by Kevin Missal
They had situated themselves in the armoury of Urvashi’s old home. They had gone in, grabbed the guards, tied them up, and took all the heavy weapons for themselves.
For some reason, Urvashi did feel triumphant since she had taken her fort back, but it didn’t mean things were all right. She had asked two prisoners to dress up as city guards and stand outside, making sure that no one suspected anything—that there were more than two hundred prisoners inside the fort.
And she was not sure if her father would have approved of the prisoners that she had kept inside, to be out here, on the same floor that he had walked on. But that didn’t matter now.
Father is dead. And I’m here. And I have to take care of the bloody situation.
But that didn’t mean that just because Urvashi had charmed her way in the prison, hypnotizing the guards to open the cells and promising each prisoner a better life, they would listen to her. Some of them had listened, some of them hadn’t. And she had to prove that she was worthy of leading them, even though she was just a young girl.
They were in the common hall. As Urvashi stood at the pedestal quietly listening to Rudra, the sleek-haired man explained to the prisoners in detail. “Men! We are finally free from the tyranny of the wrestling and the pandering of Lord Kali. And now, we can do anything.”
Everyone shouted in jubilation, hooting loudly.
“But we should not forget why this happened.” Rudra looked at Urvashi. “She is the reason we are here.”
Some of them grunted and some smiled at her.
“She’s Vedanta’s daughter! We should burn her!” someone called from the crowd.
“No!” Rudra cried out. “Vedanta had kept us in, but she let us out. We should not judge her for what her father did to us. And now we can go and do whatever we want to do.”
People murmured to themselves when Urvashi whispered to Rudra, “I need to speak to you in private.”
Rudra nodded, taking Urvashi aside while Harsha tried to handle the situation by making jokes.
“What happened?”
“I have not helped you all escape because I liked you all.”
Rudra stopped smiling. “What do you want from us?”
“Fight and take the throne from Lord Kali. I want you to be my men-in-arms.”
Rudra rolled his eyes. “Girl, all of these, they are not someone you can hire. They work on fear, not on money, and they will only work for someone they respect.”
Urvashi clenched her jaw as Rudra went back to all the prisoners. “Lady Urvashi wants us to join her in the cause to fight and end Lord Kali’s reign.”
The prisoners laughed.
“I want to sleep and bed a wench and do a lot of things before I do that,” someone else said.
“Yeah, true that, Rudra,” said Harsha, scratching his beard.
Urvashi sighed as she came forward, trying to sound as womanly as she could. From the corner of her eye, she could see Shivani watching her intently. “I know I am not the ideal person to lead you all. I’m young. But I know one thing. I can give you a better life and I can give you riches and women if you work with me. Lord Kali is weak right now. We should attack him right now and we can take the throne.”
“What about the soldiers? They’ll turn on us,” someone from the group cried.
“We just need to get rid of Lord Kali. Once we do that, we shall have the support of the soldiers. They follow him out of fear.” And if needed, she will instil that fear in them when she ruled, she thought while clinging to her wooden doll.
“And why should we listen to someone who carries a doll?”
Urvashi shook her head as she walked down towards the man who had just spoken and plucked his hair. He groaned, grabbing her arm in the process, but Rudra told him to back off.
“What was that about?”
“I’ll show you something,” Urvashi said. She wrapped the coil of hair around the doll. “You must wonder how can a young girl like me enter and free two hundred of you. Think hard.”
They all narrowed their gazes.
“Because I know something that you don’t.”
“Shut up, whore!” the man shouted, scratching his hair. “First you pluck my hair and now you say shit—”
And that is when Urvashi used her hairpin and stabbed the doll. Instantly the man looked down, seeing a wound opening up and spraying blood from his torso until he fell back and contorted in pain. Urvashi pulled the pin and cleaned it, wearing it back to tighten her hair. Everyone gasped.
