Chapter 13 #2
Adam had always had a knack for geography, which meant he had a pretty good sense of the scale of destruction they were talking about—a wave of power that leveled entire forests and scorched hundreds of miles of grassland. Lakes dried up like pots left too long on the stove.
Anyone unfortunate enough to be there burned to ash.
Part of him wanted to shield himself from the notion by mustering up a comfortable skepticism—but he couldn’t. He’d seen too damned much of what other arcana could do to doubt the stories about this one.
Then Mr. Chowdhury made it worse. “There are also indications that the astra could potentially be directed at a more… dispersed target.”
Adam crossed his arms. Kalb sensed the tension in the movement, glancing up at him curiously. “What’s that mean, exactly?”
Ellie stiffened. “You’re talking about Lakshmana and Indrajit.”
“Who?” Constance frowned with confusion.
Vijay replied from his throne-like seat.
“Miss Mallory refers to a lesser known incident from the Ramayana narrative. Indrajit was the eldest son of the demon king Ravana. Rama’s brother Lakshmana became so enraged with Indrajit that he called the Brahmastra not just to kill Ravana’s son, but with the intention of slaying every demon on the earth. ”
“Only Rama stopped him, because not all the demons were part of Ravana’s army,” Ellie elaborated uneasily.
Neil stepped forward. “Hold on—are you saying that this weapon is capable of wiping out an entire category of people? All of them, regardless of where in the world they happened to be? Just like that?”
Padma answered him in a voice as dry as gravel. “That is our understanding.”
“Hell,” Adam muttered feelingly.
Padma set down her tea. “And now perhaps you see why we have reason for concern.”
Concern. The word was a gross understatement when talking about a weapon that could wipe out an entire people.
Grim determination settled over Adam. “I can’t say I’m fond of the notion of a weapon like that falling into the hands of a guy like Borthwick.”
“An object infused with the power of the astra cannot be banished or undone,” Vijay elaborated. “It may only be destroyed by being used. We believe that Tulsidas’s text refers to an instance of the Brahmastra that was created but never launched against a target.”
Ellie’s fingers tapped thoughtfully against the arm of the sofa, her mind working. “Like the one Lakshmana summoned against Indrajit and the rakshasas.”
“But that means if even Borthwick found it, he could only use it once,” Neil deduced hopefully.
“I’m not sure it needs to be more than that to be a real bad idea,” Adam pointed out.
Mr. Chowdhury exchanged a knowing look with his prince. “That is our thinking as well.”
“So how do we find it?” Adam demanded. “Did you get anything useful out of that transcription?”
“Dr. Fairfax copied the glyphs with reasonable accuracy,” Mr. Chowdhury replied.
Neil slumped with relief. “Oh, thank God!”
Vijay pulled a notebook from his pocket. He scanned the room, ensuring that he had everyone’s rapt attention, and then read. “To seek the lost astra, keep your father’s oath and follow Lord Rama’s footsteps across the River of Wisdom.”
“That could refer to keeping the path of proper dharma,” Ellie mused.
“Or that we’re going into the woods,” Adam countered. “Isn’t that where your prince was exiled in order to keep his father’s oath? A haunted forest?”
“The Dandakaranya,” Mr. Chowdhury confirmed.
“That happen to be a real place, by any chance?” Adam pressed.
“The wilderness at the western border of Odisha has long been associated with Lord Rama’s exile,” Vijay replied.
“There a river around there?”
Padma answered. “A tributary of the Godavari known locally as the Jnananadi.”
“Which is Sanskrit for River of Wisdom,” Vijay elaborated with a hint of mischief.
“Tulsidas wasn’t beating around the bush,” Adam noted dryly.
“Apparently not,” Ellie agreed. “But is there more?”
Constance popped up from the couch, leaning over her uncle’s chair as she read excitedly from his notebook. “Join the Lord of the Dance on the ridge that points to the dawn of the longest day. Let his shadow lead you to the ruins of the most loyal kingdom.”
She looked wonderingly to Ellie, Neil, and Adam as she finished. “Seek the path to the Astra of the Creator by the Waters of the Son of the Wind, where nobility of spirit is never untouchable.”
“But what does all that mean?” Neil demanded helplessly.
Vijay’s reply carried a dangerous note of challenge. “I suppose the answer to that question lies on the other side of the Jnananadi.”
At his words, emotion chased through Ellie’s eyes like the quickly turning pages of another book.
Excitement at the prospect of chasing down another mystery from the past.
Fear of what failing to find it might mean.
