(Book 4) Hayden Mackay and The Fest of Vrindahina

8.2 Gate of the Gates

My eyes bulged open, literally and mentally. Heat started flowing all through my veins, boiling my blood. I had no idea why I was so angry all of a sudden, may be everybody trying to compare me with the person I despised was exploding my brain up.

I just wanted to shout at him to shut his mouth up or atleast to take his words back. But I didn't. Instead, I felt thankful for his honesty, that really helped opening my eyes. I made a quick decision, then and there, standing right at the spot. If focusing more on Nazira's safety was the matter of being like someone, who had never ruled his kingdom in a right way, then may be I had to do something to make people think otherwise. I wasn't going to play safe, like he had. I wasn't going to run away with the duties I was liable upon...like he had. It was totally under my will as a Samagraha and strong enough to keep Nazira safe, in my own way. I was well made aware about the right thing to do, at the right time and I was going to do that. I was going to win over all my challenges, kill Shaytan Rup, bring Nazira back with me, safe and sound, and hand her over to my best friend who believed in me more that I did.

I violently turned around, daring enough to swiftly walk towards her, taking long quick steps. I didn't bother to know what her opinion was, I didn't care to look up into her frightened, curious eyes. She even stepped back watching me approach but I didn't stop there. I went ahead, grabbed her dainty wrist and pulled her with me.

"Open the Gates," I said to Ashwant, but not politely.

"Don't be angry. There is still time for you to...."

"Open the gates, PLEASE," I shouted, feeling all my nerves tingling with an overgrown anger that I was having on myself for acting so cowardly. Nazira's hand trembled beneath mine. I tightened my fist, not letting her slid through my palm. I couldn't let her go now, she was with me in this freaking job.

"Alright," said Ashwant, calmly, not getting offended by my outburst, "Come with me."

He opened the door of the hut and provided space for us to walk outside before him. I was still feeling Nazira's hand shaking with fear, and I also heard low sound of whimper in my brain. She clearly didn't want to get drowned with me. But I was now too stubborn to dither away from my decision. This gave me a new determination. I promised her, that only for her sake, I was going to come back within a month.

Ira Zutshi was already waiting for us near the stony edge of the pond, a little distance away from the only huge trunk of bronchial enormous tree. I heard a low gasping sound in my head. Nazira was definitely seeing these mer-people for the first time in her life and that was making her hand shake a little more. It was under my list of questions to ask her if she had ever come across this place in her four years of her life she had spent in Rawat's palace.

"Are you ready?" asked Ira.

"Oh, you have no idea. " I said a little harshly but truthfully.

She frowned upon my raised voice and looked at Ashwant who nodded, asking her to do her thing.

She stepped on to the rocks beside the pond, then pausing to focus on the pond. Closing her eyes, slowly lifting her hand up, she cried out a command in a certain language that I always found it hard to understand.

Her hands were raised up, and it seemed she was pressurizing herself a lot, tightening her face in a grimace. For a moment nothing happened, except a few ripples that formed in the water of the pool.

All was quite.

Then all of a sudden, as if water had made come to life, ripples radiated out, creating a gigantic wave, that crashed relentlessly against the waterfall. The water running down of the hill, at once stopped flowing for a split second. Then the last strand of the falling water began flowing upwards, in the opposite course, against the gravity. Finally stopping it's momentum right at the topmost edge of the cliff.