《Power of Blood: Darkness Never Leaves》


 1 There is something about her

    Visha stared at her closet unable to decide what to wear. Today was her first day, she was a college freshman now. It was important to make a good first impression or everyone will have friends and she will be left alone. No one wants that.


    Her mother came looking for her to see what was taking her that long. She could understand Visha''s nervousness about her appearance. She has had her first day of college too. She came in and picked out a beige coloured top and a white skirt that would complement her beautiful long legs. Visha agreed with her mother''s decision and gave her a hug "Thanks Mom. What would I do without you?"


    "Run around naked maybe" she laughed as she left. Visha changed and excitedly started to leave the house. "Wait" her mother called. She already had everything and even paid respect to her father''s shrine. What else could there be?


    "How many times have I told you to always tie your hair?" she came running and tied her hair in a ponytail.


    "I think they would look even better freed." Visha complained. She was sick of her mother always saying the same thing. She looked at herself in the mirror. Her long luscious hair flowing down all the way to her hips. Such thick black hair, but always tied up What a pity. She thought.


    ***


    She entered and saw a lot other nervous freshman everywhere. Glad she wasn''t the only one. It took her a little time to notice that every guy turned back atleast once to look at her. She smiled and kept walking. This attention made her feel better. She appeared a little more confident than before.


    A girl approached her and asked, "Freshman?" Visha nodded. "Hey, I''m Priya." she shook her hand. "I''m a freshman too." she smiled."You must be really nervous for your first day?" "Aren''t you?" Visha asked confusedly. "Not really" Priya answered with a smile. "I got settled in the dorm a week ago. So I already know a few people. Come, I''ll introduce you." Priya pulled Visha by her hand and headed towards the main lawn. Visha felt she was really lucky to have met her. Now she doesn''t have to worry about not making friends anymore.


    Priya introduced her to other students some from even the same class. They all decided to sit down and chat in the cafeteria. That''s when she saw a couple walk in. The had a really mysterious aura around them. Everyone started to look away from them. Many were facing down. The girl smiled at this reaction from everyone. She liked it. She liked the fear on others faces. "Who are they?" Visha asked.


    "That''s Dhira and Shivam. They are sophomores and like to keep to themselves. They don''t like to talk to anyone." Priya explained.


    "I say they are just too arrogant. Don''t know why they think they''re above everyone."


    "Yeah, just looking down on everyone else. Bitch and an asshole really."


    "Yeah. Who do they think they are?"


    Visha was about to look away when Dhira looked at her. Their eyes met and Visha refused to be intimidated and staredback. Shivam noticed that. He patted on Dhira''s shoulder, she turned away and they walked past them. Everyone fell quiet, there was something about them that felt too dangerous. Visha couldn''t pinpoint the exact factor but she felt something was odd about them. Her gaze followed them to the door as they left. She looked down again and concentrated on the food in front of her. At that time someone pulled the chair opposite her and sat down. Visha looked up to see a handsome well built man. His caramel eyes staring at her as his lips curved upwards to reveal a flirtatious smile.


    "Who knew there would be such beautiful freshman this year?" and laughed. He then turned to Priya, "Won''t you introduce us?" Priya smiled awkwardly, "This is Visha, and Visha that''s Vikram. He was my senior at school and he is in junior year."


    "Yeah. I remember this little one always following me around at school. See I told you it wasn''t that difficult to get in here." he said to Priya. And Priya blushed. He then conversed normally with everyone but kept on stealing looks at Visha. He couldn''t help but be attracted to her. This girl is more than just beautiful, she is bewitching. Such depth and grace in her eyes, such luscious long hair. He thought. Vikram couldn''t keep his eyes off of her. And this made Priya uncomfortable.


    "Can I ask why you tie up such gorgeous hair? It''s an injustice to their beauty. They would look much better opened up." Vikram finally gathered the courage. Visha looked a little stunned by this, "I like it this way." she smiled as she tucked her behind her ear subconsciously. She didn''t want to be made fun of by saing it was her mother who forced her to do so. Priya couldn''t hide her discomfort anymore she stood up from her seat. Visha looked at her confused. "I have something to do first. I''ll leave early." she said that and left.


    ***


    "What happened to you back there?" Shivam asked. He has never seen Dhira notice anyone. They have been together for a few years and this was the first time she looked at someone."Did you not see that? Everyone is suppressed by our presence but she wasn''t."


    "You''re thinking too much. She is just a freshman."


    "No. The way she looks, the way she makes others look at her. I''m telling you, there is something about her." Dhira was sure. She has never been wrong about such things.


    "Then what do you want to do?" Shivam was curious. He has never seen Dhira unsettled to this extent.


    "Let''s have a chat back at our place first. Then we''ll decide what to do with that one." Dhira picked up her bag and left as Shivam followed her.


    ***

 2 Keep an eye on her

    Visha got back home and started to prepare dinner. She knows her mother will be back late. Her mother has sacrificed a lot to bring her up all by herself. Its not easy being a single mother. She has seen since childhood, her mother worked really hard to support her, and how she never thought of ever getting married again just so she could keep Visha happy. Visha never knew her father, she has seen his shrine ever since she can remember. Visha let out a shriek as blood trickled down her finger. She immediately washed it. As soon as her mother was back, she saw the wound on her finger. She rushed in to get the first aid.


    "Where was your mind wandering to? Pay attention. Knives aren''t supposed to be handled absent mindedly." she tended to the wound and let out a sigh of relief. Her girl was far too precious, even if she doesn''t know.


    ***


    The man came out of the shadows into the moonlight revealing his toned torso. He took a long breath and sighed in pleasure. So strong. He thought. So much power.


    A servant opened the door and bowed, "Master Yash, you called?"


    He smiled as he breathed in this smell. This smell was intoxicating, powerful and drew him closer with each breath. He was growing restless. It was bewitching.


    "The smell of strong blood is in the air." he breathed it in again. As if it was luring him in. He wants it. "Find it." he ordered. Yash could barely hold it in.


    "Yes Master" the servant bowed again before leaving. Yash looked out the window with lights illuminating the whole city. Humans are so desperate for light. So much that they grasp it even in the darkness of the night. Do they not know that the night is supposed to be filled with darkness. To be ruled by it. He scoffed.


    ***


    "Priya, are you sure we should do this? I don''t understand why we have to do this to her." a girl complained. Priya turned back and her anger was visible enough in her eyes, "What do you mean why? Didn''t you see how Vikram looked at her? I came here to be with him. I have loved him for the last four years. She can''t just walk in and destroy everything." she yelled. The girl fell quiet and knew that Priya couldn''t be reasoned with. She felt bad for Visha. She didn''t do anything. And not just Vikram but every guy looked at her the same way. But Priya wouldn''t care about that.


    "That b*tch, does she think she can steal him away from me. On her very first day here, in her dreams. Just wait and see." as she photoshopped the pictures of Visha she took today.


    ***


    "So how was the first day?" Mother asked.


    "It was much better than I thought. I met this girl Priya, she helped me make more friends. And now I''m the most popular freshman." Visha said excitedly. Mother smiled at her response. She loves to see Visha so excited and happy.


    "Also there were these weird sophomores, everyone is afraid of them. I don''t understand why though. But I don''t like them." Visha shrugged her shoulders as she continued to eat.


    "Just don''t attract any trouble" she warned and Visha nodded. Both mother and daughter had their dinner and chatted for hours before they got tired and slept.


    ***


    It was already past midnight when Dhira picked up Shivam in her car and drove off. Shivam was quiet all the way. He knew Dhira was not in a mood to talk. There are times he is afraid of Dhira because unlike others from the coven, Dhira was not impulsive. She was like a sleeping tiger always calm but not someone to be messed with. Soon Dhira stopped the car at the entrance of the estate as she waited for the door to open. As soon as it did, she stepped on the accelerator and swept past the woods straight to the mansion. They both got out and entered the main hall, everyone was quite surprised to see them back but greeted them with a smile anyway. Dhira ignored their advances to suck upto her and walked straight to a woman in a red long dress. "Srisha, where is he?"Srisha turned to her and smiled, she knows how impatient Dhira is when she wants to see her mentor. She pointed to the stairs, Dhira immediately turned and stormed upstairs. She flung open the study room and the man sitting on the desk looked up. He was in his forties wearing reading glasses. He could already see that Dhira was restless. So he closed the book in front of him and gestured Dhira to come in. She walked in and sat on the opposite chair.


    "Sir, something happened today at college. I need to know about it." he nodded and gestured Dhira to continue. "There is a freshman who is unaffected by us. She stared back at me and I felt her gaze pierce right through me. I didn''t sense any power from her. I''m extremely confused." Dhira furrowed her brows as she finished. This made the old man''s eyes widen as well. He thought for a possible explanation for a few seconds, "No other covens have notified of a member entering our territory. She couldn''t be one of us. Maybe she has practiced on her own." he shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever the case keep an eye on her. Who knows what she is?" At this Dhira nodded and finally calmed down. She finally had an explanation. But was it really the case, she seemed more powerful than someone who just practiced on their own.


    ***

 3 Hide-n-Seek

    He entered the room quivering in fear and stood on his knee. He was aware of his master''s temper. He would be furious.


    "We have found its location, Master." he gulped. "But... But we are unable to pinpoint the source." he knew this questions his capability as his right hand. His position has been questioned and challenged ever since he got it. But his master had never doubted him and refused to let anyone else take his place. He has let his master down. He was ready to accept punishment. But to his surprise his master laughed. He laughed! This scared him even more. He looked up still unable to understand this reaction. His master never laughs. Never.


    Yash hadn''t had a hearty laugh in such a long time. Whatever it was he sensed that night was very powerful and apparently well hidden too. Something that powerful can not be hidden easily. It would require a lot of power to suppress it. This piqued his interest even more.


    "Vir, move closer and wait till it fills the air again. And then we shall make our move."he smiled. This was the first time a hunt had excited him to this point. Vir stood up, bowed and left the room while Yashretreated to the shadows again. Vir couldn''t help but wonder why his master was interested so much. He just had a whiff of its blood by accident. How could a human''s blood interest him to this extent..


    ***


    It has been a week since the first day. Priya saw Visha enter the college in a white knee long dress today. She looked like a pure angel ascending from heaven. Just like everyday, guys turned to look at her. Priya''s face twitched as she saw the attention Visha grabbed just by walking in.But unlike before, even the girls were looking at Visha too. She smiled and continued to walk to the campus. She was too excited to see today''s events unfold. Right then a black sedan swept past her. Priya barely saved herself. The car parked a little further away and she saw a girl in a blue dress get off. And from the passenger seat got off a boy. Arrogant b*stards. Priya thought. She walked upto the girl who was driving. Just when she was about to pull her back, she saw something creep out of the small opening in her bag. Everyone turned her way as Priya screamed. It was a snake. The girl turned and caught its head. It was Dhira, she looked surprised but not scared like everyone else. She turned to Priya and bowed, "I''m sorry I scared you. It''s a pet. It must have slipped in unnoticed." Priya nodded but the fear was clearly visible on her face. Dhira then turned to Shivam, "You go to class, I''ll get this back home." Shivam looked at the angry Dhira as she pulled out her car keys. She once again turned to Priya, "I really am sorry to scare you." she got in the car and left. Dhira has a pet snake! Who keeps a pet snake? These people really are weird. And it looked like a Krait snake. Aren''t they poisonous, are they allowed as pets?


    ***


    Visha felt like something was strange like something was hissing and slithering. This voice came from her back. She turned towards the sound and saw Dhira and Shivam. This hissing sound was coming from Dhira. Dhira seemed to have noticed her gaze as she turned to her. She then suddenly turned around and caught the snake''s head. Visha was surprised to see Dhira holding a snake. Dhira then turned to face her again. Visha turned away and quickened her pace. She left without wanting to see anything else.


    She continued to walk to the cafeteria to meet up with Priya and others. She went in and saw the whole group sitting and chatting. Visha went up and sat down. Everyone turned to her and smiled, she smiled back and joined in the conversation. Soon she noticed that not just her group but everyone in the whole cafeteria was looking at her. They were giggling and whispering while looking at her.


    "Oh my God! This is that freshman isn''t she?"


    "Look at her, so shameless and unaffected. Coming here and casually acting like nothing happened."


    "Yeah. I thought she might be crying in some corner. It doesn''t look like we should pity her, she is enjoying the attention."


    What do they mean? She picked up her bag and left. Wherever she went, everyone had the same reaction. But why?


    Visha turned around to see a huge crowd around the notice board. She immediately went to see what this commotion was about.


    ***


    Dhira stopped the car in a secluded spot and looked around before she got out. She had driven quite far from the residential areas. Snake hissed at her as she pulled it out by its head and threw it aside. As she expected, it didn''t go into the woods like a normal snake. It dashed towards her ready to bite. A bloodlust emitting from its hisses as if it was possessed.


    Dhira knew now that it was not a real snake, she picked it up again and bashed its head with a rock. As its blood spilled over, Dhira soaked her fingers in its blood and started chanting. The dead snake blew up in fire and smoke. Dhira jumped back. She failed to track this attack back to anyone and banged her hand on the car angrily. Whoever it was, is really good at hiding themselves. There was no point in staying anymore. She got back into the car and called Shivam, "I have nothing. It went quite far this time. They sneaked up a poisonous snake at me."


    "Calm down. Anger won''t do anything. Maybe we should go back tonight and report this." Shivam knew that this has crossed Dhira''s bottom line.


    "No. I can handle it myself. If someone wants to play hide and seek with me, they''ll soon regret it." Dhira gritted her teeth.

 4 Needle in a Haystack

    She tried to calm down and took in long breaths. Shivam was right about one thing, anger won''t help. Dhira knew that she cannot afford to lose her focus.


    "Are you keeping an eye on that girl?" Dhira shifted her focus to the task at hand.


    "No. I had a class and honestly, I don''t understand your obsession with her. Its been a week already."


    "Whatever, I''m coming back and I will do it myself. Meet me at the administration office. Let''s print out her details. Maybe we will find something. But if it wasn''t for her, I may have never known about the Krait." Dhira sighed and disconnected the call. She started the car and headed back to college. She couldn''t help but feel grateful towards the new girl. But how did she know about it. When she had seen Visha staring at her backpack. She felt a chill in her spine. This girl was different, not many people are capable of intimidating her. She had felt like she heard a hissing sound when she looked at Visha. It cannot be denied, that new girl is full of mystery. Dhira sped straight back and parked her car. As she entered the college she saw everyone gathered at the main lobby. What is going on? She pushed through the crowd to the front and saw Visha squatted on the floor crying. She looked around as everyone was laughing at her. That''s when she saw the picture on the notice board. It was a photoshopped image of the girl''s face on a bikini model with ''I am lonely. Call me'' and a phone number written on it. Dhira felt sorry for her, she had just joined in and already made enemies. But these people were the worst, kicking her when she was down. Even a child could see it was fake but they just needed something to gossip about.


    "Get out of here, a**holes. Do you all have nothing to do?" she yelled at everyone pulling out the image as she tore it into pieces. Everyone feared her so no one dared to stay. She pulled the girl up and handed her a water bottle. "Listen kid, if you will allow them to walk all over you then they will. Keep that in mind." Dhira turned and left. Poor kid. She thought.


    ***


    Visha couldn''t stop crying and wanted to rush back home. She couldn''t stand the way everyone looked at her. Every man''s eyes filled with lust, imagining her like in that vulgar picture. Every woman filled with either envy or disgust. Their gaze felt like arrows piercing her body. Each one hurt more than the one before, she kept her head down and continued to walk. Then Dhira''s words started ringing in her head continuously, like a chant. ''If you will allow them to walk all over you then they will.''Visha gathered her courage and held her head back up. She wasn''t at fault, why should she feel any guilt. She was the victim after all. She held her head high and walked straight to the class. As soon as she entered, everyone looked at her. Visha quietly went to her seat and sat down.


    "Oh my God! She came to class. I thought she would be crying in some corner."


    "She would be if she had any shame. But it looks like she is quite a sl*t."


    "If it was me I would have returned back home. I felt like pitying her but now looking at her. She is so full of herself and look at her enjoying all the attention."


    Visha could hear these whispers behind her but she chose to ignore and stay strong. She won''t let other people walk all over her. Priya was sitting in the back and smiled as she heard those whispers. This result was satisfying, she could tell that everyone was ridiculing Visha. But her smile soon disappeared when she saw that Visha was still there, unaffected.


    This b*tch, why is she acting so tough. Guess this was not a enough for her. Priya thought. There is no way she will let this b*tch who stole Vikram from her off so easy. She needs to pay. Priya stood up and sat beside Visha and patted her shoulder.


    "Let them say whatever they want. They don''t know you, I do." Priya said acting like a dear friend. Visha''s eyes lit up as soon as she felt Priya''s support and nodded at her with a smile. She was happy to see her friend was still with her and was concerned about her. She can fight anyone as long as she has her friends with her. Visha attended her classes and then went to the cafeteria with everyone. Wherever she went people would look at her and whisper behind her back. She ignored them all and sat down beside Priya. Vikram entered the cafeteria with his head down full of disappointment. He felt really bad that he wasn''t with Visha to pull her out of this situation. He wanted to prove himself to her and this could have been his perfect chance. When he saw Visha, his face lit up as he rushed to take the empty seat beside her.


    "I heard what happened. How are you?" Visha could see how concerned he was. She nodded to assure him and he let out a sigh of relief. Priya''s face twitched as she looked at Visha in disdain. This wench needs to be stopped. And this time for real.


    "I have an idea" Priya said. Both Visha and Vikram turned to her. "You should register for the annual Miss Fresher competion. That way you could gain back your popularity and if you win then people will instantly forget about this incident." It was a rather bizarre idea to stand in public when everyone expected her to hide in embarrassment. But it was also a fact that people tend to forget old news when there is a new one. So she nodded in agreement. Priya shrieked with excitement and everyone laughed.


    ***


    "Hurry up, slowpoke." Dhira was growing impatient. She is too close now. Visha''s details might be the only clue right now. Shivam couldn''t help but sigh. It''s not easy to hack into a university database. Her constant nagging was not making it any easier. This was already the third time in the past minute.But this was typical Dhira.


    Shivam continued to tap keys on his laptop. He had already entered the student data, now he just has to find Visha. After a few more clicks and key taps, her profile popped open. Dhira pushed Shivam aside and went through it. Her gaze like a hawk skimming through a field looking for its prey. She kept on shifting from one document to another and stopped at Visha''s birth certificate. Dhira sat down as she went through this one in detail.


    "It says home birth." Dhira declared.


    "A lot of women opt for it. Nothing unusual." Shivam doubted her suspicions and believed they were too far fetched.


    "Her father deceased and her mother''s name is Payal Mehta. She is an accountant." Dhira paused for a second and thought for a while. "Find out about her." Shivam nodded obediantly at her orders and returned back to his laptop. Dhira knew this was irritating him. This felt like looking for a needle in a haystack. But ever since she was chosen to be the future leader of their coven, she has learnt to trust her instinct more than anything. Visha doesn''t seem to be bad as a person but something about her was not normal. And Dhira won''t stop till she finds out what it was.


    ***

 5 Safe

    Priya and Visha headed to the administration office and Priya pulled out a form. Visha was still unsure. This was too rash. She thought. But Priya was determined. She would do anything to see Visha humiliated. After an incident like that, she really believed she stands a chance. Stupid. This will just be an even better stage to get to her. Priya quickly filled out the form and turned to Visha.


    "So there are three rounds starting next week. First is a quiz, second is the fashion walk and last is talent show."


    "Next week!" Visha exclaimed.


    "Don''t worry. Everyone will help you prepare and perform." Priya consoled. Visha nodded and they turned back. She was nervous but Dhira''s words gave her strength. She won''t allow anyone to step on her. Not anymore.


    Priya and Visha were talking as they saw Dhira and Shivam come out of the computer room. Shivam had a laptop in his hands. Priya quivered as the incident form morning replayed in her mind. Dhira looked at her coldly as she cowered in fear and looked down. Visha met her gaze and smiled. Dhira nodded at her and left. Dhira seems cold but she isn''t bad. If she was she wouldn''t have helped Visha today. Visha was grateful. But the incident this morning was confusing. Why could she hear that snake hissing? How did Dhira know she was looking at her? There were too many questions but no answers at all.


    ***


    "This is too annoying." Yash complained and lied down on the couch Vir was moving. And Vir sighed. He has been complaining ever since they got here. He was the one who wanted to follow that blood scent. Yet he acted like he was forced into this. "It is almost done, Master."


    Yash turned to him and Vir shuddered, he was the closest one to Yash but could never get used to his cold gaze. "Call me brother. We are among the humans."


    "Apologies, ma... I mean brother." Vir said with an awkward smile and got back to setting the couch with Yash on it. They were just supposed to be passing by. Instead he got stuck here because of his master''s whim.


    Vir then moved to the other furniture. They bought a house and set it up like other human houses. This would help them blend in.


    "Vir, humans need more of them to move furniture." Yash seriously doubted this man could ever blend among people. Vir turned back, "They will take too long." and continued to work. Yash laid back down and waited for him to finish. As soon as he saw Vir come back, "I''m hungry" he demanded. Vir bowed and left to get some food. He knew that he won''t survive this for long. Now they had to wait for the blood scent again. Vir could only hope for it to appear soon.


    ***


    Visha was hurrying back home. It was already dark. She had spent too much time in the library. With all that to prepare for the quiz, she had lost track of time. She had issued a lot of books. She was determined to change the image that fake photo had made. She won''t be easy to bully. If someone wanted to bully her they will have to work a lot harder. Her mother might have already returned back home. Visha was too excited to share this with her. She opened the door and saw her mother frantically pacing back and forth in the room.


    "Mom, what happened?" She saw Visha had safely returned home. She sighed in relief and rushed to hold her and broke down in tears. "Mom?" Visha was confused to see her reaction and leapt forward. She held her mother in her arms and let her cry.


    "Mom, just tell me what happened?" Visha was starting to worry as her mother wouldn''t stop.


    "Where have you been? I was worried sick. I thought something happened to you. I was about to call the police."


    "But I''m fine. I was in the library studying and just lost track of time. You didn''t have to worry this much." Visha was too confused as this was a bit of an over reaction. She had almost called the police. But Visha was just two hours late. Why did her mother over react to such a small incident? But hearing her soft sobs Visha decided not to ask right now.


    Payal and Visha had their dinner and Visha decided to stay with her mother till she fell asleep. Visha laid down in her lap and Payal gently stroked her head. Today was too much of a scare for Payal. She had felt a very powerful presence around today. So she hurried back home and when she didn''t find Visha. She imagined the worst. She looked at that face in her lap. She has sacrificed everything for this little girl. She has hidden her ever since she was born. And she will do anything to keep her safe. After all, she has always been a woman of her words.


    ***


    "Master, we have nothing on her." Dhira sighed in disappointment and sat down. She had gone through all her profile, every document. But nothing was out of ordinary. But she still decided to bring some things back for him to see. He too went through Visha''s profile in detail. From one document to another, there was nothing abnormal. Until he stopped at one, "Who is this?" he asked.


    "That''s her mother. Why? Did you find something?" Dhira finally had some hope. At her question he just smiled as a response. This confused Dhira.


    "There is nothing to worry about." Rajesh smiled. He hadn''t seen this face in a very long time. "What do you mean?" Dhira won''t stop till she had a proper explanation.


    "That is Payal. She was one of us. The most powerful witch I had ever seen. If she was still here she would be in this position." Dhira did not understand this. If she was a part of this coven why did she leave? Was she really more powerful than her master? For him to say that he won''t have been the leader with her around, this woman must be. Before she could ask any more questions Rajesh held up his hand and Dhira fell quiet.


    "You will have your answers in time. For now, you don''t have to be wary of her. But I do have something in mind for you to do." Dhira nodded. If he trusts that this girl was not a threat then so will she.


    ***

 6 We are the same

    Shivam opened the door to head out for his classes and saw Dhira standing outside.She was about to ring the doorbell. Shivam nodded at her and she came in.Shivam was still confused to see her. He didn''t understand this sudden appearance of hers.


    Dhira went to see Shivam next morning. She had decided to skip classes today so she could explain what happened last night.And about their Master''s wish, they still had to decide on a course of action. Whether they should approach her directly or should they build up to it.


    Shivam was still wrapping his head around the fact that there was someone more powerful than their Master. So Dhira''s instincts were right all along. Visha was not normal. She was the daughter of a very powerful witch.


    "So,what do you have in mind?" Shivam knew Dhira planned ahead.


    "If she can stand against our powers then she must already be practicing. We just have to talk to her directly. "


    "But there is no guarantee she will agree to do it. What are we to her that she would listen to us. " Shivam does have a point there.But this was the fastest way to get it done. Dhira didn''t have time to waste.


    ***


    Visha was still confused about the way her mother reacted. It had already been a few days. She had been returning on time and her mother seemed to have calmed down too. Visha too was determined to find out about her mother''s odd behavior that night. She had never seen her mother disturbed to that extent.


    She entered the library to return the previous books and issue new ones. Visha had always had a very sharp memory. In just a few days she had memorized all of these books.She didn''t feel like she was ready for the quiz yet. Its just the day after tomorrow. She had already read books from all the history sections except the last one. It was Mythology. Is this even relevant?She headed towards it and saw Dhira and Shivam. Should she turn away like others? Visha thought. But she wasn''t afraid of them. She remembered her mother telling her not to get in trouble. If everyone is afraid of them then she should stay away too. Visha turned around to leave.


    "Wait" Dhira called out and Visha stopped. Visha sighed.She had just decided to stay away and now trouble came looking for her. Dhira gestured her to follow and left the library. Visha walked out with Shivam. She kept her head down all the way and occasionally looked up to see where Dhira was heading. Dhira lead the way out and entered an empty classroom. She turned to Visha as Shivam closed the door behind them. Visha started to sweat a little as she still didn''t know the reason they wanted to talk to her.


    "Since when have you been practicing?" Dhira finally broke the awkward silence.


    "Practice what?" Visha looked at both of them in confusion. What do they mean?


    "Drop the act. We are the same." Shivam said gently. He tried to make her feel comfortable. But Visha still looked clueless.


    "Witchcraft. Since when did you start?" Dhira was never a patient one.


    "What?" Visha was baffled. Witchcraft? Are they crazy? No wonder these two always looked so off.


    Dhira and Shivam both looked at her reaction and then at each other. Visha was about to turn around and leave when Dhira tossed a picture at her. Visha picked it up. At first she didn''t understand what was this picture about till she noticed a familiar face. She was younger but there was no mistake. She can obviously recognize her. It was really her! That girl in the middle of a group of people, was her mother!


    ***


    Vikram saw Visha leave the library and walk down the corridor. He called out to her but she didn''t hear him. He caught upto her and help her hand to get her attention. When she turned around Vikram was shocked to see her. Her face looked pale and ashened. It had lost all colour.


    "What happened?" Vikram asked.


    "Nothing. It''s a family matter. I''ll talk later. I have to prepare for the quiz." Visha turned and left. He still looked dumbfounded at her silhouette disappear in the crowd. He looked disappointed. He still hasn''t had a chance to gain her trust. If he doesn''t hurry he will be in trouble. This is when Priya saw him and stood beside him. She then hooked on his arm.


    "What are you looking at?"


    "You''re good friends with Visha right?" Her smile faded when she heard that. She nodded reluctantly. He is always talking about Visha. Can he not see anyone other than Visha? Can he not see her?


    "Help me find out what''s wrong with her. I want to get to know her more. Please,I will owe you one." He then patted on Priya''s shoulder and left. She clenched her fists so hard her nails dug into her palms. She will have to do something about this Visha or she will loose Vikram.


    ***

 7 I want to hear the res

    Priya sneaked out of her hostel in the middle of the night. She had a scarf around her face as she quitely walked away from the metal gates. Her pace was quick as she looked suspiciously alert. She walked out to the road and hired a cab. As she got in she finally relaxed and removed her scarf. Her face perfectly depicted the disgust and envy inside her. Priya took out her phone and sent a message. She anxiously waited for the reply. How good it would feel if Vikram noticed her? Admired her beauty like he admired Visha''s. Priya knew Visha was beautiful and that she could never compare to her in that aspect. The best she can do is to force her to leave or transfer. But maybe just a little bit of humiliation wasn''t enough to do that. The phone finally buzzed. She picked it up and her lips curved upwards as a sinister smile covered her face. She got off near a dark alley and went inside. A man wearing a black hoodie looked around cautiously as he came to her. Priya took out a bundle of cash and he immediately snatched it. He looked around again to check as he took out a little packet and handed it to Priya.


    "This better work." Priya warned.


    "It will." He then turned around and left. Priya hurried back to her cab as she tightly clenched that packet in her hand.


    ***


    Visha closed the door of her room and picked up her bag. She rummaged through it and pulled out a book. Visha stared at it for a while and then tossed it on her study table. She was fighting against the urge to read it. Whatever Dhira and Shivam told her today made no sense. Maybe they are part of some cult or they are crazy. They could be nerds or fanatics. How dare they call her mother a witch? But her mother was in that picture. Visha took a deep breath and tried to calm down. She doesn''t believe what they said but it was just a book. Yes,she was going to read it for educational purposes. Visha sat down and picked up the book again. The title read- ''History of Witchcraft''.She started reading. It containeddocumentation of historical events in which witches were killed. Or woman who people thought were witches. And a detailed research about the myths surrounding witches and witchcraft. There were different practices among the witches. There was necromancy, spell casting, demonology, white magic, sacrificial and blood magic. The more Visha read the more interested she became. One page after another, one book after another. After the books, Visha sat on her laptop and read things online. All night she read about witches. And one thing stood out, there were no definite proofs but the myths have been around for centuries. It was a folklore some believed some didn''t.


