Shadowland

by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

  A murmur of surprise rippled through the room. The old man raised his eyebrows. “That is the way our forefathers were addressed, many generations ago. How do you know this? And how did you get past the obstacle that protects our lair, we who have been reduced to living like wild beasts? Who are you, stranger?”

  Quickly, Anand explained their mission. Around him, the room grew still as people listened with rapt attention to his story. “Please release Nisha,” he pleaded, “and help me find the Mirror of Fire and Dreaming. Once I have it, I can rescue the conch, which is very wise and powerful. I am sure it can tell us the best way to rescue Basant and the other imprisoned magicians.”

  Chief Deepak said, “You speak of unbelievable things. I should suspect you, like my nephew Vijay does, but somehow you have gained my trust. Your amazing accomplishments—traveling from another realm, escaping from Futuredome, and finding us—give me confidence that you will succeed in your quest. But even otherwise, we would have helped you, for being magicians—no matter from which world—you are kin to us.” He gestured to an attendant. “Release this boy’s companion and bring me the Watchful Bowl. And oh yes—untie his hands.”

  A deep voice resounded from the back of the room. “With all due respect, Uncle, I don’t think you should untie the boy or his friend. Who knows what powers they are hiding? Even if they are magicians, how can we be certain that they haven’t defected to the side of the scientists? Others have done it before.”

  As he spoke, the man strode forward, his royal blue cloak streaming behind him. It was the man who had grasped Anand’s wrist earlier! The crowd parted deferentially, and Anand could see that the younger men paid more attention to him than they had to the chief. He came to a stop in front of Anand, scowling at him. “In fact, I suggest that we add a magical binding to their ropes,” he said.

  “No, Vijay.” The chief spoke softly, but in a resolute tone. “A scent of goodness rises from this boy. He and his companion are our guests now.”

  The stiffness with which the commandant held himself indicated that he didn’t agree, but out of respect he said no more.

  Four men entered, carrying a heavy stone slab with a hollow in its center, and set it in front of Chief Deepak. Two others escorted Nisha in. Her hair was askew and her sleeve was torn, but she looked more defiant than afraid. When she saw Anand, she ran over to join him.

  “Are you all right? Did they hurt you?” she asked, linking her arm through his and throwing the commandant a smoldering glance.

  A woman, her face bearing a striking resemblance to Basant’s, brought water in a pitcher and poured it carefully into the hollow.

  “Vijay,” the old man said. “You must join me in the Seeing. You know that I am no longer strong enough to do it myself.”

  The commandant couldn’t ignore this invitation. He joined them, placing his hands over the stone so that his fingertips touched the water, but his haughty face with its handsome, high cheekbones exuded displeasure. The chief followed suit and gestured to Anand to do the same. Once all three of them were touching the water, he asked Anand to close his eyes and visualize, as clearly as he could, the place where he had left the mirror.

  Anand did as he was told, trying to remember every detail: the heaps of garbage on the corner; the graffiti on the abandoned warehouses; the angle of the skyway overhead. Somewhere in the background, he heard a woman’s voice chanting. Was it Basant’s mother? He hoped there would be an opportunity for him to speak to her, to tell her how helpful and kind her son had been. He could feel the mental energies of the other two magicians swirling around his thoughts, trying to decode them.

  “I think I recognize the building,” he heard Chief Deepak say. “Isn’t that the old warehouse in the Sixth District where they used to store refrigerators—when we had enough electricity for common people to use such things?”

  Vijay said, “I’m not quite sure. I need a few more minutes.”

  Anand concentrated on the images again, but this time he had a strange feeling, as though someone was probing his mind, no longer trying to examine the scene he was recreating, but going below it to search his other thoughts. It made him uneasy and fidgety, and after a moment he opened his eyes.

  “I tell you, it’s the refrigerator warehouse,” the chief was saying to Vijay. “I saw the broken signboard for the Terrace Flats, which are right next to it. You must have seen that, too!”

  Vijay seemed distracted, and his uncle had to repeat his statement.

