Chapter 9

The Carriage

Vidyut told Acharya everything that had transpired since he had been approached by Shwet Guru—how he had taken control of the carriage, how he had killed the Suryagarh soldiers who had tried to stop him, how he was intrigued by the contents of the carriage and had followed it along the road where they were ambushed, and how they had reached the ashram. Acharya and Shishya listened to his breathless monologue without interrupting him. After he stopped, they turned to Pancham. Pancham was thinking how he should start his story. He decided to begin from where he and his group had met Shwet Guru in the northern forests on the edge of Suryagarh.

“A messenger brought us the instructions that Shwet Guru had asked to meet me with eight or nine of my most trusted men at the edge of Suryagarh border in the northern forest. He brought the map with the directions and told us when he wanted us to be there. I chose my men, left the post under my junior, and left at once. We reached the designated place. It was a small hut, in an old abandoned village inside the forest. Shwet Guru was already waiting for us there. He had a large map of Suryagarh opened in front of him.

Generally, in any mission that we undertake, the commander briefs the leader alone. But that day, Shwet Guru wanted all of us to hear what we were supposed to do. After we freshened up and had our food, which we had brought with us, Shwet Guru called us inside the hut and said, ‘We all know that Guru Vishwa has strictly forbidden any entry into the Suryagarh lands. He has his reasons, into which I will not go right now. But there is something that has to be done and for that we need to violate our code and enter Suryagarh. I can do it alone, but it will take time, and we do not have time. I need some men whom I can trust. If you agree to come with me, you might be expelled from the army, you may even be punished. But if you help me, we might be able to save the future.’ Then someone asked, ‘Is it something to do with what’s been happening in Suryagarh in the last few years?’ Shwet Guru said, ‘Yes, I had my suspicions but some recent developments have come to my notice and I need to do something about it. I cannot guarantee anything, but it might help uncover what has gone wrong in the kingdom.’ He took a deep breath and continued, ‘It’s big risk, boys. But it’s something that I am willing to do. Now, the question is: can I trust you. If anyone or all of you want to go out, now is the time and there is the door,’ he said, as he pointed towards the door, ‘But if you are with me, I want to know now.’

There was complete silence in the room for some time, and then I spoke for my men, whom I have known for long and trusted with my life, ‘We are with you, commander. What is that we are going to do?’ After that, the commander explained to us that we had to enter the capital, find the whereabouts of a certain individual, and get him out safely and silently, if possible, without alerting Suryagarh soldiers.

He said, ‘You will help me get the man away from his captives, and we will take him to someone who will transfer both you and the man out, without raising an alarm. You will stay hidden until required and show yourselves only when needed. We are going to enter Suryagarh at night and try to leave as quickly as possible.’

We left soon after, on horses, inside the cover of forests and darkness, and entered Suryagarh. Nothing happened until we reached the outskirts of the capital, where we were met by an old man. He looked like a trader and had a big carriage.

Shwet Guru took the reins of the horses, and we were told to get inside the carriage. After that, we waited. The carriage moved and stopped and moved again. And I think, somehow Shwet Guru took us inside the capital city. It was dark when the doors of the carriage opened. Shwet Guru took five of us and the old man with him. We went through darkened streets, into an old stone building. There were a few soldiers here; they were handled quietly. After this, Shwet Guru and the old man went inside as we stood guard. When they came out, Shwet Guru was carrying someone on his shoulders. We took him inside the carriage. We all stayed inside the carriage, as ordered, until we got out once at the capital of Anandmath and later on to the road.”

Vidyut looked at Pancham with a look of astonishment. “You kidnapped a man from the Suryagarh capital,” he said, rolling his eyes. “No wonder they were ready to check the carriage. A small word of caution would have gone a long way, you know.”

Pancham replied, “I was also in the dark, my friend, perhaps even more than you. At least you were outside.”

Vidyut nodded his head, understanding his predicament. They both turned towards Acharya.

Acharya said, “You two have done good work. Shwet Guru had told me that he had complete trust in both of you. I never asked him for his reasons but now I know he was right.” He turned to his disciple and said, “Have the men transfer our guest into my chambers, make sure he is ready to talk. I will ask the questions myself.” The disciple nodded, bowed his head, stood up and left. Acharya then turned back to Pancham and Vidyut and said, “You and your men will be here till Shwet Guru arrives. I think he will be better suited to answer any questions you may have.” He looked at Vidyut and said, “Like why he trusted you even when you two had never met before.”

