Yegan Kander was born as a third generation South

African Indian. He started writing at sixteen about

frogs that cause humans to spontaneously combust.
The author studied filmmaking and broadcasting at the
ni!ersity of Technology.
He spends his spare time listening to eighties music"
reading scary books and regretting it late at night.
S U R YA
#edications
$or my late brother %ahesh who was taken too soon.
$or Sahana" the light he left behind.
$or my late father for the first typewriter.
Yegan Kander
S U R YA
&opyright Yegan Kander
The right of Yegan Kander to be identified as author of this work
has been asserted by him in accordance with section '' and '( of
the &opyright" #esigns and )atents Act *+((.
All rights reser!ed. ,o part of this publication may be
reproduced" stored in a retrie!al system" or transmitted in any
form or by any means" electronic" mechanical" photocopying"
recording" or otherwise" without the prior permission of the
publishers.
Any person who commits any unauthori-ed act in relation to this
publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and ci!il claims
for damages.
A &I) catalogue record for this title is a!ailable from the .ritish
/ibrary.
IS., +'( *(0+12 0'2 *
www.austinmacauley.com
$irst )ublished 345*06
Austin %acauley )ublishers /td.
47 &anada S8uare
&anary 9harf
/ondon
:*0 7/.
)rinted and bound in ;reat .ritain
Acknowledgments
To e!eryone at Austin %acauley )ublishers for gi!ing me this
great opportunity < more importantly time and patience that
crossed the !ast continent that is Africa.
To my mom for all the :nid .lyton and Asterix and =belix.
And my sister for her support and cheering me on at three o>clock
in the morning.
Chapter One
In the beginning
It was the first of many sorrows.
As one might begin a story?
9ith a child>s cry.
And a mother>s sorrow.
Sundera sat up from her bed co!ered in a cold sheen of sweat.
Her husband Anushan held her from falling off the bed.
@;ood ;od woman?what nowA I locked all the doors">
said Anushan" his eyes still closed and a single hand
comforting her.
@,o?something is wrong. Saya is in trouble.> Sundera
reached for her gown when Anushan>s hand s8uee-ed harder.
@Sun" the girl is in India. If something was wrong the
academy would ha!e called us by now and besides my father is
there if she needs anybody?okayA>
Sundera placed her gown back on the chair and pulled the
du!et o!er herself.
=utside the wind blew the hardest this winter and the rain
hit the window in big" fat unhealthy drops causing a disturbed
night>s sleep.
Sundera and Anushan closed their eyes.
A comforting pause shared between them.
@%Y .A.YB I>m comingB> Sundera Cumped out of bed
abandoning her gown and bedroom slippers.
Stunned" Anushan got out of his side of the bed and ran
after his wife.
=ut the door. #own the stairs. And stopped.
The front door was opened and rain was being blown into
the house. It was here that an incomprehensible fear
o!erwhelmed him.
He saw Sundera standing on the front !erandah. She was
holding her hands to her mouth in shock. He heard small gasps
of breathing. Stepping out into the !erandah he saw Saya
sitting up against the balustrades crying. Her stomach was
bulbously large. She looked at her parents holding out her
hand. Sundera fell to her knees taking her daughter>s hand.
Saya was drenched" her hair plastered to her face and the
sarie clung to her body. .lood came from her legs.
It took Anushan seconds to reali-e was happening. ;oing
back into the house to call an ambulance when there was a
screaming of such agony that the rain stopped.
It was with regretted steps he took to go back onto the
!erandah. The phone call long forgotten.
=n the !erandah Sundera stood holding a small mo!ing
bundle wrapped in sarie material. The mo!ing bundle was
crying. Through the noise of his own heartbeat he heard his
wife say" @She said his name is Surya and he is the sun.>
ASOGAN
Asogan was an angry man.
And he came in the form of fear and disgust.
Asogan had a darkness in him that flowed through his
blooded !eins and seeped out into his physicality. He walked
with a stoop" his back humped as though carrying a hea!y
burden on himself. His eyes were bloodshot and watery. The
skin was black" hairy and oily. A smell of an unholy odour that
sickened the air around him.
9ith murder on his hands they remained the colour of
blood no matter how many times he washed them.
This is the mark of the dark within him.