  “Yes, I saw it this time,” he finally responded.

  Anand had a feeling that Vijay had been certain of the place from the very first but had wanted to pry into Anand’s mind. He did not like what the commandant had done. But could he really blame Vijay for wanting to make sure Anand was not a threat to his people?

  “I’ll take the boy there and try to find the mirror he speaks of,” Vijay was saying. “But our chances of recovering it are slim. With the Finder machines scanning the city constantly, the scientists have probably captured it already.”

  Ice gripped Anand’s chest as he heard Vijay’s words. The mirror might be able to hide itself from human eyes, but what about machines that were specifically designed to detect magical energy?

  Vijay’s wrong, he told himself vehemently. He doesn’t know objects of power like I do.

  But his heart was heavy, and looking at Nisha, he could see that she, too, shared his misgivings. Even though they were hungry, they refused the chief’s invitation to eat with the magicians and set off.

  * * *

  Anand surmised that it was evening by the time he and Nisha stepped out of the old van, stretching their cramped limbs. Had four days passed already? Time was getting blurry in his mind. Vijay had made them sit in the back, squeezed next to boxes filled with tools. Anand gathered that he made his daily living as a handyman, working with the poorer inhabitants of Coal so that he wouldn’t attract the attention of the scientists. It made Anand sad to think that the proud magician had been reduced to this.

  Vijay had not wanted to bring Nisha along. He said that too many people wandering around the Sixth District, which was supposed to be abandoned, would make the guards suspicious. Anand didn’t like the thought of leaving Nisha behind, but he could see that Vijay had a valid point. He remembered how quickly the police had found them when they first appeared in Shadowland. He would have given in, but Nisha refused to be left behind. She made such a fuss that the chief said to Vijay, “Oh, take her along!”

  Vijay could not go against the chief’s words, but his thin nostrils flared with anger and he gave Nisha a dark look.

  Now Vijay climbed down from the front of the van, along with another magician whom he had brought along.

  “Hurry!” he said to Anand. “Patrols are sent to the abandoned areas every hour, and we don’t know when they were here last. Do you recognize the place?”

  Anand nodded. There was the torn mattress, just as he’d left it. He ran toward it, calling silently to the mirror. To his great relief, he felt an answering throb of energy. He rummaged among heaps of stuffing and felt its sharp edge against his fingers.

  I’m so thankful I found you! he said. I need your help!

  I’m happy, too, and ready to do what you need. The reply formed inside his head. I sense danger, though—

  Anand swiveled around, but the skyway above Nisha and the magicians was empty.

  “Is this the mirror you spoke of?” Vijay asked, eagerness brightening his deep-set eyes. “And can it truly take you anywhere you wish to go?”

  Anand nodded.

  “May I take a look? I’ve never seen such a powerful magical artifact before.” Vijay put out his hand. To Anand’s surprise, he noticed that the commandant’s fingers were trembling. He felt a surge of sympathy. How hard it must be to be a magician in this world, bereft of the support of objects of power! He thought of how dismal his own life would have been without his friendship with the conch. But as he began to hand it over, a strange th
ing happened. The mirror grew heavy, as though it didn’t want to go to Vijay.

  Wondering what this meant, Anand pulled it back and held it to his chest.

  “What’s the matter?” the commandant asked, annoyed.

  “Let’s get away from this place first. You yourself said it was dangerous. Once we’re back at the House of Fine Spirits, I’ll show it to both you and the chief. He can tell us how best to get back into Futuredome and rescue the conch.”

  “I can tell you that,” Vijay said impatiently. “In fact—even better—I’ll take you there myself. Just let me see the mirror.” He held out his hand.

  Something about the magician made Anand uneasy. He backed away into the alley. To his alarm, Vijay followed him and lunged at the mirror. Anand was barely able to dodge away.

  “Grab him!” he heard Vijay yell to his companion, who ran at Anand. To his shock, Anand realized that Vijay desired the mirror for himself. Was that why he had not wanted Nisha along, so there wouldn’t be any witnesses? He wanted to use it to enter Futuredome with guerrilla troops—the young men who hung on his words—and wreak further havoc on the scientists and their machines. Instinctively, Anand felt that such an action would only worsen the situation in which the magicians found themselves. Moreover, it would ruin his plans for rescuing the conch—and he could not allow that.

