20. Only One with all the Answers (Part 1)
Author's note: This particular chapter seems too long, that I decided to break it into two parts only for the readers' convenience. Thank you.
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Later that evening, Leena decided to spend sometime with her sister. Together they went ahead to talk to queen Urmila. She was a blind and an old gentlewoman. I just wished both the girls didn't bother her much with their infinite questions.
I heard doctor was back to the court. He was right now involved in a deep discussion with King Aghasthya about how Leena's tears were working among the sick people of Dakshinpur. The green cloud that came out of the Maiden's cup was still lingering in the air and we learnt that it might subsist in the air for few more days. I haven't seen the cup since we had used it and wondered if Leena had even brought it back with her.
I, with my friends, Tyrell, Pruthvi and Celina, was sitting in the dining room having delicious snacks. Finally eating something, filling up my stomach, brought my strength back. I was so sick of losing my capability of using my stone every time I commanded it with a strong formation. But the fact that I wasn't the only one with the problem subdued my concern. Watching each of my friends eating so quietly was making me smile.
"How can she do this to me," Pruthvi broke the silence finally, "And I thought I know everything about her."
Tyrell and Celina chuckled sharing a glance.
"How can you guys laugh when I am dying of rage here," he shouted at both of them.
"Pruthvi," said Celina placing his hand on his shoulder and trying to control her laughter, "Don't you think you are over reacting?"
"Over reacting?" he said, raising his nose up in the air, "Am I?"
"Of course you are," said Tyrell backing Celina up. Then he changed his expression before he cracked, "Oh I see! You are angry because you wanted to find your sister, but instead you found hers."
Celina roared with laughter. This time even I couldn't control mine and three of us laughed uncontrollably. Things have been so weird this past days. Finally we got a chance to relax and crack jokes upon one another.
"Fine, laugh," said Pruthvi, angrily, "I am leaving."
"No one is leaving."
A voice came right from the threshold of the door. Our laughter died then and there. Together, we turned around to see Doctor walking inside and sitting on the chair right at front of us. Quickly I studied his expression as I was scared about how he was going to react upon us. He seemed angry but also I noticed there was glitter in his eyes, probably he was happy on finding us all fine and alive.
"So my heroes," he said clasping his hand on the table, "It's time we talk."
"Now, doc? Seriously?" grumbled Tyrell, "Do you want to do this now?"
"Yes, Kissler," he said stubbornly, "Now."
And then he showered his question in an increased, nettled voice.
"What were you thinking?" he shouted, "If I hadn't had reached Uilani Hill on time, what do you think could have happened to you? He could have killed you. Or you could have done something you shouldn't have. And Hayden, what was that stupid letter you left behind?"
He threw a sharp glance at me that made Tyrell snigger.
"This is no joking matter," said Doctor shutting him up.
I didn't answer him. He then sighed controlling his anger. "Pruthvi, I am glad that you feel responsible towards your sister and all, but that doesn't mean you can go on a blind mission to a place without my permission. First and foremost, I would like to know how you figured out about Paschimgarh at all?"
I frowned, biting my lip. As I expected, Doctor's eyes turned and stuck on me giving me death stare.
"Well..." said Pruthvi but I didn't want him to get into trouble.
"I told him," I answered for him.
"You were standing at the other side of the door, listening to me and Ira weren't you?" Doctor asked.
I nodded, diverting my eyes away from him.
"Doctor, who the hell is Ira?" asked Tyrell trying to change the subject.
"Nice try, Kissler," he said, "But we are sitting here so that I can get some answers out of you, not the other way around. But...whatever...I'll tell you. Ira Zutshi is a witch."
"A what!?" said all of us.
"She is a witch. She performs genuine, legal magic. I asked her to join Abhilashreya because I wanted her help. I also asked her to become an admin of the orphanage running above our academy, just in case."
Four of us exchanged glances and doctor seemed to understand our uncertainty.
"Look kids, Paramarashtra is full of those people you never could have imagined exists. There are certain clans..."
"Like Quinn Dimuro?" asked Pruthvi, injecting him.
"Like my uncle?" asked Celina grimly.
Doctor ignored Pruthvi but he decided to go with Celina's certainty first.
"Celina, come here dear."
Celina sadly got up and went to sit next to doctor. He took her hand and said, "Can you tell me how and where you met you uncle?"
Celina glanced at me first. As I nodded, she told each and every detail about how we decided go after Shourya, how we started our journey towards Rawat dynasty, finally halting at the details of our few hours stop at the cowboy's bar.
Doctor smiled and said, "Tell me, how did you feel when you realized your uncle is in Dakshinpur?"
She shrugged and said, "I was genuinely happy. I thought I was going to have a family again."
He nodded smilingly, "And watching him die right in front of you eyes?
"I lost my family again. I was crushed."
His smile drained.
"That is why I always tell you to not to do anything without my permission," he said, "This type of things will repeatedly happen to you, if you keep running after Shashi without my knowledge."
"Doctor, how can my father come from this place?" she asked quickly, "I thought Paramarashtra is full of..."
"You mean British? There is a lot of history behind Paramarashtra that you still need to know. Long ago, hundreds of years ago, few of the British visited Paramarashtra and settled here as one of the communities, forming a separate clan, taking permission of Rawat's first crowned king."
"King Harsh's ancestor?" I asked.
He glanced at me and nodded but didn't say anything else regarding it as I was hoping for. It felt as if he was dodging the name Harsh Thribhuvan on purpose.
"Your father comes from that very clan," he continued turning towards Celina, "When Zarina Khan gave us your father's name, we were skeptical at the beginning. We doubted if a British could also carry a chance of being a Samagraha. But we still went ahead. Out of everyone, only your father was an exception. I remember him very well Celina. He was the only person completely overjoyed when I told him he was going to be different in the near future."
