Karnak roamed about the city all day and was completely exhausted by the evening. He found a cheap sarai in the older parts of the city and checked in.
Even though the sun had set, the temperature had not come down. Karnak took a bath in the common bathrooms. The water was chilly but refreshing in the heat. He had food at the sarai’s kitchen and then went back to his tiny room. The heat was killing him and he stripped down to his underclothes before collapsing on the creaky and faintly smelly bed.
The ceiling-fan poured down air that felt like a hot wash of soup. Karnak closed his eyes and tried to sleep.
He dreamt that he was back in the jungle again. The moonlit night was cool and fragrant and he could hear a girl crying somewhere in the woods. He followed the voice and came to find Suneeti, who starting walking away from him as soon as he approached. He followed her deeper into the forest, her perfect figure becoming more enticing and mesmerising by the minute. Karnak felt himself getting aroused until Suneeti stopped and leaned seductively against a tree. He approached her, his heart thumping. As he drew close, Suneeti placed her arms gently on his shoulders.
And shook him violently until he woke up.
Karnak leapt to his feet, standing up instinctively in as summoning stance.
“Relax,” it’s me, Suneeti said, “but we need to move. Get some clothes on.”
She took his clothes from the wall hanger and threw them at him. Karnak clumsily began putting them on, his head becoming sleepy again.
“What is this all about?!” he complained.
But before Suneeti could answer, they heard a loud altercation downstairs. There were loud
knocks on doors and shouting across the building.
“They’re here to get you,” Suneeti said with renewed urgency, “we must leave.”
“Who are they?” Karnak asked, “And how many. I can take them down!”
But Suneeti grabbed his arm and pulled him out with surprising force. They ran down the corridor until they heard a group of men ahead. They double-backed and ran down the fire escape.
“They’re Manojav’s soldiers,” Suneeti told him, “They’re here to arrest you.”
“We don’t need to run,” said Karnak, “I can take them out.”
“No you can’t!” said Suneeti, hurtling down the stairs as fast as she could.
“You don’t understand! I can connect! With the kind of weaponry I can summon, they won’t last a minute.”
“No. You don’t understand! It isn’t just this bunch of soldiers. The entire city has been cordoned off. They’re hunting you down. It’s big. You could probably take these men down but you can’t take down all of them!”
They reached the ground floor and Karnak peeped out the doorway. There were soldiers there but they were moving out, towards the front of the building.
“Wait,” he said in a whisper, trying to catch his breath.
“Why are they after me?!” he asked aftera while.
“You tell me!” said Suneeti, “Mahaguru Gorakhnath was in Manojav’s palace today. I don’t know what he told him, but then I heard orders being issued that you be arrested and brought to the palace. They’ve been trying to track you down all day.”
Even though the sun had set, the temperature had not come down. Karnak took a bath in the common bathrooms. The water was chilly but refreshing in the heat. He had food at the sarai’s kitchen and then went back to his tiny room. The heat was killing him and he stripped down to his underclothes before collapsing on the creaky and faintly smelly bed.
The ceiling-fan poured down air that felt like a hot wash of soup. Karnak closed his eyes and tried to sleep.
He dreamt that he was back in the jungle again. The moonlit night was cool and fragrant and he could hear a girl crying somewhere in the woods. He followed the voice and came to find Suneeti, who starting walking away from him as soon as he approached. He followed her deeper into the forest, her perfect figure becoming more enticing and mesmerising by the minute. Karnak felt himself getting aroused until Suneeti stopped and leaned seductively against a tree. He approached her, his heart thumping. As he drew close, Suneeti placed her arms gently on his shoulders.
And shook him violently until he woke up.
Karnak leapt to his feet, standing up instinctively in as summoning stance.
“Relax,” it’s me, Suneeti said, “but we need to move. Get some clothes on.”
She took his clothes from the wall hanger and threw them at him. Karnak clumsily began putting them on, his head becoming sleepy again.
“What is this all about?!” he complained.
But before Suneeti could answer, they heard a loud altercation downstairs. There were loud
knocks on doors and shouting across the building.
“They’re here to get you,” Suneeti said with renewed urgency, “we must leave.”
“Who are they?” Karnak asked, “And how many. I can take them down!”
But Suneeti grabbed his arm and pulled him out with surprising force. They ran down the corridor until they heard a group of men ahead. They double-backed and ran down the fire escape.
“They’re Manojav’s soldiers,” Suneeti told him, “They’re here to arrest you.”
“We don’t need to run,” said Karnak, “I can take them out.”
“No you can’t!” said Suneeti, hurtling down the stairs as fast as she could.
“You don’t understand! I can connect! With the kind of weaponry I can summon, they won’t last a minute.”
“No. You don’t understand! It isn’t just this bunch of soldiers. The entire city has been cordoned off. They’re hunting you down. It’s big. You could probably take these men down but you can’t take down all of them!”
They reached the ground floor and Karnak peeped out the doorway. There were soldiers there but they were moving out, towards the front of the building.
“Wait,” he said in a whisper, trying to catch his breath.
“Why are they after me?!” he asked aftera while.
“You tell me!” said Suneeti, “Mahaguru Gorakhnath was in Manojav’s palace today. I don’t know what he told him, but then I heard orders being issued that you be arrested and brought to the palace. They’ve been trying to track you down all day.”
No comments:
Post a Comment