His spoken words were a merciless stone that e!en after
thrown and forgotten still stung. They were fore!er a haunted
shadow. The !ulgarity he spoke shamed the most e!il of souls.
He cursed and swore at women and children. Spoke of things
that he would do to them.
Shameful things.
Things of sin.
And for some reason Asogan decided that he would lea!e
Kraal &ity and spend time in #isney.
He set himself outside the St. ;ertrude of ,i!elles school
for children. Asogan preyed on e!eryone. He shouted and
screamed.
Those who were part of his gang basked in his unholy
glory. They wanted his strength and fear. Strength to tear a
man>s spirit apart.
They carried guns" kni!es and menace. They dro!e fast
cars and played loud music.
In the mornings Asogan shouted and yelled at parents and
children as they came to school. The students were ushered
into the school 8uickly and the gates locked. #uring lessons
loud music was played to disrupt classes.
$ather %ichael ;regory appealed to the &onstables office
to put a stop to Asogan for the disruption of peace. The police
would come and remo!e Asogan and his gang but they would
return" louder and angrier.
$ather %ichael ;regory was a former boxing champion
from )ort Shepstone. In the sixties he trained and fought in
championships across the country. His father trained him"
teaching him to protect himself from e!ery possible enemy. He
fought against black boxers which was illegal in the then
go!ernment. He fought a few &oloureds and Indians. After
college he went into the army where he was stationed in
.otswana" Dwanda and Eimbabwe. After the apartheid
bloodshed in South Africa he left for Fatican &ity.
,ow he was the )rincipal of the St. ;ertrude of ,i!elles
School for &hildren with other priests and nuns in #isney.
He was not intimidated by Asogan>s presence.
.eing a military man" he began to carry a gun to school" to
protect his belo!ed students. He was willing to kill. =ne bullet
for one gangster. He was ready for the sin of murder.
And one day Surya Ariah came to his school.
It was a %onday morning at se!en and Asogan started with
his usual irritation. He started to berate anyone and e!eryone.
He seemed to ha!e gotten more angry and a sense of
desperation in his cursing.
And a boy of se!en wearing a pair of sunglasses so black
that they hid any e!idence of his eyes. The boy was hea!y set
and he held onto his ;randmother>s hands.
The old lady was laughing and smiled to her ;randson.
She was a !ery happy woman. The boy was a !ery happy
child.
$ather ;regory was watching them. His gun was hidden in
a holster in his suit. His plan was to 8uickly take the boy in and
make the grandmother lea!e.
Asogan spoke loudly to the old lady.
:!erything stopped.
All the children and their parents stopped to watch. The
laugh and smile of the grandmother and the child faded away
to a shameful sadness.
An anger that $ather %ichael ;regory had ne!er felt dro!e
him to confront Asogan. He walked across the school gates
approaching Asogan and his gang. Those in his gang
whispered amongst each other and laughed.
The )riest pulled the slee!e of his cassock ready to punch.
Deady to hit. As he got closer there was a stench. A sickness
around Asogan. Thick and suffocating. $ather ;regory
stumbled a little. Asogan" being a man of honour kicked the
stumbled priest in the chest. =n the sil!er cross. The )riest felt
the air lea!e him and knew there was more than a simple
darkness in the man standing o!er him.
And e!erything changed.
The boy looked at the sadness in his grandmother>s face
and left the safety of her hands.
The se!en year old walked away from his grandmother"
across the road to Asogan. It was the surprise of the boy
approaching him without fear that made him step back.
It was one fluid motion. A motion the )riest would ha!e
thought a physical strike to the man>s face but no.
The boy reached up to Asogan>s face" grabbed something
in!isible from his mouth and threw it away.
The child helped $ather ;regory to his feet. The )riest felt
the strength and gentleness in the boy>s hand.
The child walked back to his ;randmother" took her hand
and they both went into the school.
That was the longest day the )riest e!er experienced.
He waited for some sort of retaliation and all he got was
silence.
He watched Asogan>s gang from his office. They Cust hung
around the street corner for most of the day and Cust
disappeared.
The next day he saw Asogan.
He was alone. He Cust stood watching the school.
Surya Ariah walked with his grandmother except this time
Asogan tried to speak.
.ut only silence escaped his lips.
The next day Asogan stood waiting for Surya. Trying to
speak to the boy but there was only silence.
