The kingdom in the south

Two men dressed in black, in wide, loose clothes, and with their faces covered, walked through the desert. The sandstorm slightly restricted their advance, and the wind made their clothes float.

'A few more miles and we reach the city, my Tahal,' said one of the men.

They remained silent until they reached the stone wall. Following the wall, they found the entrance to the city.

'Stop in the name of the Tahal of Benkiran,' said one of the guards from the arch of the entrance, where he was shielding himself from the sand. He was clothed in wide brown clothes, with a curved sword, a dagger in his waist, and a lance in his hand.

'Good morning,' said one of the two newcomers. 'We are messengers under the new Tahal of Mahaila. I have a message for the Tahal of Benkiran.' The man showed a golden badge and a parchment sealed with red wax; in the center, a figure of a fish served as a seal.

The guard took the golden badge and entered the city. A few minutes later, he returned accompanied by four guards, wearing the same clothes and weapons as those at the door. He handed over the badge to the messenger. 'You can come in; the Tahal will receive you.'

The premises and houses were closed because of the storm, and although the wall kept the city safe from the worst part, sand still fell on the streets and on the roofs of the houses. Unlike the rest of the continental kingdoms, there were no high buildings; two floors were the highest buildings one could see.

Even with the sand, the house of the Tahal could be clearly seen; the messengers approached the stone building. There were no vivid colors, nor were the emblems from noble families typical in the mansions of the dynasty; the rock of the building was naked. However, the rock had been polished to be almost smooth; there were no edges or corners, and the roof was a rounded dome. Unlike the big gates of the other kingdoms, the entrances into the southern kingdom were more discreet.

'Welcome messengers, the Tahal is waiting for you,' said a young woman of brown skin with long black hair embroidered in a long braid. She wore the typical clothes of the Tahal servants. She was barefoot, wearing loose, blue-colored, thin-woven trousers that made her hips look wider. On her narrow waist hanged a pair of curved short daggers. A light gray cloth covered her chest, leaving her abdomen and most of her back exposed. A gem occupied her belly button; a veil of light fabric with edges of golden thread covered the lower part of her face and nose, leaving visible her forehead and bright and vibrant cinnamon-colored eyes. She had light make-up, long eyelashes, and thin eyebrows.

'Your shoes, please,' asked another servant. A young and robust man with bronze skin, short hair, and brown eyes. He was dressed in pants similar to those of the girl, with two curved swords hanging from his waist and an open black jacket without sleeves that showed part of his chest and abdomen. His face was covered with a veil similar to that of the girl.

After handing over the shoes, the two messengers walked on the red carpet that covered the whole interior of the building. The light came from holes in the high ceiling that seemed to connect with the outside, but no sand entered. As they moved inside the building, the temperature was getting cooler. At the end of the room, a man lay with two young girls on a bed placed at the height of the floor.

The man lifted his head and looked at the newly arrived messengers. He had long hair, brown-colored skin, a thin nose, light green eyes, fine eyebrows, and long eyelids. He was wearing a little makeup around his eyes, a thin goatee, and a golden ring on his right ear. His face was disfigured by a scar on his left cheek. His muscular trunk and arms were uncovered; he wore only some white-colored loose pants.

'Enough,' said the Tahal, telling the messengers not to come any closer. He turned around in the bed and lifted up a curved sword that was hidden behind the mattress of the bed. Then he made a gesture with his left hand.

'The message and the badge,' asked a maid.

One of the messengers handed over the sealed document and the badge. The maid approached the bed and, kneeling at the edge of the bed, offered the objects to her master with both hands as she bowed her head. The Tahal took the sealed document, broke the wax seal, read the contents, and laughed. He got up from the bed with his sword in his hand and approached the messengers.

'Tell me, messenger, who overthrew that failure of a man, Jalik, was it Murba or Kempo?' asked the Tahal. Playing with his sword, passing it from one hand to the other.

'None of them,' replied the messenger.

'Yohaen? Impossible; that man has no strength or talent.' The Tahal tried again to guess.

'Let me tell you the story of how the city of Mahaila obtained an unparalleled powerful Tahal, blessed by the ancient gods,' replied the messenger.

'Tsh,' the Tahal clicked his tongue with disappointment on his face. "Again with this bullshit about gods. What a bunch of nonsense." 'Okay, messenger, tell me your story.' The Tahal fell on his bed and began to play with the girls.

The messenger bowed his head in reverence and began his tale.

'Two months ago, a sandstorm struck the city. After the desert had calmed down, four men appeared on the horizon. Foreigners from the kingdoms to the north.'

The Tahal laughed, 'Don't you tell me that Jalik's idiot died at the hands of some northerners?'

'The former Tahal of Mahaila is not dead,' explained the messenger.

