They had barely reached the southern end of the lake when Navira turned to look at the valley, a gusting wind whipping her hair about her face. ‘Who’s that up there?’ She cried out, her voice echoing off the cliffs. The rest of the party spun and looked in the direction of her pointing finger. A man riding a horse was visible high on the north pass, his spear glinting in the morning sun, a black cloth talaipakkai barely visible on his head.
‘Is he one of ours?’ Arul asked Pari.
Guru Pari stood motionless for a long moment before speaking, his voice edged with tension. ‘Not ours. If I’m not mistaken, the style of his talaipakkai makes him an advance scout of the Korkai army.’
Navira blurted out, ‘But what would a Korkai soldier be doing in our kingdom?’ A second scout on horseback joined the first soldier, appearing to talk to each other for a moment. They turned their horses around and trotted down the far side of the pass, vanishing from sight. Navira’s eyes widened as she realised the answer to her own question. ‘Oh! You mean…?’
‘Invasion,’ Arul stated flatly. He knew from Pari’s lessons that Korkai was the next city-state north of Ailas, followed by Kavatapuram on the very northern tip of Kumari Kandam. The three kingdoms had been at peace for centuries, but by the looks of things, Korkai had other plans.
Seri waved at them frantically from across the lake. ‘He wants to speak to us,’ Pari said, striding towards his old friend.
They jogged towards Seri as he hobbled around the lake, his skinny legs slipping on the gravel. He paused when he reached them, trying to catch his breath, his watery eyes fixed on Guru Pari. ‘You need to go back to your village to warn them. Then go to Ailas and tell the King about this. Those scouts will be back with an army, mark my words.’ He wheezed and coughed, his voice going up in pitch as he became agitated. ‘They’re looking for a way through the mountains. They’ll reach the Royal City before the King can mobilise our army!’
Guru Pari looked thoughtful. ‘It’s possible that their spies have reported all of the earthquakes and chaos in the mountains. If Korkai wanted to invade, it would make sense to take advantage of our troubles and strike.’
Seri’s eyes widened. ‘Could be, Pari. Korkai has used the peace to build up their forces. The snakes!’
‘It’s a surprise invasion? Like what happened five hundred years ago in the Vallanadu Forest?’ Arul said, his heartbeat rising.
Master Seri gripped Arul’s shoulder. ‘Yes, just like that. Go now! They won’t bother an old hermit like me. Especially if I’m a little crazy, eh?’ He cackled as he waved goodbye. ‘May Vishnu guide you!’
They left Seri and walked at a brisk pace towards the Brown Hills, Keeran and Navira whispering excitedly in the rear. Guru Pari called out to them. ‘We need to move fast! I don’t know how far behind the main enemy force is.’
They left the dark cliffs of the lake valley behind and following the road south, entering the open landscape of the Brown Hills. Angry clouds swept across a windy sky, the unending grass rippling in shimmering waves.
Briefly resting at midday, Arul chewed on strips of tasteless dried fish without much enthusiasm. When it was time to go on, the teens rose with a collective groan, racing to catch up with Guru Pari who was already striding over the winding road, his footsteps brisk.
After many hours of walking, they reached the place where Arul and Pari had battled the sabre-tooth lions. Arul stared at the carcases, now stripped of their flesh, his arrows lying amongst the bones like wooden ribs. ‘Must have been jackals,’ he said. Navira shuddered and tugged Arul’s hand, willing them past this place of dark memories. Even Jaya took a wide detour around the corpses, sniffing the air, his eyes wary.
Arul settled into the mind-numbing routine of walking mile after mile, his body straining to keep up the pace through the grassy hills. The day passed without incident, the dry brown land holding up a featureless blue sky. The only visible animal was an eagle circling far above, a dark smudge in the endless blue.
Although they reached the ruined inn by mid-afternoon, Guru Pari didn’t stop to make camp. ‘We must hurry! We can walk another few miles before sundown,’ he urged.
Keeran moaned as they passed the desolate inn. ‘Can’t we sit down for a minute?’ For once, Navira looked at him with sympathy in her eyes.
Jaya on the other hand, would often trot ahead and look back at them. Why are humans so weak and slow?
Arul looked at Jaya sharply. Is that you inside my mind?
Who else?
Arul rubbed his face vigorously. Could be my exhaustion playing tricks.
No, it's not. It’s me, Jaya. I’ve always talked to you, but you seemed to be deaf.
Arul focused his mind. But no human can hear animals this way!
I know. But you’re a descendant of ancient Star Navigators. You bear the stone of Vishnu.
Arul grasped his amulet, feeling a little awestruck. ‘Vishnu? Did he really make this?
You should ask him someday.