Acharya stood up and continued, “Ask your men to keep your prisoner blindfolded at all costs. Tell them to be on their guard. Even though no one knows about this place, there is nothing wrong in being cautious.”

Vidyut asked, “What do we do until Shwet Guru arrives?”

The old sage replied, “You can practise.”

“Practise what?”

“Fighting.”

“I know how to fight, Acharyaji.”

“Yes, I understand that, but what you need to understand, son, is there is always someone who is better than you. Are you sure you want to know who that is when he is about to kill you?”

The old man smiled and continued, “There is a small open ground near the pond where you can practise.” Saying so, he walked out of the room, leaving the two men behind with bewildered looks on their faces.

***

Prastar had gotten up from the bed in the morning. Shambhuk was coming to see him in his chamber. Prastar went to the window in his room and looked at his body in the sunlight. From outside, it looked perfect, but his insides still ached. He wondered about the damage caused by the light that had entered his body after he killed the old man. He also wondered what the light was. It had initially made him feel stronger, but later it felt like every muscle in his body would explode. He didn’t remember anything but pain after he entered the throne room and knelt in front of the king. He had woken up just a day before and felt the weakness. He didn’t understand much of what had happened, but he knew one thing—, he had risked his life for his Lord and he was ready to do it again. He was roaming around his chamber when Shambhuk entered. Prastar stood facing him, a look of seriousness on his face.

“How do you feel?” Shambhuk asked.

“I don’t feel getting torn apart from the inside, if that’s what you want to know.”

“I expected something like this would happen. That is why I entrusted the task to you. You did a great service to the king. This has given him enough time to do what he needs to do.”

“I want an audience with the king. I want to thank him for the chance.”

“The king has left the palace. I cannot tell you where he is. But there is something else that needs to be done. Are you up to it?”

“I am not at my full strength, but if it needs to be done I will do it. You know that my dedication to our Lord is total.”

“Yes, I know that, said Shambhuk, “and that is why I can trust you with this. Do you know about Kaalkesh and his Mrityusena?”

“I have heard about them.”

“I need you to follow them. There are going to do something and I want you to monitor it. Just be my eyes, nothing else, don’t interfere, don’t do anything else.”

“I don’t even know where they are. How I am supposed to follow them?”

“One of my man will lead you to him. Then just stay back and observe. I will contact you if there is any change in plans.”

“When do I leave?”

“Right now. My man will come and meet you in some time. Be ready.”

“You don’t waste time, do you?” said Prastar smiling.

“If we need to help our Lord, time is one thing we cannot waste,” said Shambhuk with utmost seriousness on his face. He turned to leave the room without a word but he stopped at the gate and said, “Don’t forget to wear the necklace I gave you.”

And then he was gone, leaving Prastar alone in his wake.

***

“What do you make of all this?” asked Vidyut.

Vidyut and Pancham were sitting by the pond near the ashram. It was a peculiar place, surrounded by a dense impenetrable forest, except for a tiny dirt road that led to the ashram and the pond. The pond’s water seemed fresh as though it was getting its supply from some invisible water source. They had just finished a gruelling session of swordfight and taken bath. They were now just sitting, looking at the motionless clear water, mulling over the events of the past few days.

“I don’t make anything out of it. I was just given an order and I was following it,” said Pancham.

“And here comes the loyal soldier,” said Vidyut, mockingly.

Pancham glared at him and went back to looking at the water. As no reply came from him, Vidyut continued, “Why is it so difficult to question your orders? I am not asking you to not follow them. I am just asking you to have some sense of what is happening around you.”

“It is not like that. I have questions. But I don’t like asking them to Shwet Guru. I trust his judgement and decisions. In my experience with him, he has never been wrong.”

“Everyone thinks they are right until they turn out to be wrong, isn’t it?”

“Tell me then, what do you think is happening?”

