Onish's mind was buzzing with thoughts as he latched the door, cutting off Esha's shouts. Knowing the secret of the chameleon cloak didn't dull his growing angst. His lurking enemy could be anyone--a giggling maid or a patrolling female clad in shining armour--spying on him all the time. Moreover, she couldn't be discerned with normal eyes. The magical cloak must have been extraordinary to allow the girl to escape the ghosts of Agdam.
Onish took a deep breath as he gave his chamber a searching look. No one was there. Not even the printed-skinned dwarf.
The little creature had really left Onish puzzled. The gaunt creature was truly a messenger, so why had he stolen his books? Or was he just a thief, the dautya leaf was a ploy to harm him? He shook his head. There was no knowing until he ate the leaf. But it had to wait till he got his hand on the moon-fairy dew. He couldn't be careless, not after today's incident. There was someone out there conspiring against him. One who had no fear of his lord father.
Onish didn't know why they all were mistaking him for some Hara. He regretted not asking Esha about this fabled saviour, as well. There must be some signs that were misleading the cloaked spy and the stone-eyed. He had to take care of them as soon as possible, or he could see the endless troubles waiting for him.
After sorting out his thoughts, Onish took out the scroll, the yellowing parchment his mentor Bhadra had given him. His only way out of the impending crisis. He had to grow stronger so he could at least run for his dear life, if not as mighty as Bhadra, who could fight the frantic birds for two hours straight.
After cleansing all 72000 nadis, the next step was to forge the spirit- gross body. The fowler had explained him in great detail.
With a spirit body, a spirit wielder became like a fish in the sea. His body turned into a vessel to hold the spirit and became far more agile and sturdier than a normal human being. They could absorb the energy through pores. What was more, the spirit body allowed them to finally sense the invisible spirit through their physical senses--skin and eyes.
With the sensation came the understanding to manipulate the mysterious energy. Of course, one must know the manipulating arts first, which Bhadra had promised to teach him. As for other wielders, they learned them in the elementary academy.
Onish read the instructions captioned with the complicated figures. The body forging path was not a single diagram like others; instead, It was subdivided into five minor paths.
Forging the spirit muscles
Forging the spirit bones
Shedding the mortal skin
Refining the soul
Merging the conscious and unconscious minds.
Bhadra had told him just to memorize all the tangled spirit paths and look for him. Forging the body required more than just circulating the spirit and a warm herbal bath prepared by giggling maids.
Onish discovered his concentrating power had increased quite a bit after the cleansing of his spirit nadis. His mind could now visualize 100 nadis at a time. It was really a great improvement compared to his previous record of only 40.
The first diagram consisted of 3250 nadis, the second 4120, the third 5400, fourth 9000, and fifth 27000.
After almost three hours, Onish finished with all the five diagrams. he felt as if his mind were filled with wiggling noodles. He glanced out of the large window. The white light of moonstones was dancing on the dangling vines. It was already dinner time. But dinner didn't matter when your life was at stake.
Onish rolled the scroll and put it back into its case. He had to find the fowler now.
Bhadra didn't live in the castle-like other servants. His abode was behind the castle garden; the fowler had pointed it out to Onish in the morning.
It didn't take long for Onish to find his way to the ominous-looking tower all covered in rich crimson ivy. Onish thought he heard air whispering as he stepped out of the arched doorway of the garden. The dry leaves crunched underfoot, breaking the uncanny silence. Unlike the rest of the garden and the castle, the place had no lamp post with glowing moonstone. The only light was of the glowing flowers peeking out of the thick curtains of green leaves. Onish, who himself had spent all his life in an icy valley of the Himalaya, found the black tower quite intriguing and a befitting place for the hooded fowler.
As Onish proceeded to the pointed arched way of the tower, suddenly he felt like being watched. He quickly looked around, his eyes searching for the cloaked spy. The dense trees were as silent as the spiked tower. He halted on the black stone stairs; his ear perked up for any sounds. But even after waiting a long time, he heard nothing. And the uncanny feeling of being spied on didn't go away. Onish missed his third eye again. His feeble spiritual sense was of no use against a spirit wielder. No doubt someone was hiding there, somewhere behind one of the knotty trunks.
Onish had no intention to face an assaulter, not when he was nothing more than a rabbit with no fangs and claws. So, he turned, climbing two stairs at a time. Soon he was before the black metal door, covered with fine carvings of tangled snakes and vines. He reached out his hand to knock on the gleaming metal. Much to his surprise, his hand bounced back, even before it could touch the door. Astonished, he saw the carved snakes wiggling to life; their dead eyes glowed like embers.
Onish took a step back, his eyes staring at the wriggling creatures. What the hell was it? You couldn't even knock on a door.
Before his wide eyes, the door cracked open. The alive snakes hanging from the vines, their hood as broad as his palm in the air, and their burning eyes on him.
What a grand way to accept a visitor! Who with a sane mind would dare to step in? Onish thought. What should he do? There was no way he would test out the reptiles. Even flowers in this world were not benign, much less these sinister serpents.
"Bhadra are you in?" he called out. Only the soft rustle of trailing leaves answered him.
Should he take a risk? They shouldn't be too dangerous, or Bhadra wouldn't have put them there to greet a visitor. Onish was pondering when he heard a voice, a baby voice.
"What are you howling for, kido?" Startled, Onish looked up. A figure made of solid glass was peeking out of the half-opened door. With the glistening chubby cheeks puffing out in annoyance, the naked boy was not more than a toddler himself.
"Don't you have any sense?" The glass boy said, "The nrikshas ( spirit trees) are sleeping and you dare to howl here. Thanks to Igbo, they didn't wake up or the old man would fly me alive."
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to disturb anyone." Onish said, feeling a little embarrassed of being chided by mere a toddler, "I'm here for Bhadra. Does he live here?"
The glass boy gave him an appraising look. "What's your name, Kido?" he asked, putting on elderly air.
"Ishit," replied Onish.
"Which Ishit?" The glass boy asked, "Ishit of Nemariya, a boat boy or Ishit of Ahom who once tried to seduce the royal princess. Or Ishit who lives with his blind granny in a remote village in Kandhar, beaten to half-dead for stealing chickens. Or Ishit who was hanged to death by .."
"Ishit of Minaak, son of Oman," Ishit cut off the boy. Afraid, if the glass boy continued a little longer, he wouldn't be able to use his name again.
"Oh! Never heard of." The glass boy said, giving him a look that you gives to a liar.
You know so many knaves but never heard of your young master.
"So, can I see Bhadra?" asked Onish, ignoring the boy's odd look.
"No, Sire is busy right now. You should come again another time..."
"What's taking you so long, Virtu?" Bhadra's voice came from within the tower.
Onish saw the blue smoke flooding the colourless glass body of the boy as though someone had dripped blue ink drops into the clean water.
"Ah! Nothing. Virtu is coming, Sire." the glass boy shouted back, trying hard not to look into Onish's eyes.
"Then, escort the boy up," said Bhadra.
"Ah, a..you can come in." the boy stepped aside coyly. The serpents hissed as he pushed the door. Onish was amazed at the glass boy's strength for the metal door was at least a span thick.
"Stop hissing. Didn't you hear? He is a guest." he chided the reptiles in his baby voice. Much to Onish's surprise, the snakes eased down, and the hoods shrank back. Onish gave the glass boy an amusing look and stepped into the dimly lit corridor. The boy was another oddity of this world.