The Tahal was disturbed by the news. 'Are you saying that Jalik is still alive, but he is not the Tahal of Mahaila?'

'That is correct,'

The Tahal rose from the bed, sword in hand, and put the blade on the neck of the messenger. 'This is the south, the land of the ancient gods; the rules are simple; the strong rule the weak; a man challenges a Tahal, and one of them will die.'

'My head might roll, but I am the messenger of my Tahal, a man blessed by the gods of the desert. Serpents have revealed their existence in this world. The whole continent will surrender to the feet of my lords,' replied the messenger, exposing his neck even more to the sword of the Tahal.

Tahal went back to bed and said, 'continue.'

'Of course, Jalik, the former Tahal of Mahaila, confronted the invaders, who appeared at the gate of the city and defeated the guards without difficulty. The men and soldiers of the city launched an attack. Our best champions, Murba, Kempo, and even Yohaen and his brother, joined the Tahal to stop the invaders, but were defeated.'

'Are you telling me that all the warriors of Mahaila were defeated by four men?' asked the Tahal.

The messenger denied it with his head 'It was only one of them; the others only watched the fight.'

The Tahal looked at the messenger; he was clearly angry. The messenger continued his story.

'After defeating our champions, the victor revealed his face' the messenger looked up to the sky. 'Golden eyes, vertical pupils, thin lips, sharp, pointy teeth, and scaly skin of a bright red color like fresh blood. The ancient gods have returned to us.'

The Tahal arose from the bed and swung his sword towards the messenger. However, midway, the second messenger, who had so far remained silent and immobile, moved as fast as lightning and stopped Tahal's arm with one hand. The Tahal tried to get rid of the hand that held him but was unsuccessful; his strength was not even able to make that man budge.

'My name is Temma, and from today on I will be the new Tahal of Benkiran. Kneel before me or die,' said Temma, taking off the clothes that covered him and showing his scally gray face.

The Tahal was terrified; he tried even harder to free himself without success. Temma let him go, and the Tahal lost his balance, stumbling several steps backwards until he fell on the bed. "What is this? Gods don't exist; it's impossible. It's..." an idea crossed his mind.

'Pft, that's not God; he's a magician, one of those shadow magicians from the north. Those degenerates still use that aberration. All we have to do is wait until his magic is exhausted and the illusion disappears,' the Tahal explained.

Temma laughed. 'It is true that I can use magic, but I can guarantee that I'm not human; I've never been, and I'll never be,' his voice was gutural, coarse like a growl, and brought a clear warning to the Tahal.

The minutes passed, and the Tahal kept his sword lifted up towards Temma, who did not move.

'We can be here all year,' said Temma, arms crossed.

With a shout, the Tahal launched against Temma, who stood with his arms crossed and avoided all of the Tahal attacks without difficulty. A few minutes later, the Tahal was panting, while Temma was still standing there with his arms crossed. "How easy it is to fight when you don't have to be focused on keeping an illusion," Temma thought. The Tahal couldn't fight any longer; he dropped his sword and fell on his knees, before Temma.

'Kill me,' said the Tahal.

'Why should I do that?' asked Temma.

'I will not accept it. You are not a god; I will spend the rest of my days fighting until I kill you. You are no god; you are just a monster!'

'I understand. You're a man with a strong spirit.'

The Tahal stood up, his head held high, with a challenging face and gaze.

'Nintali, don't be a fool; men cannot challenge the gods. It was written before the age of magic. The gods of the desert are half man and half serpent. The gods have returned to claim the land that the magicians stole. They have the power that we do not have to confront the kingdoms of the north, and their aberrant magic' yelled the messenger, throwing a local coin at the feet of the Tahal. The gold coin had the shape of a scale, with one part wide and thick and another pointy and thinner, and the silhouette of a snake in its center.

'This thing is not a god!' yelled Nintali to the messenger.

A low-pitched noise was heard following the Tahal words; it was a mixture of ruptured meat and broken bones. Nintali looked down and saw the gray arm passing through his chest. Temma placed his left hand on Nintali's right pectoral muscle and pulled his right hand out, pulling out Nintali's beating heart. Nintali's body fell to the ground in front of the horrified sight of those present. After a few seconds of silence, the messenger kneeled down.

'Long live the new Tahal of Benkiran, Temma, the serpent god.'

After him, the others kneeled down and worshiped Temma.

'Long live the Tahal, long live the serpent god!' they repeated.

"I hate being called a snake, but Xavier was right; we do not have to hide here. Although this is ridiculous, I never thought that we would be confused with gods," Temma thought as he bit Nintali's heart. Suddenly, he looked north, as if looking far through the walls.

'The great father always gives us what we need,' he said in a low voice.