My mom was a Thribhuvan and I didn't know. How pathetic was that? What kind of parents, don't warn their son of such danger and just die?
I was physically walking alongside Tyrell and Celina but my mind was very far away, reaching back in to my memories to see if they had given any hint of such impending disaster.
"Happy Christmas!" said my dad, barging inside our house, holding up many decorative items for the gigantic tree he bought the day before.
"Honey, we already have so many socks. Why did you buy these again?" said my mom checking all the shopping items my dad came inside with.
"We do?" he said sitting on the couch beside me, "I didn't know that."
"You always buy unnecessary things. You always do that..."
My mom was a real nag and that day it was dad's turn. As much as his sarcastic vein tingled to reply her back, he kept his lips shut tight so as not to enhance complications. He winked at me instead , making me smile. He always did that by which he meant- "Here she goes again!"
"Dad, did you bring what I asked you for?" I said hopefully, trying to divert my mom from shouting at my dad.
"Got it, son!" said my dad handing me over Snickers chocolate from his breast pocket. "Congrats, your mom tells me you topped again in the term exams?"
"Yup!" I said tearing the wrapper, "Sixth grade is so elementary."
"Hayden, no chocolates before dinner," said my mom, "Come on, shut the TV off. You have been watching it since you came back from school."
"But mom, you promised I can do anything if I get all straight A's."
"No, buts," she said firmly taking out tray of casserole from the micro oven and placing it on counter top, "Your aunt and uncle will be here any moment. Come and set the table for me."
I pouted and looked at dad for help.
"You better go now son," he said patting my shoulder and the whispered so that mom couldn't hear, "I promise I'll make it up to you."
I hesitantly switched off the TV and walked towards the dining table, setting the silver.
"So dear," said my dad, pulling over a magazine from the stack beneath the table, "Did you think of any place you want to visit this summer?"
"I don't think so, honey," she said, cleaning the sides of the tray "I think I want to relax staying at home."
I didn't like the idea. I really wanted to do something unusual for the holidays.
"Mom, you know whom Cory is going to visit?" I asked, turning towards her, placing my hand on my hip.
She looked up at me waiting for my answer.
"He is going to California, to celebrate Christmas with his grandparents, like everybody else in world does."
"Good for him," she said, keeping her voice straight.
"Seriously, you didn't get what I am trying to say?"
My dad made a throat clearing sound indirectly asking me to shut my mouth.
"Don't start Hayden," she said, glaring at me, "I have told you we are not going to visit my parents. You can celebrate with your dad's parents if you want."
"They live in Jacksonville," I said, sarcastically, "We visit them twice a month. How is visiting them during the summer make any special?"
"Son," my dad said, "I think we should end the topic here."
My dad too!
I just couldn't understand what they were hiding from me. I was so angry and frustrated that I couldn't stop shouting at both of them.
"YOU KNOW WHAT, I AM SO SICKENED BY YOU TWO, ALWAYS TRYINGT TO CONTROL ME. WHY DON'T YOU TELL ME WHAT'S SO BIG DEAL ABOUT..."
"SHUT UP HAYDEN!"
My mom shouted, stepping forward. I instantly stopped talking when I stared back at her teary eyes.
"I already told you that they are angry with me and they do not wish to meet me. Why don't you understand?"
"I'll understand once you tell me what had happened between you?"
"I am sorry," she said, "You are too young to know anything beyond this?"
"Too young?" I asked, raising my eyebrows, "Hello, I am almost thirteen."
"Yeah thirteen-year-old kid who still eats chocolates before dinner?"
"Wha...that is different."
"Hayden, that's it. You are grounded. And you are not spending time with your aunt this Christmas."
"You can't do that," I said, shocked. I was so looking forward for my aunt to visit. We already made so many plans for today.
"Of course I can," she said as my father started snickering, "You know why? Because I just did. Now go to your room."
Tyrell sneezed, dragging me back to the present. That was one of the many moments I had with my parents about this very topic. As much as I wanted to know about my maternal grandparents, I didn't think I was ready to know more about it, now that I was given a hint that she was a Thribhuvan.
Theodore Hanslay, Celina's uncle was taking us away out of the bar. Now that my mind was back, I found myself walking with others towards the adjacent direction of the entrance. Mr. Hanslay stopped abruptly and started kicking off newly piled up snow, as we all stood astonished looking at him.
