by Kevin Missal
He sighed. They really didn’t have much time.
Kalki tried to climb up the horse and as he did, the horse didn’t fidget much. They began to walk on the path as Kalki wondered about how he had been able to communicate telepathically so easily. Lord Shiva gifted me all of this?
Lord Shiva was revered as a god who loved animals. He had left certain animals for people—for those who could take care of them. It was a myth that people believed in.
As they reached the path and crossed the jungle, they finally came upon the shadier, darker part of the forest. They could peer at Taar’s camp from there. Hundreds of tents were lined up across the landscape till the frozen river. The black and furry Vanars could be seen strutting about with axes and spears. They weren’t exactly big like the Rakshas, but they looked quite threatening with their protruding faces and their big, fish-like eyes.
“What’s the plan?” Kalki asked Ratna.
Ratna glanced at him. “Well, I’m glad you asked me.”
“Why?”
“We live in a patriarchal world. I thought you would not bother to ask my opinion because I am a woman.”
“Well, I don’t think like that.”
“The plan is to barge our way in and attack,” she said.
“Umm . . .” Kalki gulped. “That sounds—”
“Dangerous? Of course, it is. Do you have a better idea?”
“I want to save my friend, but I don’t want to die.”
“Is this friend close?”
Meh.
“Yeah, sort of.”
“Then you should—”
Kalki shook his head. “No. Let’s do one thing. I’ll distract them while you sneak in from there . . .” he pointed towards a small bamboo gate that had been dug inside the ground a few paces away from where they were standing. The gate led to a small, shallow opening. “Put your horses at the back so they think we’re alone, all right?”
Ratna smiled. “All right. How will you distract them?”
“Oh, I have a plan.”
Ratna and Smrit had gone to the side where the opening was while Kalki instructed Shuko to come when he whistled. Though his whistling skills were not great. He tied his white horse in the corner, away from the tents.
Kalki came forward to the gates where the two Vanars stood with their spears.
Here goes nothing.
Ratna and Smrit’s faces collapsed. They had realized what Kalki intended to do. He was going for a straight-up encounter. No tactics.
Kalki reached the gates. The Vanar guards immediately pointed their spears at him.
Think. What would Arjan do?
Kalki threw his sword on the ground and raised his hands in surrender.
Play the enemy.
“What do you want?” one Vanar asked, poking his chest.
Kalki wasn’t hurt, but he was surely annoyed. He just smiled and said, “I want to meet General Taar. I have come from Lord Bajrang’s camp and I have some news for him.”
Kalki was bound and gagged, punched and kicked before he was taken to General Taar. He didn’t mind all the hassle because he knew that Ratna and Smrit were making their way inside right then. Taar’s tent, as Kalki had seen through the First Shard of the Eye of Brahma, was huge. It was purple in colour. A stable was close to it where his finest stallions had been kept. Kalki realized how vast Taar’s army was. The lithe, scary Vanars in the tent alone were uncountable. This could be a problem. Lord Bajrang’s army didn’t have much men now. And he could even see some Rakshas and Manavs within the consolidated army as they carried out their business of sharpening weapons or gossiped in the corner. The impending war was keeping the people alert. Their respective generals were informing them about several attacking positions and battle strategies.
As Kalki entered the camp, he saw Taar in the centre. He was wearing a single breastplate. Multiple weapons were hanging on his belt. He didn’t notice Kalki for a while until the guards who had brought him bowed in respect. Taar looked up and studied Kalki as he came forward from his table where they were strategizing.
“Who are you?” The voice was gruff. Kalki had to look up to see Taar’s face. He was gigantic, almost twice the size of a Rakshas and Rakshas were pretty huge themselves. He was even taller than Lord Bajrang.
“My identity doesn’t matter. What matters is, I have some information regarding the Eye of Brahma.”
“The Eye of Brahma?” His eyes lit up. He glanced at another Vanar. Kalki remembered he was called Aruna. He had seen him through the First Shard of the Eye. “And . . . what sort of information would that be?”
