Berandor
lunatic
[Part II]
—-
(3)
Rudra was severely disappointed. It seemed Navidjan’s memory had not returned at all, or returned only insofar as his stunted body would hold it. If Amurayi had not kissed him, Rudra might have never been able to appear to Navidjan in his current state of karmic penance. Even so, Rudra had had to explain the whole enterprise to Navidjan while they were walking through the streets of Delhi, and he had been so annoyed at both this inconvenience and at Navidjan’s slow pace that Rudra had not had the leisure to enjoy the sights from a point of view other than up in the sky. Was Delhi not the Jewel of the Gangetic Plains? When he had mentioned this to Navidjan, of course, this caricature of a once great warrior had simply laughed.
Once they had arrived at the hotel Amurayi’s victims had stayed at, Navidjan – wearing a fresh khurta he had insisted in changing into – had first argued about going in at all, and then he had refused to tell the hotel manager about his presence and his intentions. Instead, Navidjan had hidden amongst baggage to enter the hotel, he had then stolen a key from a room maid, and he had broken into the room Rudra had pointed out to him. The room that most smelled of Amurayi. This was not at all how dharma told you to behave. Rudra was afraid Navidjan’s next life might be as a woman or, even worse, as a dog, but Navidjan did not listen to his concerns.
He had conducted himself well in the hotel room, however. Even in his spirit form, Rudra had found it difficult to cope with the sight and smell of a completely eviscerated man covered with black boils. And Navidjan had had to put his hands into the man’s trousers in order to fish out the arrowhead. It was a testament to his noble heritage that he had held off throwing up until they had left the hotel again.
Of course, just when Rudra had glimpsed the noble Navidjan in the malformed man, he had had to go and disappoint him yet again. At Rudra’s suggestion of fletching an arrow from ivory in order to use it with his bow, Navidjan had laughed at him again. And while he may have had a point in that he was simply too small and disfigured to aim and shoot Rudra’s bow Heartfinder, you could also stab someone with an arrow. Rudra was the bowman, the master of hunting. What else but an arrow was he supposed to use for his most dangerous and most alluring prey? Navidjan wanted to use his gun, a tool so ignoble and common that anybody could kill with it.
Rudra still bristled with anger when he thought of how Navidjan had allowed his arrowhead to be made into a simple hollow-point bullet. For two years he and the true Navidjan had worked on forging the iron without heating it, performing the correct incantations and binding spirits of destruction into it powerful enough to kill deva and rakshasa alike – or bind them, as it was. And now this work had been debased by a purely mechanical manufacturing tool. It was all Rudra could have done to insist on there being no heat involved.
Sure, he could have wrested the arrowhead out of Navidjan’s hands. He was able to touch him, even grab him. Navidjan was the only person or thing Rudra could affect directly. But what then? Even if Rudra had had the arrowhead, what was he supposed to do with it except hand it back to that ugly little thing that once used to be his avatar. Rudra shocked himself with such thoughts. But it was true, wasn’t it? This was no hero, no noble creature, and still it was his – and the world’s – only hope of defeating Amurayi. That was why, despite Navidjan’s disregard for dharma and despite his lack of respect for seemingly everything, Rudra stayed with him, and when Navidjan asked Rudra to lead him to Amurayi, why he obeyed. Besides, perhaps Navidjan died a hero’s death in the forthcoming battle, ensuring that the next incarnations of Rudra’s sole follower would be easier on the eyes.
—-
Now that she had gorged herself on the flesh of mortals, her senses had returned. She felt them. Felt them coming. Coming to her. Both of them, the abomination and the deva. Surely they were planning some kind of deception. But this was a new age, the age of steel and silicone, not of cold iron. Let them come. First she would ravage the dwarf, and then she would tear him apart piece by piece.
—-
»This is the second time I’ve had to change into a new khurta today. I hope you’ll mention that to the other gods when we’re done here.« Navid tugged at his clothes. His last clean khurta was a little tight around the waist.
»Everything you do is recorded,« Rudra intoned, »but I fear changing your clothes does not prove your dharma.«
»Of course it doesn’t. That might make sense, after all. Like taking a taxi instead of walking all across Delhi. Twice.«
»You would do best to use this walk as an opportunity to meditate and prepare yourself. When was your last puja?«
Navid couldn’t suppress a giggle. »Puja? What do I have the gods to thank for? I alone am responsible for my success.«
Rudra shook his head. »Artha. Is that all you think about?«
»Kama is fine, too, you know.«
»But it is not all. You must straighten your path if you want to achieve moksha.«
»Yeah, sure. I was the one your girlfriend kissed when she thought you possessed me, remember. Don’t tell me you didn’t put out.«
»I did make love to Amurayi, yes. But I did not let my love for her cloud my dharma.«
»Yeah, whatever. Listen, are we ever–« Rudra held up a hand and silenced Navid.
