It didn’t matter. He had found the path his quarry had taken.
Harish decided to follow the tracks into the forest.
He switched off the headlights of the car as he drove off the tarmac and onto the dirt path, bumping and swaying on the rough track.
Immediately, the darkness deepened all around him. He could barely make out the outlines of the trees on either side, which melted into a dark, shapeless mass of foliage beyond, where the forest thickened. He squinted ahead as he drove on slowly. The others would have had to drive with their headlights on. There was no way anyone could take a chance in the dark, especially if they were driving fast. He hoped to see a pinprick of light that would indicate that he had not fallen too far behind.
But there was nothing ahead except the deep, dark gloom.
He switched the headlights on. The forest suddenly sprang to life. The trees lining the road glowed in the twin beams, deepening the shadows in the forest that stretched behind and beyond them.
Harish accelerated, jolting over the uneven path as the car sped through the forest. A feeling of elation was beginning to take hold of him. This was a forest. There were wild animals here, even tigers. Surely, Virendra wasn’t foolhardy enough to risk the lives of his companions by seeking refuge and a hideaway in the jungle?
No, Harish was quite sure that, sooner or later, he would come upon the three fugitives he had been tasked to follow. All he had to do was stay the course until that happened.
Chapter Thirty-six
Flight through the Forest
Panna National Park
Madhya Pradesh
‘We won’t reach the river in time,’ Virendra said. ‘We’ll have to use the other entrance,’ he added reluctantly.
Maya wondered what the ‘other entrance’ was and why Virendra seemed loath to use it to access the Gurukul.
Tiwari appeared to consider Virendra’s words. ‘I guess you’re right, Kanak,’ he said finally. ‘I don’t like the idea either, but . . .’
‘Do it,’ Pramila spoke up sharply. She had been sitting quietly all along, seemingly indifferent to the ghostly shapes outside the car. ‘We have to get Arjun to safety. That is all that matters right now. I don’t care about anything else.’
Her commanding tone took both Arjun and Maya by surprise. Arjun had never heard his mother speak in this manner before to her uncle. She sounded . . . imperious. It was very unlike her.
The Land Cruiser swayed once more on its suspension as Virendra flung it around a bend and down another, narrower forest path, without taking his foot off the accelerator.
‘We’re almost there,’ Virendra said through gritted teeth. ‘Get ready all of you. The moment the car stops, we run. Forget the suitcases. Just run as fast as you can. Stay together and follow my lead. Ratan, can you get the torches from my backpack?’
Wordlessly, Tiwari kneeled on his seat and pulled the backpack towards him, rummaging through it until he found two powerful torches. He handed one each to Maya and Arjun and sat down again, waiting.
‘Right, torches on!’ Virendra commanded. Maya and Arjun switched on their torches and light flooded the cabin of the Land Cruiser.
The SUV screeched to a halt. Maya hurriedly tucked the diary in the waistband of her jeans. She didn’t want to risk losing it.
‘Go!’ Virendra ordered and they all spilled out of the car and onto the dirt path. The car’s headlights were on, illuminating the path ahead of them. The eerie shapes of the pretas milled around them, floating in mid-air, clearly visible now, in the light of the car headlamps and the torches. A fetid, dank smell permeated the cold air.
Virendra led them off the path and into the forest, weaving through the trees clustered together on the right side of the track. Arjun was shepherded by Pramila into position behind Virendra and in front of her. Maya followed her, one hand constantly feeling the diary through her tee shirt to ensure it did not slip out of the waistband of her jeans. Tiwari brought up the rear.
‘Don’t stop. Keep moving. Hurry!’ Virendra ordered.
Another path came into sight; a narrow one to be sure, and barely visible, but a path nevertheless, to be traversed only in single file.
The group hurried down the path, trying to avoid tripping over roots hidden by undergrowth, which could not be discerned in the light of the torches, and flapping their hands at low growing branches to keep them from slapping them in their faces. More than once, Maya and Arjun stumbled but were caught by Pramila or Tiwari.
No one looked back, but they didn’t need to. They all knew that they were being followed by the ghostly cloud of spirits.
Presently, the trees began to thin out until they emerged in a large clearing where there was nothing but grass. A rocky hill rose up before them, at the far end of the clearing, maybe fifty feet from where the forest ended.
The trees lining the clearing, in a rough semi-circle, seemed to be conscious of an invisible border that they could not cross.
But to the five human beings who emerged from the cover of the forest and sprinted across the clearing, no such border mattered.
Nor did it seem to affect the mass of twisted, emaciated creatures that formed a roiling, dark cloud that ebbed and flowed above the refugees who were running like their lives depended on it.
Virendra reached the rock face and turned to see how the rest of the group was doing.
The other four were close on his heels.
Almost there.
Almost in.
Almost . . .
‘Kanak!’ There was fear in Tiwari’s voice as he panted his way across the last few yards between him and the hillside where the rest of the group now stood. He was out of breath, unable to say anything more.
Virendra looked around at the dark sky, at the mass of spirits above, desperately seeking to identify the source of Tiwari’s alarm.
There was a scream. But not born of terror.
