Nine: Vengeance of the Warrior (32 page)

Raakin was breathing heavily as he opened the box. Nestled in the centre, on a thick layer of cotton, was one fragment of the crystal. It glimmered in the sunshine. He closed the box and handed it to the councillor, who placed it inside his cloth bag. They continued to walk towards the opposite side of the platform. From a similar stupa, they recovered the other copper box. The second Chintamani fragment was secure within. Sighing with relief, Raakin handed it to the councillor.

‘Keep these safe. We can head back now,’ Raakin said.

The Kala Yogis informed Tejaswi that Raakin had returned to India with the Chintamani.

‘Good. The time has come for war.’ She dialled Raakin’s number. ‘We shall meet at the battlefield, Raakin. I want Anita to bring the Chintamani to me. Remember, no one else or the C4 will blast a crater in the capital city,’ Tejaswi threatened.

53

Raakin

Tara, Akash and Zubin were planning the attack. They synced their minds and focused. The meetings with the Senior Six had given them additional confidence to face their nemesis.

‘We have received word from the Senior Six. They have sent us the Dhamma chakra which we will use to trap the spirit once we kill the host,’ Tara explained.

‘Take it with you,’ Raakin said. ‘She wants to meet at Dhauli.’

‘Dhauli?’ Akash asked. ‘Where’s that?’

‘In Orissa. It is the battlefield of the Kalinga Empire. The place where the terrible war took place in 261 BC between the Mauryans and the Kalingans,’ Tara chimed in.

‘Also, the place that witnessed the transformation of King Ashoka into one of the noblest monarchs in history,’ Anita added.

‘Anita, have you been there?’ Raakin asked.

‘Yes, many times.’

‘Good. Because Tejaswi wants you to hand over the Chintamani at the battlefield.’

‘That’s crazy!’ Akash burst out angrily. ‘We have to decide this, not her.’

‘Tejaswi has the upper hand in this situation. She has got the C4 spread out at all the sites of the Ashoka edicts. She has chosen Dhauli because the Kalingan spirits will join forces and she will have even more power,’ Tara explained.

54

Anita

The oddest feelings surged within Anita. For the most part, she was not afraid. Standing in the middle of the sprawling paddy field, through which a few bullock carts trundled slowly, she felt strong—and sure. As if this was meant to be. Zubin, Akash and Tara were watching her from just beyond the hillock. It was amazing that after all these years of research, she’d actually met three of the Nine. It was a dream come true. And on the other hand, there was the arch enemy of the Mauryans. Who would have imagined that after all these centuries, the Kalingan would rise again?

Anita was now an important part of the Ashoka legacy. In her hand were two pieces of the most sought-after crystals, believed to be of unknown origin. If the Chintamani fragments were as powerful as it was claimed, then once the pieces were connected, their owner would wield complete and utter control over his own destiny and that of others.

She looked around for Tejaswi, the open fields hid nothing. The small town of Dhauli was witness to one of the bloodiest battles of ancient times. It was just eight kilometres south of Bhubaneshwar and was marked by a cluster of low hillocks. There was no one at this early hour of the morning. The Daya river flowed quietly to her left. The capital of Kalinga, Sishupalgarh, was now in ruins. Only a few stone elephants marked the memory of the royal past.

In the 1970s a Shanti Stupa was built by a Japanese Buddhist mission. Anita had visited the peace pagoda several times. With beautifully sculpted panels on the life of Buddha and Ashoka, the pagoda represented the five virtues—faith, hope, compassion, forgiveness and non-violence.

Standing there in Dhauli, she realized that none of those virtues was being represented at this moment of crisis.

55

Tejaswi

Tejaswi arrived in a jeep, accompanied by two of her loyal Kala Yogis, Mersa and Rakha.

She surveyed her surroundings with her one good eye. She felt like she was home. This was where the Kalingans had laid down their lives. She felt a surge of energy. This was where the Kalingan had breathed his last. She saw Anita standing at the appointed place. Taking a deep breath, she hopped off her jeep and approached the journalist. ‘Anita, you should have joined forces with me. I would have made you as powerful as I am today. Today, with the two Chintamani fragments, the Kalingan ancestors will celebrate.’ She smiled and extended her hand.

‘You are nothing but a terrorist and a criminal. And now a murderer, Tejaswi. You will go down in history as the murderer of thousands of innocent people. As the one who destroyed the sacred grounds of Sanchi. No one will ever forgive you,’ Anita ranted.