The )riest started to see a change in Asogan.
The skin of the tormentor became lighter. The bloodshot
eyes cleared. There was no stench near the school.
,ine days later Asogan was a different man. He was tall
with no stoop to his back" fair with hardly any hair on his body
and the clearest brown eyes.
He was seen to be a !ery handsome man.
The )riest waited?watching. He touched the sil!er cross
to encourage himself.
All he saw was a man who when he saw Surya for the last
time smiled and wa!ed at the child. There was no malice
behind this.
That was the last anyone had e!er seen or heard of Asogan.
DISNEY
It was the broken barrier that caught &onstable Adam Steyn>s
attention. He dro!e up and down #isney %ain till he decided
that maybe someone might need him across the bridge. A
bridge that linked #isney to the rest of the world. The rain had
started late the pre!ious night and did not look like it was
going to stop anytime soon. &uriosity caused him to slow his
car down. He turned down the police radio but could hear
something through the rain drops. &onstable Steyn switched
off the engine to his car and listened hard" something his wife
complained he ne!er did.
The rain fell so hard that an orchestra of drum beats
deafened him. The drops were simply litres of water flung at
his windscreen in huge splashes.
It was the screams that shook him out of his stupor of hard
listening. )ushing his door open he ran across the road to the
broken barrier. 9hat he saw will replay o!er and o!er in his
mind till his eyes fail and his hair goes grey.
The boy with the strange eyes was o!er the bridge. =ne
hand was clinging to a piece of steel rod sticking out of the
concrete of the bridge while his other hand held onto the rear
wheel axle of the black and white #isney school bus.
&hildren were shouting and screaming from the inside of
the bus. The bus was pointed dri!er end down. &hildren clung
to seats or stood on the back of seats. .roken glass and metal
fell into the flowing ri!er below. %iraculously the engine of
the bus was still humming. The boy was looking at him in
desperation. His eyes furrowed in concentration. /ooking o!er
the bridge he saw the two hundred metre drop to a flowing
ri!er and Cagged rocks.
Adam ran back to his police car and called onto the
scanner.
@I need the fire department now on the link bridge and the
tow truck they use for large eighteen wheelers. There>s a bus
o!er the bridge.>
The emergency operator asked" @Is it already o!erA>
@,o?> it was going to be difficult to answer. @Someone is
holding it?call emergency ser!ices now.> He yelled. #arkness
was coming fast. Traffic was building up. Some dri!ers were
getting out of their cars curious to know why the constable was
running around the bridge.
=pening his booth he took out his tow rope and ran back to
the barrier.
#ri!ers from abandoned cars were in awe. Some were
calling for help on their phones while others took photos.
@Stay backB> yelled Adam o!er the rain.
He climbed slowly o!er the edge and swung the tow rope
onto the axle of the rear wheel forming a snug loop" taking the
other end and tied it to his police car. He could hear police cars
approaching. In the distance he heard the ambulance and fire
brigade make their way towards them.
&hief &onstable &larence Gooste was the first there. Adam
explained the situation.
@Sir?do not excite the boy?it is taking a lot of
concentration for him to hold on.> &onstable Adam Steyn said
this seeing the petrified fear in his &hief>s face
As &hief &onstable looked down at the boy and the bus he
turned to Adam.
@All that is keeping the bus from falling is that small boyA>
he asked incredulously.
Adam shook his head as the fire brigade went into action.
The giant tow truck arri!ed. They knew what to do. They
formed more loops around the axle and linked them to the tow
truck. The out ropes were tied to smaller trucks. Slowly
&onstable Steyn climbed across to the small boy and waited
for the signal from the fire chief who nodded.
@Son?you can let do now?we got them.>
&onstable Steyn>s throat ga!e a lurch as the boy let go. The
boy with the strange eyes smiled weakly at him before he
fainted.
Adam stayed with him all the way to the hospital. They
were taking statements from the bus dri!er. He was a young
priest named #aniel. @I lost control when I hit a puddle and it
Cust slid across the bridge?the boy. He was so fast.>
&hief &onstable Gooste" &onstable Adam Steyn and $ather
;regory listened as the priest spoke.
@The boy ran up the bus?he punched through the back
window and Cust grabbed?> there were tears in his eyes.
