Gathering all the prepared supplies and changing into other, less notable clothes, Jess loaded the car. She rubbed mud on the number plates so that they were barely readable. Additional dirt and a few extra dents on the car completed the picture.
Jess needed to get the information about Bharata’s strategy to Barkley. She convinced the Sadhu to use his satellite connection to transmit a message to Barkley. Scanning the papers they had taken from the palace they sent the data to a secure address she had committed to memory. In addition, she packed the papers in multiple layers of silk and paper and addressed them to the go-between in Jakarta. The drop of address had been organised before she came here. Just in case. Barkley wouldn’t be expecting the scale of the information, but he would just have to decide what to do. She wasn’t going back. Not as he expected. The satellite connection was secure so she placed a short call to his mobile number.
‘You listen, I talk.’ She said as soon as the connection was made. After a very short summary of the news and informing him of the data she had sent by satellite and post, she terminated the call. It had lasted all of three minutes. Barkley was probably still reeling in his bed after the overwhelming message.
The package was given to the servant who promised to post it in a neighbouring town.
The Sadhu thanked the confused servant, gave him a seemingly expensive present and told him to leave the house, preferably the city and go underground immediately. He could take whatever he wanted from the house. The man bowed and ran back into the house to get his own meagre possessions plus anything of value he could carry. Jess and the Sadhu took their seats in the car, Jess driving, and left the compound.
It was getting dark and the traffic was heavy, though mostly in the opposite direction. As expected they blended in with all the other old vehicles and were soon lost in the masses.
They drove all night, the Sadhu sleeping most of the way. He had explained the preferred route and Jess had entered the town name he gave her in the old, but functioning, navigation system.
During the ride, she tried to remember the events of the day. There was so much to process. So much that had happened. The actual assassination was almost an anti-climax, overshadowed by the anticipation she felt. She would finally find out where she came from, who she was, and maybe even why. Why? That was the question that impacted her most. Would she finally get the answers? The answers that she had been searching so long for. Who knows, maybe even closure.
They passed Moradabad in the early hours of the new day. Leaving the main roads, they took the smaller ones towards Rampur.
Almost seven hours after the assassination, someone finally found Bharata. They heard of the massive manhunt that had been set up to find them on the car radio. The search for the Sadhu and the woman was the main story. To camouflage themselves Jess was dressed head to toe in a black burka. The Sadhu had shaved his beard and wore the simple tunic and trousers of the devout Muslim workingman. There was nothing left of the image of the holy man. Jess played the role of the subservient wife and walked softly, and somewhat bent over, two paces behind him as expected in these regions when they weren’t driving. Dressed like this there was no way that anyone could guess her age. They looked like a couple.
Finding a small store and restaurant, they bought additional provisions and a warm meal that they ate in the car. There was a chance that news of the emperor’s death had reached here, but they had to chance it, their supplies were running low. The Sadhu paid for the supplies with small bills and many coins so as not to gather any attention to them. He also paid for the petrol for the car in the same manner, and filled the reserve jerry cans for the rest of the trip. It took some time as the man was frail and unaccustomed to this kind of work, but they couldn’t chance anyone noticing that Jess was younger and much stronger than her camouflage implied.
Jess had been driving for more than ten hours non-stop and even she needed a rest. The adrenaline was keeping her awake, but as the roads deteriorated, more concentration was needed. She had to renew her energy levels.
Driving out of the small town they left the road and Jess drove the SUV over rough terrain until they found a secluded spot where the trees would camouflage the car.
In this reasonably safe environment, Jess slept. Regaining her energy.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
It was time for some answers.
‘Ok talk.’ I commanded after we finished our meal of cold spicy chicken and naan bread.
He sighed. He had been expecting this. Dreading it even, if the drained colour in his face was any indication. ‘Where shall I start?’
‘The beginning.’
‘I cannot tell you all there is to know, for that we must go to my family. They will decide what to explain and how to continue.’
I almost jumped on him then. We had gotten this far and he still wouldn’t tell me what I so desperately needed to know? He noticed my anger and flinched.
‘I will tell you what I can. Starting with the legend. This is the version as it is documented in the Vedas. They are the most holy of all Hindu scriptures.’
He started his story haltingly.
There had been a holy man who lived in a village in the mountains, the same mountains they were headed to now. He lived with a beautiful woman. Nobody knew where she came from. Only that she was special. Her beauty was overwhelming. On the outside, but also within—her soul. She soothed the hurt, healed the sick and comforted the needy. All without any thought for herself. As a result, the community flourished. Her liveliness and optimism was contagious. She was their angel.
The holy man loved her with all his heart. She was his reason for living. The heavens incarnate here on earth. The fulfilment of his life of devotion to the gods of the earth. His was a simple religion. Take care of nature and she will take care of you. Never use more than you need, and remember to give back to the forest and the animals.
