Chapter 170 - Sins Of Khal

Two day ago …

Somewhere in the crematory ground of Minaak…

Mir and Jora watched, mouth agape with incredulity. 

Nine maidens as fresh as daisy emerged from the floor one after the other. 

Laden with jewels they were unique in beauty and grace. Their buoyant breasts wanted to come out of the pearl corsages. 

Seeping out through the uttariya as thin as cobwebs, the glow of their beauty was driving the two Moriyans insane. 

(Uttariya: upper body garments like viel) 

Golden anklets were gloating on their dainty feet. 

Suddenly, a melody started to flow in the scented air. 

Mir gulped down his dry throat as he watched the most divine dance. The self proclaimed Nazir had to put a hex on himself to keep himself rational. 

"What do you say now?" asked Jora "These maidens can't be of this world," 

"Maybe or Maybe not!" replied Mir. 

Enthralled and spelbounded, they both watched the otherworldly dance in silence. Suddenly, the damsels began to dance in a circle around the idol with golden platters in their hands. Each platter had a golden oil lamp.

The two Moriyans soon forgot why they were there. Like men under a sammohan curse, they sat there, their eyes turned red as if they had drunk the fabled mead of Varuni.

Just then, a thunderous voice fell into Mir's ear. The dance and music halted at once. The nine maidens vanished into thin air. Mir blinked,

Was he dreaming all of this? 

Answer came in a question. 

"Who are they?" The chamber asked. No! It was the idol. The very idol which Moriyans had been desecrating for generations. The defilers exchanged dark looks as they listened in silence. 

"Mir,a Nazir and the other is his Gazi, " answered a grunted voice from behind. Mir turned his neck to see the giant who had led them here was standing behind them, holding his trident. 

When did he get there?  Why didn't they sense anything? Mir might have wondered about these questions if the idol's reply hadn't shocked him. 

"Nazir? "

"Yes, divine mother.He is the messenger of Nuh," affirmed the giant. 

"Lie! I don't see my son's soul in him," 

Suddenly, the oil lamps dimmed as soul-crushing pressure came down upon them. The two Moriyans felt as if the whole creation wanted to eliminate them.

Horror -struck they tried to summon their weapons.

"Don't! " The fright in the giant's voice froze Moriyans' hand. 

"Have mercy, O Most merciful! He has come!" the devil kneeled down, as he pleaded. 

"Who?" asked the idol. Mir felt pressure receding. 

"Drinker of Kalakootam!" ( Kalakootam is poison that can destroy the  whole creation)

"Ah!So you've found it out," a loud gasp put out all the oil lamps! 

Silence and darkness fell in the small chamber. 

"Mother! " 

"Yes!"

"Please let him help you!"

"Do you know what you are asking, Bhairav? " 

"This son knows it very well!"

"No! You don't! He will kill you,"

"I'm already dead!"

"He will destroy everything that you see in this world!"

"So be it!"

"He will kill me too!"

"Ah! But…" 

"Yes! He loves me more than his life. That's why he will die too!"

The giant looked as if soul had left his body. His blazing eyes dimmed as if they had run out of oil. He stared at the idol's face, mouth agape in horror. 

Mir noticed the giant's mouth  had no teeth, no tongue. Only bitch black darkness like you saw when you looked into the Nagini ravine. 

"Abandon this lost cause, child. 

There will be nothing new. 

My heart will bleed again watching him go another round in samsara. "

So let him live in oblivion. I'm happy just watching him from a distance. Besides, I have arrange his companion that will keep him happy more than I could do,"

The idol  said. 

"So there is no end to this suffering!" The giant sounded dejected. 

"Haha! There is no suffering, child! I see you have fallen into the trap of desires. But it's not your fault, though,"replied the stone woman with a light laugh. 

"Have mercy on this unfilial son! I've overstepped! I will send these Moriyans away and do more tapa."

The nimai said with a deep bow. 

"No! There is no need to send them away. I will take care of them. But this shrine has been defiled by their presence. So demolish it. Their immoral eyes have seen me. So destroy this idol too," 

Mir didn't know how he should feel after hearing their conversation. All he knew was that a calamity was impending over him. So he sent a telepathic message to Jora. 

