They reached a tent larger than the others and the Angel paused for a moment. ‘One of you, with me,’ he said and entered, sweeping the curtain on the entrance aside.
‘Wait here,’ Adri said needlessly, and entered.
There was a man inside, hunched over a table, writing something. He looked up as they entered the tent, first at the Dark Angel and then at Adri. He was clearly not prepared for battle or anything of the like—he was dressed in his pyjamas.
‘Kaavsh,’ the Dark Angel said.
‘Raven,’ Kaavsh acknowledged. The Dark Angel’s first name, not something many knew.
‘Intruders. Outlaws,’ Raven said, gesturing lightly at Adri. ‘Two more stand outside. Claims he has business with you. He has gained a right to meet you, hence I bring him to you.’
Kaavsh looked at Adri. The Angel was as majestic as Angels were despite what he currently wore; he was good-looking, with prominent features and an impressive built. His huge white wings were currently folded behind him. There was the slightest of resemblances in his face to Maya and Gray; but then that was how the Angels were assigned to families in the first place.
‘I’ve never seen you before,’ Kaavsh said in his clear, crystal-like voice, but Adri could sense the mounting alarm in him. ‘And how have you gained the right to see me in my form? Surely . . . surely not—’
‘Gray Ghosh is standing right outside this tent,’ Adri hissed.
It took a second to sink in.
‘What?’ Kaavsh asked, stunned.
‘Your earth brother is outside. He does not know your real identity. I suggest Raven take us somewhere else where you meet us as Abriti,’ Adri continued, speaking fast.
‘Gray is here? How?’ Kaavsh asked, lowering his voice immediately.
‘Does it matter?’ Raven said. ‘We will do as he says. The stone ring is empty, be there in a few minutes.’
Kaavsh nodded, looking sharply at Adri. Raven swept out of the tent and Adri followed. The Angel led the way once again, and the three of them followed, Adri explaining on the way how Kaavsh wasn’t in his tent and thus, how he explained himself out of his situation using Abriti’s name. The stone ring, an amphitheatre, was by and large empty when they reached it a few minutes later, except for a couple of Commandos who were sitting in the rear, smoking. They got flustered when they saw the Dark Angel and left quietly and wordlessly, making as little noise as possible. Everyone sat down on the stone seats, except for Raven.
Kaavsh did not waste time; they saw him walking towards them soon enough; he was dressed in a shirt and a pair of trousers. Adri spied a pen in the shirt pocket; clearly, this was the exact disguise the Angel lived by. Gray got up as soon as he saw Kaavsh approach. Kaavsh looked back at him seriously. Then his gaze moved to Fayne, and then Maya.
‘Maya?’Kaavsh exclaimed in disbelief. ‘Gray, is that Maya?’
‘Dada,’ Gray said quietly.
Kaavsh came to a stop in front of Gray. ‘Tell me what has happened,’ he demanded.
‘Maya was bringing Adri here, to meet you,’ Gray said, eyes low.
‘Adri?’
‘Adri Sen, him. He’s a Tantric. He needed to meet you.’
Kaavsh looked at Adri for a moment, his eyes calculative. Adri knew that he knew the purpose of bringing Maya.
‘He’s Victor Sen’s boy,’ Raven commented loudly.
‘I came along to keep an eye on Maya,’ Gray continued. ‘But—’
‘What happened to her?’ Kaavsh asked seriously.
‘A corruption,’ Adri spoke for the first time. ‘The Whisper of Dread. She’s currently under the Dreamer’s Brew so she’s stable.’
‘Incurable,’ Raven said, frowning.
‘Yes,’ Adri agreed. ‘But I have a plan.’
Kaavsh looked at the man sitting beside his sister. ‘Who’s the masked man?’
‘I am Fayne of Ahzad,’ Fayne said without moving. ‘I have been charged with protecting Maya Ghosh.’
‘An assassin. Quite the group,’ Raven said.
‘Take them away, Raven. Anywhere, but here. I need to talk to the Tantric. Alone.’
Raven shrugged. ‘Figure this out,’ he said. He walked out, gesturing the others to follow. Gray seemed too afraid of Kaavsh to question him; he obeyed meekly. Fayne left Maya lying down and got up. Kaavsh waited for them to get out of earshot, all the while looking at Adri.
