Two months, a hoard of The Civil Wars, Daughter and Florence and the Machine and here I am with the 26th chapter. We are so close that I can feel it through the tensing of hairs on my nape.
Countdown: four!
Disclaimer: There are many things in this world that do not belong to me. Kubera is one of them.
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Courtship of a Phoenix
…
She reentered his life as quickly and abruptly as she had left it, spiking toward his mountain a little slower than a meteor. Garuda found it fortunate his throne had not incinerated in the process.
But he hardly had time to think. She tackled him and tugged them chest to chest.
"I'm back to terrorize your army," she announced, in a way that he could not tell whether or not she was still angry with him.
…
Chapter Twenty-Six: The Echoes Beckon
N0 - approx. 230 years
…
It never seemed like it, but Garuda, Gandharva and Shuri had their fair amount of rows. With the alliance under Visnu's guard, there was no need for any kings to hold back. Thunderclouds veiled the sky when Garuda fumed. Gandharva's waves lapped at Shuri's grasslands and Shuri, in retaliation, stole day from the oceans.
And yet days later, they all sat at the same table, laughing at the mundane silliness of their dreary lives. Visnu was there and not really there at the same time. He acted as the infrastructure of the friendship, hidden behind layers and layers of paint. What resulted was an impossible liaison, the precedent of multiple alliances between clans that even Suras of antagonist clans would look to as an example.
The flaws were, of course, overlooked and when Visnu left, it became apparent that something was amiss—and Garuda lacked the time and resources to plaster the cracks.
They talked, but no longer personally. Each king took turns complaining of kingly duties and the other two agreed so perfunctorily it hurt.
Which was why, when Visnu sent a note to Garuda asking them to meet in a young grove for old time's sake, all three kings arrived with varying degrees of hesitancy.
Visnu was naturally present, resting on a mossy log, golden sunlight decorating his eyelashes in a way befitting of god.
And it was just like the first time they met.
"You are here," Shuri began. "I thought this was a prank from Garuda."
"That's an oxymoron by itself," said Gandharva with a weak smile.
"He has his moments." Shuri looks to him from the edge of her eye and Garuda shifted uncomfortably under her scrutiny.
Garuda wondered fleetingly if this was the reason Visnu had come back—to save whatever precious amiability still left between them. A small part of him begged for Visnu to take away the distrust he'd built for Shuri and the envy he had of Gandharva; small, despicable parts of him that rarely ever escaped the infinitesimal knot in his chest.
"You must be wondering why I'm here," Visnu began. "It is not something I am very proud of."
"It shouldn't be."
"Garuda!" Shuri was quick to admonish. Too quick—and suddenly they built walls of tension from thin air, an atmosphere that spoke great repercussions for even the slightest gesture toward or away from Visnu.
"Those frowns aren't becoming on you, my friends," Visnu sighed, stepping off the log. "Today should be a day of rejoice. Ananta has fallen and you have won. This is the start of an age of prosperity for your clans."
"That was a hoax!" exclaimed Shuri. "Surely Ananta isn't…"
Gandharva rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I thought so too. If it was Manasvin or Vasuki, they have it coming. But Ananta, the hardhead? How did he die?"
It must have been you, thought Garuda, picturing cyan eyes staring him down from nowhere. He shook off the chills as soon as he caught Visnu staring disapprovingly. But you have no right to give me that look. I don't need to defend my actions when you failed me at such a critical time.
The grimace slowly waned into a small smile, but it was too rigid, too imbalanced to be sincere and both Shuri and Gandharva had half a mind to speak up.
"Why so stiff, my friend? This is good news. Your wife is safe and the young will no longer go hungry."
I want an apology. I want to know where you were. I want you to default everything, so I can start over with a clean slate. "Did you come here simply to congratulate us?"
And just like that, all heads turned to Visnu once more. They were so befitting of each other, these three kings, in subconscious, immeasurable gestures that no one would ever see if they did not look close enough. Sometimes he wondered how it was possible that no one did.
