Nine: Vengeance of the Warrior (28 page)

Anita had by this time managed to get her grandmother out of the barn. Akash made sure none of the Kala Yogis stopped her.

Tejaswi had abruptly exited, she was nowhere to be seen. ‘I don’t like this. She’s disappeared … Must be up to something. We have to hurry,’ Akash said. Slowly, supporting Anita’s grandmother, they limped out.

The farmhouse was a few metres to the left. They had to get past the house to the yard where the cars were parked. Grandma was now aware of her surroundings. ‘What happened?’ she asked.

‘It’s that woman Tejaswi. She forcibly brought us here so that I could tell her the name of one of the Nine.’ She pointed to Akash. ‘By the way, that’s him. He will help us.’

‘The one you met in London?’ Grandma asked. She was now able to walk on her own and they hurried towards the parked cars.

‘Nice to meet you, finally,’ Grandma said.

Akash smiled. ‘Good to meet you too. We had better hurry.’ He looped her arm in his and they made their way to the yard quickly.

‘That woman is possessed by a Kalingan warrior spirit. It wants to destroy Ashoka’s Nine. And it recognized me from a previous encounter,’ Akash explained. ‘We had managed to destroy the Kalingan the last time … And we will get him this time too.’

Anita warned, ‘You will not be able to use your powers, Akash, if the hallucinogen is sprayed on you. It totally paralyses you.’

‘Don’t worry. I will be fine.’ He looked around, feeling tense about the fact that the place was suddenly deserted. ‘Go quickly. Get out of here.’

It was strangely quiet. ‘They are up to something,’ Anita said worriedly.

‘Please leave quickly. I will take it from here. The others are on the way.’

Anita and Grandma got into their car. ‘Call Raakin,’ Akash said, handing her a number. ‘He will help you.’

‘Thank you. Will you be all right?’

‘It’s me she’s looking for. I’ll make sure she gets what’s coming to her. Please leave now!’

‘Take care of yourself,’ Grandma said.

Reluctantly, Anita drove away.

Suddenly, a cluster of what looked like martial-arts fighters, clad in black, appeared from the left. They were short and agile, and moved with ease. Akash bounded along the perimeter of the enclosed area. The bulky fighters followed on his heels. Akash increased his speed.

A group of Kala Yogis stood outside the main farmhouse, watching him with interest. It was their stillness that unnerved Akash.
Freaks, what the fuck are they doing?
The three structures—the farmhouse, the annex warehouse and the greenhouse—were lit up like it was Christmas. He didn’t want to risk falling into a trap. So, he leaped high into the air and glided upwards. He swung his feet on to the highest of the spreading branches of a banyan tree just within the perimeter, diagonally across from the black-clothed Yogis.
I am waiting. Tara, can you sense what’s going on here? They are up to something weird.

There is an energy block. I cannot access their zone. Hang on, we will be there in less than ten minutes.

Akash heard a soft chant. It was subtle, rhythmic, but definitely audible. He felt it like a palpable crawl on his skin, it lulled and enticed him. He felt like succumbing to the sweet music. He shook his head hard. The drone grew louder, circled his thoughts, weighing him down. It was the Kala Yogis. They were reciting a mantra of some sort. The effect was hypnotic and seemed to force him into a trance. Again, he shook his head violently.

The black-clad fighters moved in and surrounded the tree. They waited patiently below.
Shit, these crazy people and their black magic!
Akash felt his body losing strength, turning to dead weight. He shifted focus and tried to block out the sound by shouting loudly. Muscles clenched, he rose in the air, wobbly at first. Then, in a daze, he fell. In a second, the fighters were all over him, grabbing his arms and legs. He had no energy to fight and, with that obsessive chant, Akash was losing his mind fast. ‘Damn you!’ he shouted and, with a last-ditch effort, his muscles clenched, he twisted his body and managed to free one of his legs. With all his might, he slammed the men. With both legs free, he reared, twisted his body and was back on his feet. With a powerful yell, he swung his body, rose high and kicked like his life depended on it. He managed to get enough release to scramble away. In seconds, he was in the air, fighting the crazy Yogis and the chorus of voices. It was in his head, getting louder and louder. His muscles ached where the fighters had gripped him. He focused on his strengths, powered up and zoomed. The fighters followed, waiting for him to drop. He flew as high as he could go, until everything below looked like toys and the fighters like insects. The chants were finally inaudible. He sailed on. There were spitting sounds all around. A dart whistled past him. More were flying in his direction. He streaked past, twisting, dodging the darts.

We are here.

High time! I almost got captured. They’re using poison darts. Zubin, please burn those freaks.

38

Tara

The sky turned dark within minutes. The sprawling stretch of land without any high-rise buildings or street lights was disconcerting. Tara felt anxious, doubt crept into her mind.

Tara, Zubin and Raakin parked outside the perimeter of the farmhouse and went in on foot. A narrow pathway that cut through tall and thick undergrowth led them further inside the property. The whole area was circled off by a wire fence. They ventured inwards until they came to the farmhouse. There was a strong scent of wet earth and the stillness of the night was interrupted only by the constant drone of insects and the occasional hoot of an owl. Akash swooped down and joined them. ‘Careful, those freaks have a crazy chant to hypnotize you. Wonder where they’ve all disappeared.’