"I wouldn't mind if you guys would give me a hand" he said.
"Give you a hand to do what, uncle?" asked Celina in a voice that would melt butter.
"To clear the snow from the basement door, It should be around here somewhere in the vicinity" he replied.
And soon enough after mucking around in the snow for a while, I was ready to give up, my fingers were really cold and turning blue. Celina hit pay dirt when she stumbled on it.
"Oh here it is, finally we all can get in." said Hanslay lifting up something like a iron grate cover, which had steps leading us downstairs into a long, dark tunnel.
We followed him through different turns. It was like a rabbit warren, dull, dank, dark and dimly lit with lamps. There were many passages branching off to the left and right, their destinations unknown. A sense of panic welled up within me. Left alone we would never be able to traverse this; we would be lost. I looked at Tyrell who looked back at me, he was as suspicious as I was.
"Are you positive, that he is your uncle?" he whispered at Celina.
"How do you mean?" she asked, with enough ice to cut him.
"I don't know," he said setting his jaw straight, "May be because we are trapped in a tunnel with no obvious escape route outside? Or maybe because this tunnel is VERY SCARY!"
"Sshhh..." I said as soon as Theodore Hanslay turned back to scowl at Tyrell.
"I am her uncle, alright boy?" he said, "You don't have to worry about me. I am only taking you to my house."
"Your house?" Celina asked, "It's a tunnel."
"This is Rawat dynasty. Shashi and his men roam around the streets waiting for us to show up so that they could just enjoy squeezing our blood out of bodies. Many of us lost homes since Shashi came to power. Our population decreased since then. And the people who are still living are finding it hard only to survive."
"Is it so?" asked Tyrell, scratching his head, "Then what were those people at the bar doing? Inviting Shashi and his people to come and kill them?"
I wasn't so sure if Mr. Hanslay liked Tyrell and his juvenile smart mouth. He glared at him for a moment and then said, "The bar is my only means of living, boy. I am able to eat three times a day only because I am still running it. In this dynasty unlike Sharad, we have to find our on ways of living. Each day I keep my spirits up that Shashi's minion wouldn't bother me and bar today. That is how I am passing each day."
"I am sorry," said Tyrell slightly embarrassed.
"Don't be sorry for me," he said, his voice strict, "Be sorry the people surviving with the disease spreading across Dakshinpur. Do you think people are dancing for fun? We can't live everyday waiting to die, sometimes we have to let go. Everybody needs a distraction and that is what people of Rawat are doing."
Three of us kept quiet, standing still feeling sorry for the people. Mr. Hanslay then turned around and resumed walking gesturing us to follow him.
For another fifteen minutes we walked and then the tunnel seemed to end a few steps ahead. It seemed we were approaching another wooden door when Mr. Hanslay jiggled his keys out of his pocket and opened the door.
"Please enter," he said, moving aside providing us space.
One by one we stepped into a house, which was in no way bigger than doctor's cottage. There was pair of couch in the living room, with a fireplace at the corner. Other side was the attached kitchen and at the opposite side was another door, which to me seemed like a bedroom.
"First thing is first," said Celina turning around at her Uncle, "You are from Paramarashtra and not from Canada? And you lied to me all those years?"
She asked it, as if she wanted to ask it for a long time but waited only till they reached the place to talk in quiet. I, on the other hand was dying to know more about my mother. But I decided to let Celina finish dealing with her uncle first.
"Sit down," he said, "Please."
I and Tyrell obeyed and sat on either side of the couch.
Celina sat on another couch giving space for her uncle.
"So?" she asked desperately.
"Yes," her uncle said finally, "I have been waiting for you to come here for the past few years, Celina."
"Really?" she said, making her ponytail bounce, "So you knew I was Samagraha."
"I didn't know in the beginning. But yes, I admit I knew your father was meant to be one."
I settled back in the chair. This was going to take a long time. I found it silly that Tyrell's and my head was darting to-and from between Celina and her uncle, as if watching for the ball in the Tennis court.
"Then why didn't you take me with you?" she asked, her eyes turned watery, "My own brothers disowned me. I had to live in children's care for a while."
"I know"
"YOU KNOW?" she shouted, instantly standing up.
