I sit on a carpet with Rinaz and Ajaz’s older sister-in-law, whose name I found out to be Aamina. She is still holding back from me and sits quietly. Ammi joins us with Azmath, Asad and an Islamic priest. Hovering behind them is their trusted, elderly, household help, Walibaba. He has served years with the family and I can tell he is more family than a paid help.
Rinaz pushes the duppatta that she has draped over my head lower, covering my entire face. The airy, georgette material is translucent. Through its interwoven embroidery, I see the marriage party settle onto the carpet. I keep my eyes lowered not because I feel shy but because I feel confused, flustered.
The priest mumbles his incantations for a while before pausing to address me, “Is a mehr of rupees one crore acceptable to you, my child?”
One crore! That is a lot of money! Exactly how affluent is the Markos family? Rinaz nudges me for an answer. “Say yes,” she whispers so I follow suit.
The priest continues. “Do you Prisha Sanghvi agree to your union in holy matrimony to Ajaz Elias bin Afzal as his wife and for him as your husband?”
Husband! I’m lost to the reality of it. Rinaz gives me a gentle nudge. I nod my head. I’m breathless, I’m giddy. “Yes. I agree,” I manage a whisper. He repeats the question two more times. I say yes to all. The priest accepts the answer and places a pen and a paper with Urdu writing towards me. It has my name and Ajaz’s names written in English along with those of his brothers and sister-in-laws. I lift the pen. My breath constricts when I realise Ajaz has already signed against his name. He’s accepted me as his wife! I urge my hands to stop shaking and place my signature next to his.
We’re married! Rinaz and Aamina sign against their names as witnesses, as do Walibaba and Azmath. A mumble of congratulations flows through the room before the priest and Walibaba leave.
Ammi remains sitting making me nervous with her mere presence.
“Congratulations, Prisha,” Rinaz whispers. “You are now part of our family.”
My heart flutters as a smile touches my lips. I can’t believe I’m actually married to Ajaz!
“Ask Ajaz to come in,” Ammi issues an order.
Asad leaves and returns with Ajaz. I can’t but help look up through my veil. I need to see him as I need him to see me.
His molten eyes immediately lock with mine, radiating the love he feels. All my misgivings go out the window. This is what I have wanted all along.
Ammi indicates us to sit before her. I slide ahead on the floor. Ajaz and I both sit on our folded legs, heads bowed in humility.
“Prisha, now that you’re part of this family, let me share our secret with you.”
Ammi’s words startle me. What secret is she talking about?
The elderly woman takes in my discomfort but gives away nothing. Her weathered face and her once hazel eyes lined with a rim of grey give evidence of her advanced age. But her mind is sharp and her decisions deliberate.
“The Markos family traces its roots to Middle Asia. Our given name is Amarah, the Defenders of Mankind. Our history is full of stories that tell about our battle with the Evil in the world. We have waged wars, taken lives and saved lives for centuries.”
“We serve the Supreme One and no one else. We believe in His Unity and nothing else. Our ancestors were given enlightenment by Him. They received hymns, prayers, scriptures and charms to protect not only themselves but those who needed them.”
“Times were peaceful for a while but misfortune struck the Amarahs. In the eleventh century after the advent of Christianity, a powerful ruler rose from the ashes of a dying empire. His coming was a prophecy. He was an abomination, a child born to a human who had willed her soul to Evil. He raised an army as evil as his soul and made it his life mission to exterminate the Amarah warriors. He nearly succeeded. Out of a clan of fifty thousand odd members, the Amarah were reduced to ten thousand.”
“They fled overnight to far-away lands where they assumed local identities. They have lived for centuries leading normal lives and most descendants have no idea of their legacy. Many had their birth lines diluted but some remained pure.”
I glance at Ajaz who’s listening with his eyes lowered. He’s heard this before, it’s his legacy.
Ammi lets out a soft, resigned sigh. “We are one of the last three Amarah families that exist in the world, my child. We came to India in the seventeenth century. Our ancestors specialised in non-alcoholic wines and Nashik seemed the right place to be in. My sons are born of pure Amarah blood for I am the direct descendant of the Sahra clan, the only clan allowed to marry into the Amarah. So is Aamina and Rinaz. So was Nadira.”
I blanch at her disclosure. And I am not! That’s why she didn’t want me to marry Ajaz and spoil the bloodline. So why did she agree now?
“Do you believe in God, my child?”
Her question throws me. I have just married into her family that I know holds their religious beliefs close to their hearts. My beliefs don’t match theirs. How do I answer this question?
I choose my words carefully. “I believe…” I start and stop. Raati had asked me the same question. Will my answer shock this family? “I believe there is Good and there is Evil. I believe they both exist in us.”
To my surprise, Ammi’s lips turn up into a knowing smile. “That, my child, is all you need to believe. Our beliefs are our faith. You see, child, humans are the most complex of creatures ever created. Outwardly they might look different but on the inside they are made up of the same components. Love, Compassion, Humour, Pride, Greed, Sorrow, Cruelty, Ego, Lust, Evil and more. Ruling all these complexities is the Human Will. The one decider of all actions. When a human heart falls in love, it is because it wills it. Will can command and rise to any and all of these components. The only one it cannot control easily is Evil.”