An agonized cry of pain.
To everyone’s surprise, Maya fell to the ground, clutching her head, rolling around, screaming all the while.
Chapter Thirty-seven
Terror in the Clearing
In the clearing
Panna National Park
Virendra, Pramila and Arjun stared at Maya, wondering what had happened to her, and unsure of what to do.
Only Tiwari knew what had happened to the young girl. ‘Something’s coming,’ he panted, and shook his head, closing his eyes to focus.
Pramila rushed to Maya and tried to calm her, but it was clear that something grave was afflicting the girl. Tears rolled down her face, her eyes were shut tight, and she pressed the palms of her hands tight against her head. She seemed to be in the throes of a fit or an attack.
‘What’s happened to Maya?’ Arjun was distressed. The threat to his life was momentarily forgotten and a deep concern for the well-being of his friend had taken over instead. ‘Do something! Help her!’
Pramila looked at Virendra, bewildered. He shook his head. He didn’t have an answer either. Instead, he scanned the sky, mindful of Tiwari’s warning, even as Pramila picked up the torch that Maya had dropped.
Tiwari stood to one side, his eyes shut tight as he muttered something under his breath. Virendra guessed he was reciting a mantra.
But for what?
Then, he saw it. His eyes widened with wonder.
What was happening?
Pramila and Arjun gazed in amazement.
Arjun’s jaw dropped. Pramila rose from where she had been kneeling near Maya, who was lying on her side, curled up in a foetal position. The girl had stopped screaming. She now sobbed uncontrollably while her body shivered perceptibly. Something was happening to her, but no one knew what it was. She still held her head tight with both her hands.
As the little group watched, in the light of their torches, a spectacle that was as astonishing as it was terrifying was unfolding.
The dark mass of pretas which had followed them through the forest and sallie
d forth from the cover of the trees, now hovering above them at a safe distance like a dark, grey bellied cloud in a thunderstorm, had parted to create a gap through which a black fog now rolled into the clearing.
As it slowly wafted through the mass of spirits, the pretas seemed to shrink away from the fog, almost as if it was toxic enough to harm even the spirits of the dead.
The fog seemed to be made of the darkness itself; no, of a blackness that was even darker than the cloak of the night. As the cloud of pretas parted, the fog drifted through the opening, blotting out the stars that shone in the sky, hiding from sight the canopy of the night.
Tiwari’s eyes snapped open. ‘Kanak!’ he urged, his voice tense.
Virendra whirled toward him.
‘They’re here.’ Tiwari’s voice was strained. He was the only one who appeared to understand what was happening. He was also making a Herculean effort to suppress the terror that was born of his knowledge. ‘Kanak, I can sense their presence but I don’t know what they are. Nothing like I’ve ever seen before – that’s the only thing I can say for sure. We can’t enter the Gurukul without knowing what we are up against. Too much of a risk. You need to make a stand. Here, in this clearing.’
Virendra nodded, not understanding fully, though he guessed that something was going to happen now that would require his skills as a Kshatriya. It was clear that Tiwari felt that the powers of a Rishi would not be enough to tackle whatever it was they were facing. The specialized powers of a warrior were needed.
‘Swords.’ Virendra’s command was curt and urgent.
Arjun gave him a baffled look. Swords? They had left the wooden case, in which the swords were packed, back in the car. It was impossible to go back there to get it now!
He looked at his mother and his jaw dropped. There was a long, shiny sword in her hand, glinting in the light of the torch that she held in her other hand. His head spun. What was his mother doing with a sword? And where had she got it from?
Arjun turned to look at Virendra just in time to see two swords materialize, one in each hand, as if out of thin air.
What was happening here? Was he dreaming?
The next moment, Virendra turned to Arjun and nodded, tossing one of the swords to him. Arjun caught it deftly and drew it from the scabbard, in one smooth, swift motion. He quickly took up a position to attack, as taught by his uncle.
Virendra gave him an approving glance, as if to say, ‘Good job. Good stance. First step.’ As he would do back home when they were practicing.
As Arjun steeled himself and looked ahead, he was overcome with shock and horror at the scene that began unfolding before his eyes.
In another part of the park
There was no warning. No time for him to prepare.
One moment, Harish was racing along the dirt path, being jolted along in his seat, with nothing around him but the trees, the dust cloud thrown up by the car, and the darkness.
The next moment, he was surrounded by a scene out of a nightmare.
Hideous creatures appeared out of nowhere and descended upon his car. It was as if the darkness surrounding him had suddenly taken on a life of its own, manifesting itself in a multitude of horrific forms. They swirled around him, all emaciated limbs, incomplete bodies, fangs and claws.
A terror that he had never experienced before overcame him as he hurtled on, unable to do anything to stop them. His mind would not work. A dark sense of horror filled his senses, his blood running cold.
Through the open window a foul odour pervaded the air, making it difficult to breathe. It was as if all the open drains of the world had converged on this very path.
The stench snapped him out of the spell that had held him in its thrall. Still gripped by fear and terror, he slammed the brakes, bringing the car to an abrupt halt.
