Chapter 7 : Ignis Chinigari

Six pits remained. Three moves left. The board hummed with the sound of something hungry.

Death came in tiles across those half destructed pits, the miffed sound it carried inside its bowl of busy timelines, reckoning whether to emerge from pit number 5 to pit number 27, sealed over the board.

“ Every Cardinal nodes contains a failed soul of recursion…..the more the previous players looped in…the more they were suffocated along the spiral arc, wandering aimlessly…. while subsequently over the years, got converted into ……manjulinis” Chaandaki let her venomous breath fanned across Roudri’s frail body.

“ If that’s the case then…..I would like to move over that north borderline pit, numbered 7, which had been almost blasted by Turturi …..” Roudri dragged her sturdy fingers slowly along the north cardinal of the illamkotiki.

Chaandaki gently nodded at the turturi, while silently eyeing Roudri’s  strategy ….if she needs to clutch her prey….she must let Turturi dismantle the possible escape routes or even…..the principle of Harmonic progression she was using to control the game’s  outcome……one can’t label it as deception….as everything is fair in love and war ….either by hook or crook.

Turturi curled upward into a crawling position, after getting the approval nod from Chaandaki. Till then, the pits aligned themselves vertically so the pit of number 7 was dislocated in east direction…..A grimacing smirk appeared on Chaandaki’s  scale-face.

“ Huh-uh…..You did make a wrong move …..Roudri…see I had used the Ash gray tokens which Turturi has earned immediately after destroying each of the escape pathway tiles designated for you to exit out of this game…..Now you have only four escape routes and 6 pits remaining…..” Chaandaki retorted while hissing all the fear draining from Roudri’s  face.

“ Turturi doesn’t  operates on hit and trial….Roudri….it operates on….. probabilistic hunger…..you know that number of outcomes one!!!!…..it permuted and combined it all ….” An amusement flickered on Chaandaki’s  greenish glowing face, and her fork tongue swept over the corner of her angular mouth.

Roudri instinctively stepped back, Turturi was definitely controlling the game which in turn was being controlled by Chaandaki, but she has only six pit remained and now she can’t move steadily while covering each pit in a sluggish manner. She needed a strong Cosmo codex…..the codex which was naturally implied as well as mechanically implied.

What was that missing progression of Lacura Arthaankas  , which just in one move could kill turturi and devoid her of her power….

“ It’s  your move…roudri….choose wisely…or else…you will fall in your own dug up pit….” Came warning sound of Chaandaki and Tentatively, Roudri fumbled to threw the vial…

After sucking in the long pause…..

“ It shows……..the…flying Daunda….so you get one additional move…but as you have only 6 pit remaining and a flying Daunda itself indicates extra 6 moves…..so your existing 6 pit plus additional 6 pit moves gained through daunda……but as there are only 6 pits left, so your extra 6 moves will be wasted….what do you want to do now???

“ In such situations ……I have one option for the players….which is they can gift one of their extra move to Turturi and turturi will resurrect two pits as a return favor….so…Roudri…would..you like …to bargain for two pit resurrection or would let your extra move being wasted away…zzzzzzz….?” A shrewdness….a complete demonic move was registered across that serpent woman’s face ….with deep brooding eyes reflecting illicit motions, it was already a sign that said, ‘ You’re trapped’.

It was like a lady owner at lucky draw shop where you missed your shooting goal, even though the lady offers you a candy floss.

Roudri doubted her decision of transferring her extra move to Turturi , but the prospect was profiteering …..even if it comes……with a double danger of total catastrophe.

“ I …would like to transfer my extra move to Turturi …..and in return must be granted the resurrection of two blown up pits…..” the deal was destiny breaker in either sense, if lead to escape route or push into the evil recursive loop.

The timing was just right enough for Chaandaki to snatch enough moves from Roudri’s  fate , that cunning look before she grabbed the extra move on behalf of turturi …..threw a vial again, first destroying the three more pits and after using the extra move given by roudri….the vial showed…. ….was ….a tribhanga position…..A completely disastrous event for Roudri, who seems to be still unaware of the fact that she has been stranded out of any possible moves….

“ A tribhanga…..oh my holy goodness ….A tribhanga position is the rarest of the rare position…..which activates a chain reaction of events ……

Roudri  was still estranged to this position, however the rules had been transitioned back and forth but she still missed a beat around its play through. Her entire body had felt an electric pulse running from her head to toe….every move led her discover a new pitfall.

