The Tantric Saves The Prince- Part 1 [Surya]

The sun was high and blazing when Surya and his men crested at the hill. Northern sun burned the skin as much as its cold air. The group had now seen all kinds of terrain on their trek north, the great plains of river Yamuna, the Sal forests of Koshi, the Terai grasslands, and the Vale of Kahamir, bounded by Kailash ranges on the East and Hamalayas on the west covered with perpetual glaciers. By the end of the ninth day, they were paring their supplies to the bone, and the men were growing impatient when, at last, they reached the final stretch of the snowy flatland before the city of Rajani, the capital of northern kingdom of Samrashtra.

The party made a brief stop to water and feed the animals and fill their own bellies with some cold refreshments before they started down the hill. They were dressed in layers of warm clothing, with a thick fur coat on top. After the snowstorm the night before, the vast plain spread out beneath them was covered in a thick blanket of snow that shimmered in the midday sun. They would still get occasional flurries, but the weather was clear for now. The solitary main road leading down from the hill ran through the valley and disappeared into the horizon, where the white of the snow met the white of the sky.

Guru Briharshi descended from his carriage, all bundled up in fur with bright eyes peering out like a cat. "Ten more sun marks, and we will be knocking at the gates of Rajani." He walked up to Surya and offered him some of the crushed nuts he was munching on. Surya politely declined. 

"When I heard of the North, I pictured a lone, harsh place. A place where one would go to mourn or spend the rest of their days. But seeing this vast land laid out in front of me, pure and still, the bright sun on my face, the white snow crunching under my feet, I no longer feel any grudge."

"You are too quick to trust the north, my child." Guruji glanced at Surya and saw him looking into the distance.

"You have taught me better, Guruji, than to be reckless with my trust. But I want to be at peace with what may come." Surya then turned to Guru Briharshi and bowed low. "For the words, I said to you before, I ask for forgiveness." When the master and the pupil rode out from Kundali, the pupil had sternly expressed his disappointment that his master remained silent at the king's council and did not question the king's decision to send him north.

Guruji nodded slowly. "Apology accepted, and child, you must be obedient but never subservient. If a doubt crosses your mind, you must speak up. I do not train a common boy but the future king of RakhtaPrastha."

"As you command, Guruji." Guruji never missed an opportunity to offer Surya some wisdom.

"Surya, we must ride out soon if we want to spend the night on a soft bed after a warm meal." Veer's deep voice drifted in. He walked towards Guru Briharshi with a silver bowl in his hand. "Here are the crushed nuts with honey you asked for, Guruji."

"Ah, you should not have worried! I found some in my satchel." The master informed his other pupil sheepishly, pulling out some crushed nuts from his satchel and munched on them as began to walk back to the carriage. Veer's mouth tightened as he gazed at the master's retreating back, but whatever he was grumbling about internally, he did not let it pass his lips.

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The party resumed their journey across the snow-covered plains. The late-night storm and the occasional flurries earlier in the day had covered the main road with a thick sheet of snow, making it wet and sticky. The horses occasionally snorted and shook away the flakes that settled on them. They walked slower than other days, partly from the fatigue of the long journey and partly from the muddy ground. From time to time, Surya would stroke Pavan's dark mane and beg a silent apology to have dragged him all the way to the north, bearing him down with his own burden. The flatness of the white blanket was relieved here and there by the mighty Chinar trees, their deep green leaves covered entirely by the snow at present, making them look like trees growing cotton. Further along, the snow had begun to melt at one or two places, making little puddles.

"I do not like to break this news to you, my friend, but we may not make it in time for the warm meal and the soft bed that you were speaking of earlier," Surya commented to Veer, noting the pace of their riding. Receiving no response from his friend, he turned and found that Veer's eyes were peering at something on the left. Without asking, Surya turned and followed his friend's line of sight and immediately saw what his friend noticed, a pool of melting ice water, larger than the others. Astonishingly larger. What made it more alarming was the shape of the pool. It was not a pool; it was an imprint of a foot, an enormous human foot.

"What in the god's name is that?!" Veer had found his voice at last.

By then, the other knights riding behind noticed that the two riders on the front had halted their horses to peer at something on the side, and they, too, turned their gazes.

"Gods have mercy, what is that!?" One of them shrieked. They recognized the shape of the left foot with all its five toes.

"Must be a Rakshasa?!" Another remarked. Only rakshasas had feet that enormous in size.

Surya lightly jerked Pavan's reins and trotted up to the human foot-shaped pool of water. Veer followed him, and so did a couple of knights. The men swung off the back of their horses and cautiously walked up to the body of the water sunk in the snow. The entire convoy came to a halt, and word spread that the men at the front had discovered unusual footprints. Surya glanced around and found more of a similar size. Men were flocking around to inspect the mysterious imprints.

"Rakshasas rarely reveal their true form when there are humans around," Veer muttered, crouching over a giant sized footprint. His tone was hushed with a suppressed fear. Few heard him, but Surya realized with a sudden start why Veer seemed so puzzled. He quickly turned around to glance at all the men dismounting their horses and walking up to the foot imprints. He quickly whispered a few words in his friend's ears, swung back on top his horse, and kicked it into motion. The horse trotted back towards the very back of the entourage where the master was waiting in his carriage.

"Why have we stopped again, my prince?" Guru Briharshi asked the prince as soon as Surya entered the carriage.

"We found a foot print, Guruji. The size of a small pond," Surya spoke, a little out of breath. "Seems like some inhuman creature."

The master slowly nodded as he ran his hand over his long grey beard. "How many men do we have now?"

"I have asked Veer to take a count. There were fifty-two when we left Kundali. But I am certain, if we count now, it will be fifty-three."

Guru Briharshi furrowed his brow for several moments before instructing his pupil. "Ride back to Veer and see if all men are accounted for. Employ Yantra signs to reveal the imposter. I will wait here for your report."

Surya nodded but continued to stare at the master, eyes heavy with guilt. Guru Briharshi snorted. "You are becoming too clever for your own good, young prince." And then he waved his fingers at Surya. Once the master consented, the prince employed the Yantra sign to dispel any incantation the rakshasa might have used to mimic his teacher. Guru Briharshi successfully passed the test.

The pupil, then, bowed and made a swift exit from the carriage. Giving Pavan a gentle kick with his foot, Surya swiftly drove through the snow to return to his friend who was in the middle of his counting.

"How many?" Surya urgently asked his friend.

"Twenty, so far."

Surya nodded. "I will give you a hand." The prince, then, began to inspect the knights, using the test of Yantra. The men suspected what it was for and did not protest. The two friends checked and rechecked, and even the men verified each other's identities. But all were accounted for. Including Guru Briharshi, there were still fifty-two, no more, no less.

Surya looked around, in case there were more clues buried in the snow, frustrated that their efforts were in vain.

"So, it was forty-nine knights," Veer continued to speak, "and three more, if you count me, you, and Guruji." Surya shuffled towards one of the footprints, and Veer followed closely.

"No." Something dawned on Surya. "We have been wrong. We have been wrong all along. There is one more man, who is with us right now, whom we did not count." Veer's brows furrowed momentarily, but then the crease disappeared. The two immediately turned their heads towards the carriage, standing motionless at the back of the entourage. Every carriage must have a driver. This, too, had one, who was yet untested.

Suddenly, a loud commotion came from the direction they were looking at. Surya and Veer immediately mounted their rides and drove them hard. And as they reached halfway to the carriage, they saw it.

The mighty Rakshasa.