    One thing was clear, Dhira and Shivam were believers. And Visha wasn''t. But she still needed to know the connection between that picture and her mother. She couldn''t imagine that her gentle sweet mother was like Dhira once. She won''t believe them. But she could listen to what they had to say.


    It was already morning, she got up and got ready to leave. She hurried downstairs. Her perfectly tied up in a bun with a white shirt and denim shorts complementing her well rounded body. She was unsure how to face her mother. Payal saw her come down and smiled at her.


    "Have some breakfast before you leave." Visha nodded at her. She then went to Visha and kissed her forehead before leaving for work. Visha sat down and picked up her bowl of cereal. She had just heard that Payal was a witch. But maybe her mother just got involved with the wrong people when she was young. That is quite common in that age with everyone. Plus how could she be a witch? She cried her eyes out a few days ago just because Visha was a little late. There is no way she could have been like Dhira in any point of her life. Visha was determined to get to the bottom of this and clear her mother''s name.


    She went straight to Dhira''s class and saw Shivam talking to her. They saw Visha standing outside and came out. Dhira was straight faced as always but Shivam greeted her with a warm smile.


    "So, what did you decide?" Dhira asked firmly. Visha had found out that Dhira was not the small talk type. She was the quick efficient type who had no interest in following social norms. She always got straight to the point and not bounce around it.


    "I am not in." Shivam sighed in disappointment when he heard that. Then he saw that Dhira was still looking at Visha. "But I want to hear the rest." Dhira thought for a while and then nodded. She could understand why Visha had chosen to stay neutral for now. She wouldn''t have readily trusted anything like that either. In fact if Visha''d have agreed that might have made her suspicious.


    "I hoped for you to change your mind so I had brought this." Dhira pulled out a worn out thin book. "These are some harmless beginner spells. Try them. Tell me if they worked." Visha hesitantly took it and nodded. Dhira smiled. She may have not achieved her goal. But she was a step closer to getting what she wanted.


    ***

 8 Nervous

    Yash was now growing impatient. It had been a long time since the blood scent. It didn''t appear again. They couldn''t trace its scent. How can the scent of such sweet blood disappear into thin air. They would have easily been able to follow it if it wasn''t hidden. But he cannot afford to waste anymore time.


    "Vir" he called out. After a few moments Vir opened the door and bowed to greet him.


    Yash shrugged his shoulders and continued, "I am getting bored of waiting. If that scent doesn''t appear in a few more days, then we''ll leave." Vir nodded and happily left the room.Finally he could return. He was growing impatient too but couldn''t say a word. The scent of this blood had already caused enough damage. He hated it here and just wanted to be done with it. He was glad and started preparing to leave. But he had no idea he was going to be disappointed.


    ***


    Visha had practiced all night, she memorised a few but couldn''t perform any. None of them worked. Even though she didn''t believe in witches and spells, she was disappointed. She couldn''t help but imagine if it was real when she first heard Dhira talk about it. She was still sulking on her broken fantasy when Priya called out to her she turned around and saw her heading towards her. Visha stopped and wited for her to catch up. She looked really worried.


    "Are you ready?" Priya asked.


    Visha was a little confused, "What for?"


    "The quiz.Don''t tell me you didn''t prepare."


    Visha did forget. With everything that was going on how could she not. Among all this, fixing her image seemed like a trivial matter.


    "I did not forget, and I am prepared." Visha let out a long sigh. This needed to be handled before she saw Dhira. She followed Priya to the backstage. Everyone was reading some or the other book. Visha glanced around, she had already read and memorised most of them. She was confident about the quiz but nervous about rejecting Dhira. She knew Dhira was not a bad person but who knew what she was capable of when angry. Priya saw this and came to talk to her, "Nervous?" she asked.


    "A little" replied Visha. She was pinching the palm of her hand. She did that when she was nervous. It was a habit of hers.


    Priya went off to get something. That''s when a group of four girls approached Visha. They too looked like freshmen too and if they were here they must have registered as well. Visha recognized one of them, it was Divya. She was one of the girls badmouthing her in the cafeteria, when someone photoshopped her picture.


    "Who knew sluts can compete to be Ms Fresher too?" one of her subordinates taunted. Divya looked pleased by this and looked at another one. She nodded and then turned to Visha, "You do know that stripping on the stage and screaming you''re lonely won''t work, right?" at this Divya let out a small laugh and turned to Visha with a sinister smile. Priya had came back right in time holding a glass of water to see this. She looked at them ridiculing Visha and sneered. The more Visha feels miserable, more likely she is to transfer. But she was soon disappointed as Visha smiled back and this shocked all of them. "My bad, I did plan to strip and seduce the judges. Guess I will have to win it by giving the right answers then." Visha lifted up her arms to show she had no other choice. Divya grunted and stomped her foot on the ground in rage. She grit her teeth and left with her fists clenched as well. Priya had a similar reaction to her. She then went up to Visha with a smile and handed her the glass. "Just relax. Don''t mind them. It can''t be that bad anyway." and smiled at Visha.


    Visha smiled back and took the glass. She was drinking nervously. As soon as the quiz ended she will have to go to Dhira. Shivam was a nice guy,maybe he would help her. But right now she should concentrate on the quiz. She needs to win it. Her reputation may not be of as much precedence anymore but it was still a matter that had to resolved. Some people then came in with boxes of refreshment for participants. They came in different groups. One of the groups came to Visha and handed her a sandwich. She thanked them with a smile and ate it. Once she was done,she saw them all practicing. She thought that she should do it too. And then headed to the washroom to prepare for her introduction alone. Backstage was too crowded and distracting. She needed solemn and quite to concentrate. Her memory was intact but she was worried she might stutter due to her nervousness to face Dhira. She went inside and took long breaths to calm herself, then started practicing. She paced back and forth while orating her speech. Visha turned around and felt light and heavy at the same time. She looked at herself in the mirror and saw her image was spinning. She started to breathe heavy and rustled inside her bag to find her phone. She dialled the first number that appeared on her screen. After just two rings someone picked up.


    "Hello" said the voice from the other side.

 9 A Simple Spell

    "Hello" said Dhira. Visha may have jumped in shock if she still could. She accidentally contacted the one person she wanted to escape. But considering the state she was in, she couldn''t pick up her phone and dial another number. Visha had to compromise.


    "Dhira, help." Visha was still breathing heavy. Dhira got worried as soon as she heard her tone. Visha sounded weak and breathless.


    "Where are you?" Dhira immediately asked.


    "Washroom. First floor." Visha somehow managed to mumble these two things before she blacked out. Dhira was her only hope now.


    ***


    Dhira''s mind went blank for a moment when she heard Visha''s barely audible voice saying help. She rushed out of the classroom she was in. The professor saw her leave but didn''t dare stop her. No one could. She heard Visha say she was in the washroom. She tried to keep talking to Visha as she rushed downstairs to the first floor. But there was no reply. She couldn''t help but imagine the worst and called Shivam as well.


    Dhira opened the door and saw Visha lying unconscious on the floor. Shivam entered right behind her. Dhira rushed to Visha and tried to pick her up. She was burning hot. Dhira then poured water on her face and Visha opened her eyes slowly. Dhira and Shivam sighed in relief. They were glad to see she was alright. Visha''s face turned red and she blinked her eyes continuously. Her head was still spinning and she was burning. The heat was unbearable. She snatched the bottle in Dhira''s hands and poured it on herself. Dhira and Shivam looked at her in shock as she clawed at her own clothes. She tried to speak but her voice didn''t come out. She was now breathing heavily too. Dhira looked at Shivam and then pointed at the door with her chin. Shivam rushed and closed the door as Dhira started to examine Visha.


    "It''s some kind of drug. No spell." Dhira concluded.


    "Can you do anything?" Shivam was worried. He remembered today was the quiz Visha took part in. And it was important to her.


    Dhira thought for a while, "Maybe" she shrugged her shoulders and hesitated. " I''ll give it a try." She placed her hand on Visha''s forehead and started chanting. Visha''s temperature started to drop and her breathing slowed down as well. Sweat beads formed all over her body. In just a few minutes, her clothes were drenched in sweat. She turned over suddenly and spat out some blood. Her temperature and breathing then returned to normal. She woke up to see Dhira and Shivam standing there. They looked relieved.


    "Are you alright?" Shivam asked as he helped her stand up. Visha nodded as a reply.


    "What happened?" Dhira asked.


    Visha looked confused as she tried to remember, "I came in here to practice my intro and I just went blank. I don''t know either." she touched her forehead. She could still feel the remaining drug giving her a headache. It felt like she had a bad hangover.


    "You were drugged. Who could have done that?" Dhira asked again. Shivam sighed. Could she not see that Visha was still in a haze. She should comfort her before interrogating her. What will happen to this girl with zero EQ. He shook his head in helplessness.


    Visha looked at Dhira and thought for a while, "I drank water that Priya brought and a sandwich. It was for all the participants, nothing else. There was this other participant and we had an argument. But she was the one who came onto me first." Visha complained.


    "Maybe you should be careful from now on. It''s a fierce competition."Dhira warned. Visha nodded as a reply. She then turned to look at Dhira, "But what did you do? How could drug effects disappear in minutes?" Visha asked.


    "A simple spell. I sped up your metabolism to get the drug out of your system. The blood was a side effect, because I increased it too much in a very short time." Dhira explained.


    But Visha had barely listened after she heard the word ''spell''. So it was real. She had just seen it work, she couldn''t deny its existence anymore. That means,Dhira really was a witch. And maybe so was her mother.


    ***

 10 Powerful Presence

    Vikram paced back and forth in the hallway. His forehead was covered in sweat, as he frantically tried to find a way to get more time. It seemed impossible to get it done in time. If he doesn''t hurry who knows what will happen. He will have to find a way to persuade them. But once this is over, a better college life awaits him. He smiled at this thought. But first he needs to negotiate. He picked up his phone and dialed a number. After a few rings someone picked up, and he tried to calm himself.


    "Trust me it''s worth the wait. The best you''ve ever seen or you''ll ever see. I guarantee it. I''ll pay back double the amount if it doesn''t suit your taste."


    He took a pause then and continued, "I just need a little more time. Butit will be worth every second, I promise." After listening for a few seconds, a smile appeared on his face. The due date was moved further. He was relieved. Afterwards, he left for the auditorium.


    ***


    Priya was worried stiff as she couldn''t find Visha anymore. She looked frantically for her backstage. She cannot afford to miss this chance. If Visha embarasses herself in front of all these people today, she''ll definitely transfer out of shame. And then Priya could finally have Vikram all to herself. She then went and looked around the area when she heard the annoncements begin. The quiz is starting, where the hell is Visha? Priya thought. She then entered the venue which was fully packed. Apparently, this competition was quite popular in the campus. Priya fought her way inside the crowd. She wanted to get closer so she could see Visha embarass herself beyond repair. She finally got a clear view of the stage after shoving atleast a dozen students aside. She could see Visha standing there nicely but she looked sober. How is that possible?She should still be hazy and hot. She should be clawing at her clothes, stripping herself naked on the stage right now. Priya stared at her in disbelief. Her plan had failed again. But how?She was running out of explanations. How could the drug have gone null already? Did it not work?But that man was very sure it would. Priya''s fear increased with every question Visha answered correct. She almost pulled her hair out. Visha was winning. She answered them all. And on the stage, Divya too was about to lose her mind. Her friends'' faces had lost colour as they stared at the girl they had just humiliated, get points one after another. Not just them,everyone who had ridiculed Visha, couldn''t believe their own eyes. They had thought Visha was nothing more than just a pretty face. Silent faceslaps were delivered all over the venue today. Visha had her head high. Every right answer was a slap to all of them. This may not be enough to make people forget that photo incident,but it was enough to establish that Visha was here to stay. And that she will fight back everytime she is hurt. Most of the students would see Visha in a new light from today.


    ***


    Vir had already made arrangements to clear out the place. He humming as he couldn''t contain his joy anymore. They had not been home in a really long time, just when they finished their work. Instead of leaving his master decided to chase a blood scent. And now that he is done, Vir will finally return back to his home as far away from these humans as he could.


    He headed to Yash''s room to say that it had been few days. And they shouldn''t wait anymore. The preparations to leave are all done. He opened the door and saw Yash standing at the window staring into the emptiness. He looked disappointed and this made Vir''s enthusiasm fall down below the sea level. He felt guilty for being happy about hus Master''s failiure, but he couldn''t do anything about it. They had to return.


    Vir was about to call out when something got stuck in his throat. A heavy smell filled the entire room. It was so powerful, tgat it started to suffocate him. Vir couldn''t stand anymore and gave in. The pressure was too much for him. He fell on his knees and started to breathe heavy. He looked at his Master who seemed indifferent to this powerful presence. To his surprise Yash was smiling. He then faced the window and started to draw inlong breaths.


    Vir''s eyes widened in shock as it dawned on him. This was the scent his master wanted to follow! How could this much power be in the human world? No human body can contain this much power. What could it be?Someone that powerful was a potential threat to them. It must be eliminated. This much power might one day be able to challenge for the throne!


    ***

 11 She deserves be My Woman

    As soon as Visha was announced as one of the participants that cleared for the next round. Dhira gestured her that she was going backstage and Visha nodded. She brought Shivam with her. Visha was still on the stage, it would take her a little while before she could join them. Dhira had a worried look which made Shivam curious.


    "Visha was drugged and that person seems quite smart." Dhira announced. Shivam smiled at this. The girl with zero EQ and a cold demoness aura finally made a friend. She already considered Visha as one of them. Lucky her, to have the next heir worry like that. Shivam thought.


    "She has veen attacked once already by that poster incident. Then they chose this time to avoid suspicion, so they could use the competitors as cover." Dhira continued unaware of the smile covering Shivam''s face. "Keep an eye on that Priya girl. I don''t trust her. She was the common one in both incidents. Visha didn''t even know Divya before the competition. It is possible these were two different people. So look out for Divya and her b*tches too." Shivam nodded at her instructions. Dhira would have continued but was interrupted by Visha. Her work onstage was now done so she had come to find Dhira. She came in and both Shivam and Dhira fell silent.


    "Thank you for helping me. I didn''t know if you would in such short notice." Visha smiled awkwardly. Dhira wasn''t someone she knew but she felt like she could trust her. And she even owed Dhira for everything today. Dhira nodded at her, "Visha, I already see you as one of us. You don''t need to thank me. And if you really feel indebted then join us. That''s what I want, but i can''t force you. It''s just a suggestion."


    "I''m glad you think that way. But I really don''t think I''m one of you. I tried but I couldn''t do any spells. That''s why I thought that it wasn''t true. And wanted to reject you for your offer. But now I don''t know anymore." Visha shrugged her shoulders helplessly. Shivam looked at her in shock. But it couldn''t be, she was the daughter of a witch. She must be one of us.


    "It might take a little time, don''t worry. Just try to remember them for now and keep practicing." Dhira smiled at her and Visha instantly cheered up. She was now filled with enthusiasm as she walked out. Maybe she was overthinking, just like Dhira said it might take time. She left with a new-found determination. Shivam turned to Dhira as soon as the door closed.


    "What did you mean by take time? Either she is a witch or she''s not. It''s simple." Shivam whined. He wouldn''t dare yell at Dhira even if her response infuriated him.


    "There is something different about her. She is not a normal witch for sure. I needed more time to investigate her. Tha one thing I am sure of is, she''s not a bad person. I need to find the truth." Dhira turned and left leaving Shivam dumbfounded. Dhira was determined, she wouldn''t rest till she did.


    ***


    Visha entered rushed downstairs as soon as she heard the front door open. She flung herself in her mother''s arms. Payal was not expecting this sudden display of affection. She held her daughter and could sense her immense joy.


    "What''s the good news?" she asked.


    "I cleared to the next round with the highest scores in quiz today." Visha answered chirpily. Payal then came inside to see a feast waiting for her on the dining table. She then washed up and sat down. Visha waited for her and they both started together. She had won against all odds today. This called for a celebration. Dhira was the one to thank for it. If she hadn''t reached in time, Visha couldn''t have faceslapped Divya and her disciples. She still remembered when Divya gritted her teeth and almost cried when Visha was announced as the top scorer. That feeling was incredible. Dhira was really right, people will walk over her if she let them. But now that she will be a witch soon she can have her revenge very easily. Then flies like Divya won''t matter at all. She couldn''t wait to be one so she rushed upstairs right after her dinner. And opened up the book Dhira had given her. She will memorize them all. She wanted to be a witch asap.


    ***


    Yash stood outside the gates of a huge group of buildings. So this is where humans study. He thought. The scent was coming from here, he followed it here. It didn''t instantly vanish like it did last time. That''s why he could follow it here. He was thankful for that. Vir closely followed his Master. He could barely keep up with his speed. But this power had scared him. Whoever it was not only could challenge the throne, but even had a chance to succed it as well. Especially in the plaxe he called home, where power decided status. Maybe that was why his Master was this determined to find it''s source. Could he be thinking the same?


    Vir finally caught up and saw Yash staring at the iron gates in front of him. The scent was coming from here but it wasn''t as strong as before. The blood was drying out. They will have to hurry. What if they loose it again?


    Yash saw Vir had caught up so he started moving again. He went inside the empty building and followed the blood. The scent was the most powerful near a door that had a sign on it. But Yash didn''t know what it meant. He waited for Vir to catch up again. Vir panted as he reached by his side. Yash looked at him and pointed to the door. Vir was taken aback by this gesture. His Master looked like a kid that was anxiously waiting for his parents to but his favourite toy. The one who silently pointed to it as he refused to move. He is surprised sometimes, how can he be the most powerful one he knew be so clueless sometimes. He was brought back to his senses when his Master''s dumb look changed into a piercing glare. He nodded and went to see the sign. It said ''She''.


    "Uhh... Master this is where human females go to relieve themselves." Vir said awkwardly.


    Yash pushed open the door and stood near the basin. It had a long mirror above it that covered half of the wall from one end to the other. He then crouched near the floor and touched a red spot. It was already dry. So this blood was of a woman. He smiled at this thought. If there was a woman with that much power, then she should be his. He stood up to look at his reflection. He was smiling as he turned to the dumbfounded Vir,


    "Someone this powerful is the only one I want as my woman." Yash announced. Vir stood there unable to move as if he was struck by lightning.


    ***

 12 Was she gonna die?

    Visha got ready and left for college. She had to start preparing for her next round. Fashion walk won''t be easy. Even though she thankfully had a great figure she was clueless to fashion. She will need a lot of help regarding this. So she went and called Priya out as well. She decided to wait for her to in the cafeteria and saw Dhira and Shivam on the way. Shivam looked at her and smiled. Visha smiled back and went to greet them.


    "I am working really hard. I spent all night memorising." Visha boasted. She was always so cheerful and looked like a puppy waiting to be called a ''Good boy''. Dhira smiled and patted her head. She grinned at that. Shivam was shocked to see this. Dhira hadn''t found a new friend, she had found a pet. Poor Visha. She didn''t even know she was a dog wagging her tail.


    "So what is the smartest girl upto?" Shivam asked to break off the dog and master display.


    "I have to prepare for the next round. It''sa fashion walk. I don''t know anything about it. So I asked Priya to help me with it." she replied. Shivam looked at Dhira and saw her temper rising after Priya was mentioned. But she was a professional at containing her emotions. He was the only one who could read her. After all, they had been friends for the longest time.


    "Meet me after college. There is something we need to do." Dhira ordered. Visha nodded and then left for the cafeteria.


    She reached to find Priya sitting there already. Priya saw her and smiled. Visha went and sat down beside her.


    "Priya the fashion walk is the day after tomorrow. I need your help. You know Nitya in the fashion society. Can you get me a dress from her?" she pleaded.


    Priya saw another window of opportunity to get Visha humiliated. She instantly agreed and headed out to meet Nitya. This time she won''t fail. She needs to get rid of Visha.


    Visha on the other hand felt like she might drown in her favors. Priya was such a good friend, always ready to help her. That she was lucky to have Priya around.


    She remembered Dhira had wanted to meet up for some work. Was it witch related? The thought excited her too much. The witch world seemed so appealing. She couldn''t help being attracted. She immediately picked up her phone and called Dhira.


    "Visha, this is not the time. Something happened to Dhira." Shivam had picked up. He sounded panicky and breathless.


    "What happened?"


    "We are behind the basketball court. No time to explain." and Shivam disconnected the call. Visha frantically picked up her bag and rushed to the basketball court.


    When she reached she saw Dhira coughing, and some drops of blood on the floor. Shivam stood beside her terror-stricken. She crouched beside Dhira and desperately rubbed her back, but all in vain. There seemed no end to this horror. Dhira kept on struggling and clawing at her throat. As if she was choking on something. Dhira kept on coughing like crazy and blood drops splattered on the floor each time. After madly clawing and coughing she spit out a needle covered in blood. Dhira continued coughing up blood. Visha''s eyes widened, she didn''t know what was going on. How did Dhira cough up a needle? She then turned to Shivam. He was staring at the needle and then dropped helplessly on the floor. Tears appeared in his eyes. Visha still looked at both of them dumbstruck.


    "What the hell is going on?" Visha yelled.


    Shivam turned to Visha, his face had lost all emotions. "It''s black magic." The words struck like thunder. Visha looked at frantically coughing Dhira then back to Shivam, "Do something then."


    "I don''t know how." Shivam uttered and broke into sobs, "This is a high level black magic. She won''t stop coughing up needles and blood till she dies. Dhira could have stopped it but..." and he trailed off. Tears appeared in her eyes as well. Dhira was gonna die? Visha thought. Her mind started to buzz. She couldn''t let this happen. There was still a lot left to know about her mother. She had to know mlre about the witches. And Dhira was a great friend. She was just not used to people but she was good. But what can she do? Shivam doesn''t know how to stop this. Dhira does but she can''t. She is the one being attacked. She brainstormed and a solution finally struck. There was a way, it was a little risky. But Dhira had helped her before she even knew her. She owed her too much.


    Visha held Dhira''s hand and started chanting. Shivam looked in awe as Dhira slowly stopped coughing. Her pale face was steadily returning to its usual colour. She was looking better. She was breathing normal. Shivam let out a sigh of relief and wiped his tears. A smile appeared on his face as he saw Dhira will live. This joy was short lived as it was now Visha who started coughing vigorously and spat out a blotch of blood.

 13 Always trust your instincts

    Visha felt like she had swallowed a hundred needles and all of it got stuck in her throat. She could feel one almost coming out tearing her vocal cords apart. She coughed continuously to get it out. It pricked every time she did. But finally she was somehow able to spit it out. Unlike she thought, it didn''t get any better there was another one in her throat now. She remembered Shivam said that it will continue till she died. There was no point in trying to get this one out. There would be another one again. She gave up and started to lose consciousness. Visha looked really weak and was about to drop on the floor. Dhira held Visha before she fell.


    "What did you do?" Dhira didn''t hide her emotions this time. Her anger was clear and reasonable. She suspected it and her suspicion was confirmed when Visha said meekly, "I transferred it."


    Dhira was about to blow up in rage but she bottled it down. She knew this was not the time. She gestured Shivam to hold Visha instead and took out a knife from her bag.


    She made a cut on her palm and her blood started to ooze out. She balled it up in a fist and started chanting as she placed her other hand on Visha''s forehead. Visha started to improve. She stopped coughing and Shivam helped her sit back up. She wiped off the blood from her lips. Her throat wasn''t pricking anymore. The wounds still stung a little but it was far better than the pain before. Dhira hissed in pain as she opened up her bloodied fist full of needles. All those needles would have continued to come out of Visha''s throat one by one. She threw them away and turned to Visha. Now that she wasn''t dying from a spell anymore, Dhira could unleash her fury.


    "What the f*ck were you thinking?" she yelled. Shivam had never seen Dhira so angry that she couldn''t contain it. He feared this even more. No matter how extreme her emotions were. She never displays them. This was the first time he saw she was unable to do so.


    Visha smiled innocently and scratched her head. "Shivam said that you know how to stop it. If it was happening to someone else you could''ve stopped it easily. I wasn''t confident if I would be able to do any spells but like you said I memorized them all. I can''t do high level magic like you, so I gave the transfer spell a try."


    Dhira felt indebted to her. She had taken her suffering without a second thought and put all her trust in Dhira. She put herself on the line to save her. This girl was far too innocent and good for the world. Dhira sighed in helplessness. She decided to always protect Visha. She will give this girl what she deserved. The Blood Bond. She owed her that much. She then smiled and patted Visha''s head.


    "We should tend to both of your wounds." Shivam reminded.


    ***


    Visha was about to go to sleep when her phone buzzed and she picked it up. It was a message from Priya.


    ''I have the dress from Nitya. Meet me early morning tomorrow so you can try it on. Nitya will give it by tomorrow night after altering it.''


    ''Thanks. I will see you tomorrow. You are my life saver.'' and then Visha added some heart emoticons. She was right to seek Priya''s help. She will have her dress by tomorrow night. Her beauty was something she was the most confident in. She could definitely win now. She went to bed with a smile on her face and no worries. She slept like a log.


    ***


    Dhira hurried back to the mansion in the middle of the night. She had went blank for a while after Srisha told her that their Master was sick. He was more than just a mentor to her,he was like a father to the orphan girl Dhira. He was the only one she considered family. She pushed the doors open and rushed upstairs to his bedroom. He was lying on the bed and Srisha was standing beside him.


    "What happened?" Dhira asked as she leaned over to get a better look. He looked so pale and weak. As if the life had been sucked out of him.


    "He fainted. He has been working on something day and night since the last time you saw him. He won''t tell anyone. He won''t let anyone help either. He even told everyone to keep it a secret from you." Srisha was about to cry. The man she loved was lying on the bed lifeless. She had loved him with all her heart but he wouldn''t even consider her.She had been trying to be with him for all these years. But he had refused her every time just for that woman. She had loved him unconditionally and he won''t even look at her.


    Dhira on the other hand couldn''t comprehend what he might want to acquire. What was he trying to do so desperately? Last time, they had talked about Visha and her mother. Did that trigger this? She couldn''t help but feel like these were connected. There was more to this than her Master let her know. Too many mysteries surrounded Visha, like how she couldn''t do any spells before but she was successful today. Dhira was grateful. Visha had saved her life but this didn''t make sense. Even though her origins seemed suspicious but Dhira''s heart said she was trustworthy. And the first thing she learnt about being the coven leader was to always trust her instincts. And she will.


    ***

 14 As her own Daughter

    Dhira called Shivam out of his room in the corridor. It was early in the morning. They had decided to stay in the mansion for the time being. Their Master was sick and seeing that Dhira was the next to take his place. It was obvious for her to handle coven''s affairs in his stead. There were permissions to be granted to their members for some work. And some permissions by other covens to pass by their territory. They were the largest and the strongest coven in the country. There were many smaller covens that wanted to be on their good side. So receiving artifacts as gifts was a common occurrence. She had to write letters thanking them for their generous gifts. She spent all night taking care of those things. But thoughts of Visha had never left her mind even for a second. Visha was surrounded by mysteries but that girl had a kind and generous heart. That''s why Dhira had decided to form that Blood Bond. She knew that this was a serious matter. Even though she had once decided she would never use a magic like that but Visha had made her highly indebted. And this was a time when she was being repeatedly targeted. And Dhira felt she owed her this much. She had already made a decision regarding Visha yesterday and she wanted to keep it. But first, she wanted to get Shivam''s opinion.


    The door to his room opened and he stepped out in his pyjamas. His toned torso and his curves looked quite inviting under the low lights. Dhira sighed.


    "You do remember that I''m a girl right?" she sounded frustrated.


    "Well, someone had a tiny crush on me once. So I just wanted to give away a treat." Shivam said with a crooked smile. Dhira looked away awkwardly and Shivam laughed at that.


    "Even if I wasn''t gay I still wouldn''t have dated you. You''re my best friend." Shivam explained. That was true. Even though they were childhood friends Shivam had never told her that he was gay. Not until he found put that Dhira had a crush on him in eighth grade. But that was ages ago, Dhira had almost forgotten about it.


    "I didn''t call you here so your gay ass could friend zone me again. I was thinking about something and I wanted your opinion." Dhira announced. Shivam raised his eyebrows and waited for her to continue.


    "I already said I don''t trust that Priya girl or that Divya or the Vikram guy. We can''t keep an eye on them all and handle coven affairs along the side now that Master''s also sick. And I can''t always be around Visha to protect her. So I thought of something." Dhira finally took a breath after blurting all that out. Shivam nodded and placed all his attention on Dhira.


    "I should form a Blood Bond with her." Shivam''s eyes widened in shock and words got stuck in his throat. Dhira wanted to form a Blood Bond with Visha! He took a deep breaths to let this sink in. She wants a Blood Bond!


    "Are you sure?"


    "Yes" Shivam could see that Dhira was determined. There was nothing he could do. So he agreed. He knew Dhira doesn''t like to owe anyone. She was an orphan and grew up in a world of give and take. Visha was the first one who had helped her without expecting anything in return. The world she had known until now, never had anyone doing good without any ulterior motives. He could understand why Dhira insisted on helping her. Visha had changed the view she had of the world.


    ***


    Visha rushed downstairs early morning all dressed up. Payal saw her frantically searching for something.


    "What is it?" she asked.


    "My hair tie. I can''t find it." Visha pouted. She was getting extremely late. She had so little time to prepare for her fashion walk. She had to reach early and try the dress Priya brought. She will have to win this fashion walk.


