“Don’t be a fool! What could you possibly gain by destroying it? If you break the amulet, she dies… you both will die, and you will never get to return.”
“Namesh should have let Satvi die before,” Damien viciously shot back. “We would not have suffered lifetimes of losing each other if Namesh hadn’t been impatient and greedy. I understand the motives for seeking out the help of a witch whom he thought was his friend, but our souls are bound. He didn’t want to wait, but now I understand. This time my soul has learned. We may die today, but we’ll break the curse for the next lifetimes so they will not suffer what we have suffered.” Damien looked over at me, his silent question hanging in the air. Should he crush the amulet? Would it mean the end of our lives?
I nodded slowly, letting him know that it was alright. It had to be. I struggled to pull air into my lungs. My body had nothing left to give and if breaking the amulet was our only chance to end this vengeful curse, it had to be done.
Damien reached towards the shattered apothecary table and grabbed the mortar and pestle that had fallen beneath the mess.
“No!” Usha cried out. “Think about what you’re doing!”
“I know our souls will always find each other. That is our destiny.” He spoke his words with confidence, then raised the pestle in his hand, and in one swift motion, crushed the small iridescent sphere until the grains of glass turned to sparkling powder in the ancient bowl. The room fell silent as the three of us awaited the outcome of breaking the curse that bound our souls. I looked at Damien, questioning him with my eyes. He scrambled over to me while Usha tried futilely to get up. She succeeded with getting herself to a seated position, leaning against the wall for support.
The air in the room became dense, thick with what felt like an unnatural presence. Without warning, black inky tendrils began rising from the cracks in the wooden floor, unfurling toward Usha. Her eyes widened with fear as she tried desperately to back away. With each passing second, the cloudy filaments crept closer and Usha began to age and deteriorate before our eyes. The roots of her hair turned instantly grey and we watched as silvery strands framed her already lined face. The creases deepened and her skin became papery and translucent. Usha’s youthful presence was fading before our eyes, and the smoke-like wisps darkened as they wrapped themselves around her legs, caressing their way up her body. Although they appeared insubstantial, they were ensnaring Usha, constricting viciously around her, causing her to choke for air. She was able to utter a single word before she was lost to the darkness. “Yama… ” she sputtered. The tendrils enveloped her in their sadistic caress, shrouding her from our view, and in an instant, she was gone.
Fear gripped me as I reached for Damien’s hand, anticipating the darkness to turn its evil pursuit onto us. He pulled me to him and held me tightly, his arms embracing my weakened body. The dark presence dissipated and Damien and I were left there, wondering what would become of us. We gazed into each other’s eyes until we could no longer keep our heavy lids from closing. I felt Damien’s embrace slacken, and we both slipped away.
CHAPTER 35
Damien reached across the small table, grabbing Madelyn’s hand. “Was dinner on the beach a nice surprise?” he asked, smiling at her.
“It was absolutely perfect.”
“Come on, let’s take walk together. It’s a beautiful night.”
“I’d love nothing more,” she replied.
***
He was thrilled his dad let him borrow his 1957 Chevy Bel Air for their first date. It had taken a lot of persuading and promises to wash and wax the car for the next three months, but he finally convinced him that he would take good care of it. As he pulled up to the house, she instantly appeared outside of the front door and ran down the walkway to meet him, her full skirt and ponytail swaying from side to side with each skip down the steps.
“So, where are we going tonight?” she asked excitedly, entering the car. He smiled at her, thinking how lucky he was that she said yes.
***
The music rang sweetly as the doors opened and everyone in the aisles stood to welcome the bride. She felt resplendent in her silk gown, the intricately embroidered overlay made of the finest lace. She held her head high, feeling her gauze veil fall delicately around her. Her mother had carefully pinned it that morning to the coronet of flowers she was now wearing upon her head. She took a steadying breath - as deep as her corset would allow - and focused her gaze toward the end of the aisle. Immediately, her eyes locked on his and her feet moved of their own accord. In that moment, she knew this was the man she was destined to spend the rest of her life with.
