by Kevin Missal
We all have a choice.
Lord Varaha’s words echoed in Kalki’s mind as he looked intently at Brahmaputraksh.
Of doing the right thing.
As Brahmaputraksh was about to clap, Kalki yelled, “WAIT!”
The leader of the Pisach stopped speaking. All the Pisach looked at Kalki.
“What is it?”
Kalki raised his sword straightening towards Brahmaputraksh. “I CHALLENGE YOU FOR THE DUEL!”
Lord Kali was prepared.
He didn’t know much about wrestling, but it didn’t really matter. He would crush Arjan. As he wrapped bandages around his palms, made his dhoti tighter around the waist and wiped sweat from his face, he was visited by Lord Kuvera.
“What on seven heavens are you planning to do?” the fat man burst in Kali’s office as Koko and Vikoko tried to push him out.
Kali waved his hand at Koko and Vikoko to stop.
“You are an idiot to do this,” he continued.
Kali cracked his knuckles. “Do not worry about this.” He went outside the room as Koko and Vikoko followed him with Kuvera at the back, trying to meet his pace. “I have it under control.”
“People are in agony. I don’t want the king of this city fighting a petty prisoner.”
“They need to see who’s in power,” Kali grunted as they reached outside the fort, where his horse was waiting for him.
“They know already. What you should be doing is scouting the streets with your men and stopping the prisoners.” Kuvera was turning red in anger.
Kali sat on the horse, ready to go to the wrestling field in the outskirts of the city. “I promised a fight and I shall deliver it.” He looked at Koko. “How many have you gathered at the field?”
“Many, my lord. They are quite excited for the match. We have managed to contain the news about the prisoners’ escape,” Koko responded, sitting on his horse.
“I’m glad.”
Kuvera shook his head. “You are being an idiot, my lord.”
“You are afraid, aren’t you?” Kali grinned. “That those prisoners might just come over to you at night and slit your throat. You are afraid for your life.”
Kuvera didn’t say anything but there was a flash of it—the fear that held him tight, grappled him hard. “You are being selfish right now. That’s not how a king behaves. I let Vedanta die because I believed in your vision.”
“No, you believed in taking Naagpuri.”
“And will you deliver it when you can’t even control your own city?”
Kali sighed as he stepped down from the horse and grabbed Kuvera by the throat, pulling his fat body up. “Don’t think that just because you helped me with Vedanta you owe me something. You owe me nothing. I crack your skull today and the Yakshas will be mine. You are lucky I’m being nice but if you keep calling me incompetent, you’ll meet Vedanta soon.” And he pointed at the long spikes which were stuck and pierced to the ground with dead, impaled corpses that had flies brimming around it. “All right?”
Kuvera nodded.
Kali dropped Kuvera and he fell on the ground, coughing loudly. He mounted his horse and left for his fight.
Manasa knew what was going to happen. She was tied up in a rotten cell and she had no idea what was happening to Nanda. She wanted to cry but she had to be strong. The Naga prisons were ordinary, though they floated on the river and they were quite small in size. Outside, they had a stony path which floated over the water and that led to the main shoreline where Naagmandal was. There were individual prisons spread across the entire city and presumably Nanda was in the other floating cell.
She saw a shadow on the wall and realized it was none other than Kadru, in her battle gear—armour and knee pads, with a dangling sword. The Naga guard opened the door for her. She entered inside, her face impassive.
“How are you doing, cousin?” Kadru asked.
“Why are you here?” Manasa quietly said without looking at her.
You backstabber. How could you be idiotic enough to believe Jamun?
“To bid you farewell, since you are being punished for treason.”
“Treason? What have I done against the crown? You are the one who should be in for treason.”
“You shouldn’t have come.” Kadru sighed. “I didn’t want to kill you. After all, you are my cousin, my blood. And I should never hurt my blood—”
“You murdered Vasuki’s children! At least you could have left them. I shall never forgive you for that.”
Kadru nodded. “I don’t want you to forgive me. I did what I did out of necessity.”
