by ASHUTOSH RAI
The Vahun looked at Saras, smiling like a raven. He strode confidently towards Saras. He held Saras by both hands and threw him like little boy who is practicing to catch a ball by elevating and projecting them upward very high and then due to gravity the ball returns, hitting down on earth and making an usual sound. The same way Saras fell on earth with his mouth facing. This was hard to suffer. Saras was roughly injured. A thin layer of blood had already peered over his knees and his head had strike the big wall and blood sprayed thinly on the upper skin of head. Saras touched his forehead and scrunched his face in anger.
As he relaxed his face, he found Vahunian before him laughing sarcastically. The Vahun had hold him up by neck. Saras struggling, tried to come out of the grasp but could not do anything. He was up and his neck was in powerful wrist of the massive Vahun. Saras stared the Vahun and thumbed two fingers in the big nose of Vahun and stir them furiously, forcing the Vahun to scream and tremble like a nerd. The next moment Saras was again on ground with the Vahun. The Vahun was rolling stupidly covering his nose. Saras swung his head to see over the shoulders. His skin was ripped off allowing the blood to wander. He grumbly exclaimed on the power of that Vahunian man.
‘Wow! The power you have but can’t you hit a little less. I feel my skull is broken. Really you hurt me. A stupid, dirty and dull face Vahun. I feel suffocation at this place of evil.’
The Vahun man shrugged his shoulder as he could not understand the language spoken. Usually no Vahun can understand the language spoken by Saras. It was a foreign language for them. Neither any man outside of the Vahunian village can talk in Vahunian language.
Saras started searching his bow which was at a distance of twelve hasta from him. The brutal heavy body man comes and beat Saras brutally, making him tired. He stepped again towards Saras and threw him to distance near to his fallen bow. The Vahunian abuses him by pointing an odd finger sign towards him and may tried to call him a novice and a coward and it tempers the young Saras. Saras standup again, relaxing his bone and gazed toward the sky in which the moon was rising slowly. Visioning deep look on the chest of the heavy man, Saras leapt high and swung round to confront the vicious Vahun. Saras can’t afford more wounds. He clutched his bow and emptied his quiver by firing all the bows on the Vahun’s left chest. The arrow struck just right into the middle of Vahun’s heart and the strong heavy body fall on the ground with a sonic blast sound. Yet the sound was inaudible to other Vahuns who were busy in completing their otherworldly prayer.
Saras saw an amulet on the neck of the dead Vahun. They had the same eyes which he had seen the rock door in that temple. ‘May be this amulet is the key to enter room obstructed by the invisible magic wall,’ mumbled Saras and snatched the amulet. He stared the invisible magic wall and again tried to cross the magic wall. And to his surprise it was a successful attempt. He was in the room His guess was successful.
Saras would never lose any chance to boast. ‘See. I fulfilled my words. Come on, you are not tied.’
‘Yeah,’ breathed Kumud and in hurry she sped to take the infants without looking at the tiny nails cemented with brick placed making a horizontal line.
‘Kumud,’ cried Saras. She pretended that she don’t heard him. Her right leg have got hurt and it would have happened if Saras had not hold her and yanked her back. Kumud fell on Saras and subsequently both fell on ground. Kumud realized that she was still in his embrace. She felt the touch of his hand over her back and his chest over her one. She felt a new unknown feeling and she was embarrassed too. She looked at Saras. His hand was bloodied but still Saras was not giving a single hint of pain.
‘I waited for this moment,’ flirted Saras. ‘Believe me. You look too beautiful. Even from nearer view.’
‘Leave me,’ scolded Kumud parting her body away from his embrace but Saras clutch her left wrist. She sniffed and said, ‘You are really shameless. You will never improve. See your hand. Don’t you feel the pain?’
‘Me? Yes, I do feel the pain.’
Kumud noticed that he was still flirting. He didn’t talk of the pain of his wound.
