The teens hiked for some hours through open woodland, seeking to re-join the highway down to the lowlands. Arul turned his face towards the sky, where the last of the night’s constellations wheeled overhead. ‘We’ll rest under that neem tree until dawn.’
They flopped down under the tree, its canopy large enough to shade a small village. Its endless medicinal benefits were well known in Sailem, and the neem leaves seemed to repel mosquitoes. It was a good place for resting. As dark memories flooded his mind, Keeran sobbed quietly, turning his face away from the others.
After sleeping for a few hours, they ate bush guavas rather unenthusiastically, longing for hot food. A colony of bats suddenly shrieked past and wheeled north under the starlit sky. ‘What was that?’ Keeran blurted out.
‘Just bats!’ Navira replied irritably. ‘Don’t you know anything?’ Then her expression softened as she turned to Arul. ‘What happened to you back there?’
Arul took another bite of guava and remained silent, looking up at a hunting owl as it landed on the tree in complete silence, staring back at him with eyes like black pits.
‘Keeran said you acted strangely,’ Navira gently said, trying to coax Arul to talk.
Arul swallowed and took a deep breath. ‘The tiger. The one we killed. It helped me.’
‘What? How can that be?’ Navira said, her eyebrows arching.
‘It…it came into me. It’s soul…or something. Gave me so much strength.’
‘And saved Keeran, thank Vishnu,’ Navira added.
Keeran shrugged and looked at Arul’s knife. ‘I wish I had a hunting aruval like that. You could teach me to use it.’ Navira nudged Keeran in the ribs. ‘I mean, you could teach us to use it.’
‘I suppose I could do that,’ Arul replied. ‘Both of you have certainly earned that right.’ Keeran and Navira beamed at such high praise.
Arul frowned. ‘Where we’d get two aruvals from is another thing.’
‘We’d steal them, of course,’ said Navira without hesitation. Keeran and Arul laughed, amused by Navira’s practicality. ‘Why didn’t you take those dead soldier’s aruvals? Navira asked Keeran.
Keeran’s face dropped. ‘It’s very bad karma to take things from the dead!’
But Arul wasn’t taking notice of them anymore. ‘Can you hear that?’ He said tersely. They fell silent, letting the background sounds of the forest wash over them.
Crickets chirping, bats squeaking.
Wind.
‘There!’ Arul whispered. The sound of a galloping horse travelled on the wind, sometimes louder, then fading. The sound came and went as the wind changed directions.
‘Get down!’ Arul said, his voice sharp.
They lay flat so that the rider wouldn’t see their silhouettes amongst the trees. Arul stared hard through the sparse forest as the sound grew louder. A galloping horse crossed from left to right, not more than a stone’s throw away, riding east towards the plains.
‘A scout?’ Whispered Navira.
‘Trouble,’ replied Arul.
They took turns keeping watch for the remainder of the night, but saw no more horsemen. Rising with the dawn, they walked right through the next day with only the briefest of stops. Great white clouds floated through the cobalt sky, pressing humidity onto the land like a hot dosakallu, the flat iron pan used in village kitchens. Occasionally Arul spotted Jaya slinking through the trees, dried blood still visible on his jaws. Human blood.
Arul shot two pigeons for lunch, easy targets for his arrows as they waddled on the forest floor. Keeran stood looking at Arul pluck the birds. ‘I’ve broken my vegetarian vow by eating fish. I’m not going to add birds to it.’ Arul grunted and nodded. Keeran could eat whatever he wanted, so long as he didn’t starve to death. That would only add to their considerable troubles.
Arul searched for wild yams to throw onto the hot coals. They often grew near water, and didn’t take long to find. He and Navira cooked the yams and pigeons, a delicious roasting aroma filling the campsite. Keeran grinned as Navira tossed him a hot yam, wincing as he bit into its steaming yellow flesh. Much later that night, Jaya crept into the camp, picking at the pigeon bones quietly.
The country turned increasingly arid as the forest petered out into a few spindly trees. Tussocks of yellow grass grew amongst clusters of thorny bushes, their red flowers like erupting drops of lava. Arul crinkled his nose at the peculiar smell. It was like something rotting mixed with a sickly sweet perfume.
‘That smells of sour milk,’ Navira said.
‘More like old sandals,’ Keeran added while pinching his nose.
Arul searched for a safe spot to camp for the night, spying a small rocky outcrop surrounded by wild gooseberry bushes. Swarming over the plants like bees, they collected the tart berries with great enthusiasm.
Navira was the first to spy a hidden cave behind the thick undergrowth. ‘Arul, what do you think’s behind here?’
Arul poled at the bush with his bow. ‘More importantly, what does Jaya think.’ At a signal from Arul, Jaya came over, sniffing at the dark entrance.
Arul looked at his wolf. If there’s a snake in there, you’d growl, right?