The village was built around the holy man and his simple life. He had always been there, his age undetermined. Though probably old for that era, he seemed youthful and vigorous. His health and well-being he attributed to his wonderful companion. Since she had entered his life, his youthfulness had returned.
The whole village benefited from the couple’s love. The holy man had a therefore unheard-of connection to the gods and nature, born of his immense love for his angel. The gods truly shined on them and the village. They blessed the crops. The harvests were plentiful, all shared in the wealth that the gods bestowed on the village.
Paradise lasted almost ten years.
No good fortune goes unnoticed.
News reached the ruler of the land.
He was an arrogant man. Greedy beyond compare. His palace was filled with the best of the best. The fastest steeds, the most beautiful art, and the fairest of women.
He heard of the good fortune that had befallen the village and the holy man since the arrival of the strange and incredibly beautiful woman. Looking around at his massive wealth, at the women of his harem, at the extent of his power, he wanted more. He wanted what the holy man had.
The village was at the outermost edge of his realm. High up in the mountain regions and also far removed from his daily life. Not only in distance but also in life style. The people there were simple and lived on the proceeds of the land, however barren that was, they needed little. He was surrounded by wealth and opulence. His advisors had to explain exactly where the settlement was. But whatever the distance, it was within his realm. He was their ruler and what was theirs was, by default, his.
At the head of a large force of soldiers he rode to the village in the mountains where the holy man lived with his consort. They thundered into the square with a massive show of force and arrogance, scattering livestock and people alike and almost trampling the children that flocked out of the municipal buildings to see the brightly coloured soldiers and their fierce horses. The vanguard was formed by infantry with big vicious dogs—mastiff like with black eyes and terrifying maws.
These were the infamous dogs of war. Trained killers.
The order reached the holy man; “Come to the square with his woman, now, or the village would suffer.” There was no request, no discussion, only a demand.
The holy man and his consort walked the mile to the village centre, alarmed by the show of force and the sight of the village elders roped to makeshift posts in the square. There was no negotiation here. The emperor was a man who was used to having his way. His will was the law of the land. The peasants were disposable and everything he wanted, he took.
Understanding flooded the holy man and his consort as they looked around the village centre. There was no escaping the cruel fate they had been dealt here. The villagers and the holy man were basically already dead. The emperor would take what he came for and annihilate the rest—men women and children. None would be spared. Whatever the holy man did would make no difference to the outcome of the confrontation.
On a throne like structure that had been brought along by the army, the emperor sat and watched the arrival of the holy man and the subject of his desire—the strange woman. She was indeed beautiful beyond compare. Her skin soft bronze, her dark hair long and wavy, down past her back almost to her knees. The shape of her body, her gliding movements. Her incredible ochre coloured eyes. He was smitten, he must have this woman. Whatever the cost.
He observed the two standing before him.
They should be suitably impressed and overwhelmed by the presence of their emperor. They should be shitting themselves with awe and cowering at his feet. But they weren't. The holy man stared at the emperor, his consort mirrored his actions one pace behind him. There was no sign of subjugation, of class distinction. Here were people who considered themselves his equal, these peasants dared to look him in the eye. That in itself was high treason. The abject defiance angered him to the extreme.
Signalling his soldiers, his captain took a few steps forward and shouted at the couple. 'Kneel! Show your obedience to the almighty ruler, God of all that you see!'
Softly the holy man answered. 'The gods I serve are the gods of the forest, of the land, not of man.' He turned to the emperor. 'Why have you come here with your soldiers. This is a peaceful village. We are of no interest to you and your kind. Go back to your palace. Leave us, or be prepared to accept the consequences.'
The emperor was infuriated. The man before him not only defied him but he even dared to question the ruler's right to be here, and to threaten him to boot. Here in his own kingdom!
The captain roughly grabbed the holy man and attempted to throw him to the ground. Another soldier joined him, grabbing the man by one arm and aiming the shaft of his spear at the back of his knees. The blow would have broken the holy man's legs if it had ever gotten there. The soldier felt a tremendous wrench on his arm as the woman pulled the spear from his hand, breaking his wrist. Screaming, he fell to the floor. She spun around and levelled the working end of the spear at the captain’s throat. The message was clear.
Unperturbed the holy man continued his speech. 'Leave here now, do not come back. We pay the taxes that your soldiers demand. Be content with that and leave us to our own gods.'
The audacity! Who did this hermit think he was, to order him around, to make demands, to even address him. The emperor was enraged. 'Kill the old man!' he screamed, his anger overpowering every other thought.
The woman drove the spear deep into the captain’s neck killing him instantly, and turned to face the next soldier's attack. She fought expertly, all her blows killing or maiming. The spear sowing death all around her. The holy man stood quietly in the middle of the melee, seemingly impassive to what was happening.
More and more soldiers came, and finally her spear broke, leaving her with just a short piece of the shaft and her bare hands. With these she continued to wreak havoc on the emperor’s men. Her strength was astounding. She mowed them down. None could hold on to her.