    "You should not be this careless. You always keep on loosing them." Payal scolded. She then went in her room and opened up a small box full of hair ties. She was glad she always kept so many extras. She never wanted Visha to go out without these. It could expose her. She was determined to keep her promise till her last breath. She went outside and tied up her hair in a ponytail. Visha smiled like a spoilt brat and kissed her cheeks before leaving. Payal waved her goodbye and came back inside. She turned to Visha''s father''s shrine. And a sad painful smile appeared on her face, "Don''t worry, I will always protect her. She will never need to know of her origins. I promised to bring her up as my own daughter and i have. So you can rest in peace, Little Brother. Her evil past will never catch up to her." Payal assured her dead Brother''s spirit. Visha was her only blood relative left. And she will protect her at all costs.


    ***

 15 Stupid Formalities

    Visha hurried to the cafeteria to meet Priya. She was stand there holding a bag. As soon as she saw Visha, "You''re late."


    Visha scratched her head with a naive smile, "I over slept." Priya sighed at that and handed her the bag she was holding.


    "Here. Go ahead and try it on." Visha took the bag and nodded. She then went inside the washroom looking nervous. What if the color didn''t suit her? What if there were so many alterations that it didn''t complete on time? Terrible thoughts kept on piling up in her mind. She casually waved it all off. The first thing was to try it on then she should form opinions. She slowly unzipped the bag to see what color it was. A white frill could be seen inside. Visha felt a little at ease. She had worn white dresses before and it quite suits her. She pulled the dress out and saw it was a knee length dress. It had frills starting from her waist till slightly above her knees. She immediately tried it on and rushed to the mirror to see. The dress hugged her perfectly at her waist. It was a little tight at the chest area but otherwise it looked great. The straps of the dress were silocone to make it falsely appear shoulder less. Visha was satisfied as white complimented her angelic face. She looked like a little girl in those frills. A cute little girl. This went so well with her actual image as well. She was now confident to win. She carefully got out of it and neatly put it back in the bag. Priya was waiting right outside. Visha chirpily handed her the bag and gave her a tight hug.


    "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you..." she kept on repeating as she swayed Priya side to side while hugging her. Priya started to laugh at her reaction. Visha finally let go of her.


    "I love it so much. You''re the bestest friend ever." Priya let out a laugh and took back the bag from her.


    "It''s perfect. Just a little tight on the chest. Can she really get it done by tonight?" Visha was worried. They had a very short period of time. She didn''t know if it was possible.


    "Don''t worry. She is the best in the whole fashion society. She can do it."


    Visha calmed down after Priya''s reassurance. She trusted her. All that''s left now was to win this competition. But she didn''t notice the vile expression on Priya''s face. Visha had fallen in her trap again. She won''t let anyone sabotage it this time.


    ***


    Yash threw away the documents in frustration. Why do humans have so many stupid formalities? He just wants to go to the same huge building his future wife was in. Vir had arranged admission papers for him when he said he also wanted to be there with her. But now he was losing his patience.


    "Vir" he yelled. It was all his fault. That good for nothing disciple, always has the worst ideas to get things done.


    Vir rushed out of the kitchen as soon as he heard his Master call. He was cooking dinner for him. He went inside and saw papers everywhere on the floor. It looked like a bomb went off in the room. His Master was sitting in the middle emitting a vicious aura. Vir gulped in fear before he spoke,"Yes,Master."


    "Why is all this necessary? Taking her with me is much easier." he roared.


    "Because Master, humans have a custom. It''s called courting. It means to accompany your partner to make them fall in love with you."


    "And why is love necessary. She can fall in love when I accompany her afterwards."


    Vir sighed, his master maybe the most powerful and capable partner any woman could imagine. But he doesn''t know anything about women. How does he teach his Master the art of courting a woman?


    "Master,if you take her without her will. She might never accept you as her partner. You need to win her heart. Only then she will willingly give herself to you. Human women are different. They are very complicated." he tried to convince Yash.


    Yash thought for a while. Even though forcefully taking her was easier, but he did want her to accept him willingly. He will have to go through all of these papers if he wanted to find that girl and be close to her. He caught her blood scent yesterday. She had bled again. He can''t let that happen anymore . He will find out who dared to hurt his future wife. If he was closer to her he would have been able to protect her better. He had already decided that she will be his only woman and no one else. Even though he hasn''t seen her, but her smell was already burnt deep into his heart and soul. He would follow that scent through heaven and hell. He had already decided that. A smile appeared on his face as the thought of being close to her crossed his mind. Being able to touch her,hold her,inhale her intoxicating scent. That scent was like a drug. He was addicted to it. His smile turned smug. This woman must be really something to have turned him into a pervert like this. He never thought that a woman was capable of making him go crazy like that. Human world was so different. He never would have imagined to find a wife here. There were countless woman trying to get in his bed and heart back home. But they just wanted to boast around. They were all shallow b*ches who wanted to be on his good side. He was the next heir to the throne, after all.


    ***

 16 Play - Play

    Visha slept in to rest for her competition in the evening. She didn''t want to look tired on stage. So she got out of her bed around lunchtime. She woke up with a smile and full of excitement. She couldn''t help humming tunes while taking her shower, or picking out her clothes, or dancing down the stairs. Payal wasn''t blind. She could see ''her daughter'' was quite peppy this afternoon .


    "Your birthday is still months away." she taunted. Visha puffed up her cheeks like a little child.


    "It''s my fashion walk today. And I loved my dress for tonight."


    Payal laughed at how such little things made her so happy. Visha pouted her lips at her reaction. The Mother-daughter duo had lunch together. Payal had an off today so she witnessed the smile that wouldn''t leave Visha''s face. After her lunch Visha got up and started to get ready to go out. But there still a couple hours left in her competition. So where was she going? Payal could not understand. She looked at Visha questioningly.


    "I am going to the Beauty Salon to get some things done. I want to look good." Visha could see her interrogating look.


    Payal froze for a moment. She cannot let her go there. They would definitely do her hair as well. That meant untying them.


    "No need"


    "But I need to prepare for tonight. I have to get to the next round." Visha couldn''t understand why her mother stopped her. She clearly knew how important this is for her. To her surprise Payal smiled and gently stroked her hair.


    "Because, it''s your important night. I will do all that for my lovely daughter myself." Visha immediately believed her. She knew her mother was very emotional and protective of her.


    Payal went into her room and brought out a hair dryer. She sat down and brushed Visha''s long beautiful hair. Her hair were her strongest point. They were the very epitome of beauty.


    She then blow dried her wet hair. The smell of shampoo covered the entire room. Then made a beautiful braid. Payal went back in her room and brought back small pins with white flowers on them. She carefully pinned them within the braid and on her side rolls.


    Visha went to check her hair in the mirror. She looked absolutely elegant and noble. This would go perfectly with the Angel vibe she was going for. She turned to kiss Payal''s cheeks before leaving. She called Priya to tell her to meet up backstage in a few minutes.


    Visha went straight to backstage and saw all the participants there. All of them looked nervous, as they got their make up done. There were five make up artists working simultaneously at five girls. Other were waiting for their turns. Visha looked around for Priya and found her holding the same bag from yesterday. She rushed towards her.


    "Was it done?" Visha was worried if the alterations had been made. She was initially worried about the short time span to begin with. Priya nodded and she finally breathed a sigh of relief.


    "Can I see it?"


    Priya opened the bag to reveal the familiar white frills. Visha was filled with joy. Priya saw it and laughed internally. Just wait till you go on stage wearing that. Priya thought.


    Visha was now assured that nothing would go wrong anymore.


    ***


    Dhira had been working all day. She couldn''t get Shivam''s reaction out of her mind. Even though he didn''t say anything but he was unsure. She had known him all her life, she could see he only agreed because he trusted her. Dhira knew her decision was rash but not for a second she believed it was wrong. She knew that there were still a few things about Visha that didn''t quite make sense. What actually did make sense in the Wiccan world anyway. Like how she was able to withstand their pressure even though she hadn''t started practicing yet. And how she couldn''t do any spells by herself but she could with Dhira and Shivam there. And she wasn''t lying for sure. Dhira knew that because she had secretly done a truth spell on her, on the day of the quiz. So she couldn''t have lied about not being able to do spells or faked her surprise when she was able to transfer the attack on her. That attack this time was very viscous and very precise. They wanted her dead. It could have been the same one. When she was being schemed against by everyone, she just wanted to be sure to trust Visha. But she will have to find the person behind these attacks or the people around her would keep getting hurt. She barely made it with Visha. There aren''t much people who are powerful enough to do the ''12 Needles of Death''. It was a high level spell. And their target was the next heir of the most powerful coven of the country. It could have been anyone before. But the ''12 Needles of Death'' requires a belonging of the victim. And someone who had access to her belongings could have been either the culprit or a traitor. There were too many possibilities. Dhira sighed, this won''t get anywhere.


    Her ringtone interfered with her work. She picked up to silence it but saw Visha''s name flash on it. She picked up.


    "I''m working. This better be important." Dhira warned.


    "Someone cut my entire dress. I need help asap."


    "What do you mean by cut?"


    "Someone went play-play with scissors on my dress. I have nothing to wear on stage now."


    "How much time till your turn?" Dhira knew there was no point in arguing right now. It was not the time. She should let the situation subside before she goes godzilla on Visha.


    "Half an hour at max."


    "Get your make up done by then. I''ll get the dress."


    ***

 17 Confidence

    Visha was getting anxious with every second. Her make up was about to be completed and there was still no sign of Dhira. What will she get?What if it doesn''t fit? What if she gets a colour that makes her look awful? What if she trips on stage cause she isn''t confident enough? Her mind was run over by terrible thoughts one after the other.


    Priya was standing by her side gritting her teeth. She had made the perfect plan to humiliate Visha. But some idiot tried to be smart and ruined everything. She looked around at all the participants, it wasn''t difficult to know who it was. That stupid b*tch, Divya. She had to be so damn meddlesome. It must have definitely been her.Visha would have gone on stage wearing the dress and it would have fallen right off. Priya had undone the stitches on the straps. If only Divya hadn''t interfered with Priya''s original plan, Visha would be transferring by the end of the week.


    Visha got up after her make up was done, she picked up her phone and called Dhira but she declined. She must be on the way. Visha thought. All participants had already left the backstage except her. She asked Priya to get her something to eat as she paced back and forth nervously. Priya nodded and left.


    Just then Dhira entered with a bag in her hand. Visha was delighted to see her savior arrive. She rushed over and Dhira handed her the bag. She delicately opened the bag and saw Black feathers popping out. That was the colour she was least confident about.


    "Black?"


    "Beggars can''t be choosers." Dhira said as a matter of fact. Visha sighed and went to change. She came out and Dhira was shocked to see her. She was carrying the dress perfectly as if it was made for her. It was a long bodycon dress and had feathers around the neck. Dhira gave a wicked smile as Visha came to her.


    "Is it alright?" Visha was nervous and unsure.


    "Visha you are a witch now. It''s time to play the part. Confidence!" Dhira yelled.


    Visha was startled by her at first. Dhira was quite loud and seemed angry. But later she smiled at that. Dhira wasn''t someone who preferred small talk. She always got straight to the point. And that''s why Visha trusted her a lot. But she still didn''t have a matching footwear. She looked at Dhira helplessly and pointed at her white sandals. Dhira went out and saw a girl passing by wearing black heels.


    "You there. Follow me." the girl was shaken to the core in fear. She unwillingly followed her. Everyone was afraid of Dhira,so there was no way she would dare to defy her. Visha saw Dhira coming back with a terrified girl. Dhira turned back to the girl, "Exchange your footwear with her for now." Both Visha and the girl were shocked. When Dhira saw she didn''t move, "Are you dumb?" she yelled. A shriek escaped the scared girl''s throat as she hastily took of her heels and handed her to Visha. Visha removed her sandals and gave it to her with a smile. The girl awkwardly smiled back and left.


    "Dhira, you''re such a bully." she said as a joke. But Dhira looked offended. She turned to Visha and squinted her eyes.


    "Who are you calling a bully,you ungrateful kid?"


    Visha immediately apologised as she felt she had stepped over the line. She shouldn''t have called her a bully after Dhira had just helped her. Dhira sighed in helplessness at that. She felt like Visha still had a lot to learn.


    "Did you think what you said was right?" she asked calmly.


    "Even though you were helping me but you did bully that girl." Visha looked away to avoid her gaze.


    "Remember, don''t ever apologize for doing something you thought was right." Dhira turned and left the backstage. She went outside and took a seat in the audience. Visha on the other hand understood what she meant. She did say ''Confidence'' was must to be a witch.


    ***


    Divya walked on stage confidently. She was wearing a long white dress as her hair flowed down beautifully. The judges looked impressed by her. All the participants that had walked before her were burnt in jealousy. The ones that were supposed to go after, already admitted defeat. Divya looked pleased by their reactions. All the three judges gave her nine out of ten. She had the highest score uptill now. Everyone was envious of her, Divya''s smug face puffed up in arrogance. No one got a good score after her. The judges had already seen someone so good, their expectations had increased and no one was fulfilling it. But there was still the last contestant left. Divya was already decided as the winner by them. They unwillingly looked at the stage just to get it over with and announce Divya the top contestant.


    Priya saw Visha walk onto the stage wearing a beautiful black dress among the audience. Her long legs were covered in the dress but it made them look even more appealing. As if hiding something made it more desirable. The dress hugged her curves perfectly. She looked fierce yet elegant and powerful. Her presence was too overbearing. She looked very different from before. She had a dark bewitching aura unlike her usual angelic appearance. As if she was someone to be looked up to, to be admired, to be worshipped. She was a walking figure of power itself. Everyone gasped as she walked up on stage. Her beauty and the confidence in black made her look like a predator out on a hunt. Divya gritt her teeth when she saw that Visha had made it to the stage. She had asked her minions to cutup her entire dress but she somehow managed another one. This stubborn b*tch walking as if she owns the world,flaunting her vulgar body. She will definitely make her pay. Divya thought. Priya noticed it from the audience. Maybe she could have an accomplice who hated that shameless wench as much as she did. If they worked together, they can make Visha run with her tail between her legs.


    What none of them noticed was the smile that didn''t leave Dhira''s lips. She was satisfied by the person this student was turning out to be. The judges were spellbound by Visha''s confidence and beauty. They gave full scores to her. She definitely deserved it.


    ***

 18 Blood Bond

    Dhira waited for Visha behind the basketball court. This was a secluded spot and was always available. Dhira and Shivam have used it as a meeting spot for quite a while now. Visha came up running holding a bag. She looked like a little kid. Dhira controlled her laughter somehow.


    "Thank you Dhira. This means a lot. You''re always there when I need help. You''re like an elder sister I never had."


    Dhira was taken aback by those words. She was an orphan with no family. No one has ever thought of her as family. An unfamiliar bubble of joy popped in her heart while Visha continued.


    "You protect me, help me, even scold me when I''m wrong and give me life advice."


    "And you''re like the annoying little sister I never wanted." complained Dhira. But Visha was already used to her low EQ and the inability to express herself. She smiled at Dhira like a little puppy wagging its tail. Dhira disliked overly cheerful people, but she was getting used to Visha as well.


    "I called you out for a very important matter." Dhira began Visha was not aloof anymore. She paid full attention to her.


    "We have to do an initiation ceremony. You will officially be a witch after this." Visha''s eyes twinkled with these words. She was officially going to be a witch now. Dhira saw her expression and felt guilty, she knew she was lying to someone who trusted her. But she didn''t want to scare her by telling her the truth.


    "So what do we have to do?" Visha couldn''t contain her excitement. And Dhira''s guilt increased many folds at her innocence. But this was for her own good. She took out her dagger from her thigh scabbard inside her dress and made a deep cut on her palm. She then gestured Visha to hold out her hand. Visha was a little afraid at first but she trusted Dhira so she held out her hand. Dhira made a cut on her palm as well. It made her wince in pain. Dhira was already used to it but Visha was new. Visha and Dhira held their bloodied hands together and Dhira started chanting. Visha felt as if something was being sucked out of her hand. And something was rushing in tearing her veins apart. She grimaced trying to bear the pain but she couldn''t and fell down. Apparently, Dhira had no intentions to let her go. She held Visha''s hand firmly and continued to chant. Visha was unable to bear it anymore and screamed in pain. But Dhira ignored it. She was almost done. Just a few more seconds and Visha will be bound by blood to her. Visha continued to wince in pain. After a while her pain began to subside and she started to lose consciousness. She tried to snap out of it as Dhira shook her vigorously to keep her awake,but all in vain. Visha fainted as Dhira held her head from hitting the ground. But Dhira was at least assured about her safety now that they were bound by Blood.


    Shivam entered to witness this scene right away. His eyes widened in shock. Even though he knew Dhira intended to form a Blood Bond, he never would''ve guessed so soon. He rushed to assist them. Visha looked weak and in pain. He felt bad for her. Poor child had to go through this. Dhira didn''t look the best either.


    "I didn''t know Witch Initiation can be this tiring." Visha mumbled subconsciously.Shivam turned to Dhira and she guiltily looked away. She made a Blood Bond with Visha without telling her. Shivam picked up Visha and brought her to their car. Dhira followed him staggering on the way. Dhira opened the door and Shivam placed her on the backseat carefully. Dhira rushed to the drivers side when Shivam pulled her back. He looked furious.


    "I know. But this is not the time. Please, Shivam." Dhira pleaded. Visha was unconscious. She knew she owed him an explanation but right now all she wanted was to have Visha regain consciousness.


    Shivam turned away without a word and sat on the passenger seat. Dhira quickly got in and sped off to the mansion.


    But she was unaware of the series of events that were set in motion because of this Blood Bond.


    ***


    Yash stormed out of his room anxiously searching for something. Vir was startled by him and immediately stood up from the couch he was resting on. He rushed to assist his master.


    "Let me, Master. What is it?"


    "Car keys" Yash said as he turned to search in the other cabinet while Vir ran off to get the keys. He came back in just a few moments with the keys. Yash turned as son as he heard thekeys jingling.


    "I''ll take you." Vir offered. He was here to serve his Master in every possible way. But he couldn''t understand why Yash was suddenly so anxious. Did something happen to the girl Master likes? No one else was capable of making him anxious like this. But he still restrained himself from saying anything. Yash was in a very bad mood and he didn''t want to be a punching bag for him. He silently drove to the building, they went in last time. Yash quickly got out and rushed inside. Vir followed him. Yash followed the scent to the back of another building. There were drops of her blood on the ground. But something was different about it.


    "Is this that human girl''s blood?" Vir asked.


    Yash shot him a fiery glance and made him shudder. That human Girl! How dare he address her like that?


    "Lady!" he corrected. Vir understood that he was mad about the way addressed her and bowed apologetically.


    "I meant, this doesn''t seem the same as before." Vir didn''t feel any suffocation like last time, or a suppressing weight upon him.


    "Because her blood has been bound."


    Yash turned to face Vir, "Two days. If I''m not here with her, then you won''t be found anywhere."


    ***

 19 One of Ours

    "How could you do that without her permission?" Shivam had never been this furious at Dhira, maybe because he has never felt Dhira was wrong before tonight. She had violated the trust Visha had on her. She''s too innocent.


    "I know it was wrong but I didn''t want to scare her. I didn''t know what she would say if she found out that I wanted a Blood Bond. If she''d agree or not. So I thought I would tell her after it was done."


    "She already trusts us. I know she hasn''t agreed to join us like Master wanted but it''s just a matter of time. Soon she will officially be one of us."


    "She''ll join us. Master told me he wanted that and I will do it. But right now I have to keep her safe for that to happen."


    "Is that really all you wanted? There was no need for a Blood Bond to do that. She doesn''t even know what it was. You better tell me now." warned Shivam. He knew there was more to this matter than Dhira let him know.


    "Because she is different." Dhira finally admitted. She had to have a solid proof and that was one of the reasons she did it. "Something about her is not right. If she was with the people who are trying to kill me, she would have died bonding with me. I just wanted to be sure. But I do want to protect her and that is true."


    Shivam gaped at her in disbelief. Visha had saved her life and risked hers in the process. And Dhira still needed to be sure? And she wanted to protect her? She almost killed her from that pain. Does Dhira even notice how much of a hypocrite she sounds like.


    "Now that you''re FINALLY sure, she needs to know the truth." he said sarcastically. Dhira hmphed at him and turned to leave but Shivam stopped her.


    "I''m serious, Dhira. She is a good girl. Don''t make her lose trust in us."


    "I know I can trust her now, but its still better if she doesn''t know yet. If this gets out she will be in danger."


    "Then it''s better that she stays alert."


    "No need. I can protect her. She is the younger sister after all." Dhira smiled as she remembered Visha calling her elder sister. The joy it gave her. And from now on,she will be one.


    ***


    "I know, I know!" yelled Vikram on the phone.


    "It''s really short notice but I am running out of time. I need this done and I''m paying extra for that. There is no need to be stubborn." he was anxious. His deadline was nearing but there seemed no sign of it happening on its own. He will have to use force.


    "Look, I will send you all the details in two days. You just have to get the item and deliver it to the place I told you. Remember to use the back entrance. That''s it."


    He disconnected the call and dialled another number immediately. His new life was so close now, he could already see it. Arriving in a sports car at the college, spending all nights partying, the best college life ever. The call was picked and he calmed himself, "Your item is almost ready Sir. You can pre-check the quality of the product yourself in two days, Hotel Star, room 1205. It will be delivered right into your hands. Like I have already said, the quality is the best. You will not be disappointed."


    ***


    Somewhere far away, from the shadows of huge cave, a voice called out. It sounded authoritative and commanding. Soon a figure of a woman walked up to the mouth of the cave to answer it. Her long luscious hair swayed as she walked. Her perfectly proportioned body was enough to drive men crazy. Her eyes fierce and her demeanor was full of power. She flipped her hair to one side as she bowed her head to greet.


    "This lowly one, is yours to command." her voice was sensuously seductive.


    "One of ours, has shed blood in magic among humans. Find her. Get her back to where she belongs." said the voice from the shadows.


    The woman''s plump lips curved up in a smile. She hadn''t been to the human world in a long time. The thought of humans enticed her.


    "It won''t be easy to find her though." she complained.


    "You aren''t running out of time anyway."True. She thought. She has just turned a hundred and twenty four. The woman let out a bewitching laughter. It could be heard all the way inside the caves. It sounded so pleasant like a symphony.


    "Well then, there is no hurry at all. Not like she could run from us now that she is within in our grasp already." Her laughter echoed in the caves as she left laughing.


    ***

 20 Enemy of my Enemy

    Priya knocked on the door and waited for it to be opened. She was anxious and unsure if this would work. And if it doesn''t, she might risk her image in front of Visha and lose her chance to be around her. If she doesn''t stay close, it will be impossible to get her kicked out. That wench needs to leave before she steals Vikram away. She has been hogging all the boys to herself ever since she showed up. Priya would be doing a favor to all the girls by sending her away.


    She suddenly turned her attention to the door as the lock clicked and the it opened. Divya stepped out and was shocked to see her. She was Visha''s best friend. What was she doing at her door? Divya looked confused so Priya decided to take the first step.


    "We need to talk about Visha?"


    Divya felt a little alarmed and looked disgusted when she heard her name. But she was curious so she invited Priya in. Divya sat down on the couch and gestured Priya to continue.


    "I believe we both have the same enemy." she said with a smile.


    "Oh really? I believe you have made a mistake. I don''t fall for cheap tricks. You are her best friend after all." Divya scoffed. But when she saw the disdain in Priya''s eyes she knew it was true and so she paid attention to her now.


    "I hate her more than you do and from much before you did." Priya declared. "And we might hinder each others attempts to sabotage her. So it will be better if we work together."


    "What do you have against her?"


    "That''s not your concern. All you need to concern yourself with is that you have an accomplice." Priya extended her hand towards Divya with a smile. Divya looked a little hesitant but decided to jump in. Both shook hands smiling as sinister plots filled their minds. Enemy of my enemy is my friend.


    ***


    Dhira was already too tired after working all night. Her master was still unconscious and there was no sign of recovery. She had so much work there was no time for her to find any leads on the person behind the attacks. She still had a target on her back. And if they knew that she had formed a Blood Bond with Visha then Visha would be in danger too. So it was better if no one knew about it.


    Dhira was going through the documents of a coven seeking permission to enter their territory. This was the second largest coven of the country. They were really powerful and she couldn''t afford to offend them. Should she allow their biggest rivals to enter their territory at this time? Their leader was bedridden and their coven was vulnerable at the moment. Even though she was still their for official business but she was inexperienced with handling matters regarding other covens. Was the timing really just a coincidence? She sighed she will have to allow them. She called for Shivam and Srisha went to get him. Srisha was Rajesh''s assistant before and now was serving Dhira as she was the next chosen leader of the coven.


    Shivam entered the study room andbowed to greet Dhira. She nodded and he sat down facing her with a smile. She smiled back.


    "I don''t think I''ll ever get used to you greeting me like this."


    "You''ll have to. Someday you will officially be the leader."


    "I know. It seems so strange though."


    "Yeah. Madam Dhira." Dhira scoffed at that and Shivam laughed.


    "I wanted give you some work." Shivam nodded and Dhira continued, "The Devdoots* have requested to come here. I will have to allow them. You will be incharge of keeping an eye on them at all times. Take as many people you need. I want no errors."


    Shivam nodded and bowed before leaving. He has done these kind of missions with Dhira before but this will be his first time leading one. She knew he was efficient and trusted him. When she becomes the leader he will eventually be her right hand man, so it was better for him to get practice beforehand.


    Her phone buzzed and caught her attention. The word ''Puppy'' flashed on the screen and she picked up.


    "How are you feeling now?"


    "Much better. In fact, amazing!" answered Visha enthusiastically. Dhira laughed at that, she doesn''t know how Visha could always maintain this much energy. The high energy level and always naively positive attitude of hers had pushed Dhira to name her Puppy.


    "Are you very very busy,Miss Future Leader?"


    "Just a little, why?"


    "Let''s meet up. I wanna treat you for the dress. You saved me again."


    "I''d like to do that. So, I''ll see you at the place near college in an hour." She disconnected the call and immediately signed the application in front. Dhira then put it in an envelope and sealed it with their coven''s seal. Their logo consisted of three eyes with a crescent moon in the middle facing the third eye above. It represented the third eye of knowledge. Their coven was named ''Bhairavis''*.


    Dhira took the sealed envelope downstairs and handed it to Srisha. "Send this over to the main house of the Devdoots."


    ***


    *Devdoot- means Servants/Messengers of God


    *Bhairavi- is a title of a female witch practitioner which is regarded as the highest level. The one who has achieved the state of Bhairavi, is beyond the fear of death and considered someone that directly serves the goddess of the same name.

 21 Small Girl

    Visha had rested for a day and night. She had never thought it could be this painful to be a witch. But after recuperating for whole twenty four hours, she felt better. Dhira had later explained to her that this was a ceremony people close to the coven leader had to go through. She will be one of Dhira''s personal people, like the Queen''s Guard. This made her feel of high significance. Dhira was a good person who had helped her a lot including the fashion walk. Visha was grateful for her help on such short notice. So a meal to thank her was a must. Just then her phone rang and Vikram flashed on screen.


    "Hey,Visha. Wanna watch the new movie? I heard you saying you were waiting for its release." he asked excitedly as soon as Visha picked up.


    "Sorry, Vikram. I''m having lunch with a friend today, so lets do it some other day."


    "Really?Where?"


    "You know that place near college, the one that gives special student discounts."


    "Oh,Okay then. You enjoy your lunch."


    "Okay bye."


    "Goodbye, Visha"


    Visha would have seen the sly smile that appeared on his face if it wasn''t a phone call. She got ready immediately after the call ended and went downstairs.


    "Mom, I''m having lunch with a friend. I''ll be back by 7."


    "What friend? Priya?"


    "No my senior, Dhira. She helped me a lot with the fashionwalk, day before yesterday. So I''m treating her to a lunch as thanks."


    "My good girl." Payal patted on her head with a proud smile. "Just take care of your hand. I don''t know why you are so careless with knives." Visha smiled back awkwardly as she blew her a kiss and left the house. She couldn''t tell Payal since she didn''t know how to. Payal had never told her about her past with the coven, why she had left and why she kept it a secret. So confronting her about anything witch related was not an option. Visha felt bad that she couldn''t discuss these things with her mother. She would have been the prefect role model, as a teacher, as a mother, as a witch elder. She sighed and continued to walk down the road. Her phone started to ring and she looked for her phone in the bag. Suddenly, a van with tinted windows stopped beside her and two pairs of strong, hefty hands tried to pull her in. She tried to fight but the hold seemed unbreakable. She struggled as her phone fell out and ''Big Sis'' flashed on it continuously. She stretched out her hand to grab the phone when another pair of hands held a gag in her mouth and pulled her in. Her muffled screams were faded away as the van dove off.


    ***


    Dhira parked her car near the decided place and stepped out. The cafe had a whole wall made of glass facing the road. She peeped in and couldn''t see Visha. She was late. She pulled out her phone from her pocket and called her. It kept on ringing and Dhira let out a grunt in frustration. She always picks up in just a few rings. She was about to dial again when she felt a sharp pain in her back and she fell down. A painful grunt escaped her throat as she tried to withstand the pain. She looked back enraged and saw a large man standing behind her.


    Dhira was confused she doesn''t know him. Why did he hit her? Before she could react he held her from her throat and pulled her up. Dhira could see the smile on his face as she struggled for air in his grip.


