowed him to actually visit the city like a local. His fair complexion wasn't drawing any attention, as nearly all the locals were similar looking, with their fair skin, light hair, and almost European features.

As none of them had participated in any of the other events, they had a lot of free time on their hands. They utilized it by travelling the city extensively, visiting many important historical landmarks. They also saw the large market, or the bazaar, as it was called here. It was a charming sight, tucked away in the corner of the city. The shops were all on the road itself, giving it the look of a very well organised flea market. They were all thrilled to be in the market, and immediately walked away to shop. The girls all flocked to the stores selling various cloths and wraps. The shopkeeper was beckoning them, and claimed that it was the finest fabric in the world.
"It's true, my lady. This fabric is so exquisite, it can pass entirely through any ring on your finger."

They didn't believe him, so the shopkeeper brought out a tiny metal hoop, one that could only have been made for a child, and proceeded to slide the entire shawl of around 2 meters length through the tin ring. Albus wasn't sure whether that was magic or not, but he was sufficiently impressed, and he bought two, one for his Gran and one for his Aunt Hermione. He knew she deserved his thanks, and his mum never wore a shawl, so he didn't get one for her, rather, he got her a long fur coat that nearly went up to his knees, and was soft enough to practically slide out of his arms. They all ten went to a local eatery, where they had a special brew which was called Kashmeri Chai, or Tea. Unlike Tea, it was not brown, but a light pink in color, and tasted deceptively sweet. They then moved on to the local craft shops, where they all purchased mementos. Albus bought his father a wooden case to keep his quills from breaking. He got Lily an expansive Treatise on Magical Trees of the World, as he knew that it would be useful in her work in Wandlore, and also a finely carved bracelet. For James he got a small wooden wall plate, which was covered in intricate carvings. He himself bought a small dagger, which was covered in a carved wooden sheath. He knew it wasn't the most practical of items, but he bought it anyway. It had a white handle and a hilt of dark walnut. It was beautiful, and he simply couldn't pass it up.

However, more than his adventures as a tourist, Albus learned more about the city by simply observing from the shadows. His ability to understand and speak the language made him blend in almost as well as any other person. He slowly managed to decipher the working of the city. He began to understand social classes, and how they could intermix. There were many people; Scholars, Warriors, businessmen and Servants formed the main bulk of the society, with many sub-castes in between. They could not be discerned externally, as nearly everyone wore similar long, robe-like clothes due to the cold weather, however, everyone knew the caste of the other. He also saw that they were a few peoples who were considered outcasts, and whose presence was not normally seen in any event. They were the same family who left the arena on that first day, when they were humiliated out of the grounds.

They were called "Kindav", according to what Albus understood. He was eavesdropping on a conversion between two old men, on the pretext of buying something from the next stall. They were apparently all Prostitutes, born and bred Streetwalkers, whose only calling was corrupting the minds of other folk. Their extraordinary good looks made them entitled, and they see themselves as good for no other work. They apparently had no honour, and were a disgrace to the community. The other man agreed saying they should all be killed, or sterilized, so that no more of their bastard offspring could taint their lands.

Albus was shaking with rage by the time he got away from there. These people were heartless fools, he decided. The look on that little girl's face, her lower lip stuck out and wobbling, her eyes filled with tears, reminded him of his own niece, Marie. There was no way that family was a family who indulged in that. What did surprise him was how quietly the man accepted his fate. He didn't even try to defend his wife's honor, and Albus suspected that this was the treatment his people must receive on a daily basis. His heart broke when he remembered the little girl's face as she was picked up by her father and taken out of the stadium. He was disgusted with those men, and his heart went out to that family, especially to the child.

Presently, he was looking at the arena, where Morag's turn had come again. She was going to face a man, a tall, burly fellow with a short cropped beard covering his chin. Dressed in typical military attire, with dark trousers and tunic, he looked similar to many men here. By now, the number of participants had thinned down considerably, with only three spots left. The second ring was also in position, with two women as opponents. Albus thought that since only one participant had to go, it would be tough to decide who it will be. The judges, who sat on the far corner, decided that this round would be an indefinite one, and the last three players that remain standing will be the winners.

Morag nodded, and having sized up her opponent, took her stance. Her opponent too did the same. Albus had noted that most of her competitors had dismissed her in the beginning, only to be soundly trounced later. This man wasn't making the same mistake, rather he was actively observing her approach, trying to analyse it and discover any weaknesses if he could.

The sound went off, and they began. Morag, who typically waited for any attack before charging, instead charged directly at him, trying to knock his sword off. Albus understood why she was doing this. It was because she was at a physical disadvantage; she needed to have a surprise element. However, her opponent anticipated his, and warded it off with his own supremely strong hack. He then attacked her flank, which she dodged, albeit barely. She then swung back and struck at his shoulder, but he again warded her off, surprising agile for a man of his size.

They were battling fiercely, with both parties giving it all they got. She was good, but her opponent was better. He had the upper hand in the fact that he was much more skilled than her, and her own defense, while strong, was no match for his. She was slowly started to get exhausted, Albus saw with concern, but keep battling on, despite it.