“It’s not with Bajrang.”
“Of course, it is,” he hoarsely added, putting pressure to his words.
Kalki shook his head.
“How do you know?”
“Because he told me.”
“And you want to tell us . . . out of the goodness of your heart?” He had a playful smile on his face.
“I wish I was that good,” Kalki shrugged, “but I want to free my friend.”
“Who?”
“The girl you have.”
“What about the old man?”
“Uh, you can keep him.”
Taar narrowed his gaze as if he couldn’t understand what Kalki was up to. In fact, Kalki himself didn’t know what he was up to. He was just making up things as he went along.
“All right. What’s the information on the Eye of Brahma?”
“Bajrang had sent it out with a messenger . . .” and before Kalki could lie any further, Taar began to laugh, so did Aruna and then the other Vanars joined them.
What the hell is going on?
“Do you think we don’t know?”
“Know what?” Kalki gulped.
“That you are trying to be smart.” Taar squared his shoulders fiercely in front of him. “I know the Eye of Brahma is not around Bajrang; it is inside him.”
How does he know?
“I lived in that village for quite a while. I was under Bajrang’s command. I was close to him. I have seen things that he doesn’t know. And you know how we plan to use Bajrang? Not kill him, nah, that’ll be too nice for a cruel man like him. We are going to torture him, keep him alive, and use his powers against our enemies. So, if you think you can make a fool out of us,” he slowly traced his thick, black fingers across Kalki’s neck, “you are wrong.”
“He’s not cruel.” Kalki got serious as he knew this was going to end badly. Taar was not an idiot. In fact, he had turned out to be a genius.
Taar again glanced at Aruna and laughed. His laugh was hoarse, thick, and full of life. It was as if he was cherishing this moment, trying to prove Kalki wrong.
“I really don’t care about what you all are fighting about, but I know Lord Bajrang is not a bad man. He’s a good man who has done good deeds.”
“You seem old but you act like a kid. What foolish things has he stuffed in your mind? You don’t know anything about our culture. You are an outsider, and yet you speak for us. A Northerner cannot understand what we suffered in the Southern lands.” Taar came dangerously close to Kalki. He could feel Taar’s breath on his face. Taar resumed in a threatening tone. “Did he tell you that the reason I’m waging a war against him is because of our differing ideologies?”
Kalki stared at Taar. How does he know?
“Ah, of course. He believes that’s the truth, but that’s not it. I mean, surely I would love to spread the Vanar culture more in the North and South, unlike him who is content in being in one place all his life. But there are things he has done, things he shouldn’t be proud of, and yet he is.”
Kalki waited as Taar breathed. The fierce General looked vulnerable. His voice shook a little as he continued his story. “We have been in awe of the so-called Lord Bajrang since we were children—the greatest Vanar who ever lived. We all strived to be strong like him. But I was born during the Breaking, when the world was on the brink of collapse—leprosy was spreading, thousands were dying in wa
r every day—and we all looked up to Bajrang, hoping he would save us. When the war happened with the Manavs and the other tribes, Bajrang didn’t do anything. He let it happen. He planned things . . .” his voice rose in anger, “but he didn’t do anything. You do realize Bajrang was, and still is, more powerful than anyone else and yet he chose not to do anything. He let his people die when he was capable of saving them.” Taar showed his hairy arm where Kalki noticed a claw-shaped scar that had torn part of his skin. “This was when my mother was clutching me, trying to hold on to me before she was taken away by some Rakshas soldiers. She was kidnapped and I asked Bajrang to help me save my mother. But our great lord, the man I worshipped said to me ‘I cannot save her but I will send some people who will’. And they went and they died and my mother died as well.”
He sighed. He was holding back tears as he recalled his past.
“And you employed the same Rakshas?”
“Because these are not the same Rakshas who did terrible things to my mother. There is good and evil in every tribe. You just need to recognize them, son.” Taar was treating Kalki like a kid who didn’t understand things. Kalki, oblivious to it, furrowed his brows in confusion.