    "Too much payment for just a small girl. I was a little worried before." he laughed and tightened his grip. Dhira pulled out her dagger from her back and slashed a cut on his forearm. The man cried in pain and let her lose. Dhira saw her chance to escape and fled as fast as she could. The man followed close behind into an alleyway. When Dhira hit a dead end at the back of some trashy bar,the man laughed.


    "Nowhere to run, b*tch."


    To his surprise, Dhira turned back with a smile holding up her dagger with blood on its tip. Her fingers ran over the blade as she wiped of the blood and started murmuring. She was too far to hear anything, so he moved closer. But suddenly his head started to feel heavy and he felt something dripping from his nose. As reflex, he reached for it and saw a gush red stain on his hand as the liquid continued to drip. It was getting faster every second. His vision started to blur, he could see Dhira''s silhouette come closer.


    "Sorry, big guy. You are of no use to this ''Small Girl''." He could sense a wicked smile on her face. So she was doing this. But how? Was she a monster? Demon? Witch?


    Dhira let out a scream as she felt a sudden pain in her palm as if it had been cut. She didn''t find a wound but she could feel the pain as she kicked in the air to distract herself form it. Her eyes widened as a thought struck her mind. Did something happen to Visha?


    ***

 22 Dead Men

    Visha was at her wits'' end as two large men sat on both her sides and a man sat facing her. Two men were sitting up front. It was far more than anyone could have handled. And her phone had fallen out, she couldn''t call for help anymore. She was on her own now. The van slowed down at a turn and Visha saw her chance. She pushed the men aside and opened the door. They all were startled and the driver immediately stopped the car. They couldn''t let any harm come to her. They won''t be paid if they did. Visha leapt for the open door and fell flat on the ground. She immediately got up and tried to run as someone pointed a knife at her. She was desperate as she pulled away from the knife and accidentally cut her forearm. She winced in pain as she started running holding on to the wound to contain the bleeding. She didn''t know where she was going, she just wanted to run away from them. Suddenly, she heard Dhira''s voice and started to look around for her. But she wasn''t here, was she imagining it. She saw the men catching up to her and continued to flee. But she heard Dhira again.


    "What the f*ck are you doing ignoring me?" she yelled. That''s typical Dhira, this was not her imagination. She always yells like that.


    "Are you really here?" Visha wanted to confirm.


    "Do you see me there, idiot?" Visha frowned as she was almost about to die but Dhira still hadn''t lost her sarcasm.


    "Don''t fuss about the details. Just lead them to some back alley and drop some blood at the entrance."


    "Okay" Visha started to look around. She saw an alley beside a meat shop and ran for it. The five men followed behind her. She let go of her hand that she had clutched on to let a few drops fall down. She was almost at the other end when she stopped.


    "Now drop some here again and step aside." Dhira said. Visha did as she was told and stepped aside trying to catch her breath. All the men entered the alley and and smiled as they saw Visha leaning against a wall. She looked weak and pale. She won''t be able to run anymore. All of them headed towards her and before they could reach out to her a red drop fell from one''s face. He looked back to face others and saw blood dripping down from their noses as well. All of them fell down in a daze amd Visha breathed a sigh of relief. She was finally safe.


    "Dhira, you made five people unconscious at once. I''m impressed."


    "I just feel quite energetic today. You get a cab and reach here. Hurry."


    Visha came out of the other end and called for a cab. She wondered why Dhira asked her to go by herself. She was usually more caring than that.


    If Visha knew that Dhira was staring at a dead man in front of her at that time. She may not have had her doubts about Dhira''s caring nature.


    Dhira didn''t understand when this might have started. She was suddenly more powerful than before. Powerful enough to kill a man by a spell that should''ve just made him faint. So powerful that she affected five people when she casted a spell on one. Now that Visha was safe she could come back to her own problem. The man lied lifeless in front of her as she tried to think about what she should do about the dead body. She dialled a number and after a few rings it was picked up.


    "Srisha, get someone to clean up a back alley near the college. I have some work to do."


    ***


    Yash and Vir were coming out of the administration building after successfully enrolling themselves. Yash was finally feeling better now that he could stay closer to her and find the woman of his dreams. Vir sighed as he saw a creepy smile on his Master''s face. His master was now having what humans call a ''Cinderella Complex''. He doesn''t even know who that woman is but has decided to marry her. Before he could say something a familiar pressure fell on his shoulders as he held on to the nearest wall for support. He looked at his Master''s smile fade away and replaced by rage.


    Yash dragged Vir outside with him. He couldn''t afford to waste time while waiting for him to catch up. His precious future wife was hurt. Yash stepped on the accelerator and followed the scent to an alleyway. The car stopped with a hard screeching sound.


    Yash jumped out and went in with Vir behind him. Both of them entered to see five men standing in a circle. One of them was holding a knife with her blood on it. Yash could smell it was hers. These bastards had attacked his beloved and they will pay.


    "How could you let her get away? This would never have happened if you had done your work properly. She shouldn''t have gotten out of the car in the first place. All of you are idiots. Now get back to the van and find her. No item delivered means no money. So get to work." This one seemed to be the leader as others nodded and turned to see two very handsome young men behind them. And they looked furious. They turned back and decided to take the other end but before they could they saw one of the men blocking their way. Like a wind he had passed right through them and they didn''t even notice. They were trapped between Yash and Vir. Yash came forward and held a man by his throat. Others were scared by the lightning fast movements they had. None of them could see Yash or Vir move, all they saw was blood splattered across the alley. All they could hear were muffled screams and the sound of bones cracking. Soon, all that was left in the alleyway was blood on the walls and the ground. Now that the bastards that hurt her were taken care of Yash felt at ease.


    "Get the meat home for dinner." he ordered and left Vir to handle everything. Vir was glad to know that his Master was still the same fearsome prince as always.


    ***

 23 Protect Yourself

    Arghh!!


    Vikram''s screams could be heard far across the lobby. His hands were tied to the armrests of a chair. His face was bloodied and swollen enough to cover his eyes. He could barely open them to see anything. Blood dripped from his mouth, his nose and his forehead. He was moaning with every breath. The pain was too much for him to put up with. He regretted his decisions, he should have never gotten involved. If only everything had gone down smoothly today. He would''ve had his money by now. But how did this even happen? Visha couldn''t have killed all those men. No possibility came into his mind that could explain it.


    A man held up his chin abruptly and started to observe something. He grimaced in pain and started to beg.


    "Please,I don''t know where it went wrong. I had arranged everything. I lost my five men too."


    The man laughed at that, "Poor boy, does it look like a care about your men? Also, you want me to believe that a girl did all that. Do you think I''m retarded?" With this he held his chin tighter and started to punch his face continuously. He left Vikram after a dozen blows. His face was now bleeding profusely as he cried in pain.


    "Please, I''ll do anything. Just let me live. Ple..." he started coughing up blood. The man was merciless, he showed no interest.


    "You can take the girl. She is really the most beautiful woman. Just let me live, please." and Vikram started crying.


    "Oh, that I''ll do. I don''t ever let go of my property." he answered with a grin. He was known for his possessive attitude. This girl had already been promised to him, he will have her. And once he was done, he could sell her. Men would pay heavy amounts for a girl that beautiful. But Vikram looked scared because he wasn''t worth anything. He would be disposed off immediately. he will have to think of something.


    "I could help you lure her out. She knows me. Please."


    The man thought for a while and then looked at one of his men behind him, "Get him a medical kit."


    ***


    Dhira helped Visha into the front seat of her car. The engine roared as she pressed the accelerator and drove off. She was staring at the wound on Visha''s arm. The attack today was quite intense. It couldn''t be the same person from their college. This was a whole different level. She should have been of more help. She had decided to take Visha under her wing. She is her responsibility now. If only she hadn''t been attacked at the same time. But what exactly had boosted her powers. Nothing that could explain it, came to Dhira''s mind. She waited at the iron gates to be opened and sped off as soon as they did. She stopped the car at the mansion''s gate and helped Visha get off as well.


    "Dhira, it''s just a small cut on my arm. Relax." Visha assured with a smile. Dhira smiled back and someone came to help when they saw her enter.


    "Tend to her wound and then bring her back to me." Dhira ordered and went upstairs. She went to her Master''s bedroom. The guard at the door nodded and let her in. She entered and stood beside the bed as her master lied on the bed, pale and weak. If only he was here, things would have been much better. He could have had an explanation for everything. She had a lot on her plate right now. The coven duties, Devdoot witches'' arrival, the attacks on her,Visha''s safety and the mysterious boost in her powers. She has to handle all that by herself simultaneously.


    "Get well soon. I really need you."


    Dhira sat down and held his hand in hers. He was the only support she had, the closest she had as a father figure. And right now she was neck deep in mess and needed him to help her out.


    The door opened and Dhira looked up to see Visha enter. Dhira nodded at her and stood up to leave.


    "Lets talk in the study."


    Visha followed her to the study. Dhira went to one of the book racks and started to look. After a few minutes she pulled out an old leather jacketed book. Dhira dusted it with her hands and then handed it to Visha.


    "This is a book of some basic defense and attack spells. Nothing too serious. Just to make people faint, or immobile and other stuff." she took a long breath and continued with a softer tone, "You''ve already seen that our Master is not well. So, I have a lot to look at. I want you to be able to protect yourself. It would let me be at peace." Visha looked at her and hugged her. Dhira was startled by it. She is not a person of expressions. She didn''t know how to react so she did what she always does when Visha expresses herself. She patted her head with a smile.


    ***

 24 Devdoo

    Shreya got out of the airport with Pranay, Vishakha and Aditya. She looked calm and had a commanding aura around her. The other three followed behind her. They hailed a cab and got in.


    "How did it go?" she asked.


    Aditya gulped in fear, he was aware of her temper. He looked at both his sides as Vishakha and Pranay both looked out of the windows ignoring his silent plea. He knew he was on his own now.


    "We failed."


    "The man?" she asked calmly and that scared them even more.


    "He didn''t make it." he uttered as he lowered his head in shame.


    "Any trace backs?"


    "Not possible. I made sure of that."


    "At least you did one thing right."


    Shreya sighed in disappointment and looked out of the window at the busy roads, the hustling markets, the tall buildings. This was the capital of the country, and thus was under the control of the most powerful coven. She sighed and thought, ''What a waste''. Devdoots were the oldest witch coven and were still treated like nobles everywhere. They were also the strongest till the Bhairavi house recruited a very powerful witch few decades ago. They had been on top after that even after she left. Their new master was more powerful than their madam too. This had lead to their way to be the second strongest coven. And now Dhira was more powerful than her, she hated that.


    The ride was eerily quiet after that. They got off outside the huge iron gates and before they could pay, the gates opened and a man in a suit came out to pay.


    He then turned around and bowed to greet them, "Young mistress sends her apologies for not being able to have welcomed you herself. She was busy with some coven affairs."


    Shreya scoffed at that. As if Dhira would have came out, that b*tch was too proud. She looked down on everyone just because she was a little more powerful. Shreya walked past the man ignoring him and sat inside the car to be taken to the main house. The others sat in a different car behind her. Another man was waiting at the mansion''s gate to welcome them.


    "Young mistress has requested you to enjoy our hospitality. She will be here any moment."


    Shreya got off and ignored his greeting as well. She was of much higher status and didn''t bother with lowlifes. But Aditya was truly angered, How dare Dhira insult her like that. She may be the next heir of this coven but Shreya too was the next heir to a coven. He rushed inside angrily and left others stunned. They couldn''t afford a scene right now. They had just came here. Vishakha ran and stopped him from doing anything, "Now is not the time." she whispered. He let out a grunt and stopped reluctantly. Shreya came in with Pranay and looked at Aditya. He could tell she was furious.


    "Right now, your actions represent me." she said. Aditya nodded and apologized.


    Dhira came downstairs in a wine coloured dress to see all four of them talking in a circle. She cleared her throat and they fell quiet. Their attention was now on the beautiful Dhira staring at them with a smile. Shreya smiled back and came forward, "Greetings, from Devdoots. We are really thankful."


    "Bhairavi House welcomes you all. You can stay as long as you require. You will have our full assistance in everything." Dhira then gestured them to sit and sat down with them.


    "Our Madam has sent her wishes for the coven master. May he be in his best health soon." Shreya said with a smile. On surface it looked like she was just being polite. But Dhira knew this was a way of warning her. She didn''t let the news of his health even inside the coven yet. Only people in the mansion knew about it. She was showing off her intel quality.


    Dhira smiled back, "Thank her for the concern. How is her heart condition nowadays?" Shreya''s smile grew wider when she heard that, she was impressed. The reports of her Madam''s heart condition had came just yesterday. Dhira was saying that Shreya had old news while she had the latest.


    "She is taking cautions now. Thank you."


    After that they continued normal conversation and talked about each others covens. Shreya told her intentions in coming to the capital. She was the next heir and had to have the best education in the country. That was the same college Dhira and others were attending. All of the Devdoot witches will be going there too. That would make it easier to keep an eye on them but that was the case for both sides. At that time a sweet voice interrupted their conversation and distracted everyone. Visha came running down the stairs and handed a book to Dhira completely ignoring Shreya and others. Shreya felt offended as a girl of no status had not only interrupted her but not greeted her either. Dhira saw the expression on her face and smiled politely, "She''s new." she explained and then turned to Visha.


    "This is Shreya, she is also the next heir to the coven Devdoot."


    "Oh, I''m sorry. I was too distracted and didn''t see you. Hello." Visha extended her hand towards Shreya. But Shreya was shocked to see this new witch withstanding her. She should have been supressed like everyone else. Not just humans but normal witches cannot stand straight with her around. Dhira could see the shock and confusion on her face. She was like that too not long ago. Visha on the other hand was unable to understand why her greetings had been left hanging.


    "There was another book with a black leather jacket beside this one. Go and read that one too." Visha nodded at Dhira and went back upstairs.


    Dhira let out a hearty laugh as they all gawked at Visha leaving.


    "She has been around a much more powerful witch than any of us since birth. She won''t be suppressed by your aura." she explained to them.


    Shreya looked away awkwardly while the other three were still trying to wrap their head around the fact that someone like Visha existed.


    ***

 25 Newcomers

    Priya and Divya anxiously waited for Visha to show up. The last round next week would be the last chance they will have to humiliate Visha in front of everyone. Even if they had to go overboard they will. Priya wanted Visha gone so she could have Vikram and Divya didn''t want competition as the Queen bee. When they saw Visha enter through the college gates, Priya nodded at Divya and left her to greet Visha.


    Visha called out to her and waved her hand as she saw Priya in the crowd. Priya waved back and gestured her to hurry up. Visha caught up to her and then they headed to class together. Visha sat down at her desk and started talking to Priya. Their teacher entered with a cute girl in pigtails and a young boy in glasses following her.


    "Students! These are your new classmates Vishakha and Pranay. Be friendly."


    Visha instantly recognised them. They were the witches at Dhira''s place yesterday. The ones from that Devdoot coven. Visha waved at them with a smile. Pranay ignored her kind gesture but Vishakha waved back and dragged Pranay to the seat behind Visha.


    "Hey, it''s good that we are in the same class. I was worried cause I didn''t know anyone." Vishakha looked relieved.


    "I can understand. I was like that on my first day too. Relax, I will definitely help you around." Visha knew that these people were important. She should keep them pleased for the sake of the coven and Dhira. After the lecture was over, a few girls approached Visha and surrounded her.


    "I really loved your dress at the fashion walk." one said enthusiastically and Visha smiled humbly in response.


    "Yeah you looked so fabulous. I''m a fan now."


    "It looked really expensive. Was it some famous designer?"


    "I don''t know. A friend lent it to me for the show. I''ll ask her and then inform you." Visha explained apologetically. They shrieked in excitement and told her to ask right then. Visha picked up her phone and called, Priya tried to steal a glance and saw Big Sis written on the screen and sighed. She had made these idiotic girls praise Visha in vain. She couldn''t find out her helper in the end. Dhira picked up after a few rings, "What is it?"


    "Who was the designer of that dress you gave me?"


    "What?"


    "Some girls in class wanna know."


    "It was custom made by the famous French designer Pierre. They won''t find it anywhere."


    Visha sighed and disconnected the call. She told the girls what Dhira had said. They were very disappointed about it. Priya was smiling, she may not have known the identity yet but she wasn''t going back empty handed. She now knew that Visha''s helper was rich enough to afford custom made dresses. And that narrowed down to very few people in the college. She texted Divya to inform her about this new development. Whoever it was helping Visha cannot be more rich and powerful than the person behind Divya. People in Divya''s class knew that she was related to someone powerful in college. But only a few people knew that she was the younger sister of Dhira!


    ***


    Shivam entered the class to see Dhira on her desk reading a book. He went and sat beside her. Dhira looked up to see Shivam look like a bomb about to explode.


    "Do you know that you have a sibling in the college?" he asked.


    Dhira was confused by his words. He was well aware that Dhira was an orphan. Where did a sibling come from? And why would he know about it and not her?


    "There is some fresher going around saying you two are related. Don''t know who but the rumor is spreading like fire."


    Dhira sighed at this stupid intel, "I don''t have time for some stupid rumor. Anything on the ''Ambassador Group''?"


    "Ambassador, really?" Shivam hated the weird names Dhira gave people. Dhira squinted her eyes and Shivam sighed. She was right that''s irrelevant.


    "Guess who payed the big thug to knock you?"


    "They did." Dhira said sounding obvious.


    "You''re such a spoil sport. You could at least act surprised. Anyway it was payed by some shell account I traced back to Aditya."


    "And the attack on Visha?"


    "They were some local thugs. Anyone could pay a minimal amount to hire them. Just some cheap goons."


    "Keep working on finding out who hired them and why. Leave the Devdoot circus for Srisha to handle."


    Shivam nodded and left for his next class. At the gate he saw Shreya and Aditya, he greeted them with a smile before leaving. Both of them entered and the whole class was stunned. Another person that felt scary like Dhira and suppressive too. Everyone looked down as they felt her overpowering aura. They came in and sat down a few benches away from Dhira.


    Does she really have to increase it that much just to show me? Dhira scoffed at her. Shreya just wanted to establish her power in Dhira''s domain. But if she knew her, she would''ve known that Dhira could not care less about it. She will not be involved in this stupid childish competition Shreya clearly wanted.


    ***

 26 Newcomers Part 2

    Vikram entered the class with a bruised face and caught everyone''s attention. The swelling had gone down a lot in just the weekend. The cuts on his face had healed too. Everyone was stunned to see him like that. A huge crowd formed around him to express their shock and concern. To him they felt like those annoying flies that kept on buzzing near you and won''t give up. No matter how much you waved them away. All they wanted was some stupid gossip to spread around. So he decided he will give them a good one.


    "There was this woman getting mugged by some goons. I was passing by and called the cops. They started to run so I just kept them there till the police arrived." he said with an embarrassed smile. All the girls pitied him over his tragedy. They became even bigger fans of his modesty and helpful nature. While the guys hated him for that. As if the girls weren''t crazy enough for him already, now that he was hurt while helping someone, he will be treated like some king. They knew he acted like a good guy to impress girls and always kept ambiguous relationships with all of them. Every girl felt like she was special to him. But he treated them all the same way to get his work done. Someone wrote down notes for him, someone did his assignments, some made special lunches and so on.


    Someone cleared their throat behind them to get their attention. Everyone turned around to see the professor standing at the door squinting his eyes. He looked annoyed at the crowd blocking the entrance. To him they were all a bunch of fools. He then noticed them surrounding Vikram and saw the bruises on his face. He looked at him questioningly and a girl from behind decided to answer.


    "Sir, Vikram saved someone from thugs."


    "Yeah, he was a hero." another said.


    "He did exactly what any man would do." said a jealous guy. Vikram still tried to be modest as he shyly turned away. Professor ignored their childish banter and settled his specs before speaking,


    "There is a transfer student in the class. Come in, Yash."


    A handsome and devilishly charming man entered the classroom and took every girl''s breath away. He had a king like presence. His unkempt stubble made him seem like a rough rugged Viking and seemed to alleviate his charms. They couldn''t help but admire his sexy look. Their excited shrieks could be heard all over the entire floor. That''s what you could call a ''Man'', they thought. Others were just boys. Yash ignored the display of passion and the drool over their faces. He wasn''t here to know how popular he was among women. He already knew that very well. He was here on a mission. He wanted to find that specific girl, the only one worthy of his love. The only one who deserves to be by his side. And he won''t go back till he finds her.


    ***


    Shivam had just seen the handsome transfer student in his class. He was well built and stout. One couldn''t call him huge but he got quite close. All the girls were swooning over his charming looks. He gave off a gentle Prince like vibes. They already saw him as their Prince Charming. Everyone surrounded him as soon as the lecture was over. They were all curious about this charming new addition of the class.


    "So,where are you from Vir?" a girl asked.


    "Yeah. We have never seen you in the area?"


    "I am not from around here. We just moved in. So, we joined the nearest college." he answered with a smile.


    "We? You and who else?"


    "My elder brother. He is in Junior year."


    "Is he also handsome like you?" one teased.


    "More than me, I guess." he smiled in embarrassment. The girls giggled as they saw him blush. Their Prince Vir!


    He seemed polite and gentle with everyone of them. He even showed great patience when the girls were annoying him during class. He just smiled at every ''accidental'' bump, every note passed to him, and every tease they threw at him. But the girls refused to let go of him. Poor guy. Shivam thought. These girls will eat him alive.


    ***


    "That doesn''t help at all." yelled Divya. She had agreed to work with Priya so she could have access to Visha''s information. But Priya had nothing on her either. She was the same as Divya.


    "Yes, it does. We already know someone is helping her. And now we know that person is rich. We just have to be more careful from now on."


    "What do you mean? We have to be more alert anyway. Don''t say something that is so obvious." Divya was growing restless. This alliance was turning out to be a failure. It was worthless to have Priya around. She didn''t know anything special about Visha. The only thing Divya could use was her close relationship with Visha.


    "I didn''t mean we should to be aware of her helper. I meant more careful because we will be doing something bigger."


    "Meaning?"


    "Meaning even if she loses an arm,or leg, or life. I will definitely get rid of her this time."


    Divya was shocked by her words. She hated Visha too but she didn''t want to kill her. She was too young to be thrown in prison if someone finds out. For a moment she was scared of the look on Priya''s face. She looked like a hideous beast lurking in the shadows. Just how much did she hate Visha? Divya thought. And she used to think Priya was her best friend. Even Visha doesn''t know she was feeding a snake by keeping Priya close. Divya was glad she didn''t have anyone who hated her this much.


    ***

 27 First Official Task

    Visha was in the cafeteria talking to a girl when she saw Vikram enter and couldn''t help but run up to him. He looked quite battered up. He saw her heading towards him and felt a rage firing up within. This girl had not only managed to escape, she also killed his five men. He wouldn''t have been like this if she hadn''t messed up his plan. But now he will have his revenge. Once that man has his claws on her, she will have nowhere to run or hide. Maybe he will be allowed to watch it. Just a little more and he can see this gorgeous b*tch being defiled. His lips curved up in a sinister smile. Just lure her into his trap and then she will be sold off. Then he''ll see how she manages to get out from there.


    "What happened?" worry was clearly visible on Visha''s face.


    "I tried to help someone getting mugged. And this is what I got?"


    Visha gasped in horror, "When did this happen?"


    "The day I asked you for the movie." he acted sheepishly.


    "I''m sorry." Visha didn''t understand why she felt guilty but she just did. That day she had refused to go with him. Would it have been better of she had agreed? What if she had gotten Vikram involved with her? That would be worse, she didn''t want to involve him in that kidnapping.


    "How about you compensate me for rejecting me that day?" Vikram wanted this to be done asap. He was growing impatient.


    "I''d love to. But right now I''m practicing for the last round. I''m gonna sing. Priya said that I have a great voice." she felt embarrassed praising herself like that. But her mother doesn''t like Visha to sing, even though a lot of people had suggested her to pursue it as a career. She was just not fond of Visha being exposed to the outside world like any other overprotective parent.


    "I think so too." Vikram agreed. She will sound great while screaming for help. He thought. "Then how about after the next round. It''s just a few days away."


    "Sure"


    Just then her phone buzzed. She looked at it and saw Dhira''s text. It said there was some emergency. She had asked her to meet at their usual place.


    ***


    Vishakha hurried back to Shreya and Aditya as soon as the lecture was over. Pranay had already left her behind. That idotic loner always did that. She hated his guts. Pranay had always been a man of few words but a very high intelligence. That''s what first got him a place beside Shreya.


    Shreya saw her panting and rolled her eyes. Always late. She thought.


    "Does anyone have anything?" she asked. They had to do something quick. It won''t take Dhira much time to find out they hired that man. Once she does, she will definitely wreak havoc upon them.


    "Visha has some competition in a few days. She will be singing." Vishakha said.


    "She''s not relevant. Even if she is interesting. She is just a newbie." Shreya shot her down. Visha may be intriguing at most but not someone to be wary of. What could a novice witch be worth of?


    "Shivam and Dhira had followed Visha before." Aditya said.


    "Must''ve been for the same reason. Her resistance to our presence does attract attention at first."


    Shreya was disappointed in all of them. None of the things they knew had any use. Pranay was her only hope left now. She looked at him and he nodded,


    "Dhira has a soft spot for her. Shivam is too experienced, and she is the only weakness we can use against her. I heard Dhira helped her with some slandering incident in college."


    "Why would she favor a newbie?" Shreya could not come up with any explanation.


    "Did you notice the scars both of them have on their palms? Do you think she is a weakness because of that?" Shreya knew exactly what Pranay was hinting towards. But was it possible? Dhira wasn''t stupid enough to form a Blood Bond with someone that inexperienced. This would put her life at risk. But nothing else could explain the closeness she had with Visha.


    "Vishakha, get me her blood. We need to test this. If this is true then we have Dhira, in the palm of our hands."


    ***


    "You should tell her. Are you really waiting for her to get hurt?" Shivam was furious at Dhira. Now that the Devdoots are here she should not let Visha fall prey to them. Does she not see that this is not going to protect her. In fact it will put her at risk even more.


    "No need. I know what I have to do."


    Shivam sighed. He is well aware of her stubborn nature. She will do what pleases her, his words don''t matter at all. Just then he heard someone running towards them, and turned to see Visha. She runs funny, she looks adorable though. No wonder Dhira named her ''Puppy''. He thought.


    She reached near them and stopped to catch her breath. She had ran here all the way from the cafeteria.


    "What''s the emergency?" she asked as she wiped off the sweat from her forehead.


    "What emergency?" Shivam asked.


    "Dhira texted me that there was an emergency. I thought something happened again."


    Both of them looked at Dhira in confusion. Why did she say emergency if there wasn''t any?


    "I said emergency meeting. Because it was urgent." she explained. Visha''s mouth hung open. She made her run at her full speed in front of all those people just for some stupid family meeting. Why was the Goddess so cruel to give her a Big Sis like this?


    Before Visha could fire complaints at her Dhira held up her hand and Visha reluctantly fell quiet.


    "Visha you will have your first official task as one of my personnel." Dhira declared.


    ***

 28 Only One

    "Visha you will have your first official task as one of my personnel." the words rang like a sweet melody in Visha''s ears. Ever since she found out about witch''s existence she wanted to be a part of it. She will finally have the exciting witch life, she imagined.


    "Stay away from the Devdoots." Dhira ordered.


    Is she out of her mind? Visha thought. How can an official task be to stay away from people that are potentially dangerous? She should get something like keep an eye on them, or find a weakness or exploit them, instead she got benched out of the game like some extra player.


    "I know you take me as a fool but you didn''t have to be so obvious." she complained.


    "I don''t take you as a fool. That''s why you should understand, you''re not experienced, or powerful, or skilled. The best way you can help in this silent war, is to stay far away from it for now." Dhira roared.


    This was the first time Visha witnessed her anger. She finally knew why everyone was afraid of her. Even though her words hurt, they were true. She will just be in the way. But she wanted to help, Dhira should see that. Dhira took a long breath and calmed down. She could see the disappointment on Visha''s face.


    "You will be coming to the main house daily from now on to practice. Visha you have a lot of power, you need to know how to use it. If you want to help, then you should know how." Dhira said.


    Visha needs to catch up and be capable of standing by her side. She cannot remain aweakness forever. It was time she became her strength. But she was unaware of the things this decision would reveal about Visha.


    ***


    Yash came out of the classroom and went to see Vir. Every girl that passed by couldn''t help stealing glances of him. He attracted too much attention wherever he went. His tough, strong presence was admired by every passer by. He entered the classroom and saw a huge crowd of women piling over Vir. This angered him. They were here to find his woman not for recreation.


    "Vir" he roared and everyone shuddered in fear. His voice was heavy and full of authority. Vir turned around to see Yash''s fierce glare.


    "Brother" he wiggled out of the crowd and followed Yash out of there. The girls stared in shock. That sexy man was the elder brother Vir had mentioned. They felt lucky to be in this college beside such idols.


    Vir could sense his Master was furious. He kept his head down as he followed silently. They walked towards the corner of the corridor. Yash turned back to face him and a chill ran down Vir''s spine.


    "We''re not here for some vacation." he roared. He really was furious. But Vir wasn''t doing this because he liked it.


    "I know, Master. That''s why I''m trying to get to know them. Maybe one of them knows Madam. It''s all part of the mission. I''m not interested in these pleasures anyway. You''re the one..." he trailed off as soon as he saw the look on Yash''s face.


    "Don''t ever say that again. She is the only one for me now. Just find her."


    This was the first time Vir saw this side of his Master. He was loosing his cool, this woman affected him greatly. Vir had never seen him this flustered over anything, let alone a woman.


