part0021

The trickling of the rainwater, with the smell of tangerine, was enough for Kalki to feel he was in a very alien place. The sound was harsh and cold, and the wind swept against him harshly. He had wrapped himself in warm clothes as he sat in front of the fire, across from Lakshmi, Arjan and Bala.

Bala was a friend of Kalki’s and he was one of the few who knew how to handle a mace. When Kalki had come to meet Bala for his help to defeat the Mlecchas, Bala was busy knocking off some drunkards who were disturbing in the taverns. He was six feet nine inches in height, with a frame that was heavier than both Arjan and Kalki combined. His face was covered with a thick, bushy beard and his eyes were beady black, with a strange coldness about them.

Kalki began, addressing Arjan, “Tell us about them.”

Arjan nodded. “They arrived riding on horses and were wearing black clothes. They had masks on as they rampaged and killed the ones who interfered. I escaped at the right moment. More so, I was no threat to them. They had weapons, but not the ordinary swords we see around here. The hilt was the same as the ones we saw but the blade was curved from the top.”

“A scimitar,” Lakshmi answered.

“A scimi-what?” Bala scratched his head.

“It’s a backhanded weapon used by the Dakshinis. One slice and it can go straight through your bones.”

“Bones, you say? I shall knock sense into them, I tell you.”

“We have to play smart,” Lakshmi added. “And not dumb. They have Kalki and Arjan’s father. We need to do it swiftly and carefully since we don’t have weapons.”

“Umph,” Bala grunted. Playing swift and careful wasn’t part of his dictionary, Kalki thought.

“They are most probably cow bandits, looking for food,” Kalki said. “They have become more prominent since the Tribals’ inclusion.”

“Bloody outcasts! They must rot and die,” Bala scoffed.

“But why did they want your father?” Lakshmi asked.

“They need someone to herd the cows, take responsibility while they feast on them.” Arjan responded. “This is my reasoning. Because other than this, I don’t see any other point of the kidnapping.”

Kalki looked at Arjan, “How many cows were they able to take?”

“They managed to get three big ones as the others were hidden inside the stable.”

Kalki nodded. “We don’t have much time, days or hours. Mlecchas are unpredictable.”

“We don’t even know how to find them,” Bala said.

“Division of labour,” Kalki suggested. “Lakshmi and I will go to the city of Indragarh, which is a day’s journey on horseback and get the weaponry we need. You and Arjan try to find the bandits, but if you do find them, don’t go headlong against them or you’ll not survive it.”

Arjan nodded obediently. “I’ll signal you if we do find them. Just know they would be somewhere around that signal.”

Kalki patted his smart brother.

“How will we manage to get weapons from the city?” Lakshmi asked matter-of-factly.

“Um,” Kalki cleared his throat, “you said you have your aunt there, right? And she works in the government. So she can help us with the weapons.”

“You mean illegally giving you army weapons? Uh, no, not going to happen.”

“More like borrowing, please,” he pleaded, “for our father. I wouldn’t have asked you otherwise.”

“There must be some other way than to use weapons.”

“Any other way than violence? There is no other way!” laughed off Bala.

“How did you get a big mace like that here?”

He hugged it closely as if it were his child and kissed the top of it. “Baba.”

“His father and Bala are one of the few people who actually carry a weapon in this village, otherwise it’s frowned upon here,” Arjan said. “Lakshmi, I saw those people. The moment they see us, without weapons, they will kill us without even blinking. They had no remorse when they killed off our men. And while the Sarpanch is deciding what to do about it, it’ll be too late. We have to act individually and fast.”