The Last Rudra

  If cruelty could speak, it would sound like the voice Onish just overheard. Onish's languidness fled away, and his ears perked up as he listened to the pitiless voice.

"Lupa, why have you disturbed me? You do know our kind hate the sun." 

"Yes, I know." hushed a female voice.," It is an emergency, and I can't come here at night that brainless fire beast has alerted Oman."

Onish thought he knew the speaker but couldn't put his finger on the identity as the voice was unclear. He wished he should have mastered the diagram that heightened hearing. 

"It was a foolish decision from the start. I had warned Kruma, the arrogant prick, not to trust those brainless idiots. "said the cruel voice," But the human thinks he knows these fiery monsters better than me. Now I would like to see how he would explain this to  Jora."

"What? " exclaimed the female voice, "Jora is coming to Minaak! When?" 

"I don't know the exact date but it must be before Inna's feast. Ouch..." All of a sudden, the merciless voice cried out in muffled voice."Can't you stay still and block that damn sunlight." 

Hiding behind the giant tree, Onish wondered what thing didn't want the sunshine. Surya, the bane of dark and the father of all beings, was someone to be worshiped and praised. Only something dark and evil could hate the sun and name him a demon. 

"Sorry, I suppose I smelled something foreign in the breeze." The female replied. Onish stifled on his spot. Had he been discovered? Or what could be foreign in the breeze except for the smell of his herbal bath? 

"Then, you'd better spill it why you called me or I'm leaving." The voice said, seemingly feeling queasy. 

"Ok, Ok. don't be chicken!" The female said, " The rumor is correct. The boy was not initiated in his awakening age." 

"How sure are you?" the voice grew solemn. Onish heartbeat quickened.

"As sure as death. He is really Hara, however, still dormant. I saw no gloden flack in his eyes. It seems the blind heretic couldn't awaken the boy." 

"Then, we still have time. I have to inform the lord right away. Keep an eye on him and don't get caught. I'm leaving... "

However, the voice was cut off by the female. 

" One more thing. The mountains of Okala are cooking something. Cole, the prince of Okala was here ..." the female stopped in the middle of the sentence. Onish realized the breeze had changed the direction. He had been discovered.

The best option would have been to slip away. But Onish decided on staying. He had to know this snake in his bosom. The last thing he wanted was a sneak attack and an untimely death. Having decided that, he commanded the swirling spirit to cut off the air to stop his smell from spreading. 

"What now?" the harsh voice asked apprehensibly. 

"Shush! I think someone is here. Go!. I will call you some other time."

From behind the tree, Onish peeped out.

At first, he saw nothing, but then his eye fell on a hooded figure, nimbly skimming through the blooms. Her long cloak was changing colours like a chameleon, making it impossible to notice her presence amidst the dazzling flora and dangling creepers. 

Onish realized he was naive to spy on a spirit wielder. By no means he could follow the conspirator who was apparently walking in the air. 

Stepping out of his hiding place, he watched the figure disappeared in the groove of trees. But where was the other one? He looked around. His eyes met nothing but dancing flowers, swinging creepers, and fruit-laden trees.

Though Onish wanted to look for the hiding spy, he thought better of it. After watching the cloaked figure, the cruel truth donned over him. The spirit wielder could crush him like an ant. Nothing good would come out even if he cornered the hiding viper. So Onish walked out of the orchard, watching his back. The false feeling of security he had after gaining the body had gone. 

So it was not only the stone-eyed who had mistaken him for some world saviour, but some lord out there also had bought the nonsense. And he wanted him dead. He didn't curse his fate this time for landing him in this situation. Knowingly or unknowingly, he had become a part of some conspiracy. And the only solution of it was he must grow stronger before his foes were still waiting.

Onish walked back to his chamber while his eyes still looking for the chameleon cloak. It was late afternoon; maids and scullions were scurrying around, busy with their tasks. The chance to spot the mysterious cloaked figure was nil to none unless he had seen his aura, but it was only a dream without his third eye. 

