Chapter 5 : Journey to the Mageland, Mayavari

As they passed through the forests that were tangled in the calmer ends of ferocious rivers of the Atmatran, Izwan began to see why his Master spoke so highly yet cautiously of Iravan.

"We'll have to walk along the river till Mayavari," said Iravan. Izwan uneasily got off his horse to come nearer to the river's edge where Iravan was standing.

"We will die", Izwan spoke, looking ahead at the infamous strip of land known to be home to the most ancient tribes of the continent.

These tribes were immune from the changes that the rest of the country had gone through, including education, religion and living standards. Children had grown up listening to the stories of the Great Basin of the last tribes who coexisted with the wild forests of Tantrahimaya's feet. The tribes had become merciless to preserve their boundaries from the new order of Knowledge that had crept into and dominated every culture it touched in the subcontinent. 

"They will kill us"

"Are you coming?" said Iravan, breaking Izwan's deep gaze into the raging river. 

Izwan followed Iravan into the deep forests that adorned the edges of the Great River, thinking about Master Marqaya and his debt of life to him.

After travelling deep into the freezing riverside, Iravan rushed to the cold water. Before Izwan could comprehend Iravan's flight , Iravan had already jumped into the water. Izwan rushed to the side where he had left his Banjaran overcoat.

"Iravan!" Izwan cried out, his voice hardly reaching over the roaring river. He held the horses that had been startled with the sudden incident. Izwan, tying the horses to a nearby tree, rushed back to the riverside. He took his vest off, rubbing his hands in the freezing cold.

He hesitated jumping in the water for a moment, "it's so cold. I'll die" he saw Iravan's rubrum kasaya for a fleeting second and he jumped into the water. Izwan's skin was hit with the icy shards of the river and he was sure that if it were daylight he would have seen a pool of blood around him.

Coming up for air didn't cross his mind for he was so occupied with the miscalculations he had just drawn about the strength and the depth of the river that time had seemed to have frozen for him.

He was in the wild underworld of the Atmatran, a mere tributary of the Mighty mother. It was solid rock, fat fish and torn branches that hit him in the undercurrent. He couldn't see Iravan anywhere. He struggled to the surface a few times only to be drawn back into whirlpools that made his stomach wriggle and his head spin.

The icy waves were twisting into dark strokes of tar that encompassed the river bed where the rocks, the fat fish and the torn branches seemed to appear and vanish on whims. Warm breath abandoned his lungs as they were intruded with the chill that slammed into his chest, his mouth and his nose.

He seemed to lose consciousness of any boundary between him and the river, their temperatures were now about the same, inside-out, as he lay heavy on the river bed like one of her own.

There were soft caresses on his cheeks, like slimy fish swimming about him with affection. On the left, to the right, wriggling onto his chest again. The fishes seemed to be getting larger, hitting harder. Slimy fish turned to swinging hits, Izwan awoke throwing up water on his side. He felt the cold air on his bare chest, the soil sticking to his wet skin.

"Are you hungry?" said Iravan, as he got up with large fishes in his hands and garlanded around his neck. Izwan, checking Iravan from head to toe, throwing up once again, "Did you slap me with a fish?"

"You should be glad I didn't kiss you boy, my poison lips would surely have you dead. I almost did, then I recalled you're human. It's hard when you've lost your human stench, haha, your blood has gone completely cold."

"I jumped to save you!" Izwan spoke through cold shivers.

Iravan burst laughing. He left to sit by the fire, still laughing, cooking fish and humming some ridiculous song. Izwan came and sat by the fire. 

"Here, wear this, I don't want to carry your dead body."

Izwan took Iravan's overcoat. 

" All this for fishing. You could've just…"

"No, Izwan, you could've just used your common sense. A river won't kill me. But it can kill you. Why would you save a demon like me now?"

"I didn't want to save you!" said Izwan, looking away with arrogance.

Iravan ate and slept on the tree. Izwan sat by the fire rubbing his hands for warmth.

" These demons. They're all the same." Izwan lay back by the fire and a branch fell on his face.

"Argh! Iravan!" Izwan saw Iravan was fast asleep. 

Daylight took a lazy while to reach the dense parts of the forest. Izwan woke up to find Iravan still fast asleep on the tree. "It's still so dark," he said to himself. "Izwan, look out" Iravan threw a bundle of wild fruits onto the ground, right where Izwan was standing. Some of the fruits rained over Izwan's head while others scattered. "Argh!" he cried out in pain.

"For the horses. They've not eaten anything" said Iravan as he stood upright on the branch of the huge tree he was fast asleep on a while ago. 

They travelled deeper into the forests, Izwan heard the cries of animals he couldn't even recognize anymore. They were a hundred in number, all mysterious shadows moving in the dark, never approaching them in the light of their mashal. 

"That's a Bagheera."

Iravan said to himself.