‘I am going to cut you up, Tantric,’ Kaavsh finally said when he did.
‘It was not in my intention to have Maya come to harm,’ Adri said, looking Kaavsh in the eye.
‘I’m not afraid of your father, or what he will try and do to me if I end you right here,’ Kaavsh said, his face slowly starting to betray his anger.
‘My father has been kidnapped and if not already dead, is certainly facing death. In his current situation, I don’t think he would be much of a threat to you.’
Kaavsh paused for a moment. ‘Tell me why you were tracking me down,’ he said.
‘I wouldn’t have needed Maya’s help if you didn’t have that magic protecting your identity,’ Adri said. ‘I need your blood, and that’s why I’m here.’
Kaavsh shook his head in distaste. ‘A Fallen’s errand. That’s what has landed my sister in this state.’
‘She landed herself in that state,’ Adri said, knowing the Angel would not believe him. ‘She ran off inside Jadavpur University, away from me. I could not reach her in time, and Ancients had her. Rescuing her from the vampires was another thing; but in the end, she ended up with a corruption in her veins. It was the best I could do under the circumstances.’
The Angel did not negate his story. Kaavsh looked at Maya lying motionless on the steps near him. Slowly, he walked and sat down beside her. There was silence and Adri did not break it. Kaavsh gently put his hand on Maya’s forehead. ‘Foolish girl,’ he said softly. ‘This was meant to happen.’
‘What was she after, Kaavsh?’ Adri asked slowly.
‘Nothing you need to bother with,’ Kaavsh said sharply. ‘You are not getting away with this, Tantric.’
‘You do not understand,’ Adri said. ‘This isn’t about me or her or you. There is something else that is happening. There is a disturbance in the entire universe, in the land and the air. And I know you have felt it, Angel.’
Kaavsh exhaled. ‘I am angry,’ he said. ‘I want to see you punished, I want to see you suffer for what you have done to my innocent earth siblings, playing on their curiosity for your own ends, for the ends of some Fallen. But you’re not lying. I can sense that. Yes, I have sensed the change, the pollution. It is everywhere. I have felt it in the very fabric of existence; all the Angels have. But how do you know of this?’
‘It’s a conspiracy, Kaavsh. Something is about to happen, and as a part of it, a Horseman has been unleashed to collect my soul.’
Kaavsh could not hide his surprise. ‘A Horseman?’
‘Death,’ Adri spoke.
‘How are you still here?’
Adri lifted the pendant around his neck slightly so that the Angel could catch a glimpse of it before letting it fall. ‘A Fallen has been helping me get to the bottom of this,’ Adri spoke. ‘And you know how every Fallen has his price.’
‘Then it is true,’ Kaavsh said, falling into deep thought. ‘Then the universe is indeed rearranging. If the Horsemen are riding again—’ The Angel looked troubled and doubtful, his anger gone. ‘What about my sister?’
‘A Devil Mask is loose,’ Adri said. ‘Making it accept her, then extracting her is the plan.’
The Angel shook his head. ‘It’s never been done before. There is no guarantee you can do it.’
‘Is there an alternative?’ Adri asked roughly.
‘There are MYTH Necromancers, well-versed, experienced, more in number,’ Kaavsh said. ‘They would have a greater chance at what you said.’
‘Someone has paid for your sister’s protection, Kaavsh, and it’s not you,’ Adri said. ‘She is involved in this mach
ination. Like it or not, she is already a player on the board. Fayne is here on the orders of someone who knows much more about this than we do. And we sure as hell need to know more. It is me who has to try and save Maya’s life; she is a part of the puzzle, don’t you see?’
‘I do not want to see,’ Kaavsh replied suddenly, standing up. ‘I do not want to entrust her life to you.’
‘You are making a huge mistake, Angel,’ Adri said, coming closer. ‘Whatever is about to change in this world needs to be known beforehand and stopped if necessary.’
‘I cannot give you my blood,’ Kaavsh said, looking straight at Adri, grim.
‘I have respected your secret. Gray and Maya will never know,’ Adri replied.
‘Are you blackmailing—’ Kaavsh began in anger, but Adri cut him off.