  Desperately, he dodged low, feeling hands brush his hair. Nisha had realized what was going on. She grabbed random objects from the garbage pile—a broken pot; a mangled shoe; a thick book, its pages damp and swollen—and threw them at the men. A chair leg struck Vijay on the shoulder and he yelled in fury and turned toward Nisha. Anand used that opportunity to slip past him. Then Nisha and he were sprinting as fast as they could, turning into one alley and then another in an effort to evade their pursuers. Soon they were hopelessly lost and out of breath, but they hadn’t managed to shake off the magicians, whose curses they heard close behind. Anand tried to set up a protection barrier, but the Blocking Towers sent a spear of pain through him. Fortunately, the towers prevented the magicians, too, from using spells.

  Somewhere nearby, Anand heard the cough of a truck’s engine. Were more magicians coming to Vijay’s assistance?

  “It’s around this corner,” Nisha panted, pointing. “Maybe it’s our friend the garbage man.” Before Anand could caution her, she ran toward the sound. Following her, he saw that it was not the garbage truck they had been on but a smaller vehicle.

  Nisha placed herself directly in front of it. With one hand she searched the pockets of the bodysuit while with the other she waved at it to stop.

  The truck did not even slow down.

  The magicians had turned the corner. They were only about twenty arm’s lengths behind them, gesturing furiously.

  “Thief! Thief!”

  Anand knew they needed to run. Clearly the truck would not stop—especially now that the driver saw the men pursuing them. It was too dangerous in Coal to get involved in other people’s business. Anand tried to drag Nisha off the road, but she stubbornly held her ground. She had found what she had been searching for, the coin the old garbage collector had given them. She waved it at the driver.

  Anand was sure the driver wouldn’t be able to see the tiny coin. He yanked at her arm, but she pushed him off with unexpected strength.

  “Help us!” she yelled, using Persuasion. The next moment she doubled over in pain.

  There was a horrible shrieking of brakes. The truck came to a shuddering stop just a few hand spans from them. The driver, a young man with sweaty streaks of dirt running down his face, threw open the door on the passenger side. Did he look like Raj-bhanu, the young healer who had brought Anand the message from Abhaydatta that had begun this whole nightmarish adventure? There was no time to check. Nisha clambered in and Anand followed, slamming the door behind him. He locked it and tried to put up the window, but it got stuck halfway. Remembering his earlier experience, he aimed his mind at the collar around the young man’s neck and held it there in spite of pain until he felt the particles shift.

  “You can speak now,” he told him.

  The driver looked stunned at all that had happened. “Don’t know why I stopped. Nothing but trouble in it.”

  Nisha showed him the coin. “Please, go as fast as you can. We’ve got to get away from those men. We’re not thieves! They’re the ones trying to steal what we have. You have to believe me!”

  The young man took the coin, bit it, slipped it into his pocket, and pressed down on the accelerator. “Thief or not, doesn’t matter to me. You got a friendship coin. Favor for favor—that’s the workmen’s motto. But this truck, she can’t go too fast—”

  There was a loud thunk on the side of the truck. Vijay had jumped onto the footboard and was hanging on to the window as he reached inside with his other hand, trying to grab the mirror. Anand tried to push him off, but he was too strong—and too determined. He lunged again and almost got the mirror this time. The driver swerved, trying to throw the commandant off. But Vijay hung on, grim-faced, while Anand found himself sliding helplessly toward the window. Vijay didn’t miss this opportunity. He grasped the mirror. Anand hung on to it with both hands, but Vijay was more powerful. In a moment, Anand knew, Vijay would wrest it from him.

  “Help!” he cried, not sure whom he was entreating.

  “Doing the best I can,” the driver yelled, speeding up until the truck shook. Nisha beat at Vijay’s iron grip, but it didn’t loosen. Instead, Anand’s sweaty palms began to slip. Vijay laughed, his teeth sharp as a tiger’s.

