They hiked through open woodland, the straight road gleaming in the rain like an iron sword. After only a single rest at midday, they entered the Ancient Forest proper, its mossy trees hazy in the rain, deafeningly loud after the open hills, sheets of water cascading off the canopy like a million waterfalls.
Arul adjusted his pack and gripped his spear, staggering with exhaustion. Hunching his shoulders, he rubbed water from his face with a loud sigh, drawing unsympathetic looks from Navira. He blinked at the road ahead, strewn with twisting roots and water-filled hollows.
‘Once we reach Sailem, they can send runners to the plains. There must be mounted patrols somewhere who can deliver our warning to the King,’ Guru Pari said. Arul barely heard him speak, such was his fatigue. His feet grew ever heavier as the miles wore on, leg muscles screaming in protest.
As dusk approached, the forest gloom thickened until Arul could barely see beyond his plodding feet. Glancing up, he saw faint outlines of huge overarching trees against the grey sky. Jaya had wandered out there amongst the trees to hunt, and Arul knew that although Jaya was invisible to them, he still knew exactly where the teens were.
Arul passed the spot of the tiger attack without noticing. That is, until he stepped over a pile of blackened ashes, now washing away in the rain like a pool of ink.
Our campfire.
He froze when he saw that there was no sign of the tiger’s body. Keeran walked up to Arul. ‘Some hunter took it. Tigerskin’s valuable in the cities, so stop looking so weird!’ Arul looked doubtfully at Keeran.
No blood. No remains at all.
They continued on. Towards the end of the day, Navira held on to Keeran’s arm and swayed like a drunk, her stamina at an end. Somewhere in the twilight another sound grew louder through the rain; the forest stream where they had camped many days earlier. The sound of a thousand bells.
It felt like a lifetime ago.
Arul walked ahead of Guru Pari to take a better look.
Someone’s here. I can feel it.
In the darkness under a great tree, yellow firelight glowed. Flickering on the ancient bark, wildly distorted shadows danced like creatures with giant heads and spindly arms. For a moment Arul shrunk back in fear, imagining ogres waiting to attack them.
I'm reacting stupidly! They’re men, not monsters.
Guru Pari raised his hand, and the teens halted. Arul levelled his spear, nodding to Keeran and Navira. They followed his lead, spreading out on either side of the road, spears at the ready, advancing on the campfire and rounding the tree without a sound. When they stepped into plain view they saw a group of men sitting around the fire. As the men’s heads swivelled to the teens, they shouted in confusion and scrambled for their weapons, eyes round with fright.
Arul swallowed hard when he recognised their faces. The man that held his gaze was the last person on earth that he wanted to see. ‘So, it appears that we have finally caught the criminals, haven’t we, Master Pari?’ It was Kapilan, The Elder. He smoothed his thinning hair self-importantly and smiled.
He’s always smiling, even when he slips a dagger into you.
Then from out of the darkness came the chilling sound of Jaya growling. One of the men cried out in panic and dropped his spear, but the other three displayed more nerve, pivoting towards the jungle and crouching in a fighting stance.
‘It’s one animal!’
‘No! It’s a pack of wolves!’
‘Shut up and keep your guard!’ Kapilan shrieked, hurriedly positioning himself behind his men.
They’ll kill Jaya if he attacks. There’s too many of them.
‘Run Jaya, RUN!’ Arul screamed.
The growling faded into the forest, leaving Kapilan’s guards peered into the shadows. They could find no sign of Jaya, and whispered amongst themselves.
‘Demon wolves can vanish like a ghost. Did you know that?’
‘So he’s a ghost? Oh, God, I want to go home.’
Kapilan stepped out from behind his guards with his hands on his hips, face twisted with arrogance. ‘You have broken the King’s law and hidden these youngsters from the Royal Scouts. They are most displeased. You and this brat’s father have conspired to remove them from Sailem,’ he said as he thrust out his chin at Arul, his thin smile never reaching his eyes.
Guru Pari began to speak. ‘Not at all, Master Kapilan. All we have…’
He was cut-off by Kapilan, who waved his bony hand dismissively. ‘I order you to surrender your weapons! You are under arrest! You will be escorted to the village to be judged accordingly.’ His grin widened even more. Arul thought that it was impossible for a human being to grin that much.
