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2 Attachment(s)
Chaturmukha - Part 2 - Trimurti Katha
Chapter 5 - Seeds of Kochadaiiyaan
Sena
Episode 3 - The Last of the Secret Agents
Assignment One - The Sabotage (Part 2 of 3)
Chariot racing was a dangerous sport.
The hippodrome capacity reached two hundred thousand spectators cheering wildly, who had come to watch the spectacle of galloping horses and men standing upright in their chariots. Puy was a well maintained stadium styled building with a central divider, starting gates at one end and an arch at the other, surrounded on three sides by stands, the central box accommodated the VIPs. The race coarse, a long rectangular shape with rounded corners, was about six hundred meters long and 150 meters wide. There was a central barrier called Spina, a sort of a counter to show how many laps (called Curricula) had been run - a metal dolphin was turned over every time a lap was completed, sometimes glowing fire pots indicated the number of laps left. At either end of the Spina was a three-pillared turning post, called Metae which identifed the start and end points of a Curricula.
http://www.mayyam.com/talk/attachmen...6&d=1456570506
(Central barrier/divider, Spina, Metae & Curricula, VIP Box)
The Riders should complete seven trip around the central barrier crossing the Metae eachtime over the muddy race track. The chariots were designed to be small and lightweight as possible which afforded little support or protection for the charioteer, who had to balance himself on the axle as the horses pulled the carts with unimaginable force. To avoid adding more weight, the Riders did not use any protective armours, but just knee and shin pads. The four horses were harnessed abreast - alongside each other and facing in the same direction. The lead horse is the key to win the race which is placed on the left side. It receives special training and acts as a leader for the other horses. It's main role is to create an unison. The special training includes pushing off with the left hind leg and moving the right front leg forward which allowed it to gain the need momentum speed in a short duration of time. Usually, the lead horse name appears on the race card. Horses were equally famous as their Riders.
The Rider wrapped the reins around his waist and then held them with his left hand. In his right he carried a whip to slash the horses to go faster. A curved knife was fastened at his waist, so that he could cut himself free in the event of a crash. The goal of the Rider was to hold position close to the barrier and round the Matae as quickly as possible. Often, getting into the position around the central divider and holding the course much longer was the major battle. Its here the team work plays a major role. When the leader was in position, he is quickly surrounded by his relay Riders who take complete control of the race track by not allowing other charioteers to overtake or even try to near their leader. They try to slow down the opponents by driving their horses zig-zag. Most of the time the follower would crash or hit the wall as the lead horse would panic.
The charioteers were not only good at persuading their horses but also skilled at impeding their rivals. They indulge in many sorts of foul play and the most strategic is called Shipwrek where they push thier charriot wheel into the rival's axle.
http://www.mayyam.com/talk/attachmen...7&d=1456570574
(Chariot Race, Byzantine Hippodrome, illustrating a Shipwrek)
Sometimes villainy even before the start of the race could be suprising.
Two minutes to go ...
The procession started around the evening. The partipants walked before the stands holding their lead horses. The spectators encouraged by shouting out the team names. The announcer from the Calling Room presented each passing team. After the Green, White and Blue teams, the leader of Yellow team, Shamu representing the 'Oli' members, marched into the stadium holding his lead horse named Volucer, a very rare breed known for its aggresivity and speed. He was followed by his warriors and their horses. His entry made the crowd go hysterical. They created a hail strom of motivational shouts. The announcer seemed equally excited.
King Gauthama, accompanied his grand daughter and took the designated place at the VIP Stand with the Ruler of Shambala. Shamu and Volucer greeted the Princess and the Kings with an elegant bow admist the emotional and uncontrollable crowd.
"Baasha", shouted the announcer when a bit of calm was restored inside the stadium, "the Lord from Katrupuzha is the last contestant of 'Sport of Kings'". He emphasised on the word 'Last' and the crowd bursted into laughter.
Dressed in sleeveless red tunic with hair style free flowing, Sena walked in with his 'Nameless' lead horse. The stadium transformed into whispers. People started to hoot and some made funny comments. Sena marched with Nameless and joined the others. He showed his respects to Gauthama, the King returned his regard with a smile. The embarrassing moment was when Nameless refused to bend but just stood nodding its head. The spectateurs seemed amused by its act. Sena saw Princess Kanakavalli for the first time. She was a dark skinned beauty sitted elegantly inside an artistic and beautifully decorated VIP box with floral interriors and the balcony lined with satin curtains. Their eyes met, Sena noticed a flicker of smile around her lips. Immediately she turned away.
King Gauthama addressed the crowd describing his immense joy in presiding over the traditional event. He congradulated all the participants and then gave his hands to Kanakavalli to help her stand up. The crowd cheered.
"Today", he said proudly, "one man will take hold of the Priceless".
Sena noticed that the Princess was looking at him directly while her grand-father was making the announcement. Sena carrased Nameless and it whinnied.
"I declare open the 'Sport of Kings'". King Gauthama allowed Kanakavalli to take her place and he sat down on his Kingly chair beside his friend.
GO ...
At the blast of trumpets, a white cloth called Mappa was flagged and the starting gates were opened. The chariots charged out on to the course.
... to be continued ...
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Chaturmukha - Part 2 - Trimurti Katha
Chapter 5 - Seeds of Kochadaiiyaan
Sena
Episode 3 - The Last of the Secret Agents
Assignment One - The Sabotage (Part 3 of 3)
The first literary reference to a chariot race is in Homer's Book XXIII of the Iliad (Bronze Age) : "Ye Myrmidons of fleet steeds, my trusty comrades, let us not yet loose our single-hooved horses from their cars, but with horses and chariots let us draw nigh and mourn Patroclus; for that is the due of the dead."
"
Stoop to the reins and lash with all their force, the flying chariot kindles in the course.
And now a-low and now a-loft they fly, as borne through air and seem to touch the sky.
No stop no stay; but clouds of sand arise, spurned and cast backwards on the viewers eyes.
The hindmost blows the foam upon the first: Such is the love of praise and honourable thirst.
As when the chariots burst from the stalls and meet on the course, the driver, vainly seeking to hold back his team, is carried away by them and the chariot heeds not the reins.
"
- Virgil (70 BC - 19 BC) in Georgica (a poem in four books, 29 BC)
Chariots on Fire
The Green Team was the most agressive. The members were former salves who breeded and trained barbaric horses. Their leader wanted to become the heir of the throne of Karimedai, so that he could be the dawn of a future to his salve community.
As the white clouds floating in the blue sky, the leaders of the White and Blue teams were blood brothers. The plan was to make the elder win Kanakavalli, and if the younger succeeded, still the Kingdom will be theirs to rule. Technically, there were seven relay Riders who will be supporting one leader.
The participation of Shamu in the 'Sport of Kings' had discouraged several to enroll themselves - some in fear, the rest put away through negociations. The three teams were adamant, as they were Shamu's arch rival in chariot racing, but Shamu was confident to win them this time too.
And then there was Baasha, who was neither politically connected nor interested, but still he was there on the course trying to gain control over Nameless, his lead horse, which had panicked when the starting gates opened and was running straight towards the wall.
Curricula One (17 Riders)
The White Rider-One was the first to arrive at the bend. He lashed his horse while pulling it closer to the divider. His lead horse had to cut sharply but the other three horses failed to charge with the same brute-force, resulting in wiggling the chariot which pushed out White Rider-One. He was dragged around the bend by his own horses and before he could cut the rein, the leader of the Blue Team, the elder brother, ran the wheel over his neck. The motionless body of the White Rider-One stayed in the middle of the course.
Once the chariots got past the curve, salves entered the track and removed the corpse. Few meters further, few other workers caught the freely running horses and fled them out of the track.
Curricula Two (16 Riders)
Getting an eye signal from the Slave Leader, Green Raider-One seperated from his group and headed towards the nearest opponent, the Blue Rider-One. From the back of his hip belt he took out a Urumi, a flexible whip with blades and aimed it at the shaft of his rival's chariot. The whip spun briskly around the shaft and Green Raider-One pulled it with force which broke the wodden bar, seperating the Blue Rider-One's chariot from the horses and suspending him in the air with the riens attached to his hip. Blue Rider-One fell down forcefully and was dragged mercilessly by his own horses.
Occupied in action with his whip, Green Raider-One failed to notice Blue Rider-Two had closed in from the right side. He suprised him by ramming his wheel into his axle. The force from the clashing wheels broke the spoke of his wheel, which got detached from the wheel hub, crashing the axle to slid the chariot on only one wheel. Green Raider-One tried to balance himself, but the weight put on to the horses from only one side made them tumble and they went sliding neck-down gliding over each other, drifting the chariot over the muddy track, pulling the Green Raider-One along. Their momentum came to a halt in a corner, the lead horse dead & other horses completely wounded, the Rider still alive with fatal injuries.
Sena approached the Matae and started his second lap, whereas the other chariots were battling near thier thrid bend.
Curricula Three (14 Riders)
The younger brother, the leader of the White Team was in the lead. His was increasing his speed and when he was around the bend, his wheels ran over a block of debris which made him loose his balance and fly out of the chariot towards the galloping horses. He was caught at the bottom and a swift kick landed in the chest breaking the rib which internally pierced his heart. His brother, the leader of the Blue Team, witnessed the agonising death and raged forward. Meanwhile, the two Blue riders overtook the Green Team and rode parallely towards Shamu, who was sparely surrounded by his team. Sena was far behind, and when he rode past the VIP stand he briefly exchanged glances with Kanakavalli.
Looking at the two blue riders trying to take down Shamu, his warrior, the Yellow Rider-one, pitched back and stirred towards the opponents. When he was behind them, he turned his head, signaled his respect at Shamu, and ran his horses directly into back the two blue team chariots. The 3 chariots crashed and the twelve horses panicked and went awry. Few horse sliped head-down, few others skated on the track. The Yellow-Rider cut himself loose, and one of the blue Rider escaped the massacre too. But the third got caught between the rampage of the horses and was crushed mercilessly by a dozen of horse hoofs.
Curricula Four (10 Riders)
The chariots leaped forward and the Green Leader was in the lead closely followed by two White Riders while Shamu had steadied his place around the divider.
The Green Leader watched a salve stuck on the track, trying to find an exit. The worker had come to remove a broken lumber from the course. When the servant saw the oncoming chariots, he leaped out of the way by jumping to his right, and before he could get up, he rolled futher to avoid another chariot. When he lifted his head, the thrid chariot ran over him. The fate of the salve enraged the Green Leader.
The Blue Leader, the elder brother who lost his younger brother in the previous the lap, was close to Sena. With anger, he tried to force his horses into Sena's Chariot. Nameless was galloping and she was about to lift her forelegs from the ground (Beat Three), when Sena forced a suspension on her - putting all four legs off the ground - to abruptly end her stride. Nameless took the command, and the change in the beat pattern slowed up the chariot for a fraction of a second, until Nameless initiated Beat One to start a new stride. In this gap of time, the attacking Blue Leader was a march ahead, allowing himself to crash into the wall, breaking the neck of his horses at the same time hitting himself hard on the concrete surface. Sena stirred Nameless to avoid the crash and sailed away smoothly on the track. The crowd exhaled their assent.
The Green Leader managed to corner the White Rider-Two by the wall. He was assisted by his team. He used his whip to pull the White Rider off his chariot. The White Rider did not give up easily. He caught hold of his chariot and skied over the tracks. He managed to allign his legs and travel with the moving cart. The Green Leader seemed to be amused and waited to enjoy the fate of the fallen Rider. Just before letting his chariot go, the running White Rider threw a pouch at the wheel of the Salve Leader's chariot. Then he let go off his cart allowing himself to be pulled inside the wheels of his own chariot which ran over his stomach, an instant death.
Satisfied the Green Leader rode-off to take down his next victim, not aware that his wheels were covered with crude oil.
Curricula Five (7 Riders)
The last White Rider, after loosing both his leaders wanted to back off from the race, but his greed wanted him to win and marry Kanakavalli. He whipped his horses to make them pull the chariot with great power, which made the wooden blocks to disintegrate. He was dragged by the horses and before he could go for his knife, he was trampled by the the horses of another chariot.
The remaining Green Rider challenged Yellow-Rider-Two. They rode in parrallel attacking each other with their whips at the sametime pusing their chariots into each others. Eventually, their constant ramming led to a spectacular double shipwreaks killing both the Riders.
Curricula Six (4 Riders)
The Slave leader saw it an opputunity to attack Shamu. He raced adjacent with Shamu when suddenly his chariot got on fire. Due to the speed the wheels turned, it produced heat energy and sparked into fire due to the flammable agent, the crude oil, thrown at his wheels a moment before. Without a second thought, he cut the rein loose and jumped on to Shamu's chariot. He strangled Shamu with the remaing rein in his hand. The helpless warrior, the final Yellow Rider, tried hard to get to his leader in time, when he noticed another chariot racing past him, it was the Single Red One.
Baasha positioned himself beside the Chariot on Fire and jumped onto it. Admist the flames, Sena launched his whip at the Salve leader who was trying to murder Shamu. Baasha's whip cut the Green Leader's face. The pain lauched him on to the divider and got stuck to it before melting down. Baasha rejumped to his chariot and forced Nameless to gallop faster. The goodwilled action of the Single Lion Baasha made the crowd cheer for him and for the first time, Sena was in the lead.
The Green Chariot on Fire was going out of control. The scared horses pulled themselves violently. The last Yellow Rider tried to over take the burning cart with enough caution, but unpredictable movement of the horses made the buring chariot collide with the other chariot setting it on fire too. The helpless Rider caught himself in the flames and stood over his chariot crying out in pain while been pulled forcibly by the maddened horses.
Curricula Seven (Shamu Versus Baasha)
... to be continued ...
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Chaturmukha - Part 2 - Trimurti Katha
Chapter 5 - Seeds of Kochadaiiyaan
Sena
Episode 3 - The Last of the Secret Agents
Assignment One - The Sabotage (Final)
Last Lap - The Fate of Kanakavalli
A spectacular start, with sixty-eight horses neighing, breathing and gaiting, driven by seventeen Riders on their chariots arising clouds of dust, had finally come to a duel.
Sena knew that speed was the key, not his chariot's momentum, but pace of Shamu's chariot. Sena had to somehow trick Shamu to blaze his charriot. Rather than challenging him, Sena ploted to make him react.
They were about 400 metres from the bend. Baasha gallopped his horse and Shamu lashed his beasts. Baasha had an advantage as he was riding on the inner circle. They both came to the last stretch, Baasha a bit ahead of Shamu. For the spectateurs it projected as though they were racing in parrell. In few more meters the "Sport of Kings" will present to the Kingdoms the new hier to the Gauthama Dynasty.
The people saw Baasha as their new Hero who rode his horse with controlled ferocity. The majority of the crowd cheered for Baasha. The spectators started chanting "Baasha! ... Baasha! ... Baasha!". Kanakavalli was excited that she decided to stand and watch the remaining race by nodding her head rhythmically to the roar of her fellowmen.
Shamu was irritated. He showed his anger on his trained horses with his whip. Volucer, his lead horse, neighed in pain, but took off with tremendrous speed. Sena smiled, and it finally happened.
Disguised as a peanut vendor, Sena had pleaded entry into the stadium two hours before the start of the event. He managed to crawl under the seats and reached the garage via the Calling Room. Locking himself inside, he sabotaged Shamu's Yellow Chariot by replacing the bronze linchpins, a pin passed through the end of an axle to keep a wheel in position, with fake ones hand made from beeswax, a natural yellow wax produced by honey bees. Sena worked on making the wax harder and prolonging the time it took to melt. He took immense care to make a perfect pin out of the beeswax so that it could not be easily detected. He pinned into to the axle and when he was satisfied with the way the wheel stuck on to it, he had exited the garage, this time sliping to the backgate, dressing up as Baasha and seeking an entry (again) before the ceremony begun.
The beeswax finally gave away. The over speeding mulitiplied the heat energy and melted the wax breaking the beeswax linchpins. Shamu was shocked to see both his wheels getting seperated from his chariot and running towards opposite directions. His cart was gliding on the track pulled vigorously by the horses. He let go his rein and reached for his knife. The sudden change in the chariot's position turned the horses towards the wall. Volucer, the well trained horse, sensed danger and braked making the other horses to come to an halt. The abrupt break in momentum catapulted the chariot, throwing Shamu over the wall and landed on an obesse spectator enjoying the spectacle consuming roasted peanuts.
Sena continued to ride on. The crowd cheered more for their new King. Kanakavalli was eager to see Baasha reaching the finish line, that she did not even sympathise with Shamu who was just thrown out of the track. King Gauthama rushed behind his friend to aide Shamu.
Baasha ended the lap. The people let out a joyful cry, but all of a sudden the stadium was dropped into silence. None knew what was going on. Kanakavalli stared at the exit gates. Bending around the Matae, Sena did not reduce speed but galloped towards the exit gate. He disappeared into the street after Nameless kicked two the gaurds blocking their way.
It took a while for the solidiers and gaurds to react to the unexpected events. The small battalion that took off after Baasha discovered his Red Chariot attached to three horses, a couple of streets next to Puy Hippodrome.
King Gauthama was furious. His ally's son was wounded, on the other hand the groom of the kingdom had just escaped. Kanakavalli shut herself in the her room and refused to meet anyone. The people were in a state of shock. The King ordered his Secret Service to find Baasha before dawn.
At dawn, the workers at Lord Baasha's oil field came to work and were shocked to see the storage room on fire. After a battle with the flames, few succeeded to enter the warehouse. Lying at a corner was a completely burnt human body. One of the worker identified the corpse as the Lord with the ring that was still attached to the cadaver. The Secret Service reported to their king the demise of Lord Baasha in a fire accident.
... to be continued ...
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Chaturmukha - Part 2 - Trimurti Katha
Chapter 5 - Seeds of Kochadaiiyaan
Sena
Episode 3 - The Last of the Secret Agents
Assignment Seven - The Case of the Coffin Maker
A Detective Baasha Mystery
The sergeant, an ex-service man, incharge of the security in a small town situated inside a valley at the center of Central Kingdom, was waiting with two constables to receive an high commissioner. The coach arrived and a clean shaven man with short hair dressed in light red undergarments and a longer jacket, descended from the gig. The sergeant extended his hand to greet the the ambassador from Central Investigations.
"Detective Baasha", Sena shook the hand of the sergeant.
Baasha cut straight into the topic by requesting the town's gazette. After an hour, he had a list of twenty-six names written down into his private dairy. Eliminating death by natural, caused by accident, natural disasters, disease & illness, Sena noted down the names of people who had died suddenly. Sena started analysing his report. The deaths have been occuring across a span 8 years - no pattern in date of the deaths crossed over, they all looked random. Next he checked the age and sex - no similarities found - neither with the place of birth. And he also noted that the victims were all strangers to each other.
But three pointers matched - all were white-collar workers with an exception to the last two victims, they all were healthy but had reported similar symptoms before death, and they all died here, in this Our Valley Town.
The last two deaths from his list were of a maid and a child. The uncle of the infant was a close associate to one of the members of the Kingsguard. After a month's failure to track down the cause of the sudden death, Sena was assigned by Pachonthi to persue the investigation. First action he did was to consult the gazette and note down similar deaths that had occured.
Baasha reached the cemetry with the sergeant to inspect the tombs. Twenty three out of twenty six victims were brought to the town's graveyard, four were cremated while the rest were buried. Baasha stood before the child's memorial, and after a while broke his silence.
"Normally cremating the body is the practise around this region, right ?", and without waiting for an answer from the sergeant, Baasha continued by waving his fingers in the air pointing the tombs, "How come most of the victims are buried ?". He looked directly at the sergeant while he was informing him that the citizens with money afford decorative tombs for their loved one. It was the sergeant's turn turn to point his finger at the child's memorial. He continued, "Works are underway by the family members to setup a private garden around the ones who were cremated.".
Sena looked at the tombstones. "Another dead-end", he thought and started walking out of the burial ground when a minute detail got his attention. He turned back and checked the grave stones of the victims one by one, they were all installed by the same company who had inscribed a marker at the corner of the slab - initial 'OV' placed inside strands of Lily of the Valley. Sena cross checked with other random tombs, and found that atleast two or there companies were involved in the burial buisness. Not knowing what to think about the victim's interment was done by the same company, Baasha asked the sergeant about the enterprise.
"Our Valley Monument Company", replied the sergent, "the founder was the previous gravedigger here." Expressing his wish to meet the patron, Baasha stromed out of the cemetery.
Jubal offered tea to Detective Baasha. He proudly presented his company to the officials. He precised that the sandal wood for the four cremations were arranged by his establishment. Jubal felt honored to present to Baasha his second agency, which provided his clients a possibility to create and maintain a garden around thier loved ones. Baasha felicitated Jubal for running such a service with dignity and excused himslef for his curiosity to know how Jubal got into contact with such rich people when he was just a grave digger back then.
"I was gifted with an opputunity to meet the wife of a noble man. That day, the lady was moarning at the cemetery, and I expressed a proposition of decorating her husband's tomb, the design she readily accepted and financed. Actually the idea was given to me by my mother. My first client was satisfied. She had helped me launch this company, ofcoarse, I have paid her back, and also she was gentle to speak about my services to her known."
After getting the details about Jubal's first client, Baasha left the Our Valley Monument Company's office.
"The first name in my list is the name of this noble man, Jubal's first client. Something is not right, eventhough everything seems to be correct", Sena pondered. Baasha asked the sergeant more about Jubal and learnt that he was a widower living with his mother Mariam, addresed affectionately by the town people as as Mari-Maa. Baasha took his coat and went to check around the bakery run by Mari-Maa.
Mari-Maa made the best patessery in the region. Her home made gateau, a round crusty cake with butter and powdered sugar, was famous amoung people. Before opening the bakery she was a maid working for different aristocrats. On a particualar day, fatigue made her add more butter with triple the douze of sugar in bread dough. When it was baked and served, the patrician found it delecious. Since then, her accidental cake recipe was the most seeked one, permitting her to open 'Mari-Maa Bakery'. During rare occassions she accepted to be the chief cook in grand ceremonies oraganised by the House of Lords.
Baasha had delicious kuchen with coffee at Mari-Maa's residence cum bakery. She was a very kind lady, short and slim with a smile always hanging around the corner of her lips. Baasha asked about her son Jubal and then about her daugther-in-law. Mari-Maa was glad to talk laurels about her sucessful son, but she saddened when she spoke about his wife who had died at a very young age due to a peculiar disease. Baasha expressed his wish to look around, and she granted him a tour around Mari-Maa's Bakery.
Baasha was observant inside the bakery and when they got to the back yard, looking at the small tree at the center, Baasha smiled.
Next morning, Baasha ordered the sergeant to bring in Mari-Maa and Jubal for prelimanary enquiry. With a bit of hesitance, the sergeant left with his two constables to arrest the mother and son. Sena scored off twenty six and wrote twenty seven beside it by including Jubal's wife name in the list of victims in the Case of the Coffin Maker.
"Why did you murder your daughter-in-law, Mariam ?", Baasha shot the question directly at Mari-Maa sitted beside her son Jubal surrounded by the sergent and the two constables.
"What nonsense!" shouted back Jubal. He had to be calmed down by one of the constables.
"Your mother was a maid at your first client.", explained Baasha. "Somehow she eavesdropped the elderly couple, and learnt about the dream of the Lord after his death. She returned home to inform you the same. After the Lord's demise, you proposed the same to his wife while she was moarning at the graveyard. She was moved to hear her husband's wish becoming a reality. But inbetween, your mother, Mariam made her first kill who is also your first client".
The room was silent. Smile disappered from Mari-Maa, she was starring at Sena.
"Mariam was upset the way your wife treated you, she killed her daughter-in-law to leesen the pains of her son." Baasha paused, then continued, "To establish your buisness, she went on a killing spree and each family of deceased bathed you with gold coins.".
"Rubbish!", barked Jubal. "How are you going to prove any of this ?"
"You were beside your wife the night she died. Can you recollect her state before she died, Jubal ?", asked Baasha.
"She said she felt dizzy, then complained about having migraine. Later she had a stomach pain. I laid her on the bed and thought a night's rest would calm her down, but the next morning she was not breathing any more", recollected Jubal with tears.
"The child, the twenty-seventh victim of Mariam, had motion sickness. Few other victim's family members found their beloved had excreted in the bed. All the vicitms shared similar symptoms", infered Baasha. He took a small bottle out of his jacket pocket and placed it on the table. It contained colourless powder. Looking directly at the mother, he questioned the son, "Do you know what this is Jubal ?"
"Baking Powder", replied Jubal.
"No. Mariam's Baking Powder", corrected Baasha.
Taking the bottle in his hand, and spining it in the air with his fingers, Baasha spoke "Neither any aggression nor any evidence left behind. Moreover, the victims themselves were clueless. Twenty-Seven Murders." After a pause, he resumed to expose the final details of the case, "The small tree in the backyard of your house is Olander, which resembles a lot like the Olive tree, only that Olander is toxic in all its parts. The extract from its branches were dried and powdered by Mariam. It was added to the regular baking powder, where Olander powder acted as an acid-based agent to the already present sodium and functioned as a steroid to stimulate the bicarbonate action, causing it to react aggressively on the victims provoking nausea to vomitt. It was cleverly disguised inside Mari-Maa's cake, where butter and sugar slowed the digestion making the victims active for a while before becoming sick. The toxic gains full control of the body and finally stops the heart."
