‘What?’ Jignesh’s eyes bored into him.
‘There was someone else here tonight.’
Chapter Forty-four
More Questions for the Council
The Guesthouse
The Gurukul
‘Someone who is not a part of the Gurukul,’ Tiwari continued. ‘A young man, who was skulking in the shadows beyond the edge of the clearing.’
‘Who was he?’ Mahesh wondered aloud. ‘Did you get a look at his face?’
Tiwari shook his head. ‘I didn’t see him. Maya did. She said she couldn’t see his face, but even if she had, it is highly unlikely she would know him. But it does seem to be a remarkable coincidence that someone was lurking in the shadows exactly when the pretas appeared and Shukra’s army descended on us.’
Jignesh threw up his hands. ‘She didn’t see his face! Ludicrous. Are we now supposed to take the word of a stripling who has no clue of what we are all about? I mean who in the fourteen lokas would be hanging around here, following you from Delhi and whom we can connect in some way to Shukra?’
There was silence as the same thought crossed everyone’s minds.
Amba voiced it for them all. ‘It could have been Vishwaraj. That would explain everything.’
‘Fine,’ Jignesh barked. ‘We’ll bring him in and find out once and for all what his involvement is in all of this.’
Parth nodded. ‘We’ll spread the word right away. If he really is involved with Shukra, then we’ll have to hunt for him. I’m sure he wouldn’t stay with the Gana, unless he thinks no one from the Sangha suspects him. But if he was here tonight, it won’t take long to find him.’
‘What’s the girl doing here anyway?’ Jignesh didn’t seem very pleased about Maya’s presence. ‘Does she have the power?’
Virendra shook his head, his face hard. He knew what was coming next. He had broken the rules by bringing Maya here. ‘No. She is a sadh. ’
‘Then why . . . ?’ Jignesh was interrupted by Tiwari before he could complete his question.
‘Um, I have an observation,’ Tiwari said hesitantly, looking around at the group. ‘We all believe that she is a sadh . But she knows the Narsimha mantra.’
‘Lots of sadhs know the Narsimha mantra!’ Jignesh snorted. ‘What is so special about that?’
‘I mean . . . she knows it instinctively,’ Tiwari replied. ‘While we were driving here, I asked her if she knew any mantras. She said that Dhruv had not taught her any.’
‘Rubbish!’ Jignesh declared. ‘She couldn’t have been born knowing the mantra!’
Tiwari shook his head. ‘I believe she didn’t know the mantra before coming here. But she heard me chanting it and joined in immediately. And her enunciation of the mantra was perfect. As good as any of our Rishis, including some of our younger Mahamatis . I don’t believe anyone can pick up a mantra that perfectly, just by listening to it being chanted a couple of times.’ He looked straight at Jignesh. ‘You know how much training these children go through before they perfect their enunciation.’
‘You mean that she may have some powers?’ Mahesh looked thoughtful. ‘But how would they have gone undetected for so many years? She should have been recruited by now if there was any indication that she wasn’t a sadh .’
‘I don’t have an answer,’ Tiwari held up his hands. ‘All I can tell you is what I observed. If she does have some powers, any powers, we should not turn her away. The least we should do is explore and find out.’
‘I agree,’ Usha spoke up. ‘Maybe Ratan is wrong and she is just a sadh after all. But we should run a check and find out for sure.’
‘Very well,’ Mahesh said, his tone indicating that this was the last word on the subject. ‘She stays here. For now. We will enroll her for six months. But if we find that there is nothing that justifies her staying on for more training,’ he looked from Virendra to Pramila and then to Tiwari, ‘she goes back.’
‘Why didn’t Shukra come himself?’ Pramila suddenly spoke up, her soft voice drawing everyone’s attention immediately. ‘Why did he send an army of creatures instead?’
Virendra looked at her. He knew what Pramila was thinking. Her face was hard now, accepting the reality and questioning what had happened tonight.
‘We all know,’ Pramila continued, ‘that Shukra wants my son dead. He tried to kill him fourteen years ago and almost succeeded. I lost my husband but, thanks to Dhruv, my son and I escaped. What I want to know is this: why has he deviated from that single-minded focus?’
