"You're engaged? Are you insane?" Tyrell exclaimed.
"It's not official. I haven't given her the ring or anything yet."
"Without asking Pruthvi first? Do you even know how many codes you're breaking?"
"A lot, yeah."
"Some unsaid rules need to be followed, Mackay, whether or not you're a king."
"I'm aware, Tyrell. I'll tell him eventually."
"When? After you make ten babies and age gets muffin on you?"
"The moment Shashi dies, okay? Now will you please drop it? I need to concentrate."
"You're encouraging me to lie to my friend. I'm not very pleased, Mackay."
"I'm asking you to not bring this up when you both leave for the job. How is that considered a lie?"
"And that is how you kill Agnidaanav," Nazira said, as the shower of sparks shone, creating sizzling sounds. "Simply put, they are like crocodiles. Go for the eye first."
Her voice was unwavering and full of passion now that she was distinctly the main consultant of the group. It felt right, I'd say, to hear her voice and see her in my mind again. I was back to being a fully formed Samagraha, and proud to be so, there was no denying it. The nostalgic feeling of elation was indescribable. Not to mention, had there been no Shashi, I would be the only person with two hearts living in the country. Well, what can I say...
Tyrell had orated the spell under her guidance. Surprisingly, besides giving me hard stares and mind-connecting with me to talk in hushed tones about Nazira being my fiancé, he refrained from questioning me further about me bearing the dark magic. They trusted me, they all did. I was over the moon this early in the morning, elated for seeing my friends with a positive disposition, each wrapped up in the excitement and anticipation of the upcoming jobs.
Today's zestful gathering was influencing me towards positivity. I wasn't scared. Did that mean that perhaps I wasn't doing something right? I cleared my throat noiselessly and sucked down the sense of haughtiness and entitlement creeping up on me. At the risk of deriving happiness from current events, I had to remind myself to be mindful. There was an enemy still out there waiting to see me dead.
"That was one heck of a magic," said Pruthvi, watching the cat-sized fabricated two-eagled creature slowly diminishing into sparkles and falling on the table placed amidst us like confetti. Nazira smiled a full-hearted smile in admiration of him.
"And use the dagger?" asked Leena.
"Yes," Nazira replied. "It thrives on one magical heart. So stab once right at the spot where its neck branches out."
I took a tentative step forward and joined the group, forcibly dropping my mind connection with Tyrell. I made sure to avoid Celina's nagging gaze that lingered upon me longer than necessary. My friends were still clueless about the location of the Pride and Celina's desperation was evidently extreme. "Now that we're clear on all the specific details," I said. "I believe we all understand that the jobs need to finish off today and also simultaneously."
"It's a great plan," said Pruthvi. "However, it appears to me that we're building a castle in the sky."
"Don't like the sound of it, Pruthvi. What do you mean?"
"There's no guarantee I'll be able to break into Shashi's tomb today if not at least find it today. Is that possible, Tyrell?"
Tyrell grimly shook his head. "Not unless we successfully break the Clan of Pradhan first. Who's to say what condition Shashi put forth while impelling them."
"I don't mean to put pressure on you but trust me pressure is enormous," I said. "Panchayat may have given us three months but a fifteen-year-old boy brought it down to two weeks...max. Every creature must and should be destroyed within two weeks." I let out a bittersweet sigh and tried not to feel selfish about the situation. Leaning forward and placing my hands on the table, I continued, "The clan is impelled, my condolences to them. But that doesn't mean the birds of a feather can keep flocking together. They cannot keep favoring Shashi. Tyrell, Pruthvi, I'll never ask you to participate in unlawful acts, but...try and go for nonviolent third-degree misdemeanors. Let the terror mount and see if the Pradhans get an impulse to spill the beans."
Only Celina among my friends gave a heady smile while the rest stared, a little stunned at me, and I couldn't bear to meet Nazira's eyes.
"That's diabolical," said Tyrell.
"Politics, more politics," Pruthvi commented under his breath.
I turned to Nazira and straightforwardly asked her. "What do you think?"
Her eyes widened and slightly embarrassed, she caught each of my friends' eyes one after the other who were gaping at her awaiting her response. My question for her must have been too sudden and unexpected. Truth be told, I was forcing it on her. But after the Haima debacle, I did want to make her feel comfortable with the group again, know the company inside out and discuss freely the near-term future strategy. "Well, er.." she stammered.