My eyes widen feeling a sense of dread. She gives an absent nod. “Every human is capable of Evil but it is usually overpowered by so many of the others that it remains in a tiny corner, withering away as it receives no sustenance. The only time it rears its head is when it entraps and seeks help from other components like Greed, Pride, Ego, Lust.”
Raati!
“The intention of Evil is to create chaos in the world. It will try its utmost to entrap unsuspecting humans and use them to come into the world.”
Ammi’s eyes move downward to rest upon my belly. My breath constricts. She can’t mean my child!
She senses my fear and brings her piercing gaze back at me. “Evil has marked your child.”
“No!” I scream, sliding back from her in panic.
“Stop!” Her command ceases my movement. “I said marked, I did not say is. There is a difference.”
My eyes are wide with the fear I feel. They fall on Ajaz. He’s torn, worried for me, for our child. He reaches out and to squeeze my hand despite the presence of his family. My panic leaves me. He won’t let anyone harm us.
Ammi takes my other hand in hers. “My son has protected his child as best as he could. Now it’s up to you to go back into your past and discover why you were chosen.” She pats my hand in hers and the tension leaves my body. She means no harm to us. None of them do. “Do you know why I gave Ajaz my blessings to marry you?”
I search her face. So he did seek her permission. He did want to marry me. He has married me.
“When I came to know about you all those years ago, I wasn’t happy. No mother could be. My handsome, obedient son had made his own choice. But for me it wasn’t so simple. The Markos arm of the Amarah clan had managed to maintain its pure bloodline. If Ajaz married you, it would break the chain. At least for his line.”
Ammi gives a small, regretful shake of head. “If only I had known then that your destinies were intertwined.” She clasps both my hands in hers, looking ashamed. “Forgive me, my child. In my eagerness to maintain our heritage I almost forgot the very reason behind our existence. We are Defenders of the innocent. And you are an innocent.” She presses a warm palm on my belly. “This chil
d is an innocent.”
“Ajaz is not destined to fight many battles, he’s destined to fight the most important of them all.” Ammi takes Ajaz’s hand, places it on mine and then covers both our hands with her own. “Ajaz is your guardian, my child.”
Her words send waves of warm love across my senses. I look at Ajaz. He’s smiling his silly, proud smile. It makes me smile back. I think we’re going to be okay.
Ammi beckons Rinaz who brings forth a tray with a bowl of water, a quill, two rings and two bracelets made of some fine, translucent material. Connecting the rings and the bracelets is a long chord of the same material.
She gestures us both to show her our wrists. She keeps her head bowed, murmuring chants and prayers as she goes about placing the bracelets on our wrists. We wear one each on our right wrists with the chord connecting it hanging between. Then she gives us the rings and gestures for us to make each other wear them.
I’m shivering as I push the ring up Ajaz’s ring finger on his left hand. The ring is light, almost non-existent but I can feel it emitting invisible waves of commitment and love. Ajaz does the same for me, electrifying me with his touch.
“You two are now united by the power of these rings and bracelets,” Ammi declares. She turns back to the tray to produce a tiny matchbox I hadn’t noticed earlier. “It’s a bond that transcends every realm, every dimension represented by time and space. It is unbreakable, it is irreversible.”
She lights a match and then touches the small, greedy flame to the chord between the bracelets and then the rings. I watch in fascination as the chord begins to burn. It drops in the center and the flame continues its path up the ones hanging at our ends. I anticipate the burn before I feel it. The flames encircle the path of the bracelet round my wrist and my finger. It stings for a few seconds, leaving behind a fine, white circle around my skin in its wake. I look at Ajaz and he has the same marks. Unbreakable, irreversible.
“Come ahead, my son,” Ammi beckons Ajaz. He moves ahead so that he’s sitting right in front of her. I peer around him to see what’s happening.
Ammi dips the quill in water and begins to write across Ajaz’s forehead. She’s murmuring, mumbling incantations that make no sense to me. The water seems to dry as soon as she finishes an inscription and moves to the next. It doesn’t flow down. It just disappears.
Next he opens the top buttons of his pathani tunic and pulls it over his head along with an inner vest. My mouth goes dry at the sight of the rippling muscles that adorn his naked back. Oh, no! No wicked thoughts! I don’t want Raati surfacing here!
I draw in a deep breath and lower my eyes. Rinaz notices and gives me a teasing smile.
Ammi goes on to create innumerable, invisible patterns across Ajaz’s arms, chest, neck, shoulders and back. I can see nothing. No one can. Once she finishes, she gives him a loving smile and kisses his forehead. “May the Almighty give you the power to protect yourself and your family, my son.”
“Ameen,” the entire family blesses together.
“Jazakallah, Ammi,” Ajaz thanks her. He pulls on his discarded tunic and then all rise to hug each other.
Their love for each other as a family pulls at my heart strings. I’ve always wanted this. Now you do, I tell myself as Rinaz and even Aamina encircle me in a warm embrace.
