The domed ancestral tomb of House Shirra could be called dilapidated at best. The once-white marble of its surface was the colour of soot, as if baked in an oven. A half-broken lion stood on a pedestal near the entrance. Moss and creepers feasted on the sheen of the copper door, turning it into a dull grey. The top of the dome was missing chunks in places. Spiders had so charitably decided to bridge the said gaps with their twisted artistry. The place reeked of foul play.
Karnan cursed himself. How could he have even believed that scoundrel? He wanted to scream. But the shouts following him stopped him from doing so. The cemetery guards seemed to have finally caught on to him. He scanned for a place to hide. The tomb's surroundings shared its appearance. Unkempt and forgotten. Wild bushes grew in knots here and there, none of them dense enough to hide. The voices of the guards came from near the Kurama clan tomb, which was a few meters north of his position.
He knuckled both fists, the right one hurting. The so-called triangular key poked his palm. Rajuma and his cronies should be hidden somewhere nearby. Eager for a chance to jump him for a new session of slandering and beating. His anger bubbled, and Karnan took in a deep breath.
If I am going down. So will you all.
"I am here!" he yelled.
He very much expected a series of frantic reactions from the hidden bullies. A scattering of leaves, or a quick shifting of feet, or maybe hissing gasps. But, none happened. Instead, heavy footfalls rushed at him from the Kurama complex.
"Stay there! Thief! Your grave-robbing days are over from this hour." A plated man breathed while running at him. Behind him, his colleague ambled the winding trail that connected the tombs. A spear rested leisurely above his shoulder blades within the nooks of his elbows.
Karnan raised both hands. "I am no thief, senior. I was deceived."
"Deceived! You? Hah! Who swindles a beggar? And for what? Rags?" The guard's tone was exactly like the innkeeper's.
Karnan shoved down a comeback and opened his palm. The triangle dropped. Glinting like a fish scale among the ankle-high grass. "I was told to come here. That shiny thing is a key, he said. A key to this broken piece of trash," he kicked the ground. The piece of metal flew off to the side.
The one behind the armoured guard. A captain, judging from the clasp of his cloak, froze. Grey eyes moving along the path of the triangle. With a single motion, he stretched his spear and tossed it mid-air towards him before catching it with his other hand. He inspected it for a while and then approached him.
"Nayaka. We should put this one-"
"Shut up and get lost," the man grunted. His subordinate paused for a few seconds before bowing and storming away, back towards the gates.
The man held Karnan's palm open and slammed the pointy end of the key into the skin. Karnan yelped, "Senior!". He tried to yank his hand back. But the man was too strong for him. He had masked his power. But he must be on the same level as Master Sha.
The man narrowed his cold gaze. Karnan decided not to react any further. Blood trickled from the stab as a dull ache throbbed in the back of his wrist.
"Next time, I catch you disrespecting this gift. I will stab it in your heart. Understood?" he said with the same chillness of his look.
Karnan nodded through the pain. The nayaka grunted again and gestured at the lion statue. Then, he turned and walked away.
Karnan stood blinking like a fool. Unable to make any sense of the chain of events that had just transpired. He swung his eyes at the broken statue. It was simply a piece of marble, cut into the shape of a sitting lion with one of its front legs and half a face missing. Its face!
There was a vertical slit. Ever so subtly hidden behind its right ear. The broken face had been a distraction from the crevice. Karnan immediately shoved the key into the hole. It slid in with a click. The door rumbled and raised halfway before scraping back down. Beyond it, there was no light, just like the stories about the ancient nights, when the sun used to be swallowed by the land. The darkness scared him.
Karnan took in a long drag of the stale, musty air of the cemetery. It was this or being imprisoned. He crouched, dug his heels and sprinted. As he neared, he slid, letting the momentum carry him.
The door screeched inches above his face. He passed under it to the other side. Behind him, light faded as he was embraced by night.
The inside wasn't as dark as he had thought it to be, even though it was called a crypt. There wasn't a single casket. Instead, there were statues of animals.
All kinds of beasts were strewn across the floor, ranging from as large as a horse to a mouse, sitting on their haunches and facing random directions. The tiny room was cramped. Karnan put his sleeve over his nose to stop from sneezing. He moved from one statue to the other. Inspecting each one. They were unlike any statue he had ever seen. Too much detail had been put into them. Even the fur felt like real hair. He stopped near a wolf. It had its mouth agape, teeth sparkling like pearls. He touched one of its canines. The jaw snapped shut over his wrist.
Karnan yelled. The Wolfs' eyes rolled at him. He yelled more loudly. His hand was stuck inside its maw. Though there had been no blood yet and no pain either.
"Shuuuuut up. I am not chewing your hand. I just need a few drops of prana. Hmmm, your prana tastes so good and pure too!" Karnan heard the voice inside his head. A feral voice, like a grinding of bones, was what the sound felt like. Still screaming, he tried to pull his hand out. The wolf again rolled its eyes and opened its mouth.
Karnan fell back. He scooted away. The beast now stretched, facing downward like a dog. Tendons popped and clicked, and the wolf let out a satisfied sigh.
Karnan got to his feet and scampered towards the entrance, stumbling and throwing the statues in his way. A new fear arose in him. If the wolf was real, then so were all the others in that room. He had to get out before they awakened.
He heard a snarl behind him. He didn't stop. The door was firmly shut. He banged with both fists. "Help! Help! I surrender! Take me to the jail, please! Anywhere but here. Sir! Sir! Are you there!"
A loud crash came from behind him, and in the next breath, something landed by his side. Karnan didn't dare look at it. He kept pounding on the door while shouting at the top of his voice. Someone should be passing by. Someone, anyone.
"No one's coming. Trust me. I have played this waiting game far too long to know," the wolf growled in his ear.
Karnan jumped backwards. He took a fighting stance. He opened his lips to shout at the beast. But no words came out. He swallowed, inching away from the wolf. It was staring at him. One of its pupils was blue while the other was red. Its coat was an iron grey with blotches of white mottling the chest. A white and furry tail coiled upwards on its hind. "I am Shri. What's your name?" it said with a wag of its bushy tail
At last, his voice returned. "Stay away from me? Wha- how are you?" Karnan gushed out in a single breath.
Like a human, the animal frowned. Frowned! "I am fine. Can't complain with all this luxury of this tomb and my endearing companions."
It paused for a moment and then began to saunter towards him. Clack, clack, clack, clack, its paws slapped the floor, dust rose in clouds. Karnan readied his prana, forming a sphere with his star's light and through his prana channel, he brought the spinning ball of inconsequential power to his right palm. He raised his hand. "Stay there, I am armed. I warn you."
The wolf stopped, half a foot away. Stretching its neck, it sniffed. "I sense fear in you."
Karnan raised his hand a bit more, aiming for the wolf's head. "I will hit you. I am not jesting."
The wolf brought its snout closer to his shirt. "You scent carries sweat, fear, anger and grief." It looked up at him with a warmth unexpected even from a human being.
"You are sad," it said and pushed all of a sudden. Karnan was caught off balance as the great wolf snuggled its huge head into his chest. With soft growls, it rubbed against him like a house cat.
Karnan forced a yell, wanting to slam his palm over the wolf's forehead. But, he couldn't do it. He felt nothing then, as if all his worries had been washed away. He was numb but in a good way.
"I am Karnan," his throat cracked, and tears trailed from the corners of his eyes.