“What necessity?”
Kadru twisted her lips thoughtfully. “Ah shit, you are about to die. What the hell?” She pulled out her arm gear to reveal deep-seated gashes over it that ran from her elbow to the wrist. “I’ve been hiding this from people.”
“What is this?”
“I am dying. In fact, I will be dead in a few days if I don’t find an antidote to this poison running in my veins.”
Manasa understood the situation. “That’s why you need Amrit. You need to save yourself.”
“Yes,” Kadru sighed. “I have to do it otherwise I’ll die and you know how much I fear death.”
Oh, how Manasa knew it. In her childhood, whenever Kadru thought about how she would have to die one day, she would curl up in Manasa’s arms, crying. Manasa would pacify her, saying that they would go to Vaikuntha, the abode of Lord Vishnu and Lord Sheesha.
“But that doesn’t justify you killing kids and families.”
“Tarakshya wasn’t ready for a peace treaty otherwise. He didn’t get the satisfaction of killing Vasuki, so he went for the family.”
And you let him.
Manasa sighed. “So your plan is to visit Tarakshya, learn about his city, take the Amrit that’s scarcely there—”
“We know he has a lot of reserves. We have got inside sources. We just need a way in and once we get in, we take the Amrit for good.”
“That’s what my father tried to do and you know what happened to him?”
“Killed by his people for following this mad idea, I know.” Kadru smiled. “That’s why I have Jamun for that, to handle the ministers and the army. They are under control and they are ready for this. They are just angry that the Suparns are getting everything. It’s time they share the good things with us. The problem with Vasuki was that he had been more interested in politics with Lord Kuvera, the Yakshas who were never really anything but thieves and idiots. He had been in constant conflict with Kuvera, but he had forgotten about Tarakshya. And that’s what bugged Jamun. Tarakshya has far more intelligent and necessary resources. We need them for Naagpuri to survive the next thousand years.”
“Suparns are a disciplined tribe while Nagas are famous for indulgence, my dear.”
Kadru stood up, leaving for the grilled gate. “Oh, we have changed since those times. We know where to use the Amrit this time.”
“Where? To your army? Make them strong and then raving madmen?”
“We know exactly how to use it and once I’m cured, we will conquer the entire Dakshini and then go for Udaiyas. I’m going to change the entire Illavarti with the plans I have. The Nagas will grow in number. They’ll not be a little tribe in the outskirts anymore. They’ll be supreme leaders of Illavarti. Bye, cousin. It was nice chatting with you. I’ll be attending your execution.”
And she left, leaving Manasa to wonder what Kadru was going to do with the Amrit.
Kalki realized it won’t be wise to fight Brahmaputraksh when he stripped his clothes away, just wearing a loincloth. Kalki saw strange inked designs all over his body, strange and velvety, some of them glimmering in the sinister light. He jumped on the net and Kalki saw him tiptoeing his way around. He walked elegantly. And unlike the others, his feet didn’t get stuck in the net.
Brahmaputraksh pulled out two Chakras and his hair fell. They were waist-long.
The Chakras acted like hairpins?
“You know what these are?” he asked, touching the inked designs.
“No.”
“Karma. My deeds. All the crimes, the murders, everything I’ve done, it’s there in the Pisachi language. And now, I will ink your name next. Once we are done, that is.”
Good luck, Shuko spoke.
Kalki looked up as he saw Shuko sitting on one of the many branches. He grinned at him and then looked at the dangling Pisachs who were waiting for him to be defeated by Brahmaputraksh, almost licking their lips in anticipation.
Kalki pulled out his sword and waited for Brahmaputraksh to charge, but he didn’t. He remained at his spot. “I never say no to a challenge but no one challenges me. What makes you so special, boy ?”
“I am the Avatar of Lord Vishnu, the soldier sent to Illavarti to end people like you.”
“Are you serious?” He laughed, beating his chest. “I’m glad I’m fighting a soldier. Come on, then.”
