Lottery King 7, page 20
His elephant began to stroll easily across the pasture, and our elephants followed in the line. Poppy was directly behind Kan, then Dinah, and I was in the middle of the group.
I wondered if Nyxx, Gemma, and Ivis would be able to hear Kan’s voice during the tour since they were so far back, but a moment later his voice rippled easily beside us like a flowing river of sound waves.
I had to assume he had some sort of magically enchanted device to assist like the megaphone I’d used in Neirnan to speak to the city at large.
“The Timber elephants are a gentle mammal,” Kan explained. “They can live for around forty-five to fifty years on average. They can work for the majority of their lives if they are well cared for and kept healthy.”
Kan continued to explain about the average size and strength of the Myanmar timber elephants, but my mind wandered to enjoying the scenery instead.
Once we crossed the open pasture, we entered a wide dirt footpath. The canopy of trees above us was shaped like an arched tunnel, and I wondered if the elephants had created the path simply by walking through here over and over again.
The trees were thick, with heavy branches and so many leaves the sun was almost completely blocked from our view. It was nice to move out of the direct sunlight, and there was still enough to be able to see clearly. The air was also significantly cooler under the canopy, though it was very humid.
The slow lumbering gait of the elephant wasn’t the most fluid movement, but it was somehow relaxing. I felt myself settle into my seat behind her ears, and I let myself just enjoy the lush greenery of Myanmar’s jungles.
“The elephants know better than to wander off the path,” Kan’s words suddenly caught my attention. “This jungle is the kind of place you want to stay on the path.”
“Is the jungle dangerous?” Ivis shouted from behind me.
“Oh, yes, your majesty,” Kan said with his magically enchanted voice. “There are all kinds of wild animals in this jungle, many of them are rather unfriendly. But they have learned to stay back from the path as the elephants have learned to stay on it.”
“Are there tigers?” Helena called.
“Some,” Kan answered. “Pythons as well. Many kinds of birds, some primates, and dholes. You might liken them to wild dogs.”
Poppy asked something that I didn’t catch from my place two elephants back.
“Yes, your majesty,” Kan said. “And there are many primitive populations of paranormals in this jungle as well. We will come up on the edges of their village soon.”
My eyes went wide at that statement, and my mind became a lot more alert.
“Don’t worry, your majesty,” Jet’s voice whispered nearby. “Your security team is still here.”
“Good,” I breathed quietly. “Thank you.”
About halfway into the tour, several tall, cone-shaped structures started to appear on either side of us. They looked like soft-serve ice cream piled directly on the ground, and they were the diameter of large camping tents, and twice as tall. They each had a single narrow doorway that was just big enough for a fully-grown man to crawl through, and they were covered by flaps of leather.
One leather flap rustled, but as I turned to look, all I could see was a scaled tail that looked like an armadillo.
“The people here are known as the Kyut,” Kan explained in a gentler tone. “They were invited to join modern society centuries ago, but refused. They prefer to stay close to nature and live among the trees.”
“Are they friendly?” Nyxx asked in a tentatively loud voice.
“They have granted us permission to bring tours through this part of their village,” Kan explained. “I have ingratiated myself among them, and they have allowed me passage so long as my guests respect their home.”
“That must be a very big honor,” Dinah said.
I couldn’t help but think of the way Dinah’s father, Hepe Kendi, had welcomed me to his island village as a guest. I wondered if he would have been as welcoming to other outsiders who weren’t the literal king of the Eternal Realm.
My thoughts were squashed completely when one of the local Kyut stepped out from behind one of the tall, cone-shaped structures.
He wore a loincloth over his groin and had large tribal tattoos across the left side of his chest, but the most startling part of his appearance was the heavy, armored scales over his broad shoulders.
He looked like a pangolin turned human.
His pointed nose turned down in a long hook like a storybook villain, and his eyes were much larger and rounder than any human’s. He lifted one hand to wave at us as we passed, and his fingernails were long like claws.
I managed to control the shock on my face, and I gave him a friendly nod as my elephant walked past.
Several more yards down the path, we came across a group of young Kyut playing some kind of game with a beat-up soccer ball.
“They’re beautiful,” Gemma said in a voice just loud enough for me to hear.
“The Kyut are vegetarians,” Kan said. “They farm all kinds of local produce here in the jungle.”
We moved a bit further, and I spotted two timber elephants hauling away several enormous tree trunks.
“They allow the timber industry so close to their homes?” Ivis asked with shock.
“No,” Kan chuckled. “Those are my elephants. The chief of the Kyut has borrowed them to clear a new field for his people.”
“Amazing,” I breathed.
Several more of the pangolin people worked in the recently cleared area. They stood up from crouched positions as we passed to gaze at us with curious wide eyes. They returned to pulling weeds, rocks, and roots from the ground in preparation for planting new crops.
“They’re not part of the Eternal Realm?” Ivis asked.
“There’s a peace treaty for their land,” I said as a passage floated up from my memories. “It was organized by one of the Belu representatives a few hundred years ago, I think.”