Baasha infered, "However, if my guess is right, the last two deaths were accidents. The child was not in Mariam's list, yet he had consumed the cake, probably made for someone else but the maid would have stolen and shared it with the kid. I don't think Mariam woud have an answer, but she is responsible to their deaths too, just like the other twenty five victims whose life she had taken".
Jubal looked at his mother, a tear ran down her cheek.
In private, when Sena was gazing at the moon, the sergeant was curious to know how Baasha knew that Mari-Maa was the killer. Baasha told him that when he bluffed about the olive tree at the backyard of Mariam's house, she did not deny but was glad to explain to him that it was thier family tree and she had even offered Baasha a jar of Olive Pickles as a souvenir of the Bakery Tour, all the while Sena very well knew that olives does not grow on an Olander tree. Handing the jar of pickles to the sergeant, Baasha disappeared into the darkness.
Mari-Maa was presented before the court of justice and capital punishment was pronounced.
Detective Baasha was never seen after that night of interogation.
... to be continued ...
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Chaturmukha - Part 2 - Trimurti Katha
Chapter 5 - Seeds of Kochadaiiyaan
Sena
Episode 3 - The Last of the Secret Agents
Assingnment 12 - The Theft
The Diamonds are Never Forever
The gaurd was sure about the moving shadow. The rain. The darkness. Then, the lightening flashed a silhouette on the wall. He got out from his position to bend over the parapet and check for any movement above the balcony. He sneaked his head out, and immediately two hands clutched his neck and pulled him into the blackness. Descending into the Brumidi corridor, the cloaked and hooded man walked briskly towards the vault door. He examined the door - a traditional alarm system securing any sort of breach by sounding horns corded to it from inside. Eventhough picking the lock was an easy task for the vaillant voleur, he moved a step back and then charged the door with his left leg. After couple of kicks, the secure wooden door broke and immediately loud sirens echoed around the building of the Mayor of Sevuthu-Theru.
The tired and sleepy gaurds tried their best to quickly respond to the alarm. From the enterance, they followed the wet footsteps left behind by the theif, which led them to the vault room where the precious diamonds were gaurded. They encountered a burglar dressed in dark clothes from head to toe. He was holding the large pouch containing the priceless stones in his hand. What suprised them was that it seemed as though he was waiting for them. The gaurds stromed towards the theif. He did not panic, but started to move swiftly back into the decorated hallway. The soldiers were confused - one moment they saw him behind the pillar, the next instant he was gone. He was moving between the flash of the lightening and sound of the thunder. The rain stopped, so did the search as the robber had long escpaed the premises.
The streets of Sevuthu-Theru was crawling with soldiers. The theft of the precious gems from the Mayor's own safe had angered him. He didn't have much time, the culprit must be caught and the laurel of his city must be restored quickly. The Mayor was proud of the security measures and programs proposed by him to the merchants. Sevuthu-Theru provided various financial aids and services, notably safe vaults, deposite boxes and assistance in economic investments. The city was the running candidate to be established as a Financial Center for all five Kingdoms.
Someone, maybe the employer of Sena, didn't wish Sevuthu-Theru elected as the Fiscal Policy Center. The instructions were clear - the roberry should be alarmed and the escape should be done under the nose of the Mayor's Security in open daylight.
Sena circled the city couple of times with his wagon driven by his horse 'Nameless'. The onlookers laughed at the bearded coachman when he could not keep his cart steady, as his horse disobeyed him out of stubbornness. While passing through the city, Sena punctually enquired about the manhunt to the tensed gaurds. The soldiers were busy searching every nook and corner of the city - lanes, shops, hotels and restaurants. Sena stopped for a coffee, and while be was sitting under the warm sun sipping his drink, two young gaurds asked his permission to frisk search him. He stood up cooperatively and let out jiggles when he was frisked.
Sena reached the frontier on his coach. All the exits were closed except the main one. The oncomming and outgoing traffic was directly controlled in person by the Chief of Security from the Mayor's Office, with his personel army of armed gaurds. Nothing passed the border without a thorough verification. After a long wait, Sena finally reached the security check-point. The Chief demanded details to Sena.
"Baasha, Delivery Service", replied Sena, at the same time pointed his fingers at the company name painted on the side of his wagon. He explained that he was transporting mangoes from the city to the King's Dinner Party. Baasha remained sitted on the box of the carriage while few soldiers checked the contents inside the wagon which held about a dozen crates of mangoes. Sena sat smiling trying to control his restless horse and the Chief ordered him to get down on the ground. After an exhaustive inspection, Baasha was permited to exit.
The sun was glowing to its glory. Sena saw a group of kids hopping in the hot weather around a gypsy camp. Attaching Nameless to the hitching rail, Sena approached the playing children. He caught a little one by suprise and kissed her on the cheek. She pushed him and ran away, but stopped midway when Sena sang out to her : Muthamma Mutham Sindhu, Pani Muthu Pol Nitham Vandhu.
The little girl ran towards Sena, hugged and kissed him in the cheek.
The gypsies were very generous to Sena. They offered him food, water and shelter from the hot sun. Sena requested them few carpenter tools and wooden planks. With those materials, he constructed a huge oval container. At the bottom corner, he made a coin size hole and attached a wooden cynlinder. At the other end of the circular pipe, he fixed the conical mouth of funnel. He placed an empy wooden bucket below.
Along with the kids he unloaded his carriage and emptied the mangoes into the container. After a word of caution and few advices, Sena lifted and put each bare-footed kid inside the container. When almost all kids were inside the wodden vessel, the mango stomping began. Soon the juice flowed out through the funnel, timidly filling the bucket. The gypsies were contended that soon few adults joined the mango pressing fun.
Sena had brought a dozen crates of mangoes after he robbed the diamonds. He entered his safehouse, poured the mangoes to the ground and started to press a single diamond from the satin bag inside each mango. He then placed the mangoes back into the packing case. Once all the diamonds were well hidden inside the fleshy yellow fruit, Sena took a random mango and verified whether it had any suspicious marks. Satisfied, he loaded the cases into the wagon and rode towards the forntier. At the gypsies, he made a cylinder to collect back the diamonds by placing a filter at its funnel end. While the jucice poured, the diamonds got stuck inside the cylinder.
Finally, greeting the evening sky, Sena joined the gypsies to juice out the diamonds from the mangoes :
Nallavarkkellaam Edhirkaalamae Nambikkai Vaithaal Vandhu Saeraadhaa.
Ullangalellaam Onru Koodinaal Ullangaiyildhaan Vetri Vaaraadhaa.
Ada Enraikkum Enraikkum Nalla Naaldhaan.
The mango juice was delicious.
The night was quite. Sena removed the cylinder from the container and rode away silently on Nameless. The next morning the gypsies were happy to find a wooden carriage left behind for them by the stranger.
Mentor Manickam received a package delivered by a shepherd boy. There was a bag of diamonds inside. The informer beside the Mentor informed him that Sevuthu-Theru was eliminated from becoming the Financial Center, moreover the Mayor had been ordered to report immediately at the King's court for failing to keep the precious Kingdom's property protected. Mannickam smiled while tossing the sack of diamonds in his hand.
... to be continued ...
-
Chaturmukha - Part 2 - Trimurti Katha
Chapter 5 - Seeds of Kochadaiiyaan
Sena
Episode 3 - The Last of the Secret Agents
Assignment Fifteen - The Assasination
Baasha at the Opera 'Mary had a Frankenstein'
Sena was satisfied with his shopping. He had every aristocratic item to permit himself an entry at the House of Opéra. Only one problem - Sena had a detestation towards opera. Just like the humorist had put, Sena was convinced that an opera is when a guy gets stabbed in the back and, instead of bleeding, he sings.
"Welcome, Master Baasha", said the youngman at the enterance of the Opera House to the a medium height man with goatee and moustache, wearing a red tail coat and silk breeches. The concierge returned the ticket to Sena and gestured gracefully at him to enter. The pillars of the long corridor were coated in gold and decorative paintings hung on the walls and ceiling. The pathway was surrounded by huge chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. The long hall stepped out onto the landing of a grand staircase which divided into two divergent flights of stairs that lead to the auditorium. The stage was huge and the seats were arranged in a horseshoe shape to hold around two thousand spectateurs.
On the stage an aritste was shouting as though someone was amputating her throat, "Mary had a Frankenstein, Frankenstein, Frankenstein."
She went on a repeat mode, "Mary had a Frankenstein ...", when another artist, the composer of the opera, interrupted her, "...Frank Is Stain".
They both joined together and went around the acting area singing the same lines. The orchestra were playing clasical music on violin, cello and double bass.
Sena understood nothing.
The Leader of the Opera abruptly stopped at the center and envelopping the lady, he sang in a high pitch,
"Why Mary you had a, You had a, You had a!
Why mary you had a Frank Is Stain!"
Sena yawned.
An aged lady beside Sena tried to motivate him. She whispered inbetween her fingers, "Mary, as in Mother, which the Opera Brother brilliantly refers to our Mother Land".
Sena said, "Yes, Yes".
"Frankenstein, the monster", she took a much lower tone, "is the King", she giggled softly.
Sena nodded, "Yes, Yes".
"The Opera Brothers are revolutionists who think in spreading good ideas and interesting thoughts, would awaken people. Opus is their non-violent approach to bring a change in the soceity and liberate the nation from the clutches of the monster disguised as the King". She continued after taking a breathe, "The best part is at the end when he assassinates the King, played by his younger brother, and stands twinkling before the people".
"Yes, Yes"
During the act change, she briefed Sena with the resumé of the Opera Brothers - their musical family background; the father was an orchestra conductor and their mother an opera singer herself. The parents did engage in revolutionary activities using the art as the force to launch their ideas. They had passed the talent and the spirit to their sibllings, famously known as Oprea Brothers. The blood brothers performed on streets and at times project the state of the soceity to the counts, masters and kingsmen in a grand hall. She contiuned to tell him their personel life too, their love marriage with choosen beauties, when the Act started which revealed Sena from the history lesson. Sena sighed and watched the show.
The spectacle closed in towards the end - final ACT, the climax. The assassination scene was on stage. When the assassin stabbed the King's heart on stage, the performence was pragmatic. The blood, gore and pain looked genuine. The elder brother held to the knife still sticking inside his own brother's heart, where the former took the role of the 'People's Voice' and the latter represented the King in the stage play. The spectators broke into applause overwhelmed by the rendition, espicially the bleeding knife effect was brilliant under the cue light.
The elder brother removed the stage knife and turned to face the audience with a smile. The show was over. The evening was a success. Sena smiled back too.
The previous morning, Sena had entered the opera hall with other carpenters. Dressed in rags, he volunteered to verify above the stage to check the fly system (ropes, counterweights, pulleys used to quickly move set pieces and light), the flat (a lightweight timber frame covered with scenic canvas which acts as the backdrop to a stage set) and other accessories like the lock & fly rails, sill iron, sand bags, etc. He was readily sent, as the task was considered too dangerous. Settling on top of the stage, Sena watched the rehersal. He waited for the right moment. The elder brother walked to the back-stage and Sena followed him by hopping across the wooden rail. The opera composer picked up the fake stage-knife from the desk. He verified it's spring action by pressing it twice in his palm. Then he walked back to the upstage where his brother was standing. He pushed the knife on his chest. The brother held to it and red liquid poured out. Satisfied the brothers left the stage walking shoulder to shoulder by making steps in unison.
The previous evening, Sena went for shopping. He bought an identic stage knife and at his safehouse he modified the spring action to lock itself after been pressed twice. A while before the start of the show, he re-entered the Opera House posing as a Delivery Merchant to bring in the garment laces for the artists clothes. When he was inside the make-up room, he replaced the stage-knife with the one skillfully modified by him. He then slipped a paper note inside the coat pocket of the elder brother which was lying on the chair. Sena left the opera house and returned as Master Baasha to watch the spectacle.
During the act change, the elder brother took the knife, verified it by clocking it twice on his palm and inserted it in his hip belt. He stuck the knife with force which pierced the flesh and punctured the heart of his brother.
Someone from the crowd screamed "Murderer". The elder brother was shocked to see blood instead of red ink in his hands. He turned to look at his kin and immedately fell to his knees dropping the stage-knife to the floor.
"Why would I kill my blood brother ?", he questioned the questioning security chief. He was arrested and interogated in the closed make-up room, while the gaurds were trying to control the crowd and find a away to take the artist to prison.
The chief of security showed the arrested artist the slip of paper removed from his own coat. It was a hand written romantic note from his deceased brother to his wife describing her and at the end proposing to elope. The elder brother was shocked and pleaded of seeing such a correspondence for the first time. He knew he was framed, but his current situation permited him to follow the gaurds out of the Opera House in silence. Sena marched along side with the Kingdom's arrest unit down the exterior stairs with the elder brother in the middle. When they reached the pavement, Sena turned right and started walking away from the noisy crowd.
Sena had an easy opportunity to assassinate Opera Brothers while they were rehearsing, but his annonymous employor was specific to get the elder brother arrested; maybe to interrogate him and get the names and places of other revolutionists, commonly addressed as terrorist by the Kingdom. A celebrated showbiz personality like the opera writer cannot be taken into custody without a huge revolt from the public, unless he commits a crime before his own followers.
It was Master Baasha's first and last opera concert.
... to be continued ...
-
Chaturmukha - Part 2 - Trimurti Katha
Chapter 5 - Seeds of Kochadaiiyaan
Sena
Episode 3 - The Last of the Secret Agents
Last Assignment - Terror Heist
Beauty is a form of Genius, is higher, indeed, than Genius, as it needs no explanation. It has divine right of sovereignty. It makes princes of those who have it. - The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde.
The plan was simple - create diversion, take loot, disappear.
Trimestrial, the tax money - collected by various lords from peasants for the King and the King's own tribute based on the levy enlisted by the Emperor from the Central Kingdom according to the various revenue gained by respective rulers - reached the port of the Central Kingdom. Not everyone paid, but most of them did and the surplous amount were removed from the Royal Navy Money Ship and loaded into three large eight horse driven wagons escorted by armed special forces. During the unloading, the combat ships stood watch and the perimeter around the transfer area was completely locked down.
Two sharp eyes above an handle bar mustache was watching the second coach into which the riches were being loaded. The cart had come to a stop exactly at the place where Sena had made a mark on the ground. Years before, after the extension of the dock, the labourers abadoned the underground storage room, used to keep their tools and materials. Presently, the money cart was standing outside the deserted tool room. There were two enterances to the godown, one from the port side which was sealed, and the other still accessible from the water front. Sena, with Kali, had visited the unknown warehouse few hours before.
The plan was to make two sound explosions inbetween short interval. The first was a diversion to force few gaurds to abandon their post and perform a check. When the second bomb detonated, it would trigger an explosive bomb placed over the ceiling of the tool room, which was also the floor of the port where armed security gaurds stood gaurding beside the wagons. The gaurds would drop into the crater created by the explosion, which would premit the treasure carrier to be surrounded with minimum security. Sena verified the smoke shells hanging around his Pachonthi belt. He would use it when he is nearer to the target inorder to blind the combat ship. Entering into the wagon, Sena ployed to take the route towards the jungle where he anticipated to disappear with the loot.
The contract was to deposit the stolen money in an undisclosed area inside the forest. During few missions, Sena worked with his close associate, Kali, who was an expert in explosive devices. Together they placed the bombs around the ceiling of the tool room and rigged it with the second sound bomb. Kali would tigger the sound bombs and leave the area, while Sena will be nearer to accuire the target.
The port, busy with workers and merchants, was unusually crowded, filled with citizens and people from The House. The Leader of The House was paying a visit to persuade the fellowmen of the Central kingdom to enroll themselves with The House, a street ceremony approved by the Emperor himself. The House was a religious oraganisation established in and around Central Kingdom about three decades back. Across the years, their social works had gained them enough popularity amoung the people. Many have gathered around the harbour to witness and greet the noble leader.
The density around the port did not destabilize Sena, he was only looking at his target. The first independent bomb was placed inside a basket filled with garments, while the second was around the floristry that was closest to tool room rigged to the explosive bomb. Half of the Kingdom's money had been loaded, while at the other side a charioteer driving a white horse slowly approached with a man standing over the chariot. The Leader was greeting the crowd with his hand gestures. As the special wagon was moving slowly, many followers took his hands and kissed them gently. When the spiritual leader approached midway, the unloading completed and the first bomb was detonated.
The sound was devastating and pieces of clothes flew in the air. People panicked. The Leader of the house feel onto his chariot, his followers tried to secure him when the garuds came rushing to examine the affected area. A man from the crowd abused the soldiers for the lack of security which angered the gaurds. A tiny brawl began around the port area between the people of The House and the Kingdom's security, when a second bomb went off, followed by another one.
Forthwith the thrid bomb, a circluar portion of the ground around the King's Money wagon gave away and sucked everything along with it. The crew around the harbour were shocked that they ran in any direction to seek shelter from explosions. The remaining gaurds panicked, and the combat ships turned more vigilant. Eventhough it was a sound bomb, it spread fire as the explosion had toppled the flame from a lamp over the debris. Two consecutive loud noises scared the horses that the first wagon took off fiercely dragged by eight maddened horses. They created a rampage on their way and were quickly approaching the market where the flying flower petals were yet to settle down.
Sena did not mind his plan to have worked out perfectly. Instead, he was was running towards the floristry. Admist the smoke and chaos, Sena saw Suganthi, the sight of her provoked an alien inside him, that for the first time in several years, Sena experienced a dilemmatic thought, "Sillirkavo, Annaikavo".
... to be continued ...
*** Footnote ***
"Sillirkavo, Annaikavo" [(Stand astonished by her beauty (or) take her in his arms) (thought vs action)] is inspired from Epic Mahabaratha, the wonderful depiction in just 2 words which held mammoth expressions => "Yedukavo, Korkavo".
The filmed version of the same scene is present in Karnan (1964) tamil movie => "Sethariya Muthukalai Naan Yedukatuma, Eduthu Avaaigalai Korkatuma".
Karnan (King Duryodhan's Friend) and Duryodhana's wife Bhanumathi were playing a board game in which Bhanumathi was loosing. She was positioned facing the door, whereas Karnan had his back to the enterance. When the King entered, Bhanumathi stood up to show her respects, but Karnan thought that she was trying to leave as he was winning. He stopped her, a gentle gesture to make her take her place, when accidently he shattered her pearl lace. Duryodhana smiles at the guilty faces of his friend & wife and says : "Should I pick-up the fallen pearls, Should I attach the pearls together".
Similarly, when Sena saw the green-eyed beauty Suganthi, he was speechless, but his mind was chattering non stop with his heart.
-
Chaturmukha - Part 2 - Trimurti Katha
Chapter 5 - Seeds of Kochadaiiyaan
Sena
Episode 4 - Survival of Sena
Unexpected Resignation
The wealthy cloth merchant sat starring at the enveloppe before him, which had small fucier lizard symbol at the corner. That night, he ordered his workers to leave early and once the shop was empty, he left his office carrying a lantern in his hand. He managed to get to the back of the building and climbed up the stairs leading to the roof. He placed the enveloppe on top of the roof under the lamp. He sliped down the way he had come up. Next morning, he was suprised to see the cover untouched, only fire of the kerosene lamp had died.
Three days later, the fire arms trader was closing his shop. He locked the door and with a chalk marked a cross on the door. He then slid an enveloppe with the colorful lizard symbol under the carpet. The next day he was surprised to see his chalk mark on the door. Usually 'a someone' should have erased the sign on the door. He was confused seeing the paper cover lying under the door mat.
That week, the oil vendor was unloading the barrels from the ship. He paid his workers and when everyone left, he rearranged the barrels to form a triangle. At the center he placed an empty barrel and dropped an enveloppe inside. When he returned in the morning, nothing seemed to have changed.
Mentor Mannickam did not know how to react to the 3 undelivered contrats in front of him. When anyone seeks the serviee of Pachonthi, they become a life time memeber. The clients are used as the letter-box to exchange information with the agents on the fields. They place the mission orders in a discret manner and an agent would retrieve it, Sena was always in time. Three unexpected rejection of missions. The Guild practised severe methods of punishments if the assignments were not carried out. Mannickam assured that the 3 missions were taken care by other agents. He stromed out of his hut followed by two of his associates.
Sena was lying on Sunganthi's lap. She tried to move him away by pushing his shoulders but he refused to open his eyes. All that he had been saying for the past few hours was "Five more minutes.".
Finally Suganthi got the courage to really push him away. Sena exagarated the push by rolling several times on the ground. Suganthi got up and sprinted away from the Rolling Romeo. Sena came to an halt face down.
"You know why we had taken you out of the solitaire dungeon, Baasha ?" Sena was suprised to hear that voice. Without panicking he stood up, cleared the dry leaves from his clothes and without raising his head kneeled on one knee, and maintained his stance without moving.
"Because", continued Mentor Manickam, "You are the fittest and could have even gone for few more months. Before you there were only two others who had made it alive from that hell hole. I was proud of you. Now, you disappoint me by making me come looking for you. I hope you have an excuse ?"
"Mentor", spoke Sena without raising his head, "I quit".
"Quit. Just like that. Well, but that's not an excuse. You know better that exit is not an option at Pachondhi." He turned and lookd at the direction behind him. "Excuse my curiosity, Baasha, your decision is related to that green-eyed beauty, she does not seem our kind, or is she ? Anyway, I always mentioned to everyone that you had a very good eye !"
"Mentor, please. I have given my life for the Brotherhood, but I can't sacrifice my love for the Guild".
"Understood. Your turn to understand the consequence too", said Mentor with a smile.
Sena took time and then spoke inbetween crushing his teeth, "Touch her, I will crush the Guild".
There was silence. Sena lifted his head. No one was before him, but just the empty path Sugnathi had taken. Sena walked slowly on the same path.
The General stood before the Emperor Dashakantha and informed him about an agent gone rogue.
"Leave him alone", growled Vettaiyan.
... to be continued ...
-
Chaturmukha - Part 2 - Trimurti Katha
Chapter 5 - Seeds of Kochadaiiyaan
Sena
Episode 4 - Survival of Sena
Suganthi Sena
Suganthi was a nameless child found by the sailors on an abandoned trade ship transporting incense. Possible theory was that the merchant ship was attacked by the pirates mistaking it for a money convoy. Finding only fagrance sticks inside, the insane pirates killed everyone on board and set fire to the ship. The kid was placed inside a box well hidden from the massacre. The sailors found the deserted ship and rescued the only crew member alive. She being a fare skinned, they handed her over to The House, a God fearing assosiation who took to the welfare of the people. The sailors named the beauty, with light green eyes and dark hair who scented thousands roses from the burnt instense sticks, as Suganthi. As she grew up in the shelter of The House, her eyes were turning into sparkling green. Being patient and courteous by nature, she found a significant sense of service towards humanity. She became a nurse.
The day of the explosion, she was collecting flowers for their Leader who was circling the harbour greeting the citizens who had came to take his blessings. The first explosion shocked her, she immediately hid behind a basket loaded with red roses. And then the second explosion happened somewhere nearer to her. She felt her ears wet and something dripping out from inside. Soon her white rode was strained with tiny red splashes. Suddenly, fire started to spread around her. The smoke brought in a numbness, her head spinned and when she was about to fall, she felt being pulled by a soft force. She sensed floating in mid air and when her face came out of the smoke, she was looking at a visage with a handle bar mustache. Memories came gushing without her permission that she saw herself inside a burning ship, surrounded by exploding barrels and someone had lifted her out. Suganthi went blackout.
When the first bomb exploded, Sena saw the back of a girl covered in white clothes who was hand picking red roses. She slipped to take shelter exactly beside the second bomb. Before Sena could react, the second explosion was triggered by Kali. Sena noticed her weakness while she rose to her feet and when she slowly turned, Sena got immersed in her beauty.
Blood oozed out of her left ear. The area around her was engulfed by fire, at the same time the third explosion had occured around the treasure wagon, which panicked the horses.
It seemed as though the time had stopped around Sena, and he was in charge of commanding any motion, just like how he felt at the town center the day after his Father's execution. Nothing moved, except the wagon pulled by eight horses. There was quietness, except for the gaits. The flowers and petals stuck in the air around the green-eyed beauty towards whom the horses were charging. The people stood frozen as glass idols and shattered into pieces when the horses ran over them. Sena raced with the horses, his only aim was to reach the beauty before the beasts. The runners reached the target at the same time, when Sena threw his hand and pulled the beauty towards him.
The surrounding returned back to normal when Sena held Suganthi in his arms. The rose petals mixed with sparks fell over them. Suganthi smiled at Sena before covering her emeralds with her eye-lids.