He'd come here with the intention to lie, but it inevitably escaped him. "The truth is, I came to warn you that the current imbalance in power is only temporary. Two of you may be stronger than Vasuki, but there's a lot more at stake than revenge."
Gandharva turned to stare directly at Garuda for the first time in months. He smiled. "Well, I was never too interested to slimy snake meat."
"I am well trained in moderation, thank you very much," Garuda countered. "You'd think that I could at least be trusted for that. I am not my wife, after all."
"Be that as it may, Garuda," Shuri pointed out solemnly, "there are still mouths to feed and you have one in particular that loves to chew off more than it can bite."
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N0 - approx. 230 years
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Along with thousand others, Maruna and his half brother returned to the mountains jittery with excitement. They left from a delectable scene—a field of snake corpses stretching from one end of the horizon to another, so littered that no Rakshasa could retain his Sura form without stepping on entrails. The last time that ever happened was… well, never.
"They were all so small," he lamented. "I bet their clan left them behind, though I don't know why I'd stick around to attack Suras stronger than me. Those Maras are really stupid."
His brother nodded. "I wonder what it's like to eat a Nastika."
Maruna froze, eyes growing to the size of saucers. He scanned their surroundings and whispered, "that's crazy! Don't ever say that out in the open! Sometimes you can just say something a little out of line and one of them hears you and—" He dragged a finger across his throat.
"Ah." The Rakshasa covered his mouth.
"Don't worry though, it's mostly 'kay 'cause you're first stage and they'll just think you don't know what you're saying. If anyone else attacks, I'll be here to—"
The young bird caught himself at the sight of red and golden tresses. His lips quivered as he drank in the sight, squeezed his eyes shut and drank in some more. When he became sure she was no illusion, he left behind his flabbergasted half brother and sprang for her.
"Mother!"
Vinata swung him fondly until Maruna became so dizzy he swore the stems of his own feathers spun. "You haven't developed at all! You weigh like a vegetable."
He groaned. "You can't just say that."
"Why are you so embarrassed? All strong Rakshasa develop slowly. Or are you just looking forward to snake slaughtering, you bloodthirsty little monster?"
"Mom, you're embarrassing me."
"What is there to be embarrassed about?"
"I don't want to look like a baby in front of my brother!"
That was when she saw him for the first time. His mouth hung nervously agape, allowing her a glimpse of fangs she'd long forgotten. Never before had Vinata seen them on a Sura's human form.
Her mouth dried when she looked up into his eyes. It just wasn't right to have such familiar eyes on such a devilish boy, traits from two clans thrown together into a small body that shouldn't belong to this universe. A glaring unbalance.
The children looked to her, waiting for a reaction. "Um," said Maruna. "This is my –"
"How long has he been here?" she cut curtly.
"I think sixty years?"
Vinata smiled humorlessly. "Sixty years…"
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N0 - approx. 230 years
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"You let that—that illegitimate child in our territory for sixty years?!"
Her livid words barely registered in Garuda's mind. He was still recovering from the throbbing headache caused by the coalition of his head with the face of a mountain—the result of yet another overreaction. He crawled out of the crater, only to be grabbed by Vinata and slammed back again. Five times she did this and on the sixth, he raised two hands in surrender.
She remained still, tearing up, but with a fist at the ready and about to plunge into his face. "Why should he get special treatment? Why do you acknowledge him when you have never once looked at our son? Is Kali such a messiah that anyone would bend to her will even though everyone claims to hate her so much?"
He set down her fist, expecting another to quickly catch him off guard, yet it never came. Her other hand tore through his shirt, raking up a fistful of cloth and fiber.
"Which part of him is better than Maruna? He doesn't even look like he belongs to our clan."
"Vinata, you're burning. Just breathe."