=utside the room there were parents with children. Some
had been cut by glass or stepped on and fallen onto each other.
@9here is he nowA> asked the young priest #aniel.
@His grandparents took him home.> Said &onstable Steyn
handing the priest a hot cup of coffee.
@That boy is a miracle?> whispered #aniel sipping the
coffee.
@9hat do we do nowA> asked &hief &onstable Gooste.
$ather ;regory who was 8uiet during all this e!entually
said" @;i!e them their silence?>
@All the people on the bridge took pictures with their
phones and sent it on the internet.> Said &onstable Steyn.
@9e Cust say a piece of barrier held the bus from going
o!er and deny e!erything.> Said the older priest.
All three men silently agreed.
It was the purest moment in his life.
ANORAH
He was hiding from e!erybody.
And e!erybody was looking at him. It was the strange
looks that people were gi!ing him or the whispers and hushed
!oices as he walked by. All of the parents of all of his friends.
The priests and nuns from the school.
:!en his grandparents were acting strange around him.
It was 8uiet here inside the sugar cane field. He could hear
the scurrying of the cane rats. The air smelt of moist sweetness
and he knew in a few weeks all this will be lit and the whole of
#isney will smell of burnt sugar.
Surya stopped for a second. Someone was with him in the
cane field. It was a faint heart beat getting stronger.
&loser.
He was ready to defy whoe!er it was. They would not be
able to make him lea!e. It did not matter who it was. The
footfalls were getting nearer. It was !ery light on the ground.
And a !oice spoke.
@Surya.>
It was not harsh or fearful.
Anorah broke the curtain of sugar cane that hid him with a
sad smile on her face.
Surya was stunned.
The nine year old girl still wore her school uniform and in
her hand was the red and white walking stick she was ne!er
without.
@9e are all looking for you?> Anorah said this coming
closer to him. Her dark clear brown eyes sparkled at him. It
seemed to be searching for something on his face yet he knew
that was an impossibility.
He knew that he was too deep and faraway within the cane
fields for anybody to find him.
@How did you?>
:!en before he could complete his 8uestion Anorah spoke.
@There is nowhere you can go that I cannot find you?>
The nine year old girl touched his face softly. ;ently she
took him by the hand and led him out of the cane field.
MAN AND OTHER FORCES
The Eulu %arket was busy this late in the afternoon. Anushan
brought Surya straight here from school. It was a long dri!e
from #isney but it was worth the !isit. Anushan explained
what he needed from a few phone calls around the city. %ost
of the teachers said that Doshan Khan was the best. He would
be willing if gi!en a !iable reason. The market was busy with
so many people buying or selling pirate d!d>s" handbags and
shoes. The place smelt of the frying of unhealthy foods. Hindu"
&hristian" Islamic and other religious trinkets were sold in
bright colours. Anushan made sure he held onto his grandson>s
hand till they came to a sweet spice smelling shop. The name
of the shop was the Doyal Teamaker with white plastic chairs
and tables placed outside and men were ser!ing hot cups of tea
to customers.
Anushan asked one of the men for Doshan Khan. The man
closest pointed to a steam flooded kitchen where a hea!ily
accented man was gi!ing orders that were already prepared.
@%aster Doshan is in there.>
Anushan found a bald man" thin with tight muscles. He
wore a white !est and black pants with leather sandals. The
man was monitoring four giant kettles o!er four fires with
boiling water. He was throwing in lea!es" spices and milk into
the kettles. He used wooden ladles to pour the hot li8uid into
cups. ,oticing the man and child he nodded a greeting.
@You called about the childA>
Anushan looked at Surya with a smile" @%y grandson
needs some help.>
@&hildren gi!ing him a hard time in schoolA He should
learn karate. There are many classes around the city.> Doshan
turned away from Anushan to continue with the ser!ing of tea.
@You don>t understand. %y grandson is special.>
It was the determination in the man>s face that got him
curious. &alling to a waiter he handed him the ladle and
followed the man to a 8uieter part of the shop.
Surya was seated in a small table where the man called
Doshan Khan brought him a saucer of almond biscuits and a
mug of milky tea with bright yellow butter floating on top of
the milk. Surya sipped the tea and moaned at the delicious
taste.
Sitting opposite Anushan" Doshan Khan breathed out and
waited.