Adam looked to the maharaja and his companion. “I’m guessing you don’t have a map with a handy ‘X’ right over these Waters of the Son of the Wind.”
“No,” Vijay admitted. “In fact, the region we’re speaking of has been only loosely mapped at all. It isn’t generally considered very salubrious territory for casual explorers.”
“Why’s that?” Adam demanded.
“Pythons,” Vijay replied. “Tigers.”
“Tribal revolutionaries,” Padma added.
Vijay picked innocently at the cuff of his tunic. “I can’t say I know anything about that.”
Mr. Chowdhury glanced up at the ceiling as though searching for patience, muttering under his breath.
Adam checked to see if Mr. Mahjoud showed any sign of recognition at the solicitor’s words, because he was fairly certain the man had just recited a d’ua for patience against adversity.
“The Adrija Khond are a lovely people,” Vijay insisted.
“If one dismisses the rumors that they formerly engaged in human sacrifice,” Padma blithely countered.
Neil blanched with discomfort. “What’s that?”
Ellie lifted her chin stoutly. “I was under the impression that accounts of human sacrifice in India were greatly exaggerated by colonial agents as an excuse to dispossess less privileged castes and lay claim to their natural resources.”
“I’m sure you’re right,” Vijay returned lightly.
Mr. Chowdhury shot him a dry look before elaborating. “The Adrija are one of the clans that populate the remote hill villages. They speak a different language from the Odia people here in the plains and have their own faith and cultural practices. They are sometimes… wary of outsiders.”
Adam had the distinct impression that Mr. Chowdhury was choosing his words with great tact.
Vijay crossed his legs, waving a regally dismissive hand.
“But the royal family of Nandapur has a relationship with the clan going back generations. There’s a quaint tradition where whenever a new member of the family takes the throne, the Adrija engage in a ritual kidnapping and carry him off to the forest. They pretend to mull over whether to sacrifice him or a water buffalo for a little while, and then opt for the buffalo. ”
Ellie perked up. “What a fascinating bit of ethnography! It clearly implies a ritual assertion that the Adrija are not obligated to accept the rule of the Nandapur kings but only choose to do so of their own free will.”
“I doubt the Adrija would do much of what I asked them to if they didn’t want to,” Vijay agreed. “They’re terribly independent-minded. But they have also historically made up a significant portion of the royal army—not that we have one of those anymore.”
Vijay punctuated the remark with a sly look at Mr. Chowdhury.
“Of course not,” Mr. Chowdhury replied tiredly. “Because maintaining your own army would be considered grounds for the Raj to declare war upon you.”
“If anyone can tell us where the rest of the landmarks from this text are located in the forest, it will be the Adrija Khond,” Vijay asserted.
“I would love to bring you to the village and introduce you to the local leaders there myself, but one of Nawaz’s sources has informed us that Colonel Borthwick is headed to Nandapur. ”
Adam was starting to get a headache. “I’m guessing that means he found somebody to read that manuscript.”
“And deduced the most likely place to start the journey,” Vijay confirmed. “But they’ll have a difficult time finding a guide. There aren’t many people outside of the hill tribes who are willing to go into that forest.”
“On account of the tigers,” Adam filled in.
“Don’t forget the demons.” Vijay’s eyes twinkled mischievously before he once more assumed a regal air. “I will do what I can to delay Borthwick here.”
“Carefully,” Mr. Chowdhury added pointedly.
“When am I not careful?” Vijay complained.
“Far more often than I would like,” Mr. Chowdhury drolly returned.
“The colonial authorities are always hunting for an excuse to annex the territory of the remaining princes,” Vijay elaborated dismissively.
The solicitor’s reply was weighed with a concern that had nothing to do with the law. “The rest of the princes are not you.”
An answering feeling flashed in Vijay’s eyes before both men swept the look under their respective veils again—one of regal authority, and the other of intellectual control.
“Borthwick already suspects you’re up to more than you ought to be,” Padma warned.
Constance brightened with avid fascination. “Are you?”
Vijay flashed her a grin, and Mr. Chowdhury gave a long-suffering sigh.
Padma’s authoritative tones cut through the room. “You will have to send them alone.”
Vijay frowned, displeased by his aunt’s assertion. “We have ample resources here that we can put at their disposal.”
“None of which can be seen to be associated with any effort to thwart Borthwick.” Padma shifted a merciless glare to Mr. Chowdhury. “Or am I wrong, Nawaz?”
Mr. Chowdhury’s jaw was tight. “No.”
“One of your sources,” Adam echoed significantly. “That’s who told you Borthwick was coming. Not your local administrator?”