How could he tell her to breathe when all she saw was red? She glared stubbornly at him, trying to convey that no, she was not going to calm down just because he told her so. But the sincerity in his grey eyes—the real ones—brought her racing heartbeat down to a jog.
"I do not think that either of them is better," Garuda reasoned. "The Chaos child did not have a place to go so I gave him refuge. If it had been Maruna who came, I would have done the same."
"…"
"It hasn't been as easy for him as you think. Maruna is the only one in the clan who will accept him. Some believe he should be killed."
"So why don't you kill him?"
He sighed, hating himself more and more with every passing moment. "Kali promised she would restore the glory of our clan for a small favour, a child. I don't know why she sent him to me but she honoured her end of the promise and I can't break mine."
"You're despicable!" Vinata cried, thrashing under his hold. "I did not return here to be mocked! I'm not going to be the scorned wife. I won't put up with rumors of 'he loves her more' coming from every mouth in every corner and I don't want to see the son of the woman you cheated on me with."
Garuda thought it absurd that she still didn't understand. It wasn't like he brought the Half into his kingdom for the intention of mocking her. She was his wife. He loved her the most, even if he didn't always love her child.
So he did the first thing that came to mind: he tugged loose his sword and laid it before her on outstretched arms. If his most prized possession made her happy, he would happily relinquish it.
"If I were to give this to Maruna to help him develop…" because you treasure him so much...
Her lungs heaved in quick, heated breaths. She looked upon it with skepticism, but folded her arms and composed herself. "Give it to him then," she challenged bitingly. "Give it to him in front of his brother."
Well, he thought, if that's all it takes, then should have just said so in the first place.
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N0 - approx. 230 years
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True to his word, Garuda summoned his sons, whom both arrived visibly nervous of their father's sudden acknowledgement. With a gulp, Maruna stepped forward. The Chaos child shrunk behind his brother. Garuda had been kind enough to provide him a home, but treated him nowhere as well as Taraka and Maruna. He did not trust his father.
"Maruna."
"Y-yes, father?" His back straightened reflexively.
Garuda tossed him the sword, which Maruna caught without problem. His eyes flitted between it and Garuda, unable to pinpoint the reason for this gift. But Vinata nodded encouragingly and that comforted him.
"The sword suppresses your Transcendental Values. Use it to train and develop quickly."
The boy's eyes went wide with disbelief. "T-thank you…"
The other Rakshasa studied Maruna's expression. He extended a tentative hand but thought better of it and instead fidgeted with the tassels of his shirt as if that had been his intention all along.
"This is a gift only for you, understood?"
Maruna nodded rapidly. "Thank you."
"That is all. You may go."
The children took off, bare feet flicking behind them a spray of gravel. Maruna stopped, looked back, and continued. He didn't know what to make of his mother's face—neutral, with a tiny smidgen of disappointment. He decided to question it later.
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N0 - approx. 230 years
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Vinata did not know what she had been expecting: an encouraging message to his son? Some kind of acknowledgement that showed her Maruna meant more to him? Why am I trying to measure which one of us is better by comparing his treatment of our sons? Kali was gone, and should be the least of her worries, but all she could see was the goddess smirking while she stole away Garuda and her family.
"I am monster of jealousy," she remarked to herself.
Interspersed between these venomous thoughts were weary ponders of when everyone started to leave her. First Kalavinka and Cepphus. Avifauna, Garuda, Menaka and Myna. And then…
"This is ridiculous," Vinata laughed bitterly. "Next thing you know, I'll be willingly going to Ravana for companionship. But no, I've already done that, haven't I?"
If Kalavinka were in her nest at this moment, she'd snort, "do you even have any standards, Vinata?"
And if Cepphus were here, he'd agree because he always agreed with his wife. Later, when the incident would have been all but forgotten, he'd single out Vinata and quip, "I seriously hope that one day you'll get a chance to slap off that smug face of his. Reminds me too much of Garuda."