»We are here.«
›Here‹ was a large, walled structure opening to a courtyard and a domed marble building inside it. The temple of Shiva. From within, Navid heard faint whimpers, but this time he did not mistake them for music. He looked for a place that wasn’t readily observable, and then approached the wall. »Lift me up,« he said.
»Will you not pass through the gate?« Rudra pointed to the closed double doors leading into the temple.
»And walk right into whatever trap awaits us. Good idea. Now lift me up.«
Rudra shook his head. »Sneaking into a temple. You are ruining your karma.«
»Well, that’s for my next life to worry about.« Navid impatiently tapped with his foot. Rudra sighed and grabbed him, then lifted him up until Navid managed to hold onto to the edge of the wall. He dragged himself over the wall and jumped down on the other side. »Quiet now,« he whispered to Rudra, who had simply stepped through the wall. He crouched low and hustled over to the nearest column surrounding the temple proper. From there, he looked over to the building, but he couldn’t make out anything. He turned to Rudra. »Any idea why she chose this place?«
»She makes a mockery of my station,« Rudra said.
»Such disrespect! Imagine how she will be reincarnated.«
Rudra looked him in the eye. »Is that your plan? Killing her? I told you that as long as–«
»Yeah, as long as you’re here being a nuisance, she’s not going to die. Relax. If I wanted to kill her, I would have brought a rocket launcher, not a gun.«
»Do you really think a rocket launcher would kill Amurayi? She has withstood small armies.«
»And did they have rocket launchers in 600 BC?« Navid did not wait for an anwer. »Anyway, I only brought a gun. So let’s get closer.«
»Closer?« Amurayi’s voice rang from above. Fabric swirled and then she landed in a crouch in front of Navid and Rudra’s hiding place. Navid drew the glock, but before he could aim, Amurayi had stepped so close he thought he heard her heart beating. »How close do you want to get?« She bent low and touched his nose with hers, all the while staring into his eyes. Then she got up again. »He’s not in there. Where is he? I can smell him.«
Navid lifted the gun. Amurayi laughed. »Is it the arrowhead?« She dodged to the left, then spun to the right. »Do you think you can hit me through the heart whithout Rudra steadying your arm? Do you want me to hold still? Shall I stand in front of a tree first?«
»No need,« Navid said. »I’m not going to risk you getting free again.«
Amurayi giggled. Rudra, who had watched her every move, turned towards Navid. »So you do want to kill her! Did I not tell you?«
»You cannot kill me,« Amurayi began.
»You cannot kill her,« Rudra said.
»Who said I wanted to?« Navid asked and pointed the gun at Rudra’s chest. »Now shut up already.« He pulled the trigger.
»No!« Amurayi screamed. Rudra just stood there with a dumbfounded expression on his face. A dark spot spread outward from his heart. He stumbled backwards and would have fallen, but Amurayi rushed over and caught him. She held him in her arms as he struggled to breathe.
»You… your karma.« His body went limp. Amurayi raised her head to the sky and screamed. Navid dropped the gun and instinctively put his hands over his ears. The rakshasa’s scream grew louder and shriller until Navid thought his brain would explode. Through slitted eyes, he saw Rudra’s body blacken, his skin falling off like ash, as if Amurayi’s touch burned him. As if on cue flames spewed from her mouth and her eyes while her scream continued. All this took no more than a second, but Navid saw every detail as they decomposed and turned into black ash and gouging flame.
A wind came up. It gathered the ash and formed a small cyclone around the remainder of the bodys. Navid thought he could still see their figures, Amurayi on her knees, Rudra lying in her arms, but then the ash became too thick. There was a cracking sound, and the scream finally stopped. The ash cloud remained for a moment, and then it rushed towards Navid and pushed him against the column. It was past him. Not caring about his burned and blackened khurta, he turned around and watched the cloud ascend into the sky, a red light trailing behind her, the twin spirits of Rudra and Amurayi, lovers and mortal enemies, now either joined or parted forever. The cloud grew in size as he watched. There was a red flash, and then it was gone. It might have been Navid’s imagination, but he could have sworn that right before the end, there had been a kiss.
—-
(4)
»Someone’s coming out. Ladies and Gentlemen, we seem to have a new development. There is what appears to be a child – no, it’s a dwarf, and he’s only dressed in his pyjamas. Sir! Sir! You are live on Delhi Five. Can you tell us what is going on in the temple? There have been reports of screams and gunshots! Did you see anything. Sir? You are on air. All of India is watching, don’t you want to say something? Why aren’t you wearing clothes? Sir?«
»All right, listen. Listen well. If there are any devas out there, or rakshasas, or whatever the gods else – leave me alone or I’ll show you what technological progress is all about. And now get this damn microphone out of my-«
—-
(3)
Rudra was severely disappointed. It seemed Navidjan’s memory had not returned at all, or returned only insofar as his stunted body would hold it. If Amurayi had not kissed him, Rudra might have never been able to appear to Navidjan in his current state of karmic penance. Even so, Rudra had had to explain the whole enterprise to Navidjan while they were walking through the streets of Delhi, and he had been so annoyed at both this inconvenience and at Navidjan’s slow pace that Rudra had not had the leisure to enjoy the sights from a point of view other than up in the sky. Was Delhi not the Jewel of the Gangetic Plains? When he had mentioned this to Navidjan, of course, this caricature of a once great warrior had simply laughed.
