Immortal Warriors Complete Saga: Immortal Warriors

By Julian Rosado-Machain

This compiled edition of Immortal Warriors includes all three novellas into a single tome for readers and fans of high action and adventure alike.

 

A city under siege. Immortal heroes. Unbeatable enemies. The jungle has never before been so honorable or, dangerous...

Barganush the Ravager has forged the greatest army ever seen in the jungle intent on destroying Ridyani, the Jewel of the East, so powerful is the Ravager that not even the immortal heroes IErdai and Radji believe he can be stopped. It will fall to young Ini to crack the code his father left behind and try to save the city from Barganush.  

• Language: English
• Publisher: Julian Rosado-Machain
• Release date: Jul 8, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223471608

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CHAPTER 1

The sounds of battle echoed throughout the jungle. Hundreds of animals ran away in confusion and fear. Many of them had heard the terrible cries of an angry elephant before. Some remembered the war cry of Barganush the Ravager as he battled with an enemy and they fled in terror knowing that the Ravager would continue his rampage by destroying everything and anyone who got in his way. The kingdom of Saprori in the west of the Sajib River had fallen years before to Barganush and Ridyani had accepted all the refugees it could under its protection. Only the Sajib’s sheer cliffs and the crocodiles inhabiting its waters had kept the elephant and its horde at bay from crossing into Ridyani lands.

Among the hundreds of animals that were fleeing, two monkeys made their way toward the battle. They had both seen their share of fighting and understood the secret messages Erdai was sending with each battle screech.

This time the message was urgent and the monkeys hurried the pace: the knight of a hundred eyes was losing the battle against Barganush and would soon fall to the elephant’s murderous anger. He had engaged the elephant alone and he desperately needed Radji to help him to stop the horde from invading Ridyani.

Using the branches for support, the monkeys jumped over most of the terrain with ease. Every jump brought them closer to the battle until the sounds of the thrashing elephant became deafening. The fight had already turned a portion of the jungle into a small clearing where broken trees and squashed grass marked the elephant’s passing. Next to where Barganush and Erdai were fighting, a cliff opened directly above the Sajib River.

The monkeys stopped at the edge of the clearing trying to spot Erdai, but the cloud of debris and dust created by the elephant obscured their view. They could see Barganush’s trunk swinging violently, and in one of those swings, Erdai the peacock, in all his multicolored glory, flew through the air towards the cliff.

Barganush had struck Erdai, and the hero landed with a loud thump at the cliff’s edge and remained motionless on the ground. He was unconscious, possibly dead, and a gasp rose from the other side of the Sajib where the thousands that composed Barganush’s horde waited for the elephant to kill Erdai.

The elephant made a show and reared on his two hind legs as he trumpeted loudly, his gray skin showed the scars of battles long past and was said to have become even tougher than that of other elephants.

It was his power that pulled the hoardings to his side, his cunning which had brought empires to their knees, and his cruelty that held the horde together.

Now that he had Erdai defeated he needed to cash in the moment.

Barganush stopped his thrashing and walked toward the unmoving peacock. Erdai has fallen! he yelled at his followers, the bravest among them peeked out from the foliage on the other side of the cliff, and one or two braved to step closer to the bridge they had built and laid over the cliff for their master to pass over the Sajib and into Ridyani.

His followers were numerous but not very brave. Mostly mice and rats comprised the Ravager’s horde, and before crossing over into Ridyani lands, they would wait for their lord to finish Ridyani’s champion. Like with all other animals in the jungle, Ridyani had opened its door to the horde ancestors in the past, but they had abused the city’s peace and had become thieves and thugs.

Before Barganush came and forged them into the horde, the mice and rats that comprised it had been gangs and tribal clans, interested in stealing and exploiting the resources in an area before moving on. Enslaving those they could and expelling or killing those that resisted them.

Most of them had been expelled from Ridyani by the heroes only after many broken promises of redemption and an attempt to take over the city by force had been made.