But she didn't want to think about it or linger too sentimentally on ifs. She could no longer see them outside of her dreams, and so she slept.
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N0 - approx. 220 years
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"Watch this, watch this!" Maruna exclaimed, but his brother's eyes weren't focused.
As he gripped the sword steadily, it morphed from a bandaged stick to a shiny zigzagging blade. For the umpteenth time, Maruna ran at a boulder and left the millionth gash in the already beat up rock.
He examined it and beamed cheekily to himself. "This one's a lot deeper than the others. I'm getting better at this."
When the younger Rakshasa realized his brother had said something, he finally tore his eyes from the displeased Nastika who'd been spying on them. He smiled tightly and looked back into the bushes, but the angry red eyes were no longer there.
For a while now, the female—his stepmother—had been overlooking Maruna's training. His brother, who was so excited about the sword that he scarcely had time to think about anything else, hadn't noticed yet. He sometimes saw her leering from a safe distance away.
It wasn't because Maruna's mother hated Kali that the Chaos child was anxious. Maruna wasn't lying, per se, when he said that Vinata would love him; he just didn't fully comprehend the situation. And that was okay. He forgave his brother.
He didn't dislike his stepmother either, though sometimes disdain was so rooted in her expression that it made him scared of not being good enough for Maruna.
"You should try using it too!"
"Me?" He pointed at himself. "But father said only you can use his sword!"
"Don't worry, it's not like he's going to care. In his eyes, we might as well be invisible. We can get away with whatever we want. C'mon!"
Maruna offered it with a thousand watt smile. The pale Sura looked to the handle hesitantly. He formed a discreet fist under his poncho and made for Garuda's sword with his dominant hand.
Suddenly, hot air tickled the hairs on his nape. He froze when it began swirling in a loose choke around his neck.
"What's wrong?"
"No, nothing." He smiled as her Transcendental ghosted across his temple. "I don't think I should use it, just in case father finds out and gets angry."
Maruna raised a quizzical eyebrow, but didn't press any further.
After what seemed like forever, the chokehold finally loosened. The Half massaged his neck and glanced at the dark cliffs above them. He caught a pair of dull, red eyes disappearing into shadow.
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N0 - approx. 220 years
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She fisted coarse hair as her talons trails in the mountain dirt. What had she been doing back there to Kali's child, despite her compromise with Garuda? Vinata stopped and touched her forehead to the cool mountain face. Frustrated and vacant, she followed a number of small cracks until they merged with the ground.
She did not stop until her eyes were almost blinded by the myriad tints of sediment. Then, she pushed herself off, stumbled inside and collapsed into deep slumber.
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N0 - approx. 200 years
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"And so," he concluded to two other Nastikas he'd summoned, the current fifth and thirteenth in rank, "this must stop. Fortunate as we are, I will not allow our brethren to take these gifted circumstances for granted. Some of the younger Suras are rash and forget to respect the blood sacrificed by generations before them."
The purple haired woman to Garuda's left knitted her brows in a way that turned her eyes into languid semicircles. Her lips were pressed together tightly, as always, but especially so when speaking of anything related to youth and children.
"That is fine," she told him, turning to her once mate. "We will take care of it."
There was a sheepish pause before he began. "Yes, yes, they have been taking too much liberty with the hunts." Though he appeared much more interested in filing chipped nails. "… isn't this what Vinata usually does?"
"I thought she was too busy raising her chick." The woman looked to Garuda.
"No," a fourth voice interjected. "The queen is, in fact, sleeping."
Shuri brushed a leaf aside and stepped into the clearing, her shoulders and ears humbly sagged. She had a resigned kind of tiredness. Dismissing puzzled looks from the other two, she sent Garuda a weak, almost apologetic smile.
"May I have a private audience with you?"
