‘I have heard rumours about him, yes,’ Adri said.
‘They say he is mad,’ Gray spoke, his eyes wide.
‘And that MYTH banished him because the Seven got afraid of him and his capabilities,’ Adri continued, ‘and, the only Necromancer my father never talked about.’
‘He was greatly gifted,’ the old man said. ‘And there are many who consider him more powerful than your father, though that is an eternal debate among young trainee Tantrics and old veteran Tantrics alike.’
‘But are you suggesting we go to him?’ Gray asked. ‘He doesn’t sound friendly.’
‘He is quite, ah, disturbed. But his mind is still as brilliant as it once was. You might get your answers and get them well. Getting to him might be a little tougher than usual though.’
‘Where is he?’
‘His temple is somewhere in the centre of the Bishakto Jongol, the venomous forest. Be careful, but then I do not need to tell you that, do I?’ The old man smiled at Adri. ‘You have been there before, young one. I can see it in your eyes.’
‘Not much, but yes,’ Adri said softly.
‘Why does that not sound good?’ Gray asked Fayne. ‘I mean, it’s called a bloody venomous forest! Why do we have to go through such places?’
‘My skills are not getting rusty, myrkho. You will not find me complaining,’ Fayne said. ‘I thought protection of the fatiya would be a dull job until I met this Tantric.’
Gray almost choked. ‘Why am I not surprised? Who am I talking to anyway—an assassin! Both of you—you and this damned Tantric—you get off on all this! You like staying on the edge! Why am I the only one who wants to take the longer way around?’
‘You could get really good with that shotgun if you took an interest in it,’ Fayne said calmly. ‘It is a noble weapon, not deserving the likes of you.’
Gray seemed to be swelling with rage and disbelief. Adri turned to him. ‘There is no way around—even if we were only tracking the Devil Mask, we would have to go through the forest to Howrah if we were to beat the MYTH forces to it. They will doubtlessly not risk it.’
A large part of Old Kolkata had been dominated by flora, but unlike Jadavpur University, there were entire parts of the city that the trees engulfed completely. Most of the buildings were destroyed, but few still stood; there were many trees and little sunlight in these areas, making them humid and swampy—thick with venoms and all kinds of wildlife. These were the nature ruled areas of the city; even the Demons would not tread into the Bishakto Jongol unless it was completely necessary. The government, after losing a tremendous amount of men to the forest decided to name it an officially out-of-bounds area. The forest covered a large stretch west of Narkeldanga and frayed out near Howrah.
‘It will rain,’ the old man said, looking at the cloudless sky. ‘I’m saying it again, by no means will your journey be an easy one.’
Adri had respect for the old man’s judgment and did not question him. He was grateful for the knowledge and the help the old man had provided, and he thanked him the best he could.
‘It hasn’t been easy so far either, though,’ Gray muttered. ‘I mean, I wouldn’t call this easy.’
It hadn’t been, Adri thought. But then, this was really what was expected from the Old City. It tested you and threw quite a lot your way, but if you could take it, then it would let you through. There was a lot more they had to see now. A lot more. Adri had now found the main reason as to why he was being hunted, and its implications. There were people who did not believe in the Apocalypse and he had been one among them. But that was earlier. Now he had witnessed things, discovered the existence of the Horsemen, seen the Old City change and behave differently, had his father disappear, and listened to whispers of the end and songs of Doomsday that only confirmed what he had previously thought lore. He could feel it in the air of the city, what the Angels were feeling.
Something was coming.
‘We should move out, then,’ Adri told Gray and Fayne.
‘Adri,’ Gray said. ‘What about Maya?’
‘I shall make sure we find the Devil Mask before I find Death,’ Adri replied.
‘How do we force her out of the creature without killing it?’
‘I will discuss my idea when the time comes.’
You’re planning to kill her, aren’t you? the Wraith spoke gleefully. You’re one clever bastard. You needed her and her sibling to just point out the way to the Angel. And now that you have the Angel’s permission to not let her live if an extraction isn’t possible, you’re simply going to kill her once she’s in the Devil Mask. Gray cannot blame you, you will simply point at Kaavsh. Hence you cannot discuss your idea now.