Those that had stayed behind abode by the city code, while those that now comprised the horde had fallen deeper into anger and malevolence. They had fought each other for generations, killed each other over food and territory, and had been expelled from kingdom after kingdom until the Ravager had found them and united them under his banner. We will take the city by storm! Barganush proclaimed. We will lay waste to the Jewel of the East and feast on the spoils! There was a deafening cheer after his declamation, and the horde moved over the bridge they had laid over the cliffs. The hordling’s hate for Ridyani still burned bright and thrived on old stories told by the eldest among the rats and mice about going back to Ridyani and claiming it for themselves.

It had been said many times in Ridyani that Barganush had not created the horde but only served them as a guiding force, a focal point for their hatred.

The cliff became grey as thousands of hordlings advanced out from the foliage and towards the bridge they had built. Once across they would surely form a column of hate towards Ridyani and the vengeance they craved.

The older monkey remained motionless as the horde prepared to cross over the Sajib. Someone needed to return to Ridyani and alert the city of the oncoming attack With any luck they would still have time to mount a defense. He was about to leave when he saw Erdai stirring.

Slowly, the peacock stood up again. The golden hue that covered his body still shone bright and he was still regal even with some of the long feathers of his tail broken.

The horde stopped their advance at the sight of Erdai standing up and at that moment all thoughts of going to the city disappeared from the monkeys watching the battle.

Both he and his apprentice knew what had to be done, and the elder of them undid a strap of red leather from his wrist, giving it a kiss he handed it over to his apprentice. Give this to Ini, he said. Tell Drusta to prepare him for the Hammer. The Hammer is Ridyani’s last hope.

A loud trumpet came from Barganush sending a chill through the apprentice’s back.

But you can’t face him alone. The apprentice said and the older monkey smiled.

I am not alone. He said pulling Sayeera from its scabbard. The sword caught a filtered ray of sun and gleamed briefly in the canopy. Nor, am I afraid….We’ll meet again in the Ancestor’s Hall He quickly embraced the apprentice before dismissing him. He opened his hand and a puff of golden dust enveloped him, covering his body in a golden hue. Your time will come, be brave.

On the clearing below him, Erdai stood up and faced the elephant again. I’m not done with you yet, the peacock told Barganush, his right-wing hung on his side, broken, and he suppressed a cough before opening his feather tail in defiance.

Trumpeting angrily, the elephant ran towards the unmoving peacock and would have surely crushed him if not for the intervention of Radji.

Uttering a wild battle cry, the monkey jumped down from the tree pulling down on one of the Ravager’s ears and making him veer of Erdai. Immediately, a murmur of surprise and fear arose from the horde on the opposite side of the cliff as the elephant missed the unmoving peacock by inches

It’s Radji! one of the rats yelled, and the name was repeated again and again as the monkey climbed on top of the elephant’s head. A legend unto himself, Radji’s presence stopped the horde from crossing over.

The immortal heroes were fighting together again and they had suffered no defeat in a thousand years.

Radji the Just was the perfect complement to Erdai’s regal presence. Fast and agile, the monkey was a blur of movement when he fought, and he was also the wielder of Sayeera, Sword of the Ancestors, a weapon said to have been created by the human gods that had erected Ridyani itself and that was sharper than any tiger’s claw and stronger than the strongest rock.

Even the horde’s larger animals, boars, and foxes stood back and cowered in the heroes’ presence.

Where Erdai went, Radji followed, and there could be no victory for Barganush as long as they stood.

Forgetting about Erdai, Barganush swung his trunk in great arches trying to take hold of Radji, but the monkey climbed further onto the elephant’s head. Knowing that his advantage was only momentary, Radji struck at Barganush’s eye with Sayeera.

Barganush wailed out in pain. Blinded, he stumbled around, and as he lost his footing near the edge of the cliff, there was a loud rumble as the edge gave way and Barganush fell but managed to grab Radji with his trunk. As life was being crushed from him, Radji threw Sayeera up and onto the cliff where it embedded itself into the ground almost to the hilt.

With a loud splash, the two combatants disappeared into the Sajib as crocodiles immediately entered the murky waters to look for spoils.

Erdai walked toward the cliff’s edge and stood over the bloodied Sayeera. Its legend Didn’t allow for anyone other than Radji from touching the Sword, even himself, and he turned towards the horde knowing that they would rather flee than face him without their leader.

Destroy the bridge! he ordered, but the hordlings could sense he was weak and injured and they stayed hidden, bidding for the moment Erdai fell.