“Guess what,” Urvashi said glancing at the shocked faces of Rudra, Harsha, and even Shivani. “I know magic. Be on my good side and you shall have everything. Be on my bad side,” she signalled at the dying prisoner, “you shall die miserably. Do not underestimate me.”
Everyone went silent.
And Urvashi liked it.
Oh yes, she did.
Kalki found himself in a strange world.
It didn’t look like Illavarti. In fact, there was no land. It was only water and he was in the midst of it, swimming. His mouth opened and the water engulfed him. He grabbed the reefs as he struggled underwater, when something grabbed him. He looked down to see a huge boar who had his tusk around his body, carrying him upwards, swimming towards the surface, and finally Kalki was out, under the beating sun. He sighed in relief, his eyes red, clearly frightened at the ordeal.
Kalki turned to see the boar swim back inside.
“What are you doing here?” a voice called out from the back.
Kalki turned. The water was everywhere, covering every land. Only the long, dark trees remained, sprawled above the unending waters, almost touching the skies and the mountains. The hills were barely visible at this sea level. Otherwise, everything was in ruins.
“Where are you?” Kalki tried to float as much as he could, driving his feet.
“Down.”
Kalki lowered his gaze and saw a strange figure underwater. He dove in again. This time, he was in control, and he looked at the figure who was speaking to him from beneath.
How is he speaking under water?
The figure was tall, daunting, dark-skinned, like the cloudy skies. He had a strange box-like helmet around him that was helping him breathe inside, and it was designed in such a way that it looked like a boar’s head with conical tusks. A chakra hung from his neck and a mace clung to his belt. He was in a dhoti as well, but it was dark in colour. He was barefoot.
“You cannot speak under here. Let me take you to the lands.” And with that, he began to swim upwards.
Perhaps he can speak under water because of the helmet. It prevents the water from getting inside, creating a breathing space for him. It didn’t make sense though. He finally reached a boat which had a small mast. The man climbed over it and helped Kalki up.
And behind the man stood the boar that had helped Kalki out of the water. It jumped inside the boat, drying himself by shaking his bulbous body.
And then Kalki saw what had happened—the entire land was plunged in a tsunami-like situation and only the mountains and skies seemed to be safe. Not only that, he also saw boats of different shapes and sizes, far away from theirs. Some ships were there as well.
“What is this place?” he asked the figure who took out his helmet, revealing a dashing, young man with wavy hair that reached his waist.
“This, my friend, is Illavarti.” He sighed, putting down the boar-shaped helmet as he patted his pet boar. “The question is, what are you doing here?”
Kalki realized he was Channelling. Of course. That’s why I’m in a different reality. And this figure, he’s just a memory of the past.
“You are Varaha,” Kalki muttered to himself. “The third Avatar. But weren’t you supposed to have a . . .” then he looked at the helmet, “of course.”
“You have questions. Ask.” Varaha wrapped his arms around his lean frame as he waited for Kalki to speak. His entire body glistened under the sun and his hair was dripping water on his back. The boat roc
ked over the uneven stream of water.
“I have more questions about this world now.”
“This is all because of Hiranyaksha and Hiriyakashipu. They led this world into this and now like a pirate, they have stolen my lady love Bhoomi, and have escaped through his ship.”
Pirates? Oh god! It sounded bad.
“It’s an apocalypse and I have to stop them and protect Illavarti from this disaster.”
But how will one protect a world which is filled with water?
According to what Kalki had read, Varaha had used his big tusks to lift the earth from the clutches of the water and free it from its bondages.
“I am being aided by the snouty king of sea, Varuna.”
Varuna? The god? He’s a king. Of course, that’s how it happens. Karma doesn’t make you a god, your deeds do. Varaha, right now, is just another boatman with a boar, but later on when his journey finishes, he’ll be termed a god.
Will I be too?
At that thought, Kalki was fascinated.
“We have found a way to get rid of this, but we have a lot to do. So tell me now, baby face, what is it you want?”