‘Know your place, Wraith,’ Adri said quietly.
I’m starting to know you better, Adri Sen. And I actually like what I see. We could have been friends if I had met you in my lifetime.
‘I do what is necessary,’ Adri said.
Quite the statement. The protector of peace, are you, now?
Adri ignored the Wraith.
‘Let us eat here,’ Fayne said.
Adri, who was stooping to pick up his backpack, stopped. ‘All right,’ he said in agreement. ‘Will you eat with us, Dadu?’
‘If you offer me food, I will not decline,’ the storyteller replied.
They had their food cold and directly out of cans. Gray, chewing beans, looked at Fayne. ‘You do not eat. I have never seen you eat. You just keep drinking from that hip flask of yours.’
Fayne, who had just taken a few sips from the flask, kept it back within his robe and pulled his mask back down. He said nothing.
‘What do you keep drinking?’ Gray persisted.
‘Blood,’ Fayne said.
‘Blood? Human blood? Why?’
‘Because he’s half witch,’ Adri said. ‘It is a necessary sacrifice on his part.’
‘It has everything I need for my nourishment. I can survive only on this,’ Fayne said.
‘But you’re a damn vampire!’ Gray squealed.
‘It is human blood, correct. But it is treated in a certain brew; drinking raw blood would be too overwhelming.’
‘So you can’t eat food?’
‘He can, Gray,’ Adri said. ‘It will just take a lot of food to keep his reflexes up, to keep him in shape, and give him the energy he needs. One drink of treated blood can do the same.’
‘What he said,’ Fayne said, nodding.
‘How do you get the human blood?’ Gray asked, curious.
‘Let’s not go there, myrkho,’ Fayne said.
‘Have you been in the venomous forest, Fayne?’ Adri asked.
‘Rashkor. I was never assigned to that forest. Those of my comrades who survived the forest claim they saw unbelievable things, things that are beyond what the supernatural presence in Old Kolkata is like. My fellow assassin, Monore Drassia, returned insane from there. That made him a more efficient killer in the years to come, but clients were rather afraid of his unpredictability and his obsession with the colour red. No, Tantric, bad things have happened in that forest.’
‘Can you take care of Maya well while we cross it?’
‘To the best of my ability, pashlin. I might be wary of the forest, but there is no fear involved.’
Silence returned to the group. Adri ate fast. The forest wasn’t far away, but “somewhere around the centre” wasn’t a good enough description for him, which meant they would have to do some searching. Kali did not make him optimistic. He would have to call some spirits. He told the others to eat slowly and take their time, and grabbing some ingredients, he hurried out of the park and onto the road where he drew a pentacle and started off a series of summonings.
It was raining. The clouds had appeared almost magically as they had drawn closer to the entrance of the forest. Not only had the clouds made the sun disappear, but now they were getting wet as they walked. Adri was annoyed, but he knew there was no other way. One could see where exactly the forest started—an omin
ous line of foliage in the distance, thick and unfathomable.
Adri held out his right hand as he walked; the raindrops, he found, soothed the itching that had developed a while back. The hand felt better, even though its condition was much worse. Something strange was happening to his ring finger—a scaly infection was slowly enveloping it. He could feel real scales growing on his skin and could not fathom why. The scales were dark in colour and tough to the touch. Initially, he had panicked, wanting to get rid of whatever it was as soon as possible. He had seen nothing like it before, and he was more than a little scared inside. But Tantric training was made of sterner stuff and he soon found a certain peace, even as he watched the infection grow. Weird things were known to happen in the Old City. There were diseases and ailments beyond control, beyond explanation. And this was just one of them. Sometimes things would get better, sometimes a healer would have to be visited. Either way, it did not hurt and it did not restrict his movements. As for a healer, Adri did not have time for healers. He did not have time. Period. The Ai’n Duisht weighed heavy and cold against his chest, and at times like this it drew attention to itself, to how it was all that stood between him and the Horseman. Adri knew that he was treading a thin line and that his luck was bound to run out soon. But there were things to do. If only the weather, at the very least, would be a little more forgiving.
