The Chronicles of Shamballa

Chapter IX: An Unusual Friendship

Kali, the thug, was still on his knees until the Princess ordered him to stand up and lead the way; perhaps he was ashamed that he unknowingly fought a Princess. But she had no time to waste or worry about formalities and took immediate charge of the group.

“Listen Mr. Carey, it doesn’t matter what I say to him, he’s always going to despise you for being a foreigner in his land, it is in all of our best interest to continue this journey and reach the shores of the Ganges before dawn, or else someone might spot us. This man here knows the landscape well and he has vowed to protect us until we reach the city, so I suggest that you focus on your mission right now and follow us,” said the Princess and followed Kali.

Carey thought it best to keep moving forward and not worry about frivolous details. So, he picked up his bags and followed them. The four of them kept walking through the tall grass under the moon light- the terrain seemed impossible to traverse but Kali and the Princess moved on like it was nothing. Carey cursed his luck, since the time he had found the clue to the map, he had been chased, abducted, punched and kicked and now he was escaping in the middle of the night through this godforsaken landscape lifting heavy luggage and following a Thug who wants to end his life!

“I really hope to God that this is worth the trouble!” he said to himself.

Half an hour of walking through the impossible terrain, Kali stopped and stared into the horizon. It was 2 a.m. and there was dead silence everywhere. Carey went ahead and looked, they were standing on top of a small hill from where they could see the entire city of Benaras and the mighty river flowing through the heart of the city.

“There it is Mr. Carey,” said the Princess “the city- now tell me where exactly do you want to go,”

“Um, well, I see the river, now- if we get to the shore, on the eastern side, over there- we should find an old and abandoned ruined temple- I think we will find the location of the map there,” said Carey pointing in the general direction.

“All right, let’s keep moving, we have to enter the city under disguise and remain hidden until we reach this temple that you are talking about, the priests will wake up soon to perform their morning rituals, we can’t let anybody notice us,” remarked the princess.

“Wait, I just need to clear something with you first,” said Carey.

“What?!” the Princess looked at him annoyingly.

“Well, this Thug here, how could be so sure that he won’t betray us, he’s being ordered to kill me but now he’s betraying his clan, I’m not sure I can trust him,” said Carey.

“You don’t have to worry about that, Mr. Carey, he knows that you are with me and I have ordered him not to speak about us to anyone, his job is to safely escort us to the city where he will leave us in peace and never follow us again, replied the Princess.

Carey had to trust her word, she was on a mission of personal vengeance, and she wanted the location of the map more than he did. And so he followed the Thug and the Princess, down the steep hill and into the borders of the city. The silent and sleeping city greeted them with a cold breeze as they walked on carefully across the deserted street. Somewhere far away, one could hear the monotonous crying of the night watchmen, warning the local people to be aware of thieves and dacoits.

“Which way?” asked the Princess.

“Towards the shores,” replied Carey.

“May I suggest your highness, I have a friend here, we could change our looks there and get some rest!” remarked Ram Babu.

“Splendid! Lead the way,” replied Carey.

Ram Babu took them towards a narrow street that led to his friend’s house-

“Not to worry, Sahib, Ramesh is an old friend of mine, he won’t tell anybody,” Ram Babu assured as he led the team towards his friend’s house.

Half an hour later, the four of them stood before a small clay hut and Ram Babu went knocking on the thatched door. His friend, Ramesh came out surprised to see his old friend standing at his door at 3.00 in the morning. The Princess and the Thug waited outside while Carey and Ram Babu went inside to talk with Ramesh. A few minutes later Carey came out and suggested that they should change their looks before they reach the shores.

“I shall let go of Kali then, he has escorted me here, this is where we bid him good bye,” said the Princess and went to talk to the Thug.

A few moments later, Kali bowed down to the Princess and disappeared into the darkness. Ramesh’s wife was kind enough to lend the Princess her most beloved saree- the one that she was saving for a special occasion; the Princess promised her that she would be rewarded for her efforts. She covered her face with a veil while wearing a small pouch on her left shoulder and carried her longsword in her hand, wrapped in a cloth. Ram Babu asked Carey to simply wrap a scarf around his neck, so as to cover his face, thinking that he wouldn’t be comfortable in the Indian attire while he wrapped a black shawl around himself and tied a white turban around his head. He picked up Carey’s bags and placed them on an old mule that he borrowed from his friend Ramesh.

Minutes later the three of them were ready to go towards the shores of the river; the Princess looked stunning in the dress and Carey stared at her with his mouth wide open, until she gave him a questioning look that made him look away in embarrassment. He hadn’t seen anyone as beautiful as her in his entire life and somewhere in a remote corner of his mind, he had already started to think the possibilities of him ending up with her- after all the Nawab had already promised him her hand in return for the secrets of Shamballa! Ram Babu noticed that his Sahib was behaving quite awkwardly in front of her highness; he had never seen him so distracted before…

It was about to be dawn, around 4.00 in the morning and Carey could hear the birds around the city waking up and chirping harmoniously as the golden rays of the sun started to peek over the hills. The river was just a kilometre to the east but they had to hurry or someone might notice them and begin to ask questions. They passed through narrow passages between the buildings of the city that was just starting to wake up. The walls were plastered with sketches of wanted men, rebels and thugs and rewards were put up for their capture. The Princess led the way with Carey following her and Ram Babu following them along with the mule. Half an hour later, they could see the mighty river ahead of them- the Princess walked on cautiously.

“You seem to know the landscape pretty well,” remarked Carey.

“I have been everywhere in the country as a child, my father loved to travel,” she replied walking briskly.

“I see, I was meaning to ask, your English, it’s quite refined-“

“I was trained by a missionary since I was five, I speak three western languages,”

“Ah! You are truly-“

“Shh! You hear that?”

“Hear what?”

“Hide! Quick!”

The Princess quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him towards a narrow passage. Ram Babu followed them with his mule.

“What? What is it?” asked Carey curiously.

Suddenly a parade of horses went flying by, kicking off dust as they passed. The three of them watched from the shadows as some mean looking men, all dressed in black galloped away on the horses. Ram Babu gasped as he saw them.

“Thugs? What are they doing in the city?” whispered the Princess.

They came out of the passage after they left and continued their journey towards the shore.

“Who were those men?” asked Carey.

“Thugs, dacoits, robbers, vandals, whatever you call them but they’re not supposed to roam around in the city, they stick to the forests where it’s easier to hunt their prey,” replied Meena.

“Maybe this has something to do with Kali?” remarked Carey.

The Princess did not reply but kept walking. The sun rose in the east, upon the shores of the river and its golden rays hit the sparkling water. Carey paused for a moment to admire the beauty and the serenity of the river. The priests were getting ready to bathe on the shores of the river and preparing for their morning rituals while morning birds were singing their morning songs all around. Carey felt a deep sense of peace and tranquility as he stood there but the Princess asked him to move ahead for it would not be long before the local people would come out of their houses and someone might identify them. Local news travelled fast in rural India, by now the story of an escaped Princess might have spread across the country like a forest fire. And it was always a danger for a foreigner to roam around in these streets, the locals either feared or hated them. Carey walked briskly along the sands of the river and took out his pocket watch- it was 5.00 in the morning...