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Age of Men 810
Up the trees, in the tallest canopies, large tree limbs grew together to create nests. The nests were imperfect orbs dotted with holes. Four spheres formed Divyan's home around a thick tree. Sugriva climbed up and found a port in the bottom of the lowest structure. There was a ladder, but in monkey form he didn't need it. He crawled in with Divyan behind him. The general was a hawk, but when he burst through the opening and stopped his ascent, he turned into a man.
Brilliantly colored jute rugs adorned the floor. Wood seats were carved into the walls, with weapon racks between each of them. Hawks squawked and people shouted orders, as the entire complex was alive. A woman came out, gorgeous and severe in her features. She was adorned in a robe made of feathers from a variety of birds, likely prey from hunts. Sugriva heard of the custom, but it was a ceremonial custom warriors didn't participate in it.
"My husband, welcome." She kissed him in a way which made Sugriva blush. Then the woman said, "Oh, I didn't see we had company. Where are my manners?" She laughed. "They must have flown out. Please, come and meet our daughter. I was told you have already met our son."
Divyan said, "This is Sugriva. He helped train Amu in the bow staff. The boy is quite proficient."
The woman froze for a second, eying Sugriva. "You had Sugriva train our son? You didn't tell me that, but you told me plenty of Sugriva." The personality switch was quick.
"And a better teacher he couldn't have." He put a hand on her shoulder, and it cooled the embers in her eyes. "He is now a guest in our house. We will feed and care for him, at least for the night."
She walked to Sugriva. "I have heard your stories, and my heart breaks for you. However, I told my husband he should leave you in your little hut. Then he told me what you did to the soldiers you trained with. I told my husband he should pluck your heart out. You are now in my house. If you threaten my children, there will be no mercy. I will shred you with beak and talons and leave you to hang on this tree." Then she stormed off.
"Charming," Sugriva muttered. A tingle settled in his guts from her words.
"Don't mind her," Divyan said. "You're doing well. There is no fighting here, so you will be fine. As long as you can remember your manners." He winked and chuckled, then went up some stairs. "Follow me."
A girl was in the next structure up. Her skin was fair for a hawk girl, her nose pointed like a beak, and her eyes were yellow. Two tells, he thought. That or they just had unusually pointed noses.
Divyan said, "This is Prisha. She is my only daughter and a beautiful sight ready for marriage."
The girl blushed and so did Sugriva. His heart throbbed and guts twisted. Then he looked away.
Prisha said, "It is a great pleasure to meet you. My father says much about the monkey who survived the snakes."
Divyan interjected, "Prisha that is impolite." He put a hand on Sugriva's shoulder. "Never mind that. I promise I said only good things. Your training has come a long way.” He fidgeted, then sniffed. “The food is ready."
The dining room looked more traditional and had a ladder leading up the structure for those not as gifted in flight or climbing. Once in the dining room, the walls were covered in tapestries and banners. Feathers woven into the tapestry told of birds killed in battle or defeated in duels. One banner was left incomplete, a tribute to Divyan and his wife, which would be completed upon their death.
Sugriva sat at the table. Prisha sat across from him. His heart thumped in his chest, almost painfully. Prisha daintily asked for food, taking from the family plate with her hands. The rest of the family did the same, and when Divyan handed a platter to Sugriva, no utensils were given. Sugriva fought back tears. Outside his squad, it was the first time he shared a meal as if family.
Amu chattered through dinner, especially in regards to the merits of Sugriva. This surprised the monkey, as the boy was never chatty during training. "The legends of you are incredible, sir. I was honored to train under you. I learned so much. Mom, he is a master of combat. Sometimes he's even nice."
Divyan snorted with food in his mouth. He cleared his throat. "Amu, that's not how you talk of your master. He is as nice, or not, as he needs to be. If his student is pliable and quick-witted, he can always be kind. If his student is dense as ironwood, then a master must be forceful."
The wife mumbled, "He hasn't sent you to the hospital. It sounds like he has been restrained in your training." She glared at Divyan, and he had the good sense to avoid her gaze.
The wife looked at Sugriva and said, "You are welcome to this house under my husband. I will never welcome you. Every day I beseech the spirits to give my husband wisdom, so my family isn't hurt." After several deep breaths, she slammed her hands on the table. Her body shifted to a hawk, and without another word, she flew away.
