|| - Land of Mirages I - ||

There are many pillows of illusion as flakes in a snow – storm. We wake from one dream into another dream.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Afreen still believed it was for the best but the look of betrayal in Kashi Bai’s eye did not make her nights any smoother. She was used to shoulder the blame take the degrading speech with a twisted smile that threw the sarcasm back at the speaker; but Kashi Bai was a different case. Afreen wished she had a chance to explain things – or perhaps Kashi Bai reveals the secret herself. However the chance she wished for did not involve confessing anything to James McLane.

The older man had the same aura of his son, only ten folds sinister. Everything about David McLane was sharp and raw. From his neatly trimmed beard to the shining points of his shoes James McLane was wickedly refined. Just like David’s grey eyes reminded often of a thunderstorm the eyes of the McLane senior lit up from the crooked smile playing at his lips resembled the coldest tip of an iceberg.

“Are you ready to explain lady Afreen? Or shall I call you Asfia for the sake of old times?”

His accent was thick, but he spoke the local tongue fluent enough for a man who had married a woman from their nation. Afreen did not blink as his face loomed closer. For the time being her silence did not seem to bother McLane.

“Then perhaps, I should start by telling you what I have gathered so far – who knows it might trigger your memory a little.”

Still she remained impassive. Afreen was nothing if not confident. She was certain that even with his connections and sly ways, McLane could not get to the truth that Khan had spent half his life and the lives of his best people in achieving. Kashi Bai was a secret that simply cost too much for a man to still be smiling the way McLane was after revealing.

“At first I thought taking Kashi from Khan’s possession will be enough to compel the man to come thundering upon Madhavgadh. To be honest I was a little perplexed to learn he had simply sent an assassin like you after her.”

He circled her brows frowned in thought. Afreen followed him with her gaze, at least as much as she could without turning her head.

“You got me thinking lady Afreen. I was interested. When I am interested I observe carefully. My observation of your actions tell me that you were told to kill Kashi – or Shivjit. The prey would be decided upon a condition. Something you had to confirm – something to do with Kashi Bai. What you find would change who would die.

He paused and watched her expression carefully, rubbed his hands together and continued.

“But your loyalty to Kashi intervened. You wanted to save her nevertheless. That got me pondering – pressurizing my brain. You fatally attack her in order to save her – what kind of a curse is Kashi Bai under? And to be honest why does everyone jump into the solution of burning her to take her out of danger zone? Am I going down the right thought process lady Afreen?”

Afreen’s lips twisted into a bitter smile, her eyes remained unblinking.

“Impressive Mr. McLane, but I wonder why you think I’d be able to answer that?”

“Well, either you or Nawab Khan is going to answer that. Did I just forget to mention? I made a bargain with your dear princess, your Kashi Bai. She is a particular character I must admit for she is still concerned about the freedom of a woman who betrayed her? Is it because your bond runs deep or did she already know what you were trying to do?”

“If you think you can trap Kashi Bai – you’ll be making a mistake.”

“Ah but I didn’t even imprison her? In fact I let her go!”

“You did what?”

“Yes, she should be back in Chandranagara by now. Khan can confirm whatever he wishes to personally,” he paused and smiled wider. “Your reaction tells me there are others who would kill her once the secret gets revealed. Why lady Afreen, do you wish to go and save your princess?”

Afreen bit her lip, worried but not unsettled enough to let it reflect on her composure.

“Kashi Bai knows how to guard herself.”

“Does she now? I would take your word for it but my latest information tells me she is heading towards a certain temple – that harbors assassins. Have you heard of such a temple lady Afreen a one that tattoos its members with a hawk? Why I’m sure you do – you too have a similar marking don’t you?”

Afreen blinked her gaze faltering for a moment.

“What do you want?” She asked in the end.

“I want you to follow your orders – only I decide who dies in the end. No more wavering or conditional actions. You strike when I tell you to and you can’t afford to miss. Do we have a deal lady Afreen?”

“Do I have a choice?”

McLane smiled, baring his teeth in a very beastly manner.

“Regretfully – no!”

**

Kashi tried to get rid of the sense of forbidding that filled her since their conversation had concluded. The feeling of eyes on the back of her head was an instinct she had never been wrong about before. That uncomfortable feeling remained attached to her just like the unfamiliar grab of Keren McLane. Sitting on the edge of Lillian’s extra plush bed she wondered if it was possible that there was a spy amidst them.

Lillian had openly reported to McLane senior the sinister puppet master. But she did not accompany them this time. Even the innocent Keren remained at Madhavgadh. Knowing McLane and the way the man planned ten moves before making one it was unlikely that he would not keep an eye on them.

Then who could it be? Her thoughts ran as she changed into the comfortable disguise of Meghdyth. The dark and worn out fabric absorbed some of her uneasiness.

Shivjit? It was highly possible. Her brother had wanted her dead ever since he was born. But Shivjit was an egoistic man. He hated being controlled by McLane. Would his hatred overpower his ego and coax him into spying for McLane? Kashi frowned. He would not do that. But of cause if the eavesdropping was for his own ends Shivjit could very well be the ear on the wall.

Andrew? He was Lillian’s brother after all. Perhaps the siblings share their loyalties? But somehow traitor was not a term she could associate with him – not to forget he had saved her life once. But who was to guarantee he did not do it for his own reasons?

