Harsha and I decided to lie low for a few days before we moved on our plan to spy on Shantanu. We noticed that he watched us closely and never gave us a moment to discuss things between ourselves. However, he couldn't help leaving on his nightly journeys and we managed to hatch a plan during one such outing. We decided to use Laddoo to distract the merpeople.
That night, we positioned ourselves behind the rocks and watched as Shantanu transformed Mage into a dolphin. I held Laddoo tightly in my arms. He was strangely quiet, as if he miraculously knew the importance of good behaviour for a change!
I remembered Lemon and Omen telling me about how creatures in Anunirva could choose their forms. As extinct beings, they had the choice of turning themselves into whatever creatures they wished to be in Anunirva. They were out of the cycle of life and death and could thus reform. That's how Lemon and Omen had transformed themselves to humans when I first met them on the train. Of course, all creatures, without exception, preferred their original formtransformation was only a tool they used when convenient. The Chinese elephant had told me one day that this was because they felt they owed it to their species to retain their true identity.
I wondered then if Mage was an extinct being- how else was it able to change into a dolphin? And if it was an extinct being, how had it come under Shantanu's control? I felt a sharp nudge and woke from my reverie*. "They are going," Harsha whispered. I watched as Shantanu got on the dolphin and disappeared into the waters. The back of the merman watching them was turned to us. Taking a deep breath, I walked towards the mouth of the cave and coughed. The merman swirled about gracefully and held my eye. "And where do you think you are going?" he asked in a silky voice.
"I'm taking my dog for a swim," I said, without batting an eyelid. The merpeople were uneasy about Laddoo, I knew. He was not an extinct creature and therefore did not have the power of speech. "You are not advised to go," he said, fixing his eyes on Laddoo. "Thanks, but I think I can take care of myself," I said firmly. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Harsha creeping towards the entrance. The merma n placed his cold hand on my shoulder and I shivered. Laddoo barked threatening and he dropped his hand at once. Harsha was by now out in the waters. He was swimming towards the surface and when I was sure he was far enough, I yelled, "Hey, look at that boy!" The merman swung around and I took my chance and leapt into the water. The merman heard the splash but did not bother giving chase. "Be careful," he said in a chilling voice.