"She's overprotective and can't see the full picture. She can't see how important you are to the future of Jaya." Divyan dug into seconds, pecking at the bone of a squirrel. "Everyone needs a family, Sugriva. It gives them balance. I will share my family with you, and you will share your talents with me in battle."
Amu's eyes went wide. "That is amazing. Yes, he should be here every night." He looked to Sugriva and went to the man. He took Sugriva's hands in his, and said, "Master, I didn't know you don't have a family. I'm honored to be part of it now."
Sugriva openly sobbed. "I have an uncle who doesn't want me. My parents are outcaste."
"What happened?" Amu blurted out, as Divyan tried to stop him.
"They fell off their paths by falling in love with each other. They were different generations, and it contaminated the blood. My uncle took me in to become a merchant, but my parents were warriors. I found myself on their path, not his." There was an extended silence. Amu's brows furrowed when he heard Sugriva's parents were outcaste.
"The Festival of Colors is soon," Divyan said. The words broke a silence so intense that everyone at the table jumped. "I, for one, am excited to see the vivid display across Jaya." The conversation of the festival continued, as if the questions of Sugriva's history never happened.
As the Festival of Colors was discussed, Sugriva was enraptured with the beauty of Prisha. His heart exploded at her youthfulness. He admonished himself regularly that it would be a grave sin to court the ideas forming in his mind. Prisha spoke of the colors she loved the most, and it dissolved his weak desire to stay away. Faint smiles at Sugriva's jokes awoke his passion. The monkey tensed his arms and fingers to keep from vaulting across the table and taking what he desired. Instead, as they continued to interact, tranquility formed in his breast, and it was given to him by this girl he had no right to.
One day, after weeks of dinner together, Sugriva saw Prisha alone in a hallway. There were usually servants around, but this time no one lurked around the corner.
She kept her face down, and watched Sugriva in the coy manner of a maiden. "Sir," she whispered as they passed, her fingertips touching his forearm. It sent a jolt straight up his elbow and into his shoulder. He made a fist to keep himself from shoving her against a wall and kissing her.
"Prisha," he said, and they walked past each other. This happened several times when Sugriva visited, like she planned the brief meetings.
After it went on for a while, as she touched his forearm, there was a voice behind her. "Prisha, that is improper." It was Divyan. "Get ready for dinner."
When she left, he said, "I'm sorry, Sugriva. That was immensely inappropriate, and I know your reputation is already in such a tenuous situation." He bowed several times. "Again, I'm so sorry."
Undeterred by Divyan’s warning, Prisha approached Sugriva after dinner. "Meet me on the roof before you leave tonight."
Monkey's vision went dark, as his heart beat rapidly. He could only nod, leaving her to giggle as she went off to her room. At least he wasn't reading her wrong.
Sugriva said goodnight to Divyan and Amu. Prisha had excused herself to bed earlier, and the wife never remained long after enduring a few pecks of dinner.
Once out the door, Sugriva shifted into a monkey and scrambled up to the top of the nest. There was a note.
Meet me in the canopy.
Sugriva's mouth opened, and he wanted to howl, but he kept silent. He hopped around a little, then scampered up the tree, darting between the branches. A few hawks hunted under cover of night. A few neared Sugriva, but the monkey easily shooed them off, and they went toward less lively prey.
Bursting through the canopy, Sugriva glimpsed Prisha in her janaav form, half hawk and half girl. She laughed at the sight of Sugriva. "You came. That's wonderful." She went back to looking at the stars. "Do you ever wonder what's in the heavens? If the Ashtadash are watching us and guiding us? Or if they forgot about us and don't care?"
"Why say that?" He moved closer to her, though not too close. It could be a clever trap set by her mother, but he hoped for something to happen. Perhaps she just wanted an exotic friend to confide in. It would be a scandal, but it would not constitute stepping off the path.
She continued, "What if the castes are just to keep us obedient? You seem like someone who would understand that. Your parents, they were of different generations, but that's forbidden. Why? They produced a fine janaav they should be proud of. You even followed them into the warrior caste."