‘We cannot understand how Shukra’s mind works,’ Mahesh began, but he wasn’t allowed to complete.
‘I’m not asking for that.’ Pramila’s voice could have sliced through steel as she cut short Mahesh’s response. ‘This is not just about Arjun. This is much bigger. Can’t you see?’
The room fell silent.
Pramila sighed. ‘Look, we all know that Shukra’s meditation was interrupted when Arjun was born. It was motivation enough for him to forego the fruits of his 5,000-year tapasya and come hunting my son with the single-minded intention of killing him. We also know that Shukra is a mystic yogi. He has the power of the siddhis . He can travel at will. Nothing could have — would have — stopped him from arriving at the Gurukul tonight, once he knew that Arjun was here. So, why didn’t he?’
Once again, there was silence. No one seemed to have an answer to her questions.
‘Isn’t it possible that Shukra has some other game plan in mind?’ Pramila went on, seeing that the others hadn’t considered the possibility that had occurred to her. ‘Remember, Shukra is the son of Bhrigu. He has always been well known for his intelligence and his far sightedness. Even Lord Krishna endorsed these attributes of Shukra. Is it not possible that he is planning something bigger?’
‘You mean the Gurukul?’ Usha looked thoughtful. ‘You could be right. For thousands of years, our Gurukuls have been hidden away, both by the Saptarishis and the changes that time has wrought on the topography of Bhu-lok over the centuries. Now he knows where this Gurukul is.’
Pramila nodded, satisfied that her train of thought was finally being followed by at least one member of the Council. ‘That’s one possibility. Here’s another one. Could tonight have simply been a test of both, the functionality of his army and our abilities to fight them?’
Parth’s eyes widened with realization. ‘The creatures we fought were clumsy and slow footed. Definitely not battle trained. Shukra could have simply been testing his creations in a real battle scenario!’
‘If that supposition is correct, then we are in trouble.’ Amba looked grim. ‘Shukra would have learnt from tonight’s encounter that his creatures may not be the best warriors, but they can overrun our forces if there are enough of them. Our fighters are human and they tire. In the face of superior numbers, I don’t think we can stand against them for too long.’
‘Well, then,’ Mahesh said, with a tone of finality, ‘we need to start preparing. I will get the word out to the Sangha Council. The other Gurukuls need to know. There’s no telling when and where Shukra will strike next.’ He looked at Amba and Usha. ‘We need to modify our plan to stop Shukra that we set in motion fourteen years ago. We must develop a solution to destroy these creatures. Weapon upgrades, more powerful mantras. . . . Whatever it takes. We can’t leave anything to chance. The future depends on our success.’
Amba and Usha nodded. The war had begun.
‘Let’s get the children in,’ Jignesh said, signalling the end of the discussion.
‘I’ll get them.’ Tiwari volunteered.
Virendra leaned over and whispered something in Tiwari’s ear.
Tiwari nodded, then rose and left the room. As he walked away, lost in thought, he felt immensely guilty about holding back information from the Council, but he had had no choice. If he had disclosed what he had observed, Maya could get in deep trouble. And he didn’t believe that it was any fault of hers. She probably didn’t even know. He had decided to keep mum until he had go
t to the bottom of the mystery. He couldn’t put her life in jeopardy based on a suspicion. He didn’t know if he was doing the right thing. But he couldn’t throw her to the lions without being sure. He could only hope that his decision to withhold information from the council would not cost them dearly.
It was baffling. He knew why Maya had fallen to the ground clutching her head. It had happened just seconds before the black fog had appeared. He, too, had felt the fog approach. But he was a Maharishi, with years of yogic discipline and powers that had been passed down from his earlier births.
Maya was just a child. Yet, the approach of the black fog, even before it was visually discernible, had affected her. Was it possible that there was some connection between her and the black fog?
The very thought chilled him to the bone.
Chapter Forty-five
Exchanging Notes
The Guesthouse
The Gurukul
Maya opened the door to find Arjun standing there, a broad grin on his face. She squealed in delight and rushed forward to hug him.
To her surprise, he backed away hurriedly, holding his hands out before him to ward her off.