Sweating profusely and trying desperately to keep his already strained nerves from succumbing to the dark panic, lurking at the edges of his consciousness, he swung the car to his right, then reversed at top speed, turned again, and then reversed once more, until he was able to point the car in the direction from which he had just come.
Hanging onto consciousness by a thread, he pushed the accelerator to the floor. The car lurched forward, then raced back along the dirt track, retracing its journey.
The moments stretched like eternity. He thought there was no hope left for him. Surely, he was going to die here at the hands of these demons, or whatever they were.
Then, as abruptly as they had appeared, the shapes swirling around him vanished into thin air. Like they had been sucked back into the darkness from where they had come.
Harish was left on the rough path, with the trees and the darkness. The whirl of chaos that had swept him up in its wake was gone. A deathly stillness reigned.
But he didn’t stop. Gripping the wheel with hands slippery with sweat, his clothes sticking to his body, beads of perspiration dripping down his forehead into his eyes, he could focus on only one thing.
He had to get out of this place.
Now.
Chapter Thirty-eight
Kapoor’s Files
SP Kapoor’s office
New Delhi
Raman Kapoor snatched up his phone from his desk the moment it rang. He was sitting late in office today, poring over some files that he had requested for.
He hoped that Harish had found at least some clue.
‘Yes, Harish?’
For a few moments, there was no reply. Just heavy breathing on the line. Kapoor was baffled.
‘Harish!’ His tone was strident now.
‘Sir,’ Harish responded faintly, his voice quavering. ‘Sir . . .’
‘Go on, Harish,’ Kapoor interrupted impatiently. ‘I’m listening. I can hear you. Are you inside the park?’
‘Sir,’ Harish stammered, unable to get the words out. ‘Sir, the park . . .’
There was silence once more.
‘Good heavens, Harish, what’s the matter with you, man? Get it out!’
The words finally tumbled out in a rush. ‘Sir, the park is haunted. There are creatures there that I cannot describe. Terrifying things. They pursued me.’ His voice broke.
Kapoor sat down, bewildered. What was Harish going on about? This was one of his best men whom he trusted implicitly. What had happened?
‘What do you mean haunted? Where are Virendra and the others?’ he demanded.
‘I don’t know, sir.’ Harish finally collected his wits about him and narrated his experience to Kapoor.
Kapoor was stunned into silence. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
‘Take a break, Harish,’ he said finally, his tone more gentle now. ‘I’ll have someone arrange food and a bed for the night. I’ll arrange for a team from Gwalior to reach Panna tomorrow and check out the forest with you. We’ll coordinate with the park rangers as well so they can guide you around the park. Let’s see if we can find a reasonable explanation for what you witnessed tonight. You need some rest. Check for clues to the whereabouts of our fugitives tomorrow.’
Kapoor sat back when the call ended and contemplated the discussion he had just had. It was unbelievable. Harish had sounded so utterly convinced that he had experienced supernatural creatures in the forest. Kapoor could feel his jitters through the phone. Yet, his own brain refused to entertain the possibility. What could have terrorized one of his best men almost to the extent of a breakdown? The investigation would throw up clues, he was sure of that. No point speculating until then.
He turned his attention to the files on his desk. Not wanting to leave any loose ends in this case, and also out of desperation in the absence of any concrete leads, he had asked for files on all cases of unnatural deaths for which there were no explanations forthcoming. A tall stack of files had duly arrived in his office and he had spent most of the day going through them.
Most of the files pertained to murders which were fairly nondescript but had remained unsolved for want of motives or suspects. Some of
them were also unexplained suicides.
Kapoor sighed and rubbed his eyes wearily. He had to go through the lot.
Three hours later, Kapoor had finished going through all the files. He leaned back in his chair and stared at the two files that he had picked out of the stack.
He felt satisfied. His hunch had paid off. Going through the files had not been a futile exercise after all. Buried in the mass of paperwork were two cases that had confounded investigators but had been overlooked, despite the bewildering nature of the murders. They had been marked unsolved and had been put away to gather dust.
There seemed no end in sight to the mysteries in this case. He sat back and basked in the thrill of the mounting challenge that the case presented. The sensation was familiar. It had started as a simple murder that seemed impossible to explain. It had been interesting enough to begin with. Now, as he ploughed on, it was developing into something more complex, like a multi-headed monster that was impossible to kill; not very different from many of his past cases.
His expectation of finding new clues in the files had been belied. Oh, he had found something. But what he had read in these two files did not present any clues to solving the case.
Instead, true to the nature of this case, it only made the waters murkier.
The mystery continued to deepen with every step that he took.
Kapoor sat back and contemplated his next course of action.
Chapter Thirty-nine
Shukra’s Army
In the clearing
Panna National Park
Out of the corner of his eye, Arjun saw Virendra glance at Tiwari, who nodded back in acknowledgement. A quiet signal had passed between the two men.
Tiwari turned and dashed towards the hillside and disappeared. It was as if he had run right into the rock.
Arjun figured that this was the ‘entrance’ Virendra had referred to earlier. He wasn’t too surprised. Earlier today, they had entered the Gandharva valley in much the same manner.
Son of Bhrigu Page 12