The subject chafed his heart. "Did it produce a fine janaav? I still can't shift into my form." He sighed. "But I think the Ashtadash are here. Met one who rode a bull and kept the local Fangs at bay. He made a potion to slow my corruption. But one day it didn't help." He wept, flashes of the broken memories coming back to him.
Prisha moved closer. He wrapped an arm around her, and her muscles flinched before warming to his finger. Sugriva stopped when he felt a rope under her chest. In the darkness it was impossible to see. The rope wrapped around several times and bound her wings. Prisha frowned and looked away, as if this was a shame she hid from Sugriva. He asked, "Why are your wings bound?"
"I don't know how to fly, so they are bound except for lessons until I learn how to properly use them."
"What does that mean? Can you or not?"
Prisha laughed. "A young sparrow can reach the sky. But the hawks are proud, and there is a right and wrong form. My form is juvenile."
"I never noticed it before." He reached out and caressed her wings. She recoiled at first, then moved into him.
"As a human, it's just fine rope wrapped around me. Any outfit would hide it." She smirked and flexed the wings a little. "I don't have wings sticking out."
"That makes sense. If you can fly, why wouldn't you? Just undo the knots and take off."
"I don't know how to redo them. Do you?"
His fingers fumbled with the rope, then moved under them, touching her back as he looked for the knots. Then he moved forward, and her breath caught as he went just below her breasts. He looked into her eyes, and his fingers went lower. Stomach muscles went taut at the cool touch, then he felt her back tense as he embraced her. Lips pressed against each other with an appreciative sigh. Her tongue was uncertain as it pushed through his lips. Her mouth opened too wide, as if trying to eat him. Untrained fingers fumbled over Sugriva's body.
She shook her head, trembling. "No. This is too fast."
"I'm sorry. I should go."
"No," she said forcefully and grabbed his hand. Their lips met once more before she pulled back. "Now you can go."
***
SUGRIVA AND PRISHA saw each other nearly every day, often through planned accidents, so they could meet in public and not raise too much suspicion. People still whispered on how the two janaav teetered on the edge of their paths, but Divyan dismissed the gossip.
Sugriva and Prisha bumped into each other at the market. Sugriva had some beets, while Prisha bought a beautiful collar. A warm smile touched Sugriva's lips. "How strange to see you here, Prisha. I see you bought a beautiful neck thing."
Prisha laughed, cheeks turning red. "Yes. It's a collar made of turquoise. It's supposed to be lucky." She nodded to the beets as she closed the distance. "You are eating beets tonight?"
"No." Sugriva shook his head. "After you roast them, they look like guts. I use them to scare the children."
The young woman's jaw dropped as she gasped. "You are a monster, Sugriva. What a horrible mind."
He walked close enough to whisper, "You should see what I'm thinking of you right now."
Her cheeks reddened more, followed by a giggle. "I would very much so like to see those thoughts. Maybe you could show me."
That made Sugriva uncomfortable. At least in public. "Some day. When you fly us away from here." He looked up, the mirth leaving both their eyes.
"You know I can't, Sugriva. My path. Your path."
"What happened to the talk of dharma is nothing more than shackles?"
She looked away, anywhere but into Sugriva's eyes. "I am to be a proud hawk." She paused, pondering the next words carefully. Then she looked straight at Sugriva. "So I can impress my future hawk husband."
It was an intentional jab, and he knew it, one to kindle jealousy because she disliked of their conversation. When Sugriva recovered, he said, "A worthy husband won't care how you fly."
Prisha moved out of the market, into a back alleyway. Sugriva followed, until they were away from the din, in between tight buildings, with trees providing cover overhead.
His hand reached out and laid over hers, and his heart thumped noisily in his ears. She interlaced her fingers with his, and his fear that she didn't feel the same abated.
"I wonder who that future husband will be." She grinned, her free hand pulling strands of hair back from her face. She leaned closer, and Sugriva met her lips. The first kiss was gentle and restrained. The second kiss was savage; he pressed her hard against a tree.
Half their clothes laid strewn across the dirt path, and once finished with play, they pulled their belongings together again. Prisha couldn't stop giggling, and this brought a grin to Sugriva.
"I should go," she said.
"Wait." He went to the rope and undid it. She looked mortified, but he put a finger to her lips. "I want to see you fly. I can tie them back up when you're done."
