Tantrics Of Old (49 page)

‘We are under a code to neither agree nor disagree. Do not question who made us tell; it is our duty to inform every Reborn of what they are and what it means. It is a rare gift, Adri. Use it well.’

‘I will,’ Adri said, as the silhouettes began to fade away one by one. The moor was empty once again except for Adri, the unconscious Trish, and the dead Demon. And of course, Maya, who was now privy to one of Adri’s biggest and most well-kept secrets. This was what had always been amiss about Adri; this was why he had felt much older than he looked. It explained why he seemed to hide most of his power and abilities, and why he kept to himself so much. Maya had stopped feeling guilty about invading Adri’s memories a long time ago—there had been a time when, momentarily tired of following the Tantric everywhere, she had tried to walk away, only to realise she could not put much distance between Adri and herself. If she did, she would be transported back around him, where the memory was the strongest and most fresh. She was a prisoner in what seemed to be Adri’s mind. There were times when she had hated it and tried to escape again and again, times when she cried out loud and endlessly for days at a time for help. But at the end of the day she accepted her position and her curiosity about the young Tantric would return once more.

Adri was now waking Trish up, and the world was beginning to blur. They were moving into another memory, and Maya was going along for the ride.

‘Maya’s condition is worsening again,’ Gray said. ‘She’s beginning to sweat like before.’

‘The Dreamer’s Brew is wearing off,’ Adri said. ‘We cannot use it on her any more. We need to find the Mask, and soon.’

‘The smoke,’ Fayne said, pointing. ‘That way.’

They had exited the Ondhokaar a little while back, finding a small way out through a sewer system. The forest had ended long behind them and there was no sign of the Horseman, thankfully. They had, however, overshot, and were now in the outskirts of Howrah, well past their goal. Now they had to retrace their steps back into Howrah, and the Howrah Bridge, looming far in the distance, was the best beacon they could ask for.

Adri now had charge of the Sadhu’s Shotgun. Gray had still been in possession of it when he had been carried off the courtyard of the Dark Goddess. Adri did not have too many shells for it, however, nor did he have his bullet alchemy case, or empty shells to make some more. Gray had also kept his violin slung across his back, and as a result it had also survived, annoying Adri immensely. Adri was depressed about losing both his shooters, especially considering all the work that had gone into making the excellent weapons, but he knew he could not brood over it for too long. He needed to figure out more ways of dealing with the enemies they would now meet, and more importantly, the Devil Mask.

‘Why can’t the Devil Mask be distracted?’ Gray asked, swatting mosquitoes as they walked.

‘It is a Necrotic. Its senses do not work the same way as ours.’ Adri replied. ‘To put it simply, its senses are focused all around it all the time, making it impossible to distract.’

‘That sounds like a tough enemy to fight.’

‘It does take an impossibly large number of warriors to bring one down.’

‘Then what is our plan?’

‘Like I told you earlier, I will discuss it when the time comes.’

‘Is there something you could do to take care of these bloodsuckers?’

Funny, I used to refer to vampires with that title
, the Wraith said.

‘Err, maybe a spirit could have done it, but I don’t have any ingredients with me. Can’t summon anything.’

‘Walk faster, you two,’ Fayne said, turning around. ‘We should reach Howrah before dark if we are to find the Devil Mask tonight.’

‘So we will find it by tonight? Excellent,’ Gray said.

‘Maya does not have much more time,’ Adri said seriously. ‘And that’s why the assassin thinks we should walk faster.’

They walked faster, Fayne leading the way, and Maya, slung lifeless over his shoulder, was a grim reminder that stared at Adri, making him feel guiltier than ever. And the closer they got to the Devil Mask, the worse he felt. The assassin was responsible for protecting her, but he was responsible for
reviving
her, something both Gray and Fayne seemed to think him capable of accomplishing. So what if it had never been done before? It was possible theoretically, and if Kali had been correct, then the key to everything was distracting the creature. But how did one distract a controller of the dead?

