She is the daughter of a veshya. She is the daughter of Kalika.

****

Sundar was ready to tear apart the head of the culprit from the body when he saw that lustful creature. He had never imagined such a twisted mind would be alive in the world, and that too in the pious village of Kalika. Whatever be it, now that it happened, he was ready for war.

"Maya needs us. We cannot just stand still. Damn it, where is Hrishav!"

Aadi Babu stiffened. His grip on the revolver threatened to slip due to the excessive sweating. He shut his eyes and shook his head.

"What happened, Aadi Babu?"

Sundar kept his rifle down and looked at the old man with concern. "Are you alright?"

"I have a question to ask..."

"About what's going on?"

"Yes."

"Ask away."

"How much does it take for a man to become what he once hated and feared?"

Sundar's shoulders slumped. He stared at the ground, his mind a blank slate to jot down theories. "I suppose it is possible. But why–"

A needle pricked and peeled the skin inside his throat. He ceased to move and for moments refused to breathe, gulping in the internal bleeding of memories. "Do you know who is doing this?"

Aadi Babu didn't reply and denied matching his gaze with Sundar. The latter bent forward and begged Aadi Babu to look at him. "Please, don't joke. This isn't the moment. Don't tell me that–"

A feminine scream pulled everyone's attention. All eyes now on the temple, the scene that unfolded next made everybody drop their jaw. Shekhar carried a bloodied body on his shoulders, and when it became obvious whom it belonged to, Anandi revealed all her rage.

"Lalita!"

Her voice made goosebumps rise. Her eyes had darkened to a shade of deadly red coated with tears. Shekhar dumped the body and it rolled down the stairs. Nathu held on to his wife, not allowing her to escape. The otherwise unsympathetic man was quivering too, his eyes wet along with the ones in the crowd.

But it wasn't what troubled Sundar. He knew Lalita's death would hurt him too, for the woman had helped him in the past, and took good care of his love.

It was the scream of his love that snatched away his soul.

Running behind Shekhar was a sobbing Sahiba, her cries reverberating like broken bangles clanking on the floor. Just that, this time, it was the man on the brink of widowhood.

Sahiba had dressed in red and kept her beautiful hair open. Her black eyes appeared like two studded obsidian stones. Yet, despite being so serene, she was the serenity of destruction, the very image of doom coming.

Sundar threw away his rifle and ran like a madman towards the barrier. Sahiba too, upon matching his gaze with him, hopped down the stairs, often missing a step in the rush. They were so close to the promise of being the closest...

"Sahiba, don't go there!"

And he hit the barrier, fell down, and rose up again. His will desired to crush the ruthless, monstrous wall that separated him from his beloved. Each called the other's name, but neither could reach the destination. Sundar fell defeated to the ground, crying and helpless, while Shekhar smiled as he yanked away Sahiba by the hand. Soon, Sahiba and Shekhar were inside the garbha griha. The crowd sprinkled water on Sundar's face and rubbed his hands and feet.

"Save her, someone save her..."

He knew he would be alive. His body was too strong to die so soon.

But Sahiba?

He didn't care what others would think of his love. Oh, he had done the right thing by falling for a prostitute's daughter. He had been the best lover by penning down poems for her. He had been the happiest when he realised he had sold his soul to the one who was destined to sell her body.

"But I have sinned. I couldn't protect you..."

****

Maya struggled to remain conscious. The blood loss drained every ounce of hope and the urge to fight back. She wished to strangle Hrishav, yet she was sitting with her limbs tied and mouth gagged.

The door opened. Shekhar threw a sobbing Sahiba on the ground like she was a filthy piece of doll.

"Master, I shall be outside. The crowd is so wild."

"Hmm, that will be good, even though it's useless for them. They will not be able to break the barrier."

The door closed with a creak. Hrishav gently nudged Sahiba, who flinched at the touch. Crawling into a ball, she kept bending back as Hrishav closed the distance between the two.

"My love, why are you so afraid?" he crooned.

"I-I am not your love."

"Hah! I understand, no one loves you– that's what you think, right? You are a forbidden fruit. But for me, you are perfect."

Maya concluded that Hrishav didn't know about his brother's feelings. At least she hoped so from his words.