Just then, a loud shot blew from one end, and both stopped mid-swing. They looked over, and saw that one their left, one of the players was down. The other was pointing a sword at their chest, an expression of triumph on her face. Morag and her opponent looked at each other, then the put down their swords. They stared for a minute, before he put out his hand, and she took it gracefully. She turned around and walked away from the arena, her relief evident. She knew that if it would have been any longer, she would be the one who was staring at a blade in her face. She got away, but by the narrowest of margins.

Albus followed her, and when she met his eyes, he gave her a smile, and a thumbs-up. She smiled back at him weakly, before walking down, and disappearing behind the curtains.

The hubbub around slowly died away, as the people slowly trickled down the stands Albus went to Morag, who looked tired, and congratulated her. The others did the same, which brought a smile to her face. They chatted for a while, and when she got up, Andrew gave her his arm, which she took with a grin. Together, they walked away from the grounds to the castle, to prepare for Dinner. The King had insisted that the tradition of taking dinner together would be followed even during the Games; with an exception being that they wear all requested to wear traditional Indian Attire. They could wear their own clothes, but in keeping to the spirit of the games, Indian clothing was encouraged. Albus had agreed, along with everyone else in his group. He chose to dress in the Military styled clothes, similar to the others. The women had decided to dress as the Scholar class, with long, but simple, flowy blue robes, and a white scarf that covered their hair. It was a fun experience, like playing dress-up, only as an adult.

The dining hall was similar every day, presumably to keep a sense of constancy for them. They all sat on their regular table, eating and enjoying themselves. The food was, as always, excellent Lamb stew, with spit-roasted duck and fresh baker's bread. The dessert had rice pudding and fresh fruits.

Before they could leave, however, the King asked them all to join him in a toast, to celebrate the successful completion of one phase of the games. They all joined him, and after a few more toasts by various other officials, they left the Dining Hall.

After he came back to his room, he and changed tried to go to sleep, but he wasn't able to. Feeling a little restless, he decided to go for a walk around the corridors.
He changed into the clothes he was wearing before, went to his bag and took out the Invisibility Cloak, and draped it over his shoulders. The cool fabric enveloped his body in a shroud, rendering him out of sight.

He stepped out into the corridor, enjoying the soft breeze of the night as he walked along. The calm of the palace was something he had gotten used to now, and ever since he began to use the cloak, he was never caught.
After an hour or two, Albus thought he should head back. As he began to walk back to his room, he felt the cool breeze turn to a cold draft. He wrapped the cloak around itself, and made his way to his room, seeing that the wind came from an open window on his left.

Then, he heard it. A high-pitched, blood-curdling shriek that chilled him to the bone. He ran up the corridor, trying to find its source. He heard it coming from one of the Rooms close to his own, and ran up to it and opened the door, all the way to the bedchamber. The sight turned his stomach over.

Marya Mackenzie was lying on the floor, choking in a pool of her own blood and bile. Her nightdress was soaked through, and ther were bloody handprints over the sid of her bed linens Her lamp had fallen down and shattered, and tiny bits of glass were strewn all over. She was heaving blood, her face pale and reathing shallow. Her eyes were rolling to the back of her head, and this is what made Albus snap out of his reverie.

"Fuck, Mackenzie, what-what-what... ju-just hold on. Hold .Still."
He ran up to her, and starting to make her sit up, and the movement made her cough up more blood. Immediately he put her down. She looked up and said,
"The propheeeccyy..."

After which, she fainted, the corner of her mouth still draining blood.

Albus shrank back, horrified. Then he got up and ran to him room. He had brought one of his blood replenishing potions along with him, he just needed to find it. He ran back to his bedchamber, and tore through his bag. Finding the vial, he ran out of his room, but stopped in his tracks.

He saw that one of the doors to the chambers was open, and a moan of pain could be heard. He opened the door, and saw a man, lying on the floor, his head split open at the forehead, as blood spilled out of it in rivulets.

He shrank back, petrified, and ran out of the room. Everywhere around him, he could see doors open, sounds of agonizing pain coming from within. The sights were horrifying. People were bleeding out of their eyes like a macabre horror movie; some had their chests split open. Some were heaving up blood, and others had their skulls split open.

Albus was terrified. What in the name of Merlin was happening? Then, he remembered with a start, Marya. He ran to her room, but then he saw something that chilled him even more.

There were men walking into her room Men, dressed in Military Uniform, with swords and bows drawn. They were all incredibly- good looking, with grey eyes, which currently were chasing down the corridor. He halted in his tracks. He realized this was an attack, or an ambush.

He bolted back to his room. He swiftly picked up his Cloak, Amulet, and his few Potions supplies, and stuffed them in a bag. He snatched his wand, and the dagger he had taken to keeping around him and spun, only to find someone staring him down from his door, a arrow pointing straight between his eyes.

