"Welcome back most noble avatars of the gods, covetous beyond all mankind," Queen Indradevi spoke. "Do tell us how your journey was and which method have you performed to find yourself in victory."
"My King and Queen," Tepi answered with a bow. "Of that Nikita will tell you. In fact, she was the one who singled-handily succeeded in this quest."
I felt my face blushing.
"Fear not, but speak as if it is the truth from heavens," the King said to me.
I nodded.
"It is a long story, Your Majesties," I said. "But I have an important matter to tell you. I prefer to deliver it from start to finish in privacy."
The look in my eyes must have told him something unusual. The King turned to the royal guards to find a proper stable for my new mount and then looked back at us and the other noble kings.
"I request all of you to come to the assembly at once," he said.
With that said, the other sceptered royals rose with him in obedience.
Right away, we had a council meeting. Some important officers and generals were summoned to the Throne Hall.
The people pressed forward to hear what I had to say. They swarmed like bats that sally from some hollow cave. As we range ourselves in place, I stepped forward.
Taking a deep breath, I looked at the crowd then recited the story of Shiva, from beginning to end. I told them I had the fortune to meet the Great Destroyer in the flesh. How the third-eyed lord had seen our rising doom and warned about our ancient enemy, the newly reincarnated Demon King, Ravana.
The hall went dead silent. The name seemed to take their breath away. I looked at my friends. They were as anxious as everyone else.
"Therefore, my friends, avatars and counsel men," I concluded. "There are no longer divided forces among us. We must take arms and get ready for the war."
"Impossible!" Issarak cried. "Ravana was slain by the avatar of Vishnu ages ago. How could he be alive? You must be lying!"
“Shut your mouth!” Tusita said. “Have you been listening? Ravana has reincarnated, and he’s coming for us.”
"Issarak," Tepi joined in. "You be strong and great by your birthright, but make no more trifle for Nikita is indeed chosen by the gods. The Fate has already given her the supreme role, and it’s already been proven in all the quests, so you must protest no more."
"Your Majesties, if any other person had told us of this prophecy, we would have declared it false,” Sambo said. “But I believe Nikita is speaking the truth, so we must set about getting our force ready."
“You’re right, my Guru,” the King said. “It’s high time we prepare our army before the calamity strikes.”
The men in the hall also nodded in agreement. This time, Issarak kept silent, and I knew it was best to unite the avatars into one mind.
"My friends, I know you’re all god-born warriors," I said turning to the disheartened Issarak and his friends. "The duty has been laid heavily on me. This is my destiny alone, and such is the will of the Lord, but I still need you and everyone else. Your power is inestimable, and your valiant nature shall be our greatest strength. It would be a sorry tale if I led the battle alone, don’t you think?"
Issarak blinked as he did not expect to hear the compliment. My words seemed to improve Issarak’s mood. His eyes lit up again and a hint of blush colored his face.
"Very well," he cleared his throat, trying to look unaffected. "If you say so, I shall comply with your request."
All my friends smiled proudly at me. Relieved sighs reverberated from the counsel kings. They nodded in approval. They liked their warriors united and their savior wise. The King and Queen looked pleased that we could be of one heart at last.
~*~
All day long the whole palace celebrated with songs and music. They sang and dance in the joyous rhythms. The men took pleasure in the singers’ melodious voices and delicious feast. As everyone was rejoicing, a palace maid rushed into the great hall, shouting.
"Your Majesties! Your Majesties! Grave news! Grave news!" she cried.
Everyone stopped what they were doing to listen. The hall went silent like the inside of a tomb. The maid was familiar to me then I realized she was one of Amarisa's handmaidens. I knew there was something wrong.
"Speak what is troubling you," Queen Indradevi said to her.
"The princess, your Majesty, O forgive me, the princess!" the maid stuttered and began to sob.
"Speak up at once!" the King said sternly. "What happened?"
"Her Highness...She...She has disappeared from the palace!"
Blood fled from my face. My body turned cold as ice. The room then erupted in alarming voices. The King in the likeness of a leader bade his people be quiet and calm.
"Everyone look at every nook and cranny, see if anyone can find her," he ordered the guards. They obeyed and went in every direction. I wanted to go with them, but the state of shock left me rooted. My mind was racing, trying to piece together clues of where my princess might be.
"We have looked all over," the maid wept. "But she just vanished without a trace, Your Majesty. Oh please forgive us."
"Respected Hora." Queen Indradevi turned to the Oracle. Her voice quivered a little as she spoke. "Do us a favor for you are the master of prediction and could see all hidden things. Tell us while we know not where my daughter might have gone."
The Hora bowed in regard and pulled out a chalk board. He drew and crossed symbols and words in concentration. Breaths were held and whispered ceased as we waited. Sometimes passed by, and the Hora lifted his face from the board again.
"This is odd," the Oracle spoke. "I could not see the princess anywhere under the blissful heavens. It seems as if she is irretrievably lost."
A tremor seized my whole body. My first thought was she was abducted. I imagined a tall black demon leaning over my beloved maiden. His eyes red and glowing. His fingernails pricked into her delicate skin. I imagined her body wilting over the demon's dirty shoulder as he took her away.
"No!" I cried and went running out of the hall. My friends called after me, but I ignored them.
Heading towards my mother's ashram, I sprinted until my lungs burn. Once I reached the older Queen's chamber, I found my distraught mother sitting on her praying mat. She turned her face to me with tearful eyes, and I ran into her arms.
"Mother, Amarisa is gone! She is abducted, isn't she?" I asked. The Queen hugged me to her chest.
"No, Nikita, do not assume that yet," she said. "Woe as it might be, I will go to my temple and tell this tale to the gods. They shall hear my prayers and surely, they shall be keeping an eye on her wherever she might be."
But I knew it was a lie. My mother should have known how tricky the gods were. How they gave us one thing and took away the other! I was too heartbroken to speak. My voice faltered in twisting pain.
“No! I need to find her!” I cried and rose to my feet again.
"Nikita!" my mother called after me, but I was already running.
By now, all my friends would go out in search of the missing princess. In the bleakest turmoil, Kesar had followed me. She came in to take my hand.
"My lady," she said. But I pulled away from her and wept the tears from my eyes.
"I need to find her myself," I muttered to no one. Kesar tried to stop me, but my feet began to pound against the ground again despite my tiredness.
I went to the stable and brought out my winged-horse. All night, I flew over the city, looking for Amarisa. Yet no matter where I turned, everything was silent and dark.
At last, I landed in the forbidden garden. There was nothing different about the place, large and overflowing with night blooms.
I couldn't find my princess there. Not where we used to sit under an Bodhi tree. Not the patch of the meadow where we frolicked. Nothing.
Gazing into stars, I began to sob.
At one end of the garden, I found an Asoka tree—the same flower tree under which Sita had borne her sorrows. Now I didn't know what to do.
/>
Anger filled my mind like fire. My breaths were like a dense smoke, choking me. I blamed myself. I blamed the gods and my fate, which I had no power to defy.
Dropping to my knees, I screamed in sorrows. My eyes spilled hot tears like rain in the drought.
She is irretrievably lost.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Svetlana Ivanova first started writing as a hobby. She likes to think of herself as a writer version of a mad scientist, who enjoys creating worlds and lets people’s suppressed sexuality and fantasies roam freely. If she isn't writing her stories, she's in class daydreaming about writing her stories.
Other books by Svetlana Ivanova:
The romanov princess
Hades
Cursed Blood
Black Knight
Desserts Spelled Backwards
Return of the Asuras (Daughter of the Naga: Book II)
Daughter of the Naga Page 46