“I uh . . . baby face?”
“Yeah, come on, baby face.”
This was the first time he was having an informal discussion with one of the Avatars. Lord Govind had been wracked with guilt, Lord Narshimha had seemed kind of aloof, Lord Raghav had been kind, but Lord Varaha seemed cool.
“I’m confused. I want to know how I can use my strength properly.”
“The problem is that we often think strength comes from the muscles. No. It comes from here.” He pointed at his head. “One receives the truest and purest strength from self-belief.” He stood up as the boar licked his legs, busy in his own world, making grunting noises. “You have stopped believing in yourself. You feel defeated. You feel hopeless. I see it in your eyes, lad.”
Kalki nodded. “I do feel defeated. But it’s not my fault. I was defeated. I lost everyone. I lost Bala . . . I lost my father . . . I lost Ratri . . . and . . . I lost Lakshmi. How can I be the saviour if I keep losing everyone I love?”
Varaha felt the pain that Kalki was going through. “What do you see around here?”
Kalki turned to see an endless amount of water. “Sea.”
“This used to be a land, you know. This is my defeat.” Varaha watched it like a warrior who had grown weary from personal loss. “Perhaps it is necessary for us to fail because it gives us the opportunity to succeed. Without failure, we will never learn and if we don’t learn, we’ll never succeed. Now I know how to defeat the two brothers who did this, but I didn’t know better previously.” He paused, looking at Kalki, straight in the eyes. “You are afraid of responsibility and I can see that. Because deep down, I was afraid too. Now as each waking moment goes by, I think of Bhoomi and what she would be doing with those monsters. I feel weak. I feel defeated, just like you. But you know what keeps me going?”
Kalki shook his head.
“The choice that I made.”
“Of saving her?”
Lord Varaha smiled. “No, of doing the right thing. And in this world, if you constantly do the right thing, you’ll be the strongest person alive.” He grabbed Kalki’s shoulders, tightening his hands around them. “Don’t forget, your strength will come if you believe in it, so start believing in yourself because you’ll be committing a crime if you don’t.”
Kalki nodded. “Also, how did the boar know that he had to save me?”
“Because I told him to.”
Kalki laughed. “How is that possible?”
“We are capable of so much, you and me. We are. We stop believing, we lose hope, and we forget ourselves. You know who we are? We are Avatars, chosen by Lord Vishnu to roam the earth and finish evil. That’s who we are and if we disappoint, what is the point of it all?” He winked at him.
And then his reality dissolved, and he opened his eyes to see himself in the same hut. Everyone was fast asleep. It was dark outside.
Kalki walked to the door where two Pisach were standing with their spears. Looking at him the Pisach got alarmed but Kalki held his arms up, trying to show them that he meant no harm.
We are capable of so much.
What is the point of it all?
I told him to do it.
Kalki recalled his conversation with Lord Varaha as he closed his eyes. He had forgotten about Shuko and he had no idea where he was now. And so, using all his powers, believing in himself, he let the energy surge inside him. Lord Vishnu has chosen him to serve this realm and it’ll be a crime if he didn’t follow it.
Shuko? Can you listen to me?
I can.
Damn.
Stop saying damn, boy. You left me all alone.
What? You were the who ran away when we were surrounded by the Simhas!
Well, no harm done. You are safe now. What’s up, son?
Kalki couldn’t believe he was talking to his parrot. In fact, he couldn’t believe he had the capability of talking to him.
How am I talking to you?
Because you are trying to.
But how?
We are meant for each other, son. You think you found me in Shambala. No, I found you. I waited for you. The prophecy states that the last Avatar shall ride with an eternal White Horse and a Parrot gifted by Lord Shiva.
How do you know all of this?
Because Lord Shiva taught me.
Lord Shiva talks to you?
He talks to all of us. We just choose to not listen to him, most of the time. And I did. And I know things.
There is a prophecy about me?
