Jazeera- Legend of the Fort Island

by Yash Pawaskar

  Dara, who was silently watching the proceedings unfold, looked at the gifts and said, ‘Our tribe will surely be happy with these gifts.’

  ‘Dara, you know we are generous when it comes to gifting,’ said Gaffar, pointing to the gold ring on Dara’s finger, which was gifted by him. He continued, ‘We have more of these boxes on our ship. If I have the permission of the Tribe Council, I can order my men on the ship to bring them to the island and distribute them to your people.’

  The senior statesman gushed, ‘We are grateful for your generosity, Gaffar. I have just been informed about a celebration in honour of our partnership. There’s an open feast for everyone in the evening. You can bring your gifts then and distribute them to the people.’ Gaffar nodded and took his leave along with his men.

  Dara came up to a dejected Jatasya and said, ‘Hope you change your mind, Jatasya. Once the work begins, you will see the bright future ahead.’

  ‘No, Dara. As I said in the morning, I will leave with my family to a different land. And you know that I will always wish well for you and our tribe,’ said Jatasya.

  ‘Maybe I was pushing my luck too far. The entire island knows that once Jatasya has made up his mind, nothing can change it. However, I have one request, at least stay for the feast. We will have a small get together of our own… a farewell for you?’

  ‘Alright,’ said Jatasya with a smile. He then went to his family to inform them that they have to move away from their island, their home.

  ◆◆◆

  It was a starry night. The island was lit with hundreds of lamps inside the numerous tents set up for the feast. Gaffar, his assistants, Dara, and the five members of the Tribe Council were seated in a lavish tent watching a tribal dance put forward by the island’s teenagers. Other smaller tents seated the islanders who were enjoying the feast.

  Meanwhile, Zorawar had gone back to the ship to fetch the gift boxes. He had asked Dara to arrange for twenty boats so that he could bring his fifty men and a hundred gift boxes from the ship. When Zorawar and his men returned, they placed the boxes near the seashore and proceeded to the tents to enjoy the feast. Zorawar entered Gaffar’s tent while the men from the ships went into the other tents.

  ◆◆◆

  Kashvi was multitasking as usual and ensured that the kids were all set to leave. She was busy making last-minute arrangements in her house that they were vacating.

  She looked at Jatasya and asked, ‘How can you be so calm when there’s so much going on?’

  ‘Focus on what you are doing and ignore the noise. Simple,’ said Jatasya with a smile.

  Guru Ashwath entered their house with a modest bag of his own and said, ‘Everyone has had their meal and are ready to go. I think we should leave before everyone on the island gets drunk and starts acting funny.’

  ‘Everyone?’ asked Jatasya with a puzzled expression.

  ‘Of course, everyone. What did you think? People who believe in you will just desert you? Look outside the house. If I am not mistaken, there are around seventy-five to a hundred people who are going to move with us to our new home, wherever that is,’ said Kashvi.

  ‘And the Tribe Council knows this?’ asked Jatasya.

  ‘Why are you being naïve, Jatasya? Of course, they know. Our people will follow you, not because you are their leader, but because they believe in you and what you stand for,’ said Guru Ashwath.

  ‘Perhaps, I am getting emotional about leaving my home. Anyway, it’s time. I will get our boats in order,’ said Jatasya.

  ‘That isn’t a one-man job,’ said Guru Ashwath, following him. A bunch of other men who were going to move with Jatasya walked beside them to the seashore to make arrangements for their departure.

  When they were walking towards the coast, they noticed that people had almost finished eating. They were singing merrily, and the toddy-drinking had started.

  ◆◆◆

  The oldest statesman had finished eating and said to Gaffar, ‘We have had too much, perhaps. It’s getting late, and we should leave now.’ Bhala had stayed for the dinner with the guests for diplomatic purposes, but Jatasya had left. The other Council Members along with Dara also got ready to leave.

  Gaffar replied, ‘Well, leave you must. But, there’s one small ritual from our side. We loved your hospitality. Will you let us part with you with our tiny little custom?’

  ‘Why not,’ came the reply.