Devil Masks were not commonplace. The only purpose of a Devil Mask was to feed itself, to grow, and to make revenant, nothing else mattered to them, which explained why they weren’t on either side of the ongoing territory wars. They were deadly, much more so than the average Demon, and there had been absolutely no research done on them. Only whiffs of rumours, stories, and speculations. Adri had been hearing about them ever since his days in MYTH Castle, when all the young Tantrics, while discussing urban legends, would inevitably talk of the ritual used to summon a Devil Mask. There were also the stories of a wooden mask being found somewhere, and the Necrotic finding its first host through the mask. But no one knew for sure.

Adri wasn’t sure about distracting the Mask. Old stories came back—the maiden who sang and distracted the Necrotic—but fairy tales would not help. Adri would see to it that the Mask was distracted. He had a plan, something untested. He was not losing Maya. Not after everything, not after running across the Old City, running from death. He had run enough. He needed to see her wake up.

They kept on walking until they reached an area, which Adri guessed was Beniatola, near Sovabazar. They could see a Settlement a little ahead of them, but a lot of smoke was rising from within. They walked up to the main gates of the Settlement and saw the entrance destroyed and the Settlement beyond it partially on fire. They stood at the gates, watching the Settlement burn, until a sharp voice called out.

‘Hey!’

They turned around and saw a figure waving at them from near a cluster of old buildings. Adri recognised the Sorceress’ robes from a distance, as well as the young woman wearing them.

‘Will she be a problem?’ Fayne asked gently as they approached her.

‘No, she shouldn’t be,’ Adri replied.

As they neared her it was evident she had been in battle—her robes were dusty and torn, she sported a bandage around her forehead, apart from the usual bruises and cuts. The Sorceress was a good-looking woman with an unusual alertness to her eyes. She leaned against a broken lamp post, looking at them, her dark brown hair floating in the wind.

‘Damn, I thought it would be someone from the government,’ she said, as they walked up to her. ‘What are
you
doing here, Sen?’

‘It’s been a while, hasn’t it, Natasha?’ Adri said, trying to grin.

‘Certainly has,’ she said with the same stab at a smile. ‘It’s good to see my name wasn’t lost to your memory.’

‘No, I have a good one. We were just
passing through
.’

‘Why does that not sound right? Ever since you were banished you have been up to something, Sen. I heard rumours, though a lot of them will make you laugh.’

‘Rumours will happen. I have been happier since I was banished, but that’s another story. Who did this to you?’

‘Not a who, but a
what
. I was sent from the camp at the Lake of Fire to deal with a problem here. A Devil Mask. It took us by surprise, and I lost eleven Commandos and a Sorcerer in one night. That’s right, twelve!’ She looked into the distance angrily.

‘A Devil Mask? Here?’ Adri asked, his eyes wide. ‘Where is it right now?’

‘Mullikbazaar, the next Settlement. It has devoured every single person in the Settlement and is now busy making revenant, the bastard. I’m going to kill it personally, but I have no chance alone. I have sent a dragonfly to headquarters for reinforcements, and I mistook you for the advance guard.’

‘All right, best of luck with that. I think we best get going. We’re in a hurry of sorts.’

Natasha raised an eyebrow. ‘You guys look like hell, why don’t you stick around for a bit? We have supplies here. Supplies for twelve men who’re no more, I daresay we won’t run short.’

‘You were the only survivor?’ Gray asked suddenly.

Natasha looked at him directly for the first time. ‘No,’ she said at length. ‘No, two Commandos also made it out.’

‘Adri, no offense, but I need to eat,’ Gray mumbled to Adri, who immediately felt guilty. He did not sense much danger here, not until the reinforcements arrived anyway.

‘We all need to eat, I guess. Have been hungry a long time, and it’s been a horrible day,’ Adri said. ‘Natasha, I guess we will take you up on your offer.’