‘I saved you from those nails and in the result you came in my arms,’ said Saras giving a smile, burning Kumud. He lose his hold of her wrist and stands up. He gave his hand to Kumud with intension of helping her to stand but she denied by holding her hand up. Kumud with furious eyes lift her body up by pressing the ground. She darted ahead and this time she took concern of the buried nails and came near to the infants. Taking an infant, she said, ‘Before saving ourselves we should save them.’
The infants were ten and they were just two. Saras looked around and found an old handcar. He laid the amulet on the handcar and took the infants on it. His mind had given him the right idea. He and Kumud together pushed it out of the room. He escaped with Kumud, the ten infants and other prisoners in three carts which they took from the village of Vahuns. Three men became carter and drove the cart towards the city of Vatvriksh. Both the pretty girl and the wounded handsome were in same cart with three other women and six men.
Saras stared the highly designed dress of Kumud. It was a Chaniya Choli, designed royally with precious gems and golden silk.
Kumud asked appreciating Saras, ‘You are a brave man. I mean a little more than I thought you are? From where you learned the skills of archery?’
‘Oh you mean you should get in trouble a second time and then I must save you once more with my archery skills which my mother taught me.’ Saras smiles and continues, ‘Your dress represent you like you are from a royal house. Are you? From which royal house you are and How do you know my name’, he asks her in an arrogant way pretending that he had met her first time and both are stranger.
‘You really don’t know me?’ Frowning her eyes she answered him in a very polite gesture. ‘I am Kumud, daughter of Chief General Commander Vikrant of this kingdom and every evening I come to your home to learn Devwani Sanskrit from your mother and have seen you been scolded by your father for your mischievous activities. I hope you will never forget my introduction just like your bravery.’
‘I will remember it all my life. The polite way you answered no handsome can dare to forget. You are a beautiful royal girl. You know the language of gods, Sanskrit,’ said Saras calmly. He continued, ‘Well, I too know Sanskrit. I am brave, handsome and intelligent so I think that should be honored by awards and many swarn-mudra, literally coins of gold.’
Kumud commented with a mocking smile, ‘Oh really, you are Brave? Or Pity?’
Hearing this all other who had escaped with them started laughing.
Seeing the beautiful smile he could not take his eyes from her watching her smile which filled his heart with sweet emotions.
Kumud realized that he his gazing at her continuously. She became furious and said, ‘What are you looking at my face. I will imprison you. Let I go to my home. I will say my father about your mischievous activities.’
‘May you,’ replied Saras with a mannered smile. ‘But I must say that even in my dreams I would never think to be mischievous with you. I feel a kind of true affection. Like souls bonded for lives.’ His voice had full of his emotions for her.
‘You are again flirting, Saras.’
‘Your smile and your hair which every time covers your eyes let me to feel love for you. My Kumud Sundari. I love you. I can feel the air passes after touching the very edge your soft golden skin and Even I hear your heartbeats commenting the words that you can’t speak even after trying much effort. I can inhale your breath and feel the name your heart is taking. And my heart at its every beat chants a name which is yours. That is what I feel about you since I saw you for the very first time seven years before. Before leaving my house, you waited for me. You waited for your first classmate. Your first friend. The friend whom you love but you fear to accept.’
While he was busy in words. Kumud was gazing at his heart, intently. She could clearly read his face which had a fine shade of sentiments with true natural expressions wh
ich made her heartbeat to sound for him. And this was the first time she realized the name of feeling she had for him. She had ignored it many times but then again with every new try of Saras it had made its way to her heart. She was acknowledged by the feeling streaming from her heart to her veins. Saras was true and she realized it.
‘I Know.’ Her tongue followed her heart.
Saras smiled and once more could not move his eyes from her.
She too smiles and averted her face, blushing and trying to wrap her hidden emotions by her hand. She feared the rigid tradition of Kundey.
After reaching the city, Saras saw General Vikrant, informed by the soldier who had fallen unconscious by an attack of a hammer by a Vahunian man, was standing under light of a lantern along with near about hundreds of soldiers there. Everyone one came out of the cart.
Saras was standing poise by the cart. He was hoping that he had not annoyed his best friend. At least he didn’t want to lose her friendship.
‘You are nerd but brave,’ said Kumud. ‘Don’t worry my friend. I will not complain.’ This gave him some relief.