Dev? Would he do it? Could she still doubt him after all that he had done for her, after knowing who he was? Kashi let the wave of surfacing memories take her down and let her rational mind rest for a moment.

**

A month earlier...

The stars overhead or the sheet of flowers floating on the water did not disguise the fact that there was something sinister in the depths of Gayatri’s pool. The ancient pillars with carvings of mythological animal busts on their peaks only added to the haunting sense of dark magic that tainted the very air like a pungent smell.

Kashi was as self conscious as she ever was. With no Gauri to watch her back and no Satya to guard her tower she was learning to adjust to some disadvantages of her new found freedom. Yet the training in blindfolded martial arts had somehow reduced to wrestling in dust that day and at the end of the day she was left with sheen of dirt sticking to her sweaty skin.

She did not want her newly assigned maids to find her looking like a sand castle. There was no choice but to sneak into the queen’s bathing chamber.

She rid herself of the dark outer grab which was brownish with dirt and sticky with sweat, dropping the garment at the edge of the cold stone before stepping into the pool. The water was not as cold as it was dark. Instead it was mildly warm and caused a tingling sensation to run up from her toes towards her shoulders and curled around her neck as she stepped deeper into the water. Steam issued around her in swirls that vanished in the darkness.

She let her hair down – let it soak up the water and stream over hiding her bare shoulders and upper back. The exhaustion captured her slowly, weary muscles of her shoulders aching and throbbing with over use. The heat only highlighted each painful throb with an inviting promise of relaxing each knotted tendon once it engulfed her. Finally Kashi gave in and dragged herself below the surface.

She didn’t open her eyes inside the water but broke the surface keeping them closed and Afreen’s voice had almost made her jump out of her skin.

“Forgive me Kashi Bai – I did not know you were here!” Afreen’s voice rattled as her footsteps backed away from the cold stone floor.

Kashi opened her eyes, focusing on her breathing to calm down her heartbeat.

“You couldn’t have for I am not supposed to be here,” she said then and was instantly pleased that her reply stopped Afreen from leaving. Although Kashi was still conflicted over Afreen’s current involvement with Shivjit and her refusal to divulge her motive, Kashi was content to have Afreen by her side. She represented everything she was missing about Chandranagara however insignificant home it had been to her.

“I might not be the best attendant around here,” Afreen told her, as she finally relaxed and sat on the cold stone floor at the edge of the pool. “And I know nothing of Gauri Kaki sa’s techniques of head massage.”

“I don’t really care now,” Kashi closed her eyes as Afreen’s oily fingers dug into her scalp starting to rub soothing circles in a brain curling fashion. “Having a friend is more than relaxing.”

“Why! I’m honored Kashi Bai!” Afreen chuckled as she poured some of the fragrant bathing oil into the pool. Swirls of smoke broke the surface around her and filled the air with a thick aroma of jasmine and orange peels. The sweet smelling steam turned her eyelids heavy.

“Gauri Kaki would be jealous of you,” Kashi commented sleepily, sinking further into the water and resting her head on the edge of the pool comfortably. “Thank you Afreen – truly, you have no idea how much I wanted this.”

“Trust me I know Kashi Bai – perhaps more than you can ever imagine.”

Kashi noticed the shift in Afreen’s tone. There was something heavy weighing her words that no longer sounded playful. But Kashi found her senses were too hazy to ponder upon that, instead sleep hung heavily from her eyelids slowly coaxing her to retire into its inviting embrace.

“Afreen –“ Kashi muttered rather incoherently, her voice thick with sleep. “I think we should return to –“

One of Afreen’s hands slid from her hair to grip her shoulder, too tight for it to be a friendly gesture.

“No Kashi Bai – we are not done yet.”

Kashi blinked, trying to get rid of the disoriented feeling of sleepiness over powering her and the unexpected restraint Afreen’s hold placed upon her. A part of her mind – still awake rang with alarm. She did not want to distrust Afreen – she had not until this moment. But there was something wrong in the water and her sudden dizzy head.

“Afreen what are you - ?”

“I’m sorry Rajkumari – please, please forgive me!” Her voice sounded distant know, her grip no longer keeping her upright. Kashi found herself being submerged in the water. It took too much effort to keep her head above the water.

Then out of nowhere (at least so it seemed to her hazy senses) flames were licking the edges of the pool. Unlike what she had thought earlier she was not entirely safe in the water either. The water was as strange as she had presumed for the flames easily penetrated into its surface and started creeping towards her like twisting tongues of devils from all sides finally trapping her to the very center of the pool, or was it a pit of fire?

The water was scalding now, bubbling in anger as the flames closed in. Her body finally gave away to the extremes of the situation; the sleepy daze looked more inviting than the sensation of being boiled alive. She was still fighting – she tried to tell herself, but Kashi did not feel the water on her skin anymore and darkness wiggled into the edges of her vision.

“Kashi! KASHI!” Then a voice pulled her back.

**

Now you know, if I am your writer you can even get killed in the bathroom!

No need to say, but of cause this will be continued in Land of Mirages II. I’ll only tell you this, this is not going the way you think it is. (Knowing me, you probably know that already!)

After almost boiling my heroine alive, I’m in an exceptionally good mood. So please brighten my day by hitting that tiny star at the bottom! An extra shine would be added if you comment and share your thoughts!

Thank you for reading! See you next Thursday!