‘Yes, Ubaid Khan. I know about it too well. We had sealed it after killing these islanders twenty years ago. Send a hundred Island Guards to the old graveyard. Tell them to open it up. The entrance to the cave is somewhere there. Once opened, barge in and kill. Also, tell all the Island Guards to be battle-ready. Form a defence strategy along with Bakhtiar to protect the fort.’ said Zorawar. He dismissed the Wazir and went to the Mirror Room.
Zorawar locked himself up inside the Mirror Room with the Sin Serum.
After a few hours, he came out with blood-red eyes and ordered, ‘It’s time to go.’
2 – Outside Jazeera
The seawater glimmered under the orange sky. On the water body between Jazeera and the village, twenty boats were lined up in two rows carrying soldiers who faced each other.
On one side were the villagers and armoured women and girls led by Avni, while the other side had the mighty Island Guards with their silver armour, shields, and swords. Both parties had soldiers with bows and arrows, and spears. One wrong move and the stage was set for a blood bath.
Avni held Prince Aadil’s hand firmly but caringly in her boat. The boat beside her was occupied by Hamid and Brinda. Prince Aadil’s face was covered with a black cloth.
Zorawar stood erect on one boat accompanied by Bakhtiar and four Island Guards. The Wazir was positioned in a boat beside the Sultan. Both sides faced each other and stared at their opponent.
Hamid said, ‘Sultan, Wazir, please hear me out. I have spoken to these people. They do not want war. Yes, they have certain demands, but this situation can be resolved peacefully. Are you ready to talk?’
Zorawar looked at the Wazir, ordering him to respond. The Wazir said, ‘Zorawar wants to make sure that Prince Aadil is safe. Show him to us and only then shall we proceed further.’
‘He is safe,’ said Avni, as she unmasked Aadil.
Zorawar saw Aadil and smiled. There was a concerned look on the child’s face. He looked scared. As he glanced around him, he spotted Zorawar and yearned for his father’s embrace.
Zorawar raised his arms. Aadil saw the gesture and a faint smile emerged on his face. But before the smile could bloom fully, an arrow struck the kid in his forehead.
Aadil died instantly. Zorawar had ordered the Island Guards to kill Aadil.
Panic set in Avni’s camp. No one had expected this. They started to retreat, as their fleet gave them a cover by firing arrows on the Island Guards.
Everything happened within seconds, and a flurry of arrows from both sides claimed several lives.
The Wazir was shocked. He knew he was supposed to protect Prince Aadil. Little did he know that he had to protect the child from his own father.
Amidst the flying arrows, the Wazir drew a dagger and pointed it at Zorawar. He aimed through his teary eyes and threw it at its target. Bakhtiar saw this, launched himself in front of the dagger, and deflected it with his shield.
The other guards noticed the Wazir’s revolt and his body was pierced with spears from different sides.
His dead body fell into the sea. Zorawar spat at it and ordered the boat back to Jazeera.
The battle of the fort island had begun.
3 – Cave
Avni and the others brought the injured to the cave. Kashvi immediately arranged for medical attention for them. Avni and Kashvi met after a long hiatus, but they hadn’t imagined they would meet under such circumstances. Nevertheless, they hugged like a loving mother-daughter duo, tears running freely from both pairs of eyes. They needed to be strong. For themselves and their clan.
The cave was in full attendance. Guru Ashwath, Hamid, Goraksh and his father, the Village Head, Sarayu, head of the Adivasi clan, Shambhu, Brinda, Chitrashi, along with other women and girl warriors. Some of them were stationed in the camp looking after the rest of the children.
The light from the full moon couldn’t break through the thick tree cover near the cave. Lamps and torches inside the cave illuminated the surroundings. Guru Ashwath stood up and faced the gathering. Everyone present stopped what they were doing and looked at their Guru.
He began talking, ‘My dear tribe members, the moment has arrived. We extended our hand for peace in our own way, but it has been cut ruthlessly by the enemy. Now, we fight. We fight for our existence. We fight for our tribe. We fight for our children.