‘But why she didn’t? What is going on in her mind?’ The question arose in his mind.
General Vikrant appreciated his bravery but Saras has nothing to do with. His eyes were in regular amicable talk with the beautiful eyes of The Royal Girl.
‘What are seeing boy?’ said Swayambadha who had his eyes regularly watching Saras. He was working for General Vikrant from thirty years. His deep brown eyes behind his big old eyebrows were enough to frighten any one on first meeting. He had long white beard, wide moustache and his ears like a fox.
‘Nothing Sir, just going my home’, replied Saras abruptly. He knew that Swayambadha had a lot of venom filled in his heart for him and his family. Nandkant had defeated him in many duels.
‘That is good. Fine,’ warned Swayambadha. ‘Even never try or I will flay your body with my dirk.’
‘I understand,’ nodded Saras giving a reluctant smile confused with contorted eyes. He bowed to Swayambadha and averted with a mumbling grunt and walked off for home.
The street torches were lit off and his house was too laid in sheath of darkness. Saras came back his home from the backdoor so his mother don’t be get disturbed. Today he was too late to return. His mother the Gurumata Gita was waiting for him after setting the food on fire for the seventh time. Saras get in from the back door and heard a voice. This was Gita, his foster mother whom he knows as his original mother.
‘Saras, Is it you?’ asked Gita laying still on chair.
Saras kept the silence unbroken except the sound of his walk.
‘So, you are back. Alas! My eyes can sleep but you will never ever understand how much tension is in my heart whenever you are outside late night,’ scolded Gita like every mother usually do showing her concern. She was learned of the very dim sound made by his walk. Saras stopped wondering that how his mother felt his presence in such darkness.
From twenty three year since his birth Gita and her husband Nandkant brought him young for a special mission and Saras knew nothing about the truth. They were not his original but true father-mother. For Saras they were the only everything before he met Kumud. With her entrance this number of two for the “only everything of his life” has increased to three. His love of life, his foster but real parents know this as he use to speak her name every night during the dream hours. From their first meeting, everything in his life had occurred just auspicious. Now from seven years he don’t see the horrifying dreams of dark shadows.
Saras comes nearer and put his head in his mothers’ lap and said, ‘Maa, Today I have saved thirty-five people from the capture of Vahuns. I am tired, maa. I need sleep.’
With love, Gita dabbed her hand over his head and caught snatches of a hissing word of pain, whispered from his mouth, ‘Sisshhh….’, as her fingers touched the wounded place of his head.
Gita at once got up and made medicines from herbs. She mounted them over his cuts and on this wounded head and then took a long thick cotton piece of cloth and dressed the bandages around his forehead, shoulders, hands and knees. She feed him dinner by her hands as kaur, literally morsel and took him to bed by supporting his heavy shoulders on her shoulder.
After laying on bed he said, ‘Maa, I had completed the task. I found their dwelling. They had kidnapped her. I saw her today. I love her. She is really good. I Love You Kumud. I Love Kumud.’ His voice was dropping obliviously.
The mother said to her oblivious son. ‘Don’t worry we will talk tomorrow. Now you should sleep .You are tired.’
Saras closes his eyes and his mother kissed his head. She muttered, ‘Let it so be.’
Saras was now in his dreams where he was having a romantic argument with Kumud on sand.
Saras said, ‘So, How are you? I know you will not say anything. I think you are little slow or little tight-fisted in expressing your feeling. Don’t you?
‘No, replied Kumud. ‘My feelings are simple. You are just my best friend. One whom I trust most but I am disappointed. Very much.’
‘Why?’
‘You can’t be serious. Always flirting like a womanizer. Life is not always the same.’
‘I know but what can I do if you never accompany. If you agree then may I improve? So beautiful, what is your choice?’
‘Why should I? I am not free. I had completed my graduation and now father too will select a boy from a royal family and following the social codes I will be married to him.’
‘Can you find any royal man who is brave and good as me? Can your heart allow you to marry anyone but not me? Can you deny that you can’t feel my heartbeats?’
Kumud was silent trying to secret her feeling.
