part0037

A boy managed to rummage through the piles of burnt out books and charred remains as he saw the people succumbing to the flames. He managed to make his way out, hoping to be able to find—his sister. Seeking her, breaking barriers, entering the tents, he finally saw her just as he saw something horrible. The man who was responsible for it…the man who did all of it…it was just a glimpse, but he would remember his face forever. He was tall, taller than most of them…and he had a scar that ran over his forehead. It was so deep and so horrible that it was leaking pus and blood.

The boy managed to hold the infant in his hand while he heard the others. The others…there were others…

Kali woke up. He could feel every inch of his frame burning and aching. He slowly touched his head and realized he was running a high temperature. And at that moment, the door opened. Perhaps it was his cry, but it had led Durukti to enter frantically. She knelt beside him in concern.

“I couldn’t save them…I couldn’t save our brothers…our sisters…”

“It’s all right, it’s all right.” Durukti began to pat him, cleaning his clammy forehead and running her fingers through his hair to calm down.

The two generals entered instantly.

“Get me cold water at this instant and get me the shaman as well!”

They nodded and stormed out.

“You’ll be fine, brother.” She kissed him on the head. “You’ll be just fine. You just need some…”

“The sins of my failure…t-t-they are catching up to me…they are going to kill me,” he mumbled, his pupils growing white, while his soul began to feel like it was ripping apart from his flesh.

“No, no one will kill you, no one will kill my brother, I promise you that.” She hugged him as tightly as possible, his head against her chest. “You’ll be just fine.”

Kali was leaning against the bed now. A damp cloth, drenched with water, was placed around his head while Durukti held onto his hands. The sweat had dried and he felt better, but his chest hurt more than the last time. The shaman had left and Koko and Vikoko were standing aside, concerned. It was always a delight to see them together, for they both looked so similar and yet distant. Vikoko had her blond hair tied in a braid while Koko had short hair, but both of them had the same build, which complimented each other.

When he had met them for the first time, Kali was young, but they were younger.

Durukti dismissed them.

“Are you all right?”

Kali nodded. He lied, because his chest felt heavy.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

“You said something in your hysteria.”

“About seeing a man with a scar,” she said.

Kali narrowed his eyes. He didn’t remember. “Did I?”

“You talked about leaving our siblings behind.”

“I always do that when I feel afraid.” Kali clenched his teeth. He was in a position of fear, over which he had no control. “You know that.”

“What happened then wasn’t your fault.”

“But I should have known.” Kali looked away from her.

“At least, you protected me.”

Kali wasn’t disappointed. He was glad he was able to do that. But it still haunted him, killed him from the inside, his stomach churning and his mind somersaulting, convulsing into morbid thoughts of the counterfactual.

“I HAVE TO SEE HIM!” There were yells from outside.

He could hear the protests and the way Koko and Vikoko tried to stop these protests.

“He’s resting.”

“Resting? He should be doing anything but resting. I have been betrayed and let down!”

Kali gave an acknowledging nod to Durukti, who went to the door and opened it.

Koko and Vikoko stopped and Vasuki entered the chambers, clearly ticked off and agitated.

“How is your health, your highness? How do you feel? Should I bring you something else while bodies of my men continue to pile up?” Vasuki complained mockingly.

“Don’t you dare speak to…”

Kali held her palm tightly and Durukti was silenced. He knew it was his fault, being in bed, but he had no idea what ramifications it had caused. “What happened, Lord Vasuki?”

“Takshak was apparently stabbed and thrown from a three-story inn,” Vasuki added. “Imagine who would have the audacity to do that?”

Kali knew what Vasuki was implying.

“Do you have any proof?”

“I am searching for it, but just so you know, the slightest inkling, and it will mean war. I’ll send an army to massacre that fat worm of a creature. Sitting on all that bloody wealth!

“I know Kuvera and he’s a man of his words. He promised he wouldn’t kill anyone to incite a war.”

“Well, he’s backing off from his word, for words don’t matter anymore.” Vasuki stopped pacing in the room. “Just so you know, Kali, we had a pact and I made sure to uphold my end of it. I gave you the responsibility for maintaining peace among us. But if you are not fit to do that, I will have to find alternatives and you won’t like that at all.”

“Is that a threat, Lord Vasuki?” Even in dire health, Kali’s voice sent chilling tremors down Vasuki’s spine.

Vasuki looked at him, stunned for a while. “I am investigating this myself. If I get time, I shall tell you what I find. Till then farewell, as my sister Princess Manasa is coming to visit and bid farewell to her best friend, General Takshak. I hope to see you there at his funeral as well.”

And with that, he left.

Clasping his palms and placing them over his head, Kali began to frown and tried to think hard. What should he do?

“What happened?” Durukti asked.

“You know what happened,” Kali shook his head. He called out to his generals, who were standing and guarding his room. They entered.

“I am sure you heard what the snake said,” Kali began. “I want you two to find out who did this. And investigate faster than the snake. I don’t want him to cause any break in the peace I have barely just negotiated and put into place.”

The twins nodded and left, this time for the exit of the fort.

“It’s almost sad when you lose something from your grip, something you achieved after so much effort.”

“I understand, brother.”

He gave a warm pat on her cheek before drifting back to sleep, hoping to recover from the fever and the body ache. But his mind wandered back to the village that burnt. There had been a reason why he wanted the so-called Tribal and Manav peace. For it was their bitter rivalry that had led to his family’s demise and the burning of his village.

For it changed everything. The fight was never about peace, but about secrets. And those secrets rested in the ends of his mind, somewhere he was too frightened to unlock and look for them.