@$or the longest time my wife and I were deciding what to
do. And a few days ago something con!inced us of what must
be done. You heard of the small boy that helped stop a school
bus from going o!er a bridgeA>
Doshan Khan nodded his head. It was all o!er the news.
The parents of the child wanted to remain anonymous.
@9e belie!e forces bigger than my wife and I are at work.
%y grandson was able to pull the bus back onto the bridge
without harm to himself. 9ith his bare hands. 9e thought that
maybe you will be able to help us teach him to fight.>
Doshan Khan chuckled to himself at the ridiculous tone in
which the old man spoke.
@Against whoA>
Anushan eyes went dark" @%an and other forces.>
Doshan Khan looked at the boy of ele!en. He was large for
a young boy" chubby and his hair thick and long. And he hid
his eyes behind a set of dark glasses.
Doshan Khan got up and approached the boy. The boy
stood up.
@Take off your glasses.>
The boy looked passed the man at his grandfather who
nodded his appro!al to remo!e his glasses.
As the boy slid them off Doshan Khan was ama-ed at the
colour of the eyes. They were a steel white with a slight hint of
blue.
@I ha!e a difficult 8uestion. You ha!e no time limit on this
only that when you answer correctly will I teach you what I
know. You can go home and think it o!er.>
The boy nodded his head understanding.
@:!ery warrior>s weapon is not skill with his hands but his
courage. 9hat is courageA You must tell me.>
The boy looked at the tea maker who turned to go back
into his kitchen expecting the boy to lea!e.
@It is to be the one that says yes when e!eryone says no.>
Doshan Khan stopped in mid step. He was confused. The
grandfather smiled with a helpless shrug at him.
The tea maker nodded his head at the boy" impressed.
Chapter two
Tibet
Broken Blae! "alle#
The Te$ple o% In%inite &i'ht
It was a merciless landscape of cold dry wind. A moistless
harsh wind that cracked and bled exposed skin. It burnt the
eyes into a gritty blindness that made one curse the existence
of life in the !alley.
9ithin this !alley was the Temple of Infinite /ight. A
temple where the rages of man come for peace and happiness.
Some !oluntary and others not.
The temple was built by men and women looking for a
light that will extinguish all darkness within them. There are
times when these men and women go in search for the
darkness within others and bring them here for redemption.
.uilt on the sweat and blood of hope" the temple was
car!ed out of the rock walls of the mountain with blades"
hammers and chisels.
9ithin this temple there are many chambers dedicated to
rest" eating and meditation. The .uddha statue was sculptured
out of the mountain. %any !illagers from below come with
offerings to the monks and the .uddha.
#eeper within this temple is another chamber. It is
dedicated to the holding of prisoners that are not meant to be
part of this world.
The small boy was more or less se!en or eight years old.
He was dressed warmly in his robes with a large pitcher of
cold water" frosted on the lip of the pitcher. The boy poured the
water into a small bowl and sipped from it. His bald head shiny
from the scented oil.
It was a late night with a pale" ice moon so close to the
earth that its craters were near enough to touch.
The boy sat cross legged on a rice mat before a man
chained to a wall.
The man>s name was /ogue 9ulfgar.
Abo!e him" the fading moon behind a clouded sky. He
melted into such agony from a man of blue eyes and light hair
to a large" black furred beast. It growled" snapped and howled
in frustration at the small boy.
@9hy do you torment meA> yelled the man. He was not
cuffed in steel but sil!er and gold. The chains held in by the
ankles and wrists.
:!ery time he changed into his monstrosity" they burnt into
his flesh.
@This is the most peaceful of places in the temple.> Said the
boy drinking from the bowl.
@There is only e!il here. Something I am unafraid to
confront?how about youA>
The monster called /ogue spat blood and sali!a at the boy.
To which the boy had the courtesy enough to smile at him.
@I am not afraid to kill you?a child.>
The boy looked playfully confused" @&hildA %eA>
.efore /ogue>s eyes the boy changed to an old man. Taller
and frail with sad sunken eyes.
@Tulku?> whispered /ogue.
Degaining his strength he shouted" @9hat do you want
from meA>
@Dedemption for your soul?forgi!eness from your
enemies.>
@AhB You worry about the fate of my soul. #o you not
know that I am the demon from the place you fear I will goA>
The old man slowly changed back to the young boy
shaking his head.