    "We should wait for the scent again. We have no other way of finding her. All we can do for now is be close." Yash said in a low voice. He was really excited to come here. Even he didn''t know why he felt he would find her immediately. He felt disappointed and lost as he didn''t know what to do now, but he won''t give up.


    "We should plan ahead. What will you do once you find her identity? You will have to make Madam fall for you."


    Yash looked up at him and nodded. Vir was right, from now on he has to plan ahead. He needs to learn what these women liked and disliked.


    "But I can''t interact with them. What if she misunderstands?" Yash asked.


    This made Vir chuckle, his Master looked like a little kid. He hasn''t even found her, and he''s already worried that she might misunderstand. Only Madam had the power to make this vicious beast look innocent and adorable.


    "I will do my best to collect such information. Leave it to your servant." Vir bowed.


    "Brother" Yash corrected him.


    "Yes, Brother."


    ***


    Visha tiptoed inside the house and carefully closed the door behind her. She had lost track of time while practicing to sing. She had to practice even harder so she can skip it from tomorrow. She has to go practice spells with Dhira from now on. But if her mother finds out she is late, she would start crying again.


    "You''re late."


    Payal''s sudden appearance made Visha jump up in surprise. She hadn''t expected Payal to be awake. She turned to her mother with a silly smile.


    "I was practicing for my next round and lost track of time. Sorry." she came running into Payal''s arms. Payal lost her temper as soon as Visha hugged her. How could she be angry at her little girl? She sighed, "Come and have dinner."


    Payal led her inside and they sat down to have dinner. But her mind was still not there. Visha was coming late almost every day now. And that powerful presence was still lurking nearby. She cannot be at peace if this keeps going on. She will eventually lose her mind worrying every time Visha is late. As long as Visha stays inside she is safe. But she can''t keep her inside forever. She will have to do something.


    ***

 29 Assasin

    Srisha hurried towards the study in the middle of the night. She had a file in her hands. Her quick pace made it seem urgent. She opened the door and saw Dhira reading some documents. Dhira immediately turned her attention to her and was taken aback when she saw her worried expression. She nodded to gesture her to come in. Srisha came in and handed the file to her.


    "Devdoots?" Dhira asked. It was about time she had something on those roaches.


    "Some of it."


    Dhira raised her brows in confusion. Devdoots were here in their territory and the biggest potential threat right now. They were the top priority. What could be more important than that?


    "A coven involved in illegal activities is stirring up trouble. It needs to be handled asap." Srisha explained.


    They were the top coven so maintaining peace was their responsibility. Whenever a coven puts their secret lives at risk they are dealt with brute force. But Dhira couldn''t get into this right now. Devdoots were like a noose around her neck tightening every second. Shreya had already sent someone to kill her. But she wasn''t some insignificant nobody. Dhira would need proof to justify her actions against the next heir of their coven. One wrong move could lead to a war among Bhairavis and Devdoots.


    "Top priority for now is Devdoots. Handle this on your own."


    "But Madam Dhira, these people are getting involved with underworld operations. Not as some workers or assasins, they are trying to form a syndicate of their own."


    Dhira took a deep breath to clear her mind.


    "Send them a warning. Tell them if they continue onto their path Bhairavis will eradicate their very roots."


    Srisha was still not satisfied by the way Dhira chose to handle this but nodded anyway. She couldn''t go against her.


    "What about the Devdoots?"


    "There have been some attacks on Madam Tara in the past months. And they seem to have halted since the convoy of the next heir left."


    Attacks? All before Shreya left? Could she be behind these attacks too? Did she send out all those assasins behind both Madam Tara and her? Does she plan to take over the Devdoots by force? Is she here to eliminate her so they can be the most powerful coven?


    ***


    Visha got ready for college and came downstairs. Her beautiful hair were tied back in a bun. She thought this would be comfortable as she had to go practice with Dhira today. Since she was unaware if it would require any physical activities, she wanted to be prepared. She looked around for Payal as she didn''t see her yet. She went to her room and knocked on the door. There was no answer. So she knocked again and called out for her. After knocking and calling for a few minutes with no answer,Visha was getting worried.


    It was still early in the morning, where could she have gone? She picked up her phone to call her and just then the door opened and Payal came out of her room.


    "I called for you and you didn''t answer." Visha asked. Payal held both her ears and tilted her head to a side, "Sorry, I was in the shower." Visha laughed as she saw her mother trying to imitate her. This was something she did whenever Payal was angry at her.


    "Forgiven. Anyways I''m leaving for college. Have to practice." she turned around but Payal stopped her.


    "I bought this for you on the way back last night. Its really pretty." Payal took out a pendant with a dark red stone in it. It did look good, Visha thought. It was a simple, elegant design. She smiled and took it from her mother.


    "I love it. Thanks Mom." she wore it immediately and turned to leave. She waved goodbye to Payal and left. Payal felt awful for lying to her. But this was for her own good.


    ***


    Vishakha went out and knocked on the doors in the corridor. Pranay and Aditya came out one after the other. Pranay was fully dressed while Aditya was still in his pyjamas rubbing his eyes. Vishakha turned around, "We''ll be late hurry up." Pranay seemed annoyed at her comment. He was always on time, she was the one who always delayed every thing. Aditya on the other hand scoffed at her.


    "We aren''t exactly here for the stupid classes you know."


    Shreya came out right on time to hear him. She turned to him with a cold glare and he shook his head.


    "True, but we can''t let them doubt us." Shreya went right past him straight outside to the car. Pranay and Vishakha followed her outside too. Aditya rushed back in his room to change and came out running. He sat inside as he tried to catch his breath. He wouldn''t say another word recklessly anymore. He can''t get on Shreya''s bad side. She was right though, they couldn''t let Bhairavi''s find out their true intentions. They were the most powerful coven of the country. God only knows what they would do if they found out that they were here to assassinate their next heir.


    ***

 30 I think its Her

    Visha sat down at the cafeteria with her classmates after her lecture. Priya came and sat down beside her. All of the girls were gossiping about the new transfer students. There was this group of four that always kept to themselves. And one of them felt like Dhira. Visha instantly knew they were talking about Shreya and the others. She really did have the same effect as Dhira on the people around her. Whenever she was around, people either looked away or kept their heads down. No one wanted to accidentally look at them. They were too scary. Some even believed more than Dhira. Visha scoffed at that. As if, that Shreya and her jokers had any stand near Dhira. She texted her about the rumor of Shreya being more scary. And that she wanted to slap them and say that Dhira could single handedly kick their ass. Dhira instantly told her to ignore those rumors and concentrate on the work ahead. She has to memorize all the spells today. She will be starting practice tomorrow.


    Visha felt bad about how Dhira took everything else so lightly. If it wasn''t coven related, it wasn''t important. She had no personal life whatsoever. Visha decided she will help take some burden off her when she gets more powerful.


    Just then the girl in front of her let out a shriek and distracted her.


    "Oh my God! There is the handsome Brother duo that transferred recently."


    "Yeah. I heard that everyone is calling the older one Viking and the younger one Prince. That is so cool."


    "It suits them quite well. Yash, the older one, attended all the classes and didn''t speak a word to anyone. And the Vir, the younger one, stole the limelight in the first hour."


    "Yeah. Vikram was the most popular until now. Now its a Junior and a Sophomore that beat him."


    "Look at them, they''re in a different league of their own. No one can even compare to them." another cried. Priya scoffed at them for comparing his Vikram to these nobodies.


    Visha turned around to see the men that created so much ruckus. She saw two very handsome men enter. But one of them caught her attention. He was the older one, Visha guessed by his stubble.Something about him hooked her in. His messy hair falling on his forehead. His black colored eyes that had a shine in them. As if there was a diamond glittering in there. Those almond eye turned towards Visha and she froze. Yash caught her staring at him. Their eyes met and Visha''s heart skipped a beat. Anyone else would have instantly turned away but she didn''t. She couldn''t look away from him no matter how hard she tried. And this seemed to have interested him as he stared back at her.


    Just then a voice called her name and she reluctantly turned her gaze away. She saw Vikram waving at her from the other side. She waved back at him and decided not to look at that man again. She might not be able to pull herself away this time.


    ***


    Dhira got out of the study and went to change in her room. She was barely getting any sleep nowadays. Her workload refused to lighten up no matter how much of it she does. There were always five other issues lined up while she took care of one. How did her Master handle that uptill now? There seemed no end to coven issues. It was a huge pile and she could only get to it one by one. She got changed and came downstairs to see Srisha before leaving. She knocked on her door and Srisha opened it. She bowed to greet Dhira and let her in.


    "Did you send that warning?"


    "I did. But I doubt it''ll make any difference. If these people cared about words they wouldn''t have broken the rules in the first place."


    "If they don''t stop within a week or two, send fifteen of our people over. We don''t care about people that don''t care about our words."


    Srisha smiled and nodded. This is what was expected of a coven leader. To be ruthless in punishment and generous in rewards.


    "I have something else too but keep it to just yourself."


    Srisha nodded and turned her full attention to her. Dhira leaned close to her ear and whispered, "There is a spy in the house. Find out."


    She then stood straight again and left. There were spies in every coven but having a spy within the main house was a problem. Shreya could not have know about Rajesh when Dhira had blocked that news from leaving the mansion.


    ***


    Vir tried to talk to his Master as he stormed out of the cafeteria suddenly. He looked anxious and confused. Vir couldn''t understand what had happened. After they were at a safe distance from the crowd, he turned back to face Vir.


    "Did you see that girl?"


    "What girl?"


    "The one that was staring at me in the cafeteria."


    Vir still didn''t understand who he was talking about. There were so many girls in that place and each one was looking at him. Which one was he referring to?


    Yash saw the confused look on his face and let out a sigh. He was disappointed.


    "I will find her, Master. Tell me more."


    Yash nodded and remembered that moment again when he had caught those beautiful honey eyes staring at him. The way that stubborn girl refused to look away. Even after being caught red-handed, there wasn''t even an ounce of guilt in her eyes. She locked her gaze in his and he froze. It''s not like he couldn''t look away, more like he didn''t want to.


    " I saw this beautiful woman in there. And I saw a bandage around her hand when she waved at a guy. We both know she was injured recently. Vir, I think it''s her."


    ***

 31 Scream

    Dhira got out of her class and headed straight to the cafeteria. She had attended her classes and had to go back with Visha so she could memorize more spells. Shivam saw her and approached her.


    "I found out about the rumor."


    "What rumor?"


    "About your sibling."


    Now, Dhira remembered he said something about a freshman going around saying they''re related to her. And that this rumor was quite the popular gossip. That and some new admission Brother duo. But she also remembered telling him that its just a stupid rumor and not to waste time on it.


    "Guess, who it is?" Shivam asked with a cheeky smile.


    "I don''t care, Shivam. It''s just a STUPID RUMOR!" she yelled.


    "You should care though since it''s Divya who''s going around saying that. She is using your name to scare other contestants. Two girls have already backed out."


    "We only care about Visha. And she already knows me. That Puppy is tougher than she looks. She won''t back out. Trust me."


    Shivam gave up on trying to get her involved. She won''t be concerned about this no matter what. She had lot more pressing matters to attend to. Like those Devdoots he just spotted up front. Shreya was talking to Pranay at the corner of the corridor. Vishakha had just joined them.


    Shivam turned to Dhira who decided to turn towards cafeteria ignoring them. Just then a voice from behind them said, "Look who''s here." It was Aditya. He put his arm around Shivam''s shoulders and dragged him towards Shreya. Dhira had to turn back and go to Shreya too. She was agitated by how Aditya had behaved.


    "Is this what you taught them as manners?" Dhira taunted.


    Shreya looked at her in ridicule, "Do Bhairavi''s ignore to greet their guests?"


    Dhira sighed at that. She knew that this was her territory and they were the guests. Even if they harbor ill intentions, she still had to follow customs. So she smiled at Shreya.


    "I was in a hurry. So I won''t be able to accompany you. You see, as the acting leader of Bhairavi, I have a lot of work to do."


    All Shreya could do, was to see Dhira turn around and leave with Shivam. She grit her teeth and clenched her fist so hard that her nails dug in her palms.


    This was clearly a shot at Shreya. Dhira wanted to point out that Shreya had free time to idle around as she was the heir. But Dhira, on the other hand, was already performing duties of a leader. She may be working in her Master''s stead but she was doing it all. Not only will this prove Dhira''s capabilities but also make people believe in her as a prominent leader to be. That meant she will soon be taking over Bhairavis.


    If she keeps on working like this she will soon be announced as the leader. As the current leader was already in a critical state, she won''t have any obstacles anymore.


    But that would also mean their deadline was getting close. They will have to speed up their work. Once Dhira takes the position of the Leader, she will become unstoppable.


    ***


    Visha was surrounded by people as they talked about something. She was just smiling and nodding at them. Her mind wasn''t here anymore. It was filled with thoughts of Yash. This is what everyone said his name was. She kept on going back to the moment when their eyes had met. Should she have averted her gaze? Would he think she was shameless? Would he hate her? Would he be angry at her?


    She sighed as there was nothing she could do now. But then another thought struck her. What if he sees her as creepy and perverted? Her body stiffened at this thought. As this would mean she could never see him again. She will avoid him at all costs for a few days till he forgot about this. Her phone rang and she used it as an excuse to leave. She wasn''t interested in their conversation anyway.


    Priya peeked to see ''Big Sis'' flash on Visha''s screen. This was the perfect opportunity to find the person helping her behind the scenes. So Priya followed behind her sneakily. She saw Visha pacing back and forth near the stairs. Priya hid near a corner to listen in on the conversation. She could only hear Visha''s side. Maybe she would be lucky to catch a name.


    "Ughh! I messed up really bad today and my mood is already spoiled. So please go easy on me, Big Sister."


    "No it wasn''t something stupid. I maybe called a creep in the college for that. Help me, please. I am your favourite Puppy."


    Visha then made fake sobbing sounds. And then her face suddenly cheered up. She let out an excited shriek. Her helper must have agreed. Priya thought. But what did Visha do? She was with her all the time.


    "Okay. Bye. I will see you outside."


    She saw Visha heading down the stairs. All this sneaking and spying was a wasted effort. She couldn''t even get a name out of it. She couldn''t stand this b*tch anymore. A sudden rage came over Priya and she rushed towards her. She pushed Visha off the stairs and panick struck. Her face lost color as she came back to her sense and ran off. If someone saw her here, they would know she did it. All she heard was Visha''s scream!


    ***

 32 Not Her?

    Vir looked up to see Yash''s back as he walked down the corridor and reminisced about his worried expression not long ago. Yash was a man admired by every woman in their kingdom. He was the first in line for the throne. The only other one who matched up to his abilities was the Third Prince. But his Master had always had a carefree attitude when it came to inherit the throne. He never even competed for the right of succession. His abilities on the other hand surpassed all his siblings and landed him the throne. That''s why he had left using an escaped felon as an excuse. He was a man of action and power, ruling from a castle was not something he wanted. He loved to be on the field, fighting, carrying out missions, catching runaway convicts. That''s what he found exciting.


    They were supposed to return after eliminating that felon but on their way back he caught Madam''s scent and decided to stay again. Vir had thought he was using this as another excuse to avoid going back and ascending the throne. But when he felt her overbearingly powerful scent for the first time, he understood his Master was serious. If Madam has that much power she definitely deserves to be by his Master''s side.


    And now Master had also found someone he suspected to be the one. He just has to get her blood somehow, so that they could confirm. But how will they do it?


    Just then a scream distracted them and they turned to their side.


    Yash saw that honey eyed girl again. A panic struck him as she was about to fall from the stairs. Without a second thought he ran towards her in lightning speed.


    Visha saw a man appear in front of her out of nowhere. He opened up his arms to catch her and her body involuntarily responded to the rescue ahead. He wrapped his hands around her and caught her mid air. Her head rested on his chest as he landed straight on his feet.


    She was still scared as she had her hands tightly around him and refused to let go. He gently stroked her head to help her calm down.


    She finally seemed to be calm and looked up after a few minutes. Her eyes widened as she realized the man who rescued her was Yash!


    Oh no! Now he will definitely think I am stalking him. She thought.


    Visha certainly didn''t want to leave a bad impression on him and moved away quickly. He put her down gently as she stood up straight. He shouldn''t get the idea that she was using this as an excuse to cling onto him. Even though, his chest was so hard and firm to land on. She immediately blushed as she remembered the feeling of his toned body touching her.


    "Are you hurt anywhere?" Yash asked. He looked very concerned as he started to examine her arms for any wounds. Visha stopped him and shook her head to say no. He breathed out a sigh of relief. Was he really that worried about her? Visha didn''t feel that a cold person would be worried about a stranger. These college girls were idiots for thinking he was cold and rough. To her, he was a warm person who cared for a strange girl that stared at him and even fell on him out of nowhere.


    "Were you going somewhere in a hurry? Should I help you out?"


    Plink! The cupid''s arrow went through Visha''s heart. He was such a nice person.


    "No need. Thank you very much for saving me. That would''ve hurt a lot." she said as she laughed awkwardly. Even though Visha had refused Yash insisted on dropping her off. And his brother followed them too. Visha felt the silence was becoming more and more awkward.


    "I definitely have to take care of myself till the competition." Visha said suddenly to strike up a conversation.


    "What competition?" Yash asked.


    "The Miss Fresher competition. I''m one of the finalists." she said and saw an opportunity to get to know him better.


    "I''ll be singing. Would you like to come?"


    Yash nodded silently. And Visha felt like this was a chance given by the Goddess herself. She saw Dhira''s car in the distance and turned to Yash.


    "Thank you so much for helping me. I can go by myself from here."


    She was about to leave when Vir suddenly held her arm and pulled. She squealed in pain from where Vir had held her hand.


    "There was a steep end ahead. You might''ve fallen again." Vir explained. She looked to see a small hole on the ground. She was relieved and thanked Vir too. She then bid them farewell and walked away to the car.


    Vir turned back to see Yash glaring at him. More like glaring at his hand. He shuddered in fear and lowered his head. Was his Master jealous that he touched Madam? But they weren''t even sure yet. And that''s why he had done this. To be sure. He then held out his hand and showed him. He had deliberately scratched her arm to draw out blood. He looked up to see Yash looking disappointed.


    He couldn''t smell the power he had before. This wasn''t the blood he was looking for. But he had been so sure that she was the one as soon as their eyes met. He could feel a deep connection within his heart. He didn''t even want to test her blood, he just knew. How could he be wrong? How could it not be her?


    ***

 33 Coward

    Dhira saw two men walking with Visha. Dhira is a sophomore and has already been here for more than a year.Even though she wasn''t interested in others, she had a sharp memory. And they didn''t seem familiar. She turned to Shivam and asked as she pointed at them, "Who''re they?"


    Shivam looked out the window and then back at Dhira.


    "That''s the new brothers that took admission here."


    "Oh" she said looking indifferent.


    How could she not know them? Shivam thought. They were the hottest topic in the entire college. And he meant literally -The HOTTEST Topic!!! Could she stop being so ignorant to the outside world for once. All she ever had in her mind was work.


    Visha opened the door and got into the backseat. Shivam instantly turned around and almost scared her.


    "So how do you know the new hotties?"


    Visha was glad atleast someone was in the same boat as her. Dhira was so oblivious to the guys in college. She could never discuss these things with her. She had finally found someone to share with.


    "I fell on one of them." she answered excitedly.


    "Fell?" Dhira turned around to look at Visha. She looked at her the same way her mother looked at Visha whenever she came back with a band aid on.


    "Relax. I''m not hurt anywhere. Because he checked." she let out a shriek as she hugged Shivam out of excitement.


    "How did you fall?" Dhira asked interrupting them. She wanted to get to the root of this. And she hoped for the sake of ''some'' people''s lives, that it was just an accident. Or else...


    "I don''t really know. It felt like someone pushed me. But when I looked back, there was no one." Visha shrugged her shoulders and continued to talk about Yash with Shivam.


    Dhira grit her teeth as she continued to drive. She had a rough idea about who it could have been. These b*tches were getting way out of hand. She didn''t want to meddle before because she wanted Visha to learn grasping others'' intentions on her own. But now she couldn''t just wait for Visha to get seriously hurt. They had stepped way over Dhira''s bottom line. And they''ll pay for it. She knew that they thought of Visha as a coward, but Dhira knew she was just stupidly trusting. Did they think that they could easily bully Visha with her around?


    Nobody bullies her Puppy, but her.


    ***


    Priya calmed herself down and called Divya. She told her to come over as she narrated the entire incident on the phone. Divya was shocked to hear that she had pushed Visha off the stairs and rushed to see her. Just how impulsive could she be? She knew that Priya hated her but to attack her like that still came as a shock. This girl could get them both in trouble. She thought. If someone finds out about this, they will definitely be expelled and might even end up behind bars.


    "Did anyone see you?" she somehow managed to speak up. Her tone was low and tensed. Her voice clearly contained fear.


    "There was no one around. I checked." Priya assured her.


    Divya finally took a breath of relief. She had been very anxious and told Priya they should go back and check. Both of them went to the stairs and saw that there was no one. And there wasn''t any blood either. They assumed that maybe Visha wasn''t gravely injured and someone must have helped her. But it had only been a few minutes. If someone was nearby to help her immediately, could they have seen Priya too? Panick struck Divya like thunder. She didn''t want to go to prison just because Priya was stupid.


    "You''re sure there was no one?" she yelled.


    "I didn''t see anyone. And I didn''t really get a chance to loiter around after I pushed her." Priya snarled at her.


    And Divya was taken aback by her sarcastic tone. How dare she talk to her like that after she put them in this place. She was the one who acted rashly.


    "You are on your own if you get caught." Divya warned. She did not want to go down with her. This was her fault and she alone should bear the consequences.


    Priya sneered at her cowardice. They were supposed to be partners in this. But as soon as Divya saw a little bit of trouble, she backed off. She still needed Divya as she had a lot of influence in the college being related to Dhira. But in her heart, she understood that she could not rely on this coward in future.


    ***

 34 Culpri

    Divya had just came back from college and saw Ananya standing in front of her door. She was one of the four girls that followed her. She was Divya''s most favored minion. The one that ''informed'' Visha that stripping wasn''t allowed onstage.


    Divya had finally calmed down after the ordeal Priya had put on. She had decided to keep her distance with that psycho b*tch before she ruined everything.


    She opened the door and Ananya followed behind her. They sat down and Ananya started to talk about the college gossip. There was a girl that had gotten an abortion after getting pregnant by a senior. There was a guy that got expelled for taking pictures of girls in the locker room. There was another girl who slept with her friend''s lover and so on. If there was something happening, she would definitely know.


    "And do you know that someone saw senior Yash and Vir dropping Visha to the college gate." This was the first thing that caught Divya''s attention. Her face became red in anger as she bit her lip and blood oozed out of a small cut. Ananya still hadn''t noticed Divya''s reaction and continued.


    "That slut really has some luck. There was Vikram already running behind her all the time and now the new guys too. She should know how to share." Ananya sighed as she felt disappointed that Visha was hogging up all the hot guys. Before she could react, she saw something pass from the side of her face and crash behind. She turned around and saw the pieces of a shattered glass near the wall. She looked back to see Divya flaring up. Her nostrils twitched as she let out a lowd scream.


    "That b*tch!" she screamed. Ananya gulped in fear as she had never seen Divya enraged to this point. She regretted what she had said about Yash and Visha. She knew Divya had a crush on Yash as soon as she saw him. But her tongue slipped and she blurted it out without thinking much.


    Divya was still fuming at the thought of Visha being close to Yash. She already had the most handsome guy of college following her around like a lost puppy. And when she saw that Yash was more handsome, she immediately shifted her focus on him. That slut had no shame. Maybe Priya was right to do what she did. She was right to use such means because now Divya too understood that Visha had to be dealt with. And they must use whatever means to do it.


    ***


    Dhira went inside the study and saw Visha reading a book on Necromancy. It was an advanced level book and some other intermediate level books were beside her.


    Looks like Puppy had finished these already. She thought. Visha looked up to at her and nodded. Dhira smiled and nodded back.


    Visha was still just learning and not exactly practicing. Dhira decided she will start it from tomorrow. First she should gain theoretical knowledge so she is prepared for it in practice.


    "Visha, where are the books I gave you last time? You were supposed to return them in the study after you''re done with them."


    "They''re in my bag behind you." Visha said that and returned to her book. She had came in to check on her and was satisfied by the concentration Visha had while studying.


    She turned around and saw Visha''s bag on the table. She picked up the bag and took out the books. She saw something shine inside and pulled out an earring. What was a single earring doing in her bag?


    "Visha" she called out.


    Visha turned as Dhira dangled the earring in her hand.


    "That''s Priya''s. She dropped it in the canteen. I forgot to give it back." Visha explained.


    Dhira looked and the earring with a white oval stone in the middle. The thought of her being pushed down the stairs suddenly flashed through her mind. She clenched it tightly in her fist and walked out of the room.


    She decided to confirm her suspicions before labeling Priya as the culprit. She took out her dagger and put her finger on its tip. A drop of blood came out, she put it in the earring and started chanting. Her blood was bonded to Visha and she should be able to look into the things with her boosted powers.


    Sudden flashes started to appear in her head. She closed her eyes to focus. She saw Priya in front of a computer editing Visha''s pictures! The next was her mixing something in a glass of water and then handing it to Visha! Then she was loosening the stitches on the straps of Visha''s dress. Then she saw her shaking her hands with Priya. The last one was her pushing Visha down the stairs!


    Dhira opened her eyes after taking a long breath. Her eyes appeared bloodshot as she tried to control the rage swirling inside her.

 35 Letter

    Dhira stormed into Shivam''s room with the bloody earring. He was playing a game on his phone and jumped up in surprise to see Dhira. His phone fell and cracked. He opened his mouth to complain but before he could, Dhira shoved an earring in his face. He looked at it and saw blood on it. He looked at Dhira in confusion as he couldn''t understand what this meant.


    "This is Priya''s. That b*tch drugged Puppy on the quiz and pushed her down the stairs too."


    "What? But why?" Shivam asked. Dhira had mentioned before that she was suspicious of Priya but they could never find out her motives.


    "She likes that asshole Vikram and is jealous. And guess who she asked for help?"


    "Divya" he already knew about the argument between Visha and her regarding the competition. So he could guess these two would join forces. He looked at Dhira to guess her next move as she stood there smiling. This confused him even more. She was definitely furious, but now that she had the culprits even he couldn''t predict her actions, after being with her all these years.


    "Let''s pay a visit to my younger sister tomorrow." she said as an evil grin appeared on her face. Shivam shuddered as he knew that Dhira must have something planned in her mind. And knowing her, it wouldn''t be about getting justice.


    ***


    A man rushed through the corridor of an old building in the dark night. From outside, it looked abandoned but no one knew that it was infact a base for a syndicate. It was difficult to imagine because of the rundown state of the building. It had a dense forest around it for a few kilometers and hence a secure place for their illegal activities.


    The man opened an old wooden door to a room in the corridor and stopped for things to finish. He didn''t want to interrupt them. There were five heavy men taking turns to beat a man while another man in a white suit was sitting on a chair enjoying the show.


    The man couldn''t bear anymore pain and somehow managed to rush to the man in the chair. He started begging him to be forgiven. He knew that man was the Boss. He scoffed at his bloody swollen face and kicked him aside. He looked at his men and then pointed to the bloody man who couldn''t even get up anymore. The men nodded and started beating him up again. There were sounds of a few bones cracking and the men vomited blood.


    The boss then held up his hand and the men stopped. He went to the crying man and bent to observe him. It seemed he was finally content by his pitiful state.


    "I might let you live but I have no guarantee that you won''t go against me again." he shrugged his shoulders and turned away. The men nodded and were about to go at him again when he yelled out to their boss.


    "I''ll give you anything you want. Please." and spat out more blood. He really was ready to give up everything. He could feel that his ribs were already broken and won''t be able to survive another round of their tortures.


    Their Boss turned around with an evil grin.


    "I heard your daughter just turned 15 and is quite beautiful."


    The man''s heart started throbbing as he heard that. He was well aware of their identity. They had numerous brothels across the globe. He could never imagine giving his daughter to such a man.


    "Please, Davar. She is just a little girl." and he started crying.


    "Don''t worry. I wont send her to one of the houses till she is a legal adult. I don''t want to end up in jail." Davar chuckled as he said that.


    The man kept on breathing heavy and sobbing without a word. This started to annoy Davar as his face started twitching and he gave into his anger. He went up to the man and kicked his stomach.


    "I don''t have all day." he yelled, "It''s either you or her. Decide."


    The man sobbed and nodded as he wiped away his tears. He treasured his daughter a lot but not more than his life. Davar smiled as he saw the man submitting to him and felt proud. This was the man who had decided to give a statement against him not too long ago. But he had no idea the people he went to, were his men in the system.


    Two of his men went and picked up the man to be treated and then took him away. They will be getting his daughter after they dropped him back. Once the man who had rushed in saw it being wrapped up, he hurried to Davar and gave him an envelope.


    Davar took the black envelope with a golden seal on it. The seal had three. "Bhairavi" he mumbled before opening it. It was a warning for them to stop their illegal activities immediately or suffer punishment for breaking the rules. He knew their power and the zero chance he had against them if Rajesh was still leading. But it was signed by the heir he knew nothing about. Just what would a little girl do against criminals? Cry for help maybe. He laughed as he ripped the letter and threw it away.


    ***

 36 Plaything

    Dhira entered the college and asked Shivam to find out where Divya was. She was determined to make them pay and she already had a plan in her mind. Divya wanted to humiliate Visha, and Dhira had always been aperson who believed ''An eye for an eye.'' was the best way to deal with people. They will regret ever scheming against Puppy and getting on her bad side.