“If I knew, why would I ask you? All I know is I had a near peaceful life in Suryagarh, which I was to leave behind and have a ‘better’ one in Anandmath. Now I’m stuck in a situation that I don’t even understand. I know something is wrong in the Suryagarh palace. The guards, the army, the king’s inner circle, and the king himself, everything seems wrong. Some years ago, we were on the road to become the heart of Aryavart. And now, we are barely keeping the subjects inside. The king doesn’t care about the people, he hasn’t been seen for years. That is not how a kingdom should be run.” He took a deep breath as Pancham turned his gaze towards him. There was a question in his eyes, which Vidyut understood.

Pancham wanted to know how he knew about running a kingdom. It was a thing of the past, and Vidyut had tried to forget it. But some things are so deeply embedded in the memories, that they just become a part of you. Vidyut had never told anyone about it and he hoped he would forget too, but fifteen years of running away from the memory had not helped at all. He looked at the man who seemed like the first friend he had in all these years and decided it was time to let him know.

Vidyut said, “I never knew my mother. My father said she died giving birth to me. But he never let me feel her absence. He cared for me like my mother and taught me like a teacher and still managed to be my father. After all this, he worked at the palace as a special advisor to King Raghavendra. His specialty was security of the palace and the capital. He was a brilliant man. Under his guidance, the army’s security wing wiped out every single threat to the king and the family. For the first time, the king was safe and the kingdom was running without fear. The people were happy, the farmers were not afraid of their produce being looted, and the traders were doing business with ease. And then, one night, it all went to ruins. I was sitting with my father in our house, when there was a messenger from the palace who said that there had been an attack on the palace. My father left with his sword to take care of it and he never returned. I was alone for a few days. And then I left home, because I did not know what to do. I did not get to do the last rites for my father. Well, I did not even see his dead body. While I was trying to find a way to live alone in the outskirts of the capital, the kingdom that my father had helped protect was getting ripped apart from inside by the very people he had trained. The army became ruthless and started torturing people. It looted the farmers and traders. All it took was one night, and all his hard work was destroyed in one stroke.”

Vidyut paused for some time but Pancham did not interrupt, for he understood that this warrior needed to let go of his memories and the pain that accompanied them.

Vidyut continued, “People said a lot of things about what had happened that night. Some said that the queen was murdered. Some others said that the prince was kidnapped. Some said the whole royal family was imprisoned and it was some sort of a coup. No one knew for certain. But I did not care about what they were saying. All I cared about was the fact that what my father had helped build was being destroyed. And I could not see it being destroyed. So, I started helping people. I trained myself to fight. I practised alone, like how my father used to teach me. In the day, I worked in the fields, wherever help was needed. And at night, I practised. I protected the farmers from the looters and soldiers, though it was hard to distinguish between them. It was a small effort and not likely to last long. So, I turned my attention towards taking people out. I found ways of getting in and out of the kingdom through the forests without getting undetected.”

Pancham interrupted, “And that is why Shwet Guru found you. He knew you were the best person for the job.”

“Yes, I understand that. But why take one man out? Why is that man so important?” he asked, now really irritated. Talking about his past had not helped him a lot and the questions burned through his brain.

Instead of Pancham, someone else answered. Shishya had come looking for them and had been standing behind them for some time. He said in a calm voice, “Because Acharyaji believes that this man knows what happened that night when you lost everything, and why the kingdom everyone was trying to build was led to ruins.” They both turned and looked at Shishya who was standing there, his expression as serene as his teacher’s.

***

Somewhere in Dakshindwar…

The old man picked up his things and started walking slowly to his hut, as the last rays of the sunlight disappeared behind the horizon and the night crept in. He had a long way to travel but he did not mind walking. He had received a lot of food as gift from the people of the village, after he had finished his sermon. The food would last for a few days, after which he would have to come back and give another sermon. This had been his way of life for many years now. He never stopped to think about it because he knew it was a life he had chosen for himself as a penance for his sins.

Now he lived a saint’s life. Teaching young children, giving sermons and living in temples was what he did and he liked it. Mahaguru had told him that a day would come when he would be free of his sins but until that day he had to live and wait. And so, he was waiting. He had passed the village boundary and entered the forest region. It was a long stretch from the village to the river, at whose bank stood his hut. It was getting dark and he did not want to come in the way of a hunter and its prey. So, his pace quickened. Soon the village lights disappeared and only the moon and stars were lighting the path ahead.

