Chapter 38 The Ruined City of Danavas #2
“What?” Chandra cringed.
“That is what I believe you humans call us. Demons, asuras, danavas, or rakshasas. We are known by many names.” Makhadeva paused as if imparting something of significance. “It’s good that you are under a vow to not eat meat, Princess.”
Chandra understood what he was saying with a sick sense of dread. “But…but…that would mean, the animals Veer has been devouring are…”
“Yes, they are all demons in exile, Princess. When Veer tasted the flesh of one, the curse came into effect. Now do you understand why I had to curse him? They are not ‘just’ animals.”
Chandra didn’t know whether to be flabbergasted or take it in her stride.
She had gone from believing the devas and danavas were just fables told to children, to realizing they must have existed at some point in the distant past, only to understand now that these legends still existed and walked among them.
“What happened? What made you people…er…?”
“Live in exile?” supplied Makhadeva helpfully.
“Yes.”
“It’s a long story.” He glanced sidelong at her. “Perhaps one day I’ll tell you the reason.”
“Did the devas banish you?”
Makhadeva whirled around, the bees buzzing aggressively. She shrank from his anger, cursing her quick tongue. She remembered some of the unsavory legends of the rakshasas, of their fondness for human flesh and propensity for violence.
“If it were anyone but you who asked this question…”
She thanked the goddess that at least he seemed to be fond of her…for some reason.
Chandra pondered this news with excitement. If they were the danavas, they must know all about the mechanism on Meru and how the lotus key worked. And perhaps they also knew the location of the rest of the key pieces or how to obtain them.
Makhadeva stopped suddenly and put a hand over one of his ‘eyes’.
“Ah. I’m needed, Princess. Please feel free to explore. I must go.”
Before she could say anything, he disappeared. Chandra went searching for him, desperate for answers.
She didn’t have to search for long in the dilapidated husk of a city and spotted him in a large circular room with a domed ceiling that had a central crack through it. A swarm of bees hovered in the air in front of a dozen mirrors at different heights, each showing a different part of the forest.
Chandra found the beast that was Veer reflected in each of the mirrors. She winced when she saw his killing rampage with no signs of slowing down.
“Your husband seems to have torn a swathe through the forest,” said Makhadeva, noticing her arrival. “I’m impressed by his stamina. Perhaps his rage is fueled by some sense that he’s missing his prey? He seems to be closing in on where we are currently staying.”
Chandra wondered what Veer’s plans were when he ultimately found her. She gulped just thinking about it. Was he going to consume her like the other animals? Will that finally satisfy his hunger? Will that break his curse or make him more damned?
“Can’t you help him?” she asked again.
“No. We talked about this yesterday.” Makhadeva paused. “But I do have to do something to restrain him. He cannot be allowed to continue like this. Frankly, I thought he would’ve run out of energy long before now.”
“What are these mirrors?”
“These are magical mirrors made from water. My friends, the kinnara couple, made these. It allows me to watch what is going on in my domain.”
“Does the mirrors’ reach extend beyond the borders of this forest?” she asked.
“Sometimes, yes.”
“Well, in that case, can you show me something?”
“If you know the location of this person, I can try.”
“In Amaravathi’s royal palace, there’s a king who is sick. Can you show him?”
Makhadeva adjusted the mirror and closed his left eye.
The mirror went in and out of focus, each time showing a different place, but she recognized some of them—a village on the outskirts of Amaravathi, the temple spire of Devarakonda, the neatly paved streets of Tripura, Amaravathi’s capital city, and finally, the royal palace.
The next time the mirror came into focus, it showed the king’s bedchamber.
An airy chamber lit with natural air and sunlight. She could almost smell the scent of medicinal paste her mother must have sent.
In the large bed lay the king. The ravages of the sickness had left their mark on his body. Chandra saw that he had lost a lot of weight.
She put out a hand longingly, almost but not quite touching the reflective surface, wishing she could see him in the flesh once more.
“Thank you for showing me. It’s been seven years since I have seen my father. I didn’t think I’d be able to see him before he pardoned me.”
Makhadeva didn’t ask further questions, and Chandra was grateful for it; although, she suspected he already knew the truth. After all, he knew about her and Veer’s history before she even told him.