Sena met Sugnathi several times - around the market place, at the town center, on the harbour deck, in the garden of The House. She was surprised at how Sena found her each time. For her, it was like he was there, anywhere and everywhere. Sena smiled.
A week later, Suganthi and the town recovered from the blasts. She liked to walk with Sena around the streets, Sena encouraged more being on the unlit lanes.
Two weeks later, Suganthi introduced Sena to her family, friends and members of The House. She did not persuade him when he refused to enter the House of God, she just indicated, "You will one day, everyone will". Sena stood smiling.
The third week, Sena asked Suganthi why she had not enquired about him - who he was, where he was from, about his friends and family - those normal questions of curiosity. She took a step forward and replied, "You are before me, who else should I know about". Sena gazed at her eyes. He gently caught her wrist covered by her tender skin. She did not show any sign of disagreement. Sena kissed Suganthi.
A month later Mentor Manickkam visited Sena, their brief exchange disturbed him a lot, Sena sensed fear. At times his hands trembled. He felt being watched, even a slightest movement of the leaves on the tree panicked him. During the nights he heard foot-steps. "Time to move", he thought. He got up and went into the dark to find a place to live his love.
Sena proposed to Suganthi to live as husband and wife, to which she replied with tears of joy. Sunganthi and Sena moved to a mountain further inside the jungle. A small tribal group dwelling on their ancestral lands generously received the couple. Sena worked with the men and was vigilant round the clock, while Suganthi was half nurse, half peasant.
Slowly Sena started feeling secure. Eight months later, Suganthi gave brith to a girl. Sena entered the hut, Suganthi with a mild smile pointed with her eyes at the newborn lying next to her. Sena shivered when he saw the miniature Suganthi. He bent and lifted his daughter in his arms. He saw couple of infants before him, and his vision returned to normal when a tear drop fell down from his eye. His daughter was pretty, gifted with the same green eyes. She cried, a noise so devine in Sena's ears. She pedaled her legs, each kick on his chest brusted the bubbles of emotion. She started screaming on top of her tiny voice reddening herself - her face, her plams and her under-feet. Sena admired the dancing red doll in his hands. He brought his face close to her and kissed her apple cheeks. Reaching beside her small ears, he wishpered "Lalli".
... to be continued ...
-
Chaturmukha - Part 2 - Trimurti Katha
Chapter 5 - Seeds of Kochadaiiyaan
Sena
Episode 4 - Survival of Sena
Lullaby for Lalli
So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay. - Robert Frost
Lalli grew pretty every passing season. She posed a lot of questions. An evening, she came running inside the mud house. After a moment of silence, she startled her father, "Why are my eyes green and not just like the others". No explantion like 'you are my priceless valuable' from her father calmed her, she cried the whole night. The next day she ran out to play with her tribal friends as though yesterday was never present.
Holding the hands of her father, she stood waiting for her mother outside the Mountain Temple. "Like father, like daughter", annoyed Suganthi. They both mocked her when it came to matters of God. "If you go to the God House to pray, where will the God go to pray", the childish questions tickled her father, but angered her mother.
Once Sena saw Lalli sitting on the grass and pushing something. He approached his daughter and asked his Red Sponge what she was doing. Under her tiny fingers was a snail. She told her father that she was helping her friend to move faster. She expressed how wonderful it would be, if it had a wing. Sena hugged Lalli. He realised the impact of his dull life weighing over the small girl. She had seen only the mountains, nothing else. But Sena cannot take her anywhere else. He lifted his head and looked up at the blue sky, Lalli comfortably sitted on his laps with her head placed on his chest.
The "Malai Kadu Thiruvizha" happens once in a decade, where several tribal groups come together to celebrate the festival of thanksgiving to Mother Nature. Lalli did not stop asking questions about the festival. Moreover, she was curious to know why they were not packing for the journey, when the whole village was occupied in preparations. That night Suganthi, for the first time, requested Sena to take them to the Malai Kadu Thiruvizha.
"I have not asked you for anything as you have provided me with everything. This is for Lalli", she asked cuddling Sena's hair flowing over her laps. Sena closed his eyes.
Malai Kadu Thiruvizha was splendid. Most of the tribal members had gathered over a flat plain at the foot of a valley. There was food and drink all around, just like the smiling faces. Street shows for kids by clowns and humorists kept children running back and forth, and the adults dressed elegantly shared happy moments with each other. Lalli was excited, she became uncontrollable. She ran away the instant the lock around her wrist was released by her parent. Suganthi ran behind her. Sena smiled.
After a brief absence, Lalli and Suganthi came back to where Sena was chatting with the locals.
"Your daughter, your problem. I am leaving you both", she announced looking at Lalli. Sena did not argue, neither Lalli minded her mother's menace, but she seemed amused and excited with her wrist. Sena squatted before Lalli and kissed her cheek, she did not look back at him. In a cheerful voice, he gently asked Lalli to show him her wrist. Lalli brought her wrist forward, proudly exhibiting her new sticker tattoo to her father.
Sena's eyes widened, his ears were defeaned by the loud noises around him. His head was hammered deep with fear when he saw a furcifer, the colorful lizard symbol of Pachonthi, tattooed on Lalli's wrist. He quickly stood up and shouted frantically grabbing Suganthi by her arms "Where did she get that ?". He repeated himself hysterically. He moved back and behaved like a lunatic by banging the temple of his head with both hands. Before taking flight towards the center of the festival ground, Sena warned Suganthi to stay in that place and to hold Lalli firmly.
The sun was quickly setting. The laughter, the fun and frolic resembled demonic to Sena. The clowns danced around him, their masks no more looking funny. The performers wearing costumes from head to toe like peacock hopped around. The people disguised as horse riders ran in circles. In the gap, Sena searched for any sign of agents. He was unable to concentrate, eight years in hiding had made him weak, he was not able anticipate, when suddenly his head was covered by a dark cloth. He was being pulled, and dragged to a corner. A beat of a second later, a blow from an hard object landed on his head.
Sena opened his eyes and found himself lying on the ground. He pushed away the heavy object that had fallen on him. When he got up, he saw the horror. Sena was completely soaked in blood. The object that he had pushed was a corpse. Everyone who had come to the festival were lying scattered all over the ground, floating on their own blood. Sena advanced in terror calling out for Lalli. He stumbled and fell down just beside a cadaver with wide opened green eyes. He quickly moved back blaberring incomprehensible words. He crawled towards Suganthi and weeped by touching her. He did not have the guts to close her eye lids, but sat their watching her lifeless eyes. Realisation struck him again that he looked for his daughter desperately shouting out her name, when he noticed her tiny little finger protruding from behind her mother. He liberated Suganthi's hand still holding to her daughter and what he found under his wife extinguished the flame of life inside him, that blood leaked out of his nose.
Sena neither moved nor cried, he just kept staring at the dry tears running down his daughter's cheeks. He could feel her pain, the agony was wounding him. He tried to wake her up by pushing her gently. She did no respond. He sat falt on the ground and lifted his daughter to put her on his laps. He sat holding on to his Lalli; he cleaned her face between gentle kisses trying to wipe out her dry tears.
கன்னத்தில் முத்தமிட்டால், உள்ளந்தான் கள்வெறி கொள்ளுதடீ.
உன் கண்ணில் நீர்வழிந்தால், என்நெஞ்சில் உத்திரங் கொட்டுதடி.
[Kanathil Mutham Ittal, Ullamthan Kalvery Kolluthadi.
Un Kannil Neer Vazhinthal, En neenjil uthiram kotudadi.]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUrwH7dBaRI
Sena broke down and wept, screaming wordlessly at the darkness above.
... to be continued ...
-
Chaturmukha - Part 2 - Trimurti Katha
Chapter 5 - Seeds of Kochadaiiyaan
Sena
Episode 5 - The Journey of Truth
The Enigma of the Mind
"Naan Unnai Neenga Maattaen, Neenginaal Thoonga Maattaen" - The Poet King Vaali
Sena woke up completely drenched in sweat. He dreamt himself to be in the company of Suganthi and while admiring her beauty, Lalli came running towards them. She abruptly stopped mid-way, the white frock around her chest started to turn red. She looked at her father with trembling lips and tears in her eye, while the stain was slowly crawling all around her dress. Sena ran towards his daughter and when he reached Lalli, a monstrous flamming face with red snake eyes hanged itself inbetween him and her. Sena opened his eyes. He shivered violently. The nightmares were back.
In peak hours of the night, Sena sat weeping in the dark on the floor of his home, when a cat settled down by the small window. It seemed restless and suddenly panicked and jumped away. Sena reached for Arha, the sword that was handed over to him by his Father, dry blood still stuck to its blade. Sena walked out of the hut and looked sharply into the night. He heard movements, footsteps over dry leaves. Creeping from the ill-lit surrounding, about twenty human figures with hooded mask cricled Sena. An ambush, Sena gripped Arha. A black clothed stranger attacked him first with a long pole. Sena was suprised; not by the strike but the charge which confirmed Sena that they were not Agents. He elegantly blocked the force from the stick with his empty hand, at the same time spun Arha into the air and caught on to its blade when it landed back on his palm. He pushed the pouncer with the handle of his weapon, caring not to wound the amature fighter. Swinging his sword in reverse, Sena chased away the fake ninjas, except one. He pulled his temporary prisoner by his collar and removed the hood covering his face. He was startled to see a tribe teenage lad under the mask.
"You were present at the Malai Kadu Thiruvizha, I ..., I know you", Sena said with assertion, then he let him loose, cleaned his clothes and begged to him, asking what had happened the previous evening. As soon as Sena released him, the youngster escaped into the jungle. Sena chased him, but he was quicker than Sena. Sena yelled.
Nothing made sense to Sena. First, all the corpse before him along with his love and Red Sponge. Next, Arha floating in a blood bath - since the night at the woods saved by a stranger from his kidnappers, Sena had not seen Arha. Now he is standing holding it again, he had no clue how Arha had found him. Moreover, he wondered why the tribals should attack him while he was sure they had come to kill him. There is only one way, he had to find out who had blacked him out during the festival and Sena knew that the key to unlock the path was present inside his mind.
Sena beleived that his unstable mind should have captured an existance even when he was blinded. Sena reached his shelter, sat in a corner and tried to concentrate by closing his eyes in order to shut himself from the present world, but all he could recollect was horror mixed with agony which distrubed his constantly. Unable to focus, Sena stromed out accepting his defeat.
In the unilluminated time, Sena saw a distant illumination, he crossed the darkness to reach the House of God - "You will one day, everyone will", Suganthi's voice echoed in his ears.
Inside the House of God, a pleasant calmness took over him. He was at ease when he closed his eyes, and after a brief moment he heard the whisper of the candle flame. His mind transported him to the events that occured to him at the festival :
Sena saw himself searching for agents admist dancing clowns, peacocks and horse riders. Two hands launched a dark pouch over his head. His back struck on a rigid plate - the fake horse body dress. The one who had blinded Sena was disguised as a horse rider. Sena felt coldness around a small area of his neck, the person was wearing a bangle, copper maybe.
One hand - the left one - pushed him from the front. The push was hard but something soft envelopped the pusher's hand - the peacock disguise.
Sena heard foot steps, - two people were marching - the ones who had pulled him along. A third stepping joined, which should belong to an aged person; Sena heard shells clanging - a lady. She was preparing something as her movement back and forth seemed tensed. Through the tiny holes of the cloth covering his face, Sena saw a fragile hand holding a small bottle. An eye was floating inside the flacon. It blinked, the same time Sena's head was hit by something hard.
Blackout. A while after, Sena felt hot, too heated up than the scorching sun.
Sena confrimed the presence of three people - two men and a wicked female, who had involved themselves to capture him at the Malai Kadu Thiruvizha. He doubted the woman to be a part of the Guild, but the grip of the other two strangers was certainly a trained one from Pachonthi. Sena stood staring at the emptiness before him. He steadily walked out of the House of God.
The shepherd boy sat on the rock surrounded by his sheeps who were feeding on the pastures. He raised his head to check for the person who was launching stones at him. Another pebble landed right on the back of his head. Angered, he swung around, his gaze rested on nothing particular. When he truned again, a bearded stranger in light red clothes was standing before him.
"You were not that hard to find, Kid", Sena tried to be friendly. He put his left leg on the rock and placing his hand over his knees, Sena bent close to be face to face with the scared shepherd boy and said in a menancing voice, "I am listening".
The only survivor from the festival massacre narrated the horrors he had witnessed to Sena :
The celebrations went on peacefully until the evening. He had met Sena along with his father whom the Flamming Monster had later slayed mercilessly before his own eyes. Under the setting sun, when the torch were lit, many woman and children gathered to prepare for the 'agal vilakku' (mud lamp) decoration, when the beast showed it's ugly face. Many tired to escape but were chased and crushed by the devil with red serpent eyes. He had managed to roll over staying motionless under the piles of dead bodies. After hours of painful cries and screams, silence restored itself in the valley and he had ran back to his village.
"Monsters don't exist Kid. It is us who make demons out of ourselves", Sena assured to the blinking youngster.
"Did you witness the fate of my wife and child", questioned Sena, to which the teenager shock his head no.
After a deep breathe Sena asked him whether he recognised the Flaming Monster, and the shepherd boy nodded his head yes with tears spilling from his eyes and running down his cheeks. Sena waited a beat and then asked him where he could find the barbarian who had savaged the innocent people.
The sheperd boy hesitantly raised his hand and pointed his finger directly at Sena.
... to be continued ...
-
Chaturmukha - Part 2 - Trimurti Katha
Chapter 5 - Seeds of Kochadaiiyaan
Sena
Episode 5 - The Journey of Truth
Burning Dreams
Sena sat flat before the two headstones place over the ground grave of his wife and daughter. On the head stone of Suganthi was carved :
பார்க்கு மரங்கலெல்லாம், நின்றன் பச்சைநிறந் தோன்றுதையே [parkku marangalellam, ninran pachai niram thonrudaiye]
All my sins melt like the mist when you shine
Over the marker of Lalli, Sena sculpted :
மார்பில் அணிவதற்கே, உன்னைப்போல் வைர மணிக ளுண்டோ [Marbil anivadharke, unnnaipol vaira manikal undo]
Will join you when everything is right, That I promise, to be with you before you turn off the light
He did not punctuate his sorrow with a dot in the texts of the inscription tombstones.
Sena had not yet come in terms with reality, a wall of guilt surrounded him, and he knew that only avenge can shater the iniquity. He returned back to the valley where the carnival turned into a carnage. There were few stiff bodies still lying over the ground - either a whole family tree had been uprooted that no one was left to pay them their last respects or their relatives were scared to walk into the soil feed with blood.
Sena looked around him. There were a hand full of curved creatures crawling over the corpses, one looked directly at him with its scarry face and big eyebrowless eyes - there was no sign of hair on it and it barely had anything to cover its body. Few more rambling deformed bodilies joined the staring quadruped and they all slowly moved forward towards Sena, their creepy sneak defined frightening. Sena gripped Arha which was attached to his Pachonthibelt, but released it's hold when he noticed that the advancing group were not critters but humans. They assembled four-footed around Sena, he could clearly see the gore lavishly exercised on them. One of them spoke in monoword manner between heavy breathing :
"Food." (she made a food hand gesture) ; (pointing at the food court, she uttered) "No Food" ; (placing her finger behind to show the mountain, she said) "People." ; (she bit her half teeth, air gushed out in her voice and she talked effusively) "Wicked Woman".
No tears ran from her eyes, eventhough she looked genuinely sad. Sena was disheartened. What more horrors were these jungles hiding ? Sena thought. The group moved further away from Sena and disappered into the thick forest.
Sena started to unearth the truth behind the massacre from the place from where it all had began. He stood at the center from where he had been pulled away by firm hands. He retraced the path which led him into a small hut, where he took note of the corner he had been knocked-out. He identified small foot prints on the ground, following which he was standing before a broken bark of a tree used as a bench. Under it, lying on tha ground Sena found a Bleeding Tooth seashell. Pocketing it, Sena examined the heavy footprint that started from the nook leading him straight outside into the area of slaughter.
When he was out the hut, the strong foot mark spread everywhere on the ground before him, which angered Sena knowing that it was his own footsteps.
Sena wandered the ground aimlessly, just like how the cursed crawlers were roaming a while back. Sena searched everything but did not find any other clue from the crime area. Sitting flat on the ground surrounded by cadavre, Sena contemplated Flaming Monster, as described by the shepherd kid.
"If he was the killer, how can he be ablaze and still alive", Sena got up at once and hurried towards the food court.
To his suprise surplus foodstuffs and refreshments were lying on the table, but the deformed beings informed him that there was no food. Looking at the state of the items it struck to Sena, "No Food" meaning non consumable. None of the eatables, fruits & meat, had signs of deterioration nor they were flies and inscects feeding on them. But most of the food items had a trace of white sediments over their surface.
Sena wished his primary analysis untrue. He took a hand full of water and smelled from it, that confirmed the contamination of psilocybin mushroom. The presence of psychedelic substance in the ailments provoked the white powdery coating over them. The psychoactive drug can be easily extracted from the shromps that grew deeper in the jungle, that had acted as an agent to provoke hallucination amoung all those who had consumed even a bit of the food or water in the festival, they all saw Sena ablaze as the Flaming Monster.
The dosage was a mix with some other psycho enhancing product to create a collective hallucination as every victim should have seen the same scary image. Morevover, Sena was sure of not being affected by the shroom effect. He should have been under the influence of another highly vunerable and violent drug which gave him strength and came with a side effect by damaging his memory cells.
"Who could produce such a hallucinogen capable of producing such an effect, being both stimulant as well as excitant", Sena pondered and when the revelation occured, Sena's eyes opened wide as he recollected the words of the cursed crawlers "Wicked Women" - The Witches.
... to be continued ...
-
Chaturmukha - Part 2 - Trimurti Katha
Chapter 5 - Seeds of Kochadaiiyaan
Sena
Episode 5 - The Journey of Truth
Did you Know ? - Knowing will not solve griefs.
Agent One was in a hurry that he fumbled while packing his affairs from the safe house. The Guild was no more operational and the abandoned agents were on the run. A tiny noise from below scared the nervous Agent One. Taking a torch light he stepped down the tree house using the rope ladder. Digging out from his pocket, he took four sharp long nails and inserted them in the gaps between the fingers of his fist, the pointers facing outwards. He moved forward cautiously around the bushes. Out of the dark a face came to light. He instantly recognised the visage of Legendary Baasha.
"Did you Know ?" Baasha questioned, calmly.
"The Guild is no more Baa ...", before Agent One could finish his sentence, a sharp blade sliced his stomach. He fell on his knees holding his blood flooding abdomen and a while later, fell facedown to the ground.
Earlier, Sena had rode to the Panchonthi camp on Nameless. Half way through the line of dense trees which were standing as gaurds for the Guild's camp, Sena felt blazing heat hitting his face. Sena settled on the hill top watching the University for Assassin aflame. As envisioned by himself, the Panchothi had abandoned their post. Sena camped for the next two days watching the Guild burning itself into ashes. On the third day, he walked around the Panchonthi base holding Nameless. The encampment was finely and thoroughly cleared, but Sena was glad about one thing, it was not an explosion that created the fire.
Agent Four was trying hard to blend in with the crowd, the thought that he did not know anything else than killing, frightened him, when a tranquil voice spoke to him from behind, "Did you know?"
"Know what ... ?", he agitated. A sharp object tore his skin and pierced his flesh, drilling itself further into his spinal cord. A painful death.
Sena hunted down and murdered every single Agent who were trying to take asylum in any of the five Kingdoms. He interrogated each one to find out if anyone knew anything about the involvement of the Guild in the Malai Kadu Thiruvizha killings. Few gave him names, others locations of other Agents and some spoke about a secret mission handled directly by the teachers and specialists.
Kali was arranging the explosives and other related accessories inside his workbox on a bench at his secret cabin in the woods. From the corner of his eye, he noticed an uninvited visitor standing behind him. He turned, got to his knees, took and kissed the hands of Baasha. Sena left unspoken.
Agent 32, with pen name Winged Viper, was the last few specialists left. He was the master mind behind several Pachonthi operations. A former student of the Guild, he was a close assosiate to the Emperror himself. After completing several contracts for Pachonthi, Winged Viper was now a spy disguised in aristocratic attire bringing contracts for the Guild, thus he held several secrets as he interacted directly with the contractors. Sena had worked with Winged Viper during couple of assassination missions, particularly when a contract was pulled on the Cheif of Security by his own subordinate ; Winged Viper had arranged for all the keys to unlock the Cheif's mansion so that Sena could sneak in & out without leaving a trace of force entry which made the murder look like a suicide.
Winged Viper was dining with his wife and three years old son. The menu was delicious. After dinner, he thanked his wife for the meal and requested her to accompany their son to bed. The child kissed his father good night.
Once his wife and child left the room, Winged Viper addressed at no one in particular, "You can come out now".
Sena walked from the darkly lit portion of the room and sat before Winged Viper.
"Thank you for waiting, Baasha", Winged Viper said without remorse. Sena maintained quietude.
"So that's it then. Can I know if there is any way present to continue breathing ?" Silence was the best reply Winged Viper got from Sena. A brief moment later, he started to talk, "There were many files. Each dossier was confidential and known only by the Agent appointed for the mission. But the heading was same on all these files - Code Name : Baasha."
Winged Viper was courteous with Sena, he offered him a drink. Silence. He continued, "The Guild was monitoring you from the day you had quit. Several agents were involved in surveillance activities. I was consulted initially over the monitoring, but five years back, Cipher took over an important operation led directly by the Mentor himself. From then on, the flow of informations about the operation stopped and the Guild became tight-lipped about the entrie clean-up procedure."
Silence.
"So, my story ends here", Winged Viper told softly between his shivering lips, a reaction to his watery eyes.
The wife of Agent 32 left out a heavy scream when she found her husband lying face down on the table over his own blood. Winged Viper's eyes were closed.
... to be continued ...
-
1 Attachment(s)
Chaturmukha - Part 2 - Trimurti Katha
Chapter 5 - Seeds of Kochadaiiyaan
Sena
Episode 5 - The Journey of Truth
Rounding up Cipher
Sena crossed on the rooftops against the setting sun. He settled on top of building giving him the view of the embankment main deck area of harbour. Several passengers were permitting themselves inside a huge passenger vessel while workers were occupied in loading and unloading shipments. At a distance Sena surveilled a timidly walking short man. The target had stopped at couple of junctions, all the while Sena had been following him from the aerial point. After short discussion with few of the locals, the stranger cautiously walked towards the embarkment and took a place behind a long line of travellers. He constantly looked around him and when he turned to his back, Sena stood up over the hip roof of his surveillance point. Seeing the form standing with the hands in the hip and staring directly at his way, the scared passenger pushed the few around him and started to race through the crowed harbour's platform.
Sena chased Cipher. He elegantly ran across the roof and using the poles and pile of stocks, he descended to the ground and continued his pursuit. Cipher pushed a crate on the path behind him and Sena hurdled over it without taking his eyes of the target. From a crowded corner, several men joined behind Cipher. Sena knew it was a trap, Cipher had hired mercenaries to keep himself safe from him. Sena followed the group dodging the items thrown at him by the running men. They all entered the shipyard. Further down the wodden floor planks lined with boats, yatches and wrecked ships, was the large wooden ship construction warehouse. The group with Cipher entered into a huge wooden ship building workshop where immense floating vessels of war, like schooner, frigates and brigs, were designed and manufactured. Sena came after the men and stood in the middle of the grand hall surrounded by Cipher's minions. A half built keelson on schooner ship was occupying the other part of the hall, further to which was an open deck to float away the finished vessels.
http://www.mayyam.com/talk/attachmen...8&d=1458747014
(Photo From Penobscot Marine Museum : 1917 schooner ship building at Penobscot Bay. It took 12 years to complete this ship and it was set sail in 1930)
Sena anticipated every strike of the goons by landing his fist firmly on their neck. The fallen fighters crawled back and slowly got up, preparing themselves for round two. Few managed to take the tools left behind by the ship builders, others settled with borken logs in their hands while the rest were making boxing bounce step around Sena. A man with the hammer in his hand charged at Sena. Sena used the quickness of his attacker by holding his charging hand and spinning him in the air, slowly guiding him to hit the floor ; hitting the ground, the man became motionless.
Two fighters attacked at the same time, and Sena used their own weapons, a sharp chisel and a gimet respectively, to discharge them from the brawl - the chisel into the shoulder by bending the arm and puncturing the right eye with the gimet. The violence provoked fear amoung the rest. Cipher climbed upon the battens - the long strip of wood in the ship's hull, and settled himself on the metacenter - the point of intersection between two vertical lines. He carefully crossed the ship's body to reach the other side and try to escape through the open deck.
Using the riggings (wire ropes), Sena quickly got over the hatch beam and entered the main body of the ship. Soon the rest of the mercenaries climbed on to the vessel. Going under the beam stanchion, Sena ran over the wooden ribs and caught Cipher. With one efficient pull he hung the short man by his collar to the oarlock and then turned to face his aggressive pursuers. Sena picked up a long pole which was hanging on the stringer (a fore and aft member used to give the ship a longitudinal strength). With the long pole, Sena efficiently slapped any fighter approaching to rescue Cipher ; some lost their teeth, lip of a few were tore apart and the rest fell down from the vessel with a cut mark on their cheek.