"But if anyone saw—"
"I think Divyan will have more issues with us together half-naked than with you flying."
Temporary horror crossed her face with the realization of what they just did. Sugriva touched her cheek and said, "I'll love you forever. Others live a good life outside the empire. We can, too."
"We could run away to a quaint village, like the ones you talk about." The smile returned, and the idea took root.
"Work the land or go fishing. You're a hawk, a natural hunter. We would brave the frontier hand in hand." The more he talked, the more real it was in his mind. He thought of Mibtha and the joy he had in such a simple life.
However, he could see the thought of laborious living killed the dream on Prisha's face. "Of course—a hunter." The words tapered off into a whisper.
The idea would grow on her once she had a hunt under her wings. Sugriva knew she would see their life the way he did. "We will make it work. Now, go fly." He patted her bottom, and she blushed with a squeal.
Wings unfurled, and she jumped. Sugriva lost her in the foliage until she burst up through the canopy, blotting out the stars as a graceful form Sugriva couldn't take his eyes off. When she landed, her chest heaved with the excitement, and she forgot all about banishment. She was wrapped up in Sugriva, and before either of them realized it, they were naked on the jungle floor.
***
SUGRIVA EXTENDED HIS arms above his head, saluting the rising sun. Every breath was fresh and crisp, as the monkey practiced his breathing exercises to calm his mind. Metal clashed and wood clacked below from sparring. The tranquility of the rhythmic sparring made Sugriva realize it had been a long time since he felt such peace. Divyan gave him purpose in training his son, while his daughter gave love. Thorough, lengthy love. The thought of her made him smile, disrupting his meditations.
When the sun was high enough to bathe Sugriva's entire body in its glow, he opened his eyes and slipped down the side of the building, landing in the courtyard. Amu wasn't there, which was a little frustrating. The boy was rarely late. In the back of the courtyard, in the small office, Divyan looked over maps as scouts whispered in his ears. Sugriva went to his side. "General, where is Amu?"
"Not today, Sugriva," he said. "Something came up, and he's staying at the nest." His eyes were sullen, then he looked up. The sorrow was replaced by a glimmer when he saw Sugriva. "Want to do some field work?"
The monkey nodded eagerly. "I've been caged too long."
"We need a patrol at Sita Falls." He pointed on the map, though Sugriva knew where that was. As children, they would go there all the time, standing on the ledge and daring each other to jump. It was part of the lore of the Falls.
"Too many jumpers lately?"
"Would be nice if that was all." He sighed. "People go out there, and they don't return. That's not unusual, but usually suicidal ones don't tell people where they're going. We think it's bandits, maybe a few rogue Fangs. Are you up for it?"
"Yes. I will go immediately."
Divyan walked around the table and embraced Sugriva. "Thank you. You are family to me, and doing this removes a burden. Stay safe so you can keep training Amu. He gets better by the day because of your guiding hand." He kissed Sugriva's forehead, then the two rested their foreheads against each other. "Most importantly, do not engage. If there are enemies, report it."
***
THE TREES OVERLOOKING the falls were sturdy enough to create a small camp in the branches. Most people didn't look up, unless they were janaav of certain breeds. He prayed to the Ashtadash that this wasn't the case. The size of the base would require him to sleep as a monkey, and hopefully that would just make him look like a greedy macaque.
There was no one there on the first day. Even the animals stayed away, leaving only a handful of rodents rummaging around the undergrowth and a few insects chirping off in the distance. The silence exhausted Sugriva.
After a week of waiting, he heard slithering and rustling in the bushes off in the distance. He clambered up a tree and moved through the branches swiftly. As he closed in, the sound died off. When he was right over it, the movement took off away from Sugriva at incredible speeds. He landed on the ground and discovered a trail of thick blood, more like mucus. The slithering pattern was consistent with a snake, but it would have been over a meter wide, which was larger than any Fang aside from Ravasha. Based on the tracks left, there were three tails. Definitely not bandits or Fangs. Demons.
Yes, Sugriva. My kind are close. One sniff of you and they would embrace you as a brother. You wouldn't have to hide.