Arul staggered, his head spinning. What’s happening to me? Is this what it feels like when someone goes mad?
By the time they made camp for the night it was spitting icy rain, a grey sky masking the sunset, the day fading into a gloom that matched Arul’s mood. The teens shivered as they lay exhausted on the grass, their bodies pushed to breaking point. Guru Pari ordered them to eat and drink before they fell asleep, huddled together with Jaya for warmth.
Their Guru stood guard through the night, looking out over the sea of hills, so dark that he couldn’t make out where the horizon was. The sky grew heavier with rain, the icy drops of water ever larger. Distant thunder rolled over the lonely hills, Pari tugging his hood lower and hunching his shoulders.
Sometime past midnight, he abruptly staggered from exhaustion, his body swaying. Steadying himself with some difficulty, he reached into his cloak and touched his pendant. The jewel burst into light for an instant, Pari closing his eyes as warmth filled his body. For the remainder of the night, he stood alert, his body infused with the strange energy.
The next day was even worse. It rained without pause, utterly soaking them to the bone. It was like walking through an unending grey curtain, the smell of wet grass and mud seeping through every pore.
Guru Pari appeared to be unaffected by the cold, irritating Arul immensely. He studied Pari with awe, unable to understand how his Guru could stay awake all night, yet not be tired. Arul shivered uncontrollably, staring miserably at his sandals splashing through pools of freezing water, gleaming like metal on the grey stone road.
Guru Pari glanced back at the stumbling teens and came to a stop, rummaging around his pack in search of something. The teens gathered around their Guru, blinking water out of their eyes. Withdrawing his hand from his pack, Guru Pari produced a small clay vessel, and breaking the red wax seal, handed it to Arul. ‘Take a small sip.’
Suspiciously eyeing the container, Arul put it to his lips and took a small gulp. He coughed violently, his throat burning. Just as he thought the day couldn’t get any worse, he felt a warm glow in his stomach, the heat spreading outwards through his body, until even his fingers felt warm.
Keeran and Navira took a sip in turn, then they looked at Guru Pari with their mouths hanging open. They were soaked and tired, but it could have been a warm summer’s day for all they cared. Arul found himself picking up the pace, and they covered a good distance that day, the effects of the medicine lasting well into the night.
When they camped at sunset, it had finally stopped raining, allowing Arul to light a campfire. He tended it until it was steadily burning, a column of thick white smoke billowing up like steam from a boiling pot of rice.
What I’d give for a bowl of hot rice…
In the far distance between two hills, Arul spied the dark line of the forest. He suddenly longed to see his Appa. Hot tears sprang in his eyes, his chest tight. He stared into the night sky, praying for the forgetfulness of sleep. Ragged clouds blew across the inky sky. In the spaces between them, sharp points of starlight shone cold and white.
Arul woke as raindrops splashed off his face, running down his neck in icy rivulets. Opening his eyes with a gasp, his eyes focused on a leaden sky, clouds hovering so low that they appeared to touch the land.
Another day sloshing through the wet.
Navira and Keeran looked at their Guru with gloomy faces. ‘I’m sorry but there’s no more medicine left I’m afraid,’ said Guru Pari. The teens gnawed at cold leftovers, slouched in their soaked clothes and looking quite miserable. Jaya was already further ahead on the road, watching the deep green outline of the forest.
They began walking as dawn cast its sullen light over the hills, the distant forest growing ever larger as the morning wore on. In time, Arul made out the tops of the trees, hazy in the rain. He wasn’t aware of how far they walked, but when his tired eyes flicked up again, the forest loomed close, glistening dark and wet. Pale white trunks stood out like ghostly sentinels, pattering raindrops almost as loud as the warning screams of monkeys in the canopy.
‘Everyone get down!’ Guru Pari barked. Arul and Navira leapt of the road and dived into the tall grass without thinking. Keeran stood frozen, mouth opening and closing like a fish, his sagging face frozen in a blank stare. That is, until Navira crept back and grabbed his hand, pulling him off the road with an angry frown.
The teens watched Guru Pari crouch motionless, staring at something far out in the hills. Without warning, Pari threw himself on the ground, grunting with exertion.
Arul softly whistled for Jaya, and soon his wolf lay next to him, ears cocked, sniffing the air nervously. Everything smelled of wet grass and rain to Arul, but he knew that Jaya could smell far better than him. Right now his wolf could sense something, or someone out there.
Guru Pari poked his head above the grass, gesturing for Arul to join him. At first, Arul could see nothing but rain, gusting across the land and flattening great swathes of grass like a celestial hammer. Then his eyes widened when he saw a single mounted soldier crest one of the hills and rein in his horse. ‘How did you know…?’ Arul began to ask. But his Guru raised a finger to quiet him.
