by Krutant Iyer
At the same time, Gotha had managed to bring down the Nisachara at his end.
“We need to move quickly,” Vajra said.
“Shouldn’t we hide their bodies first?” Drona asked.
“There’s no time to lose. There’s no telling when the second troop of Nisacharas will show up to take over the rotational shift. They would anyways be alerted by the absence of these guards if we hide their bodies. We need to be inside the capital and out of their sight by then.”
Drona nodded in consent.
Reaching the foot of the massive iron door, Vajra carefully pushed the small, narrow wicket gate, that allowed the citizens of the capital to enter the city, without the Nisacharas having to throw open the massive gate, which was reserved for the larger regiment of Nisacharas to pass through.
Vajra peered through the wicket gate, scanning the area beyond the gate to make sure they do not inadvertently run into another troop of Nisacharas. Seeing no one in the vicinity, he signalled the rest of the group to follow him in. Once everyone had safely entered the gates, Drona, pulled the gate shut behind him.
Rakshama, O’ Lokapa! There’s no turning back now.
He silently prayed to the protector of all Lokas, as he followed the retinue into the capital city of Narakaloka.
✽✽✽
Chaturdasha
Infiltrating the Capital
“Keep close,” Vajra said. “We shouldn’t draw much attention to us.”
Like others in the group, Murari also donned a cloak, covering his head and upper body, leaving only his eyes open. This way he could move freely with the group without the fear of standing out, as he could easily have passed for an Asura child, given how similar they were in terms of physique.
Upon reaching the intersection, the group split into two units as had been decided earlier. While Vajra, Drona, Murari, Karapa, and Gotha made their way towards the field, Kali led the other, larger group into the marketplace.
The market area was the best place to gather information about the latest happenings in the capital. Kali knew that they would need as much information about the execution ceremony as they could gather, before making a move. While her group went about gathering the data from the market, Vajra’s unit was to reach the field and examine the layout. They knew that it would take a miracle to pull off what they intended, but they also knew they could not afford to lose time. They had to act swiftly. This was the only chance they were going to get.
Murari walked with Vajra, while Drona, Karapa, and Gotha followed a short distance behind them. Every precaution was being taken to avoid drawing unwarranted attention towards themselves.
Murari couldn’t help but admire the systematic architecture and urban layout of the capital city.
The path from the outer gate of the city had led to a huge intersection, that branched into nine different routes. While the four lanes on the right were bustling with the general hubbub of the market, the four lanes towards the left were lined up with the residences. A wider path cut through the intersection that led straight towards the field outside the fortress.
Vajra’s unit was now moving through this street. On a normal day, this path would be secluded, as the Asuras usually preferred moving through either the market streets or the residential streets. The main street was typically reserved for the King and his retinue of Nisacharas to come in and out of the city.
But the announcement of public execution had intrigued everyone in Narakaloka. Asuras from far and wide had made their way into the city to witness the historic ceremony.
The city was flooded with visitors, forcing the Nisacharas to restrict the entry of Asuras from outside the city.
But, the Asuras had found means of their own. The ones who were keen to attend the ceremony bribed the Nisacharas guarding the outer wall to allow them to enter the capital.
This was also why Vajra’s unit was able to walk on the main street without the fear of standing out. They were all moving towards the same direction – the execution scaffold.
When they were only a few steps away from the field, Vajra heard a commotion from behind. As he turned to see the cause of the bustle, he saw a retinue of Nisacharas galloping their horses through the street. The Asuras had to hastily dive out of the way, to avoid getting trampled by the galloping horses. The Asuras knew that they couldn’t afford to piss off the Nisacharas.
Vajra quickly gestured his unit to move to one side of the street, and fall in-line with the rest of the Asuras.
The urgency with which the Nisacharas pulled their horses’ reins told Vajra that the bodies of the guards outside the outer wall had been detected. Things were moving much quicker than he had anticipated.
If Kirmira decided to postpone the execution ceremony, they would lose their only chance to free their friends.
He silently watched the Nisacharas pass through the streets and cross the field. After they were gone, the Asuras resumed their journey towards the field, and so did Vajra, without taking his eyes off the Nisacharas who had just crossed the inner gate of the fortress.
“They know,” Drona whispered into Vajra’s ears.
“Let’s stay with the crowd and see how this goes,” Vajra said, without turning his head.
Many Asuras had already reached the field and were now lined up a hundred yards away from the scaffold. The Nisacharas had worked without resting to erect the platform within a matter of a few days. Murari looked up and saw the scaffold for the first time. It was a mammoth four-storey platform. Stairs had been built that spiralled to the top. On the top of the platform, Murari noticed several thick wooden stumps had been placed at equidistance from each other.
Several Nisacharas stood guard at the foot of the scaffold. The gate to the fortress lay only several yards beyond the scaffold.
This gate was better protected than the one at the outer wall. As Murari counted, at least twenty-something Nisacharas were guarding the inner gate. The gate itself was massive, just like the iron gate of the outer wall, but this one did not have a wicket gate for pedestrians to enter. Which meant that the mammoth gate would have to be opened every time someone had to enter and exit the fortress.
