The Last Rudra

"I was going to the woods when it all happened." began the young florist.

"As you know It was Purnima last night, the only night in a month when nymphs trade their elixirs and treasures." 

Oman eyed Rufaro. The veteran spiritualist was listening to Phule attentively.

He didn't expect King Aslan to dispatch the old Vellorian to Minaak. However, he was more than happy with the arrangement. He had fought along with the Vellorian spiritualist in the battle of Plassey. The elderly man was more than a comrade-in-arms to Oman. 

"It was already midnight when I left my home with moon-fairies nectar. My friends had already gone. Obviously, I was late." Phule, the florist, went on. 

"Why were you late? As far as I know, sprites don't trade under the aged-moon." the red-haired young man with pale skin cut in. His Okalian ethnicity was evident as his smugness. 

Oman didn't recognize this young guest of his from the capital. However, he was sure the haughty young man must be a budding star to be included in the royal investigation squad.

"Ah!" Phule's round face flushed red, "You know I got married last week." 

"No, I don't, nor does it explain why you were late for the task, which runs your house." said the Okalian young man in a tone that made Oman revalue his earlier opinion of him. 

"This… as you know," spluttered the florist. 

"No need to elaborate, young friend." Rufaro helped out the red-faced  florist, "You can tell what you saw at the fire-tamers' camp." 

The florist pulled himself together, his face turned solemn.

"I sensed nothing till I was just a few feet away from the fire-dancers campsite." Phule resumed,

"The bright blue fire of Ahura, as usually was guarding their camp, licking the tarpaulin makeshifts without incinerating it. Its fiery eyes watched me approaching.

It was then I heard loud voices coming from the camp. Lustro, the chief of the fire-tamers, was arguing with someone. As it was nothing to do with me and I was already late for the trade. I didn't linger there and took my way to the woods. However, I had hardly taken a hundred steps when I heard loud screams. The entire camp was engulfed in the blood-red fire. Lustro, in his fiery armour, was fighting with a fire giant, its heart blazing like a dragon pearl.

I hid myself behind the tree as I watched the legendary dance of the fire- tamers ." Oman saw the young florist shudder.

"The valiant fire-dancers danced with their blazing fire chains lashing out. However, they were like annoying flies before the giant. The red fire was devouring the sacred fire of Ahura rapidly, which was guarding the ashen-faced children.

Lustro noticed it and he summoned his flaming blade and flew towards the heart of the giant while his companion distracted the brute. The chief thrust his blade into the glowing pearl. But he soon realized his catastrophic mistake. Appalled he flew back but lava devoured him in the middle of his flight. The giant's heart was a bait.

It exploded and the blood-red lava swallowed the fleeing tamers. They howled like wretched banshees. Rooted to the ground, I watched their blazing bodies melting away: children, women, men, and spirit-beasts alike." 

The young florist finished, his face ashen white. 

Nobody uttered a word. Oman had visited the horrid site. The fire had left nothing, not even the charred bones and skulls. His men had found the young florist fainted under the tree, entangled in the devil creepers. 

"And you are sure that this Lustro and his lot were not behrupiya1." said the young man breaking the icy silence. "I mean it is quite hard for me to believe, a veteran fire tamer couldn't control his own summoned fire giant." 

"Enough, Cole. I got you." Rufaro snapped at the red-haired man. 

"You think it is meaningless to poke the ashes. But let me remind you again, lad. It is His majesty's order, so you are not going anywhere till  we find out the cause of the uncanny incident." 

The Okalian young man quieted down, but his sapphire blue eyes had a defiant look. 

"You dared to call Lustro, the best bridge-burner we ever had, a behrupia. It was he who saved Amarto in the battle of Plassey. I really wonder if you had some strange custom there in the mountains to mock your saviour."

Oman squinted at the young man's pale, thin face. How could he fail to recognize the face?

The triangular face of his rival Amarto, the lord of Okala, and one of the many suitors of Padma, his wife. 

Now, he recalled the young man, before him, was Amarto's prodigal son Cole. Come to think of it, the young man's smugness wasn't ungrounded. 

Rumour was that he had passed the royal academy test at the age of twelve and completed his apprenticeship within five years attracting Aslan's eye.

"I apologize for my ignorance, Lord."  Cole's face said otherwise. "I had no knowledge of the incident. Lord father never mentioned it." 

"Save your apology." The veteran spiritualist waved his hand, "I want you to cooperate in this mission that's all." 

Rufaro turned to Phule, the florist, and gave him three ducats for his information. The young man left cheerfully. 

"I want to see the sight by myself. Oman, can you guide us there?" The Vellorian said to Oman. The lord could do nothing but ride in the carriage with the two guests.  He wanted to know what happened to his son.  Was he able to sense the spirit? Or was he just a commoner who fated to suffer all his life?  He hadn't expected the king's men so early. It seemed Aslan was really edgy. 

"Oman, what do  you think of the florist's tale?" Rufaro asked as the carriage rolled down the busy streets. 

"The young man was telling the truth. We found him, entangled in the devil creepers near the site," Oman replied in a serious tone. 

"So, you mean a fire giant of Ashrar was roaming here, and dancing with the fire-tamers," Cole said with a hint of mockery. 

"We can't be sure; not till we see the site." Rufaro said, "However if it is true we are in grave trouble." 

