Prakriti (Mahabharata)

Chapter 40

Prakriti P.O.V

I was impatiently waiting for the night to come so that Keechaka will take his last breath before I ripped it out from his throat, slowly the day wound down and the city turned in for the night. Lamps were put out, as the people turned to sleep. I swiftly walked out of my chamber hiding in the darkness, Krishne was standing in the corridor towards the dancing hall waiting for me. I reached out and touched her hand, she seems startled but relax herself when she saw it was me. We walked to the dancing hall together and opened the giant door. Brother Bheem was already there covering himself in long dark silk cloth. Silence reigned over the night. The sickle moon peered in through the windows and we could dimly see the couch at the heart of the hall. "Brother Bheem, you should lay down on the coach, he will be here any moment" I whispered to him, he quickly nodded his head and walked towards the couch lying down on it. He put the silky cloth over his head to hide himself. I took Krishne with me and hid behind a pillar that rose to the ceiling nearby. "Just couple more minutes and Keechaka will die here" I said to her lowly, I know how much she wanted him dead. For once she looked excited and she nodded her head. "I have been waiting for this moment since a long day" she responded. 

"It's nearly midnight, we must be quiet now" Brother bheem said and we quickly stopped talking and waited for Keechaka to come in the hall.

The moon rose above the palace and now only the stars shone into the dance hall. In the stillness I can hear my own breathing and Krishne pounding heart. 

Finally, we heard the door open to the dancing hall. Keechaka has arrived, I could make out his body shape in the darkness. He shut the door behind him gently, "Are you there, my love?" he called out in the silent hall. Nobody responded to him, Brother Bheem stirred in his place and Keechaka walked towards the couch gazing at Brother Bheem who was covered in silk. "This has been the longest day of my life, Malini. Ah, my love, my love, you don't know how happy you have made me!" he said hoarsely, I smirked in darkness, his doom is here. With a sigh he knelt beside the couch and reached for Brother Bheem "Come to me, Malini".

I looked at Krishne and gave her a quick nod, she blinked her eyes in response. I walked out from my hiding spot and locked the door with my power, Keechaka startled at the noise and quickly stood up from the ground, he looked at me "Love, is that you, then who is this?" he questioned in surprise. Two immense hands seized Keechaka and a terrible form rose from the couch "Finally you are here Chief, You wanted Malini, She is death, Senapati and she is impatient to have you in her arms" he growled in anger.

"Who are you?" he asked shocked.

"We are your death" I said walking towards him, he turned his gaze at me and his eyes widened as I lighten up the place. "Y-You" he stuttered, without any moment wasting, Brother Bheem flung him down on his back, planted mighty knees across his arms and chest and fastened inhumanly strong hands on his throat. Keechaka threshed about, his legs kicking the air. But the rage of thirteen years was in his assailant's grip; it was inexorable. Keechaka's tongue lolled from his mouth, his eyes rolled up in his head. Krishne appeared ethereally from behind her pillar. In his final moment, the Matsya general saw her standing above him, joy on her dark face, ineffable triumph. I quickly went beside Keechaka and pulled his leg out from his body, he gave a terrible cry from the pain but it was all drowned out by the music Arya was playing in the other hall. "You kicked Krishne with this leg!" I growled, throwing the leg away, tears started oozing from his eyes in pain. "This is the justice done to all the women who you have assaulted in the past" I said loudly and cracked his head in my palms. With a sigh Keechaka subsided, his limbs twitched no more.

I backed away and stand beside Krishne as we stared at Brother bheem, he was like a unleashed beast, he mutilated the dead body. He kicked the corpse, again and again. In frenzy he broke its arms and remaining leg and thrust them into the torso. So, also, the staring, blue head: Bheema shoved it down into the chest. As if in some exact ritual, he reduced the lifeless Keechaka to a bloody lump of flesh. Until at last, panting and dripping sweat, his hands and feet bloody, he stopped and the frenzy left him "There, our queen, we have took your revenge?" he said taking deep breaths. Krishne smiled and nodded her head "Now I am satisfied" she responded.