Nine: Vengeance of the Warrior (33 page)

Tejaswi instructed her men, ‘Get her into the jeep, we have business to attend to.’

Anita’s senses were alert but she couldn’t move a muscle. She tried to call out, but her mouth was sealed shut.
Damn Tejaswi!
The Kala Yogis dragged her into the back seat.

Tejaswi paused. She held her phone to her ear, staring out into the distance, waiting for her enemy. ‘Raakin, you bring me the Chintamani and those three idiots, and I give you Anita—alive.’

Tejaswi smiled at Anita. ‘You little bitch, you are such a waste of space. I think we should just kill you. But you’re lucky that these people think you are worth saving. Frankly, I will be surprised if you make it out of here alive.’ She laughed the terrifying laugh of a warrior.

Anita could do nothing except stare at her mutely. She realized that Tejaswi was now nothing more than a vessel for the Kalingan.

Tejaswi roared again. ‘Bring in the warriors.’

Her war cry triggered a booming sound. And instantly, the landscape turned into a battleground of ghostly warriors riding horses and elephants, wielding swords.

58

RAAKIN

‘She is at the riverside.’

The SUV sped through the heaving earth and arrived in a few minutes. Akash landed next to them. The Chintamani was still in their possession. Tara and Zubin got out of the car. Cautiously, the Three approached Tejaswi, who was flanked by her Kala Yogis. ‘You try anything and Anita will be dead in three seconds flat,’ Tejaswi threatened. Her surging army of warriors was waiting for her instructions.

Raakin remained in the car. He had ears on them. It was better to maintain a distance, while he figured out the appropriate method of getting the tactical team to move in.

‘Why did you awaken the Kalingan warriors? This land is silent and peaceful. Your presence has disrupted the solitude,’ Tara said softly, looking deep into Tejaswi’s eye. Her black eyepatch was ominous, her other eye had an evil, reddish glint.

When the time comes, I will turn you into pulp.

Tara staggered back. The effect of Tejaswi’s words, communicated through her mind, felt like a gut punch. The Kalingan was growing in power. She was suddenly afraid and passed the message to Akash and Zubin.
We need the Senior Six here to help us.

Tejaswi smiled. ‘I can speak to you through your thoughts. Don’t try your manipulation on my land. This land has belonged to the Kalingans. I can smell their blood, fresh as the day it flowed red in the Daya river.’

Zubin raised his finger.

‘Don’t try anything stupid.’

Akash faced Tejaswi. ‘I want Anita safe in our van first, only then will I give you the Chintamani.’

Zubin kept a keen eye on her Yogis and her army of Kalingan warrior spirits, who looked gruesome and were alarmingly agitated, eager to fight.

Tejaswi smiled at Akash and traced a finger along his jaw. ‘You’re a handsome guy. But a little on the stupid side.’ She reached for his pocket.

Akash pushed her hand away. ‘I want Anita in the car. Now!’ he said in a strong voice.

Tejaswi jerked her head and the two Yogis half-dragged, half-carried her to the SUV. Raakin helped settle her in the back seat.

Tejaswi looked at Raakin. ‘Get lost!’ she said.

‘Yes, leave. We will handle this from here,’ Tara said.

Zubin, I hope you know exactly what needs to be done. Akash, be prepared. This is the only way.

They faced the Kalingan. The Three versus the crazed spirit. Tara stared hard. ‘What is the point of getting the Chintamani if you have no form?’

Tejaswi smiled. ‘With the Chintamani, I can have any form I choose; I can have anything and I can destroy anyone.’

‘You cannot change the future or the past,’ Akash insisted.

‘But I can destroy your present. Don’t fuck with me.’ Tejaswi extended her hand. ‘Hand it over.’

Swiftly, Akash rose in the air. Instantly, Zubin pointed to the earth and raised a wall of fire between them.

Tara and Zubin ran towards the hills.

Tejaswi’s roar was a war cry. She stood back and watched the Kala Yogis unleash their destruction. The land of Dhauli used to be the pride of the Kalingans. She would restore that pride, rewrite history. The world would know that the great Kalingans were the true heroes.

‘Get me the Chintamani!’ she shouted. Her faithful Yogis surrounded her and began their chant.

She closed her eyes and focused.

The spirits roared and suddenly fused into one entity; it rushed towards the Three.

59

Akash

Tara screamed, ‘Run!’ A demonic buzz sounded in the sky and a dark cloud moved towards them rapidly. It was an enormous swarm of insects—thousands of them. They ran for cover where there was none. It was only flatlands and open ground. The swarm was upon them in seconds. Zubin and Tara struggled to brush them away. ‘Fire ants!’ Zubin shouted.