He’s actually enjoying this.
As Kapilan’s men advanced threateningly with their spears, Arul’s hand dropped to the hilt of his aruval by instinct. He noticed Guru Pari fingering his own pendant, as though weighing up something in his mind.
Could he use it as a weapon?
‘There’s no need for violence against these children, Master Kapilan. We will lay down our weapons and surrender. This is all a terrible misunderstanding,’ Guru Pari said, his voice level and calm.
Arul hesitated from drawing his knife. He saw that Navira and Keeran were waiting for his lead, faces grim in the firelight. Arul spat and threw down his spear. His friends followed his example and dropped their weapons on the soggy ground, their faces dark with fury. ‘And your bow,’ Kapilan said, examining his fingernails casually. Arul ground his teeth as he unstrapped his bow and quiver from his back, dropping them in an untidy pile.
I’d like to strangle that idiot’s skinny neck. He has no idea what’s at stake here. Navira had similar feelings, glaring at the nearest villager until he stepped back uncertainly. Kapilan’s guards collected their weapons and motioned for the group to sit down on one side of the fire. Arul sat next to Keeran, staring into the flames, his face unreadable. Eventually he lifted his eyes to the guards standing across the fire. Their eyes flicked from the teens to the forest, occasionally stealing fearful glances at Pari.
Why do they fear him so much?
Occasional raindrops hissed onto the fire like an angry cobra, the rain easing as a fresh wind moved through the forest. The nearby stream masked the teens voices as they spoke quietly to each other. ‘He’s made up all these lies about us!’ Keeran said, holding his head in despair. ‘What will my parents think when they hear such evil untruths?’
Navira’s eyes fixed on Keeran. ‘If you start crying in front of these…these…people.’ She struggled for the right word. ‘I’m going to kill you.’
Keeran stifled a sob and wiped his nose. ‘It’s up to us to stand up for Guru Pari and tell the truth. He’s a good person, and I’m not letting a sneak like Kapilan get away with this.’ Something in Keeran’s voice made Arul regard him with newfound respect.
As the night wore on, the constellation of The Seven Sages rose to its zenith, peeping between the dark outlines of hurrying clouds. Guru Pari gradually inched his way towards Arul, careful not to let his captors notice. ‘I’ll be gone in the morning. You Arul, will have to look out for Navira and Keeran. You’ll need to figure out what to do once you reach Sailem.’
‘Going where? I can’t handle Kapilan by myself, let alone the Royal Scouts. We need you!’ Arul pleaded, his stomach nauseous with panic.
Guru Pari smiled. ‘I’ll follow this stream east until it reaches the Pichavaram swamp in the lowlands. From there the Palar River will take me to Ailas. I’ve used that route once before.’ A pained expression clouded his face. ‘But that was long ago.’ He turned and held Arul’s gaze for a long moment. ‘I need to get to the King. He needs to know about the invaders.’
Arul stared at Guru Pari with a pleading face. No one in Sailem would listen to him. No one would believe his side of the story. Not without his Guru. Pari searched Arul’s troubled face. ‘Your time is coming, Arul. But you’ll have to stand up and become who you are meant to be, not the boy you were.’
More strange words from my Guru. Why is he leaving me?
‘I’ll see you in Ailas. Look for me there.’ He squeezed Arul’s shoulder. ‘Your story…’ He paused. ‘Our story isn’t finished yet, Arul.’ With those words, Guru Pari closed his eyes.
Ailas? How would I get to Ailas, it’s two weeks away over the plains!
After the rains, the Ancient Forest was alive with a deafening orchestra of croaking and screeching. Unused to the jungle, Kapilan kept looking about wildly like a man possessed, the whites of his eyes shining in the firelight.
Arul let a tiny smile cross his lips.
I hope he’s really scared of Jaya.
