Jade Amulet And The Leer Of Evil

Chapter Nineteen: A Friend Gone Missing

'why.. the.. bloody.. hell... I planned.. this.. ' rajveer was saying punctuating ever word with a kick to the car tyre ' it's all my.. fault'
'it's not your fault rajveer, so please stop panicking, stop blaming yourself and come here help me form a plan' aditya scolded, looking worried.
'no, no time for plans' rajveers hurried towards the driver side as if hit by a sudden brain wave and propped open the door 'get in fast we don't have time we should be heading for tomb, Elena' he added addressing a pretty black haired, short girl with a kind of curvy facial features and glowing pale skin. 'I think you can get a rickshaw from here, go home and stay safe and don't lose the thread we gave you, Aditya will tell you when we return'
'no way, I am coming with you' she said imprudently, her eyes shining, on verge of tears but still looking state in Aditya's eyes.
'Elena...' Aditya started in a low voice but she cut in
'NO' she said at once slapping Aditya's hand aside which he was trying to put on her shoulder 'I said am coming with you guys, she is my friend also, okay'
'but it's not safe' Aditya shouted
'I don't care' she shouted back 'you are going don't you?, it couldn't be anymore dangerous for me than it is for you. so I am coming and it's final' and with this note she stormed to the car front door and opened it, casted a smug look at all of them as if daring them to stop her. and then she climbed, in slamming the door shut.
all three boys stared at each other for a while, stunned, unable to do anything.
'well' sidharth said at last, shrugging and suppressing a smile 'there are certain benefits I can see afterall. you know, of not having a girlfriend' and he too opened the door and climbed in.
'drive' rajveer said grimly and went for the backseat.

While Aditya drived, images of the previous events kept flashing themselve automatically before rajveer's eyes, while his mind dwelled in deep thoughts. Everything was going so well. he was happy, perhaps more than happy, first time in his life he was doing something and actually somewhat succeeding in it. They had stolen the key successfully, cured sidharth, they had even destroyed Mantrik's plans at some extant. Even beside that matter everything was going just as fine. Elina was able to bring pakhi with her to the cafe irrespective of her bad mood.
Rajveer Aditya and Sidharth were already waiting there when she had entered the cafe with elina. she was looking gorgeous as always but without her usual cheerful smile. However the moment she had spotted rajveer, all the sadness vanished and anger took it's place. she stared at him with those intense golden brown eyes just for a moment before making her mind to turn on her heels and storme out. rajveer had to run after her to make her stop. but still it was all fine for Rajveer, she looked even more cute when angry.
Then after which seemed like an hour, while his friends waited inside and ordered coffee and chees sandwichs, he was able pursued her back inside the cafe at last. he had his arms around her shoulders, she wasn't looking very happy about it that time but rajveer knew this discomfort too was momentary. she couldn't stay mad at him for long no matter what. Her cheeks were still glistening with lots of crying but after settling down and munching some delicious cream and cheese sandwiches she was back to normal. Not only her but everyone seemed enjoying the food and each others company. Aditya and sidharth's pointless jokes and rajveers comments on them were helping a lot. soon girls were laughing their heads off. considering it the best time, very slowly they turned the conversation to their world saving mission. putting their best efforts they were trying to tell the story in a way from which it look less fictional and more realistic. it was hardly any success though.