The scent made its way to his nostrils and Sugriva's eyes dilated. The verdant foliage took on a ruddy hue. He could see and smell the few animals around him. There was no desire to eat them, just to kill them all, to rejoice in spilled blood and broken bones.
"Sugriva?" The word came from a voice too sweet to be at Sita Falls. He made a fist, trying to hide his black and red nails, though the smoke they emitted was too thick to conceal.
When he saw her, she looked delicious. The slender neck would snap easily. The fragile wings would crack under his teeth. Fat and muscle mixed perfectly over the rest of her, and he knew it. Every nip of flesh would be celebrated over his tongue as much as when they made love. He licked his lips. That's right. There is a full meal, and she delivered herself. If you consume her, she will always be with you.
"Sugriva, it's Prisha. I heard you came out here, and I missed you so much. There's something I have to tell you."
She found him, and her hand touched his head. She stroked his cheek and brought him up for a kiss. The red faded.
"Hello," he whispered, then kissed her. "Why are you here?" Panic struck him as he thought of what he just saw.
"To be with you." She started to remove her shirt, but he stopped her, eyes darting as his ears strained to listen.
Maybe she wanted him more than he thought. Maybe she would be okay with the thought of running away. Fear was replaced with hope.
"Let's jump off the cliff together. You can spread your wings and fly us away from here. Find a small village, settle down, have lots of kids. We can protect them from the world and tell them all the crazy stories about their dad." Her skin felt like down and sent tingles through Sugriva's hand.
Prisha laughed, dimples forming. "I wish I could. I had something I wanted to tell you, Sugriva." She rested her head against his chest.
The slithering returned. Inaudible words left Prisha's lips, words Sugriva knew would break him, but at the time, that didn't matter. The rustling came toward them. "We need to run."
Sugriva seized his staff. Prisha sputtered, "Sugriva, you have to listen. Don't silence me."
A black monstrosity appeared out of the bushes, and three heads peeked over the foliage. One head looked like a skull. The other two were grotesque masks of demons with large fangs, wide eyes without eyelids, and red or black faces. They spoke in unison in a way that made Sugriva's ears shuddered. "So little food, but you two will do. Thought we scared them all off, we did."
"Run, Prisha." Sugriva didn't look back. He took his staff and ran at the abomination. "Tell your dad what you saw."
"No survivors," they echoed in unison. The skull transformed into a snake head, venom dripping down exposed fangs, then lunged after Prisha. Sugriva caught the creature's mouth on his staff, brought it down to the ground, and crushed its head underfoot. The other two heads howled. "You hurt our brother!"
"Was really hoping that was a kill," Sugriva muttered.
Prisha ran, her feet pattering toward the cliff. He prayed she was going to fly, and that she knew which way she was going. Otherwise they were both dead, and Jaya would be none the wiser.
A black mucus, similar to what was on the tree in Mibtha, formed into small needles. They jabbed at Sugriva, and the monkey kept shifting forms to make him a difficult target. When given the chance, he struck with his staff, bending and breaking the needles. Each successful hit was met with a hiss. The snake head shook, turned back to a skull, and joined his demented siblings.
"What are you?" Sugriva blurted out.
You know, the voice in his head said, trembling with excitement.
Every attack, every parry, was met with a blood lust. He wanted to feast on this creature and steal its power, but at the same time the thought revolted him.
"We are the Teen Brothers. Sewed together at birth by our overlord, we escaped his hell and now wander here. We are free. Free. Free!" The heads, on elongated necks, braided together in their glee. "You are the first to fight back. We will wrap you up, then swallow and digest you alive. We look forward to it. And the woman? She looks young. Breeding stock. Yes."
She is ours. We breed with her. We eat her. They cannot touch her. She is ours. The hissing in his head was disorienting, but going in the right direction. Sugriva allowed the rage to wash over him. His hands flexed, and the wood staff creaked under the strain. Then the crimson washed over his sight and he grit his teeth. The creature had to die.
The Teen Brothers paused, thinking over something. "We could make you watch! Yes, we will not kill you. Just cut all your sinew so you can't move." They lunged again.
Sugriva danced between the hungry heads. He thwacked them repeatedly, creating cracks in the skull and masks. They howled as they couldn't land any meaningful strikes. Then he thrust the staff into one of their mouths, down it's throat, and pinned it against the ground, putting all his weight on it until the staff broke through the muscle and pierced down to the ground.