 Chaandaki started throwing each chain reaction of events like a pistol continuously firing those metal beads known as bullets , each rule came as shredding of Roudri’s  defence mechanism.

While Chaandaki was enjoying seeing those tension creases forming across Roudri’s  tensed forehead.

First it bereft you of making six moves , even if you have won the chance to move across six steps .

This rule had just torn apart the least possibilities of her winning…..she grew more depressed when Chaandaki like her potent venom, ejected out the second sub rule…..a brutal and eye prickling rule….

Second, the six moves are halved and your entire possible moves contracts to only making three moves.

After coming to third rule, Roudri had almost brimmed water lines….

Third rule came like a tornado, crushing even the minimum held possibilities, there will be dual Chetna mulya convergence (The dual conscious value) will emerge simultaneously,

Over spiraling of board will trigger, more than three different Lacura vikarnas (diagonals) which must be created only three times.

These sprouting intricacies had actually grown like rapid shuffling of Deck of cards, laid across each player…

And then these multiple vikarnas will further trigger the event of Geer Guha corruption, where

Artificial value of Chetna mulya can cause Turturi to loose her hospitability and turn on her hostility, therefore Roudri must find out the exact precised value.

No five recursive nodes of pits can overlap together which means you have to cross all five pits in a one go, can’t  hop alternatively over them, uncontrolled replication of Naarsi will happen which will corrupt the pathways.

The player can win only, when Chetna mulya is harmonized, but you have to find exact golden ratio value for stabilizing the Chetna mulya , otherwise the board will engulf you in it’s hidden archways.” The realisation hit so hard , that Roudri didn’t  even looked up , fell silent while scoffing inwardly….she has been tricked to fall under the Gambit of fake pity and favors.

Her survival chances were almost closed, a grime mixed of sweat and blood flew over her disdain face. The least her Naarsi could do is run from pit to pit , just to keep pace with whatever moves it had secured , and if he falls behind and get engulfed by board or remaining  four manjulinis……Chaandaki won’t be showing enough mercy to let her pray for the last time to Her Highness Matronus Matrika for an impunity.

“ I have one powerful move which can defeat her single-handedly …..” a mysterious voice knocked the eardrums of Roudri….she looked around to trace the miraculous voice, if there’s  a single hope, she won’t  be wasting it over mourning.

“ Here….on your back, you stupid…brat girl…Kanjaalini speaking….” Roudri tilted her head just a less than forty five degree, enough to grab the words coming from the most pestering creature , who was equally fatal like Chaandaki and this complicated board game.

“ Oh so you are awake….While you were supposed to be snoring peacefully on my back….listen!!! This is not an easy snake and ladder game….where one can cheat the opponent by faking the dice roll…..it can literally munch on both of our fleshes ….oh ! I’m so sorry ….it will devour mine only….as you are already dead….” Roudri said taunting her words, beside in reality she was ready to swallow her pride and act as a dummy for Both Kanjalini and Chaandaki devi’s fetishes.

“ I’m not bluffing …..you dumbhead….I had played this game recently just not so cosmically…..these pits….these tokens…these point cards , I know everything  except those….unearthly elements….Manju…l-ee-neee…or whatever the hell they are called…this thing has been added as bonus layer….but if you were good at math in your high school….you can easily trap her ….. in her own game….” Came murmuring voice of Kanjalini, while Roudri still looked quizzical at Kanjalini’s  broad knowledge about this game, but she had been entrapped before, Could she risk it and let Kanjalini mentor her through this entangled web???

“ Okay…. Let’s  give you a chance….but as you can see we have only three moves left and I have still not traded for game, not bought a transport and purchased a land ..build an army …waged a war and held a crown…..how am I going to win!! Also I have to have a deathly encounter with those remaining manjulinis….God knows…what kind of entity is sitting behind those scary faces placed in each cardinal direction.” Roudri glanced back to the game with a pure despondency.