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N0 - approx. 200 years
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An hour later, the two found an untouched crevice of nature, a mossy log deep in the wood that split and fell across a creek. They sat on it, dangling their legs. Garuda's were so long that water periodically sloshed at his feet.
"I know you have never truly forgiven me for what happened that day," sighed Shuri, staring at her own reflection, "just as I have never forgiven you for betraying dear Visnu."
"I did not betray Visnu," Garuda replied curtly. He was tired of people giving a bad name to the whole incident.
"You don't know what extent he's gone to to protect you."
"He deserted me in my time of need. What other choice did I have?"
Shuri stopped her preening and shot him an indignant look. "He is not a remedy for your problems, some sort of be all end all that can grant you anything you wish. He's our friend, Garuda! And even then, this isn't a question of just Visnu. You have the luxury of a wife and family. You can't make these decisions lightly."
Garuda, truly angered, for once raised his voice to thunderous levels. "It was not something I decided on a whim. Our clan was in shambles. I resigned myself to any solution that could possibly restore it to a fraction of what it was before everything spiraled out of control. I had run the question a million times through my head: 'what if I brought him back?' The old Vinata, the rascal who can return with a fallen army and still make every Sura feel like a champion. I spent months doubting the tiniest decisions. Always, 'what would he have done?', 'what would she do now?', and all throughout she never had a single clue."
"Maybe you shouldn't have married her if you don't trust her."
Garuda turned away and Shuri, after a sharp inhale, mirrored him. For a moment, it seemed like the only thing in the world that hadn't stopped was the rushing creek beneath them.
"Sorry," she amended. "I know how it feels. When Yaksha died and I became the very first second generation king… I don't talk about it, but Visnu told me at a time when my mind was plagued with self doubt that I would one day turn Isholy into a utopia. Let's say everything remained rather bleak until you and Gandharva came along."
She extended her hand to him in the same hesitant manner she once had a long time ago. He took it, gripped it tight for a second time. Neither of them smiled, but their eyes were no longer antagonizing the other. Since Gandharva and Visnu weren't present to complete the ritual, they each placed a second hand onto the first.
"I hope you do forgive me completely, as you have forgiven others in the past."
He jolted with a grimace. "They are two different kinds of forgiveness."
"How so?"
"There is no bad blood between us. Vinata and I always forgive each other for different things, some that one of us value but not the other. Even now when I've finally let go of her past atrocities, she hasn't truly forgiven me."
"You should wake her then," stated Shuri gravely, and when his eyes lowered she pulled away her hand to force his attention. "Why haven't you done so yet? Why do you keep forcing yourself? You know what it means when a Nastika suddenly lapses into long periods of sleep."
"It doesn't mean anything. There are many odd Nastikas out there who treasure sleep. Taksaka and Vasuki—"
"—have always slept. It is a part of them. No one can say the same for Vinata."
"It doesn't mean anything," Garuda was resolute.
Shuri sighed and laid an equally firm hand on his shoulder. "Do you remember that pretty little Nastika? The blue one, Kalavinka? She started chronically sleeping when she first became depressed."
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N0 - approx. 200 years
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One last time. I will do this one last time.
He forced uncertainty back into his gut and returned to the beginning where the cave, and its massive stalactites seemed to loom before him. Garuda stepped into chilly air. He could tell instantly that it had been a while since the nest was last cared for; moss and leaves were scattered all over the place. Hair and feathers laid about, decades old.
Her fingers curled into a loose fist and continued unraveling slowly in her sleep. He couldn't tell from her expression the kind of dream she had or if she even had any dreams at all. Small creatures, not even worthy of a snack, gathered around her, unconsciously drawn to the only warmth they could find.
I'll cross the bridge when I get to it, he resolved with a sinking heart.
He turned her head and brushed aside the long bangs. A palm hovering above her eyelids, he used his most hated Transcendental and she abruptly leaped up with a pounding heart. Startled, he lost control, sending bouts of blinding light ricocheting off the walls.
