It was a balmy evening. In the Kingdom of Pulinda, grey dusk settled on Dandakaranya, the dense forest that formed the northern boundary of the kingdom separating it from the Himalayan ranges beyond. The birds were returning home and the slanting sun rays were almost touching the treetops. Soon the sun would go down and the forest would submerge in darkness. It wasn't that the Dandak was light in the daytime, but it was the night when it came alive, whispering its secrets, preying on its prey.

In a small clearing near the eastern boundary of the forest, two boys crouched on the forest floor, engrossed in the work at hand. They were keenly aware of the passing time, they needed to hurry home if they wished to see tomorrow’s daylight.

"Is there any more left, Brother Sauvik?" little Shom asked, cowering behind the older acolyte. He rose to his tiptoes to get a better look, standing close enough to see the long yellow-speckled body twisting in the air, yet far enough to keep himself safe.

"Why don't you come closer to check, Shom?" Sauvik asked, smirking slightly. He pressed his thumb and index finger harder and watched with satisfaction as the vial filled with translucent amber liquid.

Shom wrinkled his nose. "I can see from here, Brother Sauvik."

The creature writhed frantically, its slitted pupils bulging through its slimy head. Its long dark tail flapped in the air, but Sauvik made sure his grip didn't slacken.

"Will it die if we squeeze it all out?" Shom asked with a worried face. He hated these creatures, but Acharya Krip (teacher) said they were important. Their venom was used for medicines and their skin was used to make pouches and such. Personally, he wouldn't go anywhere near them, but Acharya Krip insisted he accompanies Brother Sauvik on these expeditions. It seemed it was important for aspiring acolytes like him to learn about poisons and such.

"They don't die so easily," Sauvik said darkly. "They are hardy creatures."

As if in response, the serpent gave a mighty twist, pulling all its muscles in a swift movement, and made another fervent attempt to escape Sauvik's clutches. Sauvik’s head jerked back, but he still held on, his practiced mind not giving in, but his body reacting to the violent creature with natural instinct.

The creature shuddered and suddenly went still. Its long body hung limp in the air as if it had lost life.

Moments passed. Sauvik waited. But there was no movement.

Sauvik frowned. In his years of education at Maharishi Dadhich’s Gurukul, he had never come across a serpent that didn’t survive the venom extraction. He knew he was good at it, Acharya Krip himself had taught him the process. He gave his hand a shake, making the creature sway. It shuddered again, then raised its head.

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The air around went still, and the forest watched hungrily. Yellow eyes stared at Sauvik..intently as if with unknown promise. The vertical slits on the pupils dilated a little. In the gathering dark, the two young men watched in horror as those slits glowed with iridescent blue light. The glow filled the little clearing momentarily before the serpent’s head lolled again.

Sauvik's heart nearly stopped. This was no ordinary serpent.

He threw the creature away with a start. It landed on a hard rock with a thud, lying there motionless for a moment before springing back to life and slithering down a dark gap between the rocks. Shom watched it as it disappeared behind the tall brown grass and let out a sigh of relief.

“Why did it glow, Brother Sauvik?” Shom asked as Sauvik corked the vial and threw it in his already bulging satchel. It was a good haul, their whole day's work. On any other day, Sauvik would be brimming with satisfaction, but today his face looked ashen. He ignored Shom and started his frantic walk back to the Gurukul, little Shom struggling behind him to keep up.

They made their way quickly through the dense trees, the path to the Ashram(the schoolhouse/guru's home ) was familiar. Yet in the darkening dusk, it seemed to be shifting, even the familiar curves and bends looked unknown.

Sauvik hurried his pace, and Shom almost ran to keep up.

They trudged on. The twilight faded rapidly and a sickle moon rose, but its feeble light did not even reach the young men. Sauvik noticed the forest was unusually quiet, even the night insects quivered to make a sound. A dread pierced his heart as he nearly broke into a run, and a shocked Shom followed him frantically trying to keep up the pace. Even in their frenzy, they were silent as wraiths, something told them it was safer to be inconspicuous tonight.

Sauvik let out a sigh of relief when they reached the ashram. They were in time for the evening prayers. The air filled with the scent of incense and he could smell the food aromas wafting from the cookhouse. Sauvik smiled in anticipation. It was not every day that they got a feast this grand. Tonight was special. Their last night here as disciples of Maharishi Dadhich, before they started their journey as grown men in the world beyond.

Shom ran off to the dormitory to clean up before the prayers. Sauvik entered the storehouse and lit an oil lamp, filling the room with liquid golden light. As usual, the room greeted him with its musty smell of dried herbs. But they were not the only thing this room hid in its belly.

Chests of ingredients lined the walls, many filled with dried roots and herbs they collected daily and used for their studies. Some contained priceless gemstones- colorless diamonds, blue sapphires, dark red rubies, and green emeralds. These were courtesy of PulindaRaj, the Great King Prahasta of Pulinda Kingdom. The King had also been kind enough to bestow them with a full armory, complete with every imaginable weapon of destruction. Weapons that were of no use to Sauvik, but that were used every day by the Kshatriyas to practice warfare.

Sauvik walked ahead to the shelves lined with jars of moonstones and topaz, accompanied by brass pestles and mortars. There on the top shelf, he arranged his vials in neat order. Starting with amber, then red, then black. He took a count and frowned. It didn't match his calculation. It seemed there were a few missing. He made a mental note to inform Guruji before leaving tomorrow. After tonight, it was none of his concern anyway.

*****