‘No. I’m not. I’m trying to not be like my father for once,’ Adri said, looking at the Angel, keeping direct eye contact. ‘For once in my life I’m trying to do what is right. They will never know regardless of whether you give me your blood or not, because that would not be right otherwise. But you, Angel, are you doing the right thing here?’
There was a pause. Kaavsh stared at Adri, who stared back.
‘Fallen are filthy,’ Kaavsh said. ‘They are cursed and banished, and their wings have always been ripped off as punishment for their sins. A Fallen cannot gain such easy entrance back into our ranks, Tantric. It will be the greatest dishonour there is to our order.’
‘You talk about dishonour?’ Adri asked incredulously. ‘Your order is strictly political right now; the idealism you’re telling me about is dead and you know it. Who are you ashamed of—your three brothers in hell, or the rest of your brothers who are in Old Kolkata strictly for their own agendas? You used to be saviours, guardians, now look at you. Look at you, look at the government you side with!’
Silence loomed.
‘There are still many left, Tantric,’ Kaavsh said. ‘Many who are not influenced.’
‘You can count them on your fingertips, Angel,’ Adri said.
Kaavsh looked at Adri, troubled as before.
‘There will be no order left to worry about!’ Adri snarled. ‘You feel the change coming, goddammit! You have the gift to connect to the entire fabric and yet you are so blind!’
‘Truth always hurts, Tantric,’ Kaavsh said softly.
‘You are one of the few good ones,’ Adri spoke after a moment. ‘No one cares about their earth siblings anymore.’
‘I do not want Maya to stay in the Devil Mask, do you understand?’ Kaavsh asked calmly. ‘If you cannot pull her out then kill her. Kill her, no matter what Gray says. She must not go through that kind of existence.’
Adri looked down at the ground. ‘You have my word, Angel,’ he said slowly.
‘She was looking for proof,’ Kaavsh continued. ‘She wanted to work for the government, to study magic and become a Tantric or a Sorcerer. The government denied her the chance based on her ancestry; she was a little girl then, but it stung her. She had always wanted to know why she was denied—she suspected that someone in her lineage had magic in their blood, and had been involved in something the government was trying to hide. The records were all abandoned at JU and she knew that too.’
‘And what about her ancestry made MYTH deny her?’
‘I would not know. I never went looking in JU despite her pleading. In the Old City, some things are always better unearthed.’
Adri nodded.
‘Do you have a vial?’ Kaavsh asked.
Adri had kept one aside for this exact purpose. An empty vial had not been removed by the Commandos when they frisked him. He produced it, handing it to the Angel. Kaavsh looked at it long and hard, then threw out his right hand. The Angel’s Blade had been summoned. It shimmered into existence in his right hand, a long, magnificent sword fashioned out of pure crystal. After rolling back a sleeve, Kaavsh used an edge on his left arm. Blood fell, bright red. The Angel was careful about it—he caught every drop delicately in the vial, careful not to spill a single drop. When the vial was full, he ran a healing hand on the wound, which closed up. Corking the vial, he gave it to Adri.
Adri held it up in the light, hardly able to believe what he was holding: one of the hardest things to procure, one of the rarest sights seen by mortals—and one of the most powerful magical sources ever created. The blood of Angels. And he finally had it.
‘Don’t wave it around,’ Kaavsh growled. ‘This is between us, Tantric.’
‘Right,’ Adri said, pocketing the vial carefully. ‘Kaavsh, I was hoping you could inform me of the most recent sightings of the Devil Mask.’
‘A task force has already been dispatched,’ Kaavsh said. ‘The thing was last seen near Howrah, that’s the best we know.’
‘Good enough. We’ll need our stuff back from the Commandos.’
‘It will be done. Tantric—I don’t know how what just happened did. But don’t prove me wrong. You have kept Gray safe so far. Don’t fail my trust.’
‘You will have both your siblings back,’ Adri said. ‘You have my word.’
The metal dragonfly buzzed as it landed on Adri’s shoulder. Adri removed it gently and unscrewed the tip of the tail, removing the parchment within. He read the message and knew where to go. Aurcoe was waiting for him.
That was well played, the Wraith said.
‘Funny,’ Adri said. ‘I was honest.’
Nevertheless. The plot is quite exquisite though. Dirty secrets you keep.
‘You stay out of this, Mazumder.’
