The storm passed as swiftly as it arrived, an untidy mass of clouds rolling over the snow-capped peaks, thunder fading to a distant rumbling far in the mountains. Arul rubbed his face, unsuccessfully trying to warm his frozen cheeks. At that moment, the sun emerged from behind a towering thunderhead, blinding after the dark of the storm. Colours, the like of which he had never seen before, flooded the landscape.
A thousand mountain butterflies rose above the grass, like clouds of twisting ribbons, darting about in an ever-changing dance of ethereal beauty. Their colours appeared to change as the butterflies moved through shifting beams of sunlight. Azure, iridescent green, yellow, purple, and a hundred colours besides.
Swept clean by the storm, the sky shone deep blue, the last shreds of rain-clouds hurrying away. It was like being in a dream where the world was newly created, and all of life shone with a glorious light. Overwhelmed, Arul walked down the slope and sat at the meadow’s edge, glancing sideways at Guru Pari. His teacher sat quietly, smiling with a mysterious light in his eyes. They rested in the green meadow for most of the morning, unwilling to break the sense of enchantment.
Guru Pari nodded at the meadow. ‘All that you see are actually different forms of energy. They vibrate at various speeds, becoming light, rocks. Even stars. Our ancestors knew how to manipulate energy. You know how to manipulate energy.’
‘Me? That’s a joke, right?’ Arul said.
‘No joke, Arul. Have you noticed your amulet do strange things? How about animals trying to talk to you in your mind?’ Arul puffed out his cheeks and exhaled sharply, his eyes widening.
How did he know?
But his gaze was drawn to the tower, standing west of the meadow on a thickly forested slope. The circular structure soared above the trees for at least a hundred feet, tapering to a graceful point. Arul stared wide-eyed at the metal spire, a spearhead stabbing the sky.
Silent. Ancient.
Guru Pari lapsed into silence. When Arul began to fidget with impatience, Pari spoke again. ‘That’s a structure built by your ancestors in a past age. We think it is…or was a kind of device that sent energy through the air. But some say that they’re navigation beacons.’
Arul’s mind raced. ‘We? What do you mean we? Who else is with you?’
Guru Pari smiled. ‘That was quick of you. You have a good mind. We, refers to me and my kind, Arul.’
‘Your kind? You mean village teachers?’
Guru Pari chuckled. ‘Yes, I suppose that’s what you know me as, isn’t it? I was born in Sailem and lived there until the Royal Scouts selected me when I was your age. I am…I was a Royal Philosopher. Maybe scientist is a better term.’ His face looked pained. ‘Until I returned to Sailem with…’
‘Left with who?’
‘Nothing, Arul. Let’s not worry about that now.’ Guru Pari stood up and led Arul through the meadow, butterflies swirling around their heads. They came across a bush laden with small red berries. Pari nodded. ‘Go ahead, it’s safe to eat.’
Arul plucked a large handful, cramming them into his mouth, feeling them burst with a taste-explosion somewhere between lemons and mangoes. He swallowed and wiped his mouth. ‘Guru, will I get to meet those visiting Scouts?’
‘I suspect that those Royal Scouts are not looking for any old youngster. I think they’re seeking you out, Arul, although they don’t know your name or where you live,’ Pari said.
‘How could they know about me?’ Arul’s face dropped. ‘I’m nobody.’ He slumped onto the grass, his body suddenly weary.
Guru Pari smiled. ‘The reason you are here, Arul, and not your friends, is that your bloodline needs to be explained. Your Appa wanted it kept secret from you, but I convinced him otherwise.’ He paused, stroking his beard. ‘Your ancestors, through your Amma’s bloodline, have some kind of ancient connection to these towers. You need to go to the Royal City of Ailas to discover who you are.’
Arul’s throat tightened. ‘Does my Amma live there? Will I get to meet her?’
Guru Pari’s gaze lifted to a distant mountain, struggling with the answer. ‘Quite possibly.’ Arul’s heart leapt at those words. He couldn’t wait to get to Ailas if it meant finding his mother.
Guru Pari looked at Arul, his eyes sad. ‘With your Appa’s permission, you and I can find the Scouts and return with them to the capital. The answers you need are there. It is your karma. Your path.’
Arul stared at the ground, his mind whirling. Guru Pari sat next to him and waited patiently. Arul let his fingers rest on the cool grass and closed his eyes. Hope for his Amma surged inside, yet from somewhere deeper, something else stirred. A longing to see the wider world.
Who am I?
As though in answer, iridescent butterflies gathered around Arul’s head, their wings brushing his face very softly. In his mind, it felt like a faint breeze was stirring from a great distance. Something spoke.
Get up, Navigator.
Arul shook his head, not sure of what he’d heard. Guru Pari stood and offered his hand to Arul. They continued across the grassy expanse. Reaching the western edge of the meadow, they entered a pine forest, sloping upwards towards the tower. The gnarled trees barely seemed to hold on to life in the harsh conditions. They walked past mounds of snow, a biting wind rising and falling through the branches.
Guru Pari clapped Arul on his back. ‘Not far now!’ .
As they weaved through the trees, Arul couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched. He turned and dropped his head, pretending to kick at the snow, his eyes raised. Watching. Someone darted out from the cliffs on the far side of the meadow. Arul squinted hard. The figure looked familiar.
‘Guru, I think someone’s following us,’ Arul said.
‘I know. It’s nothing to worry about, trust me.’
Arul’s eyes flicked to his Guru.
Nothing to worry about?