"You've been counting animals. Are you making up names or do you really know all of them?"

Said Izwan as he followed Iravan.

"Shh! There's an Ajgar" Iravan continued. "Hundred of years ago, when I was just a child, I lost my way into these forests. The trees remain the same but the voices have all changed. It's like they keep retreating deeper into the shadows. Funny, they used to live far up, higher in the mountains away from even these secluded tribes. They're agitated."

"Good thing they don't come anywhere near us"

Iravan looked into the river as Izwan said this. He pondered over it for a while.

"A single species cannot isolate itself from all the others that it was born with and dream of peace and unity. To idolize deers and peacocks and put shame and ominous tags on hyenas and vultures is as good as being ignorant of true nature and her order. " Iravan said as he looked at Izwan over his shoulder.

"How do you know Master?"

" I'm his favourite bedtime story. I'm surprised he didn't tell you" Iravan laughed. "He tells everyone. I'm the stupid kid in his story that he taught a lesson to, haha!"

Izwan looked at Iravan, somewhat perplexed. He was making fun of himself. 

" I did hate him. For many years after. I used to fantasize upping him by one and taking my respect back. Would you believe it? Iravan the air demon, dragged by his ears in the streets. I'm only glad he went underground. Now I don't have to answer embarrassing questions. Even my enemies taunted me."

Iravan paused. Looking around the light that had now come through the trees. Wild butterflies spanned the scarce rays that had come through the dense canopies, reflecting light everywhere like scattered mirrors moving in the light.

"I was at the height of my power. When one is a child, the energy is untamed and rogue. It is very strong indeed, but also destructive. My father was the king of the ancient kingdom of Tantrayavaranam. It was the heart of the demon kingdoms that coexisted with the kingdoms of gods and humans."

The smell of wild red Afeem passed them by as a breeze rushed through from the forests inside. The light of the mashal died but the faint daylight, however scarce, seemed to do just fine.

"My father was visiting another kingdom, as he often did. And I took the chance to terrorize the locals, as I often did. And then came Marqaya. His dense grey eyes shone through the humid crowd. His violet Kasaya, yes he had just graduated then as the leader of the East Sun, it sparkled with invitation. I had never seen anyone like him before. And naturally I decided to make him my new fool. He was waving his hands over an old clay pot, I snuck up behind him with my tricks and stunted him with lightning in my hands. That's what it does to you, it paralyzes you. You can't even move your tongue. I took a proud moment to run and stand before him as the pot from his hands fell to the ground and broke.There were screams and stampedes, people fled the place. A dark cloud engulfed me with insidious whispers. I didn't feel so proud anymore. My grip on Marqaya weakened and he fell to his knees, in that instant I only saw Marqaya gasp and reach out his hand to me but I had vanished from consciousness. There I was, locked with the ancient Turkish spirit in my head."

"I don't believe you!" cried out Izwan. "Djinns are a myth!"

Iravan laughed. "They weren't seven hundred years ago! And they don't live upto their reputations either. They're like sly merchants. They just want to sell you a wish that they'll make you believe you truly desire and then have your soul for eternity. Death by djinns is the most painful thing. Even for a demon."

Izwan looked at Iravan with childish curiosity "how did you defeat the djinn!"

"I didn't. Marqaya, the great spell worker, bound the djinn to a turquoise sea gem. We both are bound to it. I am bound to carry it so that no other breaks it open and awakens the djinn, for if it does it is bound to come for my soul."

"You made the wish! What did you wish for? Tell me!" Izwan spoke with anxious excitement.

"You only get one wish, unlike the fairytales. And honestly, I don't remember. I awoke in my mother's lap who was bowing to Marqaya. My ears were sore and my head hurt. I felt like I'd been dragged on my back against the concrete floor. I was furious at first, seeing my dear mother bow before that old hag. In a minute though, I saw it was out of deep respect and love. She was indebted to him and he refused for it to be so. I got to know later on that the whole kingdom was in great jest about me being dragged by my ears through the market after Marqaya fought the dangerous djinn. My father had even honoured him as my Elder."

"Your Elder! Why then, you too are his son!" said Izwan.

Iravan didn't answer. As he was about to express his annoyance at the expression, his horse fell to the ground.

Iravan jumped to his side "Izwan, take cover!" A sharp sound passed Iravan's ear, hitting his overcoat. He plucked out the needle sized poisoned dart and smelt it.

"Why you ungrateful grazers!" he muttered to himself as he tried to push his horse to a safer cover.

"Izwan!" he saw Izwan and his horse lay motionless.

As he got up to put his overcoat on Izwan to protect him from the poisonous darts he saw the lights tremble with shades of grey and black. His eyes levelled to a sudden change in altitude as he fell to his knees with a thud. He fell face forward into the damp soil by the river muttering some indignant adjectives for his invisible enemies.