part0055

It was horrible, sitting in the stench of horseshit, seeing the Rakshas swinging from one place to another. He had been trapped in a cage that could easily include a dozen more. He had enough space, and yet he could not breathe. It wasn’t like Kalki didn’t try to open the cage. With all his might, he tried to push it apart, punch it, and even pull the bars apart, but nothing happened. Perhaps, it was the way the metal had been made or perhaps he had weakened.

With his tongue out to quench his dry mouth, he let the wind touch him. Kalki saw the camp from inside and it was more organized that had been perceivable earlier. There were a lot of weapons in one tent, from where each Rakshas would go and get one. There were some bigger tents, perhaps to house Durukti and Martanja. There were pots filled with water and suras, while fire pits were made for logs to be stacked up on. He couldn’t hear anything but wails and yells from either side. But he couldn’t distinguish which were from his people and which were from the Rakshas. Who must one sympathize with, when you can’t even hear the truth?

Kalki felt restless as he walked back and began to punch the cage. It rattled, but it didn’t break. He continued to punch until his knuckles bled and he felt the hurt stinging his arms, almost temporarily leaving them numb. He had nothing on him to cover his wound and that would only make it septic.

“Anger is good,” a voice came from the back, “but never use it against yourself.” Kalki turned to see Durukti, with her lady companion on her side. In the midst of the ultimate humdrum and the loud clangs of the weapons, Durukti remained calm as if she knew she would win this battle.

“I’m sure this didn’t go as you thought it would.”

Durukti simply nodded. “I would agree with you on that.” She paused. “It was a brave little attempt from a village like Shambala, but you must all realise that you are facing trained men.”

“They are Tribals.” Kalki wiped the blood over his dhoti. “They are as trained as us.”

“Just because they are called Tribals doesn’t make them uncivilized. You have not seen the world as much as I have. I have travelled all around and I can say one thing. Manavs are the most ruthless and idiosyncratic when it comes to constructing narratives about and justifying their existence.”

“What tribe are you from?” Kalki spat, surging anger just boiling inside him.

Durukti pushed her tongue against one side of her mouth. She had a playful habit about her, something that disturbed Kalki for they were in the midst of a war.

“Do I look like a Tribal?” Durukti asked, while her companion remained silent. “Do I look fat like a Yaksha, or do I have blue eyes like Nagas, or do I have dark skin like the Rakshas? Please, tell me.”

She had none. In fact, she was of fair complexion, with straight face and an angular frame.

“You might be of some other tribe, one we don’t know about.”

Durukti continued to hold her tongue inside her mouth, thoughtfully musing to herself. “They said me and my brother, we were Asuras.”

The name sent shivers down his spine. Weren’t they extinct?

“Kali,” he muttered to himself

“What is your name?”

“Ah, destroyer of filth,” she spoke. “Quite ironic for someone who is standing amidst filth?” She paused. “And it is Lord Kali for you.”

“I don’t worship those who make themselves lord in this world,” Kalki sat, cross-legged, just massaging his bloody hand. He had an impassive face, his soul urging him to jump from this cage and escape to Shambala, and help the ones he was supposed to help.

“Every God was once a man.” Durukti smiled. “Let’s take from the Trimurti—Vishnu, Brahma, Shiva. They were all Prajapatis; the seers, the beginners, the first men. In fact, they were even present when the Ancients were living among us. They had different names; in fact, all Gods we worship now; they had different names then.”

The Ancients…they were the civilization that lived before the Breaking, the plague that caught on to people like Lord Govind. Some of them were worshipped as Gods now.

“We think they were born after the Breaking, but we are living in a different reality altogether.” Durukti surprised Kalki, for he couldn’t believe how such a young girl could hold so much wisdom. “They were all there since the dawn. And you don’t know all of this because you live in a small world of your own making.”

Kalki shrugged. “I don’t want to entertain you with a conversation anymore. I will only speak to King Vedanta.”

Durukti clenched her jaw at that name. “The king has given me the right to do whatever I wish to do with the villages that surround his city.”

“What if he finds out what you have done is against the basic rules?”

“I’ll just say you rebelled. What proof would he have to castigate me?” Durukti laughed cheekily at the end, almost to the point of mocking him.

Kalki remained stiff. “What do you plan to do with me?”

“Study you, most probably. A fine tough man like you shouldn’t be wasted as a casualty of war, but put on as an exhibit of entertainment perhaps,” she chuckled.