He touched Pari’s feet and brought his fingers to his forehead, silently asking for his Guru’s blessing. He followed Pari’s example and closed his eyes, but in truth he was quite exhausted. That night, troubled dreams haunted Arul. He tossed and turned, looking for answers, but they never came, always seeming to dance out of reach. He heard a woman’s voice sing to him, her face so very sad. When he called out to her, she vanished. From the darkness he heard the sea calling to him, it’s distant roar like thunder.
Arul slept fitfully for the rest of the night, waking when Kapilan prodded him at first light. The guards were shouting as they searched the surrounding jungle, crashing clumsily through the underbrush and stabbing their spears into the scrub.
Guru Pari had disappeared.
Kapilan pushed his face close to Arul and growled, ‘Where has your Master run off too? Is he that much of a coward that he leaves you and escapes to safety?’ Kapilan spat at Arul’s feet, then walked over to Navira. ‘Where is he? What did he tell you?’ Navira stood her ground and said nothing.
Fast as a cobra, Kapilan slapped her.
Arul’s amulet glowed.
Your Amma didn’t want you. She hated you.
Rage.
Arul stepped up to Kapilan and threw him to one side with an unnatural strength before the guards could react. The Elder cartwheeled onto the damp grass, tumbling head over heels, skinny limbs tangled, the smile wiped from his face.
The guards surrounded Arul, spears dangerously close to his throat, eyes bright with fear. Arul could feel his amulet pulsing with heat, yearning to release its energy. A sensation of something ancient and powerful beyond imagining prickled his skin.
‘Arul! Stop!’ Navira yelled. Her voice snapped him out of his rage, and he lowered his fists, his breathing ragged.
Did the amulet give me the strength to do that?
Kapilan dusted off his robes and sneered at Arul. ‘Saved by Navira. Not much of a warrior, are you boy?’ He looked down at his muddy clothes. ‘It’s your fault I’ll be filthy until we reach Sailem!’ His empty grin changed to a look of dismay. He slapped Arul hard, then quickly stepped back, glancing at the amulet.
Navira shot Arul a warning look. Don’t react.
Kapilan eyes narrowed, his mouth opening and closing. ‘You’re like your Amma, aren’t you? Running off when things get tough. Scared that the Royal Scouts might recruit you.’ He sniggered and spat on Arul. ‘A family of losers!’
Arul went rigid, rage flooding back.
No! Now is not the time. It was Jaya’s voice in his head.
Jaya! Where are you?
Safer than you, Arul.
Kapilan shouted at his guards for failing to protect him, ordering Arul’s wrists to be bound for the rest of the journey. One of them, a man with close-set eyes and stringy hair, took out a length of hemp rope and tied Arul’s wrists, his eyes glittering maliciously. ‘The Royal Scouts told us that they’re searching for someone. I wonder if it’s you, boy?’
Kapilan led the way with one guard beside him; the other three following behind the teens. It had stopped raining, but the trees constantly dripped, splashing them with heavy drops of water as they trekked south through the forest.
They stopped at midday, but kept up a steady pace all day and the next until they came out into the Green Hills. Even Navira barely gave the wildflowers a glance, her eyes downcast.
Seeing these hills as prisoners certainly takes the joy out of things.
Kapilan was in no hurry, strutting at the head of the group like a peacock, following the winding road downhill to the plantation. They camped at the edge of the jackfruit trees at dusk. Arul stared at his feet miserably as he sat by the ruined archway, feeling that Jaya was watching them, even though he saw no sign of him.
A few scattered rain-clouds flared deep purple in the sunset, backlit by halos, bright as polished silver. Before long, a crescent moon rose in the east, a luminous arc floating in a twilight sky. Looking up, for a moment Arul felt his captivity was but a small matter next to the eternal sky above. Fresh hope seeped into him, although he had no idea what to do next.
The guards lit a fire and took turns keeping watch, offering the teens water, but no food.
It was an uncomfortable night.
The next day they entered the plantation, bright green after the rains, smelling of wet soil and rotting fruit. Endless stands of jackfruit trees rolled past as they walked for hours, hunger gnawing at the teen’s bellies.
One of the guards prodded Navira with the butt of his spear. As she spun around, the man opened his mouth to say something. Then he caught Navira’s scowl.
He didn’t shove her after that.