(Book 6) Hayden Mackay and The Third-Eye of the Pancharatna

6. The Right Thing

Time passed. The stillness in the air dragged on and on. The silence was always heavy on her, but her insides were screaming with impatience, beginning to weigh her down. Shourya, she ground her teeth, where are you?

Shourya and his cleverness. Without a shadow of a doubt, she loved him as much as she'd loved Queen Premila and Doctor. If it hadn't been for Doctor, Shourya would have never become her secret guardian. But his twisted cleverness bothered her. There was trust, of course, but there was also a cross to bear. She pressed her anxiety down with some difficulty. Sneaking into his mind earlier was a terrible idea. It had only sown doubt upon him.

Her hands itched, and it wasn't because of the chains. A distraction was calling upon her attention. There were painting tools perched inside the wide-opened trunks. Beside them were the books related to magic, the kind of books that Queen Premila had strictly prohibited her from reading. "Because I said so," the queen would say, using the classic motherly statement as a reply whenever asked.

As if on cue, a shadow crossed over her face. The same large woman entered the prison and shambled towards her, face yet camouflaged and carrying a plastic bowl and a napkin. Thin tendrils of smoke seemed to be curling up from the bowl. Watching the woman bend over, Nazira pulled herself to a sitting position and dragged herself gently toward the wall. The woman sat in front of her and removed her veil from her face, revealing her greying her and pitted face which suggested she'd suffered from acne at some point.

She checked Nazira out, studying the wound on her shoulder, the drops of blood on her dress, and the swelled cheek. Her expression became serious and eager to communicate. She then dipped the napkin inside the bowl filled with warm water, wrung the water out, and brought the napkin closer to Nazira's cheek.

Nazira winced. "What are you doing?" she signaled hurriedly, chains fluctuating mid-air.

The woman put a finger on her lips. "We are not alone," she said and then pointed outside the gate of the prison.

Nazira bent over and observed the entirety of the prison cave for the first time in the stripes of morning sunlight pouring down from somewhere. Beyond the bars, there was a wavy water body in iridescent shades of turquoise, the splashes of water hitting the ramp that connected the prison and landing on the other side. A couple of Shashi's men were seated on the ground, one of them being the twin. They were playing card games, smoking and drinking, and occasionally looking about her. Nazira sighed. Why the surveillance, she thought, weren't they assured that she was here to stay?

Water bubbles floated on the water, popped, and floated again -this happening dramatically too many times, as though someone was breathing underwater and keeping an eye on her. When she felt a warm dab of wet napkin against her cheek, she looked back at the woman. "There's also a scary creature inside the water," the woman said, her lips moving too quickly. Nazira only managed to catch up. "You are surrounded from all sides, and I know you're a mage. You better be in limits."

Is that a warning? Or is the woman genuinely being nice to me?

The wetness of the napkin quickly had a soothing effect on her skin. Nazira wanted it more. The woman soaked the napkin once again and got it back to treat. "Do not mistake this for kindness," the woman said. "You're a guest as long as you keep Shashi happy."

In the process, the veil of her saree went up to her elbows. Nazira inwardly gasped. There were bandages with a stamp of dried blood over them. At once, power surged through her and she infiltrated into the woman's mind. This woman had been providing blood to Shashi in return for food and clothing. How very Shourya of her.

"Are you going to stay here for the rest of your life?" the woman asked, still attempting to soothe the cheek and wipe the blood off her shoulder.

Nazira shrugged. From the corner of her eye, she noticed another man joining the group of guards outside.