This time, Guru Amrav decided not to rush after the bird. Instead, as the cobra, he slithered to the chicken’s blind side, and silently started to twist his way towards his target.

Of all animals these magicians can use to play the games of Sangram, why is there a flightless bird in the arena? Aman thought. The cobra had got closer, seconds away from victory. The chicken oddly refused to react. The Light Seeker appeared keen on headbutting the unintelligible bird in its underbelly and in a single swift swoop tossing it out over the boundary line—winning the Sangram by elimination due to displacement.

In one rapid burst, the snake moved with single-minded intent, but moments before the impact, the chicken flapped its wings in a powerful sweep to lift itself in the air. Aarti had finally completed Atmayog—her forearm had developed a red Deh, visible to all. The cobra, unable to control itself, tried to stop all movement completely, but couldn’t help blundering out of the boundary line.

The cheering had given way to stunned silence.

Whispers broke out. The commentator’s voice rose over them all, ‘THIS SANGRAM IS OVER!’

Idhika scoffed and, on the other side, Payal screamed in joy.

‘WE HAVE A MIRACLE! THE UNDERDOG HAS W—’

‘Cheated! The underdog has cheated!’ Guru Amrav interrupted. The sage abandoned his pedestal and stomped unsteadily towards Aarti.

The commentator intercepted Guru Amrav. ‘With all due respect, Light Seeker, it was a perfectly fair round of Sangram. As long as there is no intervention of a third soul you have no grounds for objection. Or are we still copying those spineless pansies of the valley?’ He looked up at the ceiling of the dome, towards Vanyasa.

In the middle of all this, Aman spotted the eagle—the one sitting on the yogi’s shoulder—take off, swoop dangerously low over everyone’s head and disappear into the tunnel.

Guru Amrav was still glued to his spot, lost for words.

‘Ahh—HELP—ahh! UJAALL!’ Everyone heard the girl’s voice as it tunnelled in from outside and thundered into the hall. Her scream was punctuated by the sounds of a screeching bird.

All stood frozen. They tried to comprehend the repeated rise of the girl’s frantic cry in the distance. By the sound of it, she was out of reach, probably at the mouth of the cave, out on the ridges of Kalanag.

Ujal ran into the tunnel with little hope as Prithvi’s voice grew distant, carried away by the eagle over the Dronagiri woods outside the valley.

12

Kamandalu

Aman, Idhika and Fayza immediately followed Ujal as he rushed off in pursuit of Prithvi. They sprinted as fast as they could towards the mouth of the cave, from where they had entered, and when they emerged, a faint silhouette of the eagle could be seen in the distance, holding on to a struggling figure.

Within minutes—though it felt like hours had passed—Guru Amrav, Aarti, Payal and a few of the yogis joined them out in the open.