“ That’s  why I call you dumbhead…..when I am claiming I am accustomed to such type of a game….then mark my words…I won’t  let you engulf by that shit board and that weirdo serpent lady….who seems to look at you like her mouthwatering meal….She May be that sly guardian or a cursed species…..but I am way more feral and fatal than her…..my one deep bite can soak her entire venom…..” Kanjaalini made a low groaning laugh into the ears of Roudri, which made her smile for a second too,

“ Are….are you visible to her….? As she never asked or said anything about you, being mounted on my back??” Roudri blinked while gushing in very low humming, Chaandaki’s  piercing intense gaze sharpened to what Roudri was doing…..confused whether she was self-talking or….. secretly…strategizing,

“ Those slit eyes can’t even see our shadows, they are not smoke-tolerant , that’s  why you can assume I am invisible to her, in both terms, sound and speech, even my locomotion can’t  be sensed by her!! So hear me out patiently……you see that….. the hollow socket tribal woman figurine…..”

“ You mean to say……Turturi”

 

“ I don’t  care what’s  her name…Back to the point….she can’t  hope backwards, so if you will resurrect those pits which she had already traversed , you will have two more alive pits, in her opposite direction …which means your moves will shift from three to five times …..while the imbalance she has induced by producing duplicate  Naarsis can be disappeared by following the Golden trio formula of Lacura , which says divide your second last number with the last number of your entire sequence….. will always fetch you a ratio of 1.61…..which means if you will get the ratio of 1.61,….. you will emerge as the winner and the most powerful Sarpmanjulini Slayer …..to make it happen  we have to find only two numbers which can give us this ratio, beforehand we have to calculate that only vikarna which can save you from hustles and this teetering board game….”

Roudri was amazed by kanjalini’s  far-sighted mathematical knowledge, she wasn’t  expecting a child stealer to be this genius….and so…..serious with a laser focus strategy…..

“ I’m impressed …..”

“ To what??”

“ To your in-depth knowledge…..of maths”

“ It’s  a basic level maths which every student knows in our world….as they’re …leave it…. It’s  not that important…..right now…keep your eyes on…the game” Kanjalini seemed like a professional board game player….as she continued.

“ Ask her to let you have the backward pit resurrection!!”

Roudri had understood the significance of Kanjalini’s  advice, so without losing any minutes further, she blabbered abruptly.

“ I …I would like to resurrect the back ward pit of seven and eleven !!!”

“ Are you sure …..because you know they will push you backward while the escape path….seems to be moving far away…Think it twice ……don’t  let it be your biggest mistake….Roudri….dear..zzzzzzz!” Chaandaki was undeniable about her chance of winning while poor roudri being her delicious supper, that she blatantly, had granted to have those two pits awaken again….

“ Okay so as I have resurrected my pit….I…would like to um…..” Roudri grew nervous because being a board game of 27 pits….what were those two numbers greater than 5 which could give her ratio of 1.61….Meanwhile Kanjalini was doing her mental calculation and she was also not getting that pair which could give them their desire output….

“ Ask her about Golden ratio ……ask her the rules regarding its activation…..”

Following the advice of Kanjalini, Roudri asked Chaandaki about the rule, On the other occasion she must have ignored the advice of Kanjalini…..as she was not more than but….a…certified.. troublemaker , but today there was no place for defiance towards her…

Chaandaki kept her vigilant eyes stuck on Roudri and gestured her toward the board’s Central diagonally sealed lines…

“ As you know….every structure has its mid section….so does our game….and this midsection is tilted at exact forty five degree with six sealed pits aligned in diagonal form….which no player dares to activate….if ever activated with wrong lacura arthaanks…..The board will blast with the fire of hell and the spirit of the player is stirred continuously in a cauldron of Hellfire till the Doomsday. While if it activates correctly…..An ordered Polytree vertex will connect all the pits accordingly and My last manjulini Rukkha devi will restored the disrupted pathways.”

“Which means Rukkhadevi is the end node……and as the pit has only 27 hollows, means……Roudri….we…have cracked the half of the puzzle….Rukkhadevi either contain the value 27 or 26….not less than that as she represents the end number and our pit starts with 2 to 27….thus..we must find a three numbered diagonal which in many such enigmatic board games ….supplant a hidden power of transfiguration…..like in a normal chess, A pawn can be changed into Queen, Rook or Knight….while defeating the opponent…it must be having a similar pattern….The three numbered diagonal is the hidden border which if tresspassed can give you one option but what it must be??? So that you can liberate the rest four manjulinis…..rather than specifically dealing with each…….” Alerted Kanjalini to Roudri’s  unwavered attention. And suddenly it clicked Roudri…..