***
“May I have the next dance,” he asked. He had been watching her float along the dance floor with all the other gentlemen the entire evening and wanted desperately to be on her dance card. He had been mesmerized the moment he walked into the room - her cerulean gown making her stand out like a beacon of light amidst all the other women. He approached her, taking in the creaminess of her complexion, the stunning dark curls piled high upon her head, and asked the question he’d been dying to ask all evening.
She grabbed the corners of her cerulean linen skirt and curtsied as she gazed up at him through her long lashes, giving him an endearing smile. “I’d be delighted,” she responded, offering her gloved hand. He took it in his and walked towards the dance floor, not once taking his eyes off of hers. It was a gamble, asking someone above his station to dance, but it was a gamble he was willing to take. Her steady gaze and gentle smile washed away any concerns over the order of things and they began to dance the La Boulangere.
***
She absentmindedly ran her fingers through Namesh’s curls, wrapping his silky black locks around them as she spoke, “You know what would happen if we were ever caught…” she trailed off, unable to finish.
“Yes. It would mean our deaths, darling,” he said, clearing his throat. He rolled over and pinned Satvi’s body beneath his, teasing her with kisses. She pushed the worry from her mind and promised to enjoy every stolen moment they had together.
CHAPTER 36
Satvi’s eyes fluttered opened, taking in the bright blue sky above her. She felt the soft grass beneath her fingers, and the warmth of the sun caressed her skin. She wasn’t sure where she was, or if she was even awake. She turned her head to the side, noticing for the first time that she was not alone. Namesh’s sleeping form lay beside her. She reached her hand out slowly, touching his chest, unable to believe that any of this was real. He stirred at her touch and turned his head toward her, opening his eyes which immediately widened in surprise. Namesh rolled over onto his side and reached out to cup Satvi’s face in his hand.
“Is that really you, Satvi?” he asked. Satvi nodded slowly and smiled. The rushing sound of the river diverted their attention from each other, and they both sat up. Satvi realized then that they had been sleeping on the same riverbank where they had spent many secret afternoons together.
The sound of the water became louder and began violently churning, causing a large whirlpool to form. It swirled faster and faster, and Namesh, sensing danger, reached out and grabbed Satvi, pulling her closer to him. Just then, a large being rose from within the swirling vortex; it’s body emitting rays of golden light. Namesh and Satvi knew at once it was the god Yama - lord of death and justice, ruler of the departed. As he materialized, Namesh and Satvi froze in place - stunned by his imposing sapphire form. Gold ropes crisscrossed his broad chest and shoulders and a golden headdress sat atop his head of black curls, which matched the darkness in the deity’s eyes. His four arms splayed out, showing gold manacles on each of his wrists. Two of his hands remained firmly clasped together in front of his body, while the other two held a golden scepter and dark twine. Heavy layers of rose-colored fabric draped around his waist, descending past his hips down to his feet. Although he was surrounded by churning water, the deity remained free from moisture, his emanating light forming a barrier between him and the river.
Namesh and Satvi stayed rooted to the bank of the river, watching and quaking with fear. Finally, Namesh gathered the courage to speak. Stepping forward and bowing his head, he said, “Oh mighty Lord Yama, we are most honored to be in your presence.” Namesh and Satvi both knelt down and bowed until their foreheads touched the ground.
“Rise, Namesh.” As Yama spoke, his booming voice caused the water around him to ripple and the ground to tremble. “I must say, I am most displeased with what has transpired. You and Usha may have shrouded your evil misdeeds with the amulet she fashioned through her tainted magic, but it did not escape my notice that both of you meddled with the natural cycle of life and death, and that is an action that will not come without consequence.”
“Have you come to take my life?” Namesh asked hesitantly, a slight tremor in his voice.
“No, I beg you, please spare him!” Satvi threw herself over Namesh protectively. “What he did, he did out of love!”