They left the meadow and wound their way through the trees, Guru Pari continuing his explanation. ‘Royal Philosophers study the past. The forces of nature. We’re always experimenting and trying to make sense of things. Like you do,’ he said, looking back at Arul.
‘I do?’ Arul replied distractedly.
‘Maybe you could become a Royal Philosopher in the Academy.’
‘Me? You’re joking!’ Arul laughed, bitterness rising up inside. ‘I live in Sailem, a million miles from the Academy. And I don’t think they’d accept the son of a forester.’
Guru Pari only smiled. ‘Oh, I think they’ll accept you.’ Before Arul could ask what Pari meant by that curious remark, his Guru suddenly halted, Arul nearly running into him. ‘Here we are,’ Guru Pari announced.
Arul studied the tower, his heart racing. It soared skyward for a hundred feet, smooth grey stone gleaming in the sunlight. He stepped closer and examined the surface more closely. For something that old, it showed no sign of weathering. The stone was in perfect condition, the blocks fitted so expertly that he could barely see the joins between them. ‘What are those copper bands that circle it?’ He asked Pari.
‘It looks like copper, doesn’t it? But I don’t think it is. It’s not discoloured at all.
Arul turned to his Guru. ‘We can’t make things like this nowadays, can we? We’re barbarians compared to our ancestors.’ His voice trailed off sadly.
Then something very odd happened.
‘Do you feel like joining us, Keeran?’ Guru Pari called out without looking away from the tower. ‘Well? Don’t skulk about like that! Come on out!’
A bush not twenty feet from them began to shiver, and up popped Keeran’s rather sheepish looking face. He stared into the mountains as if he suddenly found them particularly interesting.
Arul gaped at his friend, shock disintegrating into anger. ‘Keeran! What on earth!?’
‘No need to yell at him,’ Guru Pari said. ‘I think his curiosity got the better of him. Wouldn’t you say, Keeran?’
Keeran nodded energetically.
‘He’s an idiot, that’s what he is!’ Arul growled.
Keeran plucked leaves from his hair as he casually walked towards them, beaming at his Guru, then staring up at the tower with great seriousness. Arul rolled his eyes and shrugged. He had to admit that he felt a little happier now that Keeran was with them, invited or not.
Suddenly a tiny yellow bird flashed past in panic, twittering madly as it raced away over the meadow. The tower started to hum with a deep vibrating sound, Keeran's hair rising up as though something invisible had grabbed it.
The same hum I heard at Blue Lake. It’s from the tower!
It seemed not of this world, a deep thrumming that shook Arul’s bones as the sound loudened in sudden jumps. He covered his ears, backing away from the tower, his body feeling like it was shaking apart.
Arul collapsed to his knees and screamed, eyes searching for Keeran. His friend’s eyes bulged, palms pressing his ears like Arul. Next to Keeran, Guru Pari fell to the ground unconscious, his cloak settling about him like a pile of washing. There was a bright flash from on top the tower. Lightning in slow motion, unfolding from the spire before evaporating into the sky.
Then the hum vanished, the silence of the mountains washing back over the land. The sudden quiet was almost as deafening as the humming. Keeran rolled on the stony ground and moaned. Arul recovered his senses enough to scramble next to Pari, his eyes white with fear. ‘Guru! Guru! Wake up!’
Pari’s eyelids fluttered open. ‘Now that was not supposed to happen,’ he whispered.
Arul sat back. ‘Really? You didn’t expect that?’
‘No, Arul, I didn’t.’
‘But you know everything! What was that sound from the tower?’
Guru Pari sat up. ‘No idea, but I think I should find out. It won’t be easy, but this is certainly what’s driving the animals off the mountains.’ He regarded Arul curiously. ‘You should come with me and help find the answers.’
‘Me? Maybe…after I’m locked up at home for a year! Appa’s really going to give it to me when I get back.’
Keeran sat up, looking a bit stunned. He shook his head. ‘My ears hurt! So does my head.’ He rubbed his face. ‘Why did I have to sneak after you?’
Arul shot him an exasperated look. ‘You’re asking me?’
Without warning, a rumbling started in the mountains and worked its way towards the tower. ‘Now what?’ Yelled Arul over the racket. The ground started to shake and heave; pebbles all over the slope hopping into the air.
The tower began rocking to and fro, its’ bricks falling away with loud snapping noises. Guru Pari took one look at the swaying tower and shouted, ‘We need to get away!’ He struggled to his feet with the help of the boys. Next to the tower, a crack opened up in the earth and raced away into the forest in a giant zigzag.
Arul stepped back as bits of the tower rained down, its’ copper bands snapping off, the metallic twangs echoing through the valley. They staggered like drunks as the earthquake intensified, Guru Pari grabbing Arul’s arm and hobbling as fast as he could manage. Keeran didn’t need any encouragement to run away, overtaking Arul like a rabbit in full flight.
It wasn’t a moment too soon. The tower’s base cracked wide open, sending the structure toppling over in slow-motion. It crashed down over the pine trees, a mighty boom sounding as the tower hit the earth. A cloud of white dust billowed over half the mountainside. ‘Vishnu protect us,’ Arul prayed.
Guru Pari looked faint as he stood there covered in fine grey dust. ‘That tower stood here for thousands of years.’ His mouth turned downwards, his bright eyes filled with sadness.
‘Now what?’ Arul scratched his head, expecting an answer. Instead, his Guru collapsed with a groan. Arul rushed over to him, his face white with dust. ‘Guru Pari! Wake up!’