‘Remember, we are not fighting against Zorawar. Zorawar is a victim of his circumstances. He is doing to others what was done to him. We are fighting against an idea that is represented by him. He believes that the strong survive by killing the weak. We believe that strength lies in a community and living in harmony with nature. This is our dharma.
‘The enemy thinks that Jazeera is impregnable. And he will not come looking for trouble inside the Mahavan for he knows we hold the upper hand here. He will wait for us to attack while he sources reinforcements.
‘Bagha and a majority of his men are already on their way to stop the Sultanate’s reinforcement from the east. He will be supported by Kashvi’s brother, Keshav. Kashvi and her team of women warriors will enter Jazeera through the cave tunnel they have been clearing out for years. They will crossover and wage a war from inside Jazeera, while the battle outside will be led by Brinda and her band of fierce female warriors. She will be supported by the villagers and the rest of Bagha’s men. They will have the majority of the horses with them. The Adivasis and I will be stationed near the cave as a backup with the remaining horses, while Savitri and Iravati will guard the children at the camp.
‘The Sujaynagar Empire has kept its promise by sending their trained horses, elephants, and weapons to us. We already have our own horses and weapons. Most of all, we have Avni and her team of Shadows. With their wings, they will soar over the fort’s walls and kill the enemy from within.
‘We have waited twenty years to claim what is ours. We have the prophecy on our side. We have nature on our side. It is their two thousand against our four hundred. But the enemy will be caught off-guard, as the dynamics of warfare will change. Then, our four hundred will seem a lot more daunting. The original inhabitants of the island, Adivasis, Junglees and the villagers will fight together as the Mahavanis.
‘Right now, the enemy has boats with soldiers patrolling the fort. It is just a matter of time that those boats will not have water to float on. In a few hours, the moon will shine the brightest, and the prophecy will come true. The water will recede tonight as per the Kaal Acharya’s calendar. The sea will open the battlefield for us. This will create giant waves in the north of the fort and the enemy’s reinforcements will not be able to sail towards Jazeera.
‘This is how we will win together. Smartness lies in making plans. But wisdom lies in knowing that everything will not go according to those plans. You will have to think on your feet and act accordingly. Look out for each other. You can fight freely when you know that someone has you covered. Jai Bhoodevi.’
Guru Ashwath concluded his speech and the crowd echoed in unison, ‘Jai Bhoodevi.’ They dispersed to their individual camps and prepared for battle.
Hamid and Avni approached Guru Ashwath. Hamid said, ‘Guru Ashwath, I have a suggestion.’
‘Yes, please. All suggestions are welcome,’ said Guru Ashwath.
‘I just confirmed with Avni. There’s a child named Sujata in the camp. She is the daughter of Urmila, a righteous woman who helped me in the recent past. If she comes to know that her daughter is alive, and so are the rest of the kidnapped children, she along with the other islanders can help us fight the Island Guards within Jazeera. If only there was a way to get to her,’ said Hamid.
Guru Ashwath smile. He said, ‘I knew that once you know the truth, you would come over to our side, Hamid. I believe Goraksh knows how to get in and out of Jazeera without suspicion,’
‘But can he do it under the current circumstances?’ asked Hamid.
Avni responded with a smile, ‘Goraksh has his ways. He will get in.’
‘But how will he find Urmila? Can I go with
him?’ asked Hamid.
‘How good are you at improvising?’ asked Avni?
‘Above average,’
‘Should work,’ said Avni, leading Hamid to Goraksh and explaining the plan to him.
4 – Urmila’s House
Goraksh and a disguised Hamid smuggled themselves inside Jazeera by bribing Hassan, Goraksh’s buddy, and the other Island Guards with gold coins, who were pleased to make a quick buck in the time of crisis.
Hamid led the way to Urmila’s house. As they reached the house, they heard someone crying and barged inside. Urmila was sitting on the floor with her hands on her head. She was sobbing uncontrollably. Her husband, Raghu, was lying face down on the ground in front of her. A circle of blood had formed on the floor near his head.
