Son of the Storm

a retelling of the Tale of illujanka

Rai stood at the edge of the water, staring out at the darkening horizon. Clouds roiled like the waves beneath them, black and forbidding. But it was always like this. The land around him and his family seemed to be in a perpetual state of storm. Mother said it hadn’t been like this before Father lost his heart and his eye. Rai had never known his father before the battle with the Serpent Illujanka, but he had heard the story thousands of times.

As if the thought of him had summoned him up, Father’s footsteps hit the ground behind Rai, his presence announced by the electricity pulsing around him, leaving the harsh scent of burning in the air.

“Father,” Rai said as Ramman, Storm God, drew up beside him.

Ramman was an imposing figure with sharp features and a square jaw. His brow was drawn, and he wore leather armor covering the hole in his chest where his heart would have been. He said nothing for a few uncomfortable moments.

Finally, Father turned to Rai, revealing the golden eyepatch covering his left eye. “Rai. I have decided it is time for you to be married.”

Rai raised his eyebrows. Surprise rushed through him, electric like his father’s lightning. “Really? . . . To whom?” Rai asked. Father was hiding something. His dark, stormy gaze, though limited to the one eye, was unwavering, but his breaths came fast as though anticipating something.

“I have arranged your betrothal to Nathaira.”

“Illujanka’s daughter? Why?”

Father looked out over the raging waves. “In marrying her, you will be able to request a boon from the Serpent—my heart and eye. You will bring honor and glory to our family. You know how we are mocked by the other gods. They would not dare laugh after I am restored.”

Rai pursed his lips. A prickling feeling, like a warning, crawled up his back.

He did not want to marry Nathaira, daughter of the snake that had defeated his father and brought shame on their family . . . yet he wanted his father whole again. So Rai pushed back the waves of foreboding, determined that in this he would do his father right.

“Of course. I will do as you desire,” Rai promised.

Father gave Rai a real smile, warming him despite the biting wind.



It was time. Vows had been spoken, and the ceremony was finally complete. Now all Rai had to do was slip away from the reception and speak to Illujanka alone.

Nathaira paused as Rai stood. His new wife had been eating quietly, though all around them were the sounds of people chattering and enjoying the banquet. That is, the first banquet. Proceedings to celebrate their union would continue for two weeks, until the moon was half-full. It was good luck to be wed on the full moon, and Father and Illujanka hadn’t wanted anything to go wrong with the wedding.

Now Nathaira spoke to him for the first time since they were wed, which must have been half an hour ago. “Rai? Isss . . . sssomething wrong?”

The slight hiss to her speech was reminiscent of her father’s, and it made Rai uncomfortable. Still, she was beautiful—not that he’d been paying attention to that. Dark hair cascaded down to her waist, half held back with a water lily clasp glinting with precious stones. Her eyes were narrow, with slitted pupils and long lashes. Other than her forked tongue, her strange eyes were the only thing bearing testimony to her Serpent form.

Rai swallowed. “No, nothing. I just wanted to speak with your father, if that’s all right?”

Nathaira frowned but pointed him in the direction of the table where their parents sat. Rai slowly walked over to them, leaving his wife alone.

“My lord, may I speak with you in private for a moment?” Rai gave his father a hopefully-reassuring nod as Illujanka stood.

“Of coursse,” Illujanka said, looking at the people gathered around the table. “I will be right back.” He inclined his head to Ramman and followed Rai to a hallway lined with marble pillars and statues decorated with flowers and coral for the wedding.

“What did you wisssh to ssspeak of?” Illujanka asked.

Rai’s stomach twisted. Everything hinged on this one request.

Illujanka was in human form like his daughter, but he appeared more serpentine than she. With the same slitted eyes but dark scales creeping up his forearms, he also had a long cape draped around him, which looked to be snakeskin. Perhaps his own shed skin from his true form. Despite how that idea made Rai’s skin crawl, the Serpent’s black eyes were wide and kind.

Slick fists clenched, Rai closed his eyes a moment before asking, “I would like to request something from you. Something you took long ago, before I was born . . . .”

Illujanka nodded. “I thought it might come to thisss. You want your father’sss eye and heart back?”

Rai exhaled. “Very much so, yes.”

For a moment Illujanka paused and studied him. His forked tongue flicked out of his mouth once, twice. The Serpent did not blink. “Well then, as a welcome for you and your family coming into oursss, I will gift them to you. You may return them to your father as you desssire. But I fear it will not give you what you ssseek.”

Frowning, Rai asked, “What do you mean?”

Illujanka tilted his head, then shook it. “If you do not sssee it yet, I will not try to explain. But I will do as you asssk.”

“Thank you, lord,” Rai replied, bowing and turning to return to Nathaira.

“Oh, and Rai?” Illujanka called.

Rai looked over his shoulder at his father-in-law.

“You may call me Illujanka.”