  Just then a dazzling ray of light burst from the mirror right into Vijay’s eyes. He gave a shout, let go of the mirror, and clapped a hand to his face. The driver saw his chance and swerved again. This time it worked. Vijay fell from the truck onto a pile of garbage. He sprang up at once, but it was too late. Anand felt his furious glare following them as the truck turned a corner.

  Anand held the mirror close to his chest with one arm and put the other around Nisha. He could feel her shaking.

  “I didn’t trust him,” she said. “But I never thought he’d try to take the mirror from us by force.”

  “I guess he was desperate,” Anand said.

  The driver shot a wary glance at them.

  “Don’t want to get caught in fights between spell casters,” he said. “I’m going to drop you off right here.” He brought the truck to a screaming halt.

  “Please,” Anand entreated, “we need to enter Futuredome. Just get us past the gates. We can pretend we’re your assistants.”

  The young man snorted with laughter. “You got a hope! We don’t even have the same uniforms. And guards screen all trucks going in with a Finder machine. They’ll find that thing you’re holding right away. Just get off here.” He reached across them and flung the door open.

  Anand’s heart fell. But Nisha put a hand on the driver’s arm while she touched the mirror with the other. Anand thought he saw a shimmery light leap from the mirror into her chest.

  “Listen to me,” she said, her voice at once so firm and sweet that even though she wasn’t speaking to him, Anand immediately wanted to do whatever she suggested. “If we succeed, it will save more people than you can imagine—not only in my world, but here. My hope is that it will change this Shadowland into a place of light.”

  If she was using Persuasion, it was stronger and subtler than anything Anand had ever observed in the Silver Valley. But no—it was simpler: She spoke what she truly believed and allowed it to do its work. Had the mirror taught her to do that?

  “Will you help us?” Nisha ended.

  The driver blinked as though waking from a dream. “I’ll drive you up to the side of the dome, to a part that can’t be seen from the entrance gates. That’s the best I can do.”

  “That will be enough,” Nisha said. Anand was astonished at how certain she sounded. “Beyond that point, the mirror will take us where we need to go.”

  9

  THE LABORATORYr />
  Anand and Nisha crouched in the corner of a room behind a massive file cabinet. Nisha craned her neck out cautiously, trying to figure out where exactly they were, but Anand sat still, striving to gather his thoughts. He could not believe that they had succeeded in entering the sleek, black monolith that was the stronghold of the scientists without being intercepted by the numerous guards that infested its corridors. If only they could get to the vault now! There was no space for error, for in a few hours the conch was scheduled for destruction. Nor could he forget that, even as he sat here, the universe was hardening itself around the transformed, icy valley that had been his beloved home.

  A few minutes ago, the truck had left them on a barren stretch of land outside the back wall of Futuredome. Remembering how he had used the mirror long ago to get into the palace of the Nawab, Anand had held it against the dome’s curved surface. Though he knew what would happen, he was amazed once again as the mirror changed, growing pliant and transparent, and then disappearing. In its place was now a hole, large enough for Anand and Nisha to squeeze through.

  Once they had entered Futuredome, where fake stars were already twinkling in the fake night sky, the mirror gave Anand further directions. Imagine the place where you want to go. Now that we are inside the barrier, I can transport you directly there if you give me a clear mental picture.

  Removing his mask, Anand had placed the mirror on the ground. He had pictured the hulking black building he had tried vainly to enter—was it only yesterday? He imagined the inside of it as best he could: snaking corridors leading to areas of secret research and experimentation, filled with sleek, shining machines that hummed ominously. The mirror had begun to glow. Just as he stepped into it, an image came to his mind unbidden. A large stainless-steel desk with Dr. S sitting behind it, bending over a pad with notations on it, her brow furrowed as she worked her way through a problem.

  Why on earth had he thought of her?

  Now as he peered surreptitiously from the other side of the file cabinet, he knew exactly where the mirror had brought them.