"If the florist was not a magsman in disguise, I'm sure the fire-beast was with the bridge-burner." Cole said while eyeing Oman's solemn face." It also explains their wretched fate. The inferno of Ashrar knows only two masters-sons of Udor and the three-headed hound Pindar." 

Rufaro's face flushed,

  "Young man, If you don't want your licence to be revoked, never tell a tale that you cannot back up. There is no such hound. I can't believe His Majesty granted you a fellowship of Royal society." 

Cole sneered at the old man's reaction but didn't talk back. 

However, Oman's mind reeled. Cole's speculations were not ungrounded. The only fire that could cremate the fire-tamers was the masterless inferno of Ashrar. Now the question was what a son of Udor was doing here in Minaak. Thousands of miles away from his mythical land. 

Light jerk in the carriage broke his train of thoughts. He wondered what made the coachman stop. He slid open the window and peeked out. 

A cacophony of birds made him wince. The sky was clouded by the flocks of mortal birds. The crazy birds were fluttering in all directions, colliding with anything that came into the path. 

Appalled, the shopkeepers were shutting their doors. People were rushing into the alleys protecting their eyes and faces. Those who could wield the spirit were helping the city guards fighting with the crazed birds.

What happened now. He wondered as he stepped out of the carriage.  His two guests were watching the insane feathered creatures with amazement. 

Oman summoned the shield to ward off the crazy birds. He was shocked to see the ground littered with dead birds, feathers, and crimson blood. The city guards were crazily butchering the creatures, but they were outnumbered by the hordes of birds. Oman looked up the endless stream of birds rushing towards the city. 

What the hell was happening? Who drove the creatures insane?  He had never seen and heard the docile creatures acting up like this. His guards were not trained to fight this situation, nor was the city shield designed to stop the mortal birds.  What a headache! Where was Griva now? He swept his eyes.  And he spotted the bald-headed man amidst the other officers, howling commands. 

As if sensing his gaze, Griva looked at him. And after issuing a few more commands, he rushed towards him.

"Lord ...lord you have to activate the defence shield," shouted the chief of city guards 

"my men cannot stop these insane birds." 

"What's about the falconers? Why don't I see any of them here?" Oman shouted over the raucous. 

"I contacted the guild.  They are helpless too. The spirit birds of the aviary tower are behaving oddly. All their manpower  is busy trying to calm them down." 

"Did they tell what caused the creature to go insane?" asked Oman, feeling flustered.

"No, they are as clueless as us," Griva replied, helplessly watching the birds creating havoc in the city.

  "First came a small flock, chirping loudly as they circled the city square. As if looking for someone or something. But after a few moments watchers noticed the black clouds rising from the woods as they flew towards the city. By the time they informed the officers, the crazed birds were on them. Three guards fell down from the towers. The evil birds pecked their eyes." Griva turned to Oman, who was watching the birds pondering something.

"Lord, please activate the defence shield." The veteran yoddha requested. 

  Oman observed the screeching birds flocking in. They were not circling the city square as Griva had said but flying around the white castle. 

He took out the black medallion with a fierce-looking face engraved on it. With the help of his dagger, he made a light cut in his right thumb and dripped three drops of blood on the medallion. The thick blood vanished as soon as it touched the medallion. 

Girva looked in the Ishan Kona ( north-east direction). Ethereal blue shield flashed from the Vastu tower, covering the whole city like the bubbles of a shop, hurling out the crazed birds. The city fell silent. 

Oman saw the birds colliding the shield crazily. As if they couldn't see the shield. 

"Oman, what makes these birds so mad. I never knew even mortal birds could be so frightening." Rufaro asked, looking at the birds in the sky. The two guests long got off the carriage to take a good look at the uncanny birds. For a spiritualist, anything out of ordinary or even ordinary was a matter of study. 

"No, Idea. Even the falconer guild had no clue." Oman replied, "Old friend, Could you look for a destiny walker in the capital during the yearly festival. And ask him why I can't rule like the other eight samants 1in peace." 

Rufaro shook his head, 

"They are just tricksters having a way to notice people's misery and desires. "

  Oman regretted forgetting his old friend's hate for soothsayers. 

"Why find a soothsayer? When you have the stone-eyed. I heard he had predicted Prince Tissa's death three years ago." Cole cut in. "I really admire the old man's guts."

Oman's face turned solemn. The incident with Prince Tissa was still fresh in his memory. The young prince had pestered Chalukya too much. The spirit awakener kept ignoring the audacity of the ignorant young man. But suddenly, something happened to the stone-eyed. His voice got changed as he uttered the ominous words,

"O ! Last fruit of the betrayer's line.

  Thee will shrivel up under the dark lord's mine.

Forging for False king a coffin

  the cursed line of Mahua will save their queen." 

Had Oman not mediated and pleaded forgiveness on behalf of Chalukya, there would be no stone-eyed in Minaak today. Yet Tissa had flogged the old awakener to half-dead and branded his back. 

Oman didn't want any more trouble, so he diverted the conversation.

  He asked Rufaro to wait until the raucous of birds subsided.  To Oman's surprise, the old man gladly agreed to this. But he soon found out the reason. His two guests busied themselves with the half-dead birds, examining them there and there, reminding him of their identity as boffins. 

Oman was worried about his son and wife's safety. Though he had ordered Bhadra to accompany them, with all these strange things happening. He was not sure the fowler could cope with all this. 

Besides, he wanted to know his son's fate. So he excused himself to find Griva, who had run away to check the spirit guild.