The water was thick as gravy coursing speedily in the direction of its chaotic path. 

As it collided with the plane we were kneeling down on, frigid water splashed onto my face and stung my eyes. Surrounded by white soapy water, the crashing sound seemed quite disturbing. We weren't exactly in the middle of nowhere, yet there was a creepy feeling of being deserted into the wilderness.

Ashwant, who was seething with anger, formed considerably more amount of hard planes abreast of ours. I didn't say a word, nor lifted my face up to meet his eye. I let him make a decision which might help us get away from this situation. On noticing his effort to accomplish the task, I presumed that he was creating a way to lead us ahead to the bank of the strait. It took him a minute or two, the bank was too far off to our right. He then cleared his throat as though to indicate that it was done. Without once looking at me, he picked his bag and the basket and strolled away placing hard long steps against the planes.

The edges of the banks were shadowed by the dark clouds blotting out the late morning sun. Ashwant dropped his bag and sat down on the snow-filled rocky shoreline, with legs slightly pulled up and staring grimly at the surging water. I sighed dramatically, plonking myself down beside him. I'd been anticipating to meet Sir Pizaca first, but fate had thrust me to meet the most severe one amongst the three siblings, that now had diverted us from our initial plan. Only if I had control over my mind and will...

My stomach groaned. I took a snack bar out of the basket and handed him one. He hesitated at first but then relaxed his shoulders before he agreed to take it. We ate in silence. Neither of us talking. This silence felt horrible and I finally decided to break it.

"Let's hit the bridge again."

He snapped a sharp look. "There is no way we are using the bridge now."

My insides twisted. I wanted to yell back with 'It was one silly mistake. Would you please get over it already?!' but I tried to be as polite as I could. "Why not?"

He threw the wrapper of the bar aside. "Because Hayden Mackay, you openly challenged the darkest of the dark magic users. You're a Cornelian user. With the way he reacted, it's so clear that he holds a grudge against the bearer of that stone. He knows that you are here. All his rivalry with his the First must have made him more infuriated..."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I am saying that he must be waiting for you to return only to once again scare you away. Twenty-year-old against a thousand. Ha! What a joke. And you don't even have the Khatanjar with you for your defense. He'd want to play with you, make fun of you, tease you since you're just a baby against him. He will do that until he gets bored and then will rip you apart into pieces. You might not care about yourself but I do. So, no! We are not taking the bridge again."

If not the bridge then there was another and the only way to resume our journey. "Wouldn't it take more time to cross the Matsyasvi's territory and then travel all the way to Pizaca?"

"Yes, it will," he replied, lowering his tone, "But we don't have to cross Lady Matsyasvi's territory without meeting her at all. We can save time that way."

I gaped at him. "Are you suggesting a change in plan?"

"If you are willing to. You wouldn't listen to me anyway."

I stared momentarily at him, feeling unsettled. The idea of altering the plans didn't sound appealing at first. I wasn't expecting to meet Matsyasvi for about a week or two from today. With whatever I'd been briefed about her, what if the sibling rivalry stretched too far on account of I make another mistake? Also, how could I forget the conflicting theory about her? I gulped down my question to inquire if it was any truth in the rumor. I had a bad feeling that whether Ashwant and I had started this job on a sour note already. He would simply hit me if I brand the Lady a floozy.

"Didn't you say swimming for seven and a half hours would be a little tough for me?" I asked, gazing at the flowing currents.

"How long can you hold your breath underwater?" He asked, finally showing interest to talk.

I shrugged. "I currently hold the Clearwater record to stay underwater for a whopping ... fifteen seconds."

He bit the insides of his cheek and finally cracked up snickering. "You are a ticking time bomb, Hayden Mackay. You tick smooth and in a rhythm for the time being but when you burst, it's a total disaster."

I patted his shoulder as a thank you note for forgiving me. "So, what are we doing?"

He sat upon his knees setting his gloves straight. "I shall take you to her via the strait. I'm gonna swim at jet speed to reduce the travel time. And listen, this is gosh darn important- you have to hold me without letting me go. Did you hear me, do not let me go. Water is too deep and currents are always heavy. It might get dangerous if we get separated."

"Fine. I promise. But what am I holding?"

"My tail."

Only gosh darn important thing at the moment was to keep my face straight. I preferred to stay unmoved, even a blink of an eye could give a hint of sarcastic thoughts brewing in my mind. Finding me speechless, he went on giving me the instructions. "We will stop every now and then. Whenever you feel short of breath, just make me aware. Got it?"

"Got it. Let's go."

I held my bag up, watching a giant wave crashing against the shoreline. Exploring underwater could be fun only if there was no slight concern about the heavy currents Ashwant had warned about. There was a vague allusion if the ride was going to be more grueling than the challenge with Kumbh in the Parallel universe.

I turned to check on Ashwant, waiting for him to set about the task. Somehow he seemed confused, his eyes wandering as if looking at something behind my head.

I frowned. "Is there anything else I need to know?"