    Shivam came back and told her that Divya was in her class. Dhira squinted her eyes and headed to meet up with her ''sister''. Once she gets what she requires for her plan, Divya will have a horrible life ahead. She was planning the conversation in her head when she saw Vishakha pass right in front of her. This shocked her as her gaze followed Vishakha to the end of the corridor. She looked to be in extreme hurry as she didn''t even notice Dhira. This felt odd to her as an alarm went off in her mind. She turned to Shivam and gestured her to look into it. Shivam nodded and left to follow Vishakha. Even though she was handling a trivial personal matter right now, she still had to stay alert regarding Devdoots. They definitely had something on their minds as they had been quiet for a while now.


    She walked upto Divya''s class and saw her coming out with her minions. Dhira followed them as they entered the washroom together. She went inside and could see Divya''s face as it went pale. She looked nervous and scared to see her.


    Dhira was satisfied by the amount of fear in her eyes. Her minions too looked scared. They had been told about Dhira being Divya''s sibling. That''s why they had started to follow her so they could get in Dhira''s good books. They immediately came forward and greeted Dhira addressing her as Big sister.


    Divya started to sweat nervously as she saw everything crashing down. She had built her entire social life saying she was Dhira''s younger sister. People always wanted to help her and be on her good side thinking it would get them on Dhira''s good side as well. Divya had been enjoying perks of being related to her for quite a time now. But she never imagined Dhira to notice.


    Dhira could see that this had been going on for a while as even the closest ones to Divya believed the rumor. She looked coldly at Divya and she shuddered in fear. She shook her head as she cursed her minions. These idiots didn''t need to greet her.


    Dhira then turned her gaze to the four girls who were excited to see her. As soon as they saw her expression they shook their heads in fear as well.


    "I have something to talk about with my ''sister''." Dhira said as she gestured them to leave. Divya prayed to be struck by lightning before facing Dhira. She wiped the sweat from her forehead nervously and kept her head down.


    "Did you not hear?" Ananya and others went stiff after hearing Dhira. "Get out" she yelled. All of them hurried to the door and left without looking back. They looked like cattle that went in a stampede after sensing a lion. The door closed behind them and Dhira shifted all her attention to Divya who had become a statue at her place. She refused to move or even flinch.


    "Why?" Dhira''s voice was soft yet had an immense pressure in it as if it could dominate the world while Divya was just a small fly. She could feel a chill in her spine.


    "I don''t like to repeat." Dhira didn''t raise her voice but the dominance had been doubled from before. Divya could feel a strange pressure on her. She knew that Dhira made everyone feel slightly pressured around her. But she could be this suppressing was beyond her expectations. She felt a murderous aura from Dhira and felt as if she would be killed if she didn''t answer.


    "To scare the contestants." she managed to speak. Her voice was quivering.


    Dhira went closer to her and peeked inside her bag. Divya felt her actions were odd but didn''t dare to speak up. She stood quietly as Dhira examined her purse for a while before taking out a bottle of perfume. She sprayed some right on Divya''s face which made her cough immensely. She looked up to see Dhira smiling at her.


    "I like it. You are an understanding sister right?" she said with a coy smile. Divya felt awful as this was a limited edition Chanel perfume. It was quite costly and she literally had to beg her dad to get it. But she couldn''t go against Dhira.


    "I like the other ones from this range too."


    Divya froze as she heard Dhira say this. She understood what it meant and nodded reluctantly. Dhira smiled at her amd left the washroom with her perfume bottle. She was glad she got what she wanted and some Chanel perfumes as bonus too. She looked at the pink glass bottle in her hand. This was an item personally used by Divya. She already had an earring of Priya. Just a little more and these bitches will become her playthings from now on.


    ***

 37 Unexpected

    Shivam was secretly following Vishakha as she entered a classroom on the other side of the corridor. He did a spell to enhance his hearing before going over and then concentrated to hear their conversation.


    "I have it." Vishakha said.


    "Give it to me. I have to check her blood." he heard Shreya''s voice. She sounded desperate.


    Blood! Whose? Shivam knew that Shreya also specialized in blood magic like Dhira because she always competed with her. But he couldn''t think of anyway they could have gotten Dhira''s blood or his. The only other person close to Dhira was Visha. He went into a state of panick as he thought of the fatal outcomes. If Shreya finds out about their blood bond, she will kill Visha to get to Dhira.


    He was just about to turn away when he heard Shreya,


    "They are not bonded! So, that Visha is useless. Either you find something against that ''almost'' leader or I will have your heads!" she was furious. She had yelled all that. Shivam had to cover his ears as they were a lot more sensitive due to the spell. His eyes widened as he heard that. Visha and Dhira had formed a Blood Bond right in front of his eyes. Shreya should have easily found that out. How did this happen? What could have been the reason?


    ***


    The girls started to squeal and giggle as Yash and Vir walked through the gates. They had reached the top tier of popularity within just two days. Every girl let out cold sighs as they fanned their faces that wouldn''t stop blushing. Visha turned to see what the commotion was about and cheered up to see them. She instantly waved at them. She wanted to thank him with a meal for saving her. Yash turned towards her and seemed to have noticed her. He had no expressions on his face as he coldly turned away! Visha was shocked to see his reaction. She couldn''t believe it when he was so worried about her just yesterday. Everyone looked at her and felt satisfied. They had been waiting for Visha to be humiliated to satisfy their envy. She felt embarassed as she walked away and saw them sneering at her. She instantly felt depressed as she knew she would be turned into gossip again.


    "Look at her making a fool of herself. Just cause she is a little more beautiful than others she thinks every guy would run after her."


    "Yeah, so glad that the brothers aren''t like the other guys. She should know her limits. Just cause she won a few rounds not everyone would kneel for her."


    "She seriously thought she could act like she knew them amd they would play along. What a nice faceslap she got!"


    "Look at her being embarassed now. Should''ve thought of that before pretending to know our cold Viking."


    Visha knew that no matter what she says, she would just be digging a hole for herself. Now, she knew why everyone thought Yash was cold. He was not just cold, but ruthless. She clenched her fist as she kept her head down and walked away from the crowd. But she was clear about one thing, she hated that bastard for making her look like a joke.


    Vir stared at his Master''s back awkwardly when he saw Visha leave heartbroken. Even if she didn''t turn out to be Madam, he shouldn''t have given her a cold shoulder like that. He just humiliated a lady in front of so many people. Vir felt sorry for her. He caught upto him and gathered the courage to ask him.


    "Master!" Yash turned around and glared at him and he shook his head. He thought that Yash didn''t want to say anything regarding this.


    "Brother" Yash corrected him. He was shocked and nodded before continuing.


    "Why did you treat her so coldly? Your actions have turned her into a laughing stock for everyone. She was ridiculed and sneered at. She might not be the Madam but she shouldn''t bear the consequences because we assumed her to be. She is just a little girl, she didn''t deserve this." Vir pitied her.


    Yash pinched his eyebrows as he didn''t want to give any explanations for his actions. He had made a mistake by being nice to her before even confirming if she was the one. He had to treat her coldly so she wouldn''t make any assumptions regarding their relationship. He didn''t want this girl to become an obstacle when he finally finds her. He could understand that this had also confused Vir.


    Before Yash could answer him, he heard his name being called and turned to see Visha. He sighed as he was in no mood to hear her cries and complains. Visha looked furious as she stood facing him.


    Yash opened his mouth to tell her to go.


    "Listen... "


    Visha held up her hand and said "Hush!" and Yash fell quiet. He was well respected and feared by all. He was a Prince! No one has ever dared to even look at him directly. He felt insulted as a mere human had the audacity to hush him. He was filled with rage and wanted to snap her neck right away. Visha could feel the threat in his gaze but chose to ignore it. She looked right into his eyes threateningly,


    "You listen, a**hole! I''m grateful for your help yesterday but that doesn''t give you a right to insult me. I won''t forget about now. If I ever see you again, I''ll make sure to return it two folds."


    Yash was shocked by the courage this little girl had. Even if no one here knew about his identity his aura was still enough to scare people away. This one not only approached him but even threatened him! Was she not supressed like others? Was she not afraid like them?


    She then turned her gaze to Vir who was shocked to see someone talk to his Master like that. He felt her gaze and a chill ran down his spine. This was the first time anyone other than his Master had made him feel that. This woman certainly wasn''t what he had thought. She did possess a powerful aura when agitated. He could feel why his Master had thought she was the one. Because now, Vir could feel that too.


    ***

 38 Luck?

    Dhira felt a lot at ease once she had things that belonged to Priya and Divya. Now she could use them as a connection and do whatever she wanted with them. She had already cursed them with bad luck, for now by using those things. She just had to wait for the right time to get revenge, till then she would just enjoy toying with them a little. She was heading to the car so she could wait for Shivam and Visha outside.


    Visha walked out with Priya talking about something. Nowadays, she has been sticking to Puppy like a glue all the time. Its starting to create suspicion. But Dhira was not worried about that anymore. She will have hers soon enough. Dhira felt annoyed at how good this b*tch was at acting. She took out the earring from her bag and tapped on it while looking at them.


    Priya suddenly tripped and fell flat on her face. She was covered in mud when she got up again. Visha tried to help her remove it but Priya politely refused and walked away. Dhira laughed till her stomach hurt and got out of the car. Priya looked like a baby with wobbly legs.


    Dhira went to Visha and proudly patted her back. Visha looked quite confused as she didn''t know what she was being praised for.


    "My puppy knows how to bark, huh? I heard you threatened someone?"


    Visha looked gloomy after hearing that. Dhira asked her the reason and she explained the entire incident to her. She already knew Yash had helped her when she fell. She too was furious at how he ignored Visha.


    "What a jerk! But still I''m happy you know how to talk to such people." Dhira then patted her head proudly.


    Visha let out a sigh, "I know you think I''m stupid but I''m not. Don''t worry, I will give him back twice the humiliation he gave me."


    Dhira was a little taken aback by her confidence but smiled anyway. Then a thought struck her and she couldn''t keep it to herself.


    "Pup, what would you do if your friend was scheming behind your back? Would you be sad?"


    Dhira''s question was like a sneak attack on Visha. She could never have seen that coming. She thought for a while before answering.


    "Not at all. I would pretend to still not know anything and counter their schemes in the dark till they are frustrated enough to show their ugly side. Then I would smash them when they least expect it."


    Dhira was shocked to hear her answer. She had always thought Visha was too kindhearted and weak minded. She didn''t expect her to be this black bellied and calculative. The only thing she was right about was that Visha trusted easily and too much.


    Visha saw Dhira''s surprise to her reply and could guess its reason. She was always seen as a good sweet child like person and no one ever expected something like this from her.


    "My mom taught me that, ''One must always give back two folds'', may it be gratitude, love or hate. Never keep a debt." and shrugged her shoulders.


    Now, Dhira understood why she was so nice to everyone. She had always felt grateful towards Dhira and Shivam for helping her. That''s why she didn''t even hesitate to put her life on line to pay them back. She saw Priya as someone who always came forward to help her so she was forever grateful. But if she found out about her real intentions she won''t hold back on revenge either. Looks like her Puppy, had only just showed the tip of the iceberg till now. She was much tougher than anyone could have thought.


    And that thing about giving back two folds, she could definitely expect that from the best witch ever. She had her suspicions when her Master said she was the most powerful witch he had ever seen. But now, she was sure Payal was the legendary witch that helped them climb to the top and then disappeared mysteriously. No wonder her Master wanted her back in the coven. She had worked quite well to fulfill his wish, and she was very close to the goal too.


    Dhira and Visha both turned to their sides as they heard Shivam calling. He was running towards them and stopped near Dhira and tried to catch onto his breath.


    "We need to talk. Urgent." he said as he gasped for air. Dhira turned to Visha and she understood what this meant. Visha left and sat inside the car.


    "They had Visha''s blood!"


    Dhira''s mind went blank and she started hearing a buzzing sound in her ears as everything else faded away. She knew what this meant. They could use Visha''s blood to target her because they were connected. If anything happens to Visha she will never be able to fulfill her Master''s wish. She will never forgive herself if she became the reason for an innocent life.


    "But they didn''t find out."


    Dhira felt as if a bomb had been dropped on her. She couldn''t find any reason for them not finding out. Even though she was glad, but also worried. Could the bond have been broken somehow? But that''s not possible. There is no way to break a Blood Bond. She had done everything perfectly and even checked that the blood had been bonded. Then how did this happen? Was this just plain luck?


    ***

 39 Stone

    Yash had always seen his mother suffer because of his father''s other wives. She had been the Queen before her death but she hadn''t been a wife to his father in a very long time. He had seen his father''s love fade away for him and his mother after the arrival of his other wives and concubines. That''s what had drove him to take a vow of monogamy. Occasionally, he did visit the brothels and had fun because he was still a bachelor. But he had already decided that once he marries someone he loves, he will stay loyal and fully devoted to her. Because he never wanted to turn into his father. But now he was in a difficult place.


    Originally, he had planned to find the girl with the powerful blood and marry her. When he saw Visha, he felt his world came to a stop. As if everything revolved around her. And that''s why he felt she was the one and wanted to immediately marry her. But she wasn''t the one he was looking for. His heart ached to see the disappointment on Visha''s face today. There was nothing he could have done. He had to make her go away so he could uphold his vow. But then why did he feel like something was off. That there was something that didn''t make any sense. There was no other girl with a scar from a knife. She was the only one with a wound on her arm but her blood didn''t smell like that.


    Yash could not think of any other girl but her. It was only Visha. She was inside his mind. She was inside his dreams, thoughts, words, everything. She was everywhere.


    He can''t have two wives because of his vow. He can''t give up on the girl with that blood. He can''t get Visha out of his mind. It felt as if he was cornered against a wall and had nowhere to go.


    ***


    Dhira came downstairs after changing and saw Visha eagerly waiting on the couch. Her eyes sparkled after seeing Dhira as she jumped up and followed her outside into the lawn. Dhira felt as if her Puppy was excited for a ''treat''. They went outside to the backyard and Dhira turned to face Visha. This was the first time Visha had seen the backyard. It was a huge plain grassland with hardly any decorations or bushes just a table ahead with a candle on it and a few chairs. And there could be seen a lot of trees after it. She knew this estate spread easily for a few kilometers but it still amazed her.


    "Why don''t you try a small flame spell?"


    Dhira''s voice brought Visha back and she nodded. She had a great memory and remembered the spell.


    With her eyes closed, Visha started chanting and lift up her right hand towards the candle. It took her less than a minute to finish the incantation and she opened her eyes. To her surprise the candle was still not lit. She reflexively turned to Dhira and she looked a little surprised as well.


    Dhira couldn''t understand what was the reason for Visha''s powers misbehaving. She remembered once she heard that Visha couldn''t perform spells at her place too. And now it happened again, this time right in front of her.


    Visha felt awful. It had been the worst day ever. First, that Yash bastard made her turn into a joke and everyone branded her as a ''slut'' who was trying to put her ''moves''on the new guys. And now, it turns out that she is a terrible witch too. She dropped down on the grass disappointed and the laid on her back for a while. The yard had been very well kept as the grass felt so soft amd tickled her neck a little. She closed her eyes and tried to forget this awful day.


    Something sparkled in the corner of Dhira''s eyes and made her turn. It was coming from the red stone pendant around Visha''s neck. Dhira bent down to get a better look and gasped as she recognized it. It was the Suppression Stone! No wonder Visha couldn''t do any magic. These stones are used to suppress magic power. This was the biggest one she had ever seen. And quite a powerful one too. This might also have been the reason why Shreya could not find the Blood Bond. The stone must have suppressed the magic in her blood as well.


    "This pendant?" she asked.


    Visha opened her eyes to see Dhira crouching beside her. She was pointing at her neck. Visha subconsciously touched her neck and felt the pendant at the tip of her finger. She held it in her hand so Dhira could get a better look and Dhira too leaned in.


    "Mom gave it to me a few days ago."


    Dhira frowned at that. She didn''t expect Payal to suppress Visha''s powers. It was understandable that she disliked the witch world and hence hid it from Visha. But to suppress her powers seemed insane. It was a natural part of her just like breathing or eating. She was snatching away her identity. Why would a mother be so cruel to her own daughter? Her heart must be of stone!

 40 Warning

    Davar had been patiently waiting for the day to come when he will get what he wanted. Ever since he saw her photos, he wanted her. A beauty like her could make him millions. She was exquisite and he wanted her at any cost. His phone rang and he immediately picked up.


    "When?" his voice was cold and stern. He couldn''t let him find out that he was anxious to get her or else he would hike up the price. Just like while buying any other thing, he can''t be seen as too interested.


    "Tomorrow. The show will end around 7. I will lure her in the underground parking nearby at a CCTV blind spot."


    "I''ll send four men." he disconnected the call and felt better. He was finally going to get his gem. Once he gets her, he will have her transported to a brothel abroad. She might have to be ''trained'' at first. Each one is a little resistant at first, but soon breaks and becomes obedient. All it took was a few of his men to ''train'' them. Since this one was so beautiful, maybe he will do it himself this time. A smile appeared on his face as he thought of defiling that girl over and over till she became obedient like others. He looked at the naked men in front of him. They were forcing themselves on a woman that looked to be in her early twenties. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she could see those men force her but was helpless. They had pinned her down and stuffed a gag in her mouth. All she could do was let out aggravated grunts from time to time. But she seemed to be losing the strength to do that too. She had just went out for a walk few days ago and then these people had came to get her. She could never have imagined that the man she once loved would sell her to these animals. They had drugged her and took turns to force her. It had been three days! The man who was holding her down licked his lips and she felt disgusted. After he was done, another man stood up in his place. Her eyes widened in shock as she started to cry. She let out grunts to refuse him to do anymore. Davar held up his hand to stop them. The man took out her gag and immediately stepped away. She started to breathe heavily and broke into sobs. The torture had finally ended after continuing for three whole days.


    "You have two options." Davar''s voice echoed inside the empty room and attracted everyone''s attention.


    "One, this continues till your body gives up and you die. Or you could willingly work at one of my brothels. Let me tell you, I treat my girls very well. No one touches them without their permission."


    She kept her head down and nodded with tears in her eyes that won''t stop. Her silent sobs filled the room and Davar smiled at that. He turned to his men,


    "Let her have some rest and bring her back to health. I want everything she wears, eats, uses of the best quality."


    The men nodded and covered the girl with a blanket. They dressed themselves as well and escorted her out of the room. Davar sat back in his chair and felt fulfilled. This feeling of accomplishment after breaking them never faded away even after all these years.


    Just then the door was smashed open and a group of ten people in black stormed inside. Davar was shocked and stood straight up as he wondered who they were. His base was well hidden in the forest and heavily guarded. No one had been able to break into his defenses until these people. He examined them carefully as he looked around. There were four women and six men. One of the men came forward and Davar took a step back instinctively. He started to chant and a little red light glowed at his fingertip. He pointed it towards the man in black and a red beam shot out. The man held up his hand and a green translucent square formed between them. The beam hit the shield and vanished. Davar was shocked and before he could comprehend the situation, the people that surrounded him poured a liquid on the ground and moved clockwise. In just a few steps, they had completed a circle with him in the middle. Everyone stepped back from the circle and one of them snapped his fingers. A fire now surrounded Davar and its heat was unbearable. He held up his hands and water shot out of his palms onto the fire. To his surprise, the fire became even more fierce. There was only one fire that became fiercer with water. This was the Hellfire! It required dried up blood of a fire demon mixed with alcohol. It can''t be extinguished and could melt even stones. So that was what they poured around him. He thought. He had just lost his best hideout.


    The man who had snapped his fingers to light the fire came closer as he stared directly in Davar''s eyes.


    "The Heir of the Bhairavi, sends her first and only warning."

 41 Gremlin

    Shivam looked at the man frantically gasping for air, surrounded by Hell fire. The man looked around in shock and disbelief.


    Davar felt as if he was standing in hell itself. The heat was enough to melt off his skin as he eagerly tried to find a way out. But all his efforts went to waste. There was no possible way out.


    Shivam enjoyed the scene with a smile on his face.


    He didn''t look like a scary gangster now. More like a trapped dog! Did he really think just a letter would come as a warning? How foolish. Shivam thought. He couldn''t believe a small fly like him had the courage to go against Bhairavis. Ever since their master fell sick, all the small time pests thought they had a chance now. This had just brought unnecessary trouble to Dhira. So Shivam stepped up and took this in his hands. He had asked Dhira to let him send the warning. So he had brought one of his teams here and another one was already keeping an eye on the Devdoots. Dhira had been neck deep in work nowdays, he just wanted to share her burdens. They have been childhood friends.


    When he was finally satisfied by the fear in Davar''s eyes, he turned and prepared to leave. One of his subordinates came upto him and handed him a few envelopes.


    "We found these in the room."


    Shivam opened one of the envelopes and saw a photograph of a girl. She was fair with elegant features. The photos seemed like sneak shots. These were definitely taken without her knowledge. He was well aware of Davar''s business, so this was quite expected.


    Shivam had no interest in what he did, so he tossed those envelopes aside. Few photographs fell out unevenly on the ground and one of them caught his eye. Even though the face of that girl was covered by another photo above it but the bag she was holding was familiar. Shivam could not recall from where he remembered it. He bent down to pick it up so he could satisfy his curiosity. His eyes widened when he saw the full picture. It was Visha!


    He then turned back and extinguished the fire. Only the conjurer had the ability to control the Hellfire. Since it was rare, there were hardly any witches who had it. Davar heaved a sigh of relief as the fire was gone before it engulfed his entire hideout. His happiness had not even reached his heart when someone abruptly held him by his neck and his voice got stuck in his throat. Before he could react he blacked out.


    ***


    Dhira had told Visha that maybe she was too upset to focus her mind and she should meditate for a while. She saw Visha squat down on the grass as she tried to meditate.


    "Maybe you should take off your accessories to feel lighter. It usually helps."


    Visha seemed confused as she saw no connection between the two things but followed the instructions anyway. Dhira was the expert after all, and Visha was still a newbie. There were plenty of things she didn''t know about magic. So she trusted Dhira in this aspect fully.


    After about half an hour she felt much more calm and opened her eyes. Dhira nodded at her to tell her to give it another shot. Visha stood up and took a deep breath before reciting the incantations again. She held up her hand as her palm faced the candle. A fierce flame shot out of her hand and the whole table was burnt down to ashes within seconds. There was no trace of grass left an entire kilometer.


    Dhira gasped in horror as her once perfect backyard had a huge grassless patch. All it consisted of now, was ash! She immediately controlled herself from showing her surprise as it might scare Visha as well.


    "You were supposed to direct it towards the candle. Try to control your power and just light the candle. It''s not about the strength in witchcraft. Its about the skill."


    Most of what Dhira said was just bullshit except about the importance of skill. She had seen powerful witches fall, by the hands of the skillful ones. Visha had a lot of power, she needs skill. Dhira could never have expected its magnitude. Trainees could hardly make a spark for days and she remodeled her backyard in the very first try. No wonder Payal used a Suppression Stone on her. She had only heard about Payal as the most powerful witch in almost a century. Even she was not capable of this level of destruction before a decade of training. Visha was like a Gremlin, little but fierce. Could a human even possess a power of this high amplitude?


    Dhira was already aware of her mother, maybe she should look into her father''s identity just to be sure. Maybe she was being overly cautious but she was not someone who could act however she wanted. She was now responsible for every Bhairavi witch, and also the enforcement of witch laws in the entire country. Playing safe was all she wanted for now.


    ***

 42 Prison!

    Visha was wearing a Suppression Stone today, and she couldn''t do any magic because of that. The last time this happened was when she was practicing at home. There must be something there too.


    Dhira sped the car towards Visha''s house. She didn''t know what she would find there or if she would find anything at all, but she couldn''t just sit idly waiting for a clue to fall in her lap. Before leaving, she had told Visha to keep practicing and that she had an errand to run. In just a couple hours, Payal would return home, so she had limited time. She used a lot of force as she stepped on the brake. The car stopped with a loud screeching sound and she jumped out. She rushed right through the small yard and tried to open the door. It was locked. Dhira chanted a spell and pointed at the knob. Nothing happened!


    Her eyes grew wide as she tried again but nothing. She looked around and saw another red Suppression Stone on the door bell. It was entirely covered in dust but she still managed to recognize it. From the looks of it, it had been there for a good few years.


    Dhira turned and started to look around. Just like she had suspected, there were Suppression Stones everywhere, hidden in plain sight. Some were even embedded in the wall as decorations! The whole house was surrounded in it. Even if she managed to take one out there were dozen others to stop her magic. She had no way to get inside. It was strictly a no magic zone. Her phone rang and distracted her thoughts. She picked it up and answered with barely paying it any attention.


    "Hello"


    "Hm" Dhira sounded distracted but she recognized Shivam''s voice.


    "I just came back after delivering the warning to Davar, the guy who wanted to form a crime syndicate using other witches. There were a dozen other witches with him and all have been eliminated except him..." Shivam continued to explain how they broke in and killed the other witches working for Davar and how they had him surrounded by Hellfire. Dhira was still distracted and just gave a few "Hm"s as her answer. She was not interested in any of that.


    "And we need to talk since it''s urgent."


    "Not now. I''m at Visha''s house and there is something I need to do." This was her first reply that consisted more than one word.


    "Great, my thing is about her too. I''ll be there in a few minutes."


    After that he hung up and Dhira frowned. She was in the middle of some important work and he needs to talk about a small time gangster. And what relation could there be between that and Visha? But she might need help to get inside the house so she couldn''t have denied anyway. After patiently waiting for a few minutes, she heard a car stop outside. Shivam entered the house and saw Dhira come out from the back.


    "Help me pick the lock." she instructed and pointed to the front door. Shivam looked at her in confusion before he chanted a spell to unlock the door but nothing happened.


    "If you were really smarter than me then you would have been the heir." she taunted. "Do it manually."


    Shivam frowned at that and started to pick the lock. He can never get used to her sarcastic comments, no matter how long it''s been. With a small click the door opened and Dhira immediately went in. She tried to find more stones in the house, or some other clues.


    There was a beautiful scent inside as if someone had lit an incense. They followed the scent and found a shrine. A photoframe sit atop it with the picture of a handsome young man. He looked to be in his early twenties. Dhira immediately clicked a picture and started to look again. She did find few more stones but these were randomly placed. Four were embedded in walls like outside, one on the ceiling fan of the upper floor, one sewed in a carpet. She couldn''t understand the significance of these and went upstairs to Visha''s bedroom to see if there were any. She looked around and saw a hole in her dressing table. It was the same size as the stone in the pendant! The stone in the pendant was here before.


    Dhira pondered for a while to think of some reason or explanation but nothing. She came outside to her balcony and stared blankly at the sky.


    One of the stones in the wall of the yard below, reflected the sun in her eyes and she looked away and couldn''t help but follow the trail they formed around the house. Something struck in her mind as she quickly looked out from the other rooms'' windows. The trail surrounded the entire house in a square leaving no gaps. She then ran downstairs to check the other stones. These were not randomly placed, this was a formation. Each and every stone outside concentrated their powers on the ones inside. Inner stones collected the power from all six directions- east, west, north, south, above and below. Then amplified the power of the stones and combined it in one single stone, the largest one on the top of Visha''s dressing table!


    Visha was not being suppressed by just the stone around her neck. She was being suppressed by all of these stones. These stones have been connected for so many years, and now the Middle stone could channel all these stones'' power,regardless of where it was. This was an ancient formation created by witch elders more than thousand years ago, which was used to chain and imprison demons and vicious beasts! But it seemed to have been modified to provide mobility to the person in the middle. Why would Payal create an Imperial Prison formation around her own daughter? This came as a shock to Dhira while she staggered and supported herself by a wall. Her knees felt weak as she came downstairs to find Shivam. He was leisurely sitting on the couch waiting for Dhira to finish her ''investigation''. He was taken aback by Dhira''s pale face as she stumbled on the last steps and he immediately rushed to help her. Dhira seemed to be shook to her very core. Shivam helped her sit on a chair and silently waited for her to calm down. Dhira looked up at him and pushed the words out.


    "This is not a house. It''s a prison!"


    ***

 43 Gues

    Dhira asked Srisha to send Shivam into the study as soon as he came back after dropping Visha off. There were a lot of doubtful events that unfolded today. First, was Visha''s unusually high power level. Second, was her house turning out to be a prison.


    As soon as she came back, she had asked Visha how long she had lived in that house. She told them that they shifted when she was born.


    Her powers couldn''t have developed because of the Prison formation. This means that she was born with them! Payal had no other option but to suppress her powers from developing. If this was her infant level, what could she have turned into by now. The thought scared Dhira as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. She has never seen anybody this terrifying before. If someone else in the coven found out, they might harm her. She had to find out everything personally so she had all the facts before making any decision. But she felt that she might be biased. This was about her Puppy, after all.


    Dhira picked out some books about mysteriously high magic and learnt it could either be passed down from the parentage, through blood sacrifices, through harnessing powerful blood, or bestowed by the Gods. Her gaze lingered on it for a moment. Visha might have gotten it in her genes. Payal was the most powerful witch in more than a century. Her father must have been someone with a very high powerlevel too. But even then she couldn''t have had that much powers as an infant. Every other option didn''t seem likely at all. But then a thought struck her.


    The mysterious boost in her powers was unexplainable too. But now it seemed obvious. It was because of the Blood Bond. She was harnessing the power in Visha''s blood! It all started after she exchanged blood with her during the bonding ritual. She lifted up her hand and stared at the scar from that time. Just a few drops of her blood increased Dhira''s power by many folds. Who exactly was Visha? What else was she capable of?