“That’s right, your majesty,” Kan said with an admiring grin in my direction. “They agreed to remain within the borders of their land in exchange for their freedom. I believe the crown allowed them a standing invitation to join the Eternal Realm should they ever change their minds.”
“That’s right,” I said. “I remember reading about that shortly after my coronation. It’s incredible to be able to see them for myself.”
“They are a gentle and resourceful people, your majesty,” Kan said as we moved past the new field. “The original legend the humans know claim the Kyut are malevolent people, but it’s simply not true. They are fiercely protective of their land and their young. You could think of them like honey bees, leave them be, and they will pose no threat to you. Threaten their home, and face their wrath.”
A sudden, forceful shiver raced down my spine, and a weird, unexplainable sense of doom clouded the back of my mind.
I looked around in search of something dangerous or creepy, eyes watching us from the treeline, or a fucking ghost wafting through the jungle. I couldn’t find anything, and the feeling eased slightly. It felt like every time I’d watched a paranormal-based horror movie in the human part of my life. There was no reason for it, and it soon disappeared completely.
I chalked it up to being far out in the wilderness surrounded by wild animals and unknown paranormals, and I had to admit, the jungle was fucking creepy. There was a constant droning buzz of insects from every side that felt like it was coming from inside my skull. The lumbering gait of the elephants wasn’t exactly soothing either, and the humidity was oppressive on my lungs.
I guess I was more of a city boy than I thought.
We rounded a curve a bit further on, and it felt like we were heading back in the general direction of the tour guide’s elephant pasture.
I found my thoughts wandering back to my extensive reading just after my coronation, and I recalled reading about a few other very remote people in the deep forests of the world. There were not very many who had a standing treaty or deal like the Kyut, and I wondered how many more remote civilizations existed beyond the knowledge of the crown.
We hadn’t really known about the existence of Dinah’s village, though the Aswang people themselves were known. Was it possible there were more paranormal species out there we hardly knew anything about. Was it possible there were some that outsiders knew nothing about?
The idea fascinated me, and I was lost in my wonderings for the rest of the tour.
Our elephants lumbered back into the grassy pasture before I realized it, and my ladies all had huge smiles on their faces. It was obvious they’d all loved the tour, and I had quite enjoyed it, too. But my ass was sore, and I was ready to get back to our rented house for a hot shower.
Especially since we had another lengthy social event to attend later tonight. We’d had a really great reprieve from the royal obligations today, but I couldn’t shirk my duties for long. There was so much work to be done, and I wondered if Rune had found anything useful or important.
My lovers and I thanked Kan profusely for the tour, and we loaded back onto the bus just as another group of tourists was arriving with Chesa behind the wheel of the second bus.
Kan returned us to the bus parking spot at the edge of Yangon’s shopping district, and I spotted Ace waiting for us several yards down the sidewalk.
“Thank you, Kan,” I said. “That was a lot of fun.”
“It was my honor, your majesty,” Kan said. “I can offer a kind-hearted word to the Kyut on your behalf if you would like?”
“Please.” I nodded. “Reissue the invitation to join the Eternal Realm at any time, and let them know I will wholeheartedly respect the current treaty.”
“They will be pleased to hear that, your majesty.” Kan smiled. “It can be tense when power exchanges hands. I’m sure they will be relieved to know you are a king of the people.”
“That’s what I’ve aimed for,” I chuckled.
We had a bit of a walk in front of us, and Jet appeared from the shadows to escort us. Several more shadows slipped among the patches of darkness below the trees, bushes, street lamps, and in the crevices along the sidewalk.
The streets were much more crowded than they had been earlier, and there seemed to be a sense of tension in the air. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but I felt a chill in the base of my spine I couldn’t shake.
It wasn’t until we drew closer to where the limo had been left that I realized the sense of foreboding was coming from the tone of the voices around us. There was anger and even fear in the shouts. None of them spoke English, so I had no idea what anyone said, but much like the graffiti we’d seen last night, I could feel the mood behind the words.
Then everything shifted dramatically in an instant.
The crowded streets suddenly became hostile, and up ahead, people started to scream at the top of their lungs. People were shoved bodily out into the street, and several cars slammed on their brakes to keep from running them over.
The distinctive thump of a car tire running over something it shouldn’t have made my blood run cold. I waited for the telltale scream of pain or horror, but there wasn’t one. I prayed the car had hit the curb, but there was no way to tell at the moment.
Somewhere close by, a stone or brick was thrown through a window, and the shattering of glass set my teeth on edge.
“Ah!” Dinah shouted, and she huddled close to my side.
“What’s happening?” Ivis asked with fear in her voice.
“People are rioting!” Poppy screeched.
Chapter 12
“Stick together!” Nyxx ordered. “The limo has reinforced armor! We need to get inside!”
Her face was suddenly stern as three dozen shadow nymphs materialized out of nowhere. We were instantly surrounded by a wall of dark featureless paranormals that pressed my lovers and I close together behind the protection of their bodies. Shadow nymph hands shielded over our heads as my wives and I were herded along the sidewalk.