The face gargled up blood, eyes rolling back, and then the head went still. The two heads wailed, "Brother!" They knocked Sugriva away, nudged their brother, and when they realized he was not coming back, they consumed him. Their teeth tore into the meat, blood and ichor spraying up, until their was nothing left but a ragged stump. "Now we are more powerful. You will die."
The staff was consumed in their feeding frenzy, leaving the monkey unarmed except for a small utility knife. He ran toward the Falls, toward Prisha. She stood, looking over the cliff. The drop went on for hundreds of feet, towering so high above the jungle below it looked as if there were two worlds separated by the earth itself. Sugriva yelled, "You have to fly. For both of us, you have to fly."
She froze. Then she said, "I can't. I don't fly right."
"You flew fine the other night." He took his gamble as he heard the goading of the Teen Brothers catching up to him. Arms wrapped around Prisha, and he jumped off the cliff. He took out his knife and undid the bindings on her wings. "Please, Prisha. Fly."
He shifted, no longer able to speak words of encouragement, only able to trust in her desire to survive, the innate desire Sugriva saw in most people.
Though they were at Sita Falls.
Sita was a woman who was about to be outcaste. She slept with a noble man who denied it, but she was pregnant and could not account for the father. Instead of facing the shame, Sita jumped. Prisha wanted to tell Sugriva something. Was she pregnant? Fear knotted in his stomach.
They were dead.
The ground came closer and closer. Trees were distinguishable instead of a vibrant green blur. Prisha shifted into a hawk, grabbed Sugriva in her talons, and swooped above the trees and river.
The howl of the Teen Brothers could be heard behind them, but Prisha kept flying. Sugriva would have to come back with a small squad to hunt it down. No doubt it would go to ground, and that would be difficult to track. Not to mention he now had to tell Jaya that demons were in their backyard. Meeting Ravasha deep in the jungle was far different than anathema a half day from the capital.
Prisha dropped Sugriva on a tree and landed on the branch. She shifted to her janaav form. "Thank you." Tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. "I'm not afraid of flying. I need to go, though. You can get back, right?"
Sugriva's jaw dropped. He looked at the cliff. "That's the only way—" but it was too late. She took off toward Jaya.
"Are you kidding me?"
***
IT TOOK A DAY AND A half to get from the bottom of the cliff back to Jaya because of how far around he had to go. The entire time he muttered profanities of what Prisha did and wondered what it was that made her take off so quickly. Did she fly correctly in that moment of terror, and she wanted to show her parents? That's what he hoped. Was she going to fly away with their child? He didn't care. She left him out to dry in a dangerous environment, basically unarmed. Still, he would utter prayers time to time that she was safe.
When he finally arrived at Divyan's nest days later, it was abuzz with activity. People ran around with bolts of fabric, others with ornate saris. Women painted henna on each other, intricate designs of brown and red going up hands and arms, and across faces. He scrambled up the tree, as this was the sign of something festive, when Divyan should have been prepping for demons. If Prisha told her father what happened, the clash of arms and sound of horns would consume the entire empire.
Instead, laughter consumed the inside of the nest, and guests arrived with expensive gifts. Sugriva went around the back and tugged on a servant's shirt. The servant whirled about and scolded, "You are interrupting a marriage. Whatever you need better be of the utmost importance."
The servant recoiled at the sight of the rough man, clothes tattered, with a stench that could be noted from across the room. Each tear in the clothes was met with a scratch and, blood.
"I need to speak with General Divyan. Now. Need his approval to gather warriors."
"His daughter is getting married, and you want to break up his most celebratory day? It can wait until tomorrow." Even though a servant, he kept his head high. Didn't he recognize Sugriva? The servant was certainly diverging from his path to address a warrior in that manner.
A knot formed in Sugriva's guts and he nearly ripped the servant to shreds. Do it. It is within your duties to teach him his path. Killing him is not even a deviant act for you. The voice laughed, and Sugriva could feel it dancing as it sang.
But the servant wouldn't think anything of demons, and the mistress of the house said nothing good of Sugriva.