Sena fought each one of them inside the half built vessel sending every single fighter down to the ground. He then released Cipher and when they both reached the corner of the workshop, the mercenaries had picked up the wounded and ran way. Sena pulled two chairs and placed them opposite to each other. He sat on one and motioned Cipher to take the other. A bit hesitant, Cipher settled opposite to Sena and sat taking an hunched position by pressing his elbows on his laps to face the floor.
"I got time", Sena spoke, calmly, "but you got none. Choose wisely Cipher, anyway you are dying here".
Cipher had his head hung down when he replied, "The Emperror is involved, you can do nothing Baasha". Sena furrowed, but sat in silence.
"I don't have the answer to all your questions, you know how the Guild fonctions, but I was the one who had spent three years to find the trios of witches who were known as Sisters of Fate." Cipher coughed, blood leaked from his mouth and dripped onto the floor. He lifted his head and looked directly at Sena's eyes. "That was my ticket to become a tutor at Pachonthi", he said with repentance.
"Sasuke and Mora are the gaurdian sisters of the Goddess Witch Dhavoma. There are no records her, but the folkore says Dhavoma had been living for centuries. I did not beleive too, until, I met her, well a peculiar sort of a meeting I would say", Cipher infered.
"It was not easy to find either of the witches, Baasha, until they come looking for you. They practiced various witchy attributes including hosting, sorcery and preparing nectars from poisonous plants. One evening a boy asked me why I was enquiring about Susuke and her sisters. Learning that I had a message for them, he took me into a crooked lane where he took the street to the left. When I made the bend, the boy was absent and replaced by a lady who introduced herself as Susuke. After travelling blind folded with her, we reached a place further behind the Grand Mountains. Susuke took me to Mora, who lived in a tree bark, and then one evening the spinners of fate surrounded me," confessed Cipher.
"I was sleeping and then I was in a place I had never been before, I remember my dream. I carried Dhavoma the message from the Emperror, it was a cryptic letter. Yes, curiosity bent me to open the sealed scroll, but I failed to comprehend what was written", Cipher told to Sena.
After a pause, he asked Sena, "Did you know, the Emperor was a former student of the Guild and apart from you, he was the one amoung the two to have come out alive from the dungeon ?"
Sena maintained silence.
Cipher continued, "Once the message was passed, I re-opened my eyes. I was sure I was dreaming, but the missing scroll confirmed to me the reality. Then, I never heard from them and Master Manicknam was glad about the mission's outcome. A month later the tragedy at the festival happened."
He checked the unblinking person before him and with a fixed regard, Cipher spoke to Sena, "You have all the right not to beleive me,when I say I was just a letter carrier. I really was not aware of anything more. What happened is unforgivable, I stand guilty for the crime I had committed unknowningly, Baasha". Cipher immediately brought his eyes to the ground.
"My final mission was to burn down the Guild's camp and wait for further instruction from the Mentor. A warning was sent to all Agents to keep an watchout for you", concluded Cipher.
Sena stood up and neared Cipher. "Forgive me, Baasha, that I have sinned under the influence of avaritia", regreted Cipher. Sena wanted to talk something but just allowed his blade to pardon Cipher.
... to be continued ...
-
Chaturmukha - Part 2 - Trimurti Katha
Chapter 5 - Seeds of Kochadaiiyaan
Sena
Episode 5 - The Journey of Truth
The Wandering Stanger
Many questions lingered in Sena's mind :
Why the Emperor ? Was Emperor 'The Poet', the owner of the empty file found beside his dossier in the Guild's record room ? Who could be the third tutee who had made out of the dungeons ?
How to find the Sisters of Fate ? If Cipher met Susuke in a town, was she united in the soceity ? Mora at the back of the mountains - was that the place pointed by the crawling humans at valley ? Dhavoma, does she exist ?
I come soon, Red SPonge, but where are you ? Don't hide too deep making it difficult for me to join you.
Sena was seated on the floor surrounded by trees. He had placed his left wrist on the handle of Arha which was positioned vertical to the ground, its sharp pointer rigidly stuck to the mud floor. His eyebrows moved to the whispers of the leaves. He blinked at the cool breeze combing his hair while his eyelids were shut. His ears were attentive to the flight of the butterflies. His patterned breathing alligned with the heart's rhythm. His mouth's edges curved to a smile and a soft snore escaped his lips. Sena was at ease - a working mind, all senses active and the body at rest.
'Follow the tracks to follow the prey to find the predator', Sena opened his eyes.
Thus, Sena walked in the woods, crossed the jungles and roamed through thick forests visiting tribal colonies, traveller's dens, hillside villages and towns around the Central Kingdom to gather information about the Emperor and the Witches, inorder to gain knowledge about their involvement in the tragedy of his life. In his journey, Sena witnessed the sad version of a Royal Kingdom, where the cities and metropolitan flourished while the roots of the region suffered. He slowly came face to face with the cruelty of the Emperor - the one feared by all, loved by none.
The Listening Post
Sena entered a silent village. He walked on the narrow lane bordered by tiny houses descending into the town. Few kids were playing on the path and the elders were lethargically carrying out their day's activities. In front of each hut, a wooden post was planted in the ground, and on each pole there was a atleast one human ear hanging loosely to a nail. Few houseflies circled around the dry blood. Sena checked few other pillars, some were pinned with more than one ear. He looked at an aged man sitting outside his house watching the long wooden stem before him. Sena noted that the senior was one-eared. He enquired to him about his missing ear, and he silently pointed his finger at the one nailed to the post.
An young lady came out of the house. She offered water to Sena and with teary eyes informed him, "Our chief, along with few other men, refused to listen to the Emperor. The King's demande was to vacate our ancestral land and move down further deep inside the forest. One day, six masked and armored demons marched into our peaceful village. They planted a post in front of each house. They threatened, chased and caught every leader or a man from each family and nailed their ear to the pole". She stopped and took time to breathe. Sena waited patiently.
She continued, "They ordered us, the women and children, not to approach their punished husband and father. They called the pole "The Listening Post". The victims rested for more than a week without food or water holding to their auditory organ. We sat down around them weeping from dusk to dawn until dusk. Finally we all gave up. The men chopped off their own ear that was nailed to the post. The masked devils came just after our men seperated the ear from their head. They warned us to leave the ear on the pole, as a reminder to always listen to the Emperor of Emperors". She began to sob. The description of the masked squad matched the bodygaurds of the Emperor whom Sena had seen at the town center the day after his Father's execution.
"Why are you people still here", questioned Sena. "It would take more than a ear to make us quit our ancestrial lands", the woman replied courageously wiping the tears flowing down her cheek. "Soldiers visit us regularly and pin one of the male's ear to the pole. Last time they warned that the children's turn would arrive soon when the men had no more ears to lend", sorrow crossed her face when she had finished.
Sena left the silent village in silence.
A cat called Satan
A violent storm of terrifying whrilwinds swept through the terrible lands of the Central Kingdom. Drenched in the rain that was pouring down like a water from the bucket, Sena was glad to find a settlement at the foot of an hill. The townlet looked deserted. Between the lightning strikes, he saw a white-spotted cat standing at the small town squre not minding the rain. The wild cat stared back at Sena. Covering his head with the hands, Sena jogged to seek shelter inside any of the dark households. Strangely, all the windows were completely sealed. The doors were shut without any gap, either above or underneath. Sena marched quickly to the backyard when he heard a cow mooing. The cowshed was entirely locked down with animals inside. Moreover, no sign of cattle food was around the stables. Sena infered the same with the poultry den. A village wholely locked down.
Finally, after few rounds around the tiny town, Sena took sanctuary in the abandoned Place of God at the corner of the plaza. Spider webs spread all over the atrium and thick dusty cobwebs surrounded the Structure at the altar. Dry leaves had sneaked inside and the place was leaking. Sena passed the night at the enterance, watching the cat circling the town center. A while later he closed his eye.
At dawn, the cat was gone. The town looked brisk with villagers walking around and greeting each other, but no one seemed to mind the presence of Sena standing at the Place of God. Sena stopped an hurrying man and asked him about the cat which was roaming around the village at night.
"Satan", replied the villager, calmly, "left behind by the witch doctor. She came to our assitance when our cattle were sick. Soon she had left, we found the cat circling our village. First, the chicken died, then the lambs, followed by an effect of lameness on milk production in dairy cows. The witch doctor returned and things turned to normal. Few days after her visit, the cattles died. Slowly we realised that Satan was bringing sickness and death to our village, but it was too late already. Our little girls started to get the symptoms of asthma and delusional psychosis. By experience, we learnt that any in contact with the cat went unwell. We could not chase the cat away, Satan always came back after dark, but we stopped consulting the Witch doctor. After locking ourselves, the syndrome stopped happening", saying so, the man left to do whatever he was in a hurry to do.
Sena left the prisoned village quietly.
Three Blind Priests - The Fate of Oliwechu
The hooded stranger sat by the campfire. Beside him on both sides were the crippled and at the begining of the circle before him were the 3 priests of the Oliwechu Tribe. Every face, except the stranger's, was not only missing hope but some flesh and even parts. The priests, one by one, spoke the Tales of Terror to the stranger, the words that the jungles can only whisper.
... to be continued ...
-
3 Attachment(s)
Chaturmukha - Part 2 - Trimurti Katha
Chapter 5 - Seeds of Kochadaiiyaan
Sena
Episode 5 - The Journey of Truth
Father's Gifts
"Do you believe in Prophecy, Stranger", asked the Blind Priest.
An instant later, the Dumb Priest said, "If you had nodded your head, we wouldn't know Stranger."
"No", Sena said firmly, realising that he was sitting with three eyeless elders.
"Time to believe, youngman, time has come for you to embrace the truth", annonced the Deaf Priest.
"Few men walked into Oliwhechu about twenty-five years back. They called themselves the Alwars", narrated the Priest. He then stood up. The other two chiefs got to their feet too. Without uttering another word, the three walked out of the hut. Sena quickly followed them.
" 'Oliwechu will loose its light, and when twelve men pass by, a stranger will arrive.' - they prophesied", said the elderly Priest. "To Hope you will handle the Father's Gift.", he conlcuded what the Alwars had instructed them, gesturing with an open palm to direct Sena towards a chest at the corner of another small room they had just entered.
Sena starred at the small trunk before him.
"We became blind, Oliwechu future was estingusighed", repented the Priest. "Twelve men visited us last season. Kids amused that they drank from the same bowl. None of the aged visitors spoke, but while leaving they spoke to no one in particular - 'And in the battle of three, only one will stand'.
"Now you are here, the Stranger had arrived too. Its upto you to open this keyless trunk", saying so the Three Blind Priests left, leaving Sena with the Gift from his Father.
Sena examined the safe box before him. It was rectagular, with carvings on it which seemed like faces attached together. He counted flawlessly 70 faces carved on the box. A body of a snake ran over the faces. He examined carefully the Path of the Serpent, the viper was connecting all the head and finally attaching them to a single Head clipped with a Trident on its hairdo. Sena identified his Father. He followed the snake-line and his fingers reached the centre. He pushed the controlling face with his thumb and the chest clicked open.
There were three objects inside the treasure box. A compass, a small collapsible telescope and a dagger. Sena removed the sharp bladed weapon from the box. It sat cold on his palm, the seventh precious item of his Father that no one spoke about.
Sena examined the dagger carefully before placing it on the ground. He removed the compass and beleived that the needles were stuck. He watched through the monocular which failed to project the images with clarity. And at the bottom of the box, there was a tiny booklet. He flipped the leaf of the thin book, it carried many images inside and in the last page there was a message from his Father that piqued his interest to go through the booklet attentively. The message read :
"All shall pass, with Kilaka inside your Mudra, all must pass"
http://www.mayyam.com/talk/attachmen...5&d=1459250707
(Kilaka, Sanskrit name for a dagger)
Kilaka was a mystical weapon for subduing demons and exorcising their souls from their temporary body inside which it had been hiding to survive. The dagger was beside the infant lying over a Bed of Beli leaves found by the local hunters. It was fierce and sharp that even his Father's personel aide Shama was afraid to even look at it.
Kilaka was divided into 3 Parts - upper was called Head ; middle part named Shank, which was the holder; and attached from the Shank was known as Blade.
It was made with unique elements, each part cheseled out from the materials found in the three worlds. It's basically an alloy of metals emiting special properties and encrusted scared gems and stones.
The Head of Kilaka held three faces called the Makara, representing the three worlds (also three directions : West, Center, East ; left eye, third eye, right eye ; Past, Present, Future). The visages were simulateously crowned by Hayagreva, the Defender of Hope, an areil horse. Symetrically below, three blades cames out simultaneously wrapped around by serpent spirits called Naga from each of Makara's mouth, acting as a passage in and out of the respective world. The Shank was the grip where the Makara and the Blade served as the pommel and gaurd respectively. The physical touch on the Shank transmits belief onto the holder.
Kilaka was a usual dragger that draws blood with its sharp blades, but its mystical power can only be evoked with devine words called Kilamantra. The seraphic expression was the chant of two allegorical words - "Gatam Gataha" - meaning 'Past stays in the Past', where 'Gatam' prohibits the return of the soul into the departed world ; and 'Gataha' forces the reunification of the soul within its respective world.
Kilamantra should be accompanied with a hand gesture called Apana Mudra - the tip of the middle and ring fingers should be joined with the tip of the thumb ; Other fingers should be kept straight. The mudra denotes elimination.
http://www.mayyam.com/talk/attachmen...6&d=1459250716
(Apana Mudra)
The body's life pumping organ, the heart, must be struck with Kilaka by holding the dragger's shank inside the gap created by the middle and ring fingers of Apana Mudra, at the same time Kilamantra should be uttered inorder to liberate the soul assuring that it does not re-enter into the living world again.
http://www.mayyam.com/talk/attachmen...7&d=1459250722
(Holding Kilaka inside Apana Mudra)
When the process is done correctly, Kilamantra arrests the soul and sends it back to its World of Origin. As the passage between the worlds were closed, the soul entry was only possible with Kilaka and it stays in the arrested world for rest of its judgement period.
Sena went through Europa, the lens which sees through time and read about Chakora, the compass that showed the destination. The abilty of all the three mystical items depends on the person who handled them - The Special One. Sena was the Son of the Father.
Hugging to his Father's gift around his belt, Sena mounted on Nameless to find the Sister's of Fate.
Somewhere in an undisclosed place, The Poet wrote to Vettaiyan and the Emperor received the crypted message on the bench in his Palace Garden :
He sees through the hoods,
And roams around the woods.
He comes from far,
And seeks nothing but war.
... to be continued ...
-
Chaturmukha - Part 2 - Trimurti Katha
Chapter 5 - Seeds of Kochadaiiyaan
Sena
Episode 5 - The Journey of Truth
Brain is an Educational Toy
Sena was lying down on the grass under a tree beside a lake. Nameless was feeding on the pastures. He took the heavy dagger and juggled it between his hands. The dagger was cold each time he caught it. He took out the compass and to his suprise it was showing a direction, a destination he was not intended to take as he was heading to the town where Cipher had met Susuke. He pocketed the compass and looked through the telescope, the images were obscure. He turned his head while still peeping through Europa, when he saw two beautiful girls seated on the lawn. He moved the monocular away and looked at the direction with his naked eyes, there was no one before him. When he brought the telescope back, the pretty girls appeared. Sena stood up and walked to the spot and found two coccinellidaes beside each other between the grass.
With a wicked smile, Sena turned to capture Nameless under Europa, he saw a snail. Sena laughed, the fastest animal in all the Kingdoms was a snail. Curiosity made Sena walk towards the pond. He saw his own reflection with his third eye. He noticed a blurred image over the water, a form of his father but only one third was clear. He slowly moved the scope upwards and was startled to see a huge lake monster approaching towards him protruding its tiny sharp teeth. Dropping Europa, Sena fell back onto the ground, trying to crawl backwards as fast as he could. A quacking multi colored duck swam towards him.
Susuke, The Mind Controlling Witch
Sena mounted on Nameless and rode to the direction Chakora was pointing at. They reached a small village with a busy market place. Sena took a bench opposite to a candy shop and watched the happy faces of the kids. He placed the compass on the bench beside him which was spining restlessly. A small boy approached Sena licking his candy bar. Sena eyed the compass which had steadied itself and was pointing at the boy. Sena smiled.
"Are you new to the town, Mister", the innocent boy asked Sena courteously.
"Yes, Susuke", replied Sena.
The boy ran away abandoning his candy bar at the feet of the Mister. Sena lethargically got up, picked up his affairs from the bench and slowly followed the needle of his compass. Few minutes later, he reached a tiny settlement which looked deserted. The people were looking sad and unenthusiastic. Sena waited calmly by the town center. In the peak of the night, Sena saw a thick mist slowly creeping inside the village. The fog moved as a blanket over the villagers who were sleeping outside. They reacted with a severe long-lasting shiver when the haze moved over them. Sena noticed a pungent odor floating like a kite in the air. Sena closed his eyes and voluntarily breathed-in the contaminated vapour.
The little feet made their mark on the ground covered with snow. Each step landed softly than the showering snow flakes. The girl, hopping around in her frock, turned back to see the distance from her chaser. She smiled. The man chasing her finally caught up with her. He kneeled before her and admired her pearl-eye stained with little green sphere.
"Are you ready, my father", she asked him.
Thunder resounded across the skies.
'Not yet, Lalli, not now', replied Sena.
Within a the blink of an eye, an ugly form with no teeth or hair flew past him shouting in rage. It did not understand how Sena had overcome her attack against his mind. Kilaka was getting warmer in Sena's hand, Susuke was nearby. When the dagger was hot, Sena knew that the witch was close behind him. He fixed Kilaka inside the Mudra and stabbed her heart chanting the Kilamantra.
Carrying the head of Susuke, Sena re-entered the deserted village and when her head burnt on the post at the towncenter, the people gained back thier lost hope, re-established by The Hunter of the Wicked.
Mora, The Witch Doctor
Sena sat on top of a tree behind the Grand Mountains. He was watching the white-spotted cat brushing itself on the bark of the tree. He looked through Europa which revealed to Sena a tall and aged lady pealing the tree skin. She was verifying each piece she had torn, either by smelling them or biting them between her gapped tooth. She then pocketed a selected few, the rest she threw them away.
Sena smiled at Satan.
Sena jumped behind Mora. The wild cat was suprised and let out a fierce purr. Sena starred back at the wild cat, his eyes sent shivers down Satan's spine.
Mora lauched a vicious attack on Sena by leaping towards him. Sena dodged her attack. But Mora did not stop on landing, she fleed. Sena chased Mora on the ground and on the run, he gradually mounted onto the tree-tops using the dead trunks and broken branches to elevate him. He continued to pursue Mora by jumping from a branch to another crossing them elegantly while being always above the absconding wild cat. Mora reached the end of the cliff and tried hard to halt. She came to stop after wounding her left back leg. She turned immediately and limped back the way she had come. She had lost her way in the panic.
The Witch Doctor abruptly stopped and looked up when she felt a current of air descending from above. Sena was mid air. He had jumped from the tree-top and was now rocketing towards the trapped cat. He removed Kilaka from his hip belt and placed it inside his Mudra before landing on Mora and tearing her back with the sharp blade allowing itself to enter into her heart. When the dagger pierced her heart, Sena pronounced his action with the Kilamantra.
Satan took to its original form, a witch in her black robe was floating on her own blood before Sena.
The people of several villages experienced the sun to be burning brighter that day. The heat was radical. That evening cool breeze swept the prisoned villages and the dwellers found that their daughters and young girls in the family were no more affected by any sort of illness. Hope filled their lives anew.
... to be continued ...
-
Chaturmukha - Part 2 - Trimurti Katha
Chapter 5 - Seeds of Kochadaiiyaan
Sena
Episode 5 - The Journey of Truth
Dhavoma (Part - 1/2)
The Shadow of Time
Sena sat across the bar watching the pretty barmaid. The young lady seemed cheerful and was smiling through her lilac soft lips. Her hair was shiny black as her glossy skin and it danced over her shoulders. Her eyes were placed between thin throny eye lashes under an archipel of slender hairgrass eyebrows. Her slim body was woven around by a dark robe which exhibited her inner curves from the chest. She spoke in a sweet voice and attentively laughed at the jokes by the men flirting around her.
Sena listened to his drunkard neighbours chatting about the quality of food the barmaid prepares, including the impeccable service she delivered during the after hours. Sena found the beautiful bartender looking his way admist her busy occupation. He did not remove his eyes from her which was fixed as the untouched mug of beverage before him. After a while, she came to his table and enquired about his quality time spent at her Bar Inn. She accidently poured drops of water from the glass she held. Sena just sat looking at her pretty face. She excused herself immediately, cleaned the stain of water spots from the table and offered her assistance by asking if he needed anything else. Sena, without any hesitation, asked about her special service. She smiled at him and left.
Sena walked to the bar where the pretty woman was dishwashing. Neither spoke for a while, but just shared glances and timid smiles. The barmaid shiftly rotated the dinner plates inside the tub of water. Sena kept his eyes on her.
Breaking the silence, she informed Sena, "I know a place nearby. Its my favourite restaurant. I don't know whether I will get another chance if I miss to dine there this evening". Sena agreed without a delay. She excused herself and entered through the door beside the bottle shelf.
Sena admired the attractive lady who walked out of the closet. She was elegantly dressed for the dinner with a shell hairdo. She moved her eyes as though asking 'what !' at Sena. He immediately nodded his head in all directions. The dinner was plesant and the beauty played with the candle between them by passing her tender finger through the flame. Sena sat watching her in and out of the passionate flame's luminosity. The couple were on their way back to her dwelling place. She invited him inside and showed a table with two chairs facing the kitchen burner. The place looked tiny but tidy. There was another single room beside, which Sena presumed was the place he was going to get serviced. Sena took a chair while she walked towards the kitchen platform after lightly kissing Sena on the back of his neck.
The calmness in the atmosphere was disturbed by a roll sound from the wooden table. Without turning back, she checked with the corner of her eye the item that had come to a stop at the center of the board across her invitee. She turned carrying two white mugs in her hand and settled before Sena.
"You look like your Father", she announced looking at the Bleeding Tooth seashell between her and Sena. She offered a mug to Sena, but placed it on the table before him when he did not acknowledge.
"He assured me that the dagger, the danger to my immortaity, will come to my pocession, if I cooperated with him", Dhavoma confessed, taking a sip from her mug. She tapped the table with her finger which provoked concentric circles in Sena's mug filled with warm drink.
Sena removed the warm Kilaka from his hip belt and placed it before him on the table.
"I was hesitant", she continued, "but his offer was tempting". After drinking slowly, she said "I have petted demon, partied with evil. Even had a chat with your Father who was seated on the same chair on which you are now. Your Father had came to warn me. I behaved myself after his visit, your Father kept his word, but the New Evil sabotaged our lives".
"I don't predict the future, but can help altering it. I am more of an account of the past, the Time's Shadow of our World", she said.
Dhavoma took a deep breathe and then continued, "There existed only Two Worlds, one for each purity and celestial laws governed equality and peace. Well, to a certain extent. We were demons to them, as they were to us. But one dream caused the ultimate choas. The Creator, depressed over the never-ending affairs of the Worlds, fantasied a Third World. He went ahead and designed this World that he dreamt of and inserted a germ in it. He announced to the other World that the germ is none other than himself, symbolically refering he owned the New World. The microorganism survived and crawled in the cold and darkness and being the clone of the Creator himself, it started to evolve. Admist his busy shedule, the Creator amazed over the growth of his pet, thus the specie Mankind came to existence. The variation in time between the Worlds is calculated by the distance that seperated them. For the Creator it all happened in minutes, but on the actual World it took several numbered periods to arrive at a conclusion over the Begining". Dhavoma paused and looked at Sena while gently knocking the table with her finger joint. Circles formed over the untouched beverage infront of Sena. Finding no reaction on his face, she illustrated to him the purpose of Mankind.
"A Man realised he had the same power of his Creator. He crossed his proper World and stole the Fire from the Creator's World to install it in his Living World. The act angered the Creator. The Devine Council predicted that the Third World would become a threat if the special specie, the Man, uses the Creator's Light. They deceided to seek the help of the Second world, from where I come from. We accepted to irradicate the Third World, thus entering it taking forms and using our powers to the fullest. But the Man fought hard, the Light inside him gave him devine strength. When the war between the Two Worlds were raging, the Creator got an idea to remove the Light from the Man. He removed the Light from Man and hid it inside the Man itself". Dhavoma placed the empty mug infornt of her, the force formed tiny ripples inside the other mug.
"Thus, Man failed to realise the Lost Light, but felt weak. We easily conquered the Living World by slaying them. Man started to question the existence of Creator. Beleivers searched everywhere for the Light, others formed a cult mocking them, but none looked inside themselves, the place where the Creator resides. The difference that Man started to generate at a faster rate led to killing each other, an aspect that never happened in the other Two Worlds - we never fought with our own kind". Dhavoma stopped and looked at unmoved Sena.
