It became a huge point of contention in Amor that meetings of Suyesh were ten times more, well attended than the temple of the King. People were going crazy listening to discourses of Suyesh. No one in the King’s court could analyze the reasons for this, especially when there was no comparison between the two. One was the most powerful king of all land and the other was a mere carpenter following Godaism! King’s ministers had already started working on the plans to break the spirit of Suyesh and his followers.
Now there were no discourses where king’s spies were not
present. The spies had initially started incognito, but soon turned brash and
bold. They would appear in their army uniform and watch over what was being
said. They also would not allow the meetings to continue beyond certain
duration of time. This became troublesome for people who came from far off
villages. The soldiers would announce suddenly that the time was up and meeting
would have to be dispersed. Army would attack the harmless villager returning
home after discourses and rob their belongings. They would snatch their food
packets, only to throw it away to dogs. In spite of this torture nobody seemed
overly discouraged; not just as yet. Kingdom had decided to that non-violence
of villagers be replied with violence. In order to break them, soldiers
attacked regular devotees more. Suyesh’s body guards tried to interfere with a
soldier who was being rough with an old lady. In retaliation the soldier had
drawn his sword and body guard had to cool it. Everyone saw it. Now the picture
was clear.
It had been Suyesh’s routine to discuss each day’s matters with
all his supporters and advisers. They sat on a large wooden dining table.
Mangala would serve dinner and wine quietly and efficiently. These days mostly
there were security and violence related problems. Everyone was concerned about
Suyesh’s followers. A villager who was attacked on his way back home had
succumbed to his injury. His funeral was attended by Suyesh and all his close
men. During the last rites some young people threw stones at the King’s
soldiers shouting, ‘killers killers’. They were taken by surprise and had to
retreat. But this made the battle lines even more clear. Now every one of
Suyesh’s followers was marked and was being persecuted. They were being
harassed for taxes. Their properties were being confiscated.
It was high time a tough decision was taken by Suyesh and his
advisers in order to solve this tangle with king’s men. So many innocent people
cannot be allowed to get killed or even hurt. It was decided to send a senior
person as a messenger or ambassador to King’s court to discuss matters
amicably. But before he could put his point across, he was arrested and put
behind bars. No one ever saw him again. This was a big loss to Suyesh’s think
tank.
In the next supper meeting it was decided that the all
discourses be suspended until further notice. Innocent villagers were getting
hurt in so many different ways. It was totally unfair. Suyesh’s personal
message, ‘there will be no meetings, until further notice’, was sent to all
residing near and far through a chain of messengers. The villagers now were to
follow regimen of Suyesh’s teaching inside their homes only. While outside, the
soldiers with bare swords were combing the area to find their unarmed enemies.
The war was in the open.
It was a gloomy evening in Suyesh’s hut. There were eleven of
village’s most worried men sitting on the large wooden table. They had nothing
better to do except glare blankly at the food and wine glasses. Breathing the
air thick with tension; Mangala too was uncomfortable. She had been working
extra hard to serve them. She could not bear to watch the faces of those strong
and intelligent men feeling so completely helpless. She decided to stay at the
back of everyone. All those intellectual minds did not have an answer to
current situation. No one was speaking. No one was drinking and eating either.
They were so static that all together they seemed like a painting. The most
senior security adviser spoke, ‘we have to move out of here. Soon the soldiers
will attack this hut.’ With this statement the existing pin drop silence became
even heavier. Everyone’s minds were racing with various thoughts. After a short
while the silence was broken again but this time, by Suyesh. He said, ‘I don’t
know what must be the good reason; but one of us has betrayed me.’ This
statement burst like a bomb inside the humble hut and started a flurry of
activity on the table. Suyesh had never ever uttered a thing like this before.
It was totally unbelievable. A traitor! One of them! Everyone was trying to
look at others, to find hidden clues in the faces. Suyesh raised his hand in
order to quiet everyone’s mind and added, ‘it did not matter as long as it put
only me in trouble; but it is going to be very dangerous for each of us. I feel
sorry for all of you. I ask for everyone’s forgiveness on his behalf.’ Now the
security adviser got up with a firm, ‘let us go now.’ With this decisive
announcement the last supper of Suyesh and his close friends was over.
As the seriousness of the situation dawned in their minds people
they started getting up, leaving their unconsumed food behind. Soon everyone
was up and was packing their essential belongings methodically. Mangala took
her cloth bag and pushed her and Suyesh’s cloths in. She also packed all the
bread and dry meat from the table. As a woman she knew life was going to be
very uncertain from now on. She was wearing a multi layered long flowing robe.
Suyesh had noticed Mangala looked rather fat in it. Just before she stepped out
of the hut, she went to the bathing place and puked.
All the inmates now had entirely covered themselves, in dark
blankets. Outside, Suyesh’s hidden security experts were keeping an eye for
enemy’s prying eyes. They sent a quiet ‘all clear’ message. Soon many shadows
walked out in the darkness of a moonless night. There was no one to notice
twelve shadows walking briskly to nowhere.
Early morning king Vikram’s soldiers fanned out everywhere. They
cursed themselves on finding the hut, empty! They had the information that
Suyesh and his group will soon be moving to an unknown place. But perhaps they
were a day too late.
King’s spies dressed themselves in villager’s attires and were
trying to find the whereabouts of the group. But their bulging muscles and well
fed faces gave away their secret. In the next move they started looking for
people carrying food stuff outside any village. They caught some of them. They
were promptly killed on not giving the location of Suyesh’s group.
Suyesh had about 250 of his most faithful followers spread
around. They all had strict instructions from Suyesh that since he was in
danger, everyone must stay away. None of us can fight a huge army. We are also
not trained to fight. There is no point in loosing precious life. Many of
Suyesh’s people were regularly being nabbed and killed. The security expert
chose few strongest of men to keep Mangala hidden in the middle of group. From
the hut itself they had moved quickly to most unlikely and entirely different
route. At that point she was the most precious person in the world. Mangala
couldn’t even give a last look at Suyesh. She knew it would be the last time
she was watching ‘his’ shadow receding away.
Sound of running horses was a matter of concern for a small
group of people huddled together in a dark patch of behind a large bush.
Someone threw water on the fire to hide it. The smoke rose up. The gradually
horses were came close. And soon the group of soldiers spotted the huddled
shadows. Suyesh forced many of them to run away. But his most faithful did not
listen to him. They wanted to fight. To save them from being slain, Suyesh came
out swiftly and surrendered to Amoran soldiers. Suyesh and three of his men
were tied up and soon horses were galloping dragging the group.
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