Jaya’s voice touched Arul’s mind. Of course I’d growl. You’d blunder straight in.
Arul rubbed Jaya’s neck. It doesn’t bother me that you had to kill that enemy scout.
Jaya’s ears twitched. Good.
Arul smiled. Well, it did bother me a little.
It should. It took me some time to calm my bloodlust. I’m not a dog, you know.
‘You’re definitely a wolf, that’s for sure,’ Arul replied out loud, pushing through the gooseberry bushes and entering the cave. The air was damp and muddy, the space no larger than five paces across. Navira and Keeran followed, surveying the dim interior. Sunlight filtered through the bushes outside, giving the cave a pleasant greenish tone.
Arul rearranged the disturbed bushes to cover their tracks. Jaya settled near the entrance while the others lay down against the back wall, eating gooseberries and drinking from their waterskins. It wasn’t long before they nodded off one by one, Navira sideways on the ground and the boys slouched against the rock wall.
Arul woke when he heard Jaya growling in the dark. He crawled forward to the entrance and quieted the bristling wolf, trying to peer out through the dense foliage. More than a dozen flame torches were moving towards the cave. Searching.
Maybe they’re friendly.
But his jaw tightened when he heard the guttural voices of men speaking in the Korkai dialect.
They had no way of escaping.
Arul shook the others awake frantically. With a racing heart, he waited in silence, watching the flames getting brighter with each passing moment, until the clink of weapons sounded mere feet from the entrance. Someone prodded the gooseberry bush, no doubt wondering about the dark space behind. The teens shrank back against the rear wall, holding their breaths.
‘We’re no match against a whole troop of soldiers,’ Keeran whispered. ‘They’re going to chop us into little pieces!’ By now Arul had fixed an arrow to his bow, aiming it towards the cave entrance, planning on how many soldiers he could shoot before they got to him.
‘The ground’s shaking! Can you feel it?’ Navira whispered. From somewhere they heard the thundering of horses and the shouting of riders. The enemy began yelling to each other in panic as the galloping became louder, the unseen cavalry bearing down in a swift tide, a fearsome war-cry sounding in the night.
There was a fearsome war-cry, followed by a tremendous clash of arms as the riders swept by, the galloping fading away. ‘They’re coming around for another charge!’ Arul cried, his jaw tightening as another war-cry sounded. After the second charge the torches vanished, plunging the cave into pitch darkness, the pitiful moans of wounded men filling the air.
Arul crawled forward, peeking through the bush at the victors as they walked through the battlefield, stopping to prod the bodies of the fallen. There was a strangled cry as a wounded enemy soldier was put to death. Arul slid back into the cave, his stomach heaving as he tried to ignore the foul smell of blood.
Eventually, the soldiers began dragging an enemy body from in front of the cave. With a grunt, one of them fell sideways onto the gooseberry bush, his head thrusting into the cave entrance. He shouted when he saw Jaya’s gold eyes shining in the dark, scrambling backwards in a panic and screaming.
Moments later, torches and long spears were thrust into the cave. A rough voice spoke. ‘Whoever you are, you have one chance to surrender before we smoke you out!’ Keeran tried to shrink into the back of the cave, his body shaking uncontrollably.
Arul put his hand on Navira’s shoulder. ‘They’re speaking our dialect! They must be…’
‘Must be our army,’ Navira murmured.
‘What if the Royal Scouts told them to arrest us?’ Keeran whispered. ‘What if they chop us up anyway?’
Navira shot him an impatient look. ‘Do you think with a war on, our army would be given a stupid job like that?’
Arul chuckled and patted Jaya. ‘Stay here,’ he told everyone, crawling out over the flattened bush. Immediately, strong hands seized him and he was hauled off his feet. Two men dragged him to where the cavalry had reassembled, the smell of leather and horses overpowering. The moon had risen, its light making the ranks of horsemen appear pale and ghostly.
Menacing.
Close behind, soldiers dragged Navira and Keeran out of the cave. ‘Let go of me!’ Navira screamed. The soldiers only laughed, dumping the teens on the ground unceremoniously. While Keeran jumped up and dusted himself off, Navira continued to sit, glaring at the men.
Jaya poked his head out of the cave and looked around. ‘That animal in there is mine! Don’t harm him! Arul shouted.
The lead rider was seated on a magnificent black horse, the ornate reins and studded saddle gleaming under the moon. He rubbed his broad nose and stroked his moustache, peering at the teens with eyes that radiated authority. ‘Be quiet! You’ve been found hiding among a squad of Korkai soldiers, so I’ll ask the questions. And your answers had better be good! I’m tired and short on patience.’ He rested his hand on his wooden shield, gleaming with decorative bronze discs.