Goodbyes with Kaavsh hadn’t been very long drawn. He told Gray he couldn’t accompany them as he was needed at the Lake for Fire, that it was up to him to see to the safety of their sister. Gray accepted the responsibility ceremoniously, it was clear that Kaavsh was a role model and his word was law. ‘Your informant—how will he help?’ Gray asked Adri as they walked.
Adri lit a cigarette. ‘There are things afoot, Gray,’ he said. ‘Things that have to do with my father’s kidnapping, with Maya, with something big which is about to happen. I need to know what I’m getting into before I do.’
‘We are saving Maya no matter what, right?’
‘Yes, we are.’
‘Then let’s go and meet this informant of yours. Who is he?’
‘You saw him after the train ride. A Fallen, now about to become an Angel.’
‘How far is he?’ Fayne asked, speaking after a long time.
‘West. A little west of here.’
Their walk wasn’t long. They saw the tree Aurcoe had described soon—it was a giant, one of the largest trees they had ever seen. It stood in the centre of a large semi-devastated park. Two figures were sitting beneath its shade. Aurcoe stood up as they approached. Adri could sense his restlessness, his excitement, like a child eager for his newest toy. He hadn’t changed at all, and if he had had to go through a lot to find the information Adri needed, he wasn’t exactly worse for wear.
‘Calm down, Fallen,’ Adri said, ignoring Aurcoe’s outstretched hand. ‘I get my information and then you get your blood. You know I have it.’
Disappointment streaked across the Fallen’s boyish face, only to be replaced a second later by a grin. ‘Yes, I can feel its power. The raw power,’ he said, his voice trembling slightly.
Adri looked at the other man. An old man, with pearl-white hair and a beard. He sat simply, wearing a simple cotton dhoti and kurta. A rough wooden stick lay at his side. He appeared harmless, looking at them with a friendly smile. Adri glanced at Aurcoe for an explanation.
‘He’s one of the wandering storytellers of Old Kolkata,’ Aurcoe said, adjusting his glasses. ‘I consulted a number of sources, went to dangerous places and read forbidden tomes, but nothing is more reliable than a storyteller’s tale. These guys know a lot. Lore is what they are. And this storyteller in particular helped me put it all together and make sense out of what I had been reading and finding out.’
Adri nodded. There was no dou
bting the exaction of legend the storytellers churned out. He marvelled at the fact that he was standing in front of one of their kind right now, most were dead, and the remaining ones were extremely hard to find; someone none but a Fallen could have found.
‘I am Adri, a Tantric,’ Adri said, stretching out his hand. The old man took it, still smiling.
‘I am nameless, I’m afraid,’ he said. ‘Children call me Dadu.’
Adri nodded slowly and sat down in front of him. ‘Even I shall call you Dadu then.’
‘I sense great power within you,’ the old man said, looking at Adri. ‘I wish I had found you earlier, when the Devil Mask crossed the River.’
‘You know about—’
Adri raised his eyebrows as he heard Gray react as well.
‘I was there when the creature manifested,’ the old man said sadly. ‘I tried to get help, I went looking for Tantrics. Unfortunately, when I got back with some MYTH Tantrics it was too late—the Settlement of Barasat had been devoured. The creature went into the Shongar Ruins, and through to the Ondhokaar. It could have moved anywhere from there by now.’
‘I am hunting the Devil Mask,’ Adri said. ‘It has been sighted near Howrah and MYTH has dispatched forces already.’
‘Dear boy,’ the old man said, ‘you are being hunted yourself. Death is hunting you for a reason, and to know the reason you must know more about the Horsemen first.’
‘Yes,’ Adri nodded, settling into a more comfortable position. A story was on its way, perhaps one he would not like.
‘The Keeper sits in his Library, doing his task well,’ the old man began. ‘He keeps souls of the departed and of the unborn; he keeps them well and guards them with all of his terrifying skill. It is a job he has been doing since the beginning of time, since life itself manifested on this Plane. But among all of these souls, the Keeper found a certain soul he could not risk keeping with him. He found it eons ago, when men had not learnt to speak and were afraid of thunder; and even back then he knew of its power, for it whispered to him and told him of things he had not seen, of secrets he had not heard. The Keeper is an ancient creature with no mortal desire or want; he is endless, and he is chronos itself; but even then he was afraid of the dark presence he knew the soul would attract.
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