Celina's eyes filled and she said, "But it wasn't him."
"He would have been equally happy if he had an opportunity to know that his only daughter is one."
Tyrell stirred and sat back folding his hands. Everyone wanted to know about their own parents and I supposed Tyrell as well. He had mentioned before that he didn't even know if it was either his mother or father that came from Paramarashtra. He never asked anything to even doctor about it. I wondered if he was even interested in knowing at all.
"What about my uncle?" she asked, "Why did he kill himself?"
"Didn't you mention he was impelled? There is only one person who can do such a thing in the whole Paramarashtra-a warlock who works under Shashi. I told you there is a clan of witches and warlock in Paramarashtra and Ira comes from that clan. Shashi must have been keeping tracks of you. I can't be sure but maybe Shashi knew you were going to meet you uncle. He must have asked Theodore to do what he did. Celina, I am really sorry for you loss...again."
"It's fine, doctor," she said and sniffed, "Is Ashwanth okay?"
He smiled. "Yes, he should be fine now. He is going to begin working in court from tomorrow?"
"He works in court?" asked Tyrell, suddenly sounding insecure "What does he do?"
"He works as main chef here."
"Whao!" said Tyrell, "Been friends with him since a long time. Never knew he can cook."
"Yes, he and Ira have been going to cooking classes since a long time. That is how I came around Ira Zutshi."
"Will Shourya let everyone go?" Celina asked, coming back to the topic "all the victims?"
"Yes, he will. Aghasthya is making sure to find out if anyone else is missing. But then I think they must have released everyone as soon they came to know Shashi lost the maiden's cup to Hayden."
I cleared my throat suppressing infinite questions that were reaching till my mouth to come out. I so wanted to ask him about Shourya- who he was and why he was behaving as if he was helping us even though he was working under Shashi.
Doctor let go of Celina's hand and turned to Pruthvi. "How do you know about Quinn Dimuro?"
"Dhanunjay told us about her," he replied, quickly, "he kept saying how genius she was."
"Yes, she was nothing but a miracle," he said, nodding, "She was the daughter of head of the cowboy clan. She was also friends with Theodore and..."
He faltered there. Tyrell and Celina looked at me and gestured to ask him about my mother. But doctor wasn't even interested to bring up the topic. I just waited for him to finish everything with everyone. His hesitation was somehow making me realize that whatever Theodore Hanslay had told us, might be the truth.
Doctor gave me a side look and continued, "Quinn made many gadgets and your flying carpet is one of them. I have met her several times to know how she able to invent these ingenious products. She wasn't a witch but she had this unique magic in her hands. She was so genius that she made the carpet in such a way that it could sense the nerves of it's master. It can sense everything-what we think, what we need, just like humans."
"It was scared when Shashi came around," said Pruthvi.
"It has feeling just like a human, Pruthvi. Is there anyone in the Paramarashtra who aren't scared of him?"
"I get it," said Pruthvi, "And carpet always took us to the places worthwhile."
"I told you it can sense your thoughts. You must have thought about having an option to talk to your father while sitting on it, and so it helped you with it. Quinn used to love kids and Dhanunjay was one of them. I am sure he gave her one before she died."
"How did she die?"
"I have no certain idea about it. But I remember Tanvir mentioning it to me when I was in jail. He said Zarina Khan is the one who killed her. Five years ago, according to Tanvir, Zarina came to know about existence of the Tears of the Maiden through Quinn. She tortured her to reveal the secret cure of Comalica Virus. That time Zarina was still working for Shashi and that's how Shashi came to know about it."
"So he has been planning to spread the virus from past five years?" asked Celina.
"I can only guess. He knew about the Tears of the Maiden, I am sure of it but he must be waiting for the right time. Spreading virus and getting Leena here, it's a perfect plan. He must be furious now that his plan has failed...again."
"And the money?" asked Pruthvi, "all the wealth that we found in Quinn's house. What was that all about?"
"I just found about all the wealth and the Holognome, Pruthvi. My knowledge doesn't go that far. But if I have to take a wild guess, Zarina Khan might have bribed Quinn to seize all the belongings and the equipments that Quinn invented. Quinn had definitely taken the money but she might not have told them where she kept all her equipments."
"It was in her house, wasn't it?" said Pruthvi.
"Pruthvi, that house does not belong to Quinn but Theodore Hanslay."
Celina's mouth dropped. "He got a house in Paschimgarh?"
"Yes, few of the British people settled in Paschimgarh also. One of them was your Uncle. Quinn might have given him all the money. And it was that money your uncle used to start his business, the cowboy's bar, one in Paschimgarh which he closed eventually due to the reasons better known to him and the other in Dakshinpur."
"So the money and all the jewels that are there," said Tyrell turning towards Celina, making assumptions, "Now belongs to you?"
Celina sucked in a deep breath. She looked away from all of us and said in a very low voice, "I don't know."
"We shall see, what we can do we all those money but we don't have to worry about Holognome," said Doctor.
"Why?" I asked.
"Because Holognome appears only at the time you need the most. People with high curiosity, doesn't matter who they are, if they wanted to talk to someone who is dead, then the Holognome appears. All other times, no one knows where it could be. It rotates from place to place, from time to time."
"Then how did Hardik took us straight to it?"
"Again, I can take a wild guess. Hardik has a capability to take to the place wherever Holognome exists at the moment. Because it's inventor was the same person."
"So now I really do want to talk to someone. Will Holognome appears now in this room?"
"Whom do you want to talk to?" he asked, gravely.
"I don't know," I said shrugging and then immediately changed my answer, "May be, King Harsh Thribhuvan."
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