She stopped and frowned. ‘What’s the matter?’
‘This.’ Arjun stepped into the room, where the light was brighter and Maya got a good look at what he was showing her. Green, slimy ooze stuck to his clothes, which were ripped in places, no doubt at the hands of the monsters he had faced off in the clearing.
‘Yuck! Is that what I think it is?’ Maya wrinkled her nose in disgust.
‘From the creatures,’ Arjun grinned, then added with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, ‘Here, you wanna take a closer look?’ He dipped his fingertip into the ooze on his t-shirt and held it out to Maya, who shrank back involuntarily. The slime smelled foul and reminded her of the stench at Arjun’s house moments before she had encountered the pretas .
‘Stop it, AJ! Ugh! You’re disgusting. Boys!’ She flounced onto the bed and sat there, her arms folded.
Arjun chuckled and wiped the green slime on his clothes. They were dirty anyway. ‘Sorry, couldn’t restrain myself. I think I smell like crap.’
‘You do. But, goodness, I’m so happy to see you, AJ! I was worried sick about you.’
Arjun shut the door and sat down in the lone chair in the room. ‘Hey, I was worried sick about myself. But it all worked out in the end, didn’t it?’
‘It did.’ Maya’s face became serious. ‘But I’m still worried. I can’t figure out why Shukra was missing from the scene.’
‘Who cares? We won, didn’t we?’
‘You think he’s given up on hunting you down?’ Maya couldn’t stop a touch of asperity from creeping into her voice. She was irritated at Arjun’s carelessness when his life was still in danger.
Arjun sat up straight in his chair and looked at her. ‘I’m not worried about Shukra anymore. I’m with people who can protect me. I’m safe here.’
Maya shook her head. ‘I’m not convinced, AJ. They’re hiding something from us. You’re supposed to be the leader of the Kshatriyas. A direct descendant of Yayati. What’s that supposed to mean? Are you expected to lead the entire lot against Shukra? Are you supposed to be the guy who stops him?’
‘Of course not. I don’t think any individual can stand up to Shukra. We all have to do it together.’
‘That’s just the problem, AJ. I don’t think anyone has the means to defeat Shukra.’ Tears welled up in her eyes. ‘Believe me, I’ve seen what he can do. You’re the closest thing to family for me. I don’t want anything to happen to you.’
‘Hey . . . ’ Arjun was concerned for Maya. ‘It’s okay. Nothing is going to happen to me. I’m sure the folks running the Gurukul have a plan.’
‘Sorry.’ Maya wiped her tears. ‘I guess the last two days have just been too much for me.’
‘I understand. But you know what makes me confident?’
‘What?’
‘Did you see what happened just before the mist disappeared?’
Maya shook her head. ‘My eyes were closed. I was focused on chanting the mantra.’
‘Seriously? You were chanting the mantra? That’s so cool! Where did you learn it from?’
‘I didn’t learn it. It was in this diary.’ Maya indicated her father’s diary. ‘I read it last night while I was flipping through it. Then, when I heard it being chanted, it just came back to me. So I thought that I would join the others since there was nothing else I could do. And I hadn’t been very useful until then anyway.’
‘What happened to you out there?’ said Arjun, with a tinge of guilt. He had totally forgotten about Maya rolling on the ground in pain, holding her head. ‘I got busy fighting the creatures, and just couldn’t help you.’
Maya shrugged. ‘Ratan told me that I passed out. I don’t know why. But I’m fine now.’ She smiled. ‘See? But what is it that you were going to say? What happened just before the mist disappeared?’
As Arjun opened his mouth to reply, there was a knock on the door. ‘Come in!’ Maya cried. The door opened and Tiwari entered.
‘I thought I’d find you two together,’ he smiled. ‘Come on. The Council wants to see you both. It won’t do to keep them waiting.’
Chapter Forty-six
Welcome to the Gurukul
The Guesthouse
The Gurukul
Arjun and Maya were seated before the five members of the Mahamati Council. Virendra, Pramila and Tiwari were seated to the side.
After the greetings and introductions, there was a moment of silence as the two groups surveyed each other; Arjun and Maya with apprehension and the five Council members with interest and curiosity.
