She did leave the door open.

I pushed the door further aside. There was a mild creek. I cleared my throat to make her aware of my entering, even though it was useless. She was sitting on her bed, hugging her knees and face buried in her lap. There were no moments, except her shadow that flickered against the numerous candles placed on the table. The window was left ajar as well, with cold breeze penetrating in. The bedroom, she had chosen, was at the back of the house, and outside the window was only an open space land, covered with snow.

There was a thick stack of papers on the table, gently fluttering with a gentle wisp of wind. The paint soaked brushes were still wet. She must be painting a hell lot all day.

I walked inside, being slightly eager to talk things through before Pruthvi and Leena came by. Planning a conversation starter in my mind, I leaned over and placed my hand on her shoulder.

She jumped startled, getting off the bed and away from me. "Don't touch me!" She yelled, so loudly that thankfully, only I can hear.

"Relax," I said, sniggering. "It's just me."

There was excessive moisture beaded on her face. Tears, or sweat, I wouldn't know, considering it was a negative million degrees outside. Colour had drained from her face. How bewildered and frustrated she looked. Sickly pale and there were dark circles under her bloodshot eyes.

"Sorry. Bad dream," she whispered, taking long deep breaths.

Her features then calmed down, as we looked at each other thoroughly. She stared at me as if unable to believe it was really me standing in her bedroom. She gave a quick jerk, wanting to come closer but refrained.

"What are you doing here?" She asked. Her voice in my head was similar to the one I'd been hearing during the past month - demanding and stern, everything unlike the real her.

"Er, I thought Leena told you that..."

"Oh, yes. I forgot." She took another deep breath and tucked her hair behind her ear. Now having a good look at her, I had to frown. A tall, slender and frail-looking girl that she had been, suddenly seemed to have a stronger build inside those jeans and tunic top, reminding me of an extremely lean professional athletic. I wouldn't want to believe that besides painting, she has been passing her time working out.

"Is it not the right time?" I asked, "Do you want to do this later?"

She glared, clenched her jaw and took a step boldly forward, looking straight at my lips. "It's been over a month."

So it was going to be this way. Straight to the point. Cutting through the crude. I couldn't deny, I liked this progress in her. "It's pretty serious out there. Totally unexpected, unwelcome changes. Doctor's death is one of them."

"I know. Leena has been telling me. She atleast visits me every alternative day. Isn't she a Samagraha like you?"

I couldn't answer her straight away, because she hit the right spot. And how could I tell her, looking at her in the eye, that she was my sweet distraction? I took a moment, thinking of the words that could give her comfort but no false hope. "It cannot be the way it was in Parallel Universe. Things are really tough. And you were the one who went on and on about how the country should be given the priority. That is what I'm trying to do. You gotta understand and...wait."

"Wait? What if it's too late by then?"

I swallowed. Sure, it wouldn't be right on my part if I lock her up and seal the deal. We were still two different individuals. "Then you free to do whatever you want. Not saying it wouldn't suck but it's your life. You take the decision."

"I want to get out of this house."

"Except that."

"Atleast to the backyard?"

"No freakin' way!" I firmly shook my head.

She let out an exasperated sigh. "Never knew it was going to be worse than living alone in Rawat palace."

Ouch! "How can it be worse? Aren't you comfortable here?"

She stared at me with incredulity. "You don't get it, do you?"

"No, I don't. Explain it to me."

"Back then I didn't know I had a brother. I didn't know I could have a friend like Leena. And you. It was just me and my stupid dreams. Shourya visited me once in a while, that I knew as well. Now there are a few expectations. Am I atleast allowed to have them, or not?"

I suddenly remembered what my father used to say - Son, in an argument, it's best to always agree with a woman. Because they know everything and they are always right. "Yes," I said, at once.

"Where's my brother? Is he even alive?" She asked bluntly.

"What? Yes, of course. Why would you think he's not?

"Because he is an idiot," she went on, and it seemed she had been waiting to vent things out in a hurry. She started to walk here and there and stopped only to read my lips. "He rescued me from Rawat's palace and thinks his job as a brother is over? Every time Leena comes in crying, I get scared to ask her why. What if she tells me something I don't want to hear? Is it too difficult for him to come and see me once? Some brother, I bet he doesn't even know what's going on with me."

I might have never been so scared to ask the question before. "What's going on with you?"

She wiped those tears away and replied calmly. "It's the dreams. They are worsening."

I rubbed my nape and sighed. "Nazira, they are just dreams."

"It doesn't feel like that anymore. It feels real. People are dying somewhere, and it is all my fault. It's the same as watching your grandmother dying every day. And I don't think I'm able to handle it anymore."

