Daughter of the Mountains

Chapter 2

"So you found an unclaimed weapon in a concealed cave and the first thing you thought was, 'I will take it?'" Moinak regarded his sister with unwonted irritation, "What if a mad sage shows up and curses you? Or worse, some angry soldier takes this as an insult to his entire clan?"
Gauri sunk deeper into her seat and wished her father would come. Moinak had not been pleased with her little discovery and the two had spent half a prahar trying in vain to locate the cavelet that seemed to have mysteriously disappeared after she left. Now, as they waited pensively for their father, she was getting the yelling of her life. Her eyes prickled. It had been so shiny, she didn't mean any harm. Gauri sniffled, trying not to cry, and mumbled, "Maybe we can explain to whoever will come. Maybe no one will come."

Moinak puffed up with anger. He had just opened his mouth, evidently prepared with a caustic reply when King Himvat bustled in, robes and stray snow billowing after him.
"Baba," Moinak began, "look what Gauri found."

Throwing all their clothes and other meagre belongings into a huge blanket, Himvat gave his son an absent nod, "Hmm?"
Moinak went on undeterred, "Gauri found a trident in a cave beside the lake and brought it with her. And now we can't find the exact cavelet. What if someone comes? What shall we do? You must think of something, Baba."
"Hnnghh."
"Baba, are you listening? What are you doing?"

Gauri wondered if it would be too rude to tell her brother to stop blathering. Finished with whatever crooked thing he just put in, Himvat moved to the old tomes as he waved at Moinak. "Hmm, what? Oh, we're leaving."
The siblings traded bewildered looks. Their father continued, "Things are not looking good for us. I just got the news. Aamaravati, capital of the Devas, has fallen. Indra Deva went to the Vishnu, but apparently he said he can't help. It is unsafe for us to stay this close to Swarga while Mahisha is king there. Pack your things, and give me that, Gauri. We'll just put it with the other weapons."

Gauri was unwilling to part with her new discovery, but it felt stupid to argue about a stick, even if it was a shiny, stabby stick, so she handed it over to her father. Or at least, she tried to.

No sooner had she let go of it than Himvat toppled forward, driven by an invisible force. The trident clattered to the ground and the exiled King howled with the weight of it on his fingers.

Gauri shrieked. Her brother rushed forward and tried to pick it up, but the offending thing would not shift an inch. Broken out of her stupor, Gauri leant down to help. The trident yielded to her grasp, and she lifted it up with ease. Moinak was still staring at her, but their father slumped forward, panting. Gauri ran to their packed bundle – still clutching the weapon – and started throwing things around in a bid to find the tube of pain-relief balm their Vaidya prescribed for almost all aches. This was vaguely hampered by the fact that she could use only one hand.
Moinak came to help, but King Himvat waved them away, "I'm okay. Calm down."
There was a pregnant pause. Then, predictably, Moinak burst out, "What was that?"

Disappointment seemed to seep into the room as if from the chill outside. Passing a weary hand over his face, their father said, "A Shastra."
"Yeah, but how come Gauri picked it and we couldn't?"

"Some Astras and Shastras choose their own wielders. They say the Sudarshana, that golden discus borne of Surya's own light, can only be wielded by a Vishnu, or one chosen by a Vishnu. Evidently, this chose your sister." Himvat did not sound happy about this.

Gauri, embarrassed and unable to help herself, interrupted, "Why me? I don't even know what this is called."

"I don't know. Maybe it liked you. Maybe it was lonely. As for what it is, the only trident I know of is that of Mahadevas. They call it the Trishul. But it is unlikely to be so, Mahadevas are careful with their weapons. Besides, they are the last people you want to annoy. In any case, we need to make haste. Pack the rest of these up, you two. I'll see what they arranged for transport."
He heaved himself up and lumbered towards the door. The two siblings trailed him with their eyes. Then Moinak turned to her and said, predictably, "I told you that thing was trouble."

Gauri burst into tears.