“He kept his word . . .” Kalki protested.
“To a dead man. While people who were alive, died every day because of a promise. What good is a promise if it kills your own race?” He paused, a sad smile spread on his face. “So, I pondered over things and we all devised a plan. Perhaps Bajrang doesn’t help us because he doesn’t care for us. There’s a reason why there are so many Vanars supporting me. It’s not because of my idea to open the Vanar community to the world, it’s because they all have lost their own families, their livelihood because of Bajrang’s inaction and they want their revenge. And they are willing to do anything to get it. Bajrang just stood by when our people were raped and murdered, so I shall do the same with his supporters. I shall kill and rape and pillage every single one of them and I don’t care if it’s a child or a woman or a man. He will face my wrath, so that my people can fulfil what they have ached for all this time—revenge.” He flared his nostrils and added, “And people like you interfere with those plans, so I hope . . .” he grabbed Kalki by the throat, “I don’t see you again.”
And then Taar tried to pick him up. But even with his incredible strength, he was unsuccessful. Kalki remained on the ground no matter how much Taar tried. Taar looked at Kalki, puzzled.
“How are you doing this?”
“I’m so sorry.” Kalki looked at Taar. “I had no idea about what you went through.”
Taar was incredulously watching Kalki.
“I was judging the situation from one perspective, but wars . . .
they must be seen from both perspectives. And you know what?” He clenched his jaw. “You both are wrong and this war, this battle is worthless.”
“I thought you didn’t care about the war.”
I don’t!
Kalki was confused. He cared, but he didn’t. It was like a dichotomy that danced in his mind. And his thought process broke up when he saw a Vanar entering from the tent, exclaiming, “General! There are two women killing our men. They have just let the Apsaras escape.”
Taar looked at Kalki and Kalki knew what he had to do.
We are capable of so much . . .
He had repeated Lord Varaha’s words to himself so much.
I am capable of so much.
Kalki clenched his teeth and broke the ropes binding him. With the power of self-belief entrenched in him, he could feel his strength surging. Taar could sense Kalki’s power. He punched Kalki in the chest. Kalki backed a little, and it did hurt him. Kalki hurtled himself towards Taar, toppling him over the table, crashing it in the process.
Kalki turned over as Taar tried to get up. The Vanars leapt at Kalki. He grabbed the nearest splinter of wood from the cracked table and stabbed one Vanar on his foot. As the screams ensued and they caught the other Vanars’ attention, Kalki scuttled towards the main door where another Vanar was waiting with a sword. He charged towards Kalki.
And right then, Kalki saw the silhouette of a man behind the Vanar. The man sliced his throat.
“Come on, mate.”
It was Kripa.
Damn.
Kalki followed Kripa out of the tent. Accompanying him were Padma, Ratna, Smrit, and her three Apsaras whom she had rescued from the camp.
Manavs, Rakshas, and Vanars were pursuing them. Kripa asked them to hurry towards the frozen river.
Kalki was the first one to sprint. His comrades followed behind him. As soon as a Vanar jumped in front of him, Kalki used his elbow to push and toss him in the corner. And then three Vanars appeared in front of him, stopping them in their tracks. Behind these Vanars was the frozen river. The Vanars were steadily moving towards them, pointing their sharp spears. At that moment, Kalki whistled. Shuko flew towards the Vanars. He flapped his wings and poked their faces with his talons. The Vanars covered their faces to protect themselves and their spears tilted away from Kalki. He grabbed one, jutted it at the Vanar’s chest, and pummelled him to the ground. Padma handled the other Vanar by jumping over him and stabbing his face. Ratna handled the last one with a swift stab in the abdomen.
They had now reached the bright frozen river. They traversed it carefully but slipped and tripped on their way. The Vanars were now using fiery arrows to shoot them down.
Some of the arrows missed them and collided on the forest ground. Soon the forest was set ablaze. And if the fire reached the river, they would have nowhere to escape.
One arrow was about to hit Padma, but Kalki grabbed it and threw it away. He burned his hand in the process.