Tiring of the spectacle, the emperor ordered his men to shoot the holy man. The first arrow missed, the second he was able to deflect, but the third and fourth hit home. The feathered shafts almost passing through his body with the strength and proximity of the archers.
He faltered and then stood straight again.
Screaming the emperor grabbed the closest sword and ran up to the holy man himself. Thrusting the sword with all his might, he ran through the object of his anger, pinning the man to the ground and pushing the sword even further in his ferocity.
The woman screamed and throwing off her attackers, she fell to her knees at her man’s side.
'Get her,' the emperor ordered. 'But don't damage her.' She was after all the reason he was here.
Moving to the holy man, he took another sword offered by his body guards while ten of his men struggled to contain the woman. Finally, they managed to subdue and chain her, manacles on her wrists and ankles. Three of them held on to ropes that had been attached to her chains, they spread out around her to stop her attacking anyone specific. She was successfully restrained. The strange almost animal like sounds coming from her unnerved the soldiers.
'Now, you old fool, this is what happens when you defy me’ the emperor addressed the holy man. ‘This is the fate of all who challenge me. I am God incarnate. This is my world and all that is in it, is here to do my bidding. Your defiance has brought you only death. Yours and the whole village.’ He indicated the forty or so frightened villagers that had been rounded up and herded into the square, along with the elders roped to the posts. 'I will swipe their existence from my lands.' His arm fell and the waiting soldiers massacred the villagers—men women and children. The elders were the last to die—they fell to the jaws of the dogs of war.
Through all this, the holy man was mumbling prayers to the gods of nature to take these offerings of the villager’s blood and flesh and to help them in their journey to a new birth in a better world. He looked at his consort, willing her to stay calm. Not to let the powers loose, not yet.
'Your God will not help you now' the king continued, amused by the pain and grief in the face of the woman and the seemingly desperate prayers of the dying holy man.
He misread the holy man.
‘You have nothing’ his voice surprisingly loud and clear for someone so mortally wounded, ‘All that you seek and all that you covet will be taken from you. You will die a painful and lonely death, debased and hated by all your constituents. Your greed will be your downfall.’
His eyes bore deep into those of the emperor. Hi words and his stare angered the emperor even more. How was this possible? This piece of shit should be dead by now.
Furiously the emperor hefted the sword and swung it down on the man’s neck, severing his head from his body with such force that the head rolled away.
The woman screamed and renewed her attempts to free herself, the soldiers held on for dear life.
Turning, the emperor ordered his men to burn the village.
Confiscating a cart, they chained the woman to the flat board and left the village, setting flame to all in their wake.
On their return to the capitol, the emperor was looking forward to his first night with the strange but beautiful woman.
Things turned out differently. Initially she refused to comply with anything that the staff told or ordered her to do. Cleaning her up and dressing her was a struggle.
Then suddenly she stopped her resistance. She let them clothe her in the finest silks, adorn her hair with jewels and pearls. She’d made up her mind. She would get close to the emperor and take her revenge.
That night she was led to the emperor’s quarters. She seemed meek and willing. The emperor was ecstatic. In his blinding lust, he expelled all the guards. They closed the doors apprehensively, not daring to contradict their leader, but not trusting this beautiful creature either.
They were right. Soon screams of absolute terror broke the night. Bone chilling shrieks came from behind the door. Male not female. Followed by a bloodcurdling roar. The guards mustered a
ll their courage and opened the door.
They were met by a terrifying scene. A massive lion stood over the bloody remains of the emperor. It turned its massive head and roared the mind-boggling roar again. Three of the guards were rooted to the spot by the sound. The fourth turned and ran.
Later they found the three guards dead next to the emperor. They had horrendous wounds, throats ripped out, heads crushed between massive jaws.
The final guard had run for his life. He kept running until he reached the monastery in the mountains. There he became a monk and lived his remaining years reliving that terrible moment. He was the one who had reputedly documented the event in the Vedas.
The woman and the lion disappeared. But in time, they resurfaced when they were needed—when a tyrant threatened the people, when drastic measures were needed.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
‘Was that the first time the woman and the lion were seen?’ I asked.
‘No’ he answered hesitantly. ‘No, the origin of the stories is much, much older.’
‘When then?’
‘Before time.’
This was all mind-boggling. What was I to make of all this? What was true and what was myth? Or maybe just the ramblings of an old man.
‘How do you know?’
He was reluctant to continue. I could see the tension building in his head. Why?
‘You know a lot. Why can’t you tell me? What are you afraid of?’
‘My family’ he answered. After a few seconds, he continued. ‘I left my family in disgrace. I abandoned them. That is an enormous betrayal in our society.’ I wanted to ask him what society, and where that was, but he lifted his hand to indicate that I wait. I humoured him, hoping to gain some understanding.
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