The brutal slow murder of my grandmother, the way she had explained to me in Parallel Universe had brought me close to tears. Her terrible past, those harrowing years of experience had been haunting her every day making her emotionally weak.

"Did you ask for help?" I enquired.

She nodded. "Ira fetched a few sleeping pills from Ashwant. But they are not working. I don't know what else to do."

Neither did I. "What do you want me to do about it?"

There was a slight pause before she spoke. "I just want someone to come and say hi to me. Is it really too much to ask? If you can't come every day then atleast get me a dog. I'll spend time signaling to it."

"Well, you got Maruthi."

"He flew away." She replied, with a tremor in her voice.

My eyes shot open. "What? When?"

"It's been a week. He never returned. Hayden, if I stay alone one more night I swear I'll go crazy."

I leaned down a bit, trying to make her smile "You mean crazy-er? Maybe I won't be able to handle it then."

Thanks to the heavens, that little jibe of mine worked. She chuckled softly, wiping her tears.

Pruthvi and Leena must be involved in some kind of their own private conversation. They were taking a long time to join us. Either that or they must be having tomorrow's share of food as well.

She and I stood in a lapse of silence, smiling at each other. At once my thoughts drove me back to Parallel Universe. The alone time we had spent. The laughs we had shared. There were those words in the back of my head to say it. Heart pounding to go for that unfinished business we had started under the tree of Vrindahina. But hadn't I promised myself not to go deep in officially making a relationship with her until everything that was meant to be done was actually done first?

There should be some way to break the lingering tension. And she was the one to take the lead, by warily resuming the conversation.

"Leena was mentioning about the Will the other day," she asked, the smile on her face was lost again.

I mentally rolled my eyes. Leena had been visiting her just for two seconds, which seemed to be enough for these girls for chatting and catching up with the gossip of the entire world. "Did she even tell you that I'm not entirely willing to accept it?"

The moment I said that her face hardened and I knew it was going to be another heated topic that will never have a conclusion. "You can't do that!" Her voice prickled in my head.

"I already did."

"If you don't accept then everything will be Bhupathi's."

I blinked, realizing it was about the money and other assets worth in millions that were included in the Will. Bhupathi Garg, the High Clan's politician with a mind of a low-level thief, had tactfully taken the signature from my grandmother to snatch everything that once belonged to Rawat. King Harsh's, as a matter of fact. That Will was more than just about the throne, and I seemed to have totally forgotten about it. And why wouldn't King Aghasthya never bring that up either?

"Your grandmother died protecting your forefathers' hard-earned wealth," she said, "If you don't accept it, the Will signed under that man's name will automatically come into effect. That is how the Act of Nirnaya works. You can't simply let your grandmother's sacrifice go waste."

I fell in a dilemma, just for a second though, but I quickly shook it away. "I don't want the money."

"If you don't, then you can give it away. Donate it. This country is filled with people who can use some money for good. Didn't I tell you, the members of the Clan of Rajya have the liberty to do whatever they want with all the money they have? And surprisingly they do everything except helping the needy."

Pruthvi and Leena then made a sudden entrance. Instinctively, we took a step back from each other. Although, I didn't take my eyes off of her, since everything she had said hit a nerve. I found myself in a bit of a tight spot. Rejecting the Will, after all, wasn't going to be an easy task. There were indeed going to be consequences. If I did accept, then I had to go against my conscience and beliefs to blindly follow his rules, which would be unbearable. And if I don't, then Bhupathi Garg would smile all the way to the bank. I needed to take extra care, and meticulously get out of this dilemma once and for all.

Another concern to be addressed in the discussion I was about to have with Dhanunjay tomorrow.

"Hey, little sister!" Pruthvi said, smilingly. He seemed to be in a better mood than he was a few minutes ago. Nazira spared Leena. They hugged and let it be. But then she went Godzilla on her brother.

"Glad you remember you have a sister." She began signaling, right in front of his face that he had to blink hard and slide a little back to save his glasses from getting punched.

Pruthvi tried to look guilty. "Oh that, well, you see..."

"I don't want explanations."

"Oh okay."

"I am waiting."

"For what?"

"To tell me where you were."

"You just said..."

"Stop giving excuses."

"That wasn't..."

"Did you get Ras Golak? Leena said you would."

"Oh, here you go. Are we okay now?"

"Thank you. And no!" She sat on her bed tearing the wrapper of the package that Pruthvi handed over to her.

"Is it just me or she does look scarier than a beast?" Pruthvi whispered to me.