Kalki looked at the ropes that bound the net on which they were standing. And then he pulled out his sword and flung it right across Brahmaputraksh. Brahmaputraksh immediately turned, dodging it as the sword sliced the rope that bound the net.
“You missed.” He laughed as he walked further.
“I was supposed to miss.”
And he stopped at what Kalki just said when he realized the net was ripping apart from one end. The net broke as it toppled both Kalki and Brahmaputraksh from it.
Kalki grabbed on to it. So did Brahmaputraksh.
“Being smart? I like that!” Brahmaputraksh grinned. With the help of the Chakras, he began to climb the vertically inclined net now.
He came close to Kalki’s legs and slashed his ankle. Kalki groaned loudly, losing his balance. With a sudden jerk, he leapt from the net and clutched one of the vines on which a Pisach was hanging. Kalki just punched him and tossed him in the swamp.
“You cannot keep running, boy.”
And then Brahmaputraksh, like a monkey, jumped on the other vine. Now they both were on opposite vines, dangling mid-air. They glared at each other. Kalki, from the corner of his eye could see Padma and Kripa almost biting their nails in anticipation.
“I don’t plan to.”
“You don’t have a weapon.”
“I don’t need one, boy!” Kalki grinned.
Brahmaputraksh snorted as the Pisach began to make hooting noises. He swung his vine towards Kalki with the Chakra in his hand. Rather than hurting Kalki, he slashed his vine with the Chakra, toppling Kalki from it and making him fall down in the bog.
As Kalki felt the muddiness of the deep, dark swamp, his mouth and his vision began to blur, his feet went numb, and in the midst of all this he could hear the cries of Kripa and Padma.
Was this how he was going to die?
Lord Kali touched the red sand as the hooting increased.
The public was thouroughly enjoying it. The thrill of wrestling, the intoxication of wine, and bloodshed for entertainment. What was not to like?
And in front of the lord, stood his opponent.
Arjan glared at Kali. There was a certain air of confidence in him but Lord Kali didn’t fear him. He swore to crush him. He saw Durukti sitting with Koko and Vikoko at her side at the front stage of the arena. The soldiers were standing at each exit and entrance, with spears and javelins, ready to strike if anything untoward happened.
Master Reddy came on the arena and clapped his hands to start the match. Kali expected Arjan to pounce at him, but he didn’t. He remained afar.
“I haven’t told you this, you know,” Kali prompted him, jumping in the air to energize himself. “You will be happy to know that I have taken care of your friends.”
Arjan was silent.
“I was thinking of keeping this a secret but this would be the perfect time to tell you.”
The sun was harsh and the smell of sand engulfed their nostrils while the public cheered loudly.
“I burnt your friends down at Ratri’s house. They all died, you know. Each one of them.”
Arjan’s eyes widened a fraction.
“You destroyed my court. They paid the price for it. And now you will.”
“You killed Kalki?” he quietly spoke.
“Yep. He burnt just like all your friends. There were so many of them, so many bodies. In fact, that Ratri’s friend . . . the big guy . . .” Kali scratched his head.
“Bala,” Arjan sighed.
“Yeah, I broke his spine. Like I’ll break yours today.”
“You killed him?” Arjan looked up. “I thought I would take pity on you. But I’ve changed my mind.”
“Pity? Me?” Kali stifled a laugh.
At that, Arjan ran towards Kali with full speed. Kali dodged him. Arjan turned and then with a swift mvement, grabbed Kali by the legs. Kali began to elbow him on the back, but none of it worked. None of his powers were working. Instead, Arjan pummelled him to the ground and with his mighty fists began to punch Kali on his face.
Slowly, Kali began to see spots of darkness. What is going on?
With a slick punch in the gut, Arjan fell back and Kali arose, blinking hard, trying to come to his senses.
“How’s that possible?”
“Oh, you need more proof? Your end is now, Kali!”
The crowd cheered as Arjan ran towards Kali and lurched at him. He hit Kali with his elbow. The impact was so strong that Kali almost fainted. Arjan came forward and took a sly turn at the back, grabbing Kali by the waist. He somersaulted him in the air. Kali fell on the ground, hurting his spine.