Hidden from his eyes, a group of four men had been following him ever since he had left the village.

“How much longer do we have to follow?” asked the man leading the other three men.

“Just a little longer,” replied the man behind him, “We are about to reach the darkest part of the road. Then we can attack from behind and capture him.”

“We are going to attack an old man from behind?” enquired another, “What’s brave about that?”

The man behind him scoffed, “If we needed someone brave, we would have asked for my sister to come. You are suited for this job only.”

The other two men smiled, as the third man grunted, “Once this is over, come meet me one on one and I will tell you who is better.”

“That’s enough,” snarled their leader, “We are here to fulfil the king’s wish, not listen to your tales of bravery. So, shut your mouth and follow me.”

They followed the old man silently for some more distance, staying behind the tree line. The trees started to get denser as they walked. Soon the road was completely blocked from any light that tried to reach it. The old man was now only like a shadow, an imprint on the eyes of the four men. The leader signalled to them and two men crossed the road silently and went to the other side to attack from that side as well. They increased their speed and drew out their swords.

The distance between the hunters and the prey started decreasing. As they closed in and were within an arm’s length on both sides, they attacked. The two on the right came out first and pushed the old man hard, towards the other side, where the other two men were waiting with open arms. With surprise in their favour, the four men had the old man in their grasp within no time.

Even before he realised what had happened, the old man found himself captured by four men, two holding his hands and one standing behind him holding his head and neck. Another man was standing in front of him. His day’s alms were scattered on the road along with his books and other possessions. He tried to stay calm in spite of the situation and asked, “Who are you? What do you want from me?”

“We are not thieves, if you are thinking that, old man. We are here to take from you what is not yours,” said the man standing in front of him.

“What are you talking about? I have not taken anything from anyone. I don’t even know who you are.” His voice was full of surprise.

“Oh! It’s not me from whom you have stolen. He is a very old friend of yours, who you should have helped but instead you betrayed him and took what was rightfully his,” the man said.

Had there been any light, the old man’s face would have betrayed his shock. He could not believe what he was hearing. Though Mahaguru had said it might happen, he had also said that it was highly unlikely. He remembered Mahaguru’s instructions, if such a situation arose. He closed his eyes and thanked Lord Krishna. His time for salvation had finally come. But he had to escape these fools first.

The men thought they had their man, but they had no idea what they were in for. They had decided that they would catch hold of him and take him nearby to the place where they had kept their horses, tie his hands and feet, throw him on a horseback and take him to Suryagarh. They had not planned for what was about to come. The leader, who had been talking to the old man, turned and signalled to his men to drag him along. But in the darkness, what followed him were the cries and shouts of his men, as though they were howling in pain, along with the swinging of fists and breaking of bones.

The leader pulled out his sword and shouted in the darkness, “What is happening?” But there was no reply. He couldn’t strike, in fear of hurting his men, but he stood his ground. He was not a coward but his heart was now pounding with the fear of the unknown. He stood there and asked again, “What is happening? Someone answer me.” And then came the answer like a flash of lightning in the dark. A hand came out of the darkness and struck the sword out of his hand. Another hand caught his throat and started squeezing it slowly. He felt his breath leaving him, and his mind started getting dizzy. He could feel the old man close to him in the darkness, as his legs gave way and he fell on his knees.

Then he heard the old man’s voice, “Your Lord sent you without telling you the whole story. He did not warn you what you were up against.”

The leader tried to push his hand but the old man held his wrist and turned it hard and he felt his bones break. But he could not cry because the grip on his throat was tightening.

“I can let you live,” the old man continued calmly, as he let his broken wrist fall, “but I won’t, because then you will run to him and tell him what I can do. And I want that to be a little secret for as long as possible. But before you die, I want you to know that what I have was never his and you are dying for the wrong cause.”

And with this, the old man squeezed so hard that his windpipe was crushed against his spine and the old man’s palm. His lifeless body fell on the ground with a thud. The old man picked up his fallen sword and put it in the sheath, which he tore from his body. Then he walked into the darkness, away from the village. The time for waiting was over. The time for work had begun.