Hrishav went behind the back of Kalika's idol and brought a little idol, not more than two feet, black as coal and with a malevolent gaze. "Here, this is my master, Raktabeej. Thought of showing you two before I proceed with the ritual."

He went back and kept it. Now when he returned, he had a golden dagger in his hand. Chills ran down Maya's spine. She recalled her dream– this is the same dagger that I had seen!

Hrishav kept the dagger's edge on Maya's neck. "Feel the cold? I shall warm you up soon. Till then, watch me enjoy this sister of yours. She is going to live as my wife. Tonight we will marry in the way of Gandharvas– the union of our bodies will be the proof of our consent."

"I won't marry you."

It was a whisper, but both Maya and Hrishav had heard the protest. The latter clicked his tongue. Sahiba stood up and was going to run for the door when Hrishav held her aanchal. It took him mere seconds to shred it to pieces, leaving Sahiba searching for a desperate attempt to cover herself.

"You are a veshya, Sahiba."

Sahiba's eyes glinted. She looked at the man towering above her.

"You don't have a choice. You only sell your body. But look at me! I am a gentleman. I am not just taking you, I am promising you marriage. You will be known as the wife of a Brahmin priest. All your sins will be washed away."

He grasped her hand. Sahiba twisted and wriggled in his grip. The whole sight reminded Maya of Sita trying to flee from the clutches of wicked Ravana. And Maya was Jatayu himself– a martyr.

Hrishav chuckled and placed a kiss on Sahiba's knuckles. "You are shy? Oh, I love this so much!"

"You will die. You will die!"

"One day, when my master will kill me. Until then, I shall live."

"You will know how true this is."

"As if the Master is on your side? He doesn't like women. The feminine is docile and timid. It needs the support of masculine to thrive. I have lived longer than you to know this."

Sahiba ceased to cry. Hrishav led her to the centre of the garbha griha. The remaining part of her aanchal he pushed away. Drinking her with his eyes and dreaming of fulfilling his long craved passion, he engulfed her in his arms. His hands roamed over her back. Sahiba shut her eyes. Maya moaned, froth trickling down her lips. She was so close to death, so close...

And then, Sahiba opened her eyes. They weren't the brown of a doe. There wasn't the warmth of summer in them.

They were a pair of dazzling scarlet. They were burning with rage.

Maya's eyes bulged out of her sockets. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. But this is happening, this is happening...

She came, she came to save her daughters. The daughters of Kalika...

Sahiba returned the embrace, shocking Hrishav. The man, doubting if this was a trick or had he really made her succumb to carnal pleasure, pulled back. Looking into her red eyes, he knew it was the greatest mistake he could have made

"Sa-sahiba?"

She smiled. It was her time now. She took steps towards him. He walked back.

"Who are you?"

"Master. Your master."

"Raktabeej?"

"No."

She raised her palm, causing him to freeze. He tried to crane his neck and move his body but he was as frigid as a statue. Sahiba took the dagger from his hand. In the blink of an eye, Hrishav fell to the floor. Before he could run away, Sahiba kept her left foot over his chest. The weight of that one foot equaled a mammoth. Hrishav felt life being squeezed out of him. Not even an inch could he move without the will of Sahiba.

"I am your First Master, your true one. I am the one for whom you were born in this realm and the one you had given your life to."

She sat with her two legs on either side of his body. In some alternate ending, this would have aroused Hrishav to no extent. But, as reality painted in this dimension, Hrishav cowered in raw fear.

"The one whom you loved the most and hated at the same time, Hrishav, I am that Master."

Hrishav gasped, realising the truth of it all.

****

Nathu and Aadi Babu threw stones at the barrier, watching them bounce back towards them. They were failing miserably. Sundar had been caught by five men and held back, for he acted no less than a lunatic on the way to kill himself. During one attempt of throwing a pebble, an observant Nathu saw that it crossed the barrier and fell on the temple premises.

He looked around. The crowd was still. Eyes glowed with hope and lips murmured prayers divinely, yet no one was courageous enough to pass.

"I will," Sundar declared, freeing himself from the hold of the villagers. Without a care in the world he headed for it and before he could fathom he had already passed the barrier.

"Aadi Babu, get your revolver ready. I want that rascal dead and his blood sanctifying our village," Sundar trumpeted.