"Oh, little Ishi! where were you?," Esha called out from the stairs above. Her white dove perched on her shoulder, looking down at Onish.

"Why? I was in the library," replied Onish, wondering what the girl wanted. 

"Never mind. I have some good news for you," she said, chirping. 

"What is it?" asked Onish. He had no time to waste. His mind had taken some rest, so he was planning to memorize the next spirit digram. 

"I'm not telling you unless you call me big sister." She said, pouting. Her dove puffed up, imitating her master. 

Onish had not spent much time with the family, yet he could feel the love they had for each other. Such things were often looked down on by the nobles. He could recall the gloomy girl sitting beside her dying brother the whole night and then her crying like a baby on his awakening from the long slumber. If she hadn't been busy with all the things going on in the falconer guild, she wouldn't have left him alone, even for a moment. Onish knew her ocean-like love was not for him but for the boy who had left her long ago to live with the death -fairies. Yet, he found himself longing for it. After leaving his icy cave on the earth for the first time, he had felt at home. A place he didn't want to leave so soon. 

"Ok, I will call you big sister, but first you stop calling me little Iishi." Onish said, feigning a little annoyance."I'm not little anymore. Look how tall I'm!" The passing maids giggled. 

"Nope. I will never call you anything but little Ishi." came the reply from above. 

"Then I, too, won't call you big sister. Save your good news. I'm leaving. I have a lot of work, anyway." Onish stomped his feet and walked away. He had to stop the girl from using the funny name. "Little Ishi " how the girl had come up with such a name.

"Hey! you can't leave." She called out. Her dove cooed with her. However, Onish didn't stop. He mustn't give in.

"Okey, I won't call you 'little Ishi'. She said, "Now come back." 

Onish halted his step smiling triumphantly. "So what is the good news." He asked.

"Hey, you haven't called me 'Big Sisiter'," She said while climbing down. 

"Okey, what is the good news, Big Sister." Onish said.

"ha...ha..Good boy." flowers bloomed on her charming face. " I have two pieces of news for you." She said, her eyes gleaming with mirth. 

"First, Guha, your friend has been accepted as an apprentice."

This was not surprising for him. 

"And the second news is that you can finally learn to ride the spirit birds and ashva." 

Yesterday, Guha had boasted of him being able to ride the spirit horses (ashva). From the expression of his excited elder sister, Onish reckoned it must be something great achievement. So he, too, feigned excitement despite knowing nothing about the hyped thing. 

"You must thank Bhadra as it he who persuaded father. He wants to take you in the woods for the training." She said while accompanying him to his chamber. "I really envy you. Drona and I learned riding after completing our apprentice tests."

"Then I must thank him. By the way, Big Sister,".asked Onish after some pondering" Have you ever seen a cloak that could change its color like a chameleon."

"Why? I mean no" Esha was surprised with his odd question. "However, I have read of something similar in the Book of Dark Treasures." She went on, " The cloak of Sachi is supposed to have the ability to change its color. But again Sachi is supposed to be a mythical being created by magsmen to entertain people. So you can say there is no such cloak." 

"Oh! can you tell me more about this Sachi?" Onish asked when he reached the yard. As a yogi and a student of Vedanta, he knew too well that nothing was fictitious. A mortal mind couldn't devise anything new, not even a fictional being. 

Vedanta says anything that a mind can think already exists in the vast creation.

Besides, he had seen the cloak with his own eyes. 

"I love to. But we have to find a place first to sit on for it is going to be a long tale." Esha said, all excited. 

Nothing could be a better place for a tale than the small yard circumvented by the well-kept living fence. The dangling creepers welcomed them by brushing their faces and showering flowers..  They took the ornate seats around the well, and Esha, who could exchange his soul for a good storybook, started the tale of Suchi, a mythical being.