The Wrath of Gammon

Chapter 45

The Wrath of Gammon

Disclaimer: This story is my humble attempt to write a fanfiction of the epic Mahabharata. My intention is not to hurt anyone's sentiment.

Aum Namah Shivay!!

Major Jayant Roy, SM is a fictitious character. Any similarity with any living person is merely a coincidence.

Chapter 45

Hastinapur, Dwapar Yuga

Arjun POV

I was standing on the verandah in front of my room, looking at the dark sky. Today, I couldn't see even the stars. It felt like the dark cloud of danger was covering the whole kingdom. I looked inside the room, where I saw the sleeping form of my newlywed wife, Subhadra. She was sleeping, and I could feel the heaving of her chest even in the dark night, may be the effect of my training in darkness.

I was a little bit happy because Draupadi and Subhadra had made their peace. When we came to the palace for the first time, I remember that burning fire which blocked us in the gate. But a gentle pleading from Madhav and a tragedy which we have faced calmed her down.

The tragedy...I still remembered it like it happened just a moment ago. Some invisible assailants attacked us and Devi Devapriya was seriously injured and she lost her unborn child. Now she was in a deep slumber while the potions made by Nakul and Sahdeva were slowly healing her, but she lost her ability to become a mother.

The mere thought was enough to jolt my thoughts. No parents should suffer what my cousin suffered that day. He clearly lost his mind temporarily that day, because he forgot his name, and spoke gibberish. If a cunning and calculated man like him forgot his name....

I again looked outside. On the walls of the palace, I could see the burning torches were slowly fading out and then I saw a dark silhouette of a man walking on the corridor opposite of me. The man suddenly stopped and I saw him turning towards my direction. Then he started walking towards me and while he was walking, I saw the burning torches fading out when he was in front of it and when he passed it, the torches were coming to life again. Then I realized who it was.

It was my cousin.

He slowly walked in front of me. I admired his walk always, because it felt like a panther which was ready to pounce on its prey. I found that even in gurukul, he knew the forest better than all of us and he was a skilled tracker, but I never saw him hunting.

"You can't sleep today, I assume?"

His eyes lacked the usual confident and slight arrogant glow, and they were a bit reddish, due to intoxication, it seemed. I heard that he became addicted to some toxic smoke.

"Arjun? You can't sleep?"

I was lost in my own thoughts that it took me a moment to process what he was saying.

"You are right, cousin." I slowly replied to him. He nodded affirmatively at me.

"It seemed that the goddess of sleep has abandoned us today. Come on, let's take a stroll."

We both started walking towards the courtyard, and then we entered the abandoned western garden. Only one lone torch was burning there and it provided a little light there.

A few moments of silence passed between us. Then Duryodhana broke it.

"I want to ask you something about the attack on us."

I curiously looked at him. His mind was a formidable weapon and I saw the effect of it every time. I slowly took a deep breath, and focused my mind. He must have noticed it, because he gave me a small smile. I saw him taking out the leaf made cylinder and a small mechanical tool, which can produce a small flame of fire. That tool fascinated me greatly. I couldn't help myself but ask my cousin to let me have a look at it. He slowly handed that thing to me. It was small, but still it had the power to create a devastating energy, the fire itself. While my cousin was inhaling the smoke and puffing it out, I was admiring the small tool itself. Then I handed it over to him.

"Tell me what do you want to know? I promise I will help you with all my power."

Duryodhana looked at me with his reddish eyes. The fume which he inhaled easily was literally burning my nose and I only smelled a small part of it. My cousin understood my discomfort so he slowly turned away his face.

"Promise, third Pandava, promise....this is something that should not be treated lightly. But enough of this...let's get back to that day. I want you to remember that day, as vividly as you can. I need the eyes and the brain of the archer. Do you understand?"

I slowly nodded. I knew exactly what he was asking to me. I closed my eyes and remembered that day in my mind. We were riding on our respective chariots, when suddenly huge burning stones bombarded on us. I used my arrows to destroy some of them when one stone shattered after striking on my cousin's body, who was shielding his wife's body. His body slammed into hers....my body still convulsed while remembering that scene....when suddenly something flashed in my mind like a meteorite in the dark sky of the night. While I was shooting arrows towards the sky, I saw a vague structure in the sky. The structure was there for a very small time, even smaller than a prana.

I opened my eyes and looked at my cousin.

"I saw a structure in the sky for a very small amount of time. The structure was vague, but it was similar to the 'Sikhara' of temples. But it was there for a small time, and I was busy fighting. It was like one moment I saw it, and the next moment, nothing was there."

While I was speaking, I saw my cousin turning his face towards me. Slowly I saw his lips parting and a disturbing smile appeared there. It was nothing like I have ever seen before. The smile was, I didn't know any other words to explain it except the obvious one...EVIL! I felt a chill going through my spine while looking at him. Slowly the smile faded out from his lips, but his eyes had a glow in it.

"Thank you, Arjun. You really helped me a lot. Now don't let me keep you here all night, else your newlywed wife will be angry, and oh, before you can say something, she is awake for quite some time."

"What?!", I turned around quickly, only to find her still asleep. I heard a low laughter behind me.

"Got you, Maharathi! You should have looked at your face!"

I slowly turned away, only to find his dark silhouette fading away in the smoke coming out of his own mouth. I walked back and lied down on my bed, but I knew that I couldn't sleep today. But my mind drove away to that day...especially the vague structure similar to the shikhara. I knew that the structure had connection with the attack on us, and I also knew that my cousin figured out something.

That smile in his face....I didn't like it a bit. The glow in his eyes...it was familiar. I saw it in his eyes when we were at war. Now that gleam meant that the murderous rage inside him was burning like the fires of the deepest hell. I could only hope that it won't consume others. But deep inside my heart, something told me that my hope was futile.

So this is chapter 45. Please read, vote and comment.