"Tell me about it."

We gave her a few minutes to settle down, to cool her anger off, to munch on the country's traditional sweets made only in Purvachand. The hard ball shaped creamy white dumplings and syrupy from inside which melted in her mouth right after she popped one. She shared them only with Leena and ignored me and her brother. Pruthvi just told a lame joke to which she couldn't resist but burst out laughing. The pleasant atmosphere filled inside the room, once her face lit up with glee. Having the three of us as a company finally helped her find the inner peace that she had lost during our absence in this past month.

"What was it you wanted to talk?" she then asked Leena, who nodded as a cue to ask me to go ahead. According to them, only I understood the sign language.

I leaned forward, trying to pull my mind into the serious affair that had gotten delayed for so long. "There is something we think you might have missed telling us about Almourah."

Her eyes suddenly widened but then she quickly brought them back to normal, as if not wanting me to notice her reaction. "But I did tell you everything I know."

She remembered to signal, and I was pleased with her spontaneity. 'It' was meant to be our secret.

"We wanted to know if you've missed any information written in King Harsh's scroll. Didn't you say it's only the head of these beasts, the big Almourah, is immortal? But we figured even the rest of the clan cannot be killed as well."

"That is not true. King Harsh specifically mentioned that it is just Almourah."

"How can you be so sure that everything written in the scroll is true? He might not be aware of a few details himself."

"If he were not sure about anything, he stated it as it is. That is what I understood after going through the scroll many times."

"So are you saying he knew the way to kill them?"

She looked away, mulling. "Not exactly. He chose to just drive them away instead and trap in their own territory, that is in Uttarameer."

"How did he do it?" I asked, although my conscience ached to know and accept his method of dealing with the problem. "How did he manage to drive all the beasts away? Was it some sort of magic?"

She looked sideways again and bit her lip. Pruthvi folded his hands in anticipation and Leena, finally stopped eating and put the package aside. Three of us were too impatient to hear what she was about to say. "Thirty years ago Paramarashtra wasn't a snowy country." she began. "Clan of Almourah can travel only through water. No availability of water and if the temperature is warm, it's difficult for the clan to survive. So King Harsh and Doctor took a warlock's help to control the temperature and reduced the availability of water. It took time, but eventually, the clan wasn't able to survive in other provinces for too long."

Pruthvi shot a look at me. "That could be one reason why we are asked to set up bonfires everywhere."

I nodded at him when Leena suddenly asked. "Warlock who can control temperatures? As in Jyran Kerenza? Tyrell's father?"

There could be a gazillion other warlocks in the country who worked under a King. It could just be anyone, but to our horror, Nazira nodded. "He is very very powerful. Too famous for his excellence at magic. Worked under every King of Paramarashtra, because everyone admired him. That's why he was hailed as Doctor's equal."

"So did this tactic to control the temperature work?" I asked, slightly bothered. If I had to share this idea to King Agasthya, would he be able to bring in someone as powerful as Jyran?

"No," she replied. "It helped to an extent. But he had to wait for that time of the year for the clan to leave for Uttarameer."

"I am sorry?" I asked, confused.

Her face slightly reddened. How can I say this?! She muttered under her breath and then signaled. "Its seasonal. They have to go back to their territory to grow their clan."

Leena quietly took the package back up and got back to eating. Pruthvi and I tried hard not to share an awkward glance. With the deviant side of our minds, it took the strength of eternity to suck down the instant comment rolling at the tip of our tongues.

"Okay, understood," I said, without actually looking at her in the eye. "So once a year, is it?"

"Yes. King Harsh failed quite a few times though. So instead of waiting for another year, he took Jyran's help to keep them in control."

We were on the fence about the information she had given, unsure of how well it was going to come in handy, yet thanked her. Ira Zutshi, who wasn't an accomplished mage as Jyran himself, wouldn't be able to play with the temperature, would she? And then, there was just no one else. But atleast, to our satisfaction, we now know everything written in the scroll related to this matter.

We weren't yet able to call it a day since there was still one last thing to be done. Leena and Pruthvi were already on their way to get it over with. I was at the threshold of the door when Nazira called me back.

"You will change your mind right?" She asked, with a strange combination of anxiety and eagerness in her face. "About the Will."

"Let's not talk about it," I said, feeling tired and battling with this sudden crave for a glass of Uilani de Blanc to send me drowsy state of bliss. I needed to ensure that I woke up refreshed for the next day's ventures. "Not tonight atleast. Pruthvi, Leena and I have something to go over with King Aghasthya. And after we come back, let's spend some time together, like in the academy. Okay?"

-x-