He froze, and the person at his doorway. They put down their bow. Albus looked at and realized that it was a woman. In fact the same woman he saw on the Archery Range thrice now. The fact just barely registered with him, when she sped up to him , and said frantically,

"ARE you alright?"
"What?Yes, yes Im perfectly fine, but..."
"How are you alright? None of the others have made it."
He didn't know what to say but then, they heard a crash. They froze, and looked at each other. It was dark, so he couldn't see her face, but there was no mistaking the glint in her eyes.

"You are not safe here. You have to leave."
"That is what is was doing, before.." Crash. They were coming closer

She swore. Then, she took one look at him, and he could scarcely do more than grab his bag, did she grab his arm and began to drag him out of his room. Albus followed, sensing this wasn't a time to argue.

They made it all the way to the garden, before they heard footsteps. Someone was following them. Without thinking, he grabbed her arm, and ran towards the hedge in the corner.

Once they stopped, he saw they were in the training arena. She immediately pulled him towards where the shields were kept, and crouching behind them. They waited for five minutes that seemed like an eternity, and when no one turned up, they made their way out. As they were leaving, he saw one of the Sabre swords lying near the deck.

Hesitating for a minute, he picked one up, and ran out with her. It was light, lighter than he had expected. He suspected it was the adrenaline that helped him. As they weaved through the gardens, he saw her change path suddenly, and in his struggle to catch up, nearly toppled over. This made her stop for a second, but when she saw the sword, she lost her calm.

"Are you mad?! That thing is heavy and you bring it along with you. You stupid fool!"

But before she could say anything else, he saw a dark shape behind her, a silver glint in the dark. Without thinking, he drew his own blade, and struck the man behind. But he hadn't hit the sword. Instead of a deafening crack, he had a dull cutting sound, similar to when you struck a hammer against metal.
He fell over, a tall fellow with dark hair. The blade had sliced through his shoulder blade, and had come out clean on the other side. The man lying on the floor was now missing his right arm, which lay over on the side somewhere, useless. Albus shrank back, horrified at what he had done. The sword was still in his hand, dripping with blood and before he could comprehend what he had just done, he heard footsteps. He looked over at the woman, who wore a similar shell-stocked expression on her face.

She snapped out of her daze and in a second, dragged him away from there. Numb, he followed, until he saw no more grass and flowers, but instead; large, rugged pine trees and moss-covered floors. They were out of the castle, perhaps even out of the city.

They did not speak, but kept on running until they reached another mile inside the forest. She stopped then, and he immediately sank onto the ground, bone-tired and numb. He was still holding the sword in his hand, which was now covered with dried blood. His tunic was soaked, and only the fact that his bag , with contained all of his current valuables was safely slung on his back

He then heard a loud noise from the end of the small clearing where they were.
"Liya, Liya, where are you? Are you here?"
"Here, Dara."
A woman walked inside the near them, the one who had won the Badava race one the first day. It felt like a lifetime ago now. They were both talking to each other, about him apparently

From the conversation, he gathered that she was giving him a recap of what happened back there. Dara, or whatever her name was, turned to look at him, shock evident on her face. The other woman also began to face him. When she turned to him, it was when he got his proper first look at her.

She was taller than he had expected. Her dark hair had braided all the way through her crown, to a single braid behind her head. She was dressed exactly like him, with the black, full-sleeved tunic and fitted trousers. The obvious change was her shoes. Albus had not worn any shoes, as he had been in his slippers this whole time. Her shoes, which looked like riding boots, were made of leather, and came up to her calves, and were tied together by strings. He looked up to her face. Round, with a well-defined square jaw, and a deep probing stare. However, it were her features that gave him pause. Sharp angular planes, with a well-defined Grecian nose and a broad forehead, devoid of any lines or wrinkles. Her brows were drawn together , giving them an almost pinched appearance. Her mouth was drawn in a thin line, and combined with the intensity of her stare, made her look almost feral, and yet he could see the aristocratic lines etched in them. She looked like a predator, fluid and dangerous at once.

A large bow was strapped to her back. Long and sinewy, it would come up to her waist, were it put down. A quiver full of arrows was also tied to her back, and was strapped down to her chest. She had a small knife, which was tied around her hip.

She looked at him, staring him down, then she gave him her hand, offering to help him up. Now that the adrenaline had worn off a little, he was starting to feel the after effects of that little exercise. He ignored her hand, and stood up, and said, in the most calm tone he could manage, despite his rather obvious anger.

"Who are you? And why are my friends currently dying in that place? And what the hell just happened back there?"

They looked at each out, then Dara walked up to him and said, in what she had hoped was a calm tone, "We don't know yet, Mr. Potter. But what we don't know is this, you cannot go back there, if you want to live."
He looked at her, and said coldly, "Madam, I am not a fool. I know i cannot go back to that place. What I want to know is how did you know what was going to happen?"
The other woman stepped forward, and said," Mr. Potter, what just happened in the place is not something we can discuss. As for your friends and I need you to believe me on this, they are alright. They will be taken away, and will be healed. However they are not safe. Their lives are in danger. "

"Who are you? And what do you mean by that?"
She fell silent. On this, Dara turned him, and said,"Mr. Potter, allow me to introduce you to my sister."
"Aaliyah Inayat Zubair."