Arul hurriedly dropped his head to avoid the commander’s fierce gaze. When his eyes flicked up again, the officer was stroking his impressive moustache and speaking with his companions. Arul tried to be as polite as possible. ‘Excuse me, Mister Horseman, we’re from Sailem Village. Have you heard of it?’
The rider to the left of the commander spoke angrily. ‘It’s Anipathi Iniyan, not Mister Horseman!’ The other riders looked at each other and laughed, unsettling their mounts.
When the horses calmed down, the Anipathi spoke up. ‘I’m Colonel of the Fourth Kudhiraipadai. My name is Iniyan.’ He saw their blank expressions. ‘Cavalry Corps.’ His words slowed, as if talking to imbeciles. ‘I’m Colonel of the Fourth Cavalry Corps based near Ailas.’
Navira spoke up. ‘Can you help us get to Ailas? We’re on a religious pilgrimage and became lost. Then those awful soldiers from Korkai attacked us.’
Arul’s eyes widened. Was she always such a good liar?
The burly Colonel looked at her and adjusted his bronze helmet, its polished surface glittering in the moonlight. ‘Well, you’re a little young to be spies, so I’ll take your word for it. We intend to ride to the plains and rejoin the main body of our corps. We’ll be heading towards the Royal Highway, so I can take you as far as the last ridge before the plains.’
Arul eyed the colonel’s impressive armour. These are elite troops of the King. We need their protection.
‘We’d be pleased to accept your offer, Colonel Sir, but does that include my wolf?’
The Anipathi laughed heartily, his armoured chest heaving. ‘A polite young man, isn’t he?’ He stroked his moustache and studied Arul for a long moment. ‘Hmm…wolf you say? You mountain folk have strange pets, and even stranger ways.’ He shifted in his saddle. ‘Very well, your wolf can run alongside, so long as he doesn’t attack my men.’
Arul dipped his head to the Colonel. Navira and Keeran offered their own thanks as strong arms pulled them onto separate horses. Arul was offered a seat with the Anipathi’s second in command, a weather-beaten cavalryman wielding a three-pronged trishula spear.
They waited as a group of soldiers piled the scattered enemy corpses onto a bed of dry brush. Arul looked on in horror, swallowing hard. Using flaming torches, the men set fire to the bodies, standing back as the flames roared into the pale sky. With a hand signal from the Anipathi, the cavalry moved off, leaving behind the burning corpses. As the troop rode off, Arul twisted in his saddle and glanced back at Jaya. His wolf sat like an unmoving shadow, watching the column of ashes rise into the pale grey sky.
They rode until dawn flared over a series of ridges to the east, Arul forcing his eyes open as sunrise washed the surrounding cliffs in a blood-red light. As they rode through the morning, he dozed on and off, totally exhausted.
Suddenly, a strong jolt woke him as his horse stumbled over a dip in the ground. He rubbed his sore neck with a grimace and looked around. Jaya was running alongside the column at some distance, still eying the horses uneasily. Arul realised that far more than his neck hurt.
How do they do this all day long? Riding’s so painful.
The cavalry troop dismounted every hour to give the horses a break, the men walking to relieve their stiff bodies. During the breaks they offered the teens food and water in a kindly fashion.
Arul chewed on a stale rice-pancake and focussed his mind on Jaya. Are these are the same men who killed all of those soldiers last night?
Jaya fixed his eyes on Arul. They’re men, Arul. Far harder to understand than animals. You’re not in Sailem anymore, remember?
Arul threw Jaya a puzzled look. How do you know about men?
Jaya yawned and lay down, his thick tail wrapping around him.
Arul sighed. Fine! Stay silent. See if I care.
Towards midday, they rode up a steep incline, and from the crest of a ridge came into view of the Royal Highway to Ailas. Emerging from a forest, it ran past a traveller’s hut before plunging down a series of steep switchbacks to the plains.
Arul leapt off his horse with a painful groan and stood before the dusty Colonel. ‘I cannot begin to thank you enough, Anipathi,’ he began.
The Colonel waved him off. ‘No need, young fellow. I’d suggest you keep clear of the plains. There’s trouble brewing down there, I can tell you.’ He urged his horse forward. ‘Where’s the rest of my bloody corps got to? Someone go and scout ahead!’ He bellowed.
Surrounded by a cloud of dust, the troop cantered off down the road. Arul and Keeran laughed when they heard the Colonel’s fading voice shouting. ‘Stop gaping at me like speared fish! Do what I say!’
The sound and smell of horses faded away, the teens feeling rather lost. Distant thunder sounded somewhere in the mountains, a fresh breeze pushing eddies of dust along the road. Under the huge banyan trees that lined the highway, masses of leaves slowly tumbled, sounding like strange rasping insects.
Arul felt uneasy. Inside, he could feel some horrible darkness getting closer. He exhaled. ‘Well, this is it. The end of the highlands. It won’t be the same after this. Ever.’