(Book 4) Hayden Mackay and The Fest of Vrindahina

31.2 Rendezvous

Pruthvi and Leena were standing against the rusty gate of the Rawat's palace.

Leena's gaze refused to stay fixed at a spot. Her head swayed to and fro several times, she was trying too hard to estimate the extremities of the palace. She gasped several times, showing her state of awed admiration towards the wonder existing in front of them. However, she refused to express it in words which was entirely unlike her. She stayed as calm as she had all through their journey to this place chosen by their dear friend for a rendezvous.

As Pruthvi folded Hardik and held it firm in his hands, Maruti, all of a sudden turned energetic and began to shriek. 

"Home! Home!"

It flew swiftly over their heads, its wings flapping enthusiastically. 

Pruthvi swallowed heavily and felt a streak of sweat sliding down his back as they walked through the lane leading towards the entrance door of the palace. He perceived the familiar haunting essence, exactly as he had on his first visit with Hayden six months ago. The garden on either side- messy and disheveled with overgrown grass, the buzzing sounds of insects and then on walking further inside they picked up the smell of the impurities coming from the water body surrounding the palace.

They slowly stepped up the marble staircase, their feet landing on the floor in unison. Opening the massive entrance door, Pruthvi felt a wave of apprehension fluttering through this veins. Maruti barged inside and flew straight towards the aisle and possibly into the room where Nazira and the bird had spent many years alone. 

Pruthvi took a step inside and immediately halted. His blank stare wandered around the great hall. His breath caught in his throat when he felt himself experiencing the awful day once again. He remembered the acute pain in his heart, the intensifying blurriness in front of his eyes, and the wall over which they were have literally seen Tyrell's soul ripping apart. Lastly, he recollected Jyran Kerenza's voice, that still seemed reverberating in the palace.

Leena, sensing his trouble to walk in, at once held his hand and squeezed it reassuringly. He thanked her mentally. He needed to feel her presence beside him.

If Tyrell was truthful about the time he chose to meet, then they presumably had more than a day to spent. Palace might have left to appear aesthetic from outside, but everything beneath its roof was nothing but similar to a closed landfill. Spider webs, the huge piles if debris - Pruthvi rubbed his nose and sneezed. The hard smell of the dust began to give him allergies.

"Ew," Leena commented, keeping her face straight and expressionless, "Can't believe Nazira lived here for four years."

Pruthvi looked at her, feeling pleased hearing her voice again. She caught his eye and glared at him, and Pruthvi waited until her gaze warmed.

"We have more than a day," he said, "We should wait in Nazira's room."

"You didn't tell me why we are here," she said.

"You didn't ask me."

"Oh forgive me, I thought it's better to keep my mouth shut," she said, sarcastically, "Because my voice is irritating, isn't it?"

He looked away, his heart constricting. How could he tell her that this much more than she might have ever anticipated?

"I talked to Tyrell," he said, and her jaw instantly dropped, "I put the Shaatrumani as bait and he accepted to meet us in return I give the stone back."

"You cannot give it back," she said, with a sudden stern voice, "You are not giving it back, are you?"

"What if I do?"