Elena who had even less knowledge about the crazy mission they have undertaken recently kept laughing at their few first attempt to explain the situation. even after pakhi telling her that rajveer had explained some of it to her already and she believes it, elina still wasn't ready to believe their story. only when they showed her the wounds and bruises they got, along with the ancient key they retreaved, made her a bit close to believe that at least it wasn't a prank. rajveer had placed the key in the center of table so everyone could see it. but only now he was realizing it how grave his mistake was. they hadn't given elina or pakhi the thread till then, they had completely forgotten about it. perhaps because of the sense of security that they were close to their loved ones at that time it seemed nothing could go wrong. But how could they forgot such a important thing? suresh had warned them again and again, rajveer was cursing himself now. only if he had been a little more careful, pakhi wouldn't be suffering now. if not much at least once in awhile his mind should also function correctly. but no, as if one mistake wasn't enough, he left the key lay on the table and went to pay bill with aditya. he had just extracted some money from his wallet when it happened. All the lights in cafe extinguish at once, leaving the cafe in dark. nervous murmuring filled the cafe, everyone in the cafe including it's owner were shocked. It wasn't usual, even if electricity was gona all the shopkeepers have emergency supply of electricity. They could see through cafe's glass door, it was twilight outside. then cafe owner had just told one of its workers to go and check when all the lights came to life once again. 'man..' he had exclaimed 'for once I thought vishal came back'
'yeah me too' aditya had laughed, they were still smiling when they paid and turned. at once it was hard to take in the meaning they saw just sidharth and elina were standing there with shocked, almost horrified looks on their faces.
'what?' rajveer had asked his grinn slowly subsiding 'where is pakhi?'
'she was.. right here, sitting with us and..' elina stammered gripping her head.
he'd just stared at her open mouthed
'rajveer, key is gone' sidharth then said, handing him pakhi's mobile which she had left on the table. they ran out of the cafe instantly but there was no trace of her. They searched everywhere after that in and out of the cafe, elina checked the girls bathroom twice but she wasn't anywhere. how she'd disappeared so fast they had no idea but they had quite a good idea where, and that's where they were heading now.
The car stopped in an empty street on the northern side of the tomb where the ruins were. The place where supposedly pakhi could have gone. Pakhi's disappearance with the key could only lead to one conclusion. Mantrik had decided to change his plans since they ruined his old one. Pakhi had replaced sidharth's place now and there was a good chance that Mantrik would sent pakhi to recover the amulet for him although they wasn't hundred percent sure of that. She could be there or she could be anywhere but they had to check. beside that only the idea of pakhi wandering in those tunnels alone was enough to form a not in rajveer's stomach. only god knows what horrors might awaits in that portion of underground.
it was already dark when rajveer got out of the car. 'wait here I'm getting the weapons, Aditya will you open the trunk?'
At suresh house they had stored their weapon in their bags and hid them in car's trunk. Rajveer grabbed the bags and climbed back in. He gave sidharth his axe and told him to hid it under his clothes.
Elina was gazing open mouthed at the shining red metal axe when sidharth coughed, poor boy was trying to insert it's hilt inside his jean front so he could cover rest of it with his hoodie but was feeling rather shy to do it in front of a girl. She straightened her head quickly when she got the massage, looking flustered. Rajveer knew her from their school time she was quite popular in boys but was never so bright when it comes to quick thinking. she was a bit sluggish to catch hints in any conversation even back then, Rajveer had a crush on her in those days but then pakhi came and he started to like her as well. Rajveer too was quite popular in his school time. generally he had to chose one so he decided to chose pakhi, a choice he never regretted.
He passed aditya his bag which contains his chkram, short sword and a bundle of rope. he pulled out his kattar and gave his own bag to elina.
'take this, it has a shield in it, can come in handy down there though I hope it doesn't come to that' rajveer said shaking slightly but trying to sound as brave as he could 'aa.. Aditya can I get your sword I have a feeling I might need it, give me your bag too'
Aditya opened his mouth for once as if he wanted to argue but decided otherwise
'yeah- yeah, of course have it' he rummaged in his bag for a second then pulled out his chakram and handed the bag back to rajveer. rajveer made the Same adjustments for the sword as he did it for Aditya, and wore both stripes over his chest. he knew that they will need the rope to get into the well so he had placed his sword in first pocket and rope was in other. then he placed his kattar in the side pocket of his bag where people usually keeps their water bottles. Aditya simply hid his chakram under his sweater.