"You have been in my place before, and you've dealt with bigger threats," I said. "Do you think my advice is sound enough? You're allowed to speak your mind."
She sighed and relaxed her facial features. "You're all nice people, and you're fighting for the betterment of the country where power and magic have gone out of control. And there's a pressing need to become the opposition that gives a tough fight, both magically and politically. As a politician, you must always do the right thing, but you cannot be too nice. It is difficult, but being nice is overrated and it will only allow the injustice to carry on."
What else can I expect from my queen to be if not the support?
"Made for each other, eh?" Celina commented, while others only shared glances.
Her reply gave me the comfort of having peace of mind with silent elation. I had my feelings bottled up and refrained to reply or show it in my face. However, I couldn't help but feel the atmosphere turn more spiteful. Deeply saturated hues and loads of shadows of the flying creatures passed through the hall as though gray lumps swimming off in the cloudy sky.
"Anyway," said Leena, and a thousand thanks to her for breaking the silence. "Let's discuss who's pairing up with who this time, shall we?"
I gave a single nod. "The Molten Vault being full of mysterious magic, I believe Nazira's the ideal person to help me fetch the Breaking Samagraha's stones from the vault..."
"You know what, I don't get it," Celina said and tapped on Nazira's shoulder to seek her attention. Nazira was standing beside me. Being deaf-mute and already knowing her part to play, she did not get the opportunity to involve further in the conversation. But it seemed unacceptable for Celina. "You are a mage. Why can't you use your juju on Breaking Samagraha and bring them back to health, or like you did to yourself?"
Tyrell slowly gave Celina a disapproving glance.
"It doesn't work that way," said Nazira, and I translated it for her. "They're Samagraha. They're neither normal nor mages. They need their stones. And besides, we can't bring anyone back from their deathbed. We don't play with health. It's...dark magic."
"Really?" she said. "Wonder why you didn't think about that before you brought Almourah back to health."
There was a tinge of sarcasm in her voice and my doubts escalated. Hadn't she promised to forgive her and move on? Or was this the way she chose to make better friends with her? Nazira sure had picked up the sarcasm and said, "Because it was Endira who asked me to bring him back to health, just like how you are asking me now. What is this, another ability?"
I cleared my throat but reformed her sentence. "She says it was a mistake, and she's really sorry about it. Can we now just pay attention only to our jobs now?"
Leena gazed at the two girls with a certain nervousness. Pruthvi set his glasses straight and leaned against the wall folding his hands.
"Quite so," said Celina, but ignored my request. All her focus was on having a conversation with Nazira. "You can stop the time, can't you?' she asked. "Pretty incredible. Scary, but incredible. So here's my question for you - doesn't that make everything easy? For example, killing Shashi?"
Tyrell shook his head out of whim but let Nazira reply. "No. Health, nature, and time. It's best not to meddle with these. Especially time." She glanced at me as though suddenly being struck with a point she resisted speaking out. "If I stop the time, everything stops. Including the Pride. Nothing works. It's just the way it is. Time is more valuable and powerful than nature. Dark magic already messes with nature. Just imagine how dangerous it is to fiddle with time."
"No exceptions?" she asked.
Nazira paused, and I noticed her jaw tightening a bit. Swiftly as a clap of thunder, an uncomfortable shift landed amidst us. The sounds and movement of the world came to a standstill. No rattle of the pouring rain. No screech of the creatures. No buzzing of the wind. The absolute screaming halt. The sober hum. The deadly silence was unnerving and awkward in every sense.
Nazira stared questioningly at me. I squinted only to find my friends positioned still as a statue. Pruthvi stared still at Nazira, his expression eager, wanting to know more about his sister. Tyrell had his head bent down with a hand on his chin. Leena, her hand pulled up against her mouth and the piece of bread stuck between them. Celina, her face grimaced and mouth twisted, displaying a silly, immature, not to mention hilarious gesture at Nazira.
I looked back at her, arriving at a conclusion. The thought emerged in my mind with such clarity that I almost choked. "This is how we have been able to meet in Uttarameer. I'm the exception."
"You were dying for nine minutes only," she explained. "I stopped the time and morphed the surroundings. Just created an illusion so that you get the notion of us being back in the Parallel Universe. It's... cheating, I know." She flashed an apologetic look.
"And last night?
"That too. I bought the time in my way."
I smiled. "Shashi is not wrong in needing you on his side. You know that right?"