“ I had also noticed a peculiar pattern of Turturi’s movement …..she in one go moves across those pits……. which adds up to eighteen ……like she had destroy path number six, one, eight, three…which adds upto 18, while alternatively jumps over such numbers in pair which adds up to 29…like she had destroyed pit number 12 and 17…..just two moves beforehand….” Roudri realised that she had just materialized something magnificent after a long series of stoniness….

“ Bingo !!!!! You brat girl….just cracked the encrypted passkey of this codex…..you know why she do that alternative sprint? Because the division of 29 by 18 gives you the ratio of 1.61…..the golden ratio…..while she cause a recursive loop knowingly so that Naarsi get confused and simultaneously destroys his escape routes, so that he keeps wandering like a vagabond….and thus activates the Geer Guha system ….which creates false valued Chetna Mulya…ie artificial golden ratio value, so multiple Naarsi’s are replicated, like at present four Naarsi’s are running haphazardly and we have only three moves left …….while our other two being wasted in activating past two pits….we have to stop this multiplying of Naarsi, if we crack the tri diagonal series…ie Tri vikarnas…which I think are 7-11-18…seven plus eleven equals to eighteen and eighteen Plus eleven equals to …..”

“ twenty-nine….”

“ Now you get it fully ….”

“ But we have only 27 pits….how are we supposed to balance the 29 …..?”

“ By creating Splitting  Fork convergence….a final checkmate…to that Chaandaki’s blotched game.”

“ So I must start with Pit Eleven !!”

“ Yes you must….”

Roudri erupted the hiatus of game by announcing an astonishing discovery…

“ I would like to place the value of five lacura Arthaankas……to be correctly starting from 2-1-3-4-7-11-18-29..

Where one , three and four are destroyed by Turturi so the remaining numbers forms the Penta Lacura Arthaankas…..and this diagonal alignment must give me the Power of some transfiguration….which also happens in chess when a pawn intrudes the opponent ‘s inner army band…”

Chaandaki’ looked betrayed, her stoic expression suddenly changed into a furious overtone…

“ How the hell…..did you discovered the real series….Tell me if you are using illegal means….which I didn’t  had gotten under my purview …?”

“ I m just applying basic maths….only the fundamental, you know!!….so with what transfigured form I’m bestowed with??”

Chaandaki hadn’t  expected such brilliant Move from Roudri…..it was another Shock after her Pandura’s adventure….

“ Okay …you are given the combine movement powers of Rook and knight ….and have successfully  ceased……uhm…. multiple Naarsi’s  production….”

“ Well then!!!!!! I would like to hop around pit eleven …..”

“ You just summoned the Second infamous Manjulini…..The Ignis Chinigari” And now a quiet laugh escaped from Chaandaki, watching her treacherous expression, it seemed this Manjulini was far more demonic than Pandura……

 “ Oh my demons……Not that Pot Boy !!” Kanjalini’s  dull pleading infiltrated the ears of Roudri, after searching around for any casualties, all she heard was that low rustle from Kanjalini’s  fidgeting. The whole forest had become motionless , only the dark trunks of Teaks came in frontal view…..

“ Are you being paranoid…..A Pot Boy seriously ???”

“ You are about to interrogate the improbable ….and you’re claiming me to be paranoid…how’s that justified?” retorted Kanjalini in her low humming voice…..

“ But you are being ambiguous….what the hell do you mean by a Pot Boy….?” Roudri was in no way attempting to communicate sensibly,

“ You will get to see it by yourself……and good night….I’m not going to assist you further,…..in any means…..best of luck….”

Watching her last reluctant concession going to deep sleep, churned the soul of Roudri who gulped four to five times to keep herself focused.

“ So Naarsi had created one Penta diagonal and alternatively forked the way of turturi…..and I assume you have the intent of buying the transport ….?” Chaandaki glides like an assault rifle….

“ But the transport comes under the surveillance of Ignis Chinigari…..” Roudri said the unfinished meaning of Chaandaki.

“ Well….Here you have unlocked the number Eleven …..”

Suddenly The temperature gradient felt so warm, and the air turned into Heat waves from summer, Roudri’s  vision went skewed while , her body weed out her outer skin, as the scorching hot winds prickled her skin, it seemed that they were walking on a burning desert …..