Vijay gave Adam a thoughtful look. “That’s right.”
“And is that usually how you find out high-ranking Raj officials are going to be in the neighborhood?”
“It is not,” Mr. Chowdhury replied significantly.
“The man’s on a secret mission to retrieve a priceless Indian artifact,” Vijay dismissed. “That’s not the sort of thing one formally announces one is doing.”
“Perhaps he’s trying to sneak past you,” Constance theorized.
“Or catch you getting involved,” Adam countered.
Adam felt the full royal weight of the maharaja’s disapproving glare, but refused to back down.
“And what happens if Borthwick does find out you’re part of this?” he pressed.
Mr. Chowdhury answered. “He loses Nandapur.”
The words had weight.
Vijay turned an imperious glare on his solicitor. Mr. Chowdhury faced it steadily, his expression soft with unveiled sympathy.
“Damn you,” Vijay cursed—but Adam could already see that he had given in.
“Utilizing Nandapur’s resources must be a last resort.” Padma’s words had the air of a final ruling.
Ellie lifted her chin stoutly. “The four of us were already planning to see this through to the end.”
“I should like to see you try to leave me out of it,” Constance challenged.
Neil straightened. “Of course, I’ll help—not that I know what use I’ll really be.”
“You were plenty of use last time,” Adam pointed out.
Neil glanced over at him with an expression of quiet surprise.
“They will need a guide to the Adrija village—and an introduction,” Padma declared. “The Adrija will be especially cautious of strangers if Borthwick is involved.”
Adam’s hackles instinctively rose. “Why’s Borthwick a threat to this village?”
“The Criminal Tribes Act,” Mr. Chowdhury replied. “It empowers Borthwick, as head of the Thuggee and Dacoity Department, to declare any tribal community unlawful.”
“Unlawful,” Ellie echoed tensely. “And what does that mean, exactly?”
Mr. Chowdhury’s eyes flashed with an anger that belied his habitually cool manner.
“It means that the movements of every man, woman, and child in the community can be proscribed. The whole group might be forcibly relocated and kept under police guard. No one can go anywhere without a pass. Sometimes the male children are removed from their families and sent to reformatory camps.”
Ellie’s knuckles whitened where she gripped the arm of the sofa. “How is that legal?”
The solicitor answered her tiredly. “The assumption is that criminality is a heritable trait. If one determines that a particular village includes a number of lawbreakers, one can reasonably prevent further crime by declaring the entire group criminals in advance.”
“Reasonably,” Ellie echoed tautly.
Adam shared the feeling he could hear in her voice, a low hum of anger rising at Mr. Chowdhury’s description. “And how many villages has Borthwick declared criminal?”
Mr. Chowdhury met his gaze. “Forty-three.”
“My God,” Neil said softly, his face drawn.
Adam’s fist clenched.
Forty-three communities condemned on the word of a single administrator, from grandparents to infants.
Told where they could live. Separated from their families.
Subject to untold other discrimination—because who would protect the people of a group that had been branded with such a stamp of disgrace?
The situation promised suffering that would resonate down generations… and all on one man’s word.
Ellie stiffened with furious indignation. “No one should have that kind of power.”
“Especially not Borthwick,” Neil added shakily, likely recalling his time with the man while he had made his illicit copy of the manuscript.
“Is it a good idea to involve these Adrija with that much at stake?” Adam demanded.
“They won’t want Borthwick wandering around their territory, either,” Vijay returned. “And they know how to be discreet.”
“Who will guide them to the village?” Padma demanded.
Vijay glanced significantly at his companion.
Mr. Chowdhury blanched. “Are you quite sure that’s a good idea?”
“They would only need to be led as far as the village,” Vijay countered.
Mr. Chowdhury rubbed a tired hand over his angular features. “Fine.”
Padma rose from her chair in a regal dismissal. “Then it’s settled. They will leave in the morning.”
Vijay treated Adam and the others to a final royal glare as he paused by the door. “If any of you should find yourselves facing the slightest hint of danger—”
“We’ll lay low and call for help,” Adam promised—and tried to ignore the itch of worry at the back of his skull.
Mr. Chowdhury spoke authoritatively from the maharaja’s side. “I’ll see to all the arrangements. You should be ready for departure immediately after breakfast.”
“Any questions?” Padma prompted casually.
Ellie bit her lip with everything she obviously wanted to ask. Neil looked a bit ashen.
Constance bounced on the settee with excitement. “None, Aai!”
“Then go to bed,” Padma ordered.
“Ma’am,” Adam acknowledged—and herded his friends out the door.