It was clear that the Council was thinking of the prophecy. It had said that a child would be born in the line of Yayati, who would be the chosen one to lead the fight. Arjun’s date of birth had matched with the prophecy. Their hopes and plans, so painfully drawn up and executed over the last fourteen years, all rested on the frail shoulders of this fifteen-year-old boy.
Finally, Mahesh spoke up. ‘Welcome to the Gurukul, Arjun and Maya. You have both gone through a lot in the last few hours. But you don’t need to worry any more. You are both safe here.’
Arjun and Maya nodded, tongue-tied.
Jignesh nodded to Arjun. ‘You acquitted yourself well on the battlefield today.’
‘Indeed,’ Parth joined in. ‘I have never seen anyone who has not been through the training at any Gurukul, fight the way you fought.’
‘Thank you,’ Arjun murmured, a little uncomfortable with all the attention.
‘Would you like to brief them, Usha?’ Mahesh looked at the Maharishi who sat on his right.
Usha nodded and smiled at Arjun and Maya. ‘Both of you start training tomorrow. Your circumstances are unusual, and so will your training be. Until we decide what level you are at, we will not assign you to any group. Instead, you will both have your own individual instructors.’ She fixed her gaze on Arjun and addressed him. ‘Kanak will continue training you. And Amba will be your sparring partner for the training sessions, under the supervision of Kanak.’
‘Not just Amba,’ Virendra interjected. ‘I will request that Parth also be a sparring partner for Arjun.’
Parth gave Virendra a quizzical look. ‘Isn’t one of us enough?’
‘Not when his training sessions will revolve around fighting multiple opponents. He will need the practice.’
Amba raised an eyebrow. ‘Your confidence in the boy is amazing, Kanak. This will be interesting.’ She looked at Parth. ‘What do you say?’
‘Fine by me.’ Parth shrugged, but still looked doubtful. ‘There isn’t a Kshatriya in the Gana who can pull that off.’
‘Not yet,’ Virendra agreed. ‘But there’s always a first one. Remember, this is the scion of Yayati. He has the blood of great kings, illustrious Kshatriyas, running through his veins.’
‘Very well,’ Mahesh sealed the agreement. ‘It will be done.’
Usha turned her attention to Maya. ‘And you will be trained by Jignesh, who has volunteered for the task. As Dhruv’s daughter, we think you may have latent powers, which need to be developed. Mind you, this will be more than just training to become a Rishi. It will simultaneously be an evaluation of your powers, if you have any.’
Maya’s heart leapt with delight as she heard this. So far, she had been unsure of her future in the Gurukul. But now, she was to be given the opportunity to become a Rishi! Like the other white-robed children who she had seen in the clearing! The words Usha spoke next did little to dampen her excitement.
‘But there is something you must be aware of right away,’ Usha continued. ‘If Jignesh’s evaluation concludes that you do not have yogic powers or that they are not adequately developed, you will have to leave the Gurukul. Is that clear?’
Maya nodded, her eyes shining. Arjun glanced at her, bewildered, wondering if she had really heard what Usha had said.
‘Mahesh will train both of you in the fundamentals of meditation,’ Usha carried on. ‘You will both need this ability to master the powers that may lie dormant within you. That’s all for now.’
There was a moment of silence.
‘Is that the diary you mentioned?’ Virendra gestured to the leather notebook that Maya was carrying. He had instructed Tiwari to ask Maya to bring it with her to the Council meeting.
Maya nodded. ‘Dad asked me to pick this up from the study and run.’ She held up the notebook and looked at it wistfully.
‘Can I see it, please?’ Mahesh held out his hand and Maya handed over the book to him.
He began leafing through the pages of the diary, a look of great interest on his face. Gradually, the look changed to one of astonishment. He began flipping the pages faster, then looked up at Maya. ‘Did your father ever mention this diary to you before?’
Maya shook her head. ‘Never.’
Mahesh looked at Virendra. ‘Did Dhruv talk to you about this diary? Did he say something? Anything?’ His voice seemed to have taken on a tone of desperation.
Son of Bhrigu Page 15
