"What are you talking about?" asked Jiyu taken aback. "I was so worried about you...,"
"That you ran for your skin praying that Gnomons should finish me and Raymond as soon as possible," said Anikaa.
"Anikaa this is ludicrous. I just went out of the pit to get help," said Jiyu.
"And who took us to the pit at the first place- you, who lied about Gnomons-you, who took us to the howling forests- you, who took us to Vikshi's- you, who brought us here- you- Jiyu," said Anikaa sternly "or...I should say Agung."
Jiyu looked calmly for a moment and then his eyes turned from gentle to apoplectic.
"How do you know?" asked Jiyu, his voice dire.
"It seems the musk deer has realised its worth," said Anikaa in a steely tone, her eyes blazing golden.
Raymond looked incredulously at Jiyu and then back at Anikaa. Both of them looked out of the world and were glaring daggers at each other.
"Musk deer? Anikaa, I am not able to understand a single thing," said Raymond exasperated.
"Allow me to recite the story this time Jiyu, you can definitely fill in where I am lacking," smirked Anikaa.
"Agung aka Jiyu, a young boy of Himkhasa tribe once found the gems in the heart of Himalayas. Ignorant of its power, he took the gems to his home- to his tribe and first time experimented the gem on the young boy who wandered to Himkhasa by mistake. The gem saved the life of the boy and his lamb and the story spreaded, bringing people to Himkhasa. To preserve their culture and seclusion the tribe left the Himalayas to Sunderbans. By now Agung had realised that the stone was not a mere article to fulfil wishes but the access to immense power and invincibility. So, he faked his death to steal the stone from his tribe because Himkhasa people never craved for power but peace, knowledge and spiritualism. Everything was according to his plan; he staged a planned attack on Himkhasa to steal the gems. But, his plans were thwarted by Dechen who reached the gems before him and hid it in the tent of Shalini's group. So, what happens now?" Anikaa paused. Her eyes fixed at Jiyu.
"Agung changes his name to Jiyu and starts searching the members of the group- one by one. He met them and after being convinced that they don't have the gems he killed them in the form of a natural death so that nobody gets suspicious that someone is looking for gems."
"It's my style," said Jiyu callously.
"So, after years he found my mother had the gems?" asked Raymond breaking in.
"No. The gems were with Lauren. She had kept them for years and when I came looking for gems, the wench passed them to Shalini," said Jiyu in an icy tone.
"You killed Aunt Lauren," growled Raymond drawing the implication.
Jiyu shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.
"Then, Jiyu met Shalini. But, Shalini became suspicious of him. On a phone call with Bhagyashree she realised, ten members of their group were dead. It ticked her and so she sent the gem to Bhagyashree enclosing them in paint bottles. She wrote the riddle as a clue on the canvas, hid it with a layer of paint and went to Thailand," said Anikaa.
"What? You mean she met Jiyu before going to Thailand," asked Raymond.
Anikaa tilted her head to see Jiyu's cold face and smirked.
"Yes. She met Jiyu the week before going to Thailand and she sent the gem in the parcel to Bhagyashree that week only. Thailand was their meeting point and when he demanded the gems which she naturally refused, he attacked her."
Raymond clenched his wrists; an illimitable amount of anger was coursing through his body.
"You murderer. You attacked my mother," he raged and took a step towards Jiyu.
"But she survived," added Anikaa quickly.
"Yes, she did," snorted Jiyu.
"Then, Jiyu took Shalini's form and came back to Seattle to look for gems thinking that she might have hid it at home. He went with Richard to Manshiura to search for the gems, but found nothing as the gems were not there. And, one fine day he vanished from the beach," said Anikaa.
"You took my mother's place. It was you with Dad," said Raymond astonished. Jiyu gave a minacious laugh.
"Your father is a fool. Can't smell his own wife and claims to love her," said Jiyu.
"Then, I went back to Thailand looking for Shalini. However, she had lost her memory and an old woman took her to her place. I made some enquiries from the old woman and found that a benevolent young girl had helped in Shalini's treatment and she obligedly paid her with...MY GEM," growled Jiyu.
"It was not difficult to track me as the doctors knew my name," said Anikaa.
"Not at all, you were the most easy to find and most difficult to be swayed."
"Hold on. The woman paid you with a gem?" asked Raymond.
"YES." "The gem that makes her invincible, the one that makes her fearless. The gem that chooses its owner- the gem she possessed for months, the black gem that she has been wearing from yesterday," roared Jiyu fiercely.
Raymond looked at Anikaa to see the gem, but he couldn't find it. Then, he saw a black gem in the shape of an almond, clung to the dip of her chest, partly hidden with the lace of her camisole.
"Damn," he groaned looking at the gem and then at Anikaa. Her eyes turning blue and golden.
"But, what about the red gem we found in the paint bottle?" he asked.
"The red gem has no mystical powers," said Anikaa.
"Agung hid the black gem in his garb and projected the red gem to the tribe as the valued one so everyone including his tribesmen thought that the red gem is the valuable one," explained Anikaa.
"The gem becomes you. I see it has accepted you and have helped you today," said Jiyu in a steely tone, his eyes ruthless.
"It has certainly helped me a lot but not in identifying your deceit Jiyu. The moment Gnomons said they didn't attacked me or Rachel; I knew it was you from the start. You brought us here- attacked me with the dart- with the tree- you lied to me about Gnomons- you planted the letters- it was you from the beginning trying his umpteenth attempt in killing me for the gem."
"Well summarised. It was me, from the beginning," roared Jiyu.
"I could have killed you long ago but the problem with this gem is that it chooses its owner and I see it had refused to abandon you," said Jiyu.
"But why did you pass the painting to me?"
"I was not aware of the secret the painting held and I never imagined that you will reach so far," said Jiyu punctuating each word in a silken tone.
"Now, I want what is mine. Give me the gem and I will let you go," said Jiyu in a chilling tone.
Anikaa looked in the cruel eyes of Jiyu. Those eyes that were gentle, kind and smiling were now vindictive. His voice that used to have a calming effect on her was now harsh, unnerving and vitriolic.
"Cure Rachel," demanded Anikaa.
"She is just on a sedative. I had to attack her to bring you here- Anikaa."
"And Shalini?"
"You know where she is. Why are you asking then?"
"Now give me the gem," bellowed Jiyu.
"What makes you think that I'll give you my power?"
"Give it to me or I'll kill this boy," threatened Jiyu and a flash of light erupted from his beads targeting Raymond. Raymond flew back and fell with a huge thud, his body laid unconscious.
"You...," growled Anikaa and was about to attack him when a wide beam of white light appeared and Anikaa staggered back due to the intensity of the light. She squinted and made out silhouettes of tall, bald men emerging from all the directions in the white light.
"AGUNG," said a deep male voice. "You have committed the inexpiable."
"Eshin...I apologise...forgive me," said Jiyu.
"NO," raged Eshin and his voice reverberated.
"You have betrayed us. You brought humans to forbidden land, divulged our secrets and compromised our tribe. Moreover, you have attacked them on our holy land. You will be punished for this," thundered Eshin.
Anikaa wanted to give their gem back but she was not able to move due to high levels of energy radiated from them.
"But they have...," stopped Jiyu and then said- "But they have no knowledge about our tribe," said Jiyu.
Why didn't he say about the gem? Anikaa knew he was about to voice out that she had gems, but why did he stop.
"We will deal with you later," said Eshin.
"First, them....," and Eshin banged his spear on the ground leading to roll of thunder and a flash of yellow light erupted from it.
Anikaa fell back on the ground. She felt that her whole body was spinning and drifted in a deep slumber as she closed her eyes.
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