A death to remember

Death. The whole place reeked with its foul smell. It was such a happy place just an hour ago. Demons dancing to the music of the damned. They looked almost human but for their crimson eyes and unnaturally pale skin. Now they were lying on the ground. Most of them missing their heads and limbs.

This is not war, thought Vijáya. This is Massacre. They didn’t have any weapons. They were celebrating. They were celebrating us. And we just killed them. Wiped an entire race off the face of the earth. Vijáya was not even two decades into this life, he had already killed more people than he could count.

“My prince” it was Upãli ’We have lost 4 men. All others are wounded.” Upãli himself was bleeding from numerous cuts, one on his left shoulder looking deep. “I thought the poison was supposed to paralyze them”. “Yes, my liege. But they were, after all, demons. The poison did slow them down. I don’t think we would’ve won without it. I saw one of them ripping Sӗna in half even after he cut it’s head off.” “Him” corrected Vijáya automatically “Not it”. When he saw the expression on his friend’s face change, he smiled tiredly. “I know they killed our friends. But they fought bravely for their home. Besides, don’t forget they were Kuweni’s people” As if on cue, he saw her walking towards him. He still couldn’t believe that such beauty could exist. She looked powerful and fragile at the same time, like a wildfire contained in a glass jar. If released she would destroy everything in her path. And wild she was. Even though she was walking through the blood of her people, people she grew up around, her family, she didn’t have a morsel of sadness in her face. In fact she was glowing. Vijáya wasn’t sure if it was just the evening sun or if she really had a faint red glow around her.

“Kuweni” Vijáya recognized the voice, even though it has grown much weaker from the last time he heard it, welcoming him into the celebration. Upãli tried to move forward but stopped when Vijáya’s hand tightened on his shoulder. The King of demons was dying and was not in any condition to cause harm to anyone. Kuweni knelt among the bodies, her hand gently touching the cheek of her father. “My daughter” whispered Yaksha “You truly have grown. Ambitious, just like your mother. It was a good trick, poisoning our drinks. The age of Yaksha is over.” He coughed blood, feeling death pulling him away from his daughter. “Be happy my child.” He closed his eyes, knowing that his blessing would not be enough to counter the curses his people would have whispered with their final breath that night.

“Princess...” Upãli started to say something but she stopped him with a raised hand. “Not Princess.” Her eyes glistened. Vijáya felt a chill running down his spine, but completed her sentence. “Now she is Kuweni, Queen of Thambapanni”.