Chapter 14 (Saw Nan Mon)

Thus, Zeya, Saw Nan Mon, and Shin Ye Htut were jailed in electromagnetic cages again. The rooms were more advanced, having hidden sources of waves so that Zeya could not shut down. Zeya also did not try as U Agga would kill all other hostages if he did. The trio were jailed in separate cages but they could still talk to each other.

“I am sorry for you two. You all got caged because of saving me,” Zeya said in a low tone. His head was lowered and his eyes dared not to interact with the other two.

“No, Zeya. You need to be saved. I have been to Shamballa since you were arrested… You were captured for a week,” Saw Nan Mon spoke and began sharing her Shamballa experience. It was only then, that Zeya knew that he was put in a deep coma for a week during the capture.

Saw Nan Mon get to Shamballa with the help of a Tibetan monk from the Hall of weizzas. It was the school of magicians whose entrance was a small cave in the Himalayas. It was the main organization of mystics across the globe and also a school that trained future mystics. All weizzas, yogis, yoginis, sorcerers, warlocks, wizards, witches, darkas, and dakinis were under the control of the Shamballa.

It was built under the Himalayas, yet firmly supported by unyielding pillars. The interior designs were magnificent. The designs were a combination of all the beauties of cultures across the globe. The walls gleamed with gold and ivory. The floor and ceilings were curved from smooth quartz slabs. There were chandeliers made of various crystals. Yet the view failed to awe Saw Nan Mon as she was blinded by stress and anger.

She waited to talk to the head council of nine weizzas. But the council did not want to waste their time with an unknown witch. They made her wait for hours. During these waiting hours, she dared to talk with other mystics but none cared about the case of U Agga or Ava. They didn’t seem to know about the sorcerers that attacked Zeya, but she knew that they were from Shamballa for sure. But, if that was real, she felt a sense of dread. The council might be behind the attack. They would have silenced her. However, there was no killing rule in the hall. So, she felt safe on the ground of Shamballa. She doubted if the meeting would be beneficial or not.

When the time had come for her to meet with the council, they paid little attention to her speech. She reported about the havoc that the magicians had done at Ava. But still, their impression remained the same. Only a lady from the council looked sympathetic towards her. Yet, she was speechless, giving no comments on Saw Nan Mon’s report like others. Only her blue eyes conveyed a sense of care.

Saw Nan Mon got both worried and irritated by the ignorance of the council. Hadn’t they known or cared about the havoc?

“Lords, why had ye let that brute, U Agga, the corrupted ascetic weizza, do whatever he desires?” Words fell from her mouth as the irritation wore her soul. She barely restrained herself not to using harsh words. A council member finally spoke,

“Hey, ye, witch! Shut thy mouth! Restrain thy insult! Thou knows nothing about U Agga. U Agga bears the soul of a great Arunian! Our arts, skills, and magic of weizzas were the gifts of the almighty Arunians. Speak no ill of him! We shall do nothing against him!”

Saw Nan Mon was left speechless. The female council member, who had shown sympathy before, then conveyed a sense of shame, regret, and disrepute. Saw Nan Mon left the room, banging the door in a rage.

At the exit, she met with Kavisara, the elder, and the sympathetic council member lady. The lady possessed the face of a middle-aged European. Golden was her hair, red was her velvet lips. She wore a white cape with golden linings.

The elder told Saw Nan Mon why he couldn't interfere as the council had stopped him. He showed his deep regard for the twenty-village alliance. The European lady spoke,

“My sister, allow me to apologize for what occurred during our meeting. The council has now gone astray from its duty by the incentive of Agga, the wicked. They feared him not only because he was an Aurnian. Agga had pledged to the council that he would share the skills and magic of his ancestors if he could use Zeya. Thus, the council dared not to interfere with him. Their thirst for skills and powers has blinded them, corrupted them, and strayed them from their Dharma. Thus, the council ordered a group of mystics to catch Zeya for him. Shameful, isn't it? Now our council’s glory had failed to the pig sty. Now, my sister, please save Zeya,”

“Won't ye come, O lady? And also Grandpa?” Saw Nan Mon and questioned both of them.