The horseman twisted in his saddle, studying the land before urging his mount onwards, riding down the slope and out of sight. Behind, a long column of cavalry followed. A line of spears appearing like a moving forest as hundreds of soldiers rode east.
‘Stay down!’ Guru Pari told Navira and Keeran while he and Arul continued to watch the black and red uniforms of Korkai march by. Hundreds of archers, swordsmen, and spearmen, clustered in regiments according to the type of weapon they carried.
Wiping rain from his eyes and squinting through the driving rain, Arul gasped when he saw the first war-elephant lumber into sight. An enormous bull with bronze-sheathed tusks, glinting wickedly through the rainstorm. A wooden platform housing multiple archers swayed on its back, while straddling its massive neck, a handler used a hooked stick to guide the animal. Arul counted at least fifty of the beasts as they swayed like land-ships through the hills, his mouth going dry as he imagined how ferocious they would be in battle.
The last elephant paused on top of the rise, Arul straining to make out the tiny figure of an archer looking in their direction. He ducked his head and tried to peer over the top of the swaying grass. The archer stood up on his platform and shielded his eyes, staring for a full minute before turning and shouting something to the horsemen in front. Four cavalrymen spurred their mounts, racing towards Arul through the driving rain, hooves flying over the sodden earth.
‘Put your faces to the ground and don’t breathe!’ Guru Pari hissed. They threw themselves on the ground, faces pressed to the grass. The smell of the wet earth came up to meet Arul, the ground shaking as the horses approached. With a great deal of neighing and snorting, the cavalry came to a stop, the odour of horse and leather strong. Arul’s heart pounded so hard that he thought the enemy would surely hear it. He could feel Navira’s hand on him, her fingers rigid with fear.
Arul heard the four horsemen dismount, their weapons clinking as they fanned out in a semi-circle, shouting to each other in a dialect he found difficult to follow. The rasping of iron on leather sounded as they drew their formidable curved aruvals, stabbing at the long grass, moving towards him in a line.
Searching.
Arul bit his lip, skin crawling with fear. Caught out in the open, there was no way to escape.
If they find us, we’re dead.
Jaya, who had until now been sitting next to Arul quietly, suddenly leapt up and streaked away like a thunderbolt. Arul froze, choking back a scream.
The soldiers shouted in surprise as they watched Jaya race towards the forest. Realizing it was just an animal, they laughed in deep harsh voices, thumping each other on their backs. Joking amongst themselves after the false alarm, the cavalry mounted up, and spurring their horses on, raced to re-join the column, the sound of thumping hooves fading swiftly. Arul let out a pent-up breath, his body sagging as though suddenly empty. Jaya had saved them.
Again.
It took another half hour before the enemy passed, the rear of the column consisting of dozens of large ox-drawn carts filled with supplies and support troops of every description. They appeared to be peasant farmers pressed into service, poorly clothed and half-starved.
The last wagon passed and Arul was about to leap up when Pari held him down with surprising strength. Arul waited impatiently for another hour, the rain pattering over his back like ice. He understood Pari’s caution when the army’s rearguard appeared, standing in their saddles and scanning the surrounding countryside. Then they too disappeared east.
The grassland was empty once more, still blanketed by a curtain of unending rain. Arul struggled to his feet, his legs cramping, staring out over the hills before turning to his Guru. ‘Are they enough of the enemy to defeat our forces?’
Guru Pari looked north with a searching gaze. ‘Only if they surprise us. Attack is more difficult than defence. Remember, they’ve travelled far and are tired. Our army will be fresh and on home ground. A big advantage.’
‘But it’s such a huge enemy force!’ Said Keeran in a panicky voice.
‘How come you saw them? I thought we were supposed to be keeping our heads down!’ Navira hissed at him.
‘I only had a little look!’ Keeran whispered.
‘We must be alert from now on. There will be enemy scouts everywhere,’ Guru Pari said. ‘The invaders are moving east towards the plains, so we’ll go south to Sailem.’ He began to walk briskly towards the dark forest, Arul trotted beside him, struggling to keep up. ‘I hope we reach Sailem before those scouts do. They’re probably looking for villages to ransack for supplies.’ He paused. ‘If only we still had our ancient weapons.’ Pari muttered to himself.
Arul’s eyes swivelled to his Guru. What ancient weapons?
As they hurried into the gloomy forest, Arul stepped around the ruined archway a little apprehensively. For the second time he eyed the carved letters, now glistening wet. The archway looked even more ominous than before, as though the writings were warning him not to go any further. He suddenly felt cold, as if an invisible shadow had passed through him.