  Zorawar and the other three assistants brought three long curved tribal horns. They blew them together. The sound emanating from the horns was so loud that even Kashvi heard it from her house. However, it wasn’t meant for her.

  It was a signal.

  Seconds later, a dozen African men entered the Council Members’ tent from the backside. Dara, Bhala, and the three statesmen each had a man behind them holding a knife to their throat. They looked at Gaffar. He nodded. The men slit the necks. The Tribe Council was dead, except Jatasya

  ◆◆◆

  The horns were not just for the killers near the tent. They were for the intently listening ears hiding inside the gift boxes. The boxes brought from the ship to the seashore had two layers: the upper layer had gifts while the lower layer had a trained killer waiting for the signal.

  The men inside the boxes heard the horn and broke out of the boxes. Jatasya and the others saw this and froze. They didn’t understand what had happened. When the unnatural horns sounded from the tents, there were screams all around, and more and more men were breaking out of boxes. It was worse than a nightmare.

  Jatasya added two and two together and figured out that it was an ambush. He turned to the Guru and said, ‘Protect my family’.

  Jatasya directed Guru Ashwath to take five men with him and warn Kashvi and the others, while he, along with four other islanders, rushed towards the killers who had risen from the boxes to stop them.

  Jatasya and his accomplices had no weapons, while their enemies had daggers in both hands. Even then, the islanders launched themselves at the men with vigour. Each islander took two foreigners down. However, they were heavily outnumbered, and it was just a matter of time before the foreigners killed the fighting islanders.

  ◆◆◆

  The men from the ship, who had been mingling among the local folk during the feast had also heard the signal and had started killing people one by one.

  The invaders started burning the islanders’ tents and houses. They captured the girls and women and butchered boys and men. It was a gory massacre.

  Guru Ashwath hurried towards Kashvi’s house. On the way, he saw Harit outside, valiantly waving his wooden sword at one of the invaders. The Guru thought, This little warrior must have escaped from Kashvi’s watchful eyes.

  He ran with great intent but couldn’t reach him in time. He watched young Harit’s head being cut off by the invader. Amidst burning homes and screaming people, Guru Ashwath dove on top of the invader and forced him down.

  He snatched his dagger and drove it into his chest. Blood splattered on his bearded face. His eyes searched for Kashvi and the others. Guru Ashwath took another dagger from the dead invader and ran towards the graveyard, where he thought Kashvi and the others might have gone.

  ◆◆◆

  The island’s periphery was manned by invaders on boats, and they hunted down anyone who tried to escape via the sea route. Kashvi had managed to protect some women and young girls and bring them to the graveyard.

  Years ago, their ancestors had discovered an escape route. It was an underwater tunnel, thirty feet under the seabed, with its entrances on land. The cave tunnel had acted as a secret passage, connecting the island with the Mahavan. The entrance to the cave on the island was in the graveyard.

  Guru Ashwath waded his way through the haunting landscape to the graveyard. He had picked up a few weapons on his way, and on meeting Kashvi, handed them to her and the women. ‘Jatasya and Harit?’ asked Kashvi with eyes full of desperate hope.

  Guru Ashwath couldn’t look into her eyes. She un
derstood. A rain of despair showered on her cheeks. Her soul wept, but she understood that it wasn’t the time to mourn. She held a dagger in one hand, handed a torch in Avni’s little hands, and led the way into the tunnel.

  Guru Ashwath watched over the women near the two graves that guarded the entrance to the tunnel. Once the women and girls had gone through, he sealed the tunnel’s entrance with mud and placed a thick wooden sheet over it. He himself hid in narrow crevices in the graveyard and survived the mayhem.

  ◆◆◆

  Gaffar was rejoicing in the tent with Zorawar and his other three assistants. He had consumed a considerable amount of alcohol. ‘Well done, boys. You have proved your worth to me. I wasn’t sure when I bought you all from the market in the Arab land but look how you have rewarded me! Now, I am the ruler of this island. I will build a massive fort around it, and I will rule this island for eternity.