"I came to America to visit you a year later your parents died. Your elder brother Callum, told me that it was your decision to live in a children's care."
"What!" she cried, "He lied to you. How can a child choose that life? Did ever think about that?"
"I don't know about that. But I tried to find you. I located your foster home after a while, when I reached there, I came to know to you left for good with someone else."
She glanced at Tyrell, their eyes met and both of them quickly averted.
"Fine," she said, "I believe you tried to find me. But you mentioned that you saw me in bar and instead of coming to me first, you went to have a talk with Hayden? What kind of uncle does that?"
I tried to swallow my guilt. Even though it was not my fault that he came to me first, I felt sorry for her. If I were in her position may be I would have reacted exactly the same way.
Watching her with her uncle reminded me of my Aunt who was back in Florida living her life as normal as possible. I could get why she was trying to avoid me, maybe she didn't want to get caught in the crossfire. I shook my head mentally pushing thoughts of her away. I needed to know about my mother now. I shall deal with her later.
"Er...Celina, I think you need to calm down," said Tyrell trying to hold her hand.
"Why should I?" she shouted, flaring up at him, "He is my family. I am the last Hanslay and I thought he loved me, and he left me alone to live like an orphan."
"You say as if it was so easy," her uncle retorted, himself standing up to face her. "Everything in Dakshinpur is extremely complicated Celina. You staying as an orphan was the least of all problems you had."
"What!"
He took a deep breath to control his emotions and then said, "There are many people dying the death they don't deserve. You need to understand that there is a cure for it and people can be saved."
Tyrell glanced at me with his fully opened eyes. To say we were surprised was a massive understatement.
Mr. Hanslay paused for Celina, who was as stunned as I was, to say something. When she didn't he went on. "What do you think would have happened if I hadn't brought you here? People are being killed like vermin and there is no guarantee for safety. We hide like moles burrowing underground. Do you think that this was a safe place for a Samagraha, a young one at that, to live with a man who had no power of his own? They would have slaughtered you. It was best you stayed in a place which had no connection to ours. True, maybe you had a hard time, but it was never life threatening."
A big fat tear rolled down Celina's eyes. Her uncle walked towards her and bent over placing his hands her shoulders.
"We will talk about us later Celina," he said, in a lower voice, "I know you deserve more from me which you will. I promise. But you need to let me talk to Hayden first. Please."
They stared at each other for a moment and then unwillingly as I understood, Celina nodded.
Both of them then sat on the couch facing me and Tyrell. I decided to let Mr. Hanslay speak first before I started showering questions. I really didn't know what he was going to say. I wouldn't be surprised if he told me that my mom worked in a circus and had been a trapeze artist. I didn't have a clue about her. She had hid herself well. My heart raced and I made up my mind to be prepared for anything.
"Hayden Mackay," he began, watching intently at me, "Sarakshi Thribhuvan, yes, your mother, was my best friend. Not only us two, we were also friends with another well-known person of Dakshinpur. She was Quinn Dimuro."
Tyrell and Celina's mouth were already fallen. Tyrell shot me a look with a disbelief gleaming in his eyes. "Your mother is a Thribhuvan?"
"I just came to know that," I said, swallowing a lump forming in my throat, "And I still don't know how she is related to King Harsh or Shashi."
Mr. Hanslay took a deep breath and answered my question quickly, "King Harsh was your mother's father."
"Oh my!" Celina cried.
I closed my eyes hastily, bending my head down. For a second I didn't comprehend how to react. That was one blow I wasn't expecting. So, this was the reason why my mother never wanted me to know anything about my grandparents. She definitely had a good reason not to tell me but I did not deserve to be kept in oblivion far away from the truth.
Then I quickly remembered the past incident- the incident with the fake doctor turned snake in the prison two months ago.
"Remember them!" It had said.
The snake had ridiculed me showing me the picture of both my mother and King Harsh. Only now I understood why. I should have known my mother had something to do with King Harsh, the greatest king who sacrificed himself to save the suspected Samagraha.
"Hayden, say something," said Tyrell, with a strained voice.
Trust me I wanted to speak, I wanted to let out all my anxiety but I was so dumbstruck that nothing came out of my mouth. And how can I not be! On one side there was the greatest king who sacrificed himself and on the other there was his evil stepbrother, my grand uncle, who was awaiting my death. The fact that I shared their blood was eating me half way through.