Once they had arrived at the hotel Amurayi’s victims had stayed at, Navidjan – wearing a fresh khurta he had insisted in changing into – had first argued about going in at all, and then he had refused to tell the hotel manager about his presence and his intentions. Instead, Navidjan had hidden amongst baggage to enter the hotel, he had then stolen a key from a room maid, and he had broken into the room Rudra had pointed out to him. The room that most smelled of Amurayi. This was not at all how dharma told you to behave. Rudra was afraid Navidjan’s next life might be as a woman or, even worse, as a dog, but Navidjan did not listen to his concerns.
He had conducted himself well in the hotel room, however. Even in his spirit form, Rudra had found it difficult to cope with the sight and smell of a completely eviscerated man covered with black boils. And Navidjan had had to put his hands into the man’s trousers in order to fish out the arrowhead. It was a testament to his noble heritage that he had held off throwing up until they had left the hotel again.
Of course, just when Rudra had glimpsed the noble Navidjan in the malformed man, he had had to go and disappoint him yet again. At Rudra’s suggestion of fletching an arrow from ivory in order to use it with his bow, Navidjan had laughed at him again. And while he may have had a point in that he was simply too small and disfigured to aim and shoot Rudra’s bow Heartfinder, you could also stab someone with an arrow. Rudra was the bowman, the master of hunting. What else but an arrow was he supposed to use for his most dangerous and most alluring prey? Navidjan wanted to use his gun, a tool so ignoble and common that anybody could kill with it.
Rudra still bristled with anger when he thought of how Navidjan had allowed his arrowhead to be made into a simple hollow-point bullet. For two years he and the true Navidjan had worked on forging the iron without heating it, performing the correct incantations and binding spirits of destruction into it powerful enough to kill deva and rakshasa alike – or bind them, as it was. And now this work had been debased by a purely mechanical manufacturing tool. It was all Rudra could have done to insist on there being no heat involved.
Sure, he could have wrested the arrowhead out of Navidjan’s hands. He was able to touch him, even grab him. Navidjan was the only person or thing Rudra could affect directly. But what then? Even if Rudra had had the arrowhead, what was he supposed to do with it except hand it back to that ugly little thing that once used to be his avatar. Rudra shocked himself with such thoughts. But it was true, wasn’t it? This was no hero, no noble creature, and still it was his – and the world’s – only hope of defeating Amurayi. That was why, despite Navidjan’s disregard for dharma and despite his lack of respect for seemingly everything, Rudra stayed with him, and when Navidjan asked Rudra to lead him to Amurayi, why he obeyed. Besides, perhaps Navidjan died a hero’s death in the forthcoming battle, ensuring that the next incarnations of Rudra’s sole follower would be easier on the eyes.
—-
Now that she had gorged herself on the flesh of mortals, her senses had returned. She felt them. Felt them coming. Coming to her. Both of them, the abomination and the deva. Surely they were planning some kind of deception. But this was a new age, the age of steel and silicone, not of cold iron. Let them come. First she would ravage the dwarf, and then she would tear him apart piece by piece.
—-
»This is the second time I’ve had to change into a new khurta today. I hope you’ll mention that to the other gods when we’re done here.« Navid tugged at his clothes. His last clean khurta was a little tight around the waist.
»Everything you do is recorded,« Rudra intoned, »but I fear changing your clothes does not prove your dharma.«
»Of course it doesn’t. That might make sense, after all. Like taking a taxi instead of walking all across Delhi. Twice.«
»You would do best to use this walk as an opportunity to meditate and prepare yourself. When was your last puja?«
Navid couldn’t suppress a giggle. »Puja? What do I have the gods to thank for? I alone am responsible for my success.«
Rudra shook his head. »Artha. Is that all you think about?«
»Kama is fine, too, you know.«
»But it is not all. You must straighten your path if you want to achieve moksha.«
»Yeah, sure. I was the one your girlfriend kissed when she thought you possessed me, remember. Don’t tell me you didn’t put out.«
»I did make love to Amurayi, yes. But I did not let my love for her cloud my dharma.«
»Yeah, whatever. Listen, are we ever–« Rudra held up a hand and silenced Navid.