Of course. Shuko stifled a laugh. His voice was so human. Though there are different versions of it and most of them don’t make sense. We can talk about it later. Right now, figure out a way to escape this place.
I’m still processing the fact that you are talking to me. Kalki’s eyes were closed. He was concentrating on his trail of thoughts.
Well, process it later. Now listen, I stand at the tallest tree of their little place and I see no escape for you. There are guards who won’t let you go out and even if you do, it is impossible for you to travel to the other side of the land since most of it is a swamp. You need to cross a bridge that goes through their leader’s hut. Other than that, it’s impossible for you to go out.
Can’t you distract them?
Oh, I wish. It’s quite the tough job, this one. And if they catch me, they eat me.
I understand. I can try to escape though.
Kalki stopped the trail of thought with Shuko and went back inside the hut. As he plopped down to sleep, he heard Padma murmur something in her sleep. She had been so brave today.
Perhaps she’s not who I thought she was.
The morning dawned. He hadn’t slept the night. The time had come as he could hear the loud hooting. He could also see Ratna practising with her weapons. Kripa and Padma had asked him to choose his own weapons.
Kalki looked forlorn. Even though he was nodding to most of what Kripa and Padma were speaking, he was thinking hard about what Lord Varaha had taught him, what Lord Narsimha had told him.
“Tell me more about the Pisach, Kripa,” Kalki said.
“Ah well, mate, what do you want to know about them?”
“You said if a Pisach gets defeated, he has to kill himself and get eaten by the other Pisach, because it’s dishonourable?”
Kripa nodded glumly. “It sounds pathetic, I know.”
“Do they have a lot of ego?”
“In a way, yes.”
“So they think they are superior to others, and if they lose, they don’t get a second chance.”
“You can say so, yeah.”
Kalki nodded.
“So what weapon are you choosing?” Padma asked.
Kalki looked at her. And then he smiled without responding to her as he walked to Ratna who was sharpening her sword. She had really pretty eyes, wide and fish-like. Somehow, she reminded him of L
ord Varaha. She had a full mouth, an acquiline nose, and a stern expression, as if she would kill Kalki at this moment.
“I don’t want to fight you,” he said to her.
Ratna was silent. Smrit on the other hand, stood up. “Well, you have to.”
“We should work together and get out of here.”
“Impossible! That’ll be a coward’s way! Are you afraid you will be defeated?” Smrit laughed.
Kalki could see the pain behind Ratna’s face. There was something else. She was hiding something.
“Why isn’t your friend . . .” he looked at Smrit, “responding to me?”
“Because she doesn’t want to,” Smrit grunted.
Ratna put an arm around Smrit to calm her down. “How do you plan to escape from here, kid?”
Kid? Kalki had assumed that Ratna was around his age, though a little wiser than he was.
“Make a run for it.”
“Na, I would rather kill you and then stay safe.”
“What’ll be the point of it? Only one will survive in the end. It’s better we escape first.”
“Don’t worry, we will find a way.”
“Let’s find a way together.”
“Listen!” exclaimed Ratna, gritting her teeth. “You got us into this, so don’t try making up to us by putting us in your plan. For all we know, you don’t give a damn about us, kid. You only care about your friends who let a girl get eaten by these creatures.”
“We didn’t have a choice.”
“Yes, you did. We could have fought—”
“And gotten killed.”
Ratna was furious. “Don’t forget you are responsible for all of us being here.”
Kalki shook his head. He went back to Padma and Kripa, this time to select a weapon. It’s better to just kill the bald lady.
Kalki was ready as he tried to maintain his balance over the net and in front of him stood Ratna Maru with her sword. They both had swords, for they were well versed in the art of swordfighting. The net dangled when they moved. Kalki made sure he wouldn’t get his feet stuck like Padma.
He looked at Brahmaputraksh who was doing the same ritual again, announcing the fight, letting the duel happen, in his strange, exotic language.