    The doorknob turned and made a click sound. Dhira lifted her gaze and saw Shivam enter while holding an envelope in his hand. He placed it on the table and sat down beside her. She picked it up and pulled out a photograph of Visha.


    "Why is a gay carrying a girl''s sneakshots around?" she asked as she tossed it back and got back to her book.


    Shivam sighed as he now felt that even the end of the world wouldn''t be enough to stop her taunts.


    "Found them at Davar''s place?"


    "Who?"


    Shivam was shocked by her negligence. How did this girl even get this position? She rarely ever gave attention to her surroundings, was never alert and hardly remembered anything.


    "I told you on the phone today that he''s the guy I went to give a warning."


    "And why am I supposed to remember his name? You do know that putting a lid on a small coven isn''t exactly an ''accomplishment'' right?"


    Shivam almost snapped at her snarky comments but controlled his anger. His tone was evident that he could barely suppress it.


    "He runs brothels and Visha was on his list as well. That''s why I brought him back alive to grill him for more intel. He''s in the basement."


    He finally managed to catch Dhira''s attention as she glared at him. This made Shivam feel uncomfortable as he didn''t understand the reason behind her anger.


    "How about you start with the important information next time, and not irrelevant bullsh*t."


    Dhira headed straight to the hall in the basement. The basement was old and unkempt with a pungent smell of dried up blood lingering around. Shivam followed her through the corridor into a wide hall. Two of his team members were guarding the gates and they too followed them inside.


    Davar was tied to a chair in the middle with a spiked wire. The spikes pierced the skin around his wrists and ankles but none of it seemed lethal. He saw that a dark red circle was drawn around him. He suspected it to be a Magic Barricade as his powers were not working.


    He saw Dhira and scoffed at her. This girl was the new heir? She didn''t look like much and was just ruling on the power of the men around her. He hated weak people on powerful positions as he believed they didn''t deserve it.


    Dhira could see the ridicule in his reluctance to accept her as the leader of Bhairavis. But she wasn''t here for his approval. One of the men brought a chair for Dhira and she sat down facing him.


    Davar was confused as it had been a few minutes and she hadn''t said or done anything. She seemed calm and laid-back as if she had all the time in the world. He knew she was just trying to intimidate him, he has been in this business for quite a while and has seen all kinds of tricks.


    "Just say what you want already. Stop wasting time." he seemed aloof and unaffected by the fact that he was in someone else''s basement, all tied up. There was even a hint of arrogance in his tone. Dhira smiled and looked at the man beside her. He nodded and pulled a dagger out of his scabbard. Without making any sound, he rushed towards Davar and stabbed him right in his heart.


    Davar screamed in pain. He could feel his blood come into his mouth and he spat it out. There was a burning sensation in the wound and the pain was unbearable. He could feel his heartbeat slow down. It was about to stop! He could feel it all but his vision didn''t blur, his senses didn''t give away, he didn''t die! He looked up in confusion and saw Dhira smiling. She looked like a predator playing with its food before eating.

 44 Guest Part 2

    He looked up in confusion and saw Dhira smiling.


    "Do you know that our brain shuts off our senses to cope with immense pain? Your brain won''t be doing that and you can''t die as long as you''re in that circle."


    His eyes widened as Dhira said that. It was true! He could feel every bit of pain inflicted by the wound as he stared at the circle around him. It wasn''t Magic Barricade, it was a Conscious Keeper. Even if his body dies inside it, he won''t lose his consciousness. And he will be able to feel everything they do to him. The reality struck him like a thunder and he started to sweat profusely. Dhira stood up and went to him holding a handkerchief. She gently wiped his forehead with a smile which uncoiled a feeling inside Davar he had never felt before. Fear! She then went back to sit on her chair and turned to the man beside her.


    "Oh dear! Where are our manners and hospitality? Our guest is feeling warm can''t you see. Turn the fan on." she instructed the man in a fake anger and they complied. Davar took another look at the woman in front of him. He had always thought woman were weak, soft hearted, and easy to break. He has always made them submit to him, but this one sent chills down his spine like no one else. He was wrong to underestimate her, but it was too late now.


    "What do you want?" his voice was hoarse and he barely managed to talk in pain.


    "Now that''s the tone I like." Dhira said chirpily.She was glad this arrogant b*****d finally found his place. Davar saw Dhira take out a very familiar envelope. As soon as he saw the picture inside, his pain was not the his sole concern anymore.


    "You brought me here for her?"


    "No, he got you out of the Hellfire for her. Now, let''s have a chat."


    "She is my property and none of your business."


    Dhira frowned at that and Davar froze for a second. He could see she felt offended. But the next moment she smiled again. Davar widened his eyes at her reaction. She seemed to be enjoying this as she pointed at the men behind her.


    "You know, they can peel off your skin layer by layer, bit by bit and you still would be alive?"


    Davar stared at her in disbelief. He couldn''t believe a woman was capable of such cruelty. His mind went blank as he refused to see the truth. Dhira was still not convinced that he was afraid enough.


    "Oh don''t worry, you''ll be fine. They''ve done this before."


    Sweat beads formed on his forehead as he finally admitted the fact that he was helpless. And this woman was probably capable of way more than he thought. He will have to give in before she actually does that.


    "She was sold to me but the guy failed to deliver. I was planning to get her tomorrow."


    Tomorrow? It''s Visha''s competition finale. Dhira thought for a while and then looked back at Davar.


    "How?"


    "He said he knew her and will lure her her out in an underground parking lot. My men would take it from there."


    "Name?"


    "His name is Vikram."


    "The failed delivery?"


    "He had sent some men to get her but she escaped."


    So the kidnapping was Vikram''s doing! Dhira clenched her fists till her nails dug into her palms but suppressed the urge to go and snap his neck right then. She needed to calm down and use this for her benefit.


    "I''ll let you go. But I have a few conditions."


    Davar was shocked to hear this. He had given up hope on making it out alive. He then nodded to let her continue.


    "You''ll carry out everything as you planned except you''ll be picking up Vikram instead. And the more painful you make his life, the better your options are at getting on my good side. You can work better for me than against me."


    Davar couldn''t understand why she wanted him to work for her. His syndicate was against the rules, while she was the enforcer of witch laws!

 45 Guest Part 3

    She was the enforcer of witch laws, but was ready to spare an offender? Davar was confused. Was this a trick? It has to be. This woman was on the most powerful position of the witch world and had absolutely no use for a crime syndicate of the human world.


    "And you also have to stop kidnapping girls. Each and every one of them should be willing ones. No one will be forced. Agreed?"


    He kept staring at her dumbfounded and Dhira sighed. She hated stupid people who couldn''t get what things mean.


    "Do you know anything about sacrificial magic?"


    Davar shrugges his shoulders to say no.


    "The most powerful sacrifice is a willing one. A dozen forced sacrifices cannot compare to a willing one. Sexual energy in your brothels can serve as power source but only if it is consensual and pleasurable to both parties. You own a lot of them and they all have booming businesses. That means infinite power supply for me."


    Davar finally understood the actual intention behind her ''generous'' offer.


    "I do agree that it''s a small price for sparing my life . But I don''t understand why the Bhairavi wants someone like me." He was arrogant but still knew his worth. He was nothing in front of the bigshots like Bhairavi and Devdoot.


    "The higher your throne, the more insignificant lower ones seem. So much that they get across without catching your attention."


    "So you want me to be your eyes and ears?"


    "No silly. I don''t have time for the ''dirty laundry'' and so you''ll be doing that from now on for me. But keep your activities well below witch radars or I might have to execute you to satisfy the public."


    Davar nodded in agreement and Dhira stood up with a satisfied smile. She finally knew about the cheap goons and even took care of the culprit behind it.


    She turned to the men behind her, "Escort out guest back. He must be tired."


    Her men nodded and started to untie his limbs as they simultaneously healed him. It was just now that he realized, these were blocking his magic. All his acupuncture points had been blocked by these spiked wires. Dhira stood up to leave but stopped midway and turned.


    "Don''t try anything stupid after getting back. Cause, if I can get you once with a small team then I can get you over and OVER again." she smiled as she stressed on the last words. He nodded and she turned to leave again. Davar felt much at ease once she left. He had felt an immense pressure on him that made even breathing feel like a difficult task for him. She didn''t have to give any warning though, he would not dare to cross this woman ever again.


    ***


    Priya looked at Divya in shock. She had a determination in her eyes that Priya had never seen before. It looked as if even Gods couldn''t make her change her decision. She had came to Priya on her own to say she was fine with hurting Visha to get her out of their way. Just a day had passed since this coward had left saying she didn''t want to let Priya drag her down and now she was alright with taking that road.


    "Why the sudden change?" Priya asked. The ridicule in her eyes was clearly mocking Divya''s fickle minded opinions.


    "None of your business, what matters is I''m in. I just want that b*tch out, no matter the method or the consequence."


    Priya took another look at Divya as she felt moved by her conviction. There was something different about her. She had always taken it much more lightly than Priya, but now she was anxious as well. Priya could see herself in that restlessness. She guessedthey might have the same reasons now. It was believable if Visha hogged up Divya''s man too. That sl*t may not be satisfied even with all the men in the world running after her. That greedy b*tch had to be banished. And now Priya was glad to see Divya was on the same page too.


    "The finale is tomorrow, what do you have in mind." Priya asked.


    "We have been failing until now but we can''t afford to lose the chance tomorrow. So we must plan separately."


    "What do you mean?"


    "We set two different traps. I will set up something for during the competition and you set one for after it." Divya answered as she grit her teeth


    "Why after and not before?"


    "She has been very careful nowadays, that''s why she was able to escape us both. But once the competition is over she will lose her guard and will easily fall in our trap."


    "What if your plan fails and she wins? Won''t you lose the title of Ms Fresher?"


    "I really don''t care about it anymore. I just want her out of here. She is a guest for just one more day now." Divya said as her heart filled with anger and disdain for Visha. Before, it was just for a stupid competition but now it''s for the love of her life. She won''t let Yash fall in that sl*t''s trap.


    On the other hand, Priya sneered in her heart too. The day had finally come when she could get rid of Visha. Even if Divya fails during the competition, she will definitely get her afterwards. And she had a plan in her mind already. Tomorrow will be Visha''s last day in the college even if it has to become her last day in this world too. She will be gone, by hook or by crook.


    ***

 46 Pak!

    Visha entered the green room and sat down at an empty dressing table to do her make up. The other two finalists stared at her in envy as her violet dress made her complexion seem fairer and perfectly complemented her figure. Visha had already become an eyesore to most of the girls in the college after performing the best in last two rounds. She had gained popularity in just a few days after the fashion walk as she outshone other contestants. Her stunning looks had been deeply engraved in everyone''s mind. Some admired her while some felt threatened by her, but there was not one student who didn''t know her.


    "Look, the Princess is here to get ready. Should we leave the room?" said one of them.


    "Yeah, we should give her privacy in case the cold King wants to visit her. I heard she knows him." and they started laughing. Visha had known, that incident would turn her into a joke very soon. That hearless b*****d must be satisfied now. She will rip him apart when the time comes but till then she can''t do anything about the rumors.


    "Yeah. And I can''t even imagine this sl*t having any talent other than hogging attention."


    "True. Some people are just never satisfied. She already has a lot of guys after her but she still had to throw herself shamelessly at the one guy who wasn''t."


    "This sl*t might not be satisfied even after getting f*****d by all the boys in college."


    Divya had heard all of these insults while standing at the door and felt it would work. She has to make Visha''s life miserable enough so tonight''s event will become the final blow.


    They had been told to get to Visha as much as they could. Since the command had come from a person in power and gave them a chance to blow off some steam, they immediately agreed. Divya had assured them, that if they did well enough she''d take them under her. She was Dhira''s sister after all. Every one wanted to be with her. This would be the perfect chance to show their loyalty. Divya entered the room with Ananya and her other minions. All of them had a smug smile on their faces to see Visha being embarassed.


    "Maybe, you should work at a brothel. A wh*** like you would definitely earn a lot." Ananya taunted.


    Visha felt as if she had had enough of their taunts and slanders. She continued with her make up as she replied, "I thought you all might suffer great losses with me as a competitor so I didn''t."


    One of the girls that followed Divya tried hard to control her laughter but Divya still noticed it. Her body went stiff as soon as she felt Divya''s gaze on her. Divya couldn''t control her rage as she stormed towards her. Sound of a slap echoed in the room and everyone was stunned. Visha too put down her make up brush and turned to see the girl standing there holding her cheek with her head down. Her cheek seemed red and swollen. That girl had followed Divya for such a long time and she treated her like this. How could she slap her in front of all these people.


    Visha felt an anger boil inside her when she saw her being treated like that. It felt unfair, that girl had been loyal to Divya. She couldn''t help but hate her for being ungrateful to her friends. She has always believed in giving back two folds, but such insensible person would never know to pay back someone''s gratitude. Visha got up from her seat and went to Divya. She abruptly held her arm to turn her so she would be face to face with her.


    Pak!


    Another slap echoed in the entire room and everyone was too stunned to react. There was a dead silence in the entire room as Divya felt a burning sensation in her cheek. Did this b***h just slap me? Divya thought. She felt as if she would burst in anger. She will make this b***h suffer. She will regret it in just a few more hours. Today will definitely be her last day.

 47 Little Sister

    Divya looked up enraged. Her eyes appeared bloodshot as her gaze was shooting arrows at Visha who stood there unaffected. The burning sensation and pain in her cheek refused to die down. It had now become red and swollen. Everyone stared at Visha in disbelief. Was she not aware of Divya''s identity? After all, Divya had the power to bring her entire college life crumbling down. Dhira was the most powerful personality in the entire college. She was rich with political backing and even the the Dean of the college wouldn''t dare to go against her. Even though they were envious of Visha, they couldn''t help feeling pity for her. She had no idea that she just put her hands in a beehive. [1]


    "You b***h, you''ll regret this." Divya''s voice sounded like thunder in the dead silent room.


    Visha scoffed at her, "Oh yeah? Make me." Divya was taken aback at her arrogance. She had already gotten used to people cowering in fear, or trying to gain her favor ever since she lied about being related to Dhira. She pulled up her hand to return Visha''s ''debt'', but Visha caught her hand mid way.


    "In your dreams. I''m not one of your minions who''ll take your abuse quietly." Visha said as she threw her hand away. Divya lost her balance in her heels and almost fell flat on her face due to the extreme force Visha had used. Before she could say anything else there was a knock on the door. The door was wide open and a powerful, suppressing aura emanated from the girl standing there. It was Dhira! She had her usual cold void expression as she casually strolled in and everyone felt suppressed by her presence. Was it just their imagination or was it more suppressing today than ever, as if she was angry. They had their doubts but none of them had the courage to even look up to notice the smile that suddenly appeared on her face. She turned to look at Divya who seemed glued to her spot and let out a small laugh.


    "It was the finale. So I just thought to come over and wish my little sister luck."


    Everyone instinctively turned to Divya as she was too shocked to say anything. Dhira already knew about the lie she had cooked up, then why was she here now. Divya didn''t understand why she was here, she had already sent out the Chanel perfume range she had promised her back then. Was she really here to support her lie? Maybe she had finally entered Dhira''s good books by sending that perfume range she had promised. Maybe Dhira felt grateful and came to return the favor.


    With Dhira personally showing up here, the rumor would finally have some concrete proof. She smiled and walked towards Dhira. An immense pressure built upon her that almost made her feel as if she was buried underground. The closer she got the more intense the feeling became but she continued anyway. She had to do this just once and her social life for the years to come will become amazing.


    Dhira simply ignored her outstretched hand as she passed by her. Other girls looked at this in shock and Divya felt like she had been slapped in the face again. She turned around to see where Dhira was going. Her eyes widened and sweat beads formed on her forehead when Dhira stopped in front of Visha. There was a warm smile on her face that no one had ever seen before. She held out her hand and patted Visha''s head affectionately. No one had ever thought of seeing so many miracles in a day. Dhira was not only smiling but even made an affectionate gesture to someone. Didn''t she just say she was here to support her sister! Then was Visha the one she was talking about and not Divya. Their mouths hung open in shock as this realisation struck them. Divya felt as if the ground beneath her had shifted.


    "Do your best, Pup! And this is for you." she pulled out a small box from her bag and handed it to Visha. She excitedly opened the box and saw a pendant with a heart shaped light pink stone in the middle. She gasped in amazement and hugged Dhira immediately.


    "I love it, Big Sis. It goes perfectly with my outfit."


    "I know, I was the one who selected tonight''s dress for you."


    Visha nodded excitedly and replaced the red stone pendant around her neck with the one Dhira had brought. She turned to face Dhira so she could give her opinion. Dhira made an OK gesture with her hand.


    "Oh and I have something else for after the competition too."


    Dhira left after giving her a few more instructions and told her to be careful as well since she had been targeted before during the competition. Visha nodded and told her that she will be perfectly fine and alert. Before leaving Dhira gave Divya a smug smile as if saying she had a lot more to come. Once she left everyone stared at Divya in ridicule. She was going around so proudly saying she was Dhira''s sibling when in fact it was Visha who was Dhira''s sister. And they seemed very close too.


    "Oh my God! Visha is Dhira''s sister! The real one had been so modest while a fake one went around making all the noise."


    "Who would''ve thought Divya could be stupid enough to cook up such a lie. Don''t tell me she actually thought, she could keep this lie going."


    "It sounds so ridiculous though. This wasn''t something that could be kept hidden. What if Dhira had found out before this got cleared up on its own?"


    "She''s lucky that it didn''t happen. Who knows what she would have done to an imposter?"


    [1] - deliberately attracting trouble.

 48 The one

    Divya flared in anger but was wise enough to keep her head down. She bit her lip in anger and a small drop of blood oozed out from the cut. Ananya pulled out a tissue and immediately tried to wipe it off. But Divya was infuriated and pushed her away. Ananya fell down with a loud thud and her other minions rushed to her in a hurry. One of them helped her get up and pulled her to the side.


    "I don''t know why she''s still acting so arrogant. Now that the truth is out no one would just stand there and take her abuse anymore." one said.


    "Yeah. We kept quiet because we were afraid of Dhira. She should be grateful we are still here and trying to be nice." said another.


    "I feel Visha is much better than her. She helped me even though I had never been nice to her. I think it takes a big heart to stand up for the right thing even if it''s your enemy who was wronged." said Maya. She was the one Divya had slapped before. Her left cheek was still swollen and ached when she spoke.


    Divya could hear their conversation and she grit her teeth. Visha had taken away everything from her. She was the sole reason of all her problems right now. Divya had to get rid of her before this news reached Priya. What if she got afraid after learning that Visha is Dhira''s sister? She couldn''t take that risk and had to end it tonight by any means. She kept her head down and left the room. No one followed behind her this time. The four minions who always followed behind her came to Visha with their heads shook in shame and guilt. They had been bullying a good person just to curry Divya''s favor.


    Maya stepped ahead, "Thank you and sorry."


    These people had been very nasty to Visha in the past but she could see that this gratitude and apology was extremely sincere. So she nodded to say she accepted it. A faint smile appeared on Maya''s face as she turned around and glared at the others. Then they too repeated the same phrase one by one. Since Visha had never been someone to hold a grudge she forgave them. They wished her luck and started to leave. Ananya stopped midway, "I don''t exactly know what Divya had planned. But please be careful, I''m sorry I was of no help."


    Visha nodded at her as they left the room entirely for the finalists. She sat down back in front of the mirror and continued her make up. Ananya''s warning was still ringing in her head so she decided not to go anywhere till the performance, nor to eat or drink anything. She wasn''t afraid of Divya but who knows what trap that sly fox had laid down. It was better to be cautious. After a while, one of the anchors for the night came backstage to announce a change in schedule.


    "Visha, since Divya has decided to leave the competition you''ll be going first."


    Everyone was stunned to hear this announcement. Divya quit! That arrogant b***h finally had some shame left. After being humiliated like that no one would dare to go on stage. She might soon leave the college out of shame. That would be a great relief to all of them.


    Visha on the other hand couldn''t comprehend why Divya would do that at the last moment. She was hellbent on winning this competition. And just a slap was enough to drive her away? Did she really admit defeat?


    Since she had no idea of the ordeal between her and Dhira, she didn''t know that Dhira''s slap had been a hundred times more stronger and noiseless than hers.


    ***


    "Master, this lowly subordinate doesn''t understand the meaning behind this sudden change." Vir expressed his concerns as he glanced to his side. Yash was sitting on the passenger seat quietly as he drove the car away from their house. He couldn''t understand the meaning behind this rash behavior. His master has never been this indecisive and unpredictable before. Just a few days ago he had humiliated that little girl, got scolded by her, and now wanted to follow her! He had been staying in his room for all this time and refused to come out for the past few days. An hour ago he suddenly came out and said he wanted to see the competition finale. Vir remembered that Visha had asked them if they would attend and they had agreed because they thought she was the Madam. Could it be that his Master was just trying to keep his words? It must be. There was no other reason to rush over to an event which was unrelated to Madam. He finally heaved a sigh of relief and drove quietly.


    Yash stared outside blankly at the cars that swept by. His mind had been a total mess these days and he couldn''t get Visha out of his mind no matter how hard he tried. There was this strong intuition he felt that he had missed something. When he saw her for the very first time he was sure she was the one. And even after her blood scent proved otherwise this feeling refused to die down. His heart just wouldn''t accept it and kept on saying he must have missed something because she definitely was the one!


    ***

 49 Stage

    Shivam was sitting beside Dhira among other students, anxiously waiting for the performances to start. Dhira had just told him what went down backstage before. He heaved a sigh of relief, Divya had been riding her coattails to step up the social ladder for quite a while now. She should have chosen an easier target. She must not have been in her right mind to rope in the most terrifying person in her lies. Stupid.


    "So what do you plan to do now with Divya?" Shivam asked. He really hoped that this useless banter was over for good. But knowing Dhira, she was the type to hold grudges till she drove her enemies into the ground. This matter was far from over.


    "I have her in the very palm of my hands, just have to close my fist and an ant like her could be crushed anytime. What''s the rush?" Dhira''s lips curved up from the side and Shivam shuddered. Divya must have accumulated a lot of bad karma to have pissed this Yama[1] off. Why did he suddenly feel pity for her? If Dhira sees this expression on his face, he will be sharing the same luck with Divya. So he quickly looked away.


    "What about the Devdoots? They''ve been eerily quiet these days." Dhira changed the topic. She didn''t want to waste her time on an insignificant nobody anymore than she already had.


    "No movement at all." he replied. Dhira knew there was something on their minds. They must be preparing for a way to get to her. What she didn''t understand was why? Devdoots have been a very righteous clan until now. For now she could just assume that Shreya disagreed to bow down to them and wanted to return her clan to its former glory. If she had secretly rebelled against her clan, Dhira just needed to collect evidence and let Madam Tara deal with it. But she had a lot to look into. Divya was shut for now but who knows till when. If Visha wasn''t so naively trusting of others she wouldn''t have to do it herself. But that''s exactly what made Visha trust her too, so she couldn''t complain.


    The guilt of using her as a means to reach Payal was deep-rooted within Dhira. So she wanted to do the most she could to protect Visha as compensation. Who knew she would actually grow fond of that little puppy following her around? A warmth filled her heart as she really did consider Visha as her sister. This was the closest she could get to familial love. But a darkness flashed in her eyes as soon as she thought about Visha''s mysterious origins. She really wanted to protect Visha and that was the reason she didn''t even involve Shivam in this investigation. She couldn''t take the risk of someone else finding out something about Visha before her. They could see her as a threat for the clan and hurt her. Hence she had no other choice even though this would clearly increase her workload.


    The sound of sudden girly shrieks and gasps made Dhira and Shivam turn around. And they instantly located the source of this commotion, it was those brothers, Yash and Vir! Their entrance made everyone turn back due to the girls'' squealing. Those two instantly became the centre of attention wherever they went.


    Yash walked in front and Vir followed behind him making their fangirls start to breathe heavy. This was a dreamy scene in front of them. The cold distant older brother followed by the social younger brother with a warm smile on his face, greeting people every now and then. Yash couldn''t believe he was once worried about this guy fitting in as he walked in and took a seat in the front row.


    Dhira squinted her eyes as soon as she saw Yash. This was the b******d who had humiliated Visha in front of everyone. Shivam saw the enraged expression on her face and started worrying. Who was it now? Why can''t she let me live in peace? He thought and followed her gaze to the college''s handsome hunk, Yash! Then he finally remembered the incident that happened with Visha. He had heard that this guy ignored her and made her look like a fool in front of everyone. He felt that Dhira''s anger was justified but this was neither the time nor the place to deal with this.


    A sudden "Hello" on the microphone made every one turn their attention to the anchor on stage which was gorgeously decorated. Multiple shiny glass stars, balls and other figures hung from the ceiling covering the entire roof above the stage. The lights of the auditorium were dimmed down leaving only the stage lit. The glass figures above reflected the light and made it look like a sea of stars. Everyone gasped as they were entirely mesmerised by the beautiful and elegant ambiance of the stage.

 50 Voice

    The anchor cleared his throat before he began, "Welcome everyone, to the final of our Ms Fresher competition for this year. We had a lot of smart, gorgeous and amazing participants and six made it to the final. Unfortunately, half have quit the competition for some reasons and we''ll be continuing with the other half. So, the competition today is a Talent Showcase. The first performance is by the new highly popular and extremely gorgeous freshman, Visha!"


    Everyone was dumbstruck for a while, as they stared at each other in confusion. Wasn''t Divya supposed to be first? And why did the anchor say only half were left? Does this mean Divya backed out too?


    Sound of someone''s claps pulled them back to reality and everyone''s gaze followed the sound. It was Dhira! No one dared to offend her and thus followed suit and the auditorium echoed with claps as they looked upon the stage. Soon, a girl with sharp features dressed in a beautiful violet dress stepped out onto the stage. The audience felt enchanted by her and refused to look elsewhere. Her beauty was elegant and mesmerizing and silent gasps could be heard all over the venue. Since only the stage was lit, Visha couldn''t see anyone clearly into the audience. But she was sure that her friends were somewhere among this crowd supporting her and felt at ease. However, her gaze fell on a very familiar figure in the front row and her face started to twitch in anger. She couldn''t see his face clearly, but could easily recognize that figure among a crowd of thousands. It was that shameless, arrogant brat who humiliated her, Yash! She grit her teeth and controlled the rage surging within her. This man had already soiled her image she won''t let him do the same to her performance. Today, she will definitely make him regret acting like a stranger that day. Once he listens to her sing, he''d wish he knew her.


    Among the crowd, Divya flared up as soon as she saw Visha''s gaze fall upon Yash. This b*tch just wouldn''t let Yash go. Even now she was shamelessly trying to seduce him. Giving him her sl*tty looks from the stage. Thank God her Yash had high standards and would never look at that sly vixen. He can only be hers, why doesn''t that b*tch just accept it. But she could think all high and mighty about herself as much as she wanted but it won''t last long. Tonight it will all be over. Soon, that sl*t won''t be able to seduce anyone ever again. Divya smiled wickedly as she thought about her brilliant plan. This time Visha had nowhere to hide or run. In her eyes, Visha was one of those woman who stole boyfriends and others'' men just for fun. What she failed to recognise or maybe refused to admit was that Yash had no such relationship with her.


    Visha took a deep breath to calm herself down. Even though she had a good voice and was quite confident about her singing, this was her first time doing it in front of so many people. Until now, it was just her mother but seeing all the filled up seats anyone would be anxious. To counter her nervousness she decided to close her eyes while singing. She nodded at the anchor to begin the background music and closed her eyes. The song she chose was a melodious romantic song. After hearing her beat she began to sing leaving people stunned by her voice. It was clear, crisp, and soothing to the ears. As she began, everyone started to sway with the music. They could feel the song''s every word drop right into their hearts. They kept on swaying and before even one paragraph was completed, the background music stopped. The band members felt so overwhelmed by her voice, it felt as if they were ruining it with their music. Visha continued to sing and her voice now sounded clearer without the background music. Everyone seemed to have fallen in a trance. It looked so harmonious without any disturbances, not even the sound of breaths.


    Dhira''s eyes widened as she looked around helplessly. The guy sitting beside her had just drooled on her arm. She felt disgusted as she looked up at the guy who seemed to be in some sort of fantasy. And judging by the rise in his pants, it definitely was a perverted one. She looked at Shivam who was as shocked as her. People were acting very weird. The guy beside Shivam was staring at the stage without blinking and had a part of his body involuntarily rise up in his pants too!


    Dhira and Shivam stood up and saw all the other guys sitting with the same expression. They were either drooling or aroused or both! Dhira felt like throwing up. She wasn''t a neat freak but drool was too disgusting and right now half of the auditorium seemed to be doing that at the same time. The only thing these men had in common was their gaze as they refused to look away from the stage. They all seemed to be under some kind of spell or enchantment.


    Dhira looked up at the stage as Visha looked graceful while she sang in her angelic voice. It was her! It was her voice!

 51 Trap

    Visha''s voice had trapped all these men in some sort of spell and from the looks of it, she doesn''t even know. Is that the reason Payal restricted her singing? She must have already known about this. And she probably even knows the truth about Visha. Dhira looked around to see, all men in the auditorium were in a trapped in a delusion of some sort and the few women that were attending seemed fine but oblivious to what was happening around them. So Visha''s song was mainly affecting men, she then turned to look at Shivam who was absolutely fine. Shivam felt her gaze on himself and turned to face her. He could already guess what doubt she had in her mind.