"Actually, yes." He sighed and refocused. "Okay look, technically you're a human, and on top of it, a good looking guy in the prime of life. There are chances for things to turn a bit complex once you meet Lady Matsyasvi. Are you understanding what I am trying to say?"

I shrunk my eyes and folded my hands. Seeing him bring up the topic made me ecstatic, and in no way, I couldn't take advantage of it. "No, I do not. But I'm guessing there is something you know that you haven't told me yet because you are in denial?"

He scratched his head. "My father once had this conversation with me, okay? We even had an argument and it was pretty ugly. It's in my nature not to believe anything against Lady Matsyasvi because of what I am. Just like how humans can't believe anything against Vrindahina because of who Lady Chandrika died."

"What did Doctor tell you?"

"That Lady Matsyasvi does have a weakness."

"Towards men."

"Right."

"Men as in the army Almourah gathered in order to defeat the First Cornelian user."

He frowned incredulously. "Who told you that?"

"Let's just say I did my homework," I said, "Ashwant, what actually happened between Almourah and Lady Matsyasvi? Excuse my deviant mind, but I seriously don't want to believe that she crossed a sibling line."

Ashwant huffed.

Seeing him neither denying not accepting, I continued. "Almourah was defeated in the hands of Cornelian user because Matsyasvi screwed around with the army he gathered and killed each one of them? Just tell me as a friend. So I'd be ready with my answers when I meet her."

"Myths are debatable because they depend on our beliefs, alright? And no, whatever you're saying, isn't true. Almourah was defeated because he wasn't powerful enough against the First who was backed by Lady Chandrika. That's all. And hey, even if there were any truth in it, then no way in hell I can show compassion towards Almourah."

"Almourah is a pain and he needs to die, period. You're right, it's your personal belief and I should respect it. Plus I shouldn't be looking for information that's none of my business, right?"

"Thanks," he mumbled.

"And don't worry about things getting weird with your Lady. I'll take care of it."

--------------------------

It was the longest ten hours of my life.

The journey was incredible, all right, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. But I'd be damned if I ever thought of swimming with Ashwant again. The speed of a jet, now I realized that he had spoken in a literal sense rather than being metaphorical. Thrashing and flailing against the high currents, it was similar to rafting done underwater. Ashwant was a great swimmer and a great friend to put up with my shortcomings. Despite my assured stamina, he had taken me to the bank every now and then to make me feel alive before I'd even prompted him.

Half an hour past the end of a thrilling ride, I found myself sitting on a rock, breathing heavily and shivering like a fluttering leaf. I was soaked to my second skin. My vision was blurry, body numb and I had no idea where I was currently at The journey that took the entire day, had completely drained me. I remembered staying underwater for a long hours before, my challenge with Kumbh had given me the experience. But today, it felt terrible, like I'd been rescued in the last minute from the grave peril of drowning. Perhaps the lack of sleep was also the reason why I felt weary and had left me battling with jet-lagged exhaustion.

Ashwant handed me a full glass of hot chocolate. I winced taking strength from its warmth and drank it right away. Had another glass, and another. Only then my vision cleared. I assumed it was almost dusk with shimmering early evening sun rays. I let the moment to sink in and then scrutinized the place Ashwant had brought me to.

Quite a few feet away was a shallow lagoon, protected from the strait by a barrier and small islands surrounding it. A group of merpeople was diving in and out, water splashing up and down. Right across it was a sprawling ancient castle, stood alone amidst the stunning scenery. It was built with stones, gazillion sconce torches flaring along the thick walls. Towers jutted into the sky and blanketed with snow with the setting sun peeking from behind them. Bonfires burning at every visual mass of land. Beautiful courtyards, graced by statues and stylized fountains were an amazing spectacle to behold.

The strong fragrance wafted in the air, the smell which I got accustomed to whilst patrolling in the village. The lovely aroma of what I guessed must be citrus fruits.

A giggling sound grabbed my attention. They were mermaids sitting on the rock at a few feet away with their long fins dipped in the water and the upper body thoroughly clad rich cloth as though a saree. I then noticed they were making googly eyes, and whispering into each other's ears looking at me. I immediately averted my gaze, to stay away from the awkwardness. Beside them was a couple, a mer-man having his arm around a mermaid with a tiny baby mer in her lap. Their happy faces were glowing with joy, it seemed as if they were recently blessed.

There were many others being busy living their day to day life. All of those made me smile. The view of the future seemed bright and glorious, and wouldn't the prospect be enhanced if they were given additional rights? For instance, human rights?

My smile faded and I shook my head to clear my mind with the thoughts reflecting the ambitions of King Harsh's.

"It's late. Everyone's busy wrapping up the ceremony," said Ashwant, running his hand through his wet hair, "We need to enter the castle from the gates from where humans are allowed and it is rarely opened. Good that you brought me here but they might not allow us inside at this time of the hour. We should wait."

"Wait?" I asked, through my chattering teeth, "For how long?"

"Maybe till morning. I'll let you know, alright? You are cold and tired. Sleep for the time being."