Fate's Imprint

The Rescue

Shaan, Armaan and Veer stood around the table as Shaan spread out a chart infront of him.

"I am sure they must be in the underground Hut of the Saperas"

"What is an Underground Hunt ?" Asked Armaan.

"The place of all the orthodox saperas who want the power of the infamous naagmani. It's like their hub"

"How do you know so much about all this !!" Veer hissed, throwing him a hooded look.

"I was a sapera once"

"What ??!!" The Raichand Brothers stood gawking at the man who just admitted to have been a sapera during one of his many lives. Shaan looked from one brother to the other and turned back to the chart.

"I wasn't always an Analyst. I like to change jobs you know. A different career was a good idea at that point"

"So you decided to become Pied Piper Of Hamelin ?" Veer gave him a scrutinizing gaze from top to bottom.

"Yes. The only difference. Pied Piper used to hypnotize rats. I hyptonize snakes"

Shaan took one good look at Veer and gulped "It's all in the past now, you know. I am quite happy with analysing business requirements and providing boring solutions to double the boring people"

"Good for you, Shaan. I assume you have a plan to get inside now ?"

Shaan straightened himself up and pointed towards a spot on the chart

"As a matter of fact, I do. The only way visible to the human eye to get inside this place is one entrance. But there is one more way to get into it. I myself found this and I don't think anyone knows it."

"You don't think ??? Aren't you sure ?"

"Veere. I was a sepera years ago. Hence my assurity is not to a hundred percent. But right now, this risk is what we have got."

Back at the cave, Prathna struggled weakly against the chains as she tried to break free from the clutches of the evil saperas. She was held captive by two saperas who were right now enjoying some weed. There was one vampire who was sneering at her with disgust and she felt the need to put some sweet smelling perfume under his nose to make the sneer go away. One of the saperas come towards her with a knife in his hand. It was no Morse code that the saperas since centuries have been in search of the precious gem "Naagmani" and the gemstone rested inside the serpent queen's midriff. She closed her eyes and remembered her mother's words from older times

"Remember Prathna. For ages, the serpents and saperas have been at loggerheads. One thing you should know about the saperas is that they feed on us serpents fears. And our fear is their music, their instrument. It is in our misfortune that we are senauuve towards the particular instrument. But never forget Prathna. Your fear can be conquered only by you. No one else can make you cower. You make then cower. Look at them in the eye. Stare them down. Instill fear of your own self in them. Show them that you are stronger than you ever think. Show them that you can hyptonize them as their been does to you."

Prathna opened her eyes to a fierce shade of brown. Her eyes were red as she looked at the saperas, her lips quivering in furious anger. Her parents death, her aunt's betrayal, her only hope being taken away from her; all these instances came rushing into her heart as she began to emit a reddish glow. Prathna's body began to tremble as her anger took the fiercest form of hers, deafening every sound around.

Meanwhile the trio found themselves snuggled up inside the cave that looked more like a claustrophobic trap. It was way too narrow for the well-built wolves to squeeze into it. There were mishaps and the three men couldn't help but let out groans.