Hamid rushed to comfort her and said, ‘Are you okay? What happened here?’
Urmila could barely speak. But she gathered courage and said, ‘I killed my husband.’
‘What?’ exclaimed Goraksh. Urmila was too shocked to ask for the stranger’s identity.
Hamid said, ‘Don’t worry, he is a friend.’ Hamid searched for the water pot and offered her some. Urmila took a few sips from the clay tumbler.
Hamid patted her back and asked, ‘Where’s Sarita?’
‘She is at her aunt’s place. That’s where I send her whenever Raghu became aggressive. He tried to force himself upon me. I resisted, but he didn’t listen. He started abusing and hitting me. That’s when your words echoed in my head. “There’s no have to in life. We always have a choice.”
‘I went for the darts you had given me, but he caught me in the act. I pushed him. He banged his head against the wall, lost his balance, and fell. I didn’t intend to kill him but…’
Hamid tried to console Urmila. Meanwhile, Goraksh brought stacks of hay from a stable nearby and covered Raghu’s dead body.
Hamid asked Goraksh, ‘You said something about a warehouse, right?’
‘Yes, just around the corner,’ said Goraksh.
‘Let’s go there. Urmila, please come with us. This was not your fault. It was an accident. And some accidents can be liberating.’
Urmila wiped her tears and asked, ‘Why did you come here? Jazeera is in a state of panic. I heard the Sultan killed his own son, and there’s a battle waiting to happen.’
‘Yes, a battle is about to begin, and we need your help,’ said Hamid.
‘I am in no position to help you, Shravan,’ said Urmila.
‘My name is not Shravan, Urmila. It is Hamid. I am sorry I had to keep secrets from you.’ Hamid held her by her arms, looked into her eyes, and said, ‘Sujata is alive.’
‘Sujata! My daughter. She’s alive?’ asked Urmila.
‘She is inside the forest with Goraksh’s people. They took the children away to keep them safe from the battle. They are good people, and I need you and others like you to help us fight this battle against the Sultan for the children’s future.’
‘You mean to say I can hold my Sujata again? I can be with her again?’ cried Urmila.
‘Yes,’ answered Hamid.
Goraksh said, ‘But right now, we need to work together to cripple the Island Guards from within. My warehouse has some weapons but those won’t be enough. We will have to find innovative ways to stop these Island Guards. Urmila, can you get more people on our side? Maybe the parents of the children. You can inform them that their children are alive and safe in the Mahavan. Once all this is over, they can be reunited with their kids.’
‘Yes, I can manage to assemble a group. The people of Jazeera will do anything for their children.’
‘Good. Let’s move to the warehouse. Urmila, it’s the one next to the butcher’s shop,’ said Goraksh.
‘Alright,’ said Urmila.
‘The Island Guards are already outside. Soon, they will march from their quarters towards the gates. Stay safe. See you at the warehouse,’ said Hamid.
5 – Outside Jazeera
The sea was retreating slowly and steadily. Shocked and confused, the Island Guards outside Jazeera abandoned their boats and rushed to the fort’s boundaries.
Now that the Wazir was dead, Zorawar had handed the military charge to Bakhtiar.
The guards on the seashore fled back fearing black magic; however, Bakhtiar ordered them to stay put near the fort wall. They stood there with spears held in shivering hands. The full moon made the setting all the more ominous.
Bow and arrow specialists were mounted on the fort walls. The Commander walked from one end of the wall that faced the Mahavan to the other, supervising the guards. They expected the attack from this side, and hence it was heavily guarded. In order to stay cautious, the remaining three sides of the fort’s boundaries were also patrolled by Island Guards with bows and arrows, but the number was comparatively less.
Bakhtiar was armoured, but as always, he refused to wear a helmet; it made him uncomfortable. He paced to and fro one more time and then stopped on noticing three incoming horses from the Mahavan’s direction.
The horses each had a burning carriage behind them. They came running to the fort and were about to move to the Southern Gate when Bakhtiar ordered his men outside the fort to charge at the horses.