"The Devine Council asked us to retreat. But we did not abide. We are not salves to take orders. Thus, the supremacy over the Living World began, and the Creator himself took charge of chasing us from the place he had sent us in the first place. The birth of your Father sealed all the passages. He lived as the curse of the Creator - Half Devine, Half Man. He occupied himself in chasing away the rest of us. But the design changed with the actions that enraged our weakened World resulting in emiting an evolved Evil onto this World, your world. This new born evil had methods that vary. It would install terror before death. It captures the intelligence, poisons it and then makes the mind its permanant salve. It does not have any mystical power, but the fear unleashed rejuvenates it. It goes by many names, from Vengence to Rage, but the one governing them all is sitting over the throne, the one who had convinced Dhavoma, the shadow of time, with greed". Dhavoma paused her lecture and walked to the kitchen table to refill her mug.
Sena waited patiently. Dhavoma took her place back and continued, "You and Rana are the rarest who can resist". Hearing his brother's name, Sena raised his eyebrow.
"You will slay the Evil disguised as Man, but only together. I don't see the future, but the Fate of Evil says so. I was a piece used to alter it, and yet you are here, after all that had happened, withstanding my hypnosis right from the time you entered the Bar Inn", Dhavoma concluded.
"I have told everything that you would like to hear", she grieved.
"What happened at the festival", Sena asked, calmly.
"We were all present", narrated Dhavoma, "and once you were drugged, you embraced the fate we had embedded onto you", she said by tapping the table with her finger nail one last time, and no rings formed over the liquid inside Sena's mug.
Sena's head was spinning ; his vision blurred ; his nose started to leak blood ; an invisible hammar thumped his skull ; while he was listening to Dhavoma and when she spoke about the tragedy of Lalli, agony pushed Sena face down over the table. Calm restored itself in the darkness.
... to be continued ...
-
Chaturmukha - Part 2 - Trimurti Katha
Chapter 5 - Seeds of Kochadaiiyaan
Sena
Episode 5 - The Journey of Truth
Dhavoma (Part - 2/2)
Demon Eye
Sena opened his eyes. He felt his left cheek cold and hard on the wooden board. He felt completely drained out of strength and was lying motionless with his cheek on the table, and through his heavy blinks, he saw a fragile form, quite tensed and moving back and forth, just like aged lady he remembered seeing through the cloth covering his face at the festival. The witch was picking up some items from various jars and without a warning she fastly approached Sena. Suddenly dense powder blasted on his face.
The sky was an empty space of bright scarlet orange. The platform on which Sena was standing seemed like a cutoff mountaintop that was floating in the midair. Heavy wind was blowing in from every direction. Sena could not move. He realised that he was chained and two huge rocks were placed on either of his shoulders.
Sena heard a cry of an eagle. A huge bird, twice bigger than the usual size circled above his head. It quickly glided towards Sena and picked his left hip with its beak. Sena cried out in pain.
"That's how the Creator punished the Fire Thief", Sena heard the barmaid dressed in a long black gown and sea shells clipped to her hairdo. "He was given two choices, but you have none", she laughed hysterically. "I will arrest you here and the dagger would be mine forever".
The eagle returned back to take another piece of Sena's flesh. Blood oozed out that matched with the sky above. Sena tried to pull the immovable chains and Dhavoma laughed out at his pathetic state. Sena closed his eyes tightly and called out his Forefather's name. The Devine Name echoed around the whole atmosphere, a call that was not made since his Father's demise. The orange clouds responded to the resonation with lightening. One sharp light arc fell directly above Sena and while descending it branched into four tiny bolts that struck the boulders on Sena's shoulders and the chains at the same time. The split light arc shattered the weighing rock and melted the iron chains liberating Sena from captivity.
Sena's closed eyes rolled on his face over table at the barmaid's house. Dhavoma, whose eyes were also closed, sat before him biting her lips as though in anger.
Kneeling and being face down over the raised platform under the blood red sky, Sena challenged Dhavoma, "I have sacrificed enough, that, now I know".
"Know what", Dhavoma shouted back.
"That I have come to finish, what my Father had started". Sena pounced at Dhavoma, who elegantly dodged his attack. He somersaulted on the ground and came to a stop at the end of the floating land, at the same moment, the eagle attacked him and made a scratch on his face with its knife claw before soaring away. Sena saw Dhavoma spinning in front of him. She threw three items outside her rotating sphere.
The surrounding around the raised level surface changed. It turned into a triangular prism - one face slapped with rainstorm ; darkness filled the other and the final part was bright. Out of the rain came a ravenous hound, the wet dog smell filled the air. Through the brightness flew out the winged eagle. The dark portion held silence.
The hound growled showing it's sharp teeth and slowly advanced at Sena, while the eagle flew high up preparing for an attack from above. Sena dodged the charging dog. It quickly truned and slaped Sena, the terror claws tearing his skin. Before Sena could recover, the eagle rocketed from the sky towards him. Sena quickly rolled and entered into the dark zone. The silence was occassionally broken by heavy breaths. Tiny glows started to flicker in the dark which projected five pairs of arms of a mollusk with inflated nose between two tiny eyes on a elevated fleashy face. The beast pushed it's front arms to open its toothless hidden mouth.
Sena's shoulders shivered violently on the table. Dhavoma was smiling on the opposite chair. Sena knew Dhavoma was just a Shadow. She needed an existing form. Thus, she had trapped Sena in his own mind filled with - Guilt : brightness that disturbs the vision and glides everywhere creating self-inflicted wound ; Anger : pouring down nonstop as a rainstrom and roaming as an hungry predator ; Fear : the darkness lighted by the oneself to embrace a desired shape. Sena must fight back his own creations. Being motionless on the chair with his cheek on the table, Sena smiled - My mind, I command.
Sena quickly jumped out of the dark zone. He closed his eyes tightly and gestured his hand as though he was holding onto something invisible.
Arha hanging around Sena hip around the chair in the living room of the barmaid trembled.
Under the vermilion air space and over the buoyant floor, Sena received Arha in his hand, at the same time the hungry hound charged at him. Sena bent backward as much he could, permitting the dog to jump over his body, all the while keeping Arha raised. The sharp blade detached the stifle joint of the attacking animal. The hound let out a painful cry and glided inside the rainstrom. It tried to crawl away using its front legs. Sena slowly walked from the bright side to the cloudy area and positioned himself above the wounded dog and entered Arha directly into its skull, not giving the dog a chance to cry.
Sena followed the circling eagle with his eyes. When it descended Sena walked towards the luminous part of the triangular prism, and at its edge he turned and fell back to the ground, at the right moment when the eagle flew close to him. Arha chopped off the right wing and the eagle glided to a stop inside the shining side. Sena placed his right leg at the back of the bird and using both his hand, he harshly caught its neck and violently pulled to seperate the eagle's head from its body.
Sena entered the darkside. The mollusk was breathing heavily. He walked staight and stood face to face with it. After a brief moment, he struck Arha right into it's fluffy nose. The mollusk shivered violently out of breath and one by one the glow on its arms estinguished.
Sena walked back and stood in the middle of the prism. "Anymore pets, Dhavoma", he asked the mind controlling witch. The angry sorceress charged at him floating in the air. Sena rolled away. She stood suspended in the air and launched sharp needles from her finger gaps. Sena deflected every single pointer coming at him with his sword. She repeated her attack. On the fourth run while rolling, Sena realised that her moves were predictable - she was hanging in the air going back and forth above Sena. When Dhavoma begun her charge, instead of rolling Sena ran towards her. On the way, with a raising hand movement, he created blocks of stones which hung in the air, and using them as steps, Sena leaped over dhavoma and caught her in the midair. While descending, he prepared himself to land on his knees and using the other leg, he firmly positioned his feet onto the floor, breaking the back of the witch over his rigid lap.
Dhavoma woke up sucking-in for air and Sena pushed himself back onto the chair. He slowly circled the table picking up Kilaka in midway and reached Dhavoma, who was no more a pretty barmaid by a fragile aged lady without a nose. She was breathing from her mouth. Many Blood Tooth sea shells were loosely hanging from her scarce hair. She was motionless as though all her spirts were broken. She motioned at a cupboard over the top of the burner. Sena turned and opened the closet. It contained a vial holding a form of a single vertiical eye floating inside a red fluid. Sena recollected seeing it during the Festival Massacre. He brought it to Dhavoma.
"The Demon Eye.", she said, "The portion that provoked your rage. Shake it, the eye will disappear and reappear and when it blinks, that's when you drink. The eye is not real, just a representative image of fluid dynamics, a portion made out of numerous drops from several sources. I made two samples. Use it during the needed hour. I owe it to your Father." She coughed.
The dragger forcefully entered the chest of the witch - Gatam Gataha.
... to be continued ...
-
1 Attachment(s)
Chaturmukha - Part 2 - Trimurti Katha
Chapter 5 - Seeds of Kochadaiiyaan
Sena
Episode 5 - The Journey of Truth
All is Hell That Ends Well
Sena rode on Nameless to Kottaipattinam to reunion with his true brother, and reached the mountain Pushpapatha that gave him the view over the battle field. Sena looked through Europa. He saw one third of clear image of his Father while the rest of the form was blurry, same as his own reflection on the lake. Sena whispered, "Rana". His blood brother had just sliced the throat of his rival.
Sena, without wasting anymore time, started descending Pushpapatha to stop Rana's killing spree. Whatever had happened in Kottaipattinam, including his Father's exceution, Sena was aware that the Emperor was behind all the incidents. Sena did not wish anymore heads rolling on the ground of his motherland. Remembering his Father's last words, Sena commanded Nameless to gallop at full speed.
Before Sena could reach the battle ground, the war was over. Two kings were slayed by his brother. Sena rode Nameless over the bloody path and got down before his twin brother who had dropped his long sword on the gory ground a moment ago.
http://www.mayyam.com/talk/attachmen...8&d=1459537138
Sena stood before Rana and heard him exclaim, "Sena".
End of Part - 2
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Rajini Rewritten Trilogy (Part 2) - Trimurti Katha
Epilogue
The Clown
Vettaiyan examined the neatly arranged clothes. He checked each, without disturbing their folds. Admist the sets of similar white outfits, one stood apart by being brighter. He isolated it from the lot and carried it with him to the window. He unfolded his laundered suit and lifted it towards the sunlight entering into his chamber. He checked the outifit by briskly turning it between his hands. He steadied it over the light. Gradually, the tiny pinhole perforated on the clothing, through which the sunshine permeated, revealed the message :
The hunter's stone misses the bone,
The Two birds have flown to a destination known.
Comes the time to moarn when the war horns are blown,
Hurry to call the Clown whose control you only own.
- The Poet
Vettaiyan whispered 'Kochadaiiyaan' and stromed out of his Palace Chamber throwing the clothing on the fire of the chimney in fury.
The four faithful hounds followed their master to the Caves of Malliga.
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And in the battle of three, only one will stand.
The final part of Rajini Rewritten Trilogy - Chaturmukha Part 3 - will resume shortly.
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5 Attachment(s)
Extracts from Chaturmukha Part Three
All human wisdom is contained in these two words, Faith and Hope. - Kochadaiiyaan
http://www.mayyam.com/talk/attachmen...4&d=1460633314
There is neither happiness nor misery, but only the comparison of one state with another. - Sena
http://www.mayyam.com/talk/attachmen...5&d=1460633326
Convincing the heart with the spirit of something your mind knows is a lie, is called confusion. - Rana
http://www.mayyam.com/talk/attachmen...6&d=1460633338
Peacock dances in the rain, As happy as a mane. - The Poet
http://www.mayyam.com/talk/attachmen...7&d=1460633344
Good always Wins, but Evil never Fails. - Vettaiyan
http://www.mayyam.com/talk/attachmen...8&d=1460633352
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Chaturmukha Part 3 - mRdayopaliptaM
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svetAsvatara UpaniSad 2:14
yathaiva bimbaM mRdayopaliptaM
tejo-mayaM bhrAjate tat sudhAntam
tad vAtma-tattvaM prasamIkSya dehI
ekaH kRtArtho bhavate vIta-zokaH
As a mirror with dirt smeared
Brightly shines when well cleaned
So too the true self having seen the emboided
One, it's goal acheived becomes freed from sorrow
Battle Begins.
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Chaturmukha Part 3 - mRdayopaliptaM
Strictly for Adults Only
The story so far ...
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A war to end all wars never ended. The Rulers of Light and the Rulers of Darkness fought for their supremacy over the Living World. The war of the worlds walked over a new timeline created by the birth of Kochadaiiyaan, a son of God. He carried the curse of his parents by experiencing a devine power under his human skin. He was tasked to remove the demons from the Living World, but before he could accomplish his mission, all evil inside a new single form took charge of the earth which was divided into five Kingdoms.
Before Kochadaiiyaan's blood rained down to the ground, he had planted two seeds, his sons Rana and Sena, to carry forward what he could not finish. Gone were the demons and monsters from the face of the earth, now all were well installed inside the human heart and mind itself. A new battle has begun, led by the Brothers to face Vettaiyan - the Emperor of the Living World, the ruler of Chaos and the ambassador to the Dark World.
Geared-up with all the mystical gadgets and advices left behind by their Father, the Brothers, seperated during childhood, have finally met. In their reunion they have woken up their own shadow which is none other than Vettaiyan, the Hunter.
And in the battle of three, only one will stand.
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Chaturmukaha Part 3 - mRdayopaliptaM
Prologue
Cosmos in a Kangaroo's Pouch
(Chapter Title adapted from Vladimir Nabokov's "Speak, Memory")
"Two men, bonded by blood, are breathing portraits of Endurance and Trust", Kochadaiiyaan narrated to his wife Yaghavi.
The evening sky was covered with a thick blue blanket. Yaghavi and Kochadaiiyaan were watching their kids through the window of their living room. Yaghavi had her face over her "Life's" shoulder. Kochadaiyaan gripped to his "Change" close. Thier children were in the company of their friends, playing in the graden.
Rana, dressed in a light blue shirt, assumed the role of a King amoung his comrades by passing orders and pronouncing judgements to petty cases brought to him by his companions posing as villagers. Ocassionally Rana took a majestic sitting position on an elevated platform and pressed his right hand over his laps, just as his Father would sit while listening attentively. A blue cape, a piece torn from his mother's cloth, was attached to his neck and flew from his back.
Sena, wearing a light red top was seated on a small isolated rock. He was looking into the sky, starring at the vast emptiness not caring the noises around him.
"Rana, as cheerful as always but Sena's aloofness scares me", Yaghavi worried to her Husband.
Kochadaiyaan smiled and started his narration. "But fate had seperated them" continued Kochadaiiyaan. "Once the younger brother, who was always energetic, asked his Uncle about an Another Man who was considered more generous than himself. He was yet to discover that this Man was his elder brother."
The Demi-God walked to the fruit basket and fetched an apple along with a cutting knife. He called his sons and gave the fruit to Rana and the knife to Sena. The brothers ran outside, Rana yelling in joy, while Sena hopping back onto his rock chair with the cutting tool in his hand.
"His Uncle did not explain to him", the Mystical Man told Yaghavi, "but asked his nephew to meet him in the morning. The following day, the Uncle handed over a mountain of wealth to the youngman and informed him to be empty before dusk. The younger brother called upon his army of friends, with their help chopped down the wealth from the hill and distributed it to every single person in the surrounding. People thronged the place and he ensured no one was rewarded twice. He felt proud while hearing to laurrels passed by the gifted men and women. The setting sun announced it's depature, but the mountain was only half empty. Failing to fulfil the condition, the younger brother confessed to his uncle."
Rana showed the apple to all his friends. He tasted the apple infornt of everyone by taking tiny bites and making a face as though it tasted delicious. Once he finished crunching, he gave a comanding cry asking his friends to follow him. Their leader marched them to the orchard. Soon, every single kid who followed Rana came happily running with an apple in their pocession. They all sat in a circle and enjoyed the delecious fruit together.
"The Uncle walked his nephew through a narrow path" said the Saviour to his wife. "They reached another mountain full of wealth beneath which a elderly man, weak and fragile, was squatted down. The owner of the mountain informed them that a generous Man gave him all this wealth and now he had no clue about what to do with it. The Uncle then told the younger brother that as soon as he gave the mountain to his contester, the Generous Man had immediately handed it over to the elderly person who was the first one to have crossed by. He did not even wait to hear what the gifted man had to say but rode away towards the dawn, all the while his nephew had taken the whole day to distribute the wealth."
Her husband paused and then pronounced, "Desire and Aim are different, my dear."
Sena was seated on a small rock motionless.
Sometime later, at the dinner table, the Father rolled an apple on the surface. It slowly went round and round before settling before Sena. When the apple was rotating, he gently slided the cutting knife towards Rana which came to a halt infront of him, taking the same time the apple had taken to cross the table. Sena held the apple in his hand and requested the knife from his brother. He cut the apple into two halves. He shared an half with Rana. Then, he stood up and walked around the table. He sliced the other half into two. He offered one half to his mother. Further, he divided the quater of the apple with his father. He pressed his share with two fingers and lent the sweet juice stained finger to the lips of his baby sister Yamuna, who was siting over the lap of their mother. The baby enjoyed the nectar and smiled happily at her brother, kicking both her legs. Sena winked at his sister and popping his tiny share inside his mouth, he hopped back to his chair contented that his whole family had tasted the best fruit.
Yaghavi looked at her sleeping children. The act of Sena had moved her, and her Husband saw it in her eyes.
"The seperated brothers discovered their life on thier own, the elder became a Saint and the younger became a King", Kochadaiiyaan continued from where he had left. "Under the heavy rain, few pilgrims reached the doorless hut of the Saint. They needed dry wood to prepare food for the rest of their members, woman and infants, sheltering inside a traveller's inn. The elder brother had no logs, but gave them an information more valuble than the seeked wood. He told them to reach the castle where his brother was the King. The gaurds did not permit the pilgrims entry. Being aware of people waiting at his gates during a severe weather, the younger brother came to meet them. After hearing them, he ordered his men to load the woods for the pilgrims. But the gaurds returned empty handed, as the storage room was flooded with rain water and all the logs were wet. Without hesitation, the King ordered his workers to break the sandalwood door, which stood fabulously decorating the grand enterance of his palace, and safely parcel the dry wood for the pilgrims."
"All human wisdom is contained in these two words, Hope and Faith, Yaghavi. Sena and Rana are its seeds, one will Show the way, the other will Guide", inferred the Master.
... to be continued ...
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Chaturmukaha Part 3 - mRdayopaliptaM
Chapter One - Latest from the Final Years
A Statue for the Leader
The Politician and the Architect were walking towards the gallery where the Emperor's life size statue was being sculpted on a single block of natural marble.
They crossed the main entrance and took the muddy alley behind the main building to reach the grand workshop where the prestigious activity was carried out. The path was heavily bordered by bamboo fence. Several artisans and their assistances were moving up and down the passage. Most of them carried tiny wounds and scars on their skin. They greeted the Kingsmen through respect bowing and pleasing smile. Behind the barrier the Politician remarked a long chain of ant mounds, some were smaller and many were huge. The nests were so close to each other as though a tunnel system allowed a passage for its habitants to travel back and forth. At the end of the pathway, a narrow pipe made of cloth climbed over from the anthill. The cloth pipe rised upto the roof and was attached with rope joints to the vast ceiling of the grand gallery. The light weight pipiline crawled over the upper-floor like a serpent and ended its journey above the staute of Vettaiyan at the center of the hall. The pipe's mouth was tightly tied with a rope.
"I never knew our Emperor used a bow", exclaimed Minister Narendhira Verman to Architect Vitara on the way.
"I have accompanied him once to the hunting grounds, but never seen him carrying one neither", affirmed Vitara. "Even in the private Armory of the Emperor that I had designed does not contain a room for a bow. But, there is a secret chamber constructed by the instruction of our King where rests a glass box specially made to contain a bow and it's twin arrows", explained the Architect to the Politian.
"What is it with these ant mounds", wondered the Politician. Vitara moving forward briskly teased his companion, "You will find it yourself, soon".
They entered the grand workshop. In the middle, a huge white block was standing errect. A huge beam of sunlight dropped on it from the side wall through the mural window. A large canvas potrait of King Dashakantha holding a bow was hung behind the unfinshed statue. Mural windows shed light over the painting.
Only one sculptor was working on the sculpture.
The Kingsmen stood before their Emperor's statue. Minister Narendhira Verman admired the artistry; the life size statue looked real - the hairline and the facial hair, the cheek muscles, the sharp eyes under the curved eyebrows, the pleats over the clothing, the miniture craving inside the hip belt, the boots - except that the human form before him was not breathing. He took a step forward to examine the bow gripped to the staue's right hand when his friend stopped him.
"I brought you here to witness the completion of a prestigious work which had started five years ago", explained the Architect. "It's a gift to our Emperor as I repented that there was not a single staue of our King present in our Great Nation. Next week, the Emperor himself will inaugurate the Symbol of Himself. For which, I assume, the security preparations are been carried out by your team around the Plaza. This statue will be installed there before a grand gathering".
The Politician was overwhelmed by the love of the Architect towards their King.
Vitara pointed at the cloth pipes above. "Myrmecia Pyriformis", he said.
"My ... what ?!?", exclaimed the Politician.
Vitara laughed,"You can call them Bull Ants, used to drill the bow in the King's hand", to which Narendhira Verman put an incomprehinsible face.
"A statue out of a single block of marble is a rarity, but they do exist", said the Architect. "I wished to tie a string of originality to it. As our Emperor is a great lover of culture and art, I decided to suprise him. He wished for his statue with a bow in his hand. And the suprise element is the bow itself."
Vitara gentlely ushered Narendhira Verman close to the statue.
"Tying the string of the bow looked as a disgrace to the creation", continued Vitara, "as the string groove will be protruding from the carved structure. Our Nation is glorified for the art and architecture, I wished to leave behind a work which would be talked for an eternity. Everyone will be wondering how we had acheived such a finish, a secret that I wanted to share with you."
He paused and gestured his hand pointing towards the bow, "The Bow which will hold the string entirely inside, the thread shall pass through the bow limbs", he said.
Vitara explained, "When a pack of soldiers were attacked by an army of ants, none lived after that though, I mean the soldiers ; I was curious to know more about this colony of pyriformis. We gathered a few and breeded them. I designed the statue to be started with the bow. The sculptor chiseled it out of the rock before continuing the work on the other parts. Sweet syrup was poured in drops at the top of the bow and allowed to be dried. The cloth pipe allowed the ants to go back and forth from their nest. With their powerful jaws they scratched the sugar from the stone, drilling their way inside. The process has come to its final phase. Another round of the syrup should allow us to insert the string directly inside the bow limb. We are here to witness it."
Vitara continued without giving a pause, "Bull Ants are tiny but deadly creatures. Like all ants they work together, but they are a group of aggressive nocturnal foragers. Their mandibles (the jaws) are broader with tiny teeth, about 6 to 7 depending on the size of the ant, and their clypeus (ant's face) is covered with hair making them look ferocious. With their strong mandibles they chew anything out of their way. I used the ant as a machine to drill the bow."
The Politician took a look at the sculptor. He had wounds and scars all over his hand.
"Accidents do happen", Vitara shrugged his shoulders.
The sculptor made a cone out of a cloth. He attached it to a long thin stick. He then dipped it into the syrup and gently inserted it into the bow line. The thin stick entered the upper limb and glided smothly through the inner body and reached the tip of the lower limb. It's free movement hit the bottom. Satisfied the artist removed the baton. He then slowly untied the mouth of the cloth pipe and carefully inserted the unlocked part above the bow's tip.
Minister Narendhira Verman noticed enormous moment inside the cloth channel. Seconds later, grinding and screeching noises came out of the statue.
The sculptor was proud, and bent before his masters while taking his hand backward. In his enthusiasm, he failed to notice the tiny bottle of syrup behind him. He toppled it and few drops of thick liquid fell on his feet, at the same time a Bull Ant's deadly claw jaw peeped out of the bottom tip of the bow. The tunnel through the bow was dug.
Couple of foragers escaped through the tiny gap and rushed to the feet of the sculptor. In no time they tore the flesh sticking to the sugar syrup. He cried out in pain. Vitara reacted immediately by stamping the escaped ants flat to the ground. He took out a wax block coated with oil and sealed the hallow. He turned to his friend and said, "Our little furious friends are allergic to tea tree oil". He then called couple of his assistants to attend to the sculptor's wound.
A while later, the cloth pipe's end was tied. Vitara removed the wax seal and invited Minister Narendhira Verman to insert the bow string. The thin thread effortlessly passed through the stone bow structure. The politican joined the two ends of the bow string with a smile.
"The Emperor will open His statue by tieing the nocking point", announced the Architect proudly.
... to be continued ...
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Chaturmukaha Part 3 - mRdayopaliptaM
Chapter One - Latest from the Final Years
Sweet Death (Part 1/2)
The main Plaza before the Vettaiyan Palace was decorated with lights and flowers. Soldiers, gaurds and mercenaries controlled the huge crowd gathered in front of the stately home to participate in the opening ceremony of sculpture of their Emperor.