The two Moriyans formed a battle strategy immediately. With a loud war cry, they attacked.

However, something more incredulous happened.

Their sword didn't hit their targets. Instead, they found themself in their secret army camp, sleeping in their tents. 

When the sun arose in the east, Mir woke up frowning. 

Was he dreaming all this? 

He summoned Jora. The old gazi had no recollections of their private visit to the crematory.

Mir might have continued to ponder over the strange occurrence, if his path finders hadn't interrupted him with good news. They had discovered the secret passage that Mora had used to attack the virgin land. 

The space tunnel's sturdiness had amazed Mir and his men. Even after so many years, the passage was still intact.

Mir led his men into the space tunnel without any delay.

*****

Kasma continued to move ahead in the  dark crack. He didn't know how much time had passed since he had left the small cave. There was something unsettling about the smooth rocks and the foul air of this labyrinth. They had been sucking his life force and energy. If he didn't find a way out soon, he was afraid this dark place would be his resting place. 

Kasma dragged his feet as he shook off his darkening thoughts. 

The path was narrowing with each step. 

Soon he hit a dead end. 

As his spiritual sense was of no use. So the Moriyan fumbled in the dark  to find the small opening wide enough to be a serpent to be slid through. 

After a long search, his hand located the hole. Kasma put away his sword. He sat down with his back against the cold rock and decided to take some rest. With exhaustion, his legs and hands were quivering like an old man. 

The bitter cold was freezing his soul. No hex could stop his chattering teeth. It was not a normal cold.

Now only one option left for Kasma-to shapeshift himself and slip through the small hole, and pray it would lead him out of this hellish place. 

However, this option has an extremely lethal risk. Suppose if he couldn't find a place to transform back within 24 hours, he would turn into a serpent for eternity. 

Sitting in that congested, dark and dingy place, Kasma couldn't think any other way better than this. So he clenched his teeth to stop himself from chattering, and chanted the dark spell that he learnt from Jora. 

Soon the dormant blood of Ur boiled up but it was not warm. In fact, Kasma felt as if the  bitter cold of the cavern had seeped into his veins. His heart beat grew fainter and so did his breathing. His red eyes dimmed and then gradually faded away into the pitch black darkness. 

Kasma convulsed violently as his body shape shifted.

Soon, a seven foot long snake as thick as the wrist of the water nymph was hissing in the dark tunnel. The snake didn't linger there. It slipped into the small hole, leaving behind Moryians clothes. 

*******

The serpent slithered  through the ragged opening in the rocks. Occasionally stopping to feel its way ahead. 

Time slowly ticked away. 

****

Illas didn't answer Vashu's call to safeguard Tissa, the crown prince. He had a more important task.

Illas  summoned his armor and with his blazing whip in his hand, he rushed towards the spot, the last Khal had pointed him out.  It was their chance to rise once again, to restore the long lost glory of their race. They had suffered enough for the sins of their ancestors.

"Kekekeekeekee!" a dakinis appeared in Illas's path, cackling. Illas face fell. For other maharthis, the astral creatures were not more than  annoying house flies, but they were bane for Illas and his kinds. 

Eons ago, because of these creatures, his ancestors had fled the astral plane, leaving behind their sky soaring castles and verdant lands. 

In Illas' inherited memories, there were a few glimpses of  the breath- taking valley where their people dwelt before the great war. 

Along with these pleasant visions,  Illas had  also inherited ghastly sights of these dark creatures feasting his people's souls. 

Owing to that reason, the disciple of Sakuni, Illas, halted. The dakini cackled again as she attacked him. Her bony hands smeared in blood came for Illas's throat.  Illas hurriedly swung his whip and faced the astral creature. The dark flames erupted from the ghost iron as the whip bit the dakini's hand. 

The astral creature cried out in pain and fled. Illas watched it as the dakini  disappeared into a space tear.  His heart was pounding hard, so Khal was right he had really discovered the way to kill these creatures. 

So they were really going back to their homes. The thought made Illas forget all the suffering he had faced to get here.. With a renewed hope, he started to look for the tiny space-node.