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Age of Men 807
General Humbari stood in front of Sugriva with a self-important smirk. Sugriva didn't understand the smile. Labda, Bajjo, and Bagheer were cremated, their remains returned to the Ganga River to float down to the resting place. It took a month until Sugriva returned to camp, only to find all the patrolled villages were assumed lost. All the other kingdoms pulled their troops from Jaya in fear, reducing Humbari's army by two thirds. Meanwhile, rumors circulated of messengers from Prince Anka recalling the Jayan army. The General wandered off his path, and he would have to answer for it in the next life. However, in the current life it led to low morale.
Humbari puffed out his chest, as if he accomplished something. "We are getting our best together. Sugriva, you are the only one who fought and survived Puncture Day. You are the only one Ravasha revealed himself to."
The Haughty bear needs to be humbled. Open his insides and spread his guts as a message for others who stray from dharma.
"You will leave with seventeen other warriors and infiltrate the back lines. Your mission will be to cut off the supply routes. Take out pits if you can, but don't get yourself killed. If you keep them from the front lines, we can push them back and meet you. Understood?"
"Yes, sir." What else was an injured monkey to say to a rogue bear general?
Meanwhile, the image of the slaughtered village ran through Sugriva's head repeatedly. He saw Bajjo fall from the tree. He thought of how they had to cut Labda out of a Fang's belly to send him on. Sleep brought the images. Daydreaming brought the images. Sugriva blamed it on leaving his path, though he was sure priests would tell him the demons corrupted him.
"You will leave in a week. Spend that time getting your head straight." The bear cleared his throat. "I understand you saw things no one should see."
"Yes, sir," Sugriva muttered as the general left. Eighteen soldiers behind enemy lines. Groups of four were slaughtered by small groups of the Fangs, and they wanted to send out eighteen. It would be a blood bath, but at least the nightmares would end.
A priestess, Zaina, sat beside Sugriva. "The little monkey," she said, softly. "I heard of the horrors you lived through." No one else sat by Sugriva, so the woman's presence was confusing. Most could smell the corruption emanating from him, even if they couldn't pinpoint what created the unease.
"Why does no one sit by you?" Her dark brows furrowed. Zaina was older, but Sugriva had seen her before.
Sugriva sniffed under his armpit and waved away the scent with his hand. "I've forgotten how to bathe, I think. That's likely why."
The woman laughed. "With that sense of humor, why aren't more sitting by you?"
Somberness overtook Sugriva. "You've heard the stories. I have dreams of what happened, and what will happen. I wake up ready to kill whoever wakes me."
"Oh, who doesn't? A woman woken before she is ready is a sore sight." She took his hand in hers. For a second, she flinched, then moved into Sugriva, shoulders rubbing.
"There is a darkness. Something deep inside you."
She knows. Dispose of her.
Sugriva looked off in the distance at a bonfire. "Yes. There is. I'm not sure what it is."
"War." A delicate hand pressed against Sugriva's chest, and for a moment he could feel the cloud of uncertainty move away from him. "It does it to many, man and woman. They wake up screaming in the night, and I am to comfort them."
The thought made Sugriva blush, and he scooted down the log they shared.
"Oh," she squeaked, then laughed. "I don't mean comfort like that. I mean," she blushed, moving dark curls behind her ear, "I'm much older than you, not a janaav, and of a different caste. It would be quite improper." She giggled again, and it didn’t lessen the desire building in Sugriva.
Give in. Take her to your tent. Who will know?
The voice returned, and it ached throughout his body. Sugriva stood. "Why are you talking to me?"
"I am a priestess." She stood and smoothed out her robes. "I am coming with you to sooth you while we are in the jungle."
A sneer appeared, despite Sugriva's best attempts to keep it at bay. "A priestess entering Fang territory? Do you know how to fight?"
"I'm a priestess. I know how to defend myself and the temple, but war? I will need big strong men to protect me." She winked at Sugriva. "I will keep your heart, soul, and mind in balance. You just keep me in one piece. Deal?"
Sugriva bowed. "I don't have a choice." Then he walked off to his tent for what little rest he could get between the nightmares.
***
THE VILLAGE OF SURAMPA was large, considering it was behind enemy lines. There was a pit close by in an abandoned water temple.
As they approached, a soldier said, "I bet they work with the Fangs. How many do you think they sacrificed to the snakes?"
Everyone they meet, the voice said. Kill everyone in the village and offer them up. Better yet, offer up the warriors. You will be king of the pit.
Zaina chastised airily, "Trust what you see, not what you think of. Demonic illusions are pierced with patience and truth, while strengthened by presumption." The priestess often made the other soldiers grumble with her grains of wisdom, which Sugriva appreciated. He enjoyed any time the elite of the caste could be humbled.
Farm fields stretched upstream from the Fangs. Narrow canals brought water into the fields, with downstream ditches dug to avoid swelling in rainy season.
A man rode a bull through the fields. He had on a rice hat and thick rags covered in mud so thick Sugriva thought the rags may as well be mud. A thick layer of dirt formed where the mud dried. His hands were covered in soft leather gloves. With all the clothing, he looked like a lump on a large bull. The bull had a gold nose ring, denoting some wealth—or banditry.
When the man saw the small army, his bull trotted over to them. The man's hands retreated into his cloak, and he brought out two swords. "What do you want? We are a peaceful people and only want to be left alone. Please go."
"You have a pit near here," Madhav said. Madhav was the one in charge, though he was sitting comfortably at the main camp during Puncture Day. All the warriors except Sugriva were at the main camp during Puncture Day. "We are here to take care of it. Not here for trouble."
The man thought for a time, then looked downstream to where the temple was. "Why? We’ve obtained balance. They keep predators away. It would be easy for us to grow too quickly, and they keep that in check. The Ashtadash ensure we don’t grow too large."
Sugriva flinched, then snarled. "How dare you defend them. They are murderers and chaos. They deserve to die. Any balance they give is a lie."
Yes, let anger energize and guide you.
The lump shuffled under all the robes. His hands retreated back into the sleeves, and the swords disappeared. "Interesting. You were touched by one."
He snarled again, then nodded and looked away. He can sense you. He is like you. Kill him before he reveals your secrets. Sugriva ran a finger over his staff and desired to kill the man. Madhav and the others were looking for a pretense to do the same, and this way they didn't have to besmirch their name.
"There's a tingle in the back of your head, I bet." The man scratched at his covered chin. "I could help you, I think."
Madhav said, "There's no time to help a monkey who can't shift into a proper janaav. Tell us about the pit."
The man ignored Madhav, and this endeared him to Sugriva. The man said, "We have a special plant here: chaos fruit. Eaten by itself, it will put you in a battle trance. You don't need that, though, do you?"
Sugriva growled. "I lose my senses every fight. Zaina, my priestess, needs to bring me back every battle, or I’d kill everyone. I’m cursed."
"You were humbled. The cycle isn't done with you in this life, or it would have sent you on already."
Zaina cut in, much to Sugriva's surprise. "Tell me how I can help."
The man said, finger raised, "Let me tell you the story of Ganaptu, the Ashtadash of Fish."