"I will gut you, servant. He sent me on a mission. I've completed my mission, and I need warriors now." The monkey snarled, nose twitching as he put his hand on his knife.
The servant's eyes went wide. The man stuttered, then hustled inside. It didn't take long before the general was out. "What is it, Sugriva? What did you find?"
"A three-headed demon named Teen Brothers. It's two-headed now, and in hiding. I need warriors to put it down."
He whistled and a bird janaav landed nearby. "Go to the barracks get five warriors. Bring them to the eastern gate." The bird took off. Divyan grasped Sugriva's arm. "Root out any other demons, as well."
Divyan embraced Sugriva and said, "I am sorry we could not invite you to the wedding. I know how deeply you care for Prisha. She is marrying General Ajit, a young and talented general. If not for this being his wedding night, I would send him with you, so the two of you could talk and respect each other. But that will have to wait." He put a hand on Sugriva's neck and put their foreheads together. "Report to me as soon as you get back."
Leave the demon. Kill Ajit. Why does he get your woman? You taught her to fly. You talked her through issues with her family. You deserve her. Ajit doesn't. Or just kidnap Prisha and run off. You're strong enough. Embrace the shadows within you, and you can move without being detected. Come, Sugriva, let me teach you to walk into one shadow and out another.
The voice never felt so loud and truthful. He did deserve Prisha. He could feel the shadows groping at him, bringing him into the fold. If he simply asked, he could disappear into the shadows and reappear where Prisha was, and just as quickly travel anywhere in the jungle as long as it was dark. His chest hurt. His head pounded. Sugriva was forced to a knee as he held his head.
"I won't succumb," he whispered.
***
THERE WERE THREE WARRIORS at the gate when Sugriva arrived. The last two were holding everyone else up. Sugriva paced back and forth thinking of what he would do when he returned to Jaya. For the time, all that mattered was killing the demon plaguing the jungle. Maybe he could even eat the demons and gain their power. He looked at the other three warriors. He could take them all.
What mattered was reclaiming his lover in a way so she didn't get upset. They would be exiled into the jungle. They would live that quaint life. She would live that quaint life. He thought of what she currently had: everything. "And I want her to have nothing except me." He sniffled, but did not cry. He would not cry.
A warrior asked, "What did you say? You mutter to yourself and pace back and forth. Is it the demon out there?" He walked up to Sugriva and poked his chest. "Or in there?"
Sugriva smiled. The warrior looked young, but not inexperienced. "Do you know what demons can do? I fought one in the jungle. Like a bad dream, I kept having to fight him. Formless bodies shift in ways your mind can’t comprehend. Torture is their art, and we are the canvas. Maybe they secrete an acid that dissolves you. Jaws unhinge to wrap around your head and sever it from your shoulders in a bite. They do not break bones. They shatter them into dust. If you do not fear this demon, it will maim you." Some embellishment couldn't hurt. Overconfidence, though, could get them all killed.
The warrior stepped back, horror written on his face for the briefest moment. It was enough. Then he composed himself and said, "The six of us can still deal with it."
The final warriors ran up to them, apologizing for the delay. They were all armed and armored as suited them in battle. Sugriva sprinted out the gate, and they kept up. When they neared the falls, Sugriva stopped. "We will rest until day." It was the middle of the night, and he did not trust fighting a creature with control of shadows.
Call out to me, Sugriva. I can give you control over the shadows. Just ask.
"Two will be awake at a time. Two shifts. I will take the first."
***
THERE WERE NO SOUNDS near the Falls the next morning. No birds. No lizards. Nothing. The other soldiers were on edge, like Sugriva the first night he was at the Falls. "Come," Sugriva said, and he took them to where he fought.
They can't do this. Death awaits all of you if you meet a demon. Let me in. Use my power.
Sugriva arrived at the place where he fought the other day. Black blood soaked into the ground. There were cracked shards from the masks and the skull. The warriors stepped back when they heard slithering off in the distance. Sugriva could smell the fear and hear the rapid heartbeats.
Cattle to a slaughter! Bleed and feast, rip them open and chomp their bones!
"Calm," he said. Sugriva brought two swords on the trip instead of his customary staff. He needed something to slice through the thick muscle and sinew that made up the entire monster's body.