»We are here.«
›Here‹ was a large, walled structure opening to a courtyard and a domed marble building inside it. The temple of Shiva. From within, Navid heard faint whimpers, but this time he did not mistake them for music. He looked for a place that wasn’t readily observable, and then approached the wall. »Lift me up,« he said.
»Will you not pass through the gate?« Rudra pointed to the closed double doors leading into the temple.
»And walk right into whatever trap awaits us. Good idea. Now lift me up.«
Rudra shook his head. »Sneaking into a temple. You are ruining your karma.«
»Well, that’s for my next life to worry about.« Navid impatiently tapped with his foot. Rudra sighed and grabbed him, then lifted him up until Navid managed to hold onto to the edge of the wall. He dragged himself over the wall and jumped down on the other side. »Quiet now,« he whispered to Rudra, who had simply stepped through the wall. He crouched low and hustled over to the nearest column surrounding the temple proper. From there, he looked over to the building, but he couldn’t make out anything. He turned to Rudra. »Any idea why she chose this place?«
»She makes a mockery of my station,« Rudra said.
»Such disrespect! Imagine how she will be reincarnated.«
Rudra looked him in the eye. »Is that your plan? Killing her? I told you that as long as–«
»Yeah, as long as you’re here being a nuisance, she’s not going to die. Relax. If I wanted to kill her, I would have brought a rocket launcher, not a gun.«
»Do you really think a rocket launcher would kill Amurayi? She has withstood small armies.«
»And did they have rocket launchers in 600 BC?« Navid did not wait for an anwer. »Anyway, I only brought a gun. So let’s get closer.«
»Closer?« Amurayi’s voice rang from above. Fabric swirled and then she landed in a crouch in front of Navid and Rudra’s hiding place. Navid drew the glock, but before he could aim, Amurayi had stepped so close he thought he heard her heart beating. »How close do you want to get?« She bent low and touched his nose with hers, all the while staring into his eyes. Then she got up again. »He’s not in there. Where is he? I can smell him.«
Navid lifted the gun. Amurayi laughed. »Is it the arrowhead?« She dodged to the left, then spun to the right. »Do you think you can hit me through the heart whithout Rudra steadying your arm? Do you want me to hold still? Shall I stand in front of a tree first?«
»No need,« Navid said. »I’m not going to risk you getting free again.«
Amurayi giggled. Rudra, who had watched her every move, turned towards Navid. »So you do want to kill her! Did I not tell you?«
»You cannot kill me,« Amurayi began.
»You cannot kill her,« Rudra said.
»Who said I wanted to?« Navid asked and pointed the gun at Rudra’s chest. »Now shut up already.« He pulled the trigger.
»No!« Amurayi screamed. Rudra just stood there with a dumbfounded expression on his face. A dark spot spread outward from his heart. He stumbled backwards and would have fallen, but Amurayi rushed over and caught him. She held him in her arms as he struggled to breathe.
»You… your karma.« His body went limp. Amurayi raised her head to the sky and screamed. Navid dropped the gun and instinctively put his hands over his ears. The rakshasa’s scream grew louder and shriller until Navid thought his brain would explode. Through slitted eyes, he saw Rudra’s body blacken, his skin falling off like ash, as if Amurayi’s touch burned him. As if on cue flames spewed from her mouth and her eyes while her scream continued. All this took no more than a second, but Navid saw every detail as they decomposed and turned into black ash and gouging flame.
A wind came up. It gathered the ash and formed a small cyclone around the remainder of the bodys. Navid thought he could still see their figures, Amurayi on her knees, Rudra lying in her arms, but then the ash became too thick. There was a cracking sound, and the scream finally stopped. The ash cloud remained for a moment, and then it rushed towards Navid and pushed him against the column. It was past him. Not caring about his burned and blackened khurta, he turned around and watched the cloud ascend into the sky, a red light trailing behind her, the twin spirits of Rudra and Amurayi, lovers and mortal enemies, now either joined or parted forever. The cloud grew in size as he watched. There was a red flash, and then it was gone. It might have been Navid’s imagination, but he could have sworn that right before the end, there had been a kiss.
—-
(4)
»Someone’s coming out. Ladies and Gentlemen, we seem to have a new development. There is what appears to be a child – no, it’s a dwarf, and he’s only dressed in his pyjamas. Sir! Sir! You are live on Delhi Five. Can you tell us what is going on in the temple? There have been reports of screams and gunshots! Did you see anything. Sir? You are on air. All of India is watching, don’t you want to say something? Why aren’t you wearing clothes? Sir?«
»All right, listen. Listen well. If there are any devas out there, or rakshasas, or whatever the gods else – leave me alone or I’ll show you what technological progress is all about. And now get this damn microphone out of my-«
I wonder: did you see the flaming lips in the picture? I only saw them after DIsharrock pointed them out. So... did Frank die? Or did he really get to be king? And what was his love’s name?[/sblock]