'OK let's go' rajveer said and all four got out of the car at once. It was a cold night, wind was enough to ruffle their heirs, although they didn't need cold to make them shiver, they were already trembling.
They had to jump a small wall to get into tomb boundaries. they jumped, behind the wall was a kind of courtyard with a partially collapsed dome in front and an up to the neck rubble-filled well in it's heart. On their right was a set of partially deteriorated walls where at some point in time must have been chambers but now they looked nothing more than unfinished foundations of some building. It was even creepier in this part of the tomb, rajveer couldn't help himself admiring elina's courage and determination to save her friend though her face had gone very pale. She was shivering and stumbling so much that it was clearly visible. Aditya was walking ahead of her, clutching her hand tightly behind him, watching them rajveer felt a sharp twinge in his chest. 'only if I had been a little more careful..' he thought
'aagh.. stop it. it's no time reproach, do something useful if you are so sorry. remember, she would be counting on you hurry' his own voice shouted from inside him.
He increased his pace. Desire to meet her, to hold her once more was burning inside him like an inferno, melting away all the unpleasant notions. He didn't think that she could be harmed, he knew she was safe and he was going to meet her. he was sure of it.
Climbing walls, jumping from one to another even hiding once or twice behind one whenever they caught sight of some movement nearby, they managed to reach the well.
four set of eyes peered inside it from four different sides but even with flashlights on nothing conspicuous caught anyone's sight. It was same as before, plastic bottles, rappers, bricks and other waste was resting on its bottom but there was no sign of any girl or some hidden door. For a horrible moment it actually occurred to Rajveer that they had speculated wrong. What if it wasn't the entrance for the temple? in that case they were in a grave mess. After all it was mantrik who was showing sidharth those visions, guiding him. perhaps they'd digged their own graves by releasing sidharth from Mantrik's possession so soon. perhaps Mantrik was going to show sidharth the real entrance after they get the key. If this was the case where on earth would they now search for pakhi. The mere thought of being separated from her made his heart shrank to half of its normal size. I sickly feeling washed over him as if he had eaten something rotten, everything in his stomach was threatening to come out. but before he could spoil his macho-man image in front of his friends and throws up Aditya saved him.
'I think we should go down and check' he said in a shaky voice.
'mm.. yeah, yeah of course' rajveer answered coming out of his thoughts. he slung his backpack off quickly and pulled out the rope. This new hope spread through his body like warmth 'yes- yes, of course, the way must be hidden, paki might be on the other side.' he thought hopefully. Adrenaline rushed through his wines. Within a minute he harnessed the rope with the grilles guarding the site and threw one end in the well, it was long enough to touch the bottom. 'okay I am going first' Rajveer told them and sat on the wall, caught the rope tightly with both hands and turned. For or rajveer it was no biggie rope climbing was a part of their strength training. Next minute he was on the bottom but he knew it wouldn't be easy for Elina as well. How pakhi would have reached there without any rope he didn't even want to imagine. she had never done anything more athletic than walking a few streets after having dinner. if she had jumped from this hight she would have broken both of her legs.
'don't come just now, wait there let me check first' he told them his voice echoing.
'okay' sidharth shouted back.
when he turned holding his mobile, his eyes widened, a broad grin spread on his face, his breath fastened. he laughed incredulously before running to the wall. He knelt down to have a better look. A small piece of wall was missing. Missing as if that part had slid down from there, leaving a rectangular cavity in it. it was as wide as a door might be but it's length was only enough to wriggle through it. rajveer peered through the cavity and was beyond relived, he could see a staircase going down. Same as sidharth had described.
when he removed his head, his eyes fell on something else. A small bronze object could be seen sprouting out of the wall just above the door. The key.
at that point emotions overwhelmed him. On one side was a mixture of excitement and restlessness, now that it was obvious that pakhi was inside he wanted to wriggle into that space instantly, find her and hug her on other side, a dread, would she be fine?