The Teen Brothers sprung out of the undergrowth, wrapped around a warrior, and burned his skin. They chewed on him, and when they were finished the last of his skin turned to smoke.
"Don't just stand there," Sugriva howled, the crimson hue coming over his vision. "Cut it up!"
The battle began in earnest. Sugriva cut and sliced, then had to jump back as another warrior attempted to claim glory.
Instead, the warrior caught a fang on his thigh. Venom injected in such volumes that it poured out with his blood, and his thigh ballooned and turned purple. The warrior fell and screamed. Then his thigh grew large enough that his skin split, revealing dark purple muscles, and an ooze was secreted.
Sugriva pointed and said, "Medic. On him now." The warriors looked confused. There were no medics, or their medic was the first or second warrior to fall. The man would be dead soon. Sugriva took his chances and cut the leg off.
"We remember you," the Teen Brothers said. "You killed our brother." Their heads weaved between each other, hypnotizing. The skull and a mask remained. Monkey flung himself above the heads, shifted into a monkey, then when he cleared their heads, he shifted back to a man and came down on the extended flesh. He severed the skull's neck, and it fell and flopped, squealing. "No," howled the final head. "We will not forgive you!" He devoured his brother, then looked back to Sugriva.
Finish him. Then devour him.
Sugriva held one sword at his side. The other, dripping with black blood, rested on his shoulder. "Not we. You. Your brothers are dead."
The mask howled. The demon grew several times and charged. Sugriva parried bites, then dodged out of the way of flesh spikes. Bones extruded to the outside of the muscle and were flung at Sugriva. They caught another warrior who was not paying attention. The warrior stared in shock. Realization swept over the other soldiers: they were not ready for demons.
Finally the demon gave an opening, overextending. Sugriva ducked under, thrust both swords up, and ran along the length of its body. The demon collapsed, bleeding out. It's muscle withered quickly and turned gray.
Eat it! Don't let it go to waste! They wouldn't understand, but we do.
Sugriva dropped to the ground. The voice nagged, but the rage didn't consume him. He laughed. "You have no power, demon."
It was time to return home and do something stupid.
***
"GET THEM TO THE INFIRMARY," Sugriva said, as he darted toward Divyan's home. The warriors shouted something, likely in the vein of negligence of duty, but it didn't matter. What Sugriva was about to do would make it inconsequential.
The wedding was over, as it was nearing evening of the next day. The sun was setting, and there were a few guests going in and out, likely close friends. He hung from a tree and watched as Prisha wore her wedding gown, a beautiful red sari with gold lacing. Her husband was definitely an imposing figure, a terrifying hawk janaav who could likely swoop in and kill the monkey in a stroke. It didn't matter. His heart was shattered, the city was safe from the demon, someone else could take on the mantle of protector. Sugriva was going to follow in his parents' footsteps.
"General Ajit," Sugriva called. "I've fought demons. I've spilled their blood in the wild. I killed Fangs when no one helped me. I just slaughtered another demon. What have you done? Who have you killed that you are deserving of Prisha's hand? You come in because of your station, because of your birth, and that gives you rights to her? Then the Ashtadash curse all hawk women with boys who are too afraid to fight."
Divyan rushed out of his home and hollered, "What is the meaning of this? You killed the demon, then came here to spread chaos? Did it bite you? Or are you a fool? You are a dog who bites his master's hand and snarls at his family. Shut your mouth, monkey. I strip you of any ranking or purpose. You are an outcaste and exiled under Prince Anka’s authority." Tears streamed down Divyan's cheeks as he delivered the edict.
Prisha's eyes were wide. If he said they slept together there was only one recourse, and she would lose it all, too. But that was the plan. He could save her from her foolishness by speaking out in the moment. She would have no choice but to cling to him in the wild, relying on him for survival.
Destroy her.
Yet her eyes begged, please don't.
Ajit glared, ready to shift and attack—ready to rip Sugriva to shreds.
"Jaya has given me nothing but pain. It has given my family nothing but pain. It mocks me for my inability to turn into a janaav, though I've slain more Fang or demon than any other. When is the last time Jaya fought demons? More are coming. You are not ready. You cling to decrepit traditions. They will be ripped asunder by a war you can’t understand, and this kingdom will burn while you celebrate your small victory over me."