“Thanks.” She smiled.
Kalki managed to smile back, though he was in a lot of pain.
Ratna, Smrit, and the other Apsaras were the first ones to reach the other side which was the Frontier, where Bajrang’s troops were waiting. They helped Ratna to get Kripa and Padma out of the lake.
As Kalki was close to the Frontier, a fire arrow hit him on the back. Collapsing on the ground with lacerating pain, he pulled the arrow out and tossed it away. But due to the weight of his fall, a crack appeared on the floor and his feet got stuck in the cold river. The coldness was unbearable. His legs were still healing from all the cuts made by the Pisach. As he struggled to gain his balance, Padma, Kripa, and the others tried to come to his rescue. Padma was about to jump but Kripa stopped her.
“Don’t!” Kripa pulled back Padma. “One has to be very light or very fast while stepping on it. Otherwise, the ice will break and Kalki will drown.”
Kalki was feeling helpless as he turned to see Taar standing on the other end of the frozen river, glaring at Kalki with all the venomous hatred he could muster.
“But how will we save him then?” Padma was frantic.
Kripa looked confused. But there was something else in his expression. He looked like he was in pain. And then Kalki saw it—a huge slash across his chest made by a dagger, perhaps. He was severely wounded. Bleeding had turned his upper body a shade of deep red. He was turning pale, and it looked like he was about to faint.
Why didn’t I notice this earlier?
Everything had happened so fast. Perhaps that’s why Kalki had failed to notice what had happened to Kripa. But now his eyes were focused on every individual in front of him. Ratna was bruised too; so was Padma with a scar across her forehead. Everything was so clear as he looked at them closely.
He tried to pull his feet up but it was to no avail. The fiery arrows began to descend faster on Kalki, as he tried to dodge each one of them as much as he could. The Vanars on Kalki’s side used their arrows to shoot back at Taar’s archers, but they weren’t as effective as the fiery ones.
With the Vanars down, Shuko came towards Kalki. Fluttering his wings, he tried to clutch Kalki’s rudraksh, struggling to pull him out with his beak, but the childish effort was in vain.
Kalki’s feet were slowly turning into dea
d weights and that was when he heard the voice.
Need my help?
The voice was very godly, almost angelic. And then he realized who it was. He turned to see Taar’s side again and from there, he saw Vanars scattering from their formation. Taar had turned around to find a huge white horse galloping towards them. He was so fast that they just ran away from the horse’s way. The white horse leapt on the frozen river, moving at an unnatural speed. It reached Kalki in seconds.
But the horse didn’t stop galloping. When it reached Kalki, he hurriedly grabbed the horse’s leg. As the horse sped towards the Frontier, Kalki was pulled out.
He groaned in pain. Busy massaging his feet, he didn’t notice Padma running towards him. She hugged him tightly.
Kalki forgot how much pain he was in for that brief moment.
Realizing what she was doing, Padma stopped embracing him.
“You have a good horse,” Ratna grinned.
“He reminds me of someone . . . who helped me when I was in danger.”
Devadatta!
Kalki’s thoughts were interrupted when he saw Kripa sluggishly walking towards him. “G-Great job, lad, but I suppose . . . I need . . . uh . . . I need some help.”
And with that, he fell on the ground.
Kalki would be lying if he said he wasn’t worried.
He was watching the feverish, hot face of Kripa with concern. Kripa was shivering like a leaf. The Vanar nurses were tending to him—cleaning the blood, stitching it all up—but he had already lost a lot of blood. The gash had been very deep. And the cold was not helping his fever. He was freezing.
Kara, who was tending to Kripa, looked over at Kalki and shook her head before leaving to meet Lord Bajrang. She had been their guide, their medical expert, and she had been the one who had nursed Kalki back to health.
But she couldn’t cure Kripa.
Kalki sat there in the corner of the room, hard-faced. Padma was worried sick. Ratna and Smrit were there in the room too. They had come to pay their respects. Kalki sighed as he came forward to look at Kripa. “Hey, old man,” he softly said.