Citizens were stopped at the front yard enterance by assembling the gathered thousands inside a semi circular perimeter. The outer ring was heavily gaurded. The people were cheering and many were carrying flowers for their King, mostly all the arrangement was a setup by the Politician. The General and his team of masked fighters circled randomly around the castle. The security was tightened as the major crimes in the Central Kingdom were the assasination attempts on the Emperor.
A raised platform was at the center of the vacant falt ground before the uncontrolable throng. On the decorated elevation, the statue of Vettaiyan holding a bow in his had was errected. The staircase of the Palace, famous for its architectural structure, mounted across the statue. The throne chair of Emperor Dhashakantha was placed at the top landing where the long corridors met. The Palace hallway was decorated with hanged velvet curtains inscribed with the Kingdom's emblem. Flowers lined the small walls. On both sides of each step, two prince chairs were arranged next to each other for the political invitees - Lords, Cheiftans, Supporters, Noblemen and Rulers. On the final stairs below the throne, the pair of chairs were reserved for the Kings of the four Kingdoms - Karimedai, Katrupuzha, Kottaipattinam and Kalingapuri.
Beside the Throne there were a pair of chairs on each side. On the left Vaithiyar Kreesnama Muni, the Godfather of Vettaiyan was seated. The place beside him was reserved for Vitara, the Architect. On the right, a chair was always unoccupied during any ceremony and beside it Minister Narendhira Verman would share the podium with the Emperor.
The guests arrived and occupied their respective seats, only two places were still empty. King Sorubhan, the ruler of Katrupuzha sat next to King Gauthama, the aged majesty of Karimedai. The couple of chairs across to them were vacant. Murmurs were stating about the tension prevailing in Kottaipattinam and Kalingapuri, a kind of civil war that had broken when an young warrior led the people against their own Kings.
The view over the stairs from the Plaza looked like a pyramid whose lines of symmetry were formed by the guests with the Emperor crowning it as capstone.
Archers started gathering on the tower top of the Palace. The General and his servicemen slowly marched across the empty flat ground and assembled at the bottom of the stairs - the General on his horse positioned himself in the middle and his warrior stood on either side covering the entire entrance of the staircase. They were heavily armoured with a fierce mask covering their faces. Their stance was vigilant and they were holding steady their mastered weapons. Smoke bombs and grenades hung around thier hip belt. Vitara and Narendhira Verman stayed close to the statue at the center of the Plaza.
The waiting crowd cheered when the longhorns were blazed. The King has finally arrived.
Decorative curtains hung around the palace corridor hid the face of the King when he walked briskly through the corridor. His feet made quick firm steps to which his hands went forward and backward rhythmically. He wore a copper bangle in his right hand. At places where the curtains were suspended low, the people got a glimpse of their Emperor's hair which was chattering with the breeze. A thick spiral hair curled over his forehead. As he advanced further, the other set of curtains swaying in the wind exposed his goatee. Few lucky ones got a chance to see his sparkling white teeth dancing out from his smile. The entire Plaza echoed his footsteps majestically. The King of kings reached his throne, and the citizens and the Noblemen gazed at the valliant form of their Emperor in his white kings robe. The whole Plaza errupted diminishing the loud sound of the drums. People did not mind their deafened ears, but cheered continously when their Emperor waved his hand with a baby smile on his face.
It took a while for the energetic crowd to settle down, and Vettiayan waited patienly over his throne looking at his people.
Vettaiyan stood up and looked at the empty chair to his right which was always reserved for his friend who goes by the name The Poet, the person who was absent every single time. He took the blessings of Vaithiyar before climbing down the stairs. On the way, he greeted all the guests standing at the corner of each step with his hand gesture. He joined with Minister Narendhira Verman and Architect Vitara at the bottom of the statue. He tapped the shoulders of the Archiect expressing his happiness.
Two teenage girls brought a bow string placed on a traw. Vettaiyan smiled at the girls and took the thread in his hands. He started tieing it to upper-end of the bow. Vitara interrupted him gentely. He explained in sign language by cupping his left hand and inserting his right index finger into it's gap. Vettaiyan immediately turned and looked at the two girls and then returned his look back at his Architect. Vitara smiled, the girls giggled. The Architect bent close to Vettaiyan and whispered into his ears. Vettaiyan seemed awestuck. He slowly inserted the string through the tiny hole on top of the bow. The thread glided smoothly and he collected it back at the bottom of the bow. He pulled the string slowly to make it meet it's other end and in the center he made a nocking point with a huge smile in his face.
The crowd errupted once again. The first Statue of the Emperor was officially open for the people to worship.
Vettaiyan felicitated the Architech, this time with immense joy and walked back briskly to his throne. On the midway, a boy blocked his path by standing at a distance before him. Vettaiyan gave a surprised look at the grandson of Vitara. The kid was holding a blown bladder. Without an alarm he threw it at Vettaiyan. It hit the left shoulder of Vettaiyan and bursted to stain his white kings rode with blue ink. The color quickly spread down turing the entire left part of his top blue. Narendhira Verman looked at Vitara. He gestured through a smile that it was indeed a staged sociability. The kid ran away before Vettiayan could near him. The Emperor turned to face the people and with a sad face pointed at his own robe. The citizens laughed. Vettaiyan quickly turned and jogged back to his throne climbing the stairs just as he had descended.
The cultural events began. While everyone one were enjoying the dance shows, few men from the crowd closed in the semi circle perimeter. Two men stood directly behind each gaurd. One sat to the ground and the other closed behind the soldier. In one swift move, the standing man slit the throat of the gaurd, at the same time the squating man held the legs of the dying soldier to stop him from falling off. Each pair positioned themselves holding the dead gaurds upright. No alarms were raised.
For the next event, a group of ten masked dancers took positions around the newly inaugurated statue. The dancers started their performance by paying their respects to the idol. Vettaiyan smiled. The leader of the group was dressed as an hunter and held a spear in his hand. The others in the group were covered in dark clothes. They performed a foot thumping dance movements for intense music. When the act came close to the end, the atmosphere was turning extreme that Vettaiyan himself skid forward in his throne. He seemed throughly enjoying the spectacle. The crowd was contantly cheering and the finishing touch of their mesmerizing performance was a fabulous gymnastics.
The dancers helped three of their members to stand on the shoulders. When the thrid one found his balance on the top, the rest six bent onto the ground making a sort of human steps behind their standing members. The leader climbed over the human stairs and reached the shoulders of the top man standing. Without decreasing his momentum, he jumped high up by pushing himself from the shoulders of his standing partner. He flew in the air, almost floating at the height of the throne where Vettaiyan was watching him rise.
The crowd went nuts, but not the personnel gaurds of Vettaiyan.
... to be continued ...
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Chaturmukaha Part 3 - mRdayopaliptaM
Chapter One - Latest from the Final Years
Sweet Death (Part 2/2)
(Rated-R)
'Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured'. - Mark Twain
The first cry of alarm was a woman's voice coming from behind the mask of an alert warrior of the General. She had been carefully following the moves of the lead dancer as he was the only one armed with a spear. But she stood at ease as the grip on the pole was not aggressive and the bayonet was never directly pointed at the Emperor. During the final acrobats, the leaping leader suddenly changed his grip into an attack clutch and while in mid air, he aimed with his left hand and guided the spear with his right to a target across him.
Immediately, another masked fighter next to her reacted to the warning; he shot a single arrow at the flying assassin before she finished her yell. But it was already too late. The leader who was briefly suspended in the air vaulted his spear at Vettaiyan. It all happened quickly that Vettaiyan could only see the javalin fastly approaching him as a flying snake.
Shooting the pike at the Emperor, the assassin disguised as a dancer, pushed the single arrow before it wounded him. He landed before the General's horse. Few amoung the crowd noted the murder attempt that they shouted at the sharp object cutting through the wind towards their King. The rest of the gaurds were in no position to react as the deadly weapon had already reached it's target.
Silence engulfed the entire square.
The General growled, "Full draw". The whole Plaza echoed the noise from the bow string when the archers on the tower tops of the Palace pulled the chord alligning their drawing hand at the anchor point. Their chief passed the command, "Fire". Hundreds of arrows rained down the Plaza. Several arrow heads hit to the head, throat and heart of the three standing dancers. The other two behind them were pierced by the sharp objects tearing them apart. They fell over the remaining four of their group members protecting them from the rain of arrows. Few darts managed to wound the sheltering assassins.
Calmness was restored. The leader stood breathing heavily before the General. The four survived dancers pushed the dead bodies above them and took position behind their leader, during their approach, they plucked and broke the arrows sticking to their shoulders and thighs. The assassin team, five fallen and five standing, looked up towards the throne.
Blame the wind or blame the aim or blame the fate, the killer's weapon had struck it's target but failed to hit the bulls eye.
Vettaiyan moved back on his seat from it's edge. He knew that the shooting spear will kill him before he got up and he was not in a position to roll forward. Looking at the direction the weapon was advancing, he sensed that the spear was aimed at his heart. He leaned tightly to the back of his throne chair and pushed himself down hard on the cushion, at the same time forced himself to move to his left. The pike struck him hard and entered his torso just below the right clavicle. It was not a miracle, but the strategic positioning of Vettaiyan which revoked the bayonet from puncturing his lungs. He was pinned to his throne and soaked in red liquid leaking from the spear wound. A moment later he coughed blood. Blurred vision of sharp arrows killing the dancers on the Plaza floor ran before him.
Vaithiyar was quickly instructing to several of his assistances. Vettaiyan was surrounded by his bodyguard who blocked his view. Vettaiyan whispered, "Move". Everyone around the Emperor scattered. Vettaiyan kept his eyes on his killer. He gripped the arm rest tightly. All of a sudden he pushed forward, liberating himself from the clutches of the spear. Not a sound escaped from him, but only heavy breathe. Vettaiyan fell to his knees before his throne. Others rushed to his aid. Vettaiyan whispered, "Move". He kept his eye on his murderer.
Vettaiyan got up to his feet. Blood leaked out of the hole on his right shoulder turning that side of his white top into red. Pressing the wound firmly with his left hand, Vettaiyan moved forward. Two hounds came from each side of the corridor and quickly got into position before him. Two other dogs leaped from the back of the throne and followed their Master. One half of the kings robe was blue - the ink thrown at him by the grandson of Vitara, and the other part red - soaked in his own blood, Vettaiyan descended the stairs slowly along with his Kukkuras.
King Dashakantha stood face to face with the dance group leader. The Hunter Dogs from Hell sat before each of the other four dancers. Vettaiyan stared at the mask of his killer. The General approached to remove the mask but his Commander stopped him.
"A coward dies as a coward", he said softly. Loooking at the crowd he said softly, "My General, no one should leave from this place". Immediately shifting his eyes and staring at his killer, he ordered, "He should not move from this place".[/I]
"Anger will kill the planet", complained Minister Narendhira Verman to Vitara. "My setup and your staging is getting fried in his rage. An execution on this auspicious day before the representatives, diplomats and citizens is going to harm our bad reputions further. Soon a civil war will break where we will be forced to slaughter our own people", finishing his sentence with immense repentance, Minister Narendhira Verman walked away through the corridors.
A soldier walked to one of the combatant of the General. He looked tiny before the huge man. The masked warrior was addressed as 'Big Man' who held a sledgehammer to the ground before him. He did not move. The lady warrior shook his body with the handle of her sword. He woke up and saw the two nails that the tiny man before him was holding. They moved in towards the criminal. Vettaiyan slowly walked away and stood before his statue. The dogs stood gaurd before the cuprits. Vaithiyar started treating Vettaiyan's wound while he was instructing to his General. Vaithiyar stuffed the hole with a mashed green color lump. No reaction from Vettaiyan. He then bandaged the wound with a white cloth which in notime turned red.
The soldier carrying two big nails accompanied by Big Man reached the dance group leader. Without any warning, he bent down and placed one rivet on the right foot of the criminal and the Big Man immediately hit the head of the spike hard with his sledgehammer. The nail entered piercing the flesh and crushing through the bones and got struck firmly to the floor. The leader let out a cry of agony. Without hesitation and not minding the victim's pain, the soldier placed the second rivet on the left foot and the Big Man nailed it to the floor. The leader stood pinned to the bloody ground.
Vettaiyan sounded a wolf whistle. The dogs immediately pounced on the dancers before them and detached their throat with thier powerful jaws. The dancers were dead even before hitting the ground. The hounds slowly advanced licking their mouth and joined their Master.
A group of workers poured honey mixed with lamp oil in straight lines from the pinned leader. They made eight such lines around him. Then they bathed him with the 'Honey-Lamp Oil' mixture. The leader turned to look at Vettaiyan. Vettaiyan did not react, but noted that the vision of his killer was fixed behind him. Vettaiyan turned and saw a young woman holding a little boy in front of her. Vettaiyan smiled at the leader and moved towards the young lady. She weeped but did not resist when Vettaiyan carried the son of the leader with his left hand. He came back and took position before the statue with the kid in his arms.
Eight men arrived, each holding a medium size wooden box and stood before the outer end of the 'Honey Oil' Line. The box was sealed with a wooded cork. Vettaiyan nodded his head. They placed the box on the ground and removed the cork. The Bull Ants raced out collecting the honey on their way and rushedly climbed over the leader in the center. The pain from their bites was unendurable that no sound escaped the victim's mouth when he was been chewed alive by a group of tiny ants. He trembled vigorously. Vettaiyan nodded his head again. The workers lighted the line with a wooded torch. The lamp oil caught fire and the flame travelled through the honey path and alighted the martyr along with the ants.
Vettaiyan gentely shaked the chin of the weeping child in his arms with his fingers and whispered "Sweet Death".
... to be continued ...
-
Chaturmukaha Part 3 - mRdayopaliptaM
Chapter One - Latest from the Final Years
Memories of a Bad Memory
(Rated-R)
The advantage of a bad memory is that one enjoys several times the same good things for the first time. - Friedrich Nietzsche
Holding Myil, which was dancing inside a glass in his hand, Vettaiyan took a deep look at himself in the mirror. He raised his free hand to his forehead and plucked a grey hair which was distinctly hanging from a bunch of dark ones. He brought the curly silver line before his eyes and clenched his teeth at it before dropping it to the ground.
The pain on his right shoulders burdened him. The effect of painkillers prescribed by Vaithiyar had wore off. He slowly limped from the mirror being careful not to put too much weight and movement on his wounded upper arm. Standing at the center of his chamber he drank Myil, the ecstasy tonic, in one shot and dropped the small glass which landed softly on the oriental rug decorating the floor. Mayil gave him strength - Mayil brought him focus - Mayil activated his memories - Mayil allowed him to illuminate the dark cells in his cerebrum. The Magic of Mayil enlarged the Vision of Vettaiyan.
The recreational drug started it's stimulant effect on his body that allowed him to groove. Vettaiyan made tiny irregular steps, initially moving forward and backward and then turning in small circles before Mayil carried him to his armchair. Vettaiyan nearly fell off the chair, but managed to steady himself with a smile, a smile thrown at his own state. He raised his left hand and snapped his fingers. The clicking sound echoed around the room and two courtesans magically sprang out from behind the crutain. One was dressed in blue and the other in red, both revealing more flesh in thier transparent gowns. The Vettaiyan salves brushed their hands all over their Master and each one settled on his laps - the blue on the left and the other on his right. Vettaiyan moved his hands around and up and down with half-closed eyes - Memories of Chandramukhi flooded his mind :
Narukukana was at the southern part of the Centrail Kingdom. Being an amusement galore, the habour city was crowded with immigrants. The place was majorly occupied by pirates and a newly settled colony of relegious workers called The House which had started to establish their righteousness. Eventhough there was voilence amoung the two groups, they both had a common target - Emperor Vettaiyan. The laws governing the state was not favourable for them - the pirates were on a constant run and the House could not expand.
Vettiayan adored the clumpsy suituation at Narukukanna. No order of any sort, the place resembled civilisation moving backwards. Vettaiyan saw an originality of mankind in it's dwellers - Beast feeding over Beast.
Upon a special message delivered by The Poet, the anonymous friend of Vettaiyan, the Emperor sent his best assassin, Moonflower, to eradicate the immediate danger.
Chandramukhi, pseudonym Moonflower, was the spy who had kissed Vettaiyan and the same spy who had killed Vettaiyan. She was the daughter of Kanika, a famous dancer in the Kingdom. Born to an unknown father, she was raised by her mother and uncle. Minister Verman, a close assosiate to her uncle, recomended her to Vettiayan and since then she became his Dream Merchant.
The pigeon held the message around it's left leg.
The freebooters want their earning,
Will not stop until the burning,
The hunter is what they are seeking,
At night they will come striking
- Moonflower
Indeed Chandramukhi had met up with The Poet, Vettaiyan smiled. His flow of thoughts suddenly started to wander around his childhood, a walk by the river Daboya with his friend The Poet - When was the last time he had seen his White Shadow ?
Without his permission, the memory blocks shifted to the present day assassination attempt during the statue ceremony. The Emperor was quite used to the plots against him - standing face to face with a killer after opening the door ; a ninja jumping out behing him from the dark skies ; explosive barrels inviting him at the Palace enterance ; a venomous snake jumping out of the cup of honey ; and much more. But Vettaiyan suspected a treacherous back-stabbing in the morning event. The plan was neatly executed admist his own armed gaurds.
Just like a sway of a leaf, Vettaiyan's thoughts shifted back to the warning from Chandramukhi who had been stationed at Narukukana by her Master. That night Vettaiyan awaited the attack of the Pirates. He posed to be suprised to see the Pirate leader Aadi knocking his gates at dinner time. He graciously welcomed him and accepted his gift of ten huge baskets of jamine buds, the favourite flower of the Emperor. Aadi sat across Vettaiyan at the garden dining table, surrounded with the flower containers. Vettiayn appreciated the scent of jasmine that had created an aromatic ambience.
As expected, a freebooter jumped out of each basket. Vettaiyan over reacted with fear. Aadi took full control of the suituation and threatened the Emperor to back-off from taxing even the pirates. Vettiayan made himself steady with a smile, a sign to the ninja hiding in the bush behind him. Aadi saw a man dressed in black appear from nowhere and before he could react, the heads of his ten warriors rolled around him on the ground, each one sliced simultaneously by one circular swing of the Vettaiyan Ninja with his chain sickle.
Vettiayan approached Aadi and ordered softly, "From now, no tax. What you loot is mine". He showed him the gates and said, "Sail for life Captain", sending off the Pirate Leader with a salute.
Back to actuality, Vettaiyan pounded over who could be responsible for today's attempt. It should be a plan by insiders, well executed as an organised mesmerizing killer act. Almost flawless, the only defect in the ploy was the target itself - The Emperor cannot be destroyed. Only five men were capable of pulling off such an endeavour, and all were guilty by circumstance :
His companion failed to averte him.
Narendhira Verman was incharge of the security.
Vitara proposed to open a statue for Vettiayan out of the blue.
Kynasura reacted late to command, and his warrior's arrow missed the killer.
Kreesnama Muni who shied away frequently, was a slient spectator of the whole event.
The Poet was his gaurdian, who had saved him from every single danger. The Minister was his motivation, who wanted to see him as an Emperor. The Architect was his ambition, who turned his dreams into reality. The General was his protector, who carried out his orders without hesitation. The Vaithiyar was his saviour, the creator of Mayil. Why would any of them go against him ?
And then it struck to Vettaiyan as a tiny spark of piercing light.
Vettaiyan opened his eyes and looked around him wide-eyed. Beside him on the carpet, the girl in blue was floating on her own red liquid and the other girl had her body flat above the gound but her face was facing the floor - her neck was completely twisted. Vettaiyan got up from the chair and moved away quickly from the unbreathing women. He was frightened, as the eyes of the girl in blue scared him. They reminded him of the rabbit that he was still searching for.
Vettaiyan's back bumped on the dressing table. He turned and noticed the neatly arranged clothes. He picked up the brightest outfit and walked to the window. The message it revealed, forced Vettaiyan to strom out of his Palace Chamber in fury, throwing the clothing into the fire on his way.
... to be continued ...
-
Chaturmukaha Part 3 - mRdayopaliptaM
Chapter One - Latest from the Final Years
Race with the Fate
"Our fate cannot be taken from us; it is a gift." - Dante's Inferno
He saw him seated at a corner table opposite to him. Noticing the necklet the stranger wore, widened his eyes under the mask.
A frail and aged man seeking alms had his eye on a middle aged man who had just cut off from the main street in the market and had entered into the crooked alley. The white breaded vagabond walked slowly towards the alleyway and once he was in the back alley, he corrected his position and started walking briskly, only his disguise looked aged but his movements were sharp and quick. He approached the middle aged man from behind and knocked him off with a karate chop, hitting him elegantly on the back of his neck. He carried the unconsious victim on his shoulder.
Somewhere in the middle of the jungle upon the Keera mountains, The Poet sat on a chair inside his camouflaged tree hunting cabin. Before him, arms chained to the ceiling, was the unconsious victim that he had kidnapped from the market. The Poet was not satisifed, the man before him looked a bit shorter. He convinced himself that he may pass during the real time. Beside him on the table was a neatly folded white kings robe and a tiny needle. He had come back from a long travel and the message should reach the Emperor without further delay.
The Poet moved to the enterance which looked like a bunch of dry leaves and jumped down over three branches to reach the ground. Suspended from the plank of his invicible cabin was a body covered with white cloth. He carried the body to the end of the cliff and dropped it into the vast depth of the ridge. No one had travelled alive into such a deepness to account the menancing species that dwelled in it's drakness. The body, including the cloth, would disappear in no time.
Ever since Pachonthi, the assassin's guild, was dissolved, The Poet was on the lookout for the tiny spark who had become a burning ball of fire. He was sure, sooner or later, to be face to face with his fiery foe. The Poet had been preparing himself for his meeting with Fate by creating decoys of himself as a backup plan. He kept the kidnapped victims as long as they survived, dressing his dupes exactly like himself - a white tunic with sleeves and attached hood tied around by a fake Pachonthi belt, pants and leather boots. During the needed hour, he would use his decoy either to lure the imminent enemy into a trap or fake his own death.
Next morning, the homeless man wandered around the market. There were not many passersby as most of them were at Palace Plaza to witness the statue opening ceremony of the Emperor. With the corner of his eyes he noted a stranger walking behind him. He knew he was followed, as he had taken all the wrong turns and his follower tailed him. Not a professional, asserted The Poet disguised as the homeless. He stopped before a fruit shop requesting for fallen fruits, all the while keeping a check on his pursuer. Suddenly, the stalker approached him and handed him a note. He grinned at The Poet, exposing his unkempt teeth and walked away hurriedly. The Poet was not able to decode the message, it seemed an alien language. He read it several times :
Inow woo yu ar. Meatme inmasc pab doring sonseat.
That afteroon, the Poet hooded in his white costume, followed the strange man from roof tops. He noted that he was an heavy drinker, intoxicating himself from the oval wooden flask tied around his hip. He made several tiny stops and indulged himself in small coversation, clearly indicating that he was not welcome. A vagrant, confirmed The Poet. The tramp found a doorstep and slept for a while under the shade of the awning. The Poet had enough chance to eliminate him, but was curious to know what was written in the note. He returned to his cabin and read the message again. It made much sense after rearranging few letters :
I know who you are. Meet me in Mask Pub during sunset.
The Mask Pub was a famous recreation club at the far end of the market place - only one rule of entry, the visitors must wear a mask of their own choice which permitted them anonymity as well as removed gender differences. A kind of liberty that The Poet was never able to relate with.
Wearing a Shadow Mask - white face with dark holes for eyes, nostrils and mouth - the Poet sat beside the bar at a table around the walled corner that permited him to monitor the front door without bothering about the suituation behind him. A stout man, with a clumpsy turkey head mask pushed his way inside. He looked around and started walking towards the bar. The Poet quickly got up and rolling a black scarf around his masked face, walked towards the chicken mask man. The clumpsy man appologised to the stranger with a black scarf who had bumped into him.
The Stout man looked hard through his tiny eyes and saw his target appearing from behind the bar and taking a seat at the corner. He reached The Poet and initiated a conversation.
"I am smart, ain't I ? For fixing a rendez-vous at a crowded place", he announced proudly.
"How do you know who this is behind the mask", questioned The Poet.
"I see things", the man took a mysterious voice and moved his fingers before his face.
"Tell me what else you saw", The Poet demanded.
The man shrugged the question. The bar maid served them draughts, and the man refused to drink from it.
"I ain't just smart, I am clever too", he said. He took out his flask and sipped from it. He smiled and the distilled spirit leaked through his tooth gap. The Poet left his ale untouched.
"A brothel, and you will help to set it up", demanded the chicken mask. After taking a sip from his flask, he threatened, "else I announce who the homeless man wandering in the market actually is and what he does for living".
The Poet placed a tiny money pouch on the table.
"I ain't just clever, I am a financial expert", mocked the man.