The crowd started cheering uproariously. Arjan grabbed Kali’s legs with one hand and with another, he grabbed his throat as he began to choke him.
Master Reddy came in between as Kali began to thump in surrender. But Arjan didn’t stop. When Master Reddy tried to push Arjan, Arjan with his free leg kicked him in the groin, making him fall paces away.
“You . . . took . . . the . . . Somas . . .” That was the only thing that could’ve made Arjan this strong, Kali thought.
But no one can become so powerful even with Somas. It takes time; it’s gradual. How was it possible in Arjan’s case?
Kali could feel his bones splintering. He knew he was leaving this world. He saw Koko and Vikoko jumping in the arena. Durukti looked at the spectacle in horror. The crowd had stopped jeering.
And then Arjan stopped.
Kali breathed a sigh of relief as he was pulled away by Koko and Vikoko. He turned to see Arjan who seemed confused—and then Kali realized what had really happened. The crowd had stopped cheering because someone new had joined the stands.
The prisoners!
So many of them came in with weapons of all kinds. They started killing the guards, murdering them on the spot. And from the main entrance, with an army of her own, entered Urvashi.
And she had a smile on her face as pointed towards Kali.
“My lord!” Koko called, grabbing Kali by the arms. “We must leave right now.”
No. No.
He was being pulled by his guards as he saw the undefeated Arjan standing frozen amidst the entire mayhem. The arena was filled with soldiers and prisoners fighting each other, as Kali was pulled away from all of it, with Lady Durukti in the centre. The people were trying to exit and most of them did, though the nobles were killed in the process. He didn’t see Kuvera anywhere though.
Blood splashed and sprayed as Kali began to realize that his end had arrived and it had arrived for good.
Manasa was bound and gagged as she was taken to the execution river. Nagas had a different way of treating criminals—death by drowning. It would either be that or beheading. But for her and Nanda, as of now, it was drowning. She was being pushed towards the lake. She was to be drowned right here with her mouth gagged and her hands tied. Afterwards, she was to be given a burial. Her coffin would be thrown in this very lake.
They reached the shoreline where all the soldiers and nobles were standing. She saw Jamun standing in his multicoloured cloak
covering his fat body. He was glaring at her. She glanced at Nanda. He looked apologetic.
Kadru stood in front of them, close to the lake. “In the name and holiness of Lord Sheesha who has created the beautiful land of Naagpuri, we sentence you to death.”
Nanda’s mouth was gagged and his hands were tied. Ropes had been tied to their legs so they could be pulled back up for the burial. A bag of stones would also be tied to their ankles to make them go to the deepest level of the lake.
And then they were told to stand close to the shoreline and for the first time, the lake looked scary and deep to Manasa. She used to come here with her father.
“I plan to never die, my child,” he had said.
Manasa was ready for her execution. It had been a tough ride. She looked at Nanda again and blinked at him twice. I love you. She wanted to tell him this and at that moment, her eyes welled with tears. Her wish wouldn’t come true now.
This is it.
Their gags were taken off. “We forgot there is a tradition we follow now. We would like to know if there are any last words,” Kadru said.
Manasa watched Nanda. Hopefully he would say something. But he looked distracted. Manasa noticed that he was trying to cut his restraints.
How did he get a knife?
And then Manasa saw the man who was holding Nanda. He is one of the mercenaries! And the mercenary winked at her. He must have given the dagger to him.
Nanda had been smart enough to have some of the mercenaries dress up as the soldiers, to act from the inside. It made sense, since Nanda was always full of surprises.
“Yes, I would like to say something,” Nanda began. “I love you, Manasa. And I wish we could have stayed together forever. But remember my gift.” He looked at the pendant which was really a Shard of glass. It was tiny but sharp. “Always remember it.” He winked.
And then his hands were free and with a single jerk, he flung the dagger at Kadru’s eye. There was a sharp piercing sound as she cried in horror.