Just then, the sound of trumpets blared from within the fortress, resounding through the open field.
All the Asuras fell silent as soon as the gate had opened. They weren’t expecting to see any movement from the Nisacharas so soon. Were they finally bringing the prisoners out?
The guards on duty outside the gate of the fortress swiftly turned to face the gate in unison. Their heels clicked on the ground stridently.
As everyone waited with bated breath to see who would emerge first from beyond the gate, Vajra felt an urgent tap on his shoulder. He turned to find Bhrihu standing behind him.
Bhrihu signalled Vajra to gather his unit and follow him to the back of the crowd. Vajra looked back at the gate once, before reluctantly following the old Rakshasa.
This better be good. He thought.
Upon reaching the back of the crowd, Vajra noticed Kali and her group of Rakshasas standing around the bend of one of the lanes leading into the marketplace.
“They know we are here,” Kali said as soon as Vajra was within her earshot.
“How did they find out?” Vajra asked, a frown forming upon his visage.
“One of the guards was still alive when the second group of Nisacharas came to take over the rotational shift. He told them everything.” Kali said.
“That means, the Nisacharas we saw earlier –” Drona said.
“Yes, you were right. We have lost the element of surprise. But we cannot turn back now.” Vajra said.
“I have been against this idea since the beginning, but you all constantly ignored my counsel, now see where it has brought us,” Bhrihu said.
He was visibly and understandably agitated.
“Bhrihu! This isn’t the time to play the blame game. We are all in this together.” Kali said.
“For now, let’s stick to
the original plan and mingle with the crowd,” Vajra said, after a long period of silence. “We have already succeeded in reaching the field, now we just need to wait for Kirmira to show up.”
“Even the Nisacharas would have a difficult time hunting for us in this crowd,” Drona added, agreeing with Vajra’s suggestion.
Just then a loud gong rang over the capital. The sound of the gong reverberated through the rocky ceiling of the Narakaloka’s capital city.
The Asuras standing on the field had never heard the gong before in their life as they had come from outside the capital city. But the residents of the city who were in the market place were reacting in a completely different manner than their brethren crowding the field.
As soon as the gongs went off, the Asuras in the market abandoned their shops and shoved each other as they fled towards the residential streets of the capital. The Rakshasas, Vajra, and Murari got out of the way of the running horde of Asuras, wondering what was happening.
The Asuras standing in the field let out a huge cheer as a cavalry of Nisacharas came riding out of the inner gate of the fortress. They were finally seeing some action after having waited for so long.
While the Asuras on the field cheered loudly, Vajra, the Rakshasas, and Murari wondered why the Asuras from the market had abandoned their shops on hearing the gong and fled like scaredy cats.
Something wasn’t adding up.
At least twenty Nisacharas mounted on horseback had come out of the fortress. All of them were wearing plain black dhotis and Varmans, the metal armours shielding their shoulders. They wore a strange, black metal helmet that masked their face partly, and covered their heads completely, leaving enough room for their extended fangs to jut out.
It was clear that these Nisacharas stood high-up within the ranks of Kirmira’s army.
“Kirmira’s elite guards,” Drona said softly, without taking his eyes off the scene unfurling outside the fortress gate.
At the mention of the Nisachara King’s name, Murari blood curdled and he clenched his fists tightly.
“But why did the Asuras flee the marketplace upon hearing the gong?” Vajra asked, confused by the situation.
“I guess we will find out soon,” Kali said, as she made her way towards the plains to get a better view of the situation.
The rest of the Rakshasas, Vajra, and Murari followed her closely.
The elite guards, mounted on their horses did not move once they had lined up outside the fortress gate, their horses also stood perfectly still, aping their riders’ mannerism. Like their riders, the Horses’ heads were also covered with a black cloth, with small openings made for eyes, ears and mouth. It added to the menacing look of the overall garb of the elite guards.
While the rest of the group seemed focussed on the open gate, Vajra’s gaze was fixated on the horses. Vajra had immediately noticed the tension in all the horses’ pinna, the way their ears were turned forward, indicated alertness.
For several moments there was no movement from beyond the gate. Then all of a sudden, sounds of drum beats arose from within the fortress, announcing the arrival of the King.
The crowd went into a frenzy upon hearing the drum beats; they cheered for their King. They were here for a show, and it was about to begin.
The crowd cheered louder as the beats of the drum grew louder with every passing moment. The beats stopped abruptly, and a giant Nisachara emerged from within the darkness beyond the inner gate. He was a Nisachara of gigantic proportions, even when compared with his fellow Nisacharas. He rode out on a horse that was equally mammoth in size. The beast had been handpicked to bear the heft of the giant Nisachara. Like the rest of the elite Nisacharas, this giant also adorned a black dhoti and a Varman over his shoulders. But unlike them, he did not wear a helmet to cover his face. The deep, long gash across his face had turned into an ugly scar over time. The cheering crowd fell silent upon seeing the giant Nisachara ride out of the gate.
“That’s Shumbha – the commander-in-chief of Kirmira’s army,” Kali said.
