APRICITY

16. Mistletoe

The marketplace was sprawling with life. Red apples, oranges, pomegranates, exotic variety of spices were scrambled on thatched shops and sacks. The vendors were busy convincing the customers with the sweetest of words.

Cool, mountain breeze swam across the peaceful valley. One could frequently notice short waterfalls in between the nooks and crannies. The path held a mystic slide, sometimes curving up or rolling down creating quite a laborious job to walk down a mile. A mile in the plains were a matter of four words unlike these frequent ups and downs. Slender brooks slid over mossed stones and pebbles, the sky on the contrary exhibited an outstanding blue; a tapestry without a cage.

As we proceeded ahead, we came across a tensed crowd.

"My sweet lady, you think you can equal a man?" A brooding fellow spoke.

We jostled our way through the crowd to see a young maiden gripping a dagger in her left palm.

"What's going on here?" Varma asked a man beside him.

"Don't you know that devil?" The man grimaced, "he behaves as if he is the Lord of this town and plunders shops and takes away our belongings."

My jaws clenched at this hurling commotions. What do they think, Dharmaraj will never get hold of these dunderheads?

On the contrary, the maiden was challenging that dunderhead. To add sugar to the porridge, she slapped him hard, and the rampant kept checking out on her. What else could we expect from that loose moralled dummy?

"It's getting out of our hands." Varma whispered sharply but grasped my tightened fists. " We can't disclose our identity, it can be dangerous."

I would have punched that dummy into a pulp, but the next sight rooted me to the ground. The young maiden skillfully twisted his arm and that idiot yelped in sheer agony.

"You think me equalling you? Bastard." Her voice held absolute dominion. "Fools like you think women wants to equal men." Her lips curled up in a lopsided grin and she dusted her palms. "The truth is that women are far superior than garbages like you, calling ownselves as men.

With a swish, she turned away and returned the sacks to their rightful owners. Everybody praised and blessed that girl. The most fascinating part of that was half of her face was hidded under a black veil except those doe eyes which posed a stark contrast to her fair complexion.

"Parikshit, am I witnessing Goddess Durga on Earth?" Varma blurted out, still deeply enamoured by the short stunt that she pulled out.

"You know Varma, every woman is manifested with a portion of Mahakali, The Goddess need not step on Earth as long as their incarnations walk on the soil."

"Hmm..you are right." He shook his head in assertion.

Out of all these goings on, I couldn't trace out the girl's whereabouts, she appeared and then disappeared as if a dream in the sea of unknown faces.

"Who was she?" I asked Varma the second time in a row.

"I asked the men at the market", he mused, "they are too unaware to know who she is."

Much to my dismay, we headed towards the fortress, atop the rolling hills.

"Rajkumar Parikshit, pardon me. Mahamahim Sahadev has asked everyone to assemble in the prime hall." A sevika entered our chamber and bowed down.

Without wasting any moment, we made our way to the hall.

Upon reaching there, we saw some odd looking men were tied in shackles and were knelt down.

"Pitamah, are they the ones?" I enquired.

"Yes, these are the culprits threatening innocent people and culminating them." Pitamah's displeased roars took charge in the hall.

"As if plundering houses and markets weren't enough to sate their greed." He added.

All the prisoners begged for mercy. "We are trapped, Rajkumar."

The other ministers and attendees complied against their statements.

"The spies has informed us the same, Rajkumar. These culprits bribe goons to plunder markets and disturb social life."

"All the evidences speak against you. Still we will wait for you to spill the truth." He stated to the prisoners. "Till then, lock them in the dungeon and the interrogation must begin from today itself." He ordered the chief who was in charge of the prison.

I nurtured a gut feeling that these men weren't lying. Though the evidences are strongly against them, breaking the mysterious wall and reaching to the mastermind would not be easy.