She surreptitiously wiped her tears that had appeared out of nowhere. “You don’t”—she sniffed—“happen to know my brother’s whereabouts, do you?”
Makhadeva put a hand to cover his left eye. “Ah…I don’t see him, Princess.”
“Does that mean he’s dead?” she asked, alarmed.
“No, my reach sometimes doesn’t extend that far. And if I don’t have an idea of where I am looking, I may not see what I wish to see.” He hesitated. “I’ve to go now, Princess. I hope you can find something to pass the time here, where you’ll be safe.”
“Wait! Take me with you. I want to see him.”
“That’s dangerous, Princess.”
“You’re there to protect me, right? I’m sure I’ll be okay. Please, take me with you.”
Makhadeva seemed to ponder her words. “Perhaps there’s a way you can be useful if something fails. It seems only fair. All right, I’ll take you.”
He waved his hand, and the mirrors dissolved into the air, leaving one behind.
The being went toward it, and the mirror lowered itself, hovering closer to the ground.
He turned to Chandra and bowed with his hand outstretched.
“After you, Princess,” he said, indicating that she should step into the mirror.
Chandra stared with trepidation and took a deep breath before placing a foot on the mirrored surface.
It was like plunging into a pool of water.
She lost her balance and stumbled through, and for a few seconds, it felt as if she were thrown into a pool.
She swam toward the surface and when she broke through, she found herself upright on the ground, dry.
She turned back and saw the yaksha emerging from the mirror’s surface. Once he was standing beside her, the mirror evaporated out of existence.
Chandra took stock of her surroundings. They were back in the dense forest. She heard a distant roar and the fall of a tree, followed by the sudden flight of birds.
Makhadeva set off in that direction and she followed suit.
“The central arena,” he said, looking around. “I should’ve known. For some reason, all the fell creatures seem to gravitate to that cursed place.”
The dense trees suddenly gave way to a huge central clearing. Something horrible had to have happened here, something so bad even the grass refused to sprout from the ground, which was still a charred mess of dead twigs.
Over in the distance, she spied a figure battling three large animals. She recognized Veer’s beast form.
“We need to hide you, so we don’t alert him to your presence,” said Makhadeva as he intoned something.
Chandra felt his spell wash over her. She lifted her hand and watched it go transparent and then disappear. She was now invisible.
“You have to lift his curse,” said Chandra, once again appealing to the yaksha. “The way he is going, he’ll kill a large number of the forest’s inhabitants.”
“Do you think, Princess, that if it were a simple matter of lifting it, I would’ve done so?
No. The curse came into being because of his bestial nature.
It’ll nullify itself, but only if he shows he has some human nature left.
And don’t you worry about the animals here.
Everything that dies here will return,” he said enigmatically.
“But you’re telling me the more he kills, the deeper the curse goes. Maybe if you wait a bit more, there is some opportunity he’ll regret his actions.”
“I’ve waited,” said Makhadeva, the frenetic buzzing of the bees showed his agitation.
“I’ve given him long enough to repent his actions.
I can wait no longer. Not for the good of Dandakaranya.
This forest is not just a place of exile.
It’s also a refuge, of beings that are no longer welcome in the outside world.
I can’t have someone like him disrupt the balance in this place.
Nor do I want him to wake up things that are much worse. I have to neutralize him.”
Makhadeva seemed to see her crestfallen face, despite her invisibility, and his voice softened.
“As for your quest, he’s of no importance to it.
Other than providing you with security, he can hardly do anything on his own.
If your choice is to still prevent the explosion on Meru, you can continue finding the key components. I’d be happy to tell you what I know.”
Chandra watched as Makhadeva got busy. The ground at the beast’s feet turned bright silver. Veer paused in his fight. The other animals quickly backed away from him. He pawed at the ground on all fours, seemingly curious.
A pale, transparent rod rose from the ground. Veer batted at it but jumped away with a howl when his paw brushed against it. Cradling his right hand to his chest, Veer suddenly glanced in their direction, although they were invisible.
Several more rods rose from the ground at different heights all around Veer, in a rough circle, a few feet in diameter. Some turned midway, perpendicular to each other, in different directions.
The rods were still separate, not yet touching each other. But as they moved closer, surrounding Veer on all sides, Chandra realized that they would form a cubed grid type of prison. And Veer wouldn’t be able to touch it without experiencing excruciating pain.