The rain trickled off the scales on his hand and the water that seeped in to his skin felt good.
He was walking ahead with Gray and Fayne following him, Fayne carrying Maya. Gray walked faster and caught up with Adri.
‘Err, how’s the Wraith doing?’ he asked a bit nervously.
‘You can tell the assassin it is nowhere near taking control,’ Adri replied.
‘Oh, okay. Horrible weather, huh?’
‘Yes,’ Adri said.
They were getting closer to the first line of trees. The rain wasn’t heavy, and though it did not really drench them, it was a bother. Adri was glad most of his ingredients were in waterproof containers and pouches. His guns were probably waterproof, knowing the Gunsmith had made them.
Gray drew back to Fayne.
‘What did he say?’ the assassin asked.
‘He knew you had sent me,’ Gray said guiltily. ‘He says the Wraith is nowhere near controlling him.’
‘There is no shame in our distrust, myrkho,’ Fayne said calmly. ‘You must understand that we have to be wary of the Tantric. He has already given control to the Wraith once—and even if that saved us back there, the Wraith will have left some of its essence in his mind. Unless we can reach the place where the Wraith will depart, it might take control of him, in which case I will have to put him down.’
Gray nodded. ‘This feels horrible. He has done a lot for us, and he is going through a great deal himself. The last thing we should think about is killing him.’
‘The Wraith is the one I shall be killing,’ Fayne said. ‘If he loses control he will but be a prisoner in his own mind.’
‘But he seems fine to me,’ Gray protested. ‘Why are you always thinking about the Wraith?’
‘I do not take chances with anything. And besides,’ the assassin said, looking at Adri’s outstretched right hand, ‘the process has already begun.’
Adri stopped just as they were about to enter the forest, and turned around. ‘The most important thing is to stay together,’ he said. ‘The forest is known to play tricks on one’s senses. Do not believe what you see, just what you can touch. Get me?’
Fayne and Gray nodded quietly. Adri drew a revolver and led the way into the thicket. Gray held his shotgun as he followed, while Fayne took the rear with Maya.
‘So tell me Mazumder,’ Adri whispered a few moments later. ‘You ever been here before?’
I must confess that I have. There was this camp of runaway vampires—mostly women and children who I had been hunting for the longest time. To elude me, they finally decided to run into this forest for their protection. You see, those blighted things were terrified of me! The Wraith laughed.
‘Brave job, hunting women and children,’ Adri said.
I do not pretend to be a saint, Tantric. I have killed hundreds of vampire children in my time before they could age and be more of a threat than they already were. Yes, I have done things frowned upon, but back then I was their bane. I was the one they would see in their daymares! It is unfortunate that my earth time was limited. I would love to hunt them again.
‘You are leaving for the next Plane soon enough, Mazumder.’
Unfortunately, yes.
‘Where is this graveyard of yours?’
Incidentally, right across this bloody forest, near Howrah like I said. We are close.
‘Excellent. I believe you were in the middle of a story though.’
Ah, yes. Though I cannot really tell tales like that old man, curse his soul. Yes, I was hunting this group of bloodsuckers in this very forest when I realised that something was hunting ME. My senses, you see, were quite keen when I was human. I heard it for hours, creeping behind me, following me, and sensing my movements. Though I was tempted to, I dared not face it. I knew the damned thing, whatever it was, wasn’t a vampire.
‘Then?’
Then I chanced upon the group I had been tracking. Turns out there wasn’t much left to kill. They were dead. Eaten, scattered.
‘What did you do?’
What do you THINK I did? I got the hell out of there as soon as I could. Didn’t meet whatever had been stalking me.
The stories were similar and yet different, Adri realised. He had given a lot of thought about what did live in the Bishakto Jongol, but he never got his reply. He had gone through a similar experience in the forest, and had survived without getting to know what had killed the others. He knew of creatures that lived here, dangerous creatures—but there was something else, something he did not know about.