~ ~ ~
The house is quiet. Everyone has retired for the night after a long day. Ajaz and I linger in the living room like shy newlyweds. More embarrassed actually. We didn’t want to go off before the rest of the family did. It’s like making it so obvious. Sheesh!
I’m grateful no one had any grand, childish plans to escort us to the bedroom. Finally, when Walibaba comes to lock up for the night, Ajaz rises, offering me his hand. I place mine in his and let him lead me up the stairs.
We keep moving onto the second level of the house. When we reach the landing, he surprises me by sweeping me in his arms. I’m as exhilarated with joy as he is, we keep our heads close together indulging in the softest of laughs.
His bedroom is the last one on the right. He nudges the door open with his foot and carries me over the threshold, kicking the door shut. It delights me that he’s being romantic. I survey the room when he sets me down. Its décor is as ancient as the living room. Thick, lacy curtains grace large French windows at the far end, while an ancient, four poster bed stands in the center. It’s piled with lush pillows, throws and blankets. Not quite the look I associate with Ajaz but he hardly lives here so I’m sure the ladies of the house have added their touch to it.
There is electricity in the mansion but Ajaz walks around lighting innumerable candles that are held in outlandish candle stands of all sizes and shapes. One by one the candles throw long shadows across the draped walls and ceilings. It’s oddly old fashioned but fills me with all sorts of romantic notions.
Ajaz approaches me with a sly smile. He is as graceful as a stalking cheetah and he plans to tease me, rile my senses and rob me of every sensible thought. When his arms go around my waist, I slide mine up his chest, titling my face to lose myself in his beautiful eyes.
“You look amazing in this outfit.” His words are a whisper against the side of my neck.
“You look pretty hot yourself.” I get nipped with his teeth for teasing him. I giggle and push him away. He makes a grab at me and we fall together into the soft, inviting folds of the bed.
We are lost in each other. We’re lost in our love. He brings me closer to lay a soft kiss on my lips. We hesitate but we can’t stop ourselves.
Ajaz crushes my lips with a soul searching kiss. My response is immediate. I wrap my arms around his head pulling him into me. It’s been too long. I need him just as he needs me. I let him press me back into the bed. It’s a union we can’t deny.
Our love rises to bind us beyond a contract on a piece of paper. My bangles create an intoxicating music of their own as we tangle together. Ajaz rolls over so that he’s lying under me. My hair, my earrings, my clothing drape over him, playing their part in a subtle seduction. He catches my hand in his, bringing my fingers to his mouth. The heena on my palms is darker now. He intimately traces the path of the invisible bracelet around my wrist with his tongue, playing havoc on his senses and mine. We ride on our passion sharing tiny kisses, revelling in our togetherness. I have no idea how we manage to shed our clothes but we’re soon lying bare not just loving but worshipping each other.
Ajaz doesn’t let me remove the bangles. I agree with him when he says they turn him on. I revel in the familiarity of his touch, it’s gentle because he’s mindful of our unborn child. Our lovemaking is more glorious, more sensuous, more restrained. We consummate our marriage by rising and falling together in a hapless tumble of naked limbs. I’ve never felt this complete. We’re just us, this is what we are meant to be.
Ajaz lies spent in my arms with his face buried in my neck. I’m smiling. I kept Raati at bay and yet this was the best I have ever felt. Ajaz rolls on the bed, pulling me closer to him. We spoon as we sleep. It’s the first peaceful sleep I’ve had in a long time.
The flickering candles have burned out long ago but the room is warm and cosy against the rainy night. I have no idea how long we lie asleep before the cold creeps up through my toes. I can sense it even though I’m in the grip of sleep.
She’s here!
Ajaz stiffens. He can sense it too. She has us both ensnared.
The familiar beginnings of raw desire covers my body. I turn into Ajaz, emboldened by actions that aren’t mine. I shower his face with wicked kisses that demand a wild response. She heightens my pleasure and prolongs my release. I let out helpless moans inviting Ajaz to complete me. My need is strong and it’s climbing higher than usual.
Something’s not right. I’ve never felt violated by Raati’s presence before. She’s always been a part of me. I open my eyes to see Ajaz staring at me. I can sense flecks of purple with cold slivers in my eyes. Raati’s taking over me completely! No! No!
Then I freeze as Ajaz�
�s face goes through a subtle change. His eyes are no longer the colour of molten honey or undiluted whiskey. They’re almost colourless.
Firion!
His smile is wicked with the manifestation in him. His tongue draws a path down the side of my face to end near my earlobe. “This is a good idea, Raati. Using these mortals for our pleasure. I’ve waited for this moment to taste this fragile human body. It tastes as delicious as it looks. Rise with all your might Raati, it’s going to be a long night!”
Nooooo! The horror is unparalleled to anything I have felt before. Don’t do this, Ajaz! Fight him! Don’t let him use you!
Ajaz doesn’t heed me. As though under the influence of a drug, we grab at each other, kissing, nipping, licking, taking pleasure in whatever way we can. Our needs are out of control. I want him to fill me, to last with me, to let me climb as high as possible and then to find a shattering never ending release. We’re wild, frantic with desperation.
True Rising: Mark of the Defenders Page 16