The Poet sat starring at him. After a while, he dropped another small bag on the board.
"I ain't just an expert, I am loose-lipped", the man said with a worried tone finishing his sentence by blaberring with his lips. A third sac took its place before him.
Satisfied, the turkey mask pointed his right thumb at The Poet. He reached to collect the bag when he sensed a warm and rustic fluid forcing itself out of his mouth. His throat burnt and with a sudden gush he spitted blood over the bags through the tiny hole of the turkey mask. His face looked like a bleeding chicken.
A while back, The Poet identified him by the flask tied around his hip. When he had entered the bar, The Poet knocked into him and in that brief moment pierced the flask with a poison needle.
The man circled on the floor of the pub like a headless chicken and after a while became motionless. The Poet quickly grabbed the bags, and moved around the bar. He stopped and turned to check the glimpse that he had caught while he had got up.
The Poet saw him seated with a red masquerade mask at the other corner of the pub opposite to him. Noticing the necklet the stranger wore - the vial holding the Demon Eye, the eyes of The Poet widened under his mask.
As a trapped prey, The Poet watched the man with the red mask walk out of the pub. Without further hesitation, The Poet stromed out through the main enterance and pursued the stranger, knowing well who he was.
Thus, the chase began - the Hunter in Wind ran after the Hunter of the Wicked. They quickly climbed walls, with similar skillset, using anything slightly protruding as a grip. At one such ascend, the man above him kicked a particle loosely hanging on the wall. The tiny sharp piece of stone hit the mask of The Poet, the force created a crack line on the right cheek. They continued sprinting over the roof tops leaping from one building to the another. The man with the Demon Eye necklet suddenly threw shuriken, the ninja stars, at his pursuer without turning back or aiming or reducing his momentum. The Poet, who was close behind his attacker, held to a pole on his way and dodged the star weapons that were rotating quickly towards him by spinning the pole with his hands. One star scratched his leg under his knees. He jumped back on the roof floor and the stinging pain in the knee made him kneel down, at the same time the man running away from him leaped to the next building.
Suspended in the mid-air for a brief moment, he turned to face his pursuer and removed his red mask. From behind, the setting sun crowned his head. The crack line in the Shadow mask below the right eye looked like a stream of tears, when the kneeling Poet saw Sena with a ring of light around his head posing as the Prime.
And in the race, Fate had won.
... to be continued ...
-
Chaturmukaha Part 3 - mRdayopaliptaM
Chapter One - Latest from the Final Years
A fall like a Thunderbolt (part 1/2)
(Rated-R)
Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake - Napoléon Bonaparte
"Mistake after a grave mistake chisels the tomb", the Poet cursed to himself.
An anonymous tramp he had never seen at the market place before - a jumbled message that doesn't convey a message - accepting to meet a stranger at a crowded place - failing to kill the one to be killed - a murder in plain sight - moreover, the grand finale, a chase across the city.
The Poet stamped his fist on the table in his hunting cabin. Sena had left him alive to play with his later, The Poet asserted. Sena's judgement was clear - make The Poet to marinate in fear. Sena had played with his ignorence and arogance. The child The Poet had seen training had grown mastering the art of riding along with one's own esteem. Even when Sena was a tiny spark, he used to look at the tree top where The Poet used to watchover him. And now, Sena had masterly stripped the disguise of The Poet. The bait, a clueless vagabound, had just followed Sena's instruction, just like how the poet lured himself into the trap blinded by his own pre-eminence.
The Poet, completely exposed, felt lonely for the first time. Age weighed on him that he could not remove the vision of the Prime. The Poet felt tired. He wanted to engulf himself inside comfort. He thought about the only wonderful moment in his isolated life. After a long time The Poet closed his eyes voluntarily and tried to find solace by getting back into his past :
He sat on top of the clock tower watching the barricaded pirate village. He was monitoring the building at the southern end of the settlement. The prison was heavily gaurded. Eventhough the lathargic pirates were not vigilant, their sheer number will defeat a small army. The prison held inside an item that was precious to the Emperor. The message was short, intensifying a mixture of Love and Danger - The Flower whirls in the wind, bear in mind, no harm reaches the hind.
"Moonflower, yes, the new recruit", confirmed The Poet, the one who had eased his work. Moonflower was captured by the pirates for committing an act of espionage when impersonating a barmaid. The Poet must act fast to liberate her, as he could not imagine the state of a pretty young girl in a Pirate's Prison.
The Poet counted eighteen gaurds circling the inner premises. He climbed down the clock tower and reached the gates of the Pirate Village. While he approached the main enterance, he flipped his sleeves aiming at the two gaurds at the gate and couple of tiny sharp blades escaped immediately from his cuffs. One entered and the other slit the throats of the clueless pirate securities. He opened the huge wodden gate and slowly walked inside the Pirate's Prison Village.
A white hood cover his head and a black scarf was spun around his face exposing only his calm eyes which were fixed on the four patrolers before him. A grey sleeveless outdoor overgarment hung loosely from the shoulders, attached to the neck with a tiny lace. He had both his hand behind him while walking and a thin taillike followed him.
The patrolers ran towards the intruder holding their sword high above their heads and shouting their suprise. The Poet exposed the taillike with his left-hand. It was a metal whip that he held behind and dragged with him while walking in. He threw the whip elegantly at the advancing pirates. The thin and flexible blade made waves in the air before reaching the closest pirate and sliting his torso. The victim stood for a while, looked down at his bloody body and then fell flat to the ground without making a noise. The thud stopped the other three advancing attackers in midway. They looked at the gore with wide eyes.
Four more joined the other three and all the seven circled The Poet moving adjecently along with him. The Poet pulled out his right-hand and introduced his rapier to the neck of the nearest gaurd. He continued walking in the center and at a silent moment he used his iron whip to send two more into the air. The rest four moved before him and blocked him like a wall. The Poet waited patiently. Two came rushing towards him. At the exact time, The Poet pulled his whip backwards tripping the running pirates. When they both were suspended perpendicularly before him, The Poet inserted the sharp edge of his rapier into the left eye of the floating pirate. He screamed in agony while the other, as soon as he hit the ground started crawling backwards crying in fear. The Poet made small steps towards him, all the while, drawing a line with his pointed sword on the ground between the legs of the escaping pirate. He looked at the last standing pirates and saw them seeing the oil barrels getting sprinkled with the blood of the man on the ground.
The gaurd on the watchtower finally reacted. He shot a single fire arrow at The Poet, who quickly used his whip to pull the oil barrel towards him. The flaming bolt blasted the barrel and the fire spread further over the spilt lube. The two men who had backed off to the fortified prison gate saw the unknown caped warrior emerging out of the fire. A spark spread on his scarf which he did not seem to mind. The spreading fire on the cloth emitted its shadow in his eyes, making them glow sharper, looking at which one of the pirate swallow his fear and the other trembled.
The Poet eliminated both of them with his rapier and hurriedly opened the prison doors, when he heard the alarm bells resonating around the Pirate Prison waking up every sleeping pirate anchored at the bay of Narukukana.
... to be continued ...
-
Chaturmukaha Part 3 - mRdayopaliptaM
Chapter One - Latest from the Final Years
A fall like a Thunderbolt (part 2/2)
(Rated-R)
On noticing that a rose smells better than a cabbage, an idealist concludes that it makes a better soup. - H.L. Mencken
The Poet waited in the shadows of the huge pillars, allowing the maddened pirates to run past him. He efficiently moved from a cover to another and reached the tiny wall of sandbags. He slit the throat of pirate on gaurd, before fencing over the sacks. He sneaked past a group of alert pirates and entered a small storage room. While waiting for the oppurtunity to move forward, he noticed two items placed on a metal table. He collected them and ran quickly reaching the far end of the hall.
There was only one locked room at the other side of the hallway. He pushed the eye-level sliding slotted peephole on the door. His rectangualr vision met with a kneeling young woman's back. Couple of whiplash mark uglified the smooth and healthy skin. Her arms were stretched, and The Poet assumed that it should be attached to the side walls. He kicked the door open and standing behind kneeling Moonflower, he liberated the Emperor's hind from the clutches of the chains. She took long to stand up and when she turned to face him, The Poet was mesmerised by her beauty that he forgot all his poems.
At the cell door, The Poet gave her the golden daggers that he had picked up on his way from the storage room. She made a courtesy nod back at him. They both stromed out of the prison room and reached the large hall. From the main door opposite to them countless pirates entered. Chandramukhi took a siting position behind The Poet.
"Were you asleep during the stealth class ?", she asked. The poet did not reply. Chandramukhi looked around her and noted that the pirates were no more charging but stood shaken. Some were retreating. She turned to look at the stranger who have come to rescue her and it was her turn to be stunned by his appearence.
The Poet had removed his overgarment by untying the lace around his neck, exposing his special combat garment which he liked to call the Knife Suit.
He demonstrated his Knife suit to the onlookers. He held a sort of control clutched inside his fist. With an upward pull, he awakened four blades on each forearm. A single pointed short knife projected from the shoulders. When he did a downward push, the blades retreated into a single line acting as a defense rod. His leather ankle boots were permanantely fixed with numerous tiny sharp edges and applying pressure to the toes ejected eight cutting short swords along each of his leg. He wore a knife belt with throwing knife fixed pointing outwards. And finally his back, along the spinal line the lethal edges of the chainsaw knife were peeping out.
"Cabbages for the soup", Chandramukhi said smiling at the pirates.
The courageous pirates ran towards the couple. Chandramukhi fought with very few of aggressive pirates with her golden dagger. The Poet handled the rest with ease. From time to time she turned to watch the elegant moves of The Poet - once she saw a sharp object ejecting from his elbow enter into the pelvic area of an attacker - next she saw his defending the heavy blows from the sabres and scimitars with his forearms ; sparks registered the weapons meeting - at one moment, she saw him sweeping couple of pirates to the ground by slashing their ankles - and finally she saw him running towards the enterance door over the fallen pirates crushing whatever bone that met with his ankle boot . She followed him quickly.
"How fast can you run", The Poet spoke to her for the first time. Chandramukhi made a weird face. "Well, run and climb", he concluded. Without a pause he contnued, "Get to the top of the watchtower and join me at the entrance with the fire blot and not to forget the bow. Don't be late, else meet me at our funeral."
Chandramukhi smiled and took a steep turn away from The Poet and ran towards the watchtower. On the way, she dodged couple of gaurds and jumped over several soldiers. She escaped a sword attack by rising in the air with her legs spread parallel to the ground. She reached the watchtower and inserted her dagger into the solidiers feet while still hanging onto the ladder. He fell off to the ground. She climbed over the platform and recovered the bow and the fire arrow.
From the top of the tower, she saw the stranger battling his way towards the main gate. Several pirates were following him. The stranger neither attacked nor defended nor escaped. He was simply pushing all the barrels around the prison ground area. She saw him fastly reaching the gates. She quickly climbed down the watch tower and joined The Poet at the enterance.
The bolt from the bow ignited the oil barrels exploding everything that it can take with it's tremendrous blast.
Inside his tree cabin, a fall of a dead branch on the roof, brought The Poet to reality and he worried that even his Emperor friend did not recognise him when he had walked past him, but Sena out of doubt had played a ploy and The Poet had volunteerly gave himself. The Hunter in the Wind had fallen, just like the Hunter had, on the day he brought him the message :
Reaching his Den at Narukukana, he was shocked to see an urgent message from the Emperor. Dressed up for the rainy night, he stood under the window of the Motel at the center of the town. He heard the moaning from inside. Rain drops were falling everywhere, and thicker drops were falling from his cheeks. Back at his Den he prepared a reply note for his friend -
Peacock dances in the rain,
As happy as the mane.
Prey is for you to obtain,
Rest assured of your gain.
He thought deeply for a while about the days he had roamed with Dashakantha on the paths of Daboya eating the stolen apples with laughter. With rapid thoughts of loyality, The Poet got up and took another lamb's bone from his reserve. He carved the truth on it and delivered it himself. Disguised as a tribes-man from Keera Mountain, he entered the dining hall of the Palace. In a brief moment, he looked at the sunken eyes of Vettaiyan. He left as silently as he had walked in.
At his tree cabin, the past provoked anger in The Poet. "I need more decoys", crushing his teeth, The Poet stromed out of his tree cabin.
... to be continued ...
-
Chaturmukaha Part 3 - mRdayopaliptaM
Chapter One - Latest from the Final Years
Myth of Self
And set a watcher upon her, great and strong Argus, who with four eyes looks every way. And the goddess stirred in him unwearying strength: sleep never fell upon his eyes; but he kept sure watch always. - Aegimius (fragmentary Ancient Greek epic poem).
"He is watching", said the man seated on the floor leaning to an open box full of jewels. "Who", demanded the leader. "The Gaurdian", replied the man.
The weather was warm, but the climate of the Kingdoms was not soothing. The demise of two kings on the same day had consequences. Kottaipatinam was unable to find its successor and Kalingapuri stood weakened when the young prince Veera Mahendran was elected as the King. The Nobels of Kottaipattinam were against Vadhana Devi presiding the throne, even when the search of Sengodagan brought vain.
Vadhana Devi, the sister of Sengodagan, was the daughter of King Rishikodagan of Kottaipatinam. Sengodagan was expelled from the kingdom by his father after his marriage with Yamuna Devi, the daughter of Kochadaiiyaan. The death of King Rishikodagan happened during the wedding day of his daughter with the Prince of Kalingapuri. The same day, before removing the head of Rishikodagan from his body, Rana, the Son of Kochadaiiyaan, slitted the throat of Raja Mahendran, the father of the bridegroom, Veera Mahendran.
The Nobles of Kottaipatinam argued that it was the master plan of Rana to eliminate all powers from the Kingdom - firstly, got his sister married to Prince Sengodagan, secondly, had mesmerised Princess Vadhana Devi in his charm and finally, eliminated the King. Thus, Rana had the full authority to claim to the throne of Kottaipattinam. They claimed that Vadhana Devi was under the influence of Rana, and for the goodwill of the Kingdom, the Princess should not be allowed to become a sucessor to the throne. They ordered and organised a massive search to bring back their hier, Sengodagan. They pronounced that until the new King Sengodagan was not appointed, Rana will not be judged for his crimes against the Kingdom. They concluded that the King will be their Saviour who will feed the conspirator Rana to the worms.
The Nobels futher demanded the Panel to expel Sena, the brother of Rana, from the Kingdom. They made their point by stating the Rana had brilliantly brought in his members into the Royal Family, and moreover, they recollected that the prime member of the family was executed after found guilty for treason against their Great Kingdom. Finally, they rested their argument stating that Rana was the Initiator of the Chaos.
Vadhana sat silently watching all the arguments. She felt participating in such discussion were inutile as Rana was People's King, but sincerely hoped her brother would return to clear of the allegations against Rana. Her silence fell heavy over Kottaipatinam - poor administration drowned the entire Kingdom into crime and violence.
Anarchists were flooding on the streets of Kottaipattinam. They circled the lanes as a group of liberated cage animals, causing destruction where ever they stepped into. They attracted the off-track citizens by misguiding them with false promises and convincing them about a future that was not possible. In between their insincerity, they looted and ransaked the whole Kingdom. They out numbered the scared gaurds and marched forward to take down the capitol.
A hand glided into the window hole of a jewellery shop and seized a grand ornament which brought smile to the man's face but that was the last time he saw his hand sticking to his body. A sharp blade had sliced his arm, the chop dropped the hand inside the shop's floor and the screaming robber onto the ground.
A group of four men cornered an young lady across the lane. She held tightly to her weeping young son. Their intentions of the men were clear, when one of them pulled the kid away from her while the other picked on her clothes. The kid stood starring at the man who had just jumped behind the three attackers. A tiny knife flew past him hitting the back of the neck of the eloping man. Crossing three other motionless bodies, the infant reached his mother and hugged her.
Several woman gathered around a wodden door and tried to break it open. Inside was the family of a merchant, his family scared behind the locked door. Suddenly it rained all over the attacking ladies. They found that the shower was brief and the drops were lamp oil. A single fire torch fell behind them. They ran away.
A group of anarchists looted the habour area. One stealer skipped past his group and entered the massive opening between two anchored ships. He heard foot steps behind him, but there were no one when he turned. He continued and approached a large abadonned chest. With a greedy smile, he reached the treasure box, and that was when his chest met with a karate chop. He fell to the ground crying in pain. The other members ran towards their screaming partner.
"He is watching", informed the wounded man. "Who", demanded his leader. "The Gaurdian", replied the man.
They all heard the footfalls from behind them. Slowly but steadily they saw a silhouette of a warrior holding a long sword. His stride was banging on both the ships, and the anarchists realised that they were cornered. The footsteps grew louder exposing the star studded leather boots. The star buckle of the belt shined in the moon light. The blue top embedded with diamonds glittered in the pale light of the night. One of the scared anarchist saw the throat of the advancing Gaurdian turn blue for a fraction of a second. The chin was tiny and rigid over which the lips carried a tiny smile without exposing the teeth. The nose bridge was narrow and sharp under a shiny plained forehead over which few strands of hair danced with the wind. The eyes were tiny, but sharper than the blade of the long sword.
The Anrchists looked up at Rana who crushed their crime in his shadow.
... to be continued ...
-
Chaturmukaha Part 3 - mRdayopaliptaM
Chapter One - Latest from the Final Years
The Wall of Trees
King Sorubhan of Katrupuzha and King Gauthama of Karimedai endeavoured stabilising their governance after the downfall of the Two Kingdoms. Violence spread like rapid fire, but through their able administration they brought the affairs under control. But monetary instability was least of their worries. Their Kingdoms were weakened with the treaties imposed by the Emperor and now the Emperor claimed Kottaipatinam for himself, and had sent an appointee to resolve the confusion over the hier to the throne of Kottaipattinam. Spies informed them that, the Emperor was planning to install a member from his state to rule Kottaipatinam. King Sorubhan and King Gauthama held a secret meeting and shared thier inquietude over the non-representative decision of the Emperor, moreover, during the coarse of the meeting they expressed their disturbance over the Emperor's puppet King Veera Mahendran. By accuring the Two Kingdoms, the Emperor will slave down Katrupuzha and Karimedai too. No vassal treaties will be respected, but the Kingdoms will be royally looted and the free citizens will become mere serfs working their who life producing for the Empero and nothing left for the future generations.
"The Palace is yours Rana. Don't mind the Nobles, they will accept you as the King", Vadhana affirmed to Rana, whom she met in the public garden.
"I am not here to argue, the immediate threat to the Kingdom is more menancing than elective quarrels", replied Rana. "I received a message from Sengodagan to meet him at the frontier", he announced to her.
Vadhana hopped towards Rana and hugged him with immense joy.
"But why at the frontier, this is his Kingdom anyway", Rana expressed his incertitude before leaving the park. Vadhana stood thinking, before going back to the Palace.
Rana found himself being followed by a dark clothed form and when he turned to check, it hid itself behind a shade. Rana slowed down encouraging his pursuer to initiate the attack. The clumpsy frame jogged unevenly behind Rana, and suddenly leapt onto to his back. It clutched him with it's thin fingers crowned with sharp nails. The cloak around it's head dropped during it's vigorous attack, exposing the thinning hair and bald patched head. Rana quickly hauled his attacker and threw him to the ground by gripping his clothes. Hanchabadra grinned at his master while lying on the ground. He crossed his legs and tried to whistle, no sound escaped from his shrinked lips. Rana pulled Hanchabadra to his feet and hugged him.
"How is your arm ?", Rana asked Kacha, to which Kacha demonstrated his arm's stength by slicing the air. Rana tapped his shoulder appreciating their reunion.
Hanchabadra was a deformed man who was the aid of the child-hood friends Sengodagan and Rana. Together they have embarked into numerous treasure hunt adventures around the five Kingdoms. He was a loyal servant whom the friends treated as a member in the family. Kacha was the son of the wrestler Vrikoda, the personal body gaurd of Rana's Father. He broke his arms while swinging across the cave walls at the Gulf Of Bharavi. When Sengodagan was expelled from the kingdom, Rana had sent them away too, as he was not prepared to explain to them his plan of taking down the king, also he never wished them to be part of his personal ploy. Rana had called back his friends when he got the invitation from Sengodagan. He expected the dark days will end through their union, and together they will celebrate a new dawn.
Hanchabadra moved in circles after hearing about the meeting with Sengodagan. Kacha expressed that he knew what had happened and he would have supported Rana, if he had been permitted to. Rana smiled and nodded at Kacha while pulling Hanchabadra to his side. The three friends travelled on horse backs to the frontier. On the way, Hanchabadra made faces at the birds circling around the sky above him. He grinned.
Sengodagan stood alone before the wall of trees at the forntier. His companions who had come to meet him halted and got down from their horses. A tiny thought swayed inside Rana disturbing him since he had received the inivitation from Sengodagan. Before he could stop him, Hanchabadra hopped quickly towards Sengodagan. On his small route over the green grass, Hanchabadra turned and grinned at Rana from time to time registering his contentement.
The cold breeze hitting his face made Hanchabadra to close his eyes rejoicing every single moment. Sengodagan welcomed him with open arms and a huge smile. He gathered his faithful companion around his chest and tapped him on his back. Kacha felt at ease watching the smile on Sengodagan's face.
Hanchabadra's body shook in happiness. No noise esacped his mouth. He turned and grinned at Rana while still tugging to Sengodagan tightly. Before Rana could return the smile, he noticed the stretched corner of Sengodagan's lip wrinkling into anger. He looked back at Hanchabadra whose grin was turning into a smirk. Blood streamed out of from the corner of his lips. Kacha stood shocked.
From behind the wall off trees, King Veera Mahendran appeared on his horse back surrounded by his private body gaurds. Sengodaga threw a dagger at Rana, the one with which he had stabbed Hanchabadra in the chest. The sharp blade approached cutting the air faster when scandalized Rana suddenly fell onto the ground. Rana was pushed by Kacha and the blade travelled above Rana's eyes before piercing into the shoulder of Kacha. The sight of the flying dagger resembled the vision Rana had at the Lake of Ghosts - he felt something fastly approaching cutting through the air that distracted him and he moved, by the time the projection on the transparent wall was of a dragger covered in blood, too close that it could hurt.
"Your head will bow to our sword Rana, just like how you executed our fathers", Sengodagan shouted with a menancing voice standing beside King Veera Mahendran. He slowly pushed Hanchabadra to the ground.
"You will witness how I deliver you to your tomb". King Veera Mahendran sat on his horse starring at Rana, when couple of his men started running towards fallen Rana and wounded Kacha. Suddenly the advancing solidiers looked shocked and halted midway. A small army of Kottaipatinam emerged behind Rana.
"Coward, next time you face me, I will teach you how to be a man", Sengodagan talked inbetween excessive teeth grinding and jaw clenching. Rana turned back and saw few soldiers running towards them. His head spinned, he was unable to follow. When he returned his vision back at his friend Sengodagan, his sight met with the back of his riding foes. Sengodagan and King Veera Mahendran rode away on the same horse. Sengodagan turned and a evil smile escaped from the corner of his lips before they disappeared breaking through the wall of trees.
Rana got up and rushed towards Hanchabadra. He stumbled couple of time before skidding towards his fallen friend and in a singular action, he took Hanchabdra's head and placed it on his lap. Hanchabadra's grin had not yet faded away. Rana shook him vigoursly, but Hanchabadra lied over his laps starring at him. Images of Hunchabadra ran before Rana - the small man performing an Emperor's walk, the deformed angel grinning after been caught stealing peanuts, the hunchback beauty chasing butterflies, the limping peacock dancing around the kids, the golden-heart putting up a sad face and grinning immediately after, thier boon companion trying to drill between the friends by sticking his face inbetween them.
Further away, Rana noticed Kacha was moving on the ground in pain. Tormented, Rana looked up at the emptiness above him with his upper lips moving crookedly in agony just like the single lightening that flew past the sky. His silent misery was broken by a resounding thunder which echoed his Father's voice over the vastness above :
Pagaivanin Pagayai Vida, Nanbanin Pagayae Aabathaanathu. [A friend turned foe is a much bigger threat than nemesis.]
... to be continued ...
-
Chaturmukaha Part 3 - mRdayopaliptaM
Chapter Two - Locked within Oneself
Presence of an Opponent
You, Rana, have fought your own slow death. This closes down the options leading you into a path where your Death will be Quick. Youngman's words picked the eyes of Rana. He quickly woke up. Over a blurred vision, he saw his brother nearing him. Sena bent down at Rana and his necklet danced before his brother. Another of Rana's vision became reality - There was a red eye dangling around his neck.
Rana hurriedly moved back pushing his feet as fast as he could, as the images he remembered from the Lake of Ghosts were horrifying which potrayed Sena inhumane. He lifted his head and found that Sena was normal standing beside Vadhana and Kacha.
"Next time, you should wait for me", Sena told him trying not to sound like a brother. Rana did not reply, he started correcting his clothes. He walked to Vadhana and stood close to her staring at her eyes.
"Next time, make sure to inform me", Rana told Vadhana before stroming out of the room. Vadhana stood guilty over sending the personal gaurds after Rana after he had expressed his incertitude at the public garden just before leaving to meet her brother Sengodagan.