Nyxx was directly beside me, and she had her right hand out like she held an invisible sword. I assumed she was simply ready to draw her shadow blade in the blink of an eye. Gemma walked on the outside of the group, and she’d acquired a six-inch dagger from somewhere. I wasn’t surprised in the slightest to find my mermaid lover as ready to defend our lives as Nyxx, and I didn’t feel an ounce of fear for either of them.
Another crash of shattering glass scattering all across the road scraped inside my eardrums, and I caught sight of the tiny shards between the feet of my shadow nymph guards.
Somewhere close by, a blood-curdling scream sounded, and Dinah shuddered and whimpered.
I wrapped my arm over her shoulders as we shuffled slowly forward, and I prayed to the Goddess that the limo was close. I prayed for Ace’s safety as well, and I had to assume a few of my shadow nymph guards had hurried forward to protect my driver.
“Shit,” I cursed to myself as clarity finally hit.
It had only been maybe a minute since all hell had broken loose, but I cleared my throat and began to give orders to my guards around me.
“Bring in the reserve army immediately,” I commanded whoever was listening. “I want this riot shut down! Now! Arrest anyone behaving with violence, and get the innocent bystanders to safety.”
“Yes, your majesty!” Jet replied. “The reserve guard has already been signaled. They should be here any sec–”
Jet’s words were drowned out as a few dozen angry voices began to scream at the top of their lungs. I couldn’t understand what they were saying, but it felt like a war cry to me.
Dinah huddled even closer to my side, and Ivis locked her fingers with my other hand. Helena and Poppy were a step ahead of me, and they clung to one other like life preservers. Poppy tried to turn back to look at me, but she stumbled over her next step.
“I’m right here!” I assured my wives. “Keep going! We need to get to the limo!”
Dinah’s arms were locked around my waist, and if we’d been able to move any faster she surely would have tripped and fallen over her own feet. I held her upright with my left arm tight around her waist, and we kept pushing forward.
Finally, the sidewalk shifted into the road beneath my feet, and I knew we must be getting close to the limo.
The sounds of the raging crowd got louder around us, and we were shoved several feet to the side.
The barricade of shadow nymph guards around us didn’t make a sound, but I could feel the collective intake of breath from the force of the impact.
“Your majesty!” Ace’s voice finally sounded in my ears.
“Ace!” I shouted with relief. “Are you alright?”
“Get in the limo, your majesties!” Ace replied.
I had to assume he was unharmed, and I almost shoved Poppy, Helena, Ivis, and Dinah into the limo.
“Get in!” Gemma insisted with her back to me.
I growled with the instinctive need to drag my two warrior women into the vehicle with me, but I knew neither Nyxx nor Gemma would enter the limo until they saw I was safely inside.
I forced my body into the limo, and then I turned back to order them in as well.
“Get in!” I shouted.
Gemma didn’t hesitate, and she practically jumped into the limo and scrambled out of the way so Nyxx could follow her. The door was slammed shut a half second behind her, and then Ace climbed into the front seat and slammed his door shut, too.
“Holy shit,” I breathed.
I tried to calm my mind from the panicked dump of adrenaline that still rushed through my veins and brain. I looked at my six ladies and counted them each. I named them all and locked my eyes on their faces to assure myself we were all present and safe.
“Fuck,” I sighed.
Gemma, Nyxx, Helena, and I stared out the windows at the war-like zone that had cropped up outside in the posh streets of Yangon’s expensive shopping district.
The crowds were too thick for us to be able to go anywhere without running over hundreds of people.
“We’re trapped, aren’t we?” Ivis asked as if she could read my thoughts.
“For now,” Nyxx confirmed. “But we’re safe.”
“The reserve guards are coming,” I assured my worried wives.
“I’m going to slip out to check on that,” Nyxx said.
“Wai–” I said.
But before I could object, she shifted easily into her shadow form and slipped out between the cracks of the limousine door.
“Fuck,” I sighed.
It wasn’t going to be simple having a wife who was also determined to protect me with her very life if it came down to it. But I couldn’t deny, it was fucking hot.
I stared through the limo window at the intense scene outside while we waited for Nyxx’s return.
Several paranormals in dark clothes with masks over their faces started to scream in the middle of the street. Their words were impossible for me to decipher into English, but I recognized two words I’d heard just the night before.
Myangtaat Larhkyinn. The Rising.
They were responsible for this riot.
They started to catch people in their grasp who were trying to flee. They pounded their fists into stomachs and faces. A small pile of unconscious and injured bystanders collected around them on the ground.
At least one car was turned over by the angry crowds, and flames started coming out from its underside. It was far enough from us that we’d be safe inside the armored limo from a probable explosion, but there were still so many civilians on the streets.
People screamed in terror as they were blocked from leaving by the panic and the rioters. The bright shine of sunlight on a blade caught my attention, and my brain slipped into slow motion as I watched a masked terrorist stab into the stomach of a helpless old man in casual business attire.
Helena gasped beside me, and I glanced to see that she’d watched the man get stabbed. Her usually tan face went pale, and she turned away from the window.
Several more windows were smashed in over the course of the next five minutes, and I wondered if this country had property insurance for this kind of thing. I decided I would arrange a fund for repairs that the local shop owners could apply for if there wasn’t.