Didn’t you hear! a yell came from behind the peacock, and the horde gasped as Radji, walked out from the clearing, a golden hue still trailing behind him. He stood beside Erdai and pulled Sayeera from the ground. Destroy it! Before we decide to cross over ourselves.

With the two heroes reunited again, the horde came out from hiding and quickly destroyed the bridge.

Goodbye my friend. Erdai whispered towards the Sajib. Safe travel to the Hall of the Ancestors.

Far below, a lonely figure emerged from the Sajib depths. With a cruel twinkle in his remaining eye, Barganush the Ravager saw his bridge being smashed by his own troops and trumpeted loudly at Erdai and Radji.

Radji leaned in towards Erdai and whispered. He told me that the Hammer was our last hope.

The heroes watched as the current carried Barganush away surrounded by crocodiles, the elephant was too big for the river monsters to attack and they both knew that the Ravager would return. As the horde fled into the bushes, Erdai was relieved to feel the first drops of rain falling on his back. Monsoon season had come again to the jungle, and with it, the time needed to prepare Ridyani for Barganush’s horde.

He asked me to give this to Ini. Radji opened his hand showing Erdai the red band.

Erdai sighed and suppressed another cough, this time a droplet of blood tinged his beak. His time will come. He said knowing that the peace they had enjoyed since Barganush destroyed the Kingdom of Saprori on the other side of the Sajib was coming to an end. and he won’t be alone.

CHAPTER 2

The Teaching Hall was one of the most cherished buildings in Ridyani. Created and abandoned by humans, the great city was now cared for by the jungle inhabitants and they allowed the jungle to grow around the structures to protect them from the elements, but never letting big roots crack the stones or clog the canals and underground sewers.

Ini loved the room his class had been assigned in the Teaching hall, it was larger than the one they had the year before, with a higher ceiling and many levels of both horizontal perches and vertical vines for the different kinds of students to sit, perch and hang.

It even had a couple of ant trail vines that always had a line of little workers in case the students needed a snack during class.

Ini leaned in and picked up a couple of the ants directly with his lip.

He was afraid of falling asleep and the ants might give him a little jolt of spice.

He loved the room, but his new teacher had the kind of voice that could put to sleep a leopard.

It’s been almost five thousand moons ago that Ridyani was founded by the ancestors Master Narian droned on the story they had heard a thousand times already and Ini’s left eyelid began to fall.The war had broken out between the Yibiak and the Jeru and…

Ini… Ini’s ear seemed to hear something…Psst… Something was happening… Ini’s right eyelid seemed to pause for a second before closing altogether.

Hey! The whisper in his ear and the poke to his ribs made him jump and startle those around him. Chortles, laughs, and purrs filled the room as Ini realized that he had fallen asleep over the ant trail vine and he was wearing now a coat of ants over his body. He hung upside down using his feet and ate the ones on his arms while his friends Porto and Lekia pecked the rest of his body, the two peacocks pulling on his hair as they pecked on the ants.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the distraction, except Master Narian.

He sighed, Ini, he said Is it that boring for you to be here?

No, Master Narian, Ini said gulping down an ant without chewing it. I’m sorry Master Narian. He coughed as he felt the ant tickling the back of his throat.

You can come at night if you like. Master Narian said. You wouldn’t be the first Jeru to prefer the night school.

Ini gulped down again. He wasn’t afraid of the dark, no one in Ridyani was thanks to the Shades, but he preferred the daylight.

He was about to say he was sorry again when a furry head popped up from one of the floor holes saved for the Shades. We can help him, sir. Ini could see the back of the head of Aljeer, the son of one of the Shades Captains. The black streaks running down the back of the cat seemed to ripple with every word.

Ini gulped down another ant and prepared to say something when a second head popped up from the cubbyhole, this time looking directly at him. Aljeer’s twin sister, Sarmi opened her large round eyes at him, the round pupils became slits inside the golden eyes as she spoke.Oh yes, please master. The wild kitten said.We’ll make sure he learns his lessons well.

Ini heard Lekia’s feathers rustling behind him as if a shiver had run down her spine. Wildcats made most inhabitants of the city nervous, but birds were especially unnerved by them.