The brothers walked abreast, followed by Kacha with a bandaged arm. None spoke until they reached the Council Hall.
"Actions stay verbal only, so don't over react inside", Sena adviced his brother. Rana stood still looking at his nails. A while later, Sena approached the huge door and the trio were ushered in.
The hall was large and circular. An empty throne was right in front of them placed on a platform elevated by three steps. Beside on a princely chair, Vadhana sat watching the council. Three rows of benches were arranged at either side of the hall, where the Nobles were seated. Directly opposite to the throne was the visitor's podium where the trio took their chairs amoung several others.
An aged member and the Head of the Council stood up and walked forward to the center. He greeted the Princess, then his fellowmen. After a brief detailing about the current suituation, he announced the agenda of the needed hour. Then, the wise Nobleman invited the war strategist Yesodha Putran to address the council.
Yesodha Putran had won many wars without actually fighting any of them. He was considered to be the greatest strategist who could invent warmaking methods that would stumble any empire. He was not a practitioner but a theorist. He walked to the center and after greeting the gathered crowd, Yesodha Putran started his analyse on whether to challenge the Emperor.
"Both doers and thinkers are needed to end a perpetual war. And with that honor of a thinker, I suggest we surrender", he declared.
Loud murmurs echoed inside the hall. Several stood up and shouted insanely at Putran. Vadhana sat silently and the Head of the Council watched her silence without uttering a single word. Rana smiled hard by moving his shoulders way too high while looking at the circus before him. Sena sat calmly beside him. When tranquility was restored, Putran continued, "I won't appologise before this council for my words, as my statement stands true, even if it's not patriotic". The council members started hooting when the Head of the Council brought back silence in the hall just raising his right hand.
"My research states that going to war will be fatal", continued Putran. "With the accord of our Kings, King Dashakantha was unnanimously accepted as the Ruler of the Rulers. Breaking our King's will would fracture the treaties and relationships shall slide like a mud wall in a flood". He paused and then contiued to put forward a crucial indicator before the council, "The Central land is thrice bigger than the all other Kingdoms united. And there are thirteen tribes - the founders of our lands - dwelling and governing the surroundings under the Emperor's direct guidence".
Putran looked down at his notes and recited his study over victory to the panel :
- The only way to reach the Central Kingdom is through the waters, under unpredictable and unimaginable weather conditions. The oceans are clutched by the Emperor's pirate partner, Leader Adhi. These are ruthless men. (Putran paused and starred directly at the eyes of several Noblemen). And, we don't have the naval power to attack simultaneous from all fronts.
- Out of 13 tribes 7 support the Emperor directly. They all are well versed in guerrilla warfare, an art our soldiers are not trained in. These tribals form a subordinate army of Central Kingdom. If successful in crushing them, the few men who may rest in our army should face the biggest marching soldiers on the face of this earth. The tribals support to the Emperor is to gaurd their ancestor's land. Three groups, the valiant ones, who opposed the Emperor were neutralised. And the rest have no choice but are weak.
- Our foot soldiers need to pass the fort Aiyan, if the Palace has to be taken down. That can happen only if we can set out foot on the Central Lands crossing the sea. Fort Aiyan is maintained by the salves of the Emperor and a huge war cannon called Vettai crowns the fortified castle hunting down any intruders.
- As we know now, Kallingapuri is under the influence of the Emperor, whose army will out run our men like a walk over the soft sands.
- The personal army of the General secure the Emperor. They are not normal warriors. The General changes his methods within the shift of the wind. (Putran remained silence for a while, for the message to sink inside the listeners).
- The other two Kingdoms will not support us due to fear. Eventhough they are against the admistration, the Emperor had never troubled them. They will anyhow look to profit from the suituation. As a reminder, Our Nation was never amicable with the other Kingdoms. Negociations will end even before a start.
He looked directly at the Princess and sumersied, "Going to war with Emperor Dashakantha is fatal. Ceding is not the option I propose, nor the war as a solution. New amendments should be proposed and implemented to save the Fall of our Dynasty", Putran inferred before taking his seat beside Sena admist loud and angry murmurs.
"We need to talk", whispered Sena into the ears of Yesodha Putran, to which he acknowledged by nodding his head at Sena.
"He is the one who invited the doom", shouted a Nobleman at Rana, "like Father like Son. They should be thrown out".
Rana kicked an empty chair before him. He growled in a menancing voice, "Dare you touch me". Sena stood up and pulled Rana back, all the while staring at the cursing Nobleman.
"Enough", yelled Vadhana. The Council Hall restored itself with permanent silent.
A thick desk seperated the brothers. "Being at the mercy of anything that you cannot control is like a floating log over the sea during an hurricane. You don't know where it would land you", Sena said calmly.
"I am getting tired of all your saintly phrases", Rana complained, "you sound like a toothless man and somtimes I feel that we are not talking the same language. Where were you ...", Rana paused, "What really have you done for us, my brother, for me to sit through your preaching sessions".
"Nothing. If I had, then your head would be rolling on the ground instead of sticking to your neck", replied Sena.
Rana laughed, "Last words of Father". With a serious face he demanded, "Tell me, what is the point in enlarging all these glory and pride when a man cannot save his own head ?"
Sena's eyes flickered. His nose widened. His fingers formed a fist.
"I am a warrior. I dont carry a myth, I carry a sword", Rana informed his brother taking a serious tone.
Sena punched the desk with his fist to bring an end to Rana's ignorence. Rana circled around the desk and stood before Sena and threatened his brother, "The revenge inside me has sinked, it is replaced with fury. Don't even try to do what you just did again".
The brothers stood staring at one another and then they raised their arms not to shake but to crush each other's throat.
... to be continued ...
-
Chaturmukaha Part 3 - mRdayopaliptaM
Chapter Two - Locked within Oneself
A Flight Together
"That's my master eye !", grumbled Rana while sticking a wet cloth over the red ring around his punched left eye.
"That's my wisdom tooth !", muttered Sena with his fingers sticking inside his mouth between the cracked lips which had taken a blow.
"How old am I ?", asked Vadhana to the brothers seated before here. The brothers looked at each other. Without waiting for an answer, she continued with annoyance, "I have an empire to run and I can't come running each time you pull each other's hair out. What would have happened if I had not intervened".
"Hope would have sliced Faith, or, Faith would have torn Hope", murmured the brothers.
"What ?", she asked, "I don't remember seing you brothers quarrelling when you were at the age to dispute over a pebble. What happened to you both now ?"
Rana got up and held Sena's hand. He pulled him and said, "Come, I will take you to a place."
"Where ?"
"To the east, where you can bury your tooth", Rana joked.
"The light from the dawn will purify your sight", replied Sena.
The brothers sat under the Big Tree infront of their birth house. Nothing much had changed, except branches of strains due to non-maintainance were prominent in the building as well around the small garden.
"That's where you sat counting the flying birds. You were weird at that time itself", Rana said humourlessly. Sena Smiled. Vadhana was taking a small walk around. All three were floating on the same pool of memory.
A gaurd approached Vadhana. After a brief discussion with him, she waved at the brothers and followed the messenger.
"I die to see our Queen in a tiny frock, just like during the good gold days", Rana said earnestly. Sena smiled.
Sitting over the small paltform in front of their home, the brothers kept the entire day between themselves. They talked about their mother's delicious food and amused over their Father's childishness about chasing them around the garden. They watched the corner where their Father trained them in sword fighting using wooden sticks and looked at the patches where they rode on their horses along with their Parents. They discussed about their uncle and his jokes.
"I searched for Yamuna, still looking for her", Rana said sorrowfully. Sena sat silent. Rana looked at his brother gazing at the blue sky. He maintainted silence too. Sena took out a compass, but the needles seemed to be stuck. He pocketed the item back. Time passed.
"Vampires ? Do they even exist ?", Sena frowned his face.
"Yes. At the Valley of Vampire", asserted Rana with enthusiasm. "They worshipped their king called Pha, even after his death centuries ago. They beleived that he was walking around protecting their clan, and I beleived in his golden teeth should worth a lot. Pha was sleeping, well when he was not roaming around, inside a concrete tomb. A group of people suddenly became allergic to the heat from the sun. Then, their eyes became hyper sensitive to the light. So they started dwelling in the dark. Due to whatever deficiency, they started loosing their teeth. Being the King, Pha got his Vampire teeth installed with gold".
Sena laughed.
"So, we broke inside thier cave", Rana continued, "and pale men, women and children who gaurded the tomb with their sharpened teeth attacked us. It's a kind of their clan's ritual to sharpen their teeth to resemble their Pha's. It was Hanchabadra ...", Rana paused. He looked the other way and then after taking a breathe he continued, "We found the tomb, but the teeth was well glued to the skull. We were out numbered. When I was fighting the Vampires, Hanchabadra and Sengodagan carried the skeleton over their shoulders. While they were running, the skull on the shoulder of Hanchabadra starred at him with clunky jaw. He did not sleep for a week after the escape".
"I would like to visit this Valley", wished Sena. "Not Possible, I blasted the enterance of the cave", Rana shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever was inside, stays inside".
"Where is Pha now", asked Sena. "The toothless skull hanging over the bony body is buried deep underground. Stories in the wind whisper that Pha still roams around and his Vampire Clan are still searching for their Skeleton King. We have to check out on them some day", Rana laughed.
"A Headless Horseman terrorised a rich town", Sena told his brother. "That thing on a huge black stallion with red eyes rode over the dark lanes. People were terrified that they refused to leave their houses. That night when I visited the town to enquire about the Headless Horseman, I arrived late at the deserted town. Before me was Headless Horseman. Sweat ran down my temple ...", Sena paused, and then continued, "I tell it to you my brother, none should hear about this - the sight made my knees to tremble".
Rana laughed so hard that he almost tripped to the ground.
"So", an annoyed Sena said, "it stared at me and rode away. The next morning I asked the townsmen whether there were any casualities. None reported, but the claim was that every night a family keeps a basket of candies outside thier house".
"Candies ?", questioned Rana, "Should be a wierd witch !".
"I tracked the devil's foot print and reached a ranch. It was run by a poor, widowed farmer with his two sons who were less than ten years old. The following night I waited for the Headless Horseman and stood face to face with it on the street, no trembling this time".
Rana tried to controll his laughter, but ended up brusting.
"Really a 'No'. I was not governed by fear anymore, as I know who the Headless Horseman was, rather 'were'. It was the kids of the poor farmer, the younger one sitting over the elder's shoulder who was riding the horse. They covered themselves with a huge black cloth which ended as a cone above, rigidly fixed with sticks looking like a headless neck. They applied some special effects to their costume including red strains. The poor horse was blinded as they had cut a red floresent paper into a shape of an eye and stuck it on the fly mask making the horse visionless. These kids were mistreated and chased by the dwellers just because they were poor and weak. All they wished for was the candies that their father could not afford to buy them. And eventually they suceeded in accuring a lot each day".
"Were the kids punished ?", asked Rana curiously. "No, the mystery stayed unsolved", Sena winked at Rana. "Their father prepares delicious soup. One day I will take you there".
"What happened to the town then ? Did you warn the kids to behave themselves ?", asked Rana. "The town was not hauted anymore by a Headless Horseman, but by two. The legend of the Headless Horsemen continues", the brothers laughed out loud.
"Rana, we are not fighting a Human War here", Sena spoke in a much deeper and serious tone.
"I understand", Rana asserted.
"Preparation is not what we need, we have to obtain more knowledge on what we are confronting", Sena assured.
"How could we accuire it ?", Rana wondered.
"I had always noted a group of twelve men been mentioned, whenever a topic about our Father comes up", Sena said.
"Yes, the Wise Brothers referred them too. Also, I think they are the ones I saw at a bar drinking from a single bowl", Rana explained.
"Yes, it's them. The description matches", confirmed Sena.
"How are we going to find them", Rana questioned.
Sena took out his compass. It's needles shivered and started to spin slowly. Sena smiled.
... to be continued ...
-
Chaturmukaha Part 3 - mRdayopaliptaM
Chapter Two - Locked within Oneself
Witness of Evidence (part 1/2)
Study the past if you would define the future. - Confucius
"The Emperor is a Ninja !", exclaimed Rana.
Rana and Sena cut through the crooked paths in the forest and entered the thick regions of the jungle on their horses, Rahbar and Nameless.
"Dashakantha and the annonymous man called The Poet were trained in the same secret university as mine", replied Sena. "Dashakantha was famously known as Vettaiyan for his fiery patience and cunning attacks. He was the pupil who had spent more years with the Guild and his last few days concentrated on training the mind".
"This Poet guy ? Where does he fit in ?", Rana questioned. Sena rode in silence.
"I fell like I know you well, at the same time you are the perfect stranger I have met", Rana complained.
The ground before them started to look flattened due to the effect from frequent marching. Sena signaled Rana that they have arrived. They got down from the horse and after attaching the beasts to a bark, they walked over the flat floor. The trees became scarce as they advanced and they arrived into a oval plain land. The opposite gave a hill facade, on the right ran a tiny stream of water and the left was densed with bushes. The brother heard footfalls over dry leaves. Twelve men approached the brothers , squeezing themselves between the shrubs. The Twelve Disciples of Time registered their presence in front of Rana and Sena. They looked aged and fragile. Their bodies were covered with a simple dark piece of cloth. None spoke except One, the Speaker.
"Our Last of the Days has arrived, standing like a split second before us", said the Speaker to his fellowmen. They all stared at the brothers. Rana looked at Sena.
"Thus, the Witness will be the One to whom the Evidence shall pass", the Speaker announced.
"Why does he have to speak in such manner", Rana whispered to Sena. Sena ignored his brother and knelt down. Rana followed his brother.
"You have come after hearing to many, we tell you only the final Piece in Time. Uniting them will reveal to you the veracity", saying so he closed his eyes. The rest eleven closed their eyes and started chanting in incomprehensible language.
Thus, the Twelve Lost Sailors whom the Time brought to shore, roamed the World for a century waiting for their turn to narrate the Tricks of Tasks to the Seeds of the Father :
"Your Father is the Wisest of All Men, the Son born out of the Spirit of the Fathers", started the Speaker. "We have not met your Father, neither his Wingmen, but we were given wisdom by the One and Only who watches us All".
Several thousand years back, existed a civilisation of not the intelligent but of the innovatus. A peirod when Man was not able to understand himself - how he laughed, what made him cry, which brought him pain, when he was joy, why he was tired. After the Light was removed from one source and restored into another, the Man wondered about those he could see and those he could not witness. He found a sort of container, hundred and eight to be exact, and coined his first definition to understand the cylinder as all energies within an energy. With that aspiring energy of thought, he realised what he contained inside himself. He started to dive into his own emotions. And an handful found a depth inside.
These Special Men started questioning the mind that governed their emotions - if mind is a part of the body and if it can float, why not the body too. This principle thought brought them to coin their first concept Laghima - weightlessness. Their study continued drawing its energy stored inside the cylinder, gifted to them by the Creator himself. Just as the study, so extended their search. They stumbled upon an unexplainable Natural force over the sands where once water had flown - Godwin, the anti-gravitational force. At that specific point, rocks floated, but never the Man. They became curious and closely followed Mother Nature. Examining the concept of Laghima and Godwin, they unearthed the power, a kind of psysiological force residing inside Man and they named it Ego.
If this inside force, Ego, can leviate a man, then a similar force thrusted upon should carry the body too, they infered. Thus, they invented the first flying machine, Vimana.
Sucess failed them, as it was not a proper Time. But their record is lost somewhere around the nothern mountains, deep or above, the Seeker shall find it. Absence of evidence is not an evidence of absence. Confusion should only start once the Seeker found this record, as there are different kinds of Vimana - to fly over land or to fly under water - what should interest you is Kaara. Without it, you will be doomed before the one He calls the Clown. Build the Vimana, float in the air, before it's already late.
"Really. After you explain and before I understand, the world would end", Rana murmured at Sena.
The Speaker looked at Rana angrily and yelled, "This war began even before Mankind, and reigned through various wars involving many Realms of Time. Man just accounts from where he started to understand, the rest he did not put much effort to know. Facts of Time do not cease to exist because they are ignored. Thus, ignorant as he was as always, Man designed the hour at his own convinience ignoring the basic Evidence of Time".
The Speaker breathed heavily. Rana looked at the Twelve disciples wide-eyed. Sena calmly manipulated his mind by feeding it with the informations he was receiving.
"The Darkside were winning," continued the Speaker. "All the demon warriors assembled themselves inside a Twin City. The cities were over flowing with deadly monsters hungry to feed on the flashes of the Light. They were ready to attack the Capital City of Lights. They noticed a flight - a bright light resembling a shooting star - above in the sky. Slowly Vrishis tore the sky and when they realised the Light to be an attack missile, the Time to react seized to exist. Vrishis, the ultimate bomb made out of the all the energies sources of the universe, hit between the Two Cities. None were alive to witness the mushroom cloud."
"A Vrishis is waiting at a known palace. The outcome in the Battle of Three will deceide whether this world, the Human one, will fall under the shadow of a similar cloud."
"At the end of the Battle of Three, if the Brother's stand, then this World will fall."
... to be continued ...
-
Chaturmukaha Part 3 - mRdayopaliptaM
Chapter Two - Locked within Oneself
Witness of Evidence (part 2/2)
As the different streams having their sources in different places all mingle their water in the sea, so, O Lord, the different paths which men take through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee. - Swami Vivekananda's speech at Chicago, September 11th 1893.
The Speaker approached Sena. He looked from above at the risen face of Sena glittering purity his eyes. But the Speaker also found a deep anguish lining at the corner of his lips.
"Chanciness is a Curse bestowed on Man at the right time when he took his first breathe", said the Speaker, "but as your Father was born from above, you are blessed with the boon of very great ability. I can see in your eyes, the phrophecy that worries you, and I know when Time arrives, you will take the fall to keep your split half standing."
Sena listen to his words spoken by the Speaker.
"We are Time Keepers, not Fate Fakers", declared the Speaker. "All three Worlds are one and the same even if resided by Makers, Executioners and Influenced in their respective Worlds. The only difference is Time, as they vary their own identity. In this World, Time exists only as Future, where Man runs tensed, but always forward. Future is a line between the Birth and Death. What had happened - the Birth, defines what should it be leading to - the Life, the way it shall be done - the Death.
When a stone is thrown, the Future is not where it lands, the Future is that, it will land. The Path the stone takes branches itself from the Line of Future and converges itself bowing before the definite end.
The prohecy is about the End and not a Prediction", the Speaker paused and looked at the brothers and said, "One will Show the Way, the other will Guide".
The Men of Wisdom walked silently towards the hills. The Speaker stopped and whispered into the ears of the Listener. The Listener calmly approached the kneeling brothers. "You have come here for a story, then, listen one more from me too", he said.
"A man", narrated the Listener, "insulted his Love. She saw him as everything for her, but the arogant man rejected her, an insult she could not bare. His father once took him to a soothsayer to forsee his future. The fortune-teller guaranteed wealth for the young man. The man did not believe as his fate seemed not possible - been born to a normal father will not permit him to become rich. He will do what his father did, just like how his son will continue.
One day, he got an opputunity to change his fate, he escaped a rich merchant from robbers. The trader gladly offered the man a collared work. The man realised his efficiency to alter his kismet, he attempted to kill the merchant to gain his wealth but was caught and beaten-up. The man ran back to the astrologer and cried. Wise do not wait for a change, they find ways to alter, the foreseer said. He assured him that if he married to the daughter of the merchant at a specific point in Time, he should acquire more than just wealth.
The man was suprised when he found that the daughter of the merchant was none other than the girl who was madly in love with him. He convinced her about how a changed man he had became and obtained her accord to marry him. But the angry merchant stood between him and his wealth. Time fixed by the forecaster started to feed onto the present quickly. The man finally succeeded in eloping with the girl, but the last second of the determined Time had passed.
Late, he sat on the boat on which he had kidnapped the merchant's daughter. Before him was a map. He hurriedly used time and distance measuring instruments and marked a tiny island at the corner of the map, the Space in the Sphere of Time where yesterday at his place was still a today. Gaining a day's chance, he rowed to the island and before the evening sky he married the daughter of the merchant on the island under the time fixed by the soothsayer.
At the same moment, the merchant died in a lightning strike. The man took it as a sign of his victory over his destiny and walked with his wife to inherit the fortune of his father-in-law. Buisness flourished, it was like whatever he touched turned to gold. But he could not touch his own wife. She took her vengence on him for insulting her love. She slept beside him, she provoked him, but always carried a sharp tiny knife buckled around her left thigh that threatened his manhood if he tried to approach her. None of his wealth could wipe his tears.
The richest man died of oldage. He reached the Holy House and spoke to Fate who was seated beside the Creator. I have conquered you my Fate, he boosted. I was destined to die poor and here I am before you as a wealthy man, he explained.
Fate replied, You were never destined to accuire wealth, but to rot in an unsucessful marriage."
The Listener joined the Speaker who glanced at Sena for a brief moment. They started to move forward, when the Speaker spoke without facing the brothers :
"mRdayopaliptaM ... yathaiva bimbaM mRdayopaliptaM tejo-mayaM bhrAjate tat sudhAntam ... Just as a mirror with dirt smeared brightly shines when well cleaned, Evil has to be removed from our World for it to shine brightly again."
The Disciples of Time disappeared into the thick jungle.
... to be continued ...
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Chaturmukaha Part 3 - mRdayopaliptaM
Chapter Two - Locked within Oneself
A Strategy for the Strategist
It was past noon when Rana and Sena walked through the streets lined with shops to reach the place where Sena had fixed a rendez-vous with Yesodha Putran and the Head of the Council. Rana stopped before a jewel shop and expressed his wish to offer his brother an item of his choice. Sena continued walking giving him his smile as the reply.
The brothers passed by a young platform vendor making objects resembling animals with thin metal wires. The lady was pulling the long strip of metal wire and quickly moved her fingers coupling the wires efficiently inbetween the gaps. She used a small instrument with a pointed nose to detach the giraffe from the bundle of wire. She placed it in front of her on the floor beside a tiny population of animals. On the mat both pets and ferals shared the same space. Sena halted and asked his brother to get him a family of sheep and a wolf.
"Seriously", Rana exclaimed, "you don't want a ring, but figurines of sheeps and a wolf".
Rana returned back with the objects and before handing it over to Sena, he complained about the high-cost. Sena advanced further and handed the 'toymates' to the little girl who was playing on the street with peebles in her hand. The girl's face widened with a broad smile. She immedately put the tiny animals on her laps and started to narrate to herself her first story.
"You asked those for that girl ?", Rana asked. "Yes. You bought lunch for the lady and I bought happiness for the kid".
Yesodha Putran listened carefully what the brothers had to say. The Head of the Council sat attentively beside him.
"But my investigation, which is thorough by all means, did not stumble upon a devastating device. If that's true, the weapon is threatening", the strategist announced. "And this bomb, it's exact location unknown, will detonate if the Emperor is killed in the battle ! That gives another reason under probability not to go for war".
"And the Clown, what could it be", asked the Nobelman. No one gave a reply.
"The Vettaiyan Palace is a heavily gaurded maze. An architect had redesigned it, maybe to hid the bomb somewhere inside", Sena said.
"Firstly, we should have it confirmed. Secondly, entering the Palace with force is a possibility, but where should we search once inside, for that we need the floor plan of the Palace detailing the maze set-up - whatever that is suppose to mean. Thridly, what should be do once the bomb is found ?", wondered Rana.
"No, we won't force our entry, it's impossible to get past the waves of warriors. For the floor plan, I can't confirm for now, but I think we may have a complice who is a close assosiate of the Emperor. For defusing the bomb, Monk shall take care of it", summerised Sena.
"Monk ?", exclaimed Rana. Sena did not reply.
"But before we come to the point we just discussed, we have to get the accord of the Kings to encourage the Council to come to a favourable decision, including Queen Vadhana", explained the Nobleman. "The war declaration must be approved by the Council of one hundred and twenty-four Noblemen without being overruled by the Head of the Throne. Canceling the decision of the Council had never happened, but I fear we are going to write it's first occurrence. Queen Vadhana is not ready for war as she contemplates in settling the dispute through new treaties and terms as suggested by Putran. She considers Kottaipattinam shall not withstand another war."
"I can try to convince her", Rana assured the group and prepared to leave.
Sena stopped him. "Rana, be more prepared to part to the northern mountains to look for Vimana Records".
"Why me ?", argued Rana. "Because you are the treasure hunter", replied Sena.
Once Rana left to meet Vadhana in the Queen's room at the Palace, Sena discussed various prospects to win the war with Yesodha Putran and the Nobleman. He briefed them, assuming a war suituation, about controlling the outflow of information by tracking spies and invading corruptors to extract facts and data about their employer. He briefly spoke about his past - his job and his training, to gain the confidence of his listeners. They strated jotting down the strength of their army, and evaluated it's growth by including all support fronts. The three men spoke in turns, each and every time, they nodded their head in accordence with the speaking one.
... to be continued ...