Vajra immediately recognised him as the Nisachara who had managed to get away from him and Veerabhadra at Tamisra twelve years ago.
Something doesn’t seem right. He did not seem so powerful when we fought the last time. Vajra thought.
Murari could no longer contain his impatience at not being able to see the events taking place on the front.
He broke away from the group and negotiated his way through the crowd to move to the front and get a better view of what was happening. Drona caught a glimpse of Murari before he disappeared up ahead in the crowd. Panicking, he started to move in the same direction, gently pushing the fuddled Asuras aside. Seeing him, Vajra turned around as if on intuition and noticed Murari’s absence.
“That fool!” He cursed under his breath as he too started following Drona’s trail.
Just then, Shumbha raised his spear high up in the air and let out a roaring shout.
“Astrin Sajjibhu!”
No sooner had he given the ancient command; archers emerged atop the fortress and lined-up on the rampart.
Vajra and Drona, who were cutting through the crowd, making their way towards Murari, came to a halt, as they turned their gaze towards the rampart.
Murari, who could still not see what was happening, quickened his pace and continued shoving his way to the front.
“They are going to attack their own people!” The words escaped Drona’s mouth.
Even as he spoke the words the archers nocked their arrows at the same time, pulled them back, and levelling them at the swarm of Asuras standing below on the field.
The Asuras, who were already daunted by Shumbha’s appearance, reacted exactly as one would expect a terrified throng to react, they panicked.
The panic-stricken throng started running away from the field, pushing each other, as they made their way towards the main street, to get away from the archer’s range.
“Akrman!”
Shumbha’s call for releasing the arrows was heard loud and clear over the fleeing Asuras’ furore.
Drona and Vajra were the only one still looking towards the rampart as the command for commencing the attack came. The archers released their arrows in unison.
Drona pulled out his sword from beneath his veil, just in time to parry the shower of arrows from hitting him. Vajra managed to deflect the arrows with his lathi. But, the Asuras were not so lucky. The bodies of fleeing Asuras were collapsing like raindrops. Even before they could recover from the attack, the archers had sent the second wave of arrows flying in their direction. Drona and Vajra threw away their veils, and parried the arrows skillfully, even as they quickened their pace and pushed the oncoming Asuras out of the way, to get to Murari.
Even as he was knocked down, Murari ducked between the legs of the oncoming Asuras, struggling to steer clear of the pandemonium.
Just then, he heard the arrows whiz past him, burrowing into the ground all around him. Momentarily distracted, he looked back up to see an Asura, who would have run straight into him, get hit by an arrow in the back. Murari couldn’t even react as the lifeless body of the Asura fell on him. Murari somehow managed to use his hands to break the fall of the Asura’s body and avoid getting crushed under its weight. By then the rest of the Asuras had already run past him.
But as soon as he managed to push the body of the dead Asura off him, his gaze fell upon the archers atop the rampart, getting ready to release another wave of arrows. His body moved on instinct as soon as the arrows came flying in, and Murari ducked back under the dead Asura to avoid getting impaled by the arrows.
As Murari emerged from beneath the Asura’s body, he noticed the number of arrows on the Asura’s back. Even if one of the arrows would have pierced through his body, Murari would have been lying dead under the Asura’s corpse. The density of the arrows was much thicker than the ones he had seen Mitra use. It could almost be mistaken for a spear.
Murari said a small prayer for the Atman o
f the Asura to find peace, before turning towards the archers.
Drona and Vajra caught up with Murari. After quickly making sure he was safe, Vajra turned to look at Shumbha.
Kali and the rest of the Rakshasas had also joined Drona, Vajra, and Murari on the field by then. Like Vajra and Drona, they too had thrown away their veils.
A satisfactory smirk formed on Shumbha’s face.
Kali realised that the attack earlier was only to force them to reveal themselves. Clearly, Kirmira had no qualms over killing his subjects from outside the capital to achieve his objective.
She understood that the gong earlier was to warn the residents of the capital city to abandon the streets and get back to safety before the Nisacharas commenced their attack. This wasn’t too surprising as only the Asuras who had pledged their undying fealty to Kirmira were allowed to reside within the capital city. He wouldn’t want to kill them.
Shumbha clicked his heels against his horse’s flanks, and the beast moved forward deliberately.
“There you are,” Shumbha said. “You finally decided to shed your covers and reveal yourselves.”
His comment was met with no response. Vajra glared at Shumbha with unconcealed hatred.
“How does it feel to be at your enemy’s mercy for a change?” Shumbha asked Vajra, as he spat out from between his clenched teeth.
“Why don’t you come here and find out on your own.” Vajra retorted, still glaring at him threateningly.
“Hmph! I was confused when I heard the Rakshasas had invaded the city. These weaklings couldn’t even save their precious fruits, and yet mustered enough courage to return to the capital. I see it was you who brought them here.”
Shumbha lifted his spear and pointed its tip towards Vajra.
Vajra chose not to respond.
“Oi – If you are done babbling, tell me where you have kept my friends,” Murari shouted, irritated by the Nisachara commander’s haughtiness.