Mostly nocturnal, most predators belonged to the Shades, the guardians of Ridyani nights. While most of the citizens slept, the Shades kept vigil over them. Ini wasn’t afraid of Aljeer and Sarmi. He played with them often, his dad was a friend of their parents and they spent many twilight days together on the rooftops of the Bath houses as his dad and their parents spoke of their things.

Even knowing them that much, he couldn’t suppress an involuntary shiver as Sarmi licked her snout giving him a pointy-toothed smile.

That is a great idea! Porto.

The kits looked at each other and then back at Ini, the slits in their pupils opening wide with excitement and everyone in the classroom shared Ini’s shiver as they both responded in unison. A great idea…

Ridyani’s horn blared and they all listened attentively. Ridyani used the horns as an alert system, and they all knew the codes.

Tell me what you hear, Master Narian said.

Two short ones, one long, Dasi said. There must be a fire.

No, wait, Ini replied. Two short ones, one long, pause . . . They all waited. The pause would have to be shorter than five counts or it would repeat, confirming Dasi’s guess. Much to Ini’s delight, there was another short sound followed by a long one, and then the message was repeated.

That’s a general assembly! Porto exclaimed.

And includes the Shades… Arjen and Sarmi said, still in unison.

That’s one of the most important calls, Master Narian said, the horns were Ridyani’s way to keep the citizens informed. They had all heard the calls of flood emergencies and fire drills, and Ini remembered a warning call about an angry tiger that had roamed Ridyani’s frontiers for a week until Erdai and Radji persuaded him to leave the city alone, but Ini had never been to a general assembly. None of the youngsters had. Leave the classroom in order and go to your appointed place. The master continued. I’ll meet you outside.

The whole city moved towards the central plaza. A general assembly called the whole city to attention and it was reserved only for the most dire of emergencies.

Young citizens were to arrive at the central plaza last. The rain had created puddles in the ancient cobblestones, but that didn’t stop the citizens from answering the call. Monkeys, peacocks, mongooses, rabbits, lithe capuchins, and the strong deer were already gathered in the moss-covered plaza. It was a magnificent sight to see so many animals together in peace, for Ridyani accepted everyone with open arms as long as they lived peacefully with one another and embraced the city’s honor code of mutual respect.

There was even a place for bears and felines inside Ridyani. The bears had become ant and bee farmers and were respected city merchants, and the felines had found their place among the Shades, Ridyani’s nocturnal defenders and vermin control. The felines also were amazing fishermen and were led by Yaane, a strong leopard who usually patrolled Ridyani’s northern frontier.

Ini and his friends walked among the multitude. Even Arjeen and Sarmi were joined by other kits and young predators in the plaza.

The central plaza was already packed, but the elders waited until they were completely sure that most of Ridyani’s citizens had arrived. A general assembly was the most serious of calls and, there was a fair amount of noise as citizens talked to one another.

How exciting! Porto ventured. Look at the Shades!

Ini looked around as the murmurs escalated The rooftops of the buildings surrounding the plaza were filling with wildcats and martens and the other predators that formed the Shades, Ridyani’s defense core and night guardians and protectors The Shades made all of the other citizens nervous just because they were predators.

There’s Mom, Aljeer said nodding at a rooftop and they all saw her looking down at them. Soroma was a prominent liaison between the Shades and the daytime citizens and she was well known to everyone.

Dad’s over there, Sarmi told them pointing with her paw to the main plaza building. Her father, Jerjali, was a Captain of the Shades and was standing closer to the council and the other Shades and City Watch commanders.

Ini had only met him once before, during the day, most of the Shades stayed indoors, but there were always one or two roaming the city. It was important to know that the predators had a presence in the city and that the citizens accepted and knew that they had nothing to fear from them. Ini always suspected that there were more than a dozen wildcats in the Shades, but he had never seen so many at once.

As the wildcats and martens prowled the rooftops, a chill ran down Ini’s spine. They seemed arranged, ready, not for a meeting, but for an ambush. If such an ambush were to happen right now, he and all of Ridyani’s citizens would play the part of the prey. He was about to tell Dasi about his chilling thought when a gasp arose from the multitude.