She let out a soft sigh. "Another reason why I detest my magic. I'm releasing now."
"Absolutely no exceptions at all?" Celina continued. Time got back to being up and running.
Nazira shook her head, "Not important, right now. It has nothing to do with Shashi and his demise. I guess we can discuss the strength of my magic later."
Celina opened her mouth but Leena cut her off this time.
"Agnidaanav is stuck guarding the only entrance to the Molten Vault, which is advantageous, isn't it? The only thing we need to make sure is how to reach up to its heart."
"Are you inferring a fight to the death with Agnidaanav inside the cave?" I said, foreseeing the consequences. "Not advisable."
"Why not? I can provide you enough space to sneak and get into the Molten Vault."
"This time the fight shall be more aggressive and I'm guessing that its struggle with your, mine, and Celina's combined formation may cause disturbance in the magma. Shashi's magic is untrustworthy and he might be capable of using magma in his favor. We cannot afford an eruption. The volcano has been dormant to date and we should let it be. We gotta lure Agnidaanav away from the Molten Vault and I'll do everything I can to throw it outside the cave. Leena, you gotta give a tougher fight and make it weak. So that the right person shall dagger it to death."
I looked pointedly at Celina. She gave an assured nod.
"What else have we got?"
Celina made me regret asking the question. "So what about tinkering with the climate? You could certainly do that, right?" she asked Nazira. "Or do you have any other excuse, like you always have?"
Nazira glared at her and I assumed I saw her eyes lined with dark kohl. Not a good sign.
"What's the point of doing this?" Leena asked, irritated. "Nazira already apologized. Just let her be."
"That's okay, Leena. I'm used to these insults," Nazira said. "But thank you for having my back. You really are my only good friend and always will be."
I shouldn't have translated the last sentence, but stupid me, I did.
Celina's eyes twitched, and her face went beetroot red with anger. She had the same solid murderous look that we were all scared of. A sudden swift in the attested to the impact of her anger and the chill in the air touched my bones. Curtains in the room bellowed out. The screech of the creatures suddenly drowned twofold. "You know what's funny?" she said pushing away a streak of her purple hair back and, stepping up front. Leena, Tyrell, and Pruthvi all stepped aside emanating an aura of discordance. "Leena must be your only friend considering all the three lives you've lived holding up yourself as such a model of wisdom and glory."
Nazira stood deadly uncomfortable with her remark. She batted her eyes furiously and gritted her teeth. It seemed she had enough. "Look, you need to forgive me for what happened thousand years ago, or you don't. But you can't keep throwing it in my face every time you get a chance. Even Endira didn't sulk that much and she was an absolute nutcase. Hayden, you tell her exactly what I said."
I couldn't believe I did. Or wait, was Nazira flaring her magic at me making me translate word to word?
Celina retorted, "How could she throw anything in your face when you had other guys' faces attached to yours?"
A snigger escaped my mouth and it was honestly instinctive. Nazira shot me an angry look before she got back at Celina. "Atleast I went guy after guy. Never dared to be bubblegum-headed two-timer."
Celina's mouth dropped. "What!"
"Yeah, Leena told me how confused you were between Tyrell and Ashwant. And you chose Tyrell 'coz he's young and better looking."
Tyrell grinned sheepishly and then mouthed 'Please stop them' at me.
"I'm with Tyrell because I think I'm better compatible with him," Celina yelled, startling Tyrell. "And Ashwant was a mistake I made as a teenager. God, how many times do I have to keep hearing people speak of that."
"Here's a newsflash, little lady. Everybody makes mistakes. And my biggest mistake was to take Endira in. Should have left her to rot with other hoochie-mamas."
Pruthvi bit his tongue and chuckled inaudibly.
Celina growled. "How about I make another mistake and punch your pretty face you're so proud of?"
"Yeah? How are you going to reach it? Hope the next stage of your life comes with a ladder!"
And they both charged upfront together, aiming for each other's hair and engaging in a catfight. Pruthvi wedged himself in between while I quickly held Nazira by her waist and pulled her back, and Tyrell did the same, pulling Celina back with brute force.
"Stop! Both of you stop! Leena cried, her voice quivering as if she was about to burst out weeping.
"My goodness!" Pruthvi chimed in, looking skyward. "You're both supposed to be soul sisters, not soul eaters!"
"Get off me!" Celina pushed Tyrell off her and snapped at Nazira. "I knew it was a mistake to even think about forgiving you. I'm outta here!"