@,o my son?I am that demon because you fear what I
want of you.>
.oth were silent for the longest time" the only sounds from
/ogue>s beastly change.
After a while the silence was broken" softly at first.
It was a rhythmic beat far off but coming closer. There was
a commotion outside of the chamber.
Screams" shouts and gun fire.
/ogue could see flashes of mu--le flare from the outside
dimness. He looked at the Tulku who was emotionless
drinking water.
After a while a 8uietness settled around them. A few
screams were cut short by a gun shot. Another sound made by
footsteps.
A man entered the chamber dressed in an expensi!e suit.
He carried a long walking stick and had long black hair that
reached his ankles which seemed to mo!e on their own free
will.
He was !ery handsome with flawless skin and bright
mischie!ous eyes. The man suddenly seemed aware of
somebody other than /ogue and pointed the stick at the Tulku.
The Tulku was flung by some in!isible force against the
wall. The old man faded into the boy and the old man again.
@Tricks.> &ommented the man.
/ogue looked at the long haired man as fi!e men dressed
in army fatigues rushed in with guns drawn.
/ogue shook his head" recogni-ing the appearance of the
man.
@Sorcerer.>
Inia ( )in'o$ O% )ar*na
There was a desperation within her.
)rincess ,yssa exploded from her dream into reality. She
knew it was a dream but what she saw was a glimpse into the
now.
It was the !i!idness of the dream that scared her.
She remembered drowning in an ocean of milk of such
purity that it seemed endless. Instantaneously she reali-ed she
was not alone in this ocean of milk.
It was through the coldness of the milk that she saw it. A
giant coiled cobra floating in the sea of milk. Its head was
hooded and the colour of black and grey.
A man was sitting in the shade of the cobra>s hooded head
and he was watching her.
She remembered wanting to call out for help but was too
afraid. A giant swell of milk came o!er her waking her up.
Sitting on her bed she could hear the sounds of the palace
around her. =utside her window into the night she saw a fiery
glow. Dunning to the balcony of her room she stopped in
shock.
Her kingdom of Karuna was in flames.
The royal palace was surrounded by stone houses and
straw thatched roofs. ;lowing embers and stone crumbled to
dust.
There was a terrible howl and fire shot straight into the
sky. There were people?her people running in terror. They
were fleeing their homes and running to the palace. The giant
gates were opened and soldiers were calling for her people to
find safety behind her walls. 9here she stood" she saw three
giant wol!es made of stone with ri!ers of li8uid fire flowing
through !eins on their bodies. /i8uid fire fell from their
snarling mouths.
There was an explosion. Her army retaliated with their
tankers.
$rom her gates she saw her &aptain of the Doyal guards
command his men. Helicopters exploded weapons into the
night sky.
Somebody was banging against her room door. Her
soldiers rushed in" in full war armour. Taking their trained
positions for 8uick e!acuation from the room.
The palace shook and the )rincess ,yssa knew that the
wol!es of fire were climbing the walls of the palace to get to
her.
And there was silence.
Her soldiers stood 8uiet. =ne of them approached the
balcony and looked down.
The sound that came ripped the sky apart. It was a
tremendous !ibration that made them all fall. )rincess ,yssa
fell hard" hitting the ground with a painful scream.
It began to rain.
@%y ;odB> cried the soldier at the balcony. Helped to her
feet the )rincess walked slowly towards the soldier.
The fires across the kingdom were out. The fire wol!es
started to growl at each other. Afraid.
9hate!er searing fire was in them was diminishing
8uickly. The &aptain of her guard knew they were !ulnerable
in that state and fired at them. The missiles blew the wol!es to
a stony rubble.
:!erywhere around the kingdom of Karuna" ri!ers of milk
flowed.
Sir 9illiam &hristopher was a true knight of the old order.
Sired by the Hueen for duties to the so!ereignty. At sixty" Sir
&hristopher was a thin" tall man with sil!ering hair" a sharp
nose and light grey eyes. He was smarter than most" spoke
many languages" studied the mathematics of the world and the
science of the uni!erse.
He was a child of Africa. Ha!ing fallen in lo!e with its
people" courage and strength. He brought his wife into South
Africa during the apartheid reign to stand amongst those that
wanted to fight.