It’s Yaane! Dasi said, pointing to the roof of the council building. His words were echoed by many other citizens as Yaane, the leopard the city called the Nightstalker, appeared on the central rooftop overlooking the crowd. The imposing leopard nodded at his Shades lieutenants, and they all nodded back. The cats greatly disliked the rain, but they took their places for the anticipated assembly.

Am I the only one who thinks this could be an ambush? Ini thought wearily. And when he expected the cats to pounce from their places into the gathered crowd, Ini noticed that Yaane and the rest of the Shades settled down instead.

One of Yaane’s paws hung lazily from the rooftop. The leopard was the leader of the Shades and had proven himself many times as a zealous defender of Ridyani’s citizens.

One by one the council members appeared on the balcony directly under Yaane. Monkeys and peacocks formed the core of the Council, but there were also a bear and a deer among them. Some citizens started to applaud, but the council members nodded at them to quiet them down. This made Ini more nervous. It was always a bad sign when politicians didn’t want any applause.

A very grave, very disturbing thing has occurred, one of the council members said as he stepped to the front. Ini didn’t know his name, but he had never been interested in learning city politics.

Our western frontier was breached by Barganush and his horde, the councilman said. A murmur rose from the assembly.

Ini knew about Barganush from the stories his father had told him. He, like everyone else knew of the elephant’s nickname, The Ravager.

After Barganush had reached the kingdom of Saprori, he and his horde had been like a monsoon wind, destroying everything in their path. Ridyani’s neighbor had been lost in less than a week, and the only way to prevent the Ravager from reaching Ridyani had been for its citizens to cut the bridges over the Sajib River while Erdai and Radji fought with him on the other side. In the end, the Ravager had stayed on the far side of the cliffs where he trumpeted his hate toward Ridyani and its champions, and the city had always thought that the cliffs would keep them safe, until now.

Most afraid in the plaza were the Saprori refugees that Ridyani had accepted under its protection. Like Ridyani, Saprori had been an enlightened Kingdom where animals of all species had lived in harmony under the rule of King Naldeen and the honey-badger royal family.

These refugees had felt the wrath of the Ravager firsthand, they had seen what Barganush and his horde could do, their homes destroyed, their lands taken from them. They had also seen his rage and evil as he had hunted down and killed the Royal line to its last descendant.

They had fled Saprori and found respite in Ridyani, but they had not forgotten all they had lost and now the memory and fear Barganush had burned into them came again into the forefront.

Saprori had become a lost kingdom. It’s people only ghosts of their former selves.

Silence please! The councilman raised his voice, but it was drowned by the rising murmurs. Fear was gripping the city. Everyone knew the power Barganush wielded, and many of the Saprori refugees began to turn away from the plaza in fear. A couple of them spoke aloud and one yelled about his lost family and, in a second, fear gripped the city. Its citizens looked as if they were ready to flee.

Ini sensed the change, fear was contagious and unreasoning and even he and his friends began to feel the impulse to run. For a moment he thought that the plaza would have become a stampede if it hadn’t been for a piercing yell, a sound instantly recognized by all of Ridyani.

The voices died down and, immediately, all citizens settled back down and turned toward the balcony.

Erdai, regal as always, appeared beside the councilman. The golden hue of his plumage reflected the last rays of sunlight from his feathers. The danger has passed, he told the people, for now at least. Scattered murmurs rose again, but they were now very faint. The Ravager managed to lay a bridge over the Sajib, a bridge our scouts missed until it was too late to stop it from being lowered over the gap. He purposely looked upward at Yaane, who just took in a long breath and looked away.

Radji and I fought Barganush this morning, and we managed to cast him out into the Sajib. None of his horde set a foot on our land. After hearing that, the people exploded in cheers, but Erdai opened his wings to calm them down before continuing.

It was a victory, but it was not without sacrifice, Erdai said, and the plaza grew quiet. There was a casualty in our fight against the Ravager. A brave soul now rests with the ancestors.

A heavy silence set on the assembly, and Ini felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around. The hand belonged to Ridyani’s other champion, Radji the Just. He was wearing a black mask and across his shoulders the leather strap of Sayeera, Sword of the Ancestors. His body shimmered in the golden glow of the immortals, and he locked his gaze with Ini.