“We got jobs to do, my child,” Kavisara, the elder, answered in a low, secretive, and serious tone. Saw Nan Mon understood his expression. Just then, an African man approached and whispered some words into the European lady’s ear. Her seriousness doubled. She and the old Kavisara left.

Thus, Saw Nan Mon had come to save Zeya.

Shin Ye Htut, being a curious cat as usual, asked, “O, Lady, how long have ye known the elder?”

Lady Saw Nan Mon grinned a bit, showing off her pearl-white teeth. “Guess my age first. I met him at 12 years old,” she riddled.

Shin Ye Htut said, “You looked nothing older than twenty, my Lady,”

His answer caused her to grin more, showing off her pointy canines.
Zeya answered, “My guess was between four and five hundred,”

Laughing, Saw Nan Mon spoke, “Make it four hundred, my brother. A year after my birth, Sithu, the grandson of Dilaingshin, the great-grandson of Anirudha, ascended the throne of Bagan. Since his reign started in the Burmese year 473 (1111 in AD) and now it is 873 (1511 in AD), oh my! I am exactly four hundred years old!”

Although her words surprised Shin Ye Htut, they failed to impress Zeya for he had guessed that a witch’s aging may differ from ordinaries.

“They called me the womb-born witch. Without using any powers, I can summon snakes, control them, understand them, and play with them. The same case was with fire. I caught the attention due to this,”

The boys felt a slight decrease in her tone.

“Then, there was a drought in the Kingdom of Bagan. There was no rain, hotter than the past years. Trees stood without leaves, only with their dark stems. The dry ground cracked without soil. Lakes dried out. The crops died and people lost their business. Some poor people even died due to heat and starvation. And so were the domestic livestock. There were corpses, along with them brought chlorela. People wanted something else to blame. And so our family became the scapegoat of their wrath. We were impure witches, they said. The country was hated by the guardians because of the witches’ presence, they said. They hated us and wanted us to be sacrificed for better weather. We had to flee. But only I escaped. Mother, father, my sisters, all were captured and… and those… morons of Bagan…”

Zeya sensed her distress and told her not to continue if she willed.

“Then, the elder, Kavisara, adopted me,”

The boys were left disheartened by her words.

Then, U Agga approached their jails along with a lady. That lady was none other than Nagasena, the head queen consort. She wore golden jewelry, a belt embedded with rubies, a bracelet in the form of a dragon, and silk wears. But in the boy’s eyes, she lacked the elegance. Her smile was devoid of tranquility. Her suppressed eyes towards Saw Nan Mon made even a prostitute seem more serene than her. Her cruelness couldn’t be hidden under her beauty. U Agga also wore the mutant as an armor.

“Alas! The great sorceress is now being caged!” The queen consort starts her mockery towards Saw Nan Mon. Saw Nan Mon said,

“Life got low and high, my dear, as I don’t get myself prostituted for an ascetic. Your royal ruby ring looks pretty. It fits me well. Didn’t ye got it by being a prostitute for Narapati?” and showed off the royal ruby ring she was wearing. She took it since Nagasena lost her finger. Only these words could trigger Nagasena like a boiling pot.

“Honey, we don’t need this witch anymore. She’s unrelated to my duty. Should we execute her?” As U Agga asked, Nagasena answered,

“Oh, my brother, wait. Keep her. Haven’t you told me that you would make me a witch queen with your ancestor’s power? Only then, I will end her with my own hands,”

U Agga, although not very willing, “Alright,” he spoke. The duo resemble fools pretending to be royals in Zeya’s eyes.

Meanwhile, everyone felt a lift in the jail rooms and the basement layer. It was as if they were on an elevator. The rooms shook a bit. There were noises of gears and machines. But later calmed down.

The whole basement layer disappeared from Ava and then reappeared in Egypt. It was a method of teleportation that U Agga had designed for the whole layer to use as a vehicle.

“Zeya, enjoy the art of our ancestors!”