Kalki shook his head. “Just kill me and get on with it. It’ll be over for you and me. I can’t stand mute while my people die by the hands of your men,” he said, reaching for the rails, his eyes slowly tearing up. “All these lives, they depended on me and I can’t even die by their side, like a real friend. I couldn’t fulfill my duties. It was me who defied your plea to break down the caves.”

She looked at him for a while. All the mocking hatred had just left from her face. She was standing there, confused perhaps, and a little sad. She came forward, inches away from the railing. “You shouldn’t have.”

“I’m trying to protect the city and you. What’s inside the caves, they shouldn’t be touched. They are cursed. That wouldn’t be…that wouldn’t be right.” He couldn’t just say that the Soma, if exposed, could mistakenly get into the hands of the next Adharm, who could evidently be a Tribal, since they are absolute evil. He wanted to stop it, as long as he could, for the Dark Age would descend when the Adharm would rise.

“I apologize.” Her voice was genuine, her gaze lowering with embarrassment. “I didn’t want to hurt you people. I just…I just have to do this, get to the rocks. If I don’t, there will be grave consequences.” She was helpless, just like Kalki. “And nothing can come in between us. I had promised myself that.”

Kalki sighed. “Please don’t kill them, please.”

That was when their talk was interrupted by Martanja, who entered after watching the scene unfold from afar. He stood there, awkwardly, until Durukti signalled him to come forward and speak.

“I hope this little urchin is not disrespecting you, my lady,” Martanja said, while he stayed firm and square in front of Durukti.

Durukti glanced at Kalki as if she had known him for a while. “No, he isn’t. He’s being docile as of now.” She paused, as Kalki noticed she was contemplating something. “Is there any other news?”

“Yes, my lady. We have located the caves and the path is free.”

No! That meant Lyla and Sagar were dead or injured, or at any rate beaten, while the other volunteers had clearly failed to obstruct the path leading to the caves.

“My men are still searching for anyone in the homes of the villagers, hoping to make a brief check before we make way there since we don’t want to be attacked from the back again.” He eyed Kalki balefully.

Kalki didn’t look down, but stared straight. He gritted his teeth. He had to escape, anyhow.

“How many of the villagers have been killed?”

“Plenty, my lady.” Kalki could see Martanja was almost grinning, but struggling really hard not to.

“I want you to tell your men not to hurt anyone, anymore. You understand me?”

Martanja was puzzled, brows furrowing down, his unseeing eye rapidly blinking. “My lady, but…”

“No! No more. Not even an armed one. They will be subdued, but not killed,” Durukti sternly ordered.

Kalki turned over to the girl who had become such an important person in the city that she was now being respectfully followed by the paramilitary chief of the Rakshas. But he couldn’t believe she had agreed with him. He had pleaded and she had listened. She had a conscience after all, behind the exterior that she concealed herself with.

“All right, my lady, as you please.” Martanja gave a slight bow.

“Let’s go.” Durukti signalled her companion and with that she left, following Martanja.

Kalki saw them leaving, when instantly Durukti’s companion returned. She had eyes as big as a fish, her seven fingers grabbing onto the rail, and a feverish smile dancing on her lips. “He told me all about you. Oh, you are a grand sight, after all, White Horse!” Her eyes were manic. At one moment, she was a docile maidservant to Durukti, and here she was acting all different.

“He will come, don’t worry. Oh, he will. You’ll meet him soon.” Her smile widened.

Kalki grabbed on to her knuckles, his blood tainting her hands. She gasped and pulled back. “I want to know who it is. How do you know me? Who is this person?”

The girl giggled and her yellow teeth were visible now. “He’s the bearer of truth. He will tell you everything, unlike me. He thinks I’m not ready, but he also thinks you are not ready. I can see he’s right. You are too immature,” she giggled again, hiccupping slightly. It was a whirlwind of emotions that were smacking Kalki from the inside.

“SYMRIN!” the voice from the other side came.

“I should leave,” the girl called Symrin said, “his pawn is calling me.”

And with that, she raced away. Kalki hated his cage even more now, for he could only see one part of the scenery, as the back was blocked by multiple shields that acted like a cover.

Kalki saw there were two Rakshas standing in front of him, a few yards away, talking to each other. They had been there before as well, and he had been eyeing them, for one of them held a key dangling from their arms.

And that was when his eyes fell on the gliding bird that circled on the top, squawking. It was a parrot. Kalki’s lips spread in a smile at the thought of him, about how much he had missed him and how he had just vanished earlier. But he had returned. “Shuko,” he breathed, relieved at last.