Chapter 144 - Scerets

"Their names got buried under the divine curse. " Charana's voice droned on, "So did their tales, for Lomas, the wisest of all dwizas, sealed the ominous lore, afraid if anyone managed to find the secret of speech, they would commit the same mistakes as his brethren had done." 

Agam couldn't help but sneer at the stupidity of the tale. As far as he knew, the royal chroniclers told a different version of the origin of varnas. But again, Status tales rarely had anything with the truth. 

He looked at the old man, who had suddenly stopped, and was looking at him. 

"What? Is the story over?.." Agam said. No! He tried to say. His lips moved. His throat vibrated. However, to his horror, no sound broke the gloomy silence of the chamber. Agam's face paled. He got to his feet. 

What the fuck was going on!  He tried to speak again, but again no word came out. His eyes widened in horror. He looked at the old suta, who was staring at him with  a serene face. 

Agam circulated the spirit, and tried again. But to no avail. Slowly panic began to seize him. He tried to scream using spirit art. No sound came out. His eyes popped out of the socket. He glared at the old man, and pointed his finger. The ancient curse, he had mocked at just a few moments ago, had muted him. 

Charana shook his head. He knew his death had come. 

"Only a weaver of destiny can lift the curse. " he said, though he knew the warrior couldn't hear him. 

He got up. However, the warrior gripped him by his neck in the middle of the action. He tried to utter curses, but only spits flew out of his smelly breath. 

Enraged Maharathi threw the old man out of the chamber. The suta moaned as his body smashed into the pillar of the assembly hall, startling the others. 

Tissa, who was lost in sucking the breasts of the  maiden, swore, as he glanced towards the raucous 

"What's the fucking going on? What is the old man doing on the floor? Where is Agam?"

Agam walked out of the chamber still trying to negate the evil curse. 

What followed after that, one could easily guess. 

Atlantians,  mocker of old ways, the child of logic, tortured the old suta forcing him to reveal his true identity, for they thought it was the old man who had cast the evil curse on the warrior. 

They might have killed the old man if the black-robed Sakuni hadn't come back on time. 

Of course, there was no way Old fox let go of the suta, who knew something that even he didn't. 

Charana disappeared from Minaak as to where only Sakuni knew. 

*****

It was already late at night. Everyone in the palace was asleep except three souls who were awake, Oman, Padma and Ishit. 

"So no news of Sanka. " asked Padma, her charming eyes fraught with worry. 

"No!" Oman said, caressing her hand. "I fear he met some misfortune. After all, the tunnels haven't been used since eons." 

Sanka was one of his trusted men entrusted to find out the end of the underground tunnel from the castle. Just like many secrets of the old palace, these underground passages had been a mystery to Oman.  There was no map, no record of them, nor had his father ever mentioned them. Maybe he too was clueless. 

Even he wouldn't have found out if Amora hadn't told him about them. 

Oman had sent Sanka into the dingy passage five days ago. The brave explorer hadn't come out yet. 

Would he really have to beg Vasu for his children's safety? Oman pondered again. 

"Then," Padma didn't finish the sentence. They both knew what they would have to do now. 

"Did you talk to Vasu?"  Oman asked, averting his eyes. 

"Yes!" 

"What did he say?" 

"He won't go against Tissa."

A silence fell into the chamber. Vasu's decision didn't surprise Oman. With the history of their two families, he would never help him out. But he hadn't thought Kalingan would even abandon their daughter. 

It was good he hadn't banked on them. 

"Then, we have no choice but one," Oman said after a long pause. "Be ready with the girl."

Padma's face paled. 

"What about the boy?"  she hurriedly asked. 

"He has his own destiny to follow. You have to understand that." Oman's emotionless words pierced Padma's heart. 

"But he is just twelve years old." she cried out. 

"No, he is a scion of Manu!" Oman said. "It would be his trial. I felt ashamed for not helping him out much. Now sleep, we have a long day ahead. We must keep this facade going on." Oman kissed his beloved wife's forehead and left. 

His father had told him and Ayaan. This day would come sooner or later. But Oman had never thought he would have to bear the burden alone.

Night had deepened as Oman reached his chamber. 

As soon as he shut the chamber door, his eyes fell on the fierce face bulge out of the stone wall. 

"What are you doing here? " Oman asked as he started to remove his clothes. 

" It was the lad. " Amora said in his grunting tone. 

"What did he do now? " 

"He could hear the wails of Vela." Oman's hands forze. His face turned grim as he looked towards the scarred face. 

"Who told you?" He asked in a sullen tone. 

"This evening he came to me asking who is sealed in the corridor's chamber." replied the house anima. 

"But how is it possible? The only one who sits on the golden throne can hear and see the secrets of the guardians." Oman's brows furrowed. 

"I too can't understand it," Amora said. 

"Are you sure he was talking about Vela?" asked Oman, his sharp eyes fixed at the scarred face. 

"Yes! I went with him to the pillar.  And It was Vela's voice. For some reason, her sobs were coming out of the stone pillar." the house anima replied. 

Oman fell silent as if pondering something. 

"What did you tell him? Did you tell him the truth?" he asked after a long pause. 

"Of course, not! I told him that I have imprisoned a trespasser there " replied Amora. 

"Good! We can't bring him into this never-ending cycle. Do find out why he can hear the evil voice. Did you check the array? " Oman asked, looking relieved. 

"Yes! It seems perfect.  You should come and check yourself.I did find something strange. But I can't put a finger on it. " The house anima replied. 

Oman nodded and began to don his attire again. 

He couldn't take any risk. After all, it would decide his family's fate. The fate of his lineage. 

He formed a shield and disappeared from sight. 

Oman silently walked out of his chamber. The guards were patrolling. He walked past them unnoticed. 

After all, there was a large cultivation gap between him and them.  Only Amora the house anima could sense his presence. Even he couldn't see him. 

Deep in the castle, after crossing the labyrinth of corridors. There was a chamber. Its iron door had rusted. There was nothing about it that would pique anyone's attention. 

Oman stopped before the door as Amora's face materialized on the stone wall, laden with spider webs. The old house spirit swore as his scarred face let out flames burning the cobwebs. 

"You should clean this part too now and then." Oman's voice ranged out from the thin air, as he dissolved his shield. 

"I don't have so much idle time,'' grunted Amora. He looked at the abandoned part of the castle. Nobody came here except Oman and him. The cobweb had covered the polished walls completely. 

"Then you shouldn't complain." chuckled Oman, he took out his shining dagger, and cut his index finger with its fine edge. 

Surprisingly, his blood was not red. A powerful aura was gushing out of the golden blood. Oman dropped it on the sun engraved on the rusty door and stepped back. 

The molten gold got absorbed by the rusty symbol of Inna, the lord of the day. 

The next moment,  the sun turned golden and invisible energy rushed out of it in all directions turning the rusted metal into gold with a rapid speed. 

Oman and Amora waited patiently. 

Oman could still recall the night when he had got the vision of this door. It was the second day after his coronation, and his first sleep after the death of Ayaan. 

His ancestors along with his father and Ayaan had visited him in his dream. They looked at him as if they were looking at a toddler, who couldn't even differentiate between a rope and a snake. 

His heart had raced up seeing all of them alive. Their faces were glowing with divine light. They all donned golden silky robes, with a sun insignia pinned on their chests.

They smiled at him, welcoming him into the giant vimana pulled by seven white asvas. 

Oman let Ayaan hold his hand as he stepped into the divine vehicle. 

Oh! How happy he was!