Tejaswi gave her a backhanded slap. ‘Shut up! And hand over the Chintamani. You are nothing but a third-rate writer! I asked for you because you are a dispensable soul.’ A small sharp blade emerged from her hand and, in the blink of an eye, it was at Anita’s throat.

Anita had been fitted with a transmitter, it buzzed in her ear. Raakin instructed her to simply do as she was told and not antagonize the Kalingan. ‘Stop being a hero. Give her the Chintamani now.’ Anita was fuming, she wanted to tell off the bitch, but the blade was already cutting her skin. She handed over the box.

Anita watched as Tejaswi opened the copper container and removed the two fragments. She studied the crystal pieces for a moment—they caught the sunlight and shone like diamonds. Tejaswi joined the two fragments together. Nothing happened. Then, suddenly, a bright light emerged and an image started to form. Anita was agape; she didn’t move despite Raakin’s repeated instructions to her to get out of there.

Before Anita could react, Akash swooped in, grabbed the crystals and moved away in a flash. ‘Run, Anita!’ he yelled before he swished past her.

Shit! I should have got a head start.
Anita moved as if chased by wild animals, racing away towards the river.

‘You bloody sons of bitches!’ Tejaswi screamed. ‘Oh great power of Kalinga, by the blood spilled on this earth, I want to avenge our deaths. I invoke the warrior spirits who sacrificed their lives on this battlefield. Destroy those Mauryan servants.’

Then, as if the earth contained a million squirming snakes, it began to undulate. The surface shifted, cracked and moved. The terrain changed from flat plains to dunes and mounds. Anita stumbled as the ground shifted beneath her. She half-ran, half-scampered over the moving ground.

‘Run Anita, run! There’s nowhere to hide,’ Tejaswi taunted her. ‘Rakha, make sure the bombs are detonated,’ Tejaswi yelled before she jumped into her jeep. ‘Move!’

She called Raakin. ‘You fucked up big time. The deaths of millions of people will be on your head.’

‘No!’ Raakin shouted back. ‘This time you fucked up. The army has moved in, all the bombs have been deactivated.’

‘That’s not possible. You don’t know where they are.’

‘Ashoka’s Nine. We have the powers, remember?’

Tejaswi snapped her phone shut and turned to her driver. ‘Towards the river, get the woman.’

56

Zubin

Raakin, Zubin and Tara were in an SUV, speeding towards Anita. Akash was high above, floating in mid-air, unsure of what to do next. He gave them information on Anita and Tejaswi as he moved speedily overhead. Raakin had access to satellite feed.

The Senior Six had sent a Dhamma chakra, a wooden talisman that was supposed to trap the spirit once it was released. The Three were expected to use the chakra in an enclosed space. It was safe with Tara, this time they would have to complete the deed.

‘She has called the others,’ Tara said. ‘We will be outnumbered very soon.’

‘I’ve called in the Special Tactical Unit. They are providing us live feed on her movements and mobilizing the teams to trap her,’ Raakin said, pointing to his transmitter. ‘We are not alone in this war.’

‘Raakin, call her. Let’s negotiate with her,’ Tara said. ‘We need to do this face-to-face.’

‘What do you have in mind?’ Zubin asked. If he could step out of the car to destroy Tejaswi, it would be over in seconds. But with so many people around them—from the villagers to the military troops—the Kalingan would come back roaring. It would put too many people in danger.

‘I know how we can trap the spirit. But first, let her catch Anita.’

The earth undulated and cracked. Zubin managed to manoeuvre the speeding SUV around the unusual phenomena. Spirits were rising out of the earth, translucent but powerful.

57

Anita

Anita continued to run towards the river; the jeep had almost caught up with her. She felt the ground shift and crack beneath her feet. She stumbled, but got up quickly, still racing along the winding river bank. The earth rose and fell, undulating dangerously. She feared she would die on that battlefield.
No, not yet, I have to go back to Grandma
, she thought and willed herself to go on. There was so much more that she wanted to do in life. As if on cue, the sky darkened ominously, the sun disappeared behind a thick curtain of rumbling clouds. Anita felt her brain going numb, unable to process what was happening around her. It was as if Tejaswi had harnessed the powers of the elements of fire, ether and wind to recreate an ancient battle. Despite her pounding heart and panic, she kept pushing herself forward. Tejaswi’s jeep was now running almost parallel to her. Anita tried to move faster, but only ended up stumbling. She felt a sharp prick in her leg and, within seconds, as though her body had suddenly turned to rubber, she fell to the earth, immobilized. Anita watched as the jeep stopped next to her. Tejaswi stared down at her with her good eye, it was red and dilated. She had turned into the Kalingan, there was nothing left of Tejaswi in that being.