She nodded and led them through a couple of buildings and then up another. They entered through a dusty garage and went up three floors through a thin metal staircase until they reached a roof choked with potted plants, the sky open above them. Natasha led them to a stash of blankets. Two Commandos slept quietly in a corner. Fayne gently lay Maya down on a blanket and stood up, looking around. He scanned the rest of the buildings from all four sides of the roof, determining their position and all possible exit routes.

The Commandos had excellent supplies. And even though the food was all cold, Adri and Gray wolfed everything down in minutes, not bothering with washing hands or even taking their shoes off—they’d laid hands on meat and fresh vegetables after a long time. Fayne sat on the highest point the roof had to offer; a cement water tank. He looked down at them silently and then up at the city, taking swigs from his hip flask. Natasha watched the duo eat with innocent wonder.

‘You guys were starving!’ she exclaimed.

Gray tried to reply and nearly choked. Somehow managing to swallow what he had been chewing on, he chose to down more food rather than reply to the Sorceress’s comment. Adri managed a few words.

‘How long have you been here?’

‘We arrived two days ago and the massacre happened the day we arrived. There were still a few people left alive in the Settlement; we were rescuing them from a fire when the Mask caught us by surprise,’ Natasha paused. ‘You didn’t answer my question about what you are doing here. This
is
government business here, though to be honest, I am in no mood to detain or arrest you.’

‘Can I just be done with this?’ Adri pleaded with a mouth full of food.

‘Of course,’ Natasha waved it aside. ‘Eat in peace.’ She moved off to the other end of the roof with a pair of binoculars.

‘She seems pleasant,’ Gray mumbled, chewing.

‘She can’t know our reason for being here,’ Adri said warningly in a low voice. ‘Her priorities, after all, lie with MYTH. She is just looking to end the Necrotic.’

Gray nodded and that was the main thing; Adri knew Fayne never talked out of place. It would, in all probability, have been an unwarned Gray who would have let their secret out. Natasha could be handled easily, but she had been kind to them, and Adri did not want to go against her. Better they pass through.

You should eat more regularly, fool. You hardly keep your strength up
, the Wraith hissed.

‘Oh look who’s getting motherly,’ Adri snapped.

I don’t want you to die of starvation at the very least
.

‘Then let me eat, Mazumder.’

The Wraith fell silent, seeing a sort of point in the logic.

‘How’s the Wraith doing?’ Gray asked.

‘The usual. He’s been quiet lately,’ Adri replied.

They took their time eating. Once done, they washed their hands and faces, and slowly walked around the terrace, feeling much better. Adri reached for a smoke as he walked towards where Natasha stood watching the Bridge with her binoculars.

‘What’s on the Bridge?’ he asked.

‘Checking for movement on the other side,’ she replied without lowering the binoculars. ‘It’s getting too isolated here for some reason. The survivors are becoming more and more sparse, the streets are getting emptier. Rumour has it that they’re all moving off someplace deep south, as near New Kolkata as they can get. Some bands have been trying to get into the new city but to no avail, of course. It’s like they’re all afraid of something.’

Adri peered at the Howrah Bridge, now silhouetted against the setting sun, a thing of unbelievable might and beauty. ‘Any movements then?’ he asked.

‘None,’ she replied. ‘Would you know something about this migration, Sen? Because I’m getting the distinct feeling that you’re withholding information.’

Adri scratched his dirty hair, and grinned. ‘I don’t know what you’re implying.’

Natasha shook her head. ‘Don’t give me crap, Sen. Stop sidestepping my questions and give me one straight answer.’

‘It’s got something to do with Doomsday,’ Adri said, breathing out smoke.

‘The Apocalypse?’ Natasha asked, surprised.

Adri nodded. ‘The end of all things and the beginning of a new era.’

‘But that has always been a stupid series of stories. How can it inspire such fear?’

‘Hate to be the one to break it to you, Nat, but there have been signs. The storytellers have been telling stories of the Apocalypse. Madmen have been singing songs, there have been messages scrawled on walls.’