Akash couldn’t rise any higher, he felt their stings pierce his skin. ‘What the fuck!’ Akash felt like he was being burned alive. He fell to the ground. The ants latched on to his skin and their sting was immensely painful. ‘How do we get rid of these?’ Akash yelled.

Tara was the only one standing still in the midst of it all. The fire ants seemed to fall off her skin. Her eyes were closed. It was as if she made the ants fall away by sheer willpower. Akash tried to move but the pressure of the insects pushed him harder to the ground. ‘Do something, Zubin!’ Akash yelled.

‘I’m trying.’ A spurt of fire and then nothing—he was losing strength.

The Kala Yogis, immune to the insects, approached the trio steadily.

Some of the warriors had turned into the ferocious fire ants, attacking with a viciousness that reflected their hatred. Akash felt weak and wanted to give up his fight.
Do something, Tara. I cannot take this any more.

60

Tara

Tara focused on herself and her friends, mentally pushing the insects away. She sensed the panic growing inside Akash and Zubin. Their pain was intense and the insects attacked like hungry carnivores.

Stay still, I am creating a barrier, the insects will fall away. Stay with me. Do not fear.

Tara concentrated as intensely as she could. She communicated with the insects and, slowly, they fell away from Zubin and Akash. The two were now able to move and sit up. Their bodies were dotted with red marks. Pain seared their skin, any movement was pure agony. It was a minor victory and Tara hoped that the fire ants would not return. They would not be able to survive another onslaught.

‘Why do we suffer this way?’ Akash asked.

‘We don’t judge, we just do what needs to be done, Akash.’ Zubin began the healing process. It was difficult, because he, too, was suffering. But he wanted Akash to heal quickly so that he could get away with the Chintamani and keep the fragments safe.

‘Go, Akash, go and keep it safe within the Shanti Stupa on that hill. The Yogis are almost here, go quickly. We don’t know what she’ll be up to next.’

Akash was exhausted. ‘This time the pressure is too much,’ he said, rising into the air again.

Soon, a drone was audible; it was as loud as the engine of an aircraft. And then they saw it. An army of men charged down the hill, wielding swords and shields. Tara was agape. It was as if they were watching a sequence straight out of a war film. Tara turned to Zubin.
How are we going to destroy these guys?

And then they knew. They moved in unison. Zubin was stronger and more focused than ever. With their bodies healed, they could think clearly and act more efficiently. The Seniors had joined with them. Their implants buzzed in sync, connecting them all.

‘Attack!’ Tejaswi roared, watching from the mound.

Zubin pointed at the approaching army of warriors. He used both hands and sent out high-energy pulses. The first row of warriors fell. Akash had by this time zipped to the pagoda, deposited the Chintamani and returned to join them. ‘This is bloody crazy!’

Tara sent a message to Raakin.
Goodbye. The Chintamani is in the Shanti Stupa.

Tejaswi was on the hill, with the army between them.

We have to get to her.

Tara, call her here.

No, we will go to her.

Zubin continued to bombard the army with the pulses of light. Tara used thought waves drawn from the Buddha’s energy to push the Kalingans away. And, as if by magic, they melted away. The Seniors were enhancing their abilities.

Then, abruptly, all was quiet. There was nothing between Tejaswi and the Three. Just flatlands, still as before.

The Three walked together, holding hands.

This is it.

With the powers of the Nine, the earth cracked into a deep and wide chasm.

Live or die, they knew what had to be done. The Three were now perfect in body, mind and spirit. They felt the power surge through their bodies and unite them as one.

61

The Senior Six

‘We watched them fight their last battle. Like brave soldiers, they faced the enemy stoically. Akash was the first to grip her wrist. Tejaswi struggled violently, kicking and pushing. Zubin got her in a stranglehold. Tara pulled her up and gripped her other wrist. They formed a circle. Tejaswi seemed confused, her face taking two different forms—now she was a roaring warrior, the next minute she was a tearful, ordinary woman.

‘They loved each other, the Three had bonded to form a pact that was as pure and holy as the universal spirit. The only way to destroy the Kalingan was for them to form a soul-connect. Ashoka would have been proud of their courage.

‘The Three were the power of the holy trinity, the kind that exists in every religion, in every spiritual pantheon. They jumped into the fractured earth, pulling Tejaswi deeper and deeper. Her cries were loud and angry. She begged and pleaded to return to the land of the living. But the Three converged on the Kalingan, pressing the Dhamma chakra into her chest. The Kalingan spirit will remain subdued forever. As they fell into that bottomless pit, Tara, Akash and Zubin pushed the woman down further and further. Until we thought they would never return. The Nine cannot be defeated, it is a boon from the ancient ones. The Three were strong, they were courageous, just like Ashoka would have wanted them to be. The ancient ones will bestow blessings on them. Our hearts grow rich with pride. The Three have proven their worth.