Some weeks later, Rai headed home. Illujanka had thought it best to wait for the celebratory proceedings to end before Rai returned his father’s eye and heart, and Rai had agreed to wait. Now Rai’s anticipation had curdled in his stomach. If he was honest, he had enjoyed the past couple weeks with Nathaira and her parents. Nathaira had a quiet wit he found appealing, and, despite his initial apprehension, he found himself warming up to her as the days went by. Maybe the union wasn’t such a bad idea after all. Perhaps his father would finally be satisfied after he was hale and whole once more.
Everything had to work out.

Shaking saltwater out of his hair, Rai rearranged his tunic and straightened his posture. His ship approached the island. It was small but magnificent, sand dunes rising like waves themselves, the huge structure of the palace looming like a storm cloud on the horizon, turrets posed as though to pierce the sky itself. Moments later he was on the shore, ordering the two snakes pulling the ship to wait there for his return. His parents had departed Illujanka’s kingdom after the final banquet, and the parting look his father had given Rai still made him sick to think of. Father believed Rai had failed. Yet he hadn’t—he held the golden box with Ramman’s heart and eye at his side, determined to deliver them to his father without any more delay.

Soon he was being ushered into his father’s throne room.

Rai bowed as he approached.

“Rai! Why have you come here?” the familiar voice boomed, darker and angrier than ever.

“I know you think I failed. But I did not, Father. I have brought you your eye and your heart. I hope . . . .” What did he hope? Rai wasn’t sure anymore as he brought out the golden box and presented it to his father. “I hope you . . .,” Are proud of me? He couldn’t say that. “Find them as strong as you did before.” Curses. That wasn’t what he was trying to say at all! But it would have to do. Rai looked down, stomach heavy.

When he glanced up, Rai saw that his father had approached. Father’s fingers hovered over the box. With a grin, he flipped it open.

In a rush of golden light as bright as a lightning bolt, with a sound like a thousand thunderclaps at once, Father collapsed to the ground. Rai gasped, dropping the box and rushing to his father’s side.

“Father? Are you alright?” Rai felt for a pulse.

A few tense seconds later, his father opened his eye—no, eyes. His golden eyepatch had smoldered away, and his left eye sparked bright silver, opposed to the dark gray of his right one. Bizarrely, Father started laughing. Rai had rarely even seen his father crack a smile, but his restoration seemed to bring back some joy that had been missing.

Refusing Rai’s outstretched hand, Father pushed himself to his feet. “I cannot believe Illujanka consented! The great fool!”

“Father—what?” Rai stepped closer, trying to grab his arm.

Before he could, Father disappeared in another flash.

Rai’s breath caught.

Illujanka, he thought with rising horror so thick he almost choked on it.

What was his father doing?

Rai moved faster than he ever had, rushing out the door, past the guards who shouted questions at his racing form, and out to shore. The ship he had ridden was still stationed there.

“Go back! Now! We must hurry, or I fear something terrible will happen,” Rai yelled at the serpents. They plunged into the waves. Rai urged them faster and faster until they darted through the water swiftly enough that fish around them turned to indistinguishable blurs.

As soon as the castle was in sight, Rai prepared to leap off the back of the ship. When they passed the first marble pillar, Rai jumped to the ground and sped to Illujanka’s throne room.

Nathaira stood behind her father, who faced Father with a black trident in hand.

“I beat you once, and I can do it again!” Illujanka yelled. “I grow weary of war, but if you threaten me or mine, I will not hesssitate to end you!”

“You’ve gone soft, snake!” Father spat, glowing with energy. “Just as your powers are amplified by the water, so are mine. I will smite you where you stand!”

“No! Wait!” Rai exclaimed, rushing to Illujanka’s side. “Father! You can’t want this—Illujanka returned your eye and heart as a gesture of peace, and you have returned to make war? This isn’t right!”

Father laughed. “This Serpent stole everything from me! I am only returning the favor.”

Rai shook his head. “He didn’t take everything, Father. You still had your family! Your life! Your kingdom!”

Father’s eyes flashed. “Move aside. I’ll deal with you later. I will kill Illujanka. You cannot stop me.”

“If you’re going to kill him, you must kill me also!” Rai snapped. The Serpent had been kind to Rai when his own father had not. He was the one deserving of Rai’s loyalty. “Take me with them! Do not spare me. Kill me and live to regret it.”
For a moment, Ramman hesitated. Rai felt Nathaira grip his hand. Illujanka’s presence pressed against Rai’s other side as they stood together against his father.

“You have brought this on yourself,” Father thundered.

Rai shook his head by way of answer. The world was clearer to him than it had ever been before. Rai understood his father, and he was not afraid of him.

He held on to Nathaira, knowing that his father would do it and yet praying he wouldn’t. Not for him alone, but for Nathaira and Illujanka. For his family.

A burst of light and crackling heat.

The world turned cold and dark until the only warmth left was Nathaira’s hand in his.