She gave me a most unfriendly stare, shouldered past Pruthvi, and stomped off the great hall. Leena shook her head, anticipant and fearing before she ran behind Celina.
"Well, we are off to commence our job," said Tyrell, slowly. "Good luck with the girls." He opened the Gates and with Pruthvi behind him, they jumped out of the brilliant lights and disappeared.
After a moment of biting stillness and awkward silence, I turned to Nazira rubbing my nape and trying not to be disappointed in her which I was. Silly as their fight might be, it was still going to ruin my plans to save the country. "What in the world..."
"She started it."
"You didn't have to pile on. What is this, third grade? Nazira, you always wanted to meet her, what happened now?"
"She's been on my case ever since I got here," she said, eyes brimming with tears. "She just couldn't wait to humiliate me in front of everybody. Don't I know, the way she had been peeking into my bedroom and seeking information about my health from Pruthvi and Leena? Everyone spoke so highly of her...oh she's so nowhere near my expectations."
"That's because you haven't spent time with her." I paused in silent contemplation, my mind quickly recalculated the plans for this morning. "Nazira, you'll have to go deal with Agnidaanav."
"What!" she gasped, enlarging her eyes. "That's impossible. You know I can't fight."
"Exactly. That's why you'll go with someone who knows only to fight."
She blinked for a moment, thinking, and then gasped again, "No way! Such a bad idea..."
"No, it's not. Try to work things up with her. Get to know her, talk to her, and make plans with her, and when I meet you before going to the Molten Vault, I want you both to be on the best of terms. And this the last time I'm ever getting involved in this nonsense."
I took a step away from her when she said. "What if we kill off each other?"
"Whatever it is just do it together. Oh, and mind me asking- Hoochie-mama? How do you even know that insult?"
"Singh told me that's what you call Matsyasvi," she snapped.
My face flushed in embarrassment and I walked away without uttering another word. I sped looking for Celina and found her standing against the window with Leena having a persuasive word with her.
Celina watched me approach and sighed unapologetically. "I'm sorry I couldn't get along with her. It's impossible because she's so...Haimavati."
"The dagger is hidden in Shashi's basement."
The thin line of her visible brow jumped in surprise and she stared for an explanation. I was glad that my little reveal of the secret had her mind distracted, made her know the seriousness of the situation, and mainly shut her up for five minutes allowing me to speak.
Leena laughed loud and long, as though the idea tickled her fancy. "You're sharp as a tack, Hayden Mackay. How could a hunter ever know that the treasure is hidden in his home itself?"
"That's the idea," I said smilingly and turned to Celina. "I'm going to give the dagger to you. I expect you'll keep it safely in your possession from here on till we meet Shashi the next time. It is yours. Use it well, but that will be after Leena and I fight Agnidaanav and send the creature your way."
Celina's eyes narrowed. "Leena and you? That wasn't the.... bull stuff! I'm not going to go on a job with her!"
"Listen to me and listen carefully," I said, in a tone of imperious command. "When I made the dynasties live together underground I thought this war would be bloodless, and safe for the citizens. But I forgot that causalities can even be caused by indirect violence like poverty, hunger, thirst, and medical shortages. In two weeks this country will run out of water and without a sample even Leena and Ashwant won't be able to generate more. You understand what that means right?" I paused and Celina folded her hands against her chest as though trying to stop her heart from pounding. "How long do we plan to rely on dark magic?" I asked, rhetorically.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"To make you understand that your egoistic problem with Nazira is not worth escalating when we have even bigger problems on our hands. And it is very foolish of you for putting effort into gaining ground you don't intend to keep."
"Egoistic?"
"Yes! You accepted her apology, yet you kept seeing Haimavati in her. Your bitchlike attitude is very new to me, considering you haven't been this way with any of us when we first met."
"Bitchlike?" Celina gasped and I noticed Leena nodding in my approval with a catatonic stupor. "How dare...why would you...!"
"You are going on the job with her," I said strictly and started walking backward to get away from there before Celina blew me away with her Formation. "Take her help and finish Agnidaanav off. Leena, I'll meet you on the porch."
"Hayden, how...why..." Celina kept scrambling and stuttering.
"I'm not telling you this as a friend!" I stated and disappeared from her sight.
"Oh, you'll pay for this, Your Majesty!" Celina yelled back in a snotty British accent, and that was the last I heard from her that morning in Sharad's palace.
-x-