“ My….Head…is spining from such temperature rise…..” Roudri scratched roughly on her nape of the neck , the radiation felt way worse than a furnance…

A devious pit of Emblazoned Fire ball started to rise from the north corner of the board dreading hastily towards a loud thumping voice …an overwhelming smell of chatted woods and acrid Ash started to swarm around, it seemed like a huge Burning Cauldron was bumping on its way , that reddish glow became more visible which would rise up in the sky with a red flame sparkling around…..the more closer it approached the more heating sensation began rising the humid weather around,

Roudri started feeling nauseated and dizzy, her eyes beheld the horrible spectacle, which took away her speech, her vision seemed to be fixed on that enormous burning Cauldron upon which besetting was ……a child with burning eyeballs …it seemed wrath itself had taken a child form and was trotting towards her ….the intense hot atmosphere was almost unbearable.

Suddenly she wished if she had kept her mouth shut, Kanjalini won’t  be leaving her like….like…this…. heaving around was…..a massive fire ball child….. fury flames dazzling from the top of his head to the cauldron inside which he was riding upon must have been resisted …..

“ Why on earth…..I keep doing wrong things …..This temperature is soaring upto my heart ……” Roudri’s  fixed eyes wished The vision to be a mirage but in reality …it was going to burn her entire body.

“ Villagers loved me enough to sacrifice me …..I saved lives……heehee…. Don’t  a little munja like me must warn them????….Run downhill!!!…..The Forest fire is hailing down and little munja wants to play around!!!” the giggling voice seemed to held Roudri inside its grim portent.

“ I see….a new toy…..a new living toy …..can I taste it???? …..no one ever celebrates my hundredth deathday this year……at least by frying this human toy in my burning Cauldron….I will get to have my pleasing appetizer…..Oh !!!! But I need to stir my pot……before it gets too hot…..Run downhill!!!…..The Forest fire is hailing down and little munja wants to play around ……”  And suddenly that Ghost child started weeping in a loud voice, Chaandaki gave no reaction rather than her stoic expression….Roudri turned towards her back to wake Kanjalini , who seemed to be indifferent to all the ongoing circumstances, except the sleepy feeling of her eyes.

“ I….I….uh….I”

“ I know….who you are…. Don’t  everybody?….They pampered me once by naming me…..munja…..then one day A jagged orange firestorm devoured all our hill top habitats …..those homes…. where once only freshly cooked rice would waft in anyone’s nose was replaced with a thick choking aroma of resin and burning Staples….the entrails of our cattle flung across like a Blast….Then the Oracle told one forbidden prophecy…which was supposed to cast the entire village under the fire from hell….The fire God must be satiate ….else it will engulf all the villagers’s fate ….turning the village into a massive cremation ground. And ….do you know what he demanded…..a sacrifice…..with either consequences…One life for hundreds or hundred life for one……they chose one life for hundred…..I was lulled….was fed belly full….even got that tamarind popsicles…and then…..my tiny hands and legs were tied to the sacrificial altar ….and my neck spurted the blood across, when was slain in a one go…..but the holy chanting was kept going …then they burned my fragmented pieces inside the huge black bellied cauldron…..across that marshland which still lies and I still crackles around that backwater at lore of night….glowing in a bright scarlet…..luring the villagers… likewise I had killed that oracle and some headmen into the water …..who seemed to be stupid enough to believe that water had some red gold…but inside it……..was me …devouring them and satiating my hunger….So just tell me Roudri ??? The elders chose one child and saved three hundred lives. Tell me, Martand girl, was that evil?” The Ignis’s dramatic voice reached to Roudri, who seemed to be Hawked by such brutal description of that fateful night centuries ago, It was a pure dilemma a frantic one.

“ It is question purely rooted in a forbidden Renaissance….”finally Roudri admitted , it was harsh but bitter truth.

“ Are you gesturing towards……that idealistic persona ….which claims to embody humanity….if you thinks so….my cauldron is still agape to taste that tender flesh of yours…..speak your morality not your cadency…..!!”

“ First of all, the most important take , is to practice everything good that has survived from past times, but carefully to trim the rot – and annihilate it out….they must have seek some other alternatives….”

“ What would you have done back then…”

“ I would have resisted or let the calamity be happen….while trying to find a solution….if would’ve failed….then should have suggested to excavate the village…”

“ You are saying so because of your idealism, the dark reality corrupts our morality…..”

“ Then I didn’t  fall in that Gambit….My morality is always intact and sacrificial….”

“ Even when I have the power to turn your remaining two tokens to get turn in gray Ash and transfer my marshland to Turturi so that she can swallows it too….leaving you dying ????? …” Ignis and Roudri exchanged the more challenging looks.