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Gauri clung to the floor of her palanquin for dear life. Outside, there was a low whizz, and an arrow flew through the window into her ride. She suppressed a shudder.
Horned creatures mounted on buffalos sped past the fallen palanquin, their howls shattering the calm of the forest. In the front, she heard Dhaula – the Commander of King Himvat's followers and rebel army – grunt with exertion. Her father was shouting, "Gauri, come out! Gauri! Gauri!"
Gauri hesitated. Someone was standing right outside, laughing. The curtains fluttered as if tugged. There was the flash of a torch and a bright, unnatural glow. It took her a moment to understand what was happening. Far off, Moinak roared, "Get your hands off my sister."
A hoarse voice rose in gleeful answer, "We have not even touched her, boy."
Orange flames danced before her. The curtains crumpled under the assault. Gauri was frozen in fear. Outside, the clashes became more frantic. "We are losing," she thought, terror sinking into her heart.

Then someone howled.

It was a sound so horrifying and full of pain that Gauri was compelled to move. The fire had spread to the wooden roof. The air inside was thick with sooty smoke. It was difficult to breathe. She put her face in her hands, lay down flat, and rolled out.

The inferno engulfed her, and as she got out, she crashed into the long-nailed legs of an armour clad warrior who was decidedly not from their side. He fell right on top of her, but she shoved at him and stood up, trembling.

Her hair was charred at the fringes, but she was still in her cloak. Wool burnt neither fast, nor well. All that gave testimony to what happened was a little singeing on her palm and the pounding in her heart. She wanted to stop to take a breath, but there was no time for it. Looking around she could see they were vastly outnumbered. There were at least three Rakshasha warrior for each of theirs. Moinak was spinning like a top, his long handled blade slicing through two people at once. To her left, one of their men howled as a gargantuan Rakshasha plunged a curved spear into his stomach. A spray of blood flew out.

A couple of their trunks were lying to the side. They had probably fallen when their ambushers had upturned their carriages. Gauri recognized her own trunk among those. She got on her hands and knees and crept to it. With a furtive glance at her bloody surroundings, she stuck her hand in. It took a few false tries, but then she felt the cool metal of the trident she had found and she tugged it out. A groan escaped her from the effort.

A harsh voice crackled behind her, "There you are, naughty girl. Come, our King would surely be happy to see you. He has," here, she spun around to see his eyes rove avariciously over her, "quite a good taste in women."

And yeah, okay, Gauri was not going to let this pass. She might be the daughter of a conquered kingdom, but she was still a princess and a woman besides. The trident was a comfortable weight in her hand. Despite only having trained with the sword, she felt like she had known it for many years. As the Asura lurched forward, she swung it expertly at him. One of the three forks sunk into his palm and he jerked back with a wounded sound. Gauri struck again, not giving him the time to recover. This time, all three pointy ends slipped past the join of his armour between his neck and shoulder, and he fell forward. Blood erupted from his mouth in a crimson fount and he lunged in one last feeble attempt, but she stepped back, refusing the challenge. Her adversary collapsed, the curtain of life forever closing on him.

"FREEZE!!"

Gauri startled up at the roar. A tall man – a human, she noticed – had his arms wrapped around her father's neck, the tip of his sword drawing blood. "Freeze," he repeated, as if everyone had not stopped the moment they realised what was happening.

"Baba," Moinak yelled frantically, but one of their archers lifted his bow and pointed it threateningly at him. He stopped in his tracks, eyes wide in horror.

Someone else stepped through the carmine river, "Hold him fast, and bind the others."

From his authoritarian voice, she presumed this was the Commander. Moinak jerked forward again. The archer waggled his bow. The other soldiers moved to carry out the orders. Gauri stared at the Commander, lips pressed together. There was nothing to be done. There was an old banyan tree right above where her father was grappling uselessly with the man. She wished the conveniently low hanging heavy branch would fall on him. One of the soldiers had bound Moinak. He was snorting like an angry horse.

"If only that branch fell..." she thought wistfully.

The back of her neck prickled as if she were being watched. She resisted lifting up her hand to rub at it. Two mournful creaks echoed and...
'SNAP!'

The branch Gauri was so eagerly dreaming about cracked and fell neatly on her father's unwanted custodian. King Himvat rolled away. Moinak headbutted the guy closest to him. Dhaula kicked someone. It took a few minutes, but soon enough, their wannabe ambushers were lying around in tidy little knots – either dead, or close to it.
King Himvat went to inspect the fallen branch. It was heavy, but seemed fresh enough.

"How did this fall," he wondered, "when it is neither old nor rotten?"

"It was just as well it did, for it saved your life, baba."

Moinak did not appear remotely interested in the branch. Gauri clutched the trident and did not say anything. What was left to say, either way?