Behind them, Erdai continued. Citizens of Ridyani, pay your respects to Ini, son of Anasi the engineer, for you sleep safely today because of his sacrifice. Ini was dimly aware of the people surrounding him as they bowed their heads to him. He was looking at Radji’s open hand and the red strap of leather he held in it.

Your father cut the bridge the horde laid across the Sajib, the champion said while offering Ini his father’s wrist strap, the only possession Ini’s mother had left for them after her death. He left this for you, Ini, he told me to give it to you, he said as he placed the strap on Ini’s hand and hugged him as the youngster started to cry.

Ini is now a son of the city, Erdai yelled for all to hear. Take good care of him, Ridyani.

After a minute of silence, Erdai started to delineate his plan for Ridyani’s defense, but Ini, still in Radji’s embrace couldn’t see past his tears.

CHAPTER 3

The city had been in turmoil since the general assembly. Orders were issued, dangers assessed, and measures taken to turn Ridyani and its lands into a fortress against Barganush and his horde, but none of the plans included Ini. He had stayed home for three days after learning of his father’s death. Ridyani, originally built by humans, had many rooms, nooks, and crannies and Ini’s home rested above one of the busiest marketplaces, in a building made of stone and in which his dad had procured a wooden door to cover the entrance.

The things humans had built for their use had been taken over by the animals and meticulously cared for by generations. Tables, chairs, plates, vases, everything the ancient humans had left when they abandoned the city was a treasure for the inhabitants, some, like clay plates and weave baskets had been copied over by the animals, but others like pottery and metal parts, were irreplaceable treasures, relics accounted for by the council and passed down generation by generation among the inhabitants.

The two metal rods in which the door to Ini’s house pivoted and the hinge that kept it locked were such treasures, as well as the vase his mother had used to place flowers and fill the house with their fragrance.

Ini always knew that his father was a respected member of the city’s highest authorities. As the city’s chief engineer, Anasi had always been a major player in maintaining Ridyani in working order and Ini treasured the memory when his father took him on a tour to Mount Cerise. The climbing had been arduous for him, so his father had carried him on his back during the last part of the climb.

Sleep well, Ini, and rest. I’ll wake you up very early tomorrow. Anasi had told him as he laid Ini on a leaf nest he had prepared on a tall tree.

It was dark already, and Ini remembered being scared of that moonless night. Why are we here, Dad? he’d asked, as his father snuggled beside him.

I’ll tell you in the morning, Father had said, and Ini had fallen to sleep.

It had been a peaceful night. The normal jungle sounds were far away in the valley below, and Ini was fast asleep, rocked by his father’s breathing. Just a short time later, he was gently nudged. Wake up, Ini. It’s almost time, his father had said as he stroked his head. The jungle was still dark, but the sky started to turn from black to a deep shade of blue as morning arrived. For a couple of minutes, Ini was unsure of why they had made such a long trip, but then the sun appeared in the distance, and the jungle was illuminated by the myriad colors of sunrise.

A brilliant red covered the forest and turned the dark green canopy into a rainbow of light. Flocks of birds rose from their slumber, and their backs reflected the light as they flew over the trees. Ini realized that his father had taken him not only to the top of the mountain but to the tallest tree that grew in it. From their branch, they had an unobstructed view of Ridyani and its neighboring lands.

What do you think, Ini? his father had asked him after a couple of minutes. Was it worth the trip?

It’s incredible, Dad, the young monkey said in the way youngsters talked when they were too dumbstruck to speak. Anasi stroked his son’s head tenderly.

This is where I met your mother, his father had said. I wanted to show you where we fell in love. And then he told the story of Ini’s mother, Bikia the Weaver, how he’d courted her, and all the happy moments they’d shared until her death shortly after Ini was born.

Until that day, Ini had always sensed melancholy in his father’s voice when he spoke about Bikia, but that morning his father’s every word was filled with happiness and joy. Every memory he told Ini was one of laughter and love, and as they climbed down from the mountain, Ini realized that they’d just shared something special.

Ini’s relationship with his father grew stronger as his father told stories of Bikia’s life and his trade as an engineer. His father had even told him about the bright future that awaited Ini once he was an adult and finished his studies with him and the other councilmembers of the city, His father