Tara whispered, ‘I can sense the Kalingan spirit. The woman is nearby.’

Zubin took charge. ‘Okay, time to move. This time we split up. Akash, you find the woman. Tara, you stay with Raakin. And I will get rid of those weirdos.’

The darkness didn’t hide the clusters of black-clad Yogis heading towards them in swift, silent strides.

‘Shit! Here they come.’ Zubin pointed at them and four Yogis disappeared in a heap of crimson ash.

‘You can do better than that!’ Akash yelled from up above.

Tara sensed the Kalingan presence like an ominous black energy. She clutched Raakin and directed him towards the left, following the length of the fence. Intermittently, the sky lit up as Zubin activated his laser-fingers. The attackers were reduced to ash in a deadly hiss.

‘Zubin the healer is now a destroyer,’ Tara mused as they moved towards the main building.

‘The ironies of life,’ Raakin remarked.

‘The Nine are not expected to be stronger than the rest of the world, we are not out to prove ourselves to anyone,’ Tara said, sliding her hand along the fence. She was agitated by Raakin’s attitude. Akash and Zubin were doing their best.

‘Why do you assume I am disappointed?’ Raakin asked.

‘You expect more from us,’ Tara said. ‘Maybe too much.’

‘Times have changed. And I assumed that the accumulated knowledge would have enhanced the Nine to kill the Kalingan in one swift act.’

‘Sorry to disappoint.’ Tara shrugged. They were almost there.

I found her
, Akash alerted them.
She’s in the warehouse. Okay, Zubin, you are in the clear. Head towards the rear of the warehouse, I will enter from the front and distract her.

‘Let’s meet the Kalingan,’ Tara said.

39

Zubin

Keeping an eye out for the Kala Yogis, Zubin headed rapidly towards the warehouse. He had managed to kill a group of the silent black-robed fighters a few minutes ago. Looking to the left, he caught sight of the Kala Yogis Akash had mentioned. They stood stock-still, muttering a hypnotic, repetitious chant. It sunk into his mind so easily that he wanted to chant with them. He faltered for only a minute before he covered his ears with his hands and headed forward. Zubin had heard of black magic and didn’t really believe in voodoo. He considered it an invention of fiction writers. But it was happening in the modern scientific world. He might as well start believing in the X-files and extraterrestrial beings and stories of alien abductions. Whatever this Kalingan woman was capable of, she was not going to make it easy for them. He eased his way to the right and turned the corner. It was dead quiet. Carefully, he turned again and faced the rear entrance. Akash eyed him as he hovered over the roof. Subtle nods and they moved in carefully.

40

Akash

Tejaswi whirled towards Akash who was quickly surrounded by five assailants. Swiftly, he moved directly above the guards with roped muscles and rugged faces. Five daggers cut through the air. Akash burst upwards and slammed against the ceiling. Three blades hit the beam and fell to the ground. Two daggers reached up to Akash, one sliced the skin on his back, cutting through his T-shirt before it fell. The other stuck to the beam when Akash got out of its way.

‘Don’t mess with me. Come here now,’ Tejaswi snarled. ‘You are a dead man. Count the minutes.’

Zubin entered through the back door and immediately pointed a finger, slicing the air with a sharp rod of light. The five Kala Yogis evaporated.

‘How dare you?’ she hissed.

‘Wipe her out!’ Akash yelled.

Zubin pointed his finger at her. Tejaswi smiled. ‘I wouldn’t do that if I were you.’

Just as she spoke those words, Tara and Raakin entered, encircled by the black-clad guards.

‘You kill me and my men will slit their throats. They need blood for their rituals and the Ashoka minions have the best kind of blood.’ Tejaswi was dressed in black—it highlighted her toned, slender shape. Her hair was wild and the eyepatch added a sinister edge to her personality.

More Yogi guards entered the warehouse. The four of them were outnumbered. ‘Okay, let them go,’ Akash shouted, wincing at the cut in his back. ‘We will spare you.’

‘Where is the Chintamani?’ Tejaswi asked. She stood tall like an empress on high-heeled boots, all muscle.

Raakin looked at her angrily. ‘It’s too far out of your reach. Let it go, Kalingan. The fight has been over since a long, long time!’

‘Strap this man to the chair. And that woman …’ Tejaswi said, pointing at Tara, ‘… shackle her to the wall.’

With one sharp move, daggers flew out of Tejaswi’s hands and floated above Zubin and Akash. They tried to move out of the way but the daggers followed them.

‘Don’t move or you will be gutted,’ Tejaswi hissed at the two. She sauntered over to Raakin.

‘My dear fellow …’ Tejaswi circled the bound and gagged man. She prodded a knife in his chest. ‘I am the most powerful one in this era. I will use the Chintamani to revive the Kalingan clan, then we will be the ones in control of this world, and I will wipe out the Ashoka legacy. Like it never existed.’

‘Tejaswi,’ Tara called out in a soft sweet voice. ‘You are not this crazy monster. Don’t let the Kalingan control you. He is using you. He doesn’t care about you at all. He has turned you into a murderer and ruined your life. This is not your fight, Tejaswi. Let go of the Kalingan. Tell him to leave. He does not belong in our world. Let him go …’ She repeated the words.