‘Don’t be silent, Kumud. I love you. Do you?’
‘I know your feelings. They are true but this can’t. Please, now leave this try. I can’t see you failing ever time.’
‘No, never. Success comes only by trying. Once, second, third, fourth and so on. Today I got my answer in concentration of forced rejection but tomorrow you will answer me back. With a yes, with blush or with a kiss.’
‘Can we talk on any other matter?’
Saras nodded…….s
It had been nearly half an hour late to the midnight and a strange cold breeze had covered the Vahunian village, dark and lunatic. Zambulla, the chief of Vahuns was chained and on his knees. His hands were tied tightly behind his back and his face was mutilated by scalds numerous wounds made by fists and his torso was barbarously whipped. He was whining for mercy. He knew how vicious and ruthless the lady, escorted by four Cauvcrach beasts, standing before him was. He was well acknowledged with her remorseless cruelty. He cast a look backward, timidly staring his people. They were drenched in fear. The darkness they had served from centuries was now ready to devour them.
‘Grouci…. Grouci… pureia pulr,’ begged Zambulla rubbing his face on ground.
“mercy….mercy… I beg!”
Saile was not pleased. Someone had spoiled her hard work on twenty three years. The ancient bow had disappeared. The door had crevices on it and no longer could it be used to support the powerful dark magic to bring the Evil Lord Jakrant back into his real body. She dabbed the mouth of Zambulla and clutched his throat. ‘Grouci… Grouci – Noiyyukri. Smolera triknazjk pulr-pulr.’
“mercy… mercy- No mercy. You all will get pleasing death, pleasing.”
Saile walked few steps back and held her hand up and waved it horizontally. The Cauvcrachs made a cacophonous sound as they beat their chest repeatedly encouraging themselves. Zambulla was still pleading spending the tears of his black eyes. His twenty men were slaughtered simply within one blink of his eyes. Zambulla wept like a dying donkey. ‘Grouci… grouci… renanmj lenbarciousluda.’
“mercy…mercy… we remained loyal to you.”
The way his loyalty was paid had struck the barbarian within him. He screamed, ‘Krookra… runt…krookra…. Inlydibv bahucopnd.’
&n
bsp; “revolt… rise…. Revolt… kill the beasts.”
Soon the four Cauvcrach were slayed by the Vahun men. Saile stepped back appalled as the Vahun drew their hammers, draggers, sickles and spears. Zambulla was now on his feet, free from chain. He came nearer to Saile and gazed her voluptuous curves, smiling malevolently as Saile had assumed a slump posture and raised her hand and barked, ‘Intyuaob…yella.’ “Stop… now”
Zambulla frown and laughed as loudly he throat could volume. ‘Renanmj sokyeiundla luda…. irriewsv. Uhdisn rediabk bhhdu.’ “We will raid you…. Be ready. This will be redemption.”
Saile straightened her body staring Zambulla as he clutched her throat and took his tongue outside moving it amorously before her face. But to his disgust Saile smiled enigmatically. Zambulla now could not restrain himself from looking in Saile’s eyes and fell back moving precariously. Saile had laid the effect of her black magic in his body. Zambulla knelt, screaming with pain as something had started running in his veins. Soon his skin got some holes bulging out allowing blood to spurt out like a fountain from his face and eyes. Once again the whole village was on knees. Stricken with the worst hear they had ever known. Saile was not to stop there. She moved forward and bent her tall body in front of a five years old girl. The girl gets behind a man, probably his father. The girl hold the grab of his father’s fist as tightly as she could. Her face was fainted with silence and eyes were spending her scare on her red checks. Her father looked at her with a fainted smile. Saile moved her forefingers on the girl’s cheek, wiping her tears gently but firmly. Saile surged up and sucked the soul of the girl’s father. The girl moved back, gulping with dire. She looked around but no moved was ready there to help her. They all had lost their confidence to stand. Saile smiled silkily. ‘You revolt. You pay. It is time for a good meal, pretty girl. Your soul must be as innocent as you. I will make it the worst. You don’t worth to be beautiful. You should die with all others around you.’