“ Perception is the  non-convectional pursuit  of causality….” Said Roudri crossly emerging as adamant and frivolous.

“ And how must my grief should be lessen ?” A desperation peeled through those burning sockets…..may be Roudri was able to earn the trust.

“ You must be cremated properly…..is the only solution….which comes in my mind.” Said Roudri approvingly. “ Opens the ladders for children ….”

“ Who will do my cremation….?” Asked Ignis, who was now prying upon Roudri.

“ If you promise to secure my fate by fetching me some land and Transport while protecting my two blue tokens…..I m willing to liberate your soul.” Roudri sealed the final deal.

“ How will you do my cremation….?”

“ I will bury the log of peepal into your cauldron and would seal it with the mud mixed cow dung….releasing it to the Nazili river…..after you sip on my Bhagirathangini jalam ‘s holy drops…..” Roudri offered some blue drops of jalam towards the Ignis …who after some hesitation tried to sip on it….

His flames and burning body transformed into the pious dew drops of dusk….and a blue transparent form disappeared into the dark sky…..the only item which left were that cauldron and a peepal log ….needed to be released inside the Holy Nazili river…..

A sudden cracking voice appeared from the board which had undergone a magnificent change resurrecting the path number eighteen and twenty nine…..

Chaandaki who had fallen into a deep silence , watched that fiery Ignis form disappeared in the gush of Amber light and her lidless eyes twitched in a shock.

“ Are you cheating in the game …..Martand …..are you seeking some…some favour from any invisible entity ….which is undetectable to me….tell me…because it would led to sacrifice or I will pierced your skin with my fangs…..and choked you up on death” there was a sudden tightening felt across roudri’s  fragile body , already tired from this one hour long game…..

Roudri looked over her shoulder….some sweat beads forming across her crease….a searing blister appeared on her hands…..due to the warm recoiling…

A firm glow sidled the long hidden form of non-humanoid who was peacefully snoring across the back of Roudri…trampled down and cried out..

“ Ouch…..!! Can’t  you keep your shins in your garments…..you bloody damn…” muttered Kanjaalini whose pale body had been fully exposed under that ember light which was emerging from the Cauldron of Ignis….

“ Oh my demons…..My body is now visible due this Fardoom chamak…(Glistening Amber lights)…”

If wrath had a meter , it would have blast with such temperament which Chaandaki was carrying right now. Her eyes had turned all red…no totem could have guarded Roudri and she looked like she had willingly left an invitation to Chaandaki's ringing rage to consume her alone….her long heavy tail had choked down her neck and hoisted her up in the air.

“ Betrayal….a pure betrayal….you were hiding a Tonkini from me…..that invisible helping hand…. Had to give ….something valuable…..and you know I punish very brutal….carve out your left eyeball and submit to Turturi right Now’…zzzzzzzz!!!”

Roudri’s  voice find a scream….but she remained unmoved until Kanjaalini gently tapped her shoulders….

“ Either your left eyeball or this….putty Tonkini….But your defiance and perfidy needs a very hard lesson to be taught….” Roudri had assumed that she would be trading something so precious….but a brutal choice between an accidental companion and her one organ ….was an awful choice.

“ I-I …..would trade my Eyeball…” challenged Roudri , while the first reaction that Kanjaalini gave was a shriek….it came as an unexpected lifeboat in a disguise of a scandalous night.

“ Brat girl…..you are donating your eye ball for dead entity like me…..??”

“ I don’t  believe in  freebies ……Kanjalini!” was Roudri’s  response, she had just learned that in her existing world, there exist an another world…totally different bizarre and catastrophic.

“ Enough chitchat ……both of you….I will drew this pincer in your left eyeball and it will hurt you like a bowling lava….!!!!” laughed Chaandaki like a blood-thirsty maniac , her slit eyes predicted her ulterior moves to gnawed out Roudri’s  eyeball.

A spurt of blood splashed across the grass floor of the bridge and Roudri suppressed the urge to scream….while a red cherry like lemon sized flesh dilapidated was grabbed by Chaandaki’s  scaley hands….

“ Never betrays…..a serpentine….which always seek it's redemption in blood…..”

The forest had gone completely still. Even the hyenas had stopped. Somewhere on Roudri's back, for the first time since the forest began, Kanjaalini Pretika said absolutely nothing at all.