"I am sorry you had to hear this from me," said Mr. Hanslay, "But I wish it was Doctor who told you everything in the first place."
And then there was doctor, who claimed to be a near and dear to King Harsh. I really didn't want to blame him in any way but I seriously wished he had told me the truth as gratitude for letting him free from the prison.
"Who is Quinn Dimuro?" Celina asked, trying to move on from the topic. "Is she the one whose painting stung outside the bar?"
"Yes," Mr.Hanslay said, "She was my business partners and we owned the bar together. She was one genius, other than Doctor, the one gifted person of Dakshinpur. No one knew from where she could have inherited but she was blessed with this ability to make some incredible stuff."
"How incredible are we talking about?'
"There was a rumor that she engineered a gadget that let one talk to a dead person. That incredible."
Tyrell and Celina glanced at each other. Reading my friends' expression, I realized what they were thinking. Pruthvi must have found the gadget and that was how he was able to talk to his father.
Mr. Hanslay continued, "Me, Sarakshi and Quinn, we shared a special bond. Never losing trust upon one another kind of bond. Each and every day we spent time together, we went to school together, we grew up together. We never ever thought that there could be anything or anyone that could separate us. But what we were most afraid of did happen. Sharad and Rawat turned into biggest enemies. Riots were born between the dynasties. People of both the dynasties turned upon one another. And as a result I and Sarakshi who came from Rawat were forced to stop seeing Quinn who unfortunately came from Sharad.
But I had a special interest on Quinn. I liked her more than a friend. I couldn't stop myself and so taking help of my brother Toby (Tobius Hanslay) I always sneaked out to meet her at her other cottage in Paschimgarh where she did all her research work and invent all her variety gadgets.
Twenty-five years ago, when we were only fifteen, Dakshinpur was once again attacked by Comalica Virus. That time the intensity of the virus was much more the last time and the number of people dying heavily increased. Quinn's parents were also the victims. Unable to watch people's poor fate Quinn took a determination to find the cure. She researched a lot and during one time she accidently found that there was a cure that could actually save people from dying."
"She knew about the cure?" Celina asked, "Then why didn't she use it on people?"
"Many people would have saved," said Tyrell, "Only if she really wanted people to know."
"Of course she wanted to," Mr. Hanslay said, "I was the first person to know about the cure. I know the cure."
I stirred with the intense curiosity raising inside me and so I asked it all aloud, "What is it? What is the cure?"
"Tears of the Maiden." Mr. Hanslay said without hesitation.
"Sorry?"
"Tears or even a single drop of tear from the Maiden's eye is the cure."
"Uncle, can you be a little bit more specific?" Celina asked.
He cleared his throat before he said, "Lady Chandrika mothered five daughters. One of them was known for her innocence. She was also very hypersensitive and volatile. Her mother's death was the reason her tears ceased to stop. She cried irrevocably that even deities cringed for their actions. They had to come down to comfort her. She asked to return her mother but deities didn't accept her demand. They said Lady Chandrika deserved for what she had done. They pleaded to ask for something else. And so she asked the cure for the disease they created, so that no one else shall undergo the same fate as of hers. Deities accepted her request. They presented her with a special cup and made her never ending tears the cure."
"Maiden's cup?" I asked, after listening to the story not quiet intently as always, "Is that the cup she was given?"
He nodded.
"And she was called maiden because..."
"She devoted her whole life for the sake of serving people. She did not care for her own happiness. That's why she was named The Maiden of Paramarashtra."
"So how do the tears of the maiden and the maiden's cup work together?" asked Tyrell.
"Maiden's cup is made of natural herbs and an exceptional metal. Tears of the Maiden when dripped into the cup, it generates an aura that penetrates and blends within the air. That air when inhaled by the victim, the virus automatically abates and eventually dies inside the victim's body and slowly fades away."
"So you mean to say..."
"Listen to me carefully, three of you," he said making us to lean over in excitation, "The daughter of Chandrika whose tears are the cure, is the one possessing aquamarine."
My mouth dropped, certainly I wasn't quite able to make up the connection.
"The same stone Leena has?" Celina asked, a frown crouching her face.
"Leena Savant," Mr. Hanslay said, "Is that the Samagraha of this generation possessing the aquamarine stone?"