  ‘What a plan, Zorawar. You first discover this island. Orchestrate the pirate attacks. Fool Dara by befriending him and offering help against the fake pirates. And then this. Mighty impressive. You are my most important asset, and you will be rewarded handsomely in due course of time. But tomorrow, this island will wake up to a new owner, Sultan Gaffar,’ he said laughing uncontrollably.

  Zorawar hadn’t had much alcohol; only some, along with four drops of his Sin Serum. His eyes were blood-red. With those hypnotic eyes, he looked at Gaffar and said, ‘Yes, tomorrow, this island will wake up to a new tomorrow. Zorawar walked towards Gaffar, with his right hand behind his back. The hand found a neatly tucked dagger near the small of his back. As Zorawar neared him, he placed his left hand over Gaffar’s shoulder and stabbed the dagger right into Gaffar’s heart.

  He went outside and ordered the men waiting outside to kill the three associates in the tent.

  Zorawar stared at the starry night sky and drew out an imaginary fort island connecting the stars with his fingers on the sky.

  ◆◆◆

  Days later, Guru Ashwath made his way out of the island to the seashore and then to the cave’s entrance which opened in the Mahavan. He found Kashvi and the others there. The atmosphere was one of melancholic determination. Together, they vowed to avenge the islanders’ death and take back their island.

  When Bagha returned from his travels, he discovered that his brother had been tricked and killed, and his island taken away. He also sought revenge. Like Guru Ashwath, some men and young boys had also managed to escape and had taken shelter in the Mahavan. Some, like Bagha, who were traveling elsewhere during the massacre had returned and were equally shocked at what had happened.

  While Guru Ashwath sided with Kashvi and focussed his energy on training the women and the girls for battle, Bagha took the men under his wing and formed the group of Junglees. Eventually, they become experts in guerrilla warfare and caused a lot of trouble to the new ruler of the island by looting those who travelled to and from Jazeera through the Mahavan.

  As the years went by, Jazeera developed into a thriving city. But Jatasya and Bhala’s concerns also came true. The fort damaged the island’s ecosystem. Several species of fishes went extinct or migrated away. Several birds vanished with the depleting forest cover. The climate changed. Sun became harsh, rainfall turned a tormentor, and winter became another beast altogether. The phenomena that occurred once in forty years became harsher.

  Goraksh’s village on the shore, near the Mahavan grew in size to accommodate those who worked inside the fort but had no place or means to stay there. Many small-time artisans from the neighbouring communities also sought refuge in the village. It also became a jetty to reach Jazeera from the Mahavan.

  Sultan Zorawar and his ego both saw a tremendous rise. He brought in more slaves from Africa to form the army of Island Guards. The Sultan married Jahanara in Afghan Land and brought her and her brother to Jazeera. Her brother became the Wazir. His policies brought some method to the madness, but eventually, it was Zorawar who called the shots at Jazeera. He not only pulled the strings but was also strong enough to tear apart the stage, if required. It was all going Zorawar’s way until the children started going missing in Jazeera.

  Part Three

  1 – Court Hall

  Jahanara hurried into the court hall looking for Zorawar. He was seated on the throne and was lost in a discussion with the Wazir. Jahanara interrupted them, yelling, ‘They took him! They took my son. How could they? How could they do such a thing?’

  Jahanara came near her brother and crashed to the floor. She was inconsolable. Her eyes bled with emotions; the tears didn’t stop.

  She paused for a while and said, ‘Mirabai! Of all people, Mirabai turned out to be a traitor. Aadil was so fond of her. He played with her the most. I showered her with so much love, and this is how she repaid me? I don’t understand what is going on. Can either of you help me understand what my innocent little son has to do with all this talk of attack and battle?’

  The Wazir explained, ‘Twenty years ago, Zorawar had invaded this island. And now, the original inhabitants of the island want it back. They are using Prince Aadil and the other captured children as captives, and their ransom is freedom.’

  This further angered the grieving Queen. She pointed at Zorawar and said, ‘So all this is your fault then. I thought as much. Every calamity in my life and my children’s lives has its roots in you. Zorawar, you are a cursed person who shall never be happy.