As a retired professor" he was asked by a grandfather if he
could tutor his grandson.
$rom the age of ele!en he taught Surya Ariah" :nglish"
$rench" %andarin" ;erman and Dussian. Algebra" geometry
and 8uantum mathematics were in his syllabus. The biology of
man and its many miracles was tutored.
It was lessons of constant deductions" theorems and action.
&ourage" integrity and honour were discussed.
$i!e years later Surya was more a man than a teenager"
ha!ing grown broader and thick set. Amongst his grandparents
he was a giant. His eyes were still a mystery" a steel sil!er with
a slight tint of blue. It was a stark contradiction to his Indian
bloodline with the only traits being his black straight hair that
was exactly to his widow>s peak and his light brown skin.
The small wooden cottage at the back of the &hristopher
estate was turned into a classroom. .ooks lined the walls.
)oetry was deciphered" plays were acted out. The fragility of
the human heart was analysed and tempered to stone.
/unch was consumed in the company of Sir &hristopher>s
wife. :laine was the %edical #irector and Head Surgeon at the
#isney %edical &entre. #isney was a 8uiet retired farming
town for a knight and his lady.
:laine was a small round woman with a kindly face that
appealed to Surya>s grandparents. The Ariah>s wanted people
that respected their grandson as much as they did.
It was in his sixteenth year that Sir &hristopher decided
that it was time his young student went into high school for his
final year. It was an attempt to expose the boy to other children
his own age and to ha!e friends other than his grandparents"
himself and his wife.
It was late Thursday afternoon that Sir 9illiam
&hristopher !isited the Ariah>s.
He made his case to them while his young charge sat in his
room going o!er some homework. :laine was there to offer
support and to be a comfort to the grandparents.
A bra!e to her husband>s case.
It took some con!incing but e!entually they ga!e in. It was
only to school and nothing further. After the incident on the
bridge fi!e years ago the grandfather did not want the
grandson to become a spectacle.
The next morning Sundera took her grandson to buy some
school clothes. 9hen he entered the school clothing shop he
saw many teenagers around his age with their parents. It was
strange to be among them. His stationery and books were
already pro!ided. The nuns were helping students with their
si-es. Since Surya was a big boy they had to get a larger si-e
from a tailor in Kraal &ity. The bla-ers were small so he had to
get a polar neck Cersey for winter.
He returned home to sit 8uietly with his grandfather. There
were going to be rules.
The first rule was the only rule. A simple one.
@,e!er remo!e your sunglasses at any time. :laine has
written a letter to the headmaster stating that your eyes are
!ery light sensiti!e and that is why you ha!e to wear the
glasses all the time.>
She was someone to be feared. :!en the beast within felt
it. It hackled its back" arching it in attack. /ogue kept it under
control?barely.
She wore tatters e!en though she was surrounded by such
riches and expensi!eness. Her hair was white with ashes and in
knots. Her eyes were a ha-el brown and her teeth were
perfectly white. And the skin was tight with no lines or
wrinkles. She was beautiful with a tangible hint of e!il.
There was a fire in the middle of the dining hall. It was a
shallow hole dug crudely into the white marble floors with
logs lit and a giant pot of black iron ho!ering by its handle.
&lay pots of different ingredients and spices were strewn
across the floor.
9hen the witch saw him she danced around the fire"
swirling her tattered clothing making her look like a black
crow swooping on prey.
/ogue approached the witch with care. His axe at the
ready. If she did something he was unhappy with he will strike
her in half.
@%y /ord tells me that you wish a fa!our for your ser!ices.
You do not re8uire goldA =r satisfaction of the fleshA A
beautiful young lady perhapsA>
Her !oice was so soft and feminine that /ogue struggled
hard to find the woman within the tatters of clothing" ash and
dark.
@And I was told you can grant anything to anybodyA>
The witch came closer to him. &lose till he could smell
months of nothing washed or clean. =nly smoke and rotting
flesh. Yet there was an undoubtable beauty that was being
denied.
@=r anything..> Stepping back for fresher air he bowed a
little" @I need to be separated from the creature inside.>
@Fery difficult to di!ide the monster from the man but I
will talk to my spiritual ad!isors and get back to you.>
At this the witch laughed. ,ot an e!il cackle as one would
expect of such a !ile being but one of childlike Coy.