Thirty Island Guards ran towards the burning carriages. It was difficult to run because of the wet ground beneath, which had been under the sea just hours ago. It slowed them down and that gave the incoming Mahavanis an opportunity to aim freely at the Island Guards.
Brinda led a group of fifty warriors on horses towards the Island Guards. One horse for two warriors. The horse rider held a massive wooden shield to defend from the incoming arrow-and-spear attack while the warrior riding pillion was ready with a bow and arrow to launch an attack.
They approached the burning carriages and took the Island Guards by surprise. They aimed at the guards from a distance and killed them. Bakhtiar saw all this unfold in front of him. It took him a moment to realize that the carriages were a distraction and the Mahavanis launched an attack.
Bakhtiar ordered the guards on the wall to shoot arrows at the horse riders. A wave of arrows was launched from the fort towards the Mahavanis; however, the attack was in vain. Brinda’s warriors blocked the arrows with their long wooden shields. Immediately, the pillion riders stood up, took aim, and launched a counterattack on the guards who had fired the arrows. Some landed on target, while some guards evaded the arrows.
The batch of warriors on twenty-five horses retreated into the forest after launching an attack and a fresh one came in. They were moving in relays, where one batch would attack, return into the forest, reload, and readied to go again, while another batch would be at the battlefront already. This way, the attack on the boundaries was relentless.
Bakhtiar continuously replaced the Island Guards who were killed with new ones. They did manage to hit a few horses and kill some of the Mahavanis, but the casualties were higher on the Island Guard’s side. The fact remained though that the Sultan had an entire army of Island Guards at his disposal, while the Mahavanis had only a fraction of it.
6 – Cave Tunnel
After Kashvi and the others had escaped through it twenty years ago, they had deliberately closed the tunnel at the point where it stepped up into the forest. They had made a home of the rest of the cave. The route to the island was further clogged by vegetation over time. When the seed of a plan to fulfil the prophecy was born, Kashvi and the others had made an educated decision to reopen the tunnel.
With years of hard work, the women had reopened and cleared the cave tunnel. They had hit roadblocks but continued clearing the route with intent. And now when the time had come, they had embarked on the journey that would decide their fate.
Kashvi remembered the route as if she had crossed it a day before. Twenty years ago, she led a band of scared women from the island to the caves. And now, twenty years later, she was leading a spirited bunch of thirty warrior women from the cave to the island to lay claim on what was snatched away from them.
Chitrashi was at the rear end. The women held torches in one hand and swords in the other. A shield was strapped to their armoured backs. The route was by no means easy. But they ventured inside with valour.
They had been clearing the route religiously for years. Kashvi had told the other women to imagine the scenario in their heads every night before going to sleep. They were so used to the suffocating tunnel, the torchlight, and each other’s presence, that they did not find it overwhelming when they actually walked that path and inched closer to the island.
As a precautionary measure, they had arranged small rocks on the ceiling held back with fishing nets, which could act as blockades in the time of need. Such blocks were placed at strategic places such as narrow paths and curves. All one had to do to block the entry from Jazeera to the forest was to slash open these nets, and the rocks would close the entry.
The women had been walking for a while. They had a measuring rope with them, which indicated the distance. They were inching closer to the opening at the other end of the tunnel in the graveyard on Jazeera. Little did they know that Zorawar had employed a hundred Island Guards to dig through that end of the tunnel.
Meanwhile, the Island Guards had broken through the cave entrance and were running towards the Mahavanis. Kashvi heard the footsteps and gauged that the enemy was marching in. The others panicked. But Kashvi kept things under control with her calm mind. She knew this was the time to act quickly. She ordered the women to blow off the torches. The tunnel went black.
Kashvi asked one of the youngsters to lie on the floor and control her breathing. The others hid behind crevices near her. They waited for a while and saw the silhouettes of the Island Guards approach them with swords and torches. The guards suddenly came upon the girl on the floor and were startled by what they saw. They maintained a safe distance from what looked like a corpse.
Jazeera- Legend of the Fort Island Page 10