  ‘No achievement can satiate your lust for power. And we, your wife, children, and subjects have to pay the penalties of your ambitions. If you have real power, then prove it. If you are a real Sultan, then prove it. If you have aspirations to rule Bharatvarsh one day, then prove it. Prove you are worthy by bringing back my son… your son, Jazeera’s Prince.’

  Zorawar did not react. He remained a mute spectator although multiple thoughts were screaming in his head. The Wazir knew this expression well—the calm before the storm.

  To prevent his sister from facing the Sultan’s wrath, he helped her to her feet and said, ‘Jahanara, you need rest. Please go to your chamber. The Sultan and I will find Prince Aadil. Trust me, I will not let anything happen to the Prince.’

  ‘You men of power are nothing but a bunch of hypocrites. All you do is talk, but you do nothing. You promised me that you will keep your nephew safe. Is this how you keep your promise? The enemy came to our home and snatched away the Prince from under our noses. And Jazeera’s two most powerful men couldn’t do anything about it.

  ‘You are no men of honour. You are cowards who hide in palaces because you fear losing to better men in the world outside yours—’ the Queen could have gone on, but she was interrupted by a slap across her face from Zorawar.

  He walked back to his throne and ordered, ‘Bakhtiar, take her away. Lock her up in her room until further orders.’ Zorawar had asked the experienced Bakhtiar, second-in-command of the army of Island Guards, to guard the chambers of the palace after the recent attack.

  The gigantic Bakhtiar, along with the Island Guards, dragged the wailing Queen to her chamber. Zorawar shrugged as if washing the recent incident off his head.

  He looked at the Wazir and said, ‘Yes, Ubaid Khan, you were saying that I have received two letters. Go on.’

  The Wazir replied, ‘Yes. The first one is from Hamid who has been captured by the Shadows. He says that he saw Prince Aadil and the rest of the children. They are safe. He mentions that the attackers mean business, and they have an army in place to attack Jazeera if their demands are not met. However, he can help negotiate and avoid a war-like situation.’

  ‘Hmm. And the second letter?’ asked Zorawar.

  The Wazir answered, ‘The second letter is from Keshav, the tribe leader I told you about, the one whom Bagha met a few days ago. I had sent a few men to him and made sure that he wags his tail for us. It wasn’t too difficult. His land is already under the Sultanate’s rule. All he wanted was a brighter future for him and his kin.

  ‘Keshav says that the kidnappers are
none other than the women and the others who had escaped from the siege twenty years ago. In fact, the attack is led by his sister, Kashvi. They are guided by a Guru.

  ‘They have sought alliances from villagers, Adivasis, and Bagha and his men. They plan to attack Jazeera by entering via a cave tunnel and launching other coordinated attacks on the fort’s gates and boundaries. This is the same tunnel through which the original inhabitants had escaped the island twenty years ago.

  ‘They are planning the attack tonight. They are also aware that the Sultanate’s forces shall be called in from Daulatabad, through the Mahavan for reinforcement. Bagha and his men are supposed to align with Keshav to hold the incoming Sultanate’s army. He wants to know what we want him to do.’

  The Sultan pondered for a while and said, ‘We need to send out three messages. Send the first one to Hamid stating that I want to see the Prince. We can meet in neutral territory, on the water between Jazeera and the village to discuss the terms.

  ‘Second, intimate the Sultanate’s standby army that patrols the regions near the Mahavan’s borders that we need reinforcements. We need reinforcements on sea as well. The Sultanate has a standby navy in the Arabian Sea to the north of Jazeera, which can be brought in. So, we will have warriors coming in from the east through the Mahavan and on ships from the north. I want to teach these people a lesson. I will destroy their very existence, and no one will ever dare to challenge me.

  ‘Third, send your fastest messenger to Keshav. Tell him that he has done a brave job. He will be rewarded with so much gold that his family will live lavishly for seven generations to come. Order him to wait until the Sultanate’s standby army arrives and only then to kill Bagha and his men.’

  The Wazir took notes and asked, ‘What about the tunnel, Sultan? Do you know about the existence of such a route?’