The collective shout of the crowd put Shekhar off-guard. He frantically scrutinised the barging crowd, and like a fish out of water, squirmed and begged to be forgiven when the crowd broke on him. Sundar was not interested in catching the pawn. He pushed open the door of the garbha griha.

"Stay away from the women!" He warned in his husky voice and readied his rifle. But no one stood in front of him. His eyes then fell to the floor.

And his heart stopped beating.

Sahiba looked up at Sundar. The man was unable to recognise the woman he loved so much. Her clothes were reduced to rags but she didn't look vulnerable. It just made her look even more similar... similar to the one hiding behind the red cloth, the one who could make anyone powerless with her one glance.

"Hrishav..."

Aadi Babu came and stood beside Sundar. "Yes. It's Hrishav."

Anandi and Nathu along with some other women came and untied Maya. They were wanting to take her out, but Maya was vocal about her desire to see the end of the murderer.

"Catherine shall see through me," she said. And Anandi and Nathu agreed. They hugged her, keeping her close to them.

Hrishav stared at the woman above him. "Mother?"

"Yes."

"You came... now?"

"You have forced me to come."

One would have expected Hrishav to argue in his favour and extend harsh pleasantries. But he did not. A sublime smile placated his being, washing his soul with relaxation.

"Any last words?"

Hrishav nodded. "Do not unleash your rage upon my brother and sister. They were unaware of my deeds and my ambitions. They have been loving towards me. Alas, I wasn't satisfied." He exhaled, tears rolling down his eyes. "Always be beside the ones brave enough to face me. Undeterred, unafraid. Like a ray of hope. I hope I can be like them in some other life."

Maya spat on the floor. Hrishav pursed his lips, his chest heaving up and down like the tides of the ocean on a new moon night.

"It is strange that a man finds it easy to accept all their sins and wrongdoings at the very last moment. It is very selfish and foolish, I believe, yet that's what I am also doing. I don't know if I have learnt the gravity of the situation, or is it fear that causes me to confess? Whatever be the cause of this all, I have reached my end. You were right, or perhaps, Sahiba was right when she said my master will kill me. I know it's not Sahiba in front of me now. I know it's you. You have harboured her body. But... Maa..." Hrishav choked on his words. "Next time..." His voice shattered, tears cascading down like moonbeams. "Come sooner, not so late, when I have changed."

Kalika's gaze softened. "Close your eyes."

"Will it hurt a lot?"

"Not at all," she assured. "I do not kill with pain."

Hrishav brought his hands together and joined them in a namaskara, and closed his eyes. Sahiba, or rather the one inhabiting her body, looked at Sundar, as if for permission. Sundar shook his head– it was vague, and no one could decipher whether it was a denial or an acceptance of fate.

The dagger was raised in the air. Soon it landed on Hrishav's neck in a swift motion, creating a slit through which his aatma flew away for the horizon.

In tiptoes Sundar came closer and knelt, closing Hrishav's eyes with a delicate touch.

"Sleep well. I hate you, I hate you!"

The man, whom the village had never witnessed smiling, now broke into a million shards. Fate's odious conspiracy abused him, turned his respect to ashes, and made him a nomad with no home.

Sahiba stood up with a drunken gait and swayed to the side, her steps faltering every now and then. The dagger fell from her hand.

"Kalika is leaving her body," Maya said. "Kalika is going away."

Sahiba's knees buckled, but she didn't collapse on the cold floor. Sundar caughther in time, letting her rest on his lap. Amidst the hard and merciless toiling of day, he touched her face, caressing her head like a devoted worshipper would. She had completed him and made him capable of loving so intensely .

What would I even do without her?

You make me rethink now... do I deserve you, Sahiba? You, so fearless and daunting, and I... a coward who was nervous of love?

He carried her in his arms.

"She has a high fever. I am going to take her to my house for treatment. Anandi, bring Maya there too, I shall not waste time in taking her to the hospital. Devika will give her first aid and I will summon a doctor from the town by then."

"And Hrishav?" Aadi Babu asked, his voice reduced to a hoarse, cracked mess.

Sundar pulled Sahiba closer to his chest, feeling the heat radiate from her body and seep inside of him. "Arrange for his last rites. At dawn I will follow everything like a true brother."