For a moment, all they could see were fading grey spots.
"You," she growled, stretching her eyelids open. "You will be the death of me."
He still had a hand over his mask. How ironic, that she should talk about death of all things at this moment. He wondered if this would turn into one of those arguments—the kind that killed forests, or better yet, demolished mountains.
The air remained chill.
She embraced him before he removed that hand. "Don't say a word." He closed his parted lips. "I'll never listen to a word more than I have to, so don't take this from me."
"You'll never be happy this way."
"I don't want it any other way!"
"You're not in your right mind." He pried her away and saw how dull her eyes were.
She affirmed his statement by staring blankly, too tired to argue. He realized that she was lapsing back into sleep even as she stood. Her breaths were hot and shallow, eyelids fluttering like she was possessed by a heavy fever.
"No," he ordered, grabbing her by the shoulders just before she tipped. Jolted awake a second time, Vinata drowsily blinked away black. Did she even recognize him anymore? Garuda went cold with fear. What if, the next time she fell asleep, she no longer woke up?
It was an illogical thought as any and he would later reprimand himself excessively. But now that he came this far, he realized he wasn't prepared for her to die. Not yet. Not when they'd been doing so well.
As his very last resort, Garuda slammed her against the wall. Vinata shut her eyes to brace the impact, and then stared at him inquiringly when it was over. Not sleepy, he finally realized, just tired.
"You can't give up now."
"You don't care," she accused.
"I don't care?" he repeated with much offense. "Why would I be here then?"
She shook her head. "I don't want to be here. I want to be with them. I don't want to be lonely anymore."
Garuda's grip slackened. Them. Cepphus and Kalavinka. Why hadn't he seen this coming ever since she gave him that apologetic look as she left the mountains? If it was them, then no matter what Shuri hoped, he couldn't compete. He was at the end of his rope. He stepped back.
But then she reached out, though she only brushed him with fingerprints. Garuda stared at the hand.
She looked up at him and she smiled. "You have people who love you, and Maruna found somebody special too. I couldn't be happier."
He turned away, leaving her in a brisk walk. Slowly, she lowered her hand until it laid once more against cool stone. When she closed her eyes, the world pounded with her heartbeat. Better that he left while he still could, else she would have told him more than she could afford. The almost spilled confessions lodged at the back of her dry throat.
Vinata rubbed her neck. It's better this way—that he would never know her story so he could never be partial to it and remain the king as Garuda, not who she wanted him to be.
She stumbled forward, chasing lizards and other bed buddies out of her nest. Back to sleep now for another decade, century, until the end of the world even...
"Mother! Mother!"
Vinata's eyes shot open. She saw a pair of muddied feet, running on horizontal ground. Her baby's tears dripped onto her face as he crouched over her body.
"You can't die! You can't leave me with him. Please…"
"I—oh, Maruna…" She sat up and held him to her bosom. "Of course I'd never leave you. I'll stay as long as you want me to."
The Rakshasa shook his head fervently. "You're lying. He said you didn't care about us anymore. He said you were going to join your dead Nastika friends where I can never see you again because you love them more than me."
She fidgeted uneasily. "Maruna, Kalavinka and Cepphus are very important to me, but that was long before you were born. I have you and Garuda now and you two are worth more than ten of Visnu's universes."
But Maruna wasn't convinced. "You have to promise me!" he demanded. "You can't leave until I'm at least fourth stage!"
"I will never, ever leave you until I have to. I swear on my tail feathers." She touched noses with him, like how they used to seal their promises in the past, like nothing changed. And how could he think differently, when he saw his mother wear such a brilliant smile?
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And this, my friends, is the proper way to lie. It happens all the time and I always have mixed feelings on the issue. On the other hand, I don't know what this story is becoming. It is like out of control by this point and soon approaching the point of no turning back.
But first, Kalavinka has to come, no?
Thanks for reading! Please leave a review!
-SCND