The forest was dark and depressing. They were walking on marshy ground and the rain did not help. They had to constantly search for good and solid footholds, and wade through mucky water quite often; this made their progress very slow. The forest wasn’t quiet either. Along with the calls of birds and the occasional forest creature, the rain and the wind were creating a symphony of their very own. It was tough to be alert and wary; their field of vision was always terribly limited by the thick undergrowth which did not allow whatever little sun there was to come through. Shadows dominated heavily. ‘Darkness,’ Gray said loudly an hour later. ‘Not good.’ Evening was descending.
‘Arrive, Aina,’ Adri commanded in the Old Tongue. ‘Spirit glow. Show me the way.’
A translucent orb materialised in mid-air near them, and slowly filled up with a deep blue glow.
‘Not as much light as a fireball, but it’ll have to do,’ Adri said, frowning and looking at it. ‘Fireball’s no use in this rain.’
The spirit hovered around them as they walked. With the setting of the sun the forest had been plunged into complete darkness, and apart from the eerie blue glow of the spirit, everything was pitch black. Adri checked his compass at regular intervals; Gray complained a lot and loudly so, while Fayne carried Maya, silent as ever. The sounds of the forest increased as night fell; a thousand crickets started a sonata around them. Frogs croaked and things slithered and crawled away as they walked through the muddy ground, their steps heavy and wary. Gray was extremely jumpy; he pointed his shotgun at any branch that moved, any splashing noise that they heard in any direction. He was the only one with a weapon out as Adri had holstered his weapon long back.
‘Need more light, Adri,’ Gray said nervously after they had travelled for a while. ‘I don’t like this place.’
‘Ashthir. Spirit glow. With Gray,’ Adri spoke in the Old Tongue again.
Another spirit appeared and lit up near Gray.
‘Thank you,’ Gray said—and collapsed.
He had taken a false step. The ground completely gave way beneath him. He was falling, free-falling for a couple of sec
onds before hitting a muddy slope. He rolled down, shouting, trying to hold on to anything that he could find, but everything that he could grab—mostly plants and roots—was either too slippery, or broke in his hand. He fell into complete darkness, slipping and sliding and rolling down a long way until finally he was in a free-fall again, landing on soft ground in the end.
‘Aaaah,’ Gray moaned slowly without moving. He lay there as he had landed, breathing heavily, trying to recuperate, his eyes tightly closed. Then he opened them, blinking mud out, and realised he wasn’t in darkness like he had expected. The spirit had followed him and was bathing him in blue light. Slowly, Gray moved, and pain immediately shot up his body. He cried out, and his voice echoed before silence returned to wherever he was.
‘Adri? Fayne?’ he cried out wearily. No replies. Nothing at all. There was a noise, water falling somewhere in the distance. It was an echo of the actual noise, Gray realised. He tried to move again and slowly twisted around and sat up. The effort induced pain, but not otherworldly—in all probability nothing was broken. He tried to see from where he had fallen and noticed fresh soil scattered around him—the landslide had occurred behind him, maybe he could still crawl up the slant. He got up slowly and realised he was still wearing his bag. His shotgun was gone, he could not see it on the ground around him.
Gray approached the slant behind him and tried to climb, but it was impossible; the slant was wet and slippery, and water was still pouring down softly. He turned around. In the dim blue light he could see that the soft soil on which he had fallen ended after a while, giving way to rocks. He was underground. He peered up one last time and saw nothing, no one. He called out again. Nothing. He would have to find a way out, then.
He began to walk, and the orb went with him. His shoes stepped on hard rock as he walked forward. The ground gradually narrowed into a passage. CRUNCH. He had stepped on something and broken it. Looking down, Gray realised, with a sudden burst of apprehension, that it was a bone. A bone that looked too long to be anything but human. The orb hovered lower as he bent down and started to walk slower and soon the other bones came into sight. The rocks were strewn with bones of all kinds; Gray had never been one to study the human skeleton, but he recognised parts of a spine, a broken rib cage among others. Human bones then, he thought. This did not look like a burial ground—something was here. He felt chills go up his spine; he felt insecure and vulnerable.
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