The Kailashanath Diamond

Chapter 14

Parvati was confused for this trip was in no way rational or scientific. They had just plunged into deep darkness, fainted for half a day, and reached a cosmic river which looked more like a giant pipeline than a river. More than that, the moon had just jumped on board their ship.

The next morning when they woke up, Parvati walked over to Ashwin and asked him for the new element he had discovered at the Samudra Devta’s Palace. He gave it to her and whispered.

‘Don’t judge me badly; no lab machine can decipher this element. This is the precious mark of the ocean. It values a lot,’ he said so, looking grave.

Parvati thought about all the impossible things that were happening around her, and she decided to give up her Quest for a new element. She had other things on her mind, after all. 

Ashwin, she noticed, was feverishly scanning his gift. His eyes moved fast as a rocket as he scanned each page. She decided to leave this alleyway. She went to the deck out in the front.

She found Jasnoor and Madhumita fussing over a puny thing.

‘I can try cooking, what is wrong with you?’ asked Jasnoor.

‘Why work hard, when I can bring food out of thin air for you?’ countered Madhumita, with a concerned look. Ashwin entered the deck, without his book. He sighed deeply and went to the fridge.

‘You all have memory disorders, I think,’ he said meekly and opened the door, ‘Maye tvam mam abhilasham jagrati! Fill our desires for ann please!’

As usual, the white fridge filled itself with the tastiest delights Parvati could think of. Very neatly, Jasnoor arranged the toast and milk at the table for everybody. It seemed that Nandita and Swati were still sleeping.

Suddenly, Swati entered the hall, grinning widely, followed by Nandita.

‘Hey, I have something to tell you. Nandita, do the honours,’ she said.

‘Well, last night, we were discussing about Jyoti. We were wondering she disappeared on a quest for what?’ asked Nandita. ‘You see, we have guessed that Jyoti was sent by Narada to Naraka to search for something else that was stolen. As I know, Ashwin has been granted a job by Saraswati. So, this means, that someone from Naraka has stolen the Shweta Padma. That could be the only reason,’ Nandita said this with such confidence, that it made Parvati think in the same way.

‘So you claim our special quests to save mankind are interconnected?’ asked Ashwin, frowning and looking moody.

Parvati thought about it. It seemed very unlikely that the Shweta Padma would be in the Underworld – a place with no knowledge at all.

Ashwin stared at Nandita in surprise.

‘So this theory is- Swati’s?’ he asked.

Swati nodded. She seemed to back at her usual self again.

‘The real reason for Kambaj being destroyed is the Angkor Wat temple being lost across the centuries isn’t it?’ asked Swati.

‘True.’

‘Then there must be an entrance to Naraka in this temple,’ Nandita declared.

‘Of course! So the bad luck from Naraka inflicted on Angkor, and Kambaj declined. That must be it!’ exclaimed Parvati, establishing the connection.

‘Hmm – So the Underworld entrance was right there and the powerful influence of Yamraj made the empire decline…’ Vignesh thought deeply, for he had not spoken the entire time.