Yama considered the two lovers silently for several agonizing moments. “Although you conspired with this evil dayaani, the repeated torture of having to lose each other over many lifetimes has compelled me to grant you mercy, Namesh.” Addressing them both, he added, “And because the two of you sacrificed your lives in order to unmask Usha - thus delivering her to me - I shall grant you a second chance at life, and,” he added after a moment, “love.”
Satvi and Namesh exchanged glances, surprise plainly painted on their faces as they considered Yama’s most gracious gift. Namesh stepped forward, willing himself to muster words of gratitude, but before he could speak, Yama bid them farewell with a curt nod of his head and vanished. Namesh and Satvi looked into each other’s eyes once more, overwhelmed with relief and appreciation for the deity’s blessing. They reached for one another and fell into an embrace that landed them in the soft grass. Namesh found Satvi’s lips and kissed her with an urgency he could barely control. He thought his heart would burst from happiness. As he broke away, his blissful smile mirrored on her face, he looked around and noticed things had changed.
“Satvi, open your eyes.”
As she did, Satvi gasped in surprise. Somehow their surroundings had shifted; melted away and became a place unfamiliar to them both. When she placed her hands in the grass to hoist herself up, she realized the grass was gone. Replacing it was the soft, white fabric she now clutched in her hands. She pulled the sheets to her chin protectively as visions and thoughts played in her head. The fragments of the past swirled feverishly until they became memories of the life they had just left behind. She heard a familiar whirring sound and noticed the ceiling fan overhead. Glancing around, she saw a framed picture of her and Emily from their graduation day, and right next to it, a picture of her mom and dad from their wedding.
I was back in my room.
Damien lay next to me, looking as though he was disoriented by his surroundings. I realized they were nowhere as familiar to him as they were to me.
“Are we back at your place?” he asked.
“It appears so, but the last thing I remember after being in Usha’s shop was our encounter with Yama. Did all of that really just happen?” I asked in wonder.
“It must have or else how would we both be here? I can’t get the image out of my head of Usha being taken away by that creepy black cloud,” he remarked.
All of a sudden, images of Usha being ensnared in black, coiling tendrils filled my mind. I shuddered remembering how close we came to losing each other - all of the love and loss we experienced over several lifetimes - and how grateful I now felt for Yama sparing us and giving us a chance to live free of Usha’s curse.
“Did you experience all of the same snippets I did, the ones showing our lives together? The wedding, the first date, the dance, the riverbank?”
“Yeah, I saw everything. It was unreal. I can’t believe we have spent that many lifetimes together and we don’t even have any memory of them. ”
“I feel like we have been given another gift, Damien. Not only did Yama spare us, but he gave us the opportunity to see the love we have shared and, now, the chance to fulfill the lifetime of love Namesh and Satvi were unable to have.”
“And I fully intend to take advantage of that gift because I have you, now and forever,” he said, rolling over and pinning my body underneath his. He kissed me slowly, until all my anxiety and reservations melted away.
“Listen,” he said propping himself up on his elbows. “I have a really good idea,” he announced, a sexy grin spreading across his face.
“What is it?” I couldn’t help smiling back at him.
“Why don’t you come and spend Christmas with me and my family?”
“Where does your family spend Christmas,” I asked, laughing as he nuzzled my ear.
“On our farm in Missouri, of course.”
“Of course,” I chuckled.
“Why is that funny?” he asked before grazing his teeth along the sensitive skin on my neck. I shivered in response to the pleasurable feeling.
“I guess it’s hard to picture you living on a farm in Missouri,” I admitted. “But, I would love to spend the holidays with you and your family, as long as you promise to come for New Years and meet my parents,” I told him sincerely.
“Definitely,” he said, before bringing his lips down onto mine.
We stayed in bed that day, enjoying each other; enjoying all the moments we knew the future would bring us. We owed it to Namesh and Satvi to savor each and every breath we shared - we owed it to ourselves and to everyone else who would one day harbor our souls and experience the magic of eternal love.
The End
Eternally Bound Page 22