Three of us nodded in unison.
"Then you have the cure, right underneath your nose."
"I don't get it," said Tyrell, thankfully reading my mind. "What has Leena got to do with it? It was the tears of the child of Chandrika that we need? And she is dead."
"The children of Chandrika are not that amateur, boy," he said, "When their powers can be passed down to the next generation, why couldn't their abilities be too?"
"What?" I asked, my brain all jammed up. Clearly, I wasn't doing well to decipher the situation.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door interrupting our dead serious discussion. Mr. Hanslay got up to check on it. I was sitting at the right position from where I was able to see who it was. A person wearing the waiter uniform stepped inside handing him over a parchment. Both of them had a short conversation after which Mr. Hanslay turned his focus at us.
"Celina, come with me," he said and walked towards the bedroom with the waiter.
"To where?" she asked standing up.
"Inside," he said, "We have to talk something important, something personal."
She looked back at both of us and when Tyrell nodded, she followed her uncle inside the bedroom.
Tyrell quickly took the opportunity and grabbing my attention. He said, "That's why Shashi is after Leena."
"And I can't believe I am King Harsh's grandson."
After all this time, after all the information we got to know, I was surprised that that was the only thing that went into my brain.
"Yeah, yeah congratulation, way to go...whatever," he said casually, "Hayden Listen...
"Don't you get how serious this is to me? How can you not get it."
Tyrell scowled at me and said, "Save your personal inner feelings for later. We really need to focus on what is important right now."
I looked at him and then I realized that he was so right. I ran my hand across my hair and chided for being so selfish. "I know, I know. I just can't..."
"Look," he said scooting a little bit towards me, "I know this must be hard on you knowing your mother's family lineage and all that. But you need to keep all your feeling aside and think about Leena."
"I know, I understand the situation," I said flinging my hands and not putting so much pressure on my mind, "I am just trying to make the connection."
"Didn't you get what Teddy man was saying?" he said, "Hayden, all this information could only mean one thing. It's not only the stone and its powers are the things we inherit, but also the abilities of the first generation Samagraha."
My eyes slightly widened. I was so impressed with Tyrell's presence of mind that now I tried to forget about my own hurtful conscience. I looked deep into his eyes and said, "Leena's tears are the cure. She is the current generation Maiden!"
"Nooooooooooo!"
Celina's cry startled us. We jumped on our feet and ran towards the room she was taken to.
I pushed opened the door and what I saw made my heart skip a beat.
Tyrell quickly sat beside Celina, pulling her up away from the pile of blood spread beside the convulsing body lying on the floor. The waiter trembled with fear and dashed outside the room making me fall back.
"WHY DID YOU DO IT?" Celina shouted, crying over the body lying on the floor. I walked inside to watch more carefully. Mr. Hanslay was the one lying on the floor, with a slit throat, as he held the knife in the other hand. He was drowning in his own blood.
"Celina, control..." Tyrell was saying holding Celina from dropping over her uncle's body.
"LEAVE ME! LEAVE ME!"
For ones I thought my head would fall watching the blood oozing out of his neck. It took me few seconds to contemplate what must have happened. Watching the knife in his other hand I realized he tried to kill himself.
Mr. Hanslay held his hand up towards me. I bent over to reach hid blood filled hand.
"Pl..Please sa..save m..my pe..people!" he said stammering.
I nodded at him unable to reply him back.
"WHY DID YOU DO IT?" Celina demanded again, crying loudly.
His eyes were now closing but he managed at tell us. "I... was... im...impelled."
His head lolled aside. His chest wasn't raising and falling anymore. I waited for a few second and when there was no more movement from him, I pulled up lot of courage to bent my head over his chest trying to listen to his heart beat. And when I didn't I shook my head at Tyrell and Celina helplessly.
Celina gave way to gut wrenching cries as she threw herself upon her uncle, the last of her family to mean anything to her. As Tyrell drew her to him in an embrace, she hid her face beneath Tyrell's chest and cried uncontrollably. I felt so bad for her. It was because of me she couldn't get a chance to spend more time with her uncle. Hadn't I accompanied her, she might have had few more moments to spend with him.
I crawled over and put my hand on her head.
"I am so sorry." I whispered but she didn't respond. All I could do was to let her grieve.