    "Maybe cause I''m gay." he said and shrugged his shoulders. That did make sense, since the men were having ''that reaction'' and also drooling over Visha it must be a spell that triggered lust. The men were straight and obviously got affected by a girl. He had different sexual preferences and maybe that made him immune. These powers that triggered lust were like a succubus, but her voice worked like that of a siren. Whatever, Visha was it was definitely something dark and dangerous. Thank Goodness, Devdoots weren''t here or else they would have found out about Visha too. If they knew she was different then they''d either use her for their benefits or eliminate her as a threat so no one else could use her either. Since Dhira was leading a coven too right now she could understand. A power of this magnitude was disastrous as a threat and she would have done the same to keep her people safe. What Dhira failed to see was that two men in the front row didn''t have the same reaction as others.


    Yash stared at the beautiful woman on the stage who looked like an angel in a sea of stars. Her voice was so soothing like a lullaby that calmed everyone down, except him. His heart was beating faster than ever, watching her. He has never felt this before not even when he first caught that blood scent. Even though he had fooled around a bit before, there was no woman who charmed him as much as her. That woman with the blood scent was the only one that caught his attention. But this girl made it seem so trivial. She was his Goddess! Vir on the other hand was still unable to believe his Master was capable of showing such an expression. This girl was really something. The other day she seemed absolutely unaffected by his Master''s powerful presence. She was not only capable to withstand it but had the courage to threaten him. Though this world was unaware of them, Master''s aura was still enough to drive away even the most powerful witch elders, let alone a normal human girl. And that look in her eyes, was terrifying. He would never admit it in front of his Master that someone other than him could intimidated him to such extent. He looked at Visha in a new light ever since then, she was no ordinary woman for sure.


    Divya''s eyes widened when she heard Visha sing. Her voice truly was devilishly enchanting, one couldn''t look away once they heard it. She''d definitely have won even if Divya hadn''t backed out. No wonder everyone had already forgotten about her backing out. She had been on the top of all social circles in freshmen year and believed to be someone irreplaceable. A sudden overwhelming wave of jealousy crashed against her heart. This made her brains blow out in anger as she rushed backstage. It was time to execute her plan or else Visha would seduce her Yash right into a trap. She had already noticed her gaze on Yash before. What if he took a fancy to that vixen and followed her out like a dog? There would be no point of getting rid of her then. She rushed upstairs and reached the balcony above the stage. Visha was still singing with her eyes closed right below her. A freakish smile covered her face as she took out a pair of scissors from her bag. She looked like a crazy woman when, snap! Snap! Snap!


    Divya started cutting of the strings that were holding up the network of glass figures above the stage. The huge network of delicate glass figures started to shake vigorously. The glass stars and balls and tear drops all swung back and forth. Since people were still under the effects of Visha''s singing no one noticed it. As soon as this fell on her, she would be covered in glass shards. And even if they heal, it would leave scars on her entire body and face. She will never seduce anyone else''s man ever again!

 52 Failed tes

    As the glass decorations shook vigorously above the stage, one of the stars loosened and fell with a loud crash. Visha was stunned by the sound and turned around to see a shattered glass star on the floor. She instinctively looked up to see the glass decorations falling down on her. A loud shriek escaped her throat, her high pitched voice almost made everyone''s ears bleed. Before she could feel the impact of the fake roof falling upon her, a pair of big sturdy hands wrapped her in a warm embrace. It felt somewhat familiar and safe. She heard the sound of glass shattering beside her rather than upon her. Visha was confused but then hissed in pain as she suddenly felt a sharp pain on her thigh. She pulled away from the person who had appeared out of nowhere to save her and looked down to see a big piece of glass that had clearly cut deep into her skin. A blotch of red had stained her violet dress which kept on spreading. Her vision started to blur and she fell into someone''s arms. She looked up at her savior through her blurry vision but could recognise him. She felt safe with him and finally closed her eyes as she felt at peace.


    ***


    Dhira ran towards the stage when she heard Visha''s scream. When the fake roof full of glass figures fell, shrieks echoed all over the auditorium and the crowd started to run amock. It was chaos down there as Dhira and Shivam pushed through the crowd. As they were surrounded by so many people, Dhira couldn''t see what had happened on the stage. Her heart started to race as she imagined the worst. She had definitely heard Visha scream, could she be hurt. Just then she saw another figure cutting through the crowd in front of her. It was Divya! She saw her coming from the backstage area.


    "Shivam" she yelled and pointed at Divya. The way she was trying to sneakily run away, there was something definitely suspicious. They tried to catch upto her as they pushed people aside. Divya saw Dhira and Shivam heading towards her. She turned and tried to blend away in the crowd but it seemed impossible. She was terrified and shaking in fear as she looked for an opening. Divya pushed a few men away and ran towards the exit.


    Dhira had suddenly lost sight of Divya as she slipped away like sand from their grasps. The panicked and guilty look on her face made Dhira sure she had something to do with this incident. When she was nowhere to be found, Dhira took out a perfume bottle from her bag and sprayed it on her wrist. She held up her hand in different directions and they all felt hot except one that was comforting and cool. She followed the direction that perfume showed her and reached at the staff room door. She gestured Shivam to take over and he slammed his side on the door. After a few failed attempts, the door made a cracking sound and swung open. Divya shrieked at the sight of those two. They looked like a pair of Hellhounds that had finally found their prey. Shivam went forward and snatched Divya''s bag away with great force. She groaned in pain and retracted her hand back. He emptied the bag''s contents on the floor and with a thud fell out a pair of scissors. Dhira recognized it immediately she had seen these scissors in her vision while inspecting the Divya''s perfume. She had performed the same magic after she got hold of it and saw all the things Divya had done against Visha till then. And these were the same scissors she had used to cut up Visha''s dress.


    "Keep an eye on her." Dhira ordered and left to check up on Visha. She was worried about her all the time. But first she had to make sure the culprit wouldn''t get away. Once she successfully caught Divya and left Shivam with her, she had to go look for her Puppy. She knew Visha was strong and should be fine but she still wanted to see it herself to feel at ease. She rushed towards the stage and saw Visha lying in someone''s arms peacefully.


    As soon as that star had fallen on the stage, Yash immediately rushed to save Visha. It was just a reflex that he had no control over. When the glass piece had pierced into her skin, the scent of a rare powerful blood spread across the hall. Yash was stunned for a few seconds and looked at Vir below the stage, who was surprised as well. This was the blood scent they had been looking for all this time. But they had already checked before, and she wasn''t the one. Then how could it be her. Yash and Vir both couldn''t think of any explanations to this bizarre incident. Had their test failed? But how?

 53 Confession

    Dhira sat down outside the nurse''s office after they took Visha in. They had hurried Visha to the infirmary almost immediately. Yash had helped a lot as he carried her here while Dhira cleared the crowd. She looked at the guy beside her anxiously staring at the door. She couldn''t believe it. This was the same one who had humiliated Visha not long ago. And now was worried to death about her. Such a fickle minded man, one day he adores her, then shuns her away and then goes pale when she gets hurt. And they say women are complicated. Dhira then looked away at the door too waiting for the nurse to come out.


    Visha had already lost consciousness before they brought her here. The nurse had appreciated the fact that no one tried to pull the glass piece out. Apparently it could have cut through an important blood vessel and if someone had pulled it out, she would have lost way more blood than she did now.


    And only Dhira knew the value of that precious blood. Just a few drops had multiplied Dhira''s powers by many folds. Her blood was like steroids for witches, if someone finds out they might bleed her dry. This was another reason Dhira had kept everything a secret. She won''t let anyone use her Puppy like some pig to be slaughtered.


    Her phone buzzed and she pulled it out from her pocket. It was a text from Shivam. He wanted to know what he should do with Divya. She was in a hurry when she saw Visha unconscious and left without giving any further instructions. She had told him to keep an eye on Divya. She then began typing,


    ''Get her to the basement.''


    She will deal with it later. That Divya b*tch will definitely pay. She had gone overboard this time. Puppy could have died tonight. Maybe Shivam was right. Hiding things is only making her even more open to attacks. Just then the nurse stepped out and Dhira rushed to her.


    "How is she?" she looked flustered and not like herself right now. The nurse was shocked to see her like this. She had worked here for years and never seen someone as indifferent as Dhira. She had hardly ever cared about anything, not even when she herself recieved some stitches last year from a sports injury. And now was here, all flustered up over someone else.


    "Nothing serious. Luckily, it was just a flesh wound. I stitched it up and she is just fine."


    Dhira heaved a sigh of relief and pushed the door open. Visha was already sitting up fixing her dress when she looked up and saw Dhira. She could see how worried Dhira looked and wanted her to calm down. So to assure her, Visha gave a goofy smile and Dhira let out a laugh when she saw that uncaring expression. She came and sat down beside her.


    "I have some things to confess." she said in a serious tone. Visha could sense it was something important and hence attentively turned to face her.


    "I already know the people behind the attacks. All of them. There were three in total."


    "I thought I offended way more than that." Visha chuckled.


    "One is already taken care of. And the other one is in my grasp right now. But the last one, that''s a tough one."


    Visha felt her heart warm up after hearing her. She had already taken care of all these things without even letting her know. Even a real sibling won''t have been this caring. She felt grateful for having met a big sister like her.


    "Who could be tough in front of you, Big Sis?"


    "She''s someone you trust and I don''t know if I should make a move on her."


    Visha wasn''t as surprised to hear this as Dhira had imagined. She must have already suspected it, but purposely looked over it to not get hurt. She was trying to protect her heart from being broken. But she can''t anymore, uptill now it was just about the competition. Today it was her life! She had to take this seriously. So she nodded at Dhira to reveal the culprit.


    "Priya" the name dropped like a bomb on Visha and she sat there unmoved. A lot of things were going through her mind but the main question was.


    "But why?"


    "Because she likes Vikram who keeps on following you. Jealousy of a woman in love is a dangerous thing."


    Visha knew she would have to deal with it on her own. Dhira was already knee deep in coven affairs and she couldn''t trouble her anymore. She would''ve to think of something.

 54 On my own

    Visha had went to freshen up when her phone buzzed on the table a few times. Dhira felt irritated after a while and finally picked it up. There were a few texts from a bunch of people asking how she was including texts from Vikram and Priya. Dhira squinted her eyes when she saw their names. The hatred for those two could never be subsided in her heart. Since Vikram was already in her trap she opened up his chat first.


    ''Remember your promise? Waiting for my treat.''


    Dhira''s lips curved upwards as she started typing, ''Sure. Where do you want to go?''


    He replied almost immediately. Stupid. Dhira thought. Soon he will be paying for everything he did. She opened to see what he had replied and just as she expected, he asked Visha to meet up at the parking lot of the mall nearby.


    ''Will meet you there.'' After replying, Dhira deleted the entire chat. She had already taken care of this guy, there was no need to trouble Visha by telling her about it. She would be depressed to find out that another one of the people she trusted had betrayed her. She already looked so down after finding out about Priya.


    Visha opened the door and saw Dhira sitting there with her phone.


    "What is it?" she asked.


    "You got a text from Priya." Dhira kept her voice low. She was still unsure how Visha would react. To her surprise she remained calm as she held up her hand to take her phone. She didn''t look upset or disappointed anymore. Dhira obediently handed the phone back to Visha. She opened up the chat to see what she had sent. Dhira peeked in out of curiosity.


    ''I just found out about what happened. Are you alright?''


    ''I''m fine. Just a few stitches.''


    ''Oh. You should be careful. What are your plans for dinner?''


    ''No plans yet. You have something in mind?''


    ''Yeah. You won. So let''s go celebrate at that new place.''


    ''Okay. Will meet you there.'' Visha put her phone back in her bag. She looked around the infirmary once to check she wasn''t forgetting anything. After that she headed to the door to leave. Dhira followed closely behind her. They walked through the corridor, past the lobby and then towards the front gate, in absolute silence. Dhira had already read the entire chat Visha had with Priya and couldn''t bear it anymore.


    "Do you want us to come?"


    "No. I should handle my own problems. I can''t ask you to watch my back all the time. It''s too much of a burden." Visha said in a low tone. She felt guilty that Dhira had to do so much just because she ended up making enemies and was naive enough to trust them too. She already owed her a lot, and Dhira just kept on adding more. She felt lucky to have such a caring and modest friend but that didn''t mean she should exploit her to this extent.


    "Not at all, you''re my little Puppy." Dhura answered as she patted her head gently.


    Visha nodded at her with a bitter smile. Dhira knew she was hurt and didn''t want to probe any further so she got into her car.


    "Come, I''ll drop you."


    Visha knew with the wound on her thigh Dhira would never let her go on her own. So she got in without any resistance. Dhira was so considerate of her and on the other hand Priya wanted to have dinner tonight even though she knew Visha was hurt. She really must have been blind not to see this before. And that sly vixen Priya, did all that for a guy. The schemes, the fake friendly and caring attitude. She must be pretty impatient. If she could pull away her mask like that, then it must mean she was prepared to end it tonight. Visha didn''t plan to go easy on her either. She had always believed in giving back two folds.


    Just then she suddenly remembered that Dhira said there were three culprits in total. After Priya she could easily guess the second one. It was obviously Divya. She felt Divya was much better than Priya because atleast she hated her in the open and didn''t pretend to be friends just on the surface while backstabbing her. Dhira had said she took care of one and she had another one ''within her grasp''.


    "Do you have Divya right now?" she asked. Dhira didn''t answer and just nodded silently.


    "Let her go. I will deal with her on my own."


    Dhira could sense the coldness in her voice. She had never seen Visha pissed off. Since she wanted to do this by herself Dhira didn''t reject her. She decided to silently watch over her so she could jump in if the situation got too dire. She won''t interfere otherwise and let Visha handle it on her own. Looked like her Puppy turned out to be a vicious hound!


    Dhira dropped her off at the entrance and drove off after she saw Visha enter the restaurant. Then picked up her phone and texted Shivam.


    ''Let her go after wiping off the mansion from her memories.''


    She trusted that Visha was more than capable of protecting herself. These people were no more than mere flies. And once she was done with them, Dhira actually had a mission planned for her. Since she already knew that Visha was not some feeble little girl, it was time she treated her like every other member. She would have to work like everyone else. This would keep her away from the capital and also give Dhira time to investigate Visha''s identity.

 55 Get Her!

    Visha walked in the restaurant Priya had decided. It had an outdoor lawn theme with coffee tables with fake grass carpets on the floor. Even though it was new, it got quite popular among the students due to its garden swings as its primary seating arrangement. Visha entered and saw Priya sitting in one of those drop shaped swings. She got up and waved at her. Visha waved back too as she calmed down the rage storming within her. She had learnt to hide her emotions from Dhira and had gotten quite good. She saw it as an advantageous trait. If people couldn''t figure out what she felt then it would be harder to figure out. This always made Dhira seem domineering and dangerous so she decided to adopt this trait as well.


    She went and sat down opposite Priya with a sweet smile. Priya had never seen Visha this calm. There was no hint of any emotions on her face and that made Priya a tad bit uncomfortable. She had always seen Visha happy with even her eyes smiling, but today it was different. Even though there was a smile on her lips her eyes seemed empty and soulless.


    "How are you feeling now?" Priya asked trying to act considerate.


    "Fine"


    "Are you tired?"


    "Not really"


    "Did you eat something yet?"


    "No"


    "What do you want to have?"


    "Not hungry"


    Visha didn''t feel like keeping a conversation so she answered with as few words as possible. However, Priya''s gentle and sweet mask started to crack as she got irritated. After witnessing Visha''s nonchalant attitude her face started to twitch in anger. She controlled the urge to strangle her on the spot and consoled herself by the fact that Visha would be done for sure this time. That this would be the last time. She had done this all on her own and that made her feel great. That stupid Divya was of no help whatsoever. God knows, where that idiot had wandered off to.


    "You lost a lot of blood today. Eat something you''ll feel better."


    "Hm"


    "How about some salad, it would help with the lost blood."


    "Okay"


    Priya then ordered a salad with extra green vegetables but this made Visha sneer in her heart. If she really was that mindful of the injury, she wouldn''t have asked her to meet up today like this. Then suddenly Visha got up and this scared Priya.


    "Where are you going?" she asked looking all flustered. She thought Visha was leaving.


    "Washroom"


    Priya felt relieved and nodded, Visha on the other hand felt disgusted at her selfishness. How could she have been so blind to never have noticed this. She went into the washroom and pulled out her phone from her pocket. Dhira was reading some documents when her phone started ringing. She saw the name and picked up immediately.


    "I need you to do something."


    "I hope you remember that I give orders usually. Anyways, what is it?" Dhira asked.


    "What''s Priya doing right now?"


    Dhira immediately understood what Visha meant. She opened up the drawer in her study table and pulled out an earring then closed her eyes as she started chanting.


    "She''s texting someone, saying that you''ll be out in an hour at max. And they must wait outside. I think she might have hired people to do something to you. Are you sure you don''t want me to come?"


    "No. I can take care of this. Relax."


    "Call me when you''re done. I''ll come to pick you up. I don''t want you wandering around with that leg."


    "Yes, Sis." Visha chuckled as she disconnected the call. She always had this warm feeling in her heart whenever Dhira got worried about her. She then came out and saw Priya anxiously waiting for her. Visha went and sat down,the dishes had already arrived. But since Visha suspected that Priya might have duped the food, she picked up her bag and told the waiter to pack the salad. Priya became restless when she saw Visha picking up her things getting ready to leave.


    "What is it?"


    "My mom called. I have to go back now."


    "Uh... Bu-But..."


    Priya couldn''t wrap her head around this sudden change in her plan. Not even in her dreams did she expect Visha to be so unpredictable and difficult to deal with. She had always been very cooperative and obedient. What could have happened? Priya would have to hasten up everything. Her trap was flawless otherwise, but this b*tch somehow always managed to mess up everything. She immediately pulled out her phone and sent a text.


    ''She''s leaving now. Get her.''

 56 Image Swap

    Priya followed Visha as she paid the bill and headed to the exit. She was anxiously waiting for the show to begin. Once it was over, this b*tch would even leave the town. And then Vikram will be hers forever.


    Visha was about to open the door when she suddenly retracted her hand from the handle and turned back. Priya was growing restless with every second and now seeing Visha turning back a fear crept in. She shook her head as she prayed that Visha had not changed her mind again. She had been really lucky lately, escaping every trap she had set up. And this angered Priya very much and that''s why she had decided to stay here this time. She would watch till the end and return only after she was satisfied.


    "I can''t walk in these heels, the wound is hurting a lot. Can I borrow your slippers for now." Visha asked innocently.


    Priya was delighted to hear that and instantly agreed. As long as Visha didn''t change her mind again she was ready to do anything. She happily exhanged her slippers with Visha''s heels and failed to notice the smug smile that appeared on her beautiful face, as Visha silently chanted something. She had already smeared some of her blood on those heels. Atleast, there was some use to having a wound! Visha thought. She didn''t have to make a cut because of it and that lessened her work.


    After exchanging footwear, they exited the restaurant. Visha walked beside Priya occasionally sneaking looks at her. If there was any hint of remorse or regret, Visha decided she''d let her go. But there wasn''t. Priya suddenly turned to her with a virtuous expression, like she was some kind of saint to be so thoughtful.


    "Wait here. I''ll go get the car. You shouldn''t walk too much."


    Visha nodded sincerely and watched her silhouette get vague as she walked away. There was a strange feeling tugging at her heart as it dawned on her that she was never a friend to Priya. It had always been a one sided relationship. And that she was a fool to have considered that two faced fox as her friend. But now that she knew the truth, she won''t be feeling guilty for what was about to happen.


    After waiting for a few minutes, a group of ten men headed towards her. Visha felt a little scared seeing Priya''s arrangements. She had definitely come prepared today. Even though Visha had a great plan she was still a little nervous since she only had theoretical knowledge. What if she had made a mistake? What if her spell hadn''t worked? She wasn''t sure of its efficiency, since it was the first time she had performed this spell. The men stood in front of Visha and a buff one, who looked to be like the leader, came forward. Visha gulped in fright.


    "Where is that girl?" he had a domineering and heavy voice. Visha heaved a sigh of relief seeing that her Image Swapping spell had worked. Now, everyone will see Priya when they looked at her and vice versa.


    "She went to get the car over there. You remember what to do, right?" she asked calmly. She had been around people like Dhira, this man, no matter how domineering, didn''t feel threatening to her at all.


    "You don''t have to remind us, little girl. We know. We just have to **** her, one by one, and then dump her a** where cops could easily find her."


    Even though a volcano erupted in her heart, Visha kept herself composed and nodded. So this was the extent to which Priya hated her. She had planned her to be raped by multiple men and then become the news headline of tomorrow''s newspaper.


    Since, Priya had dug a hole for her, Visha would push her into that very hole with utmost pleasure. She wanted Priya to experience the show, she had intended to watch from the sides.


    As the men headed towards the parking, Visha pulled out her phone and called Dhira. She picked up after just a few rings. She must have been waiting for her call to go pick her up.


    "You done, Pup?" Dhira asked.


    "Mm" Visha wasn''t in a mood to talk. She felt bad for what was going to happen. No matter what, she had always thought of Priya as a dear friend. So, suddenly being this cruel to her made her sad. After about ten minutes, she heard her blood curdling screams from the parking lot. Her heart sank as tears welled up in her eyes but she instantly wiped them away. Priya didn''t deserve her sympathy.


    A car stopped in front of her and the front door hung opened. Without a word, Visha stepped in and closed the door with a loud thud. Dhira heard Priya''s screams as well and turned to look at Visha, who sat there looking indifferent. As if what happened had nothing to do with her. Dhira felt her heart break for Visha but it made her somehow proud too. After seeing how cold hearted Visha could be to her enemies Dhira knew she had majorly underestimated this girl. Her Puppy was growing up!

 57 Commotion

    Before Priya could have said anything, the men injected her with a drug that made her feel hazy. She had given them this drug herself and told them to use it to shut Visha up while they defiled her. It was the same one she had fed Visha before the first round hoping to publicly embarrass her. Priya started to breathe heavy as the drug started to take effect and her body began to heat up as well. She couldn''t utter another word as those men forced themselves on her. That drug had made her totally helpless, and moans started to escape her throat. She felt disgusted at herself as pleasure uncoiled inside her. She had wanted to save herself for Vikram but now it''ll never happen. And all because these idiots made a mistaken her for Visha in the dark. A mistake that now had ruined her entire life. And all this happened because that b*tch was simply too lucky. Priya vowed that if she made out of this alive, she won''t let Visha live in peace either.


    ***


    Visha was quiet the way back home. This would have made anyone uncomfortable but not Dhira. She was a woman of less words and preferred silence, and was already aware of the conflict in Visha''s heart. She didn''t want to probe her any further and gave her the time she needed.


    It was an extremely long day today and Visha was too tired. She went straight into her room and changed out of her dress into a pair of comfortable pyjamas. She took off the cute necklace Dhira had gifted her and put it safely in a small box. She didn''t want to misplace it by any chance and was already used to wearing the one her mother had given her. The one Dhira gave her was probably expensive, so she couldn''t wear it without an occasion.


    Visha then showered after carefully wrapping a plastic on her wound. She came out looking tired and lied down on her bed with her hair still wet. She was dead tired and instantly fell asleep.


    Surprisingly, Visha''s wound had already started healing by the time she woke up next morning. But to her it was nothing out of the ordinary, she had always healed this way and thought it to be totally normal.


    Dhira had insisted to pick her up and waited a block away from her house. She didn''t want Payal to see her. Dhira would eventually confront her but it was not the time yet. Shivam could see Dhira was a little unsettled coming back here. The last time they came here, they found out Visha''s house was like a prison for witches. After that Dhira never talked about it again. He knew that she didn''t want to discuss this so he too kept his mouth shut and never asked her about it either. He trusted her decisions completely. She''d never do something that''d end harming the coven and that''s what had made her the best candidate for the next heir. Her intuitions and decisions have always proved to be correct time and again. This was why no one could say a word against her when she was chosen, no matter how much they hated her. He turned to see Visha coming out in a white dress interrupting his thoughts. She came and quietly got into the backseat. Dhira started the car and sped away. Visha kept her head down and sat there like a mute. Shivam felt bad for her. She had to treat a once dear ''friend'' so ruthlessly last night. No wonder she was still feeling down.


    "You still have one left, Pup." Dhira reminded Visha, breaking the awkward silence. Shivam face palmed himself seeing how utterly ignorant Dhira could be to other''s feelings. Couldn''t she give Visha a break?


    Visha on the other hand looked up at Dhira and immediately understood what she meant. Dhira wanted her to concentrate on what to do next and not on what had already happened. She instantly felt better and nodded.


    "Don''t worry, Sis. You won''t be disappointed." Visha assured her. She had already planned another revenge of hers. And the plan was set in motion last night, so they should be able to see its result today.


    As soon as the car entered the college, they could see a huge crowd in front of the notice board. This scene gave Dhira a major feeling of Deja Vu. She stepped outside and went to see what had caused such commotion this time. Everyone cleared up a path for her as soon as they saw her. She had a terrifying image in their minds and no one had the courage to stand in her way. Her presence was enough to make people cower in fear.


    Dhira walked past the crowd towards the notice board. She was shocked and tongue-tied, when she saw a picture of Divya sitting in the waiting area of an abortion clinic!

 58 Accep

    Divya had become quite famous as Dhira''s sister in the past month. Almost everyone had tried to suck up to her and be on her good side. She was fairly good looking and a lot of boys had tried to woo her too. Some with gifts, flowers and chocolates, some even confessed publicly after a rumor went around that she liked brave men. But she graciously rejected all of them which formed a very unique image of her. As if she was a goddess they could admire but never have. And Divya on the other hand had kept a low profile and maintained that image.


    But today, there was a photograph of that ''Goddess'' in the waiting area of an abortion clinic with a form in her hands. Everyone could guess what it was and this shattered her unreachable image in their minds. Their ''goddess'' turned out to be just another pretentious person with a mask. The entire college was shook by this revelation. It was just pure chaos.


    Dhira turned and saw Visha standing beside her. She had a carefree expression, as if she was neither shocked nor affected by this explosive piece of news. Dhira held her hand and pulled her away from the crowd. After she was assured of the distance between them and others she let go.


    "Was this you?" she asked. She had a feeling this was Visha''s doing but was still unable to believe it. She had always seen her as a ''nice'' little girl.


    "What do you think?" Visha asked with a cold expressionless face. This was exactly the same as last night when Dhira picked her up.


    "It''s you." she answered, now confident of her initial hunch. Visha nodded and shook her head. She was afraid of Dhira seeing her as a cold person, afraid she''d judge her. But to her surprise Dhira patted her head gently with a proud smile. Visha was expecting her to be mad and to be scolding her but she was happy!


    "Don''t you think I went too far?" Visha asked in confusion.


    "Kindness to your enemy is harm to yourself." Dhira answered and Visha instantly wrapped her hands around her. She hugged her tightly as tears welled up in her eyes. This was the first time someone had accepted her odd personality. She was always someone who surprised others by how cold she could become to people she once deeply cared about. Once people found out that she wasn''t as nice as she looked at first, they''d immediately despise her and curse at her, saying she was evil and unreasonably harsh. That had made her distance herself with everyone. Even if she made friends, she was always on guard, and could never let them see this side of her. But Dhira, not only accepted her but also understood her better than anyone ever could.


    Visha let go of her as she wiped her tears with a smile.


    "Don''t worry, there is more. There''s still one b*****d left who insulted me."


    Dhira let out a laugh when she heard her. This girl definitely wasn''t someone to be messed with.


    "Get''em, Pup."


    ***


    Yash had hurried to college today. Vir knew it was all so he could see Madam. He was anxiously waiting for her near the gates. Vir was now growing used to seeing him this restless. It may not have been surprising anymore but it was still new. Soon they saw Visha in the backseat of a black sedan. Yash''s face instantly cheered up as he followed it inside and parked the car.


    That''s when he saw Visha, away from the crowd laughing and chatting with another girl. He didn''t know who she was, he was only interested in Visha. So he headed straight for her with Vir following closely behind.


    Visha saw the brothers coming towards her and her expression turned ugly. She clearly looked angry and disgusted. Yash slowed down his pace after he saw the hatred in her eyes. Of course, she still hated him. He had humiliated her in front of the entire college. Vir even told him that she was being made fun of and taunted by everyone. But nevertheless he still resumed to head towards her.


    "What is it?" Visha''s tone was quite hostile. It made Yash feel immensely guilty. This was the woman he was supposed to impress and love but ended up offending her. He had mistaken her identity and regretted it. He should''ve trusted his gut feeling.


    "I want to apologize." Yash finally admitted. Visha could see the struggle on his face to compromise with his ego.


    "Apology won''t stop the rumors, the damage has been already done." Visha said sharply. Yash shook his head in disappointment. He knew she was right, nothing could mend what had already happened.


    "Then what can I do to make you forgive me." Yash probed again.


    "Nothing. Anyways, I have to go to the library to return this book." Visha said as she took out a book from her bag.


    "I''ll do it for you." Yash snatched the book from her hands and turned towards the library.


    Visha was shocked to see this sudden change in his behavior. Wasn''t he supposed to be the ''Cold King''?


    Just then her phone rang interrupting her thoughts, it was a number she recognized. She immediately picked it up.


    "Thanks" Visha said politely.


    "There''s no need, I owed you one. I just wanted to know if you were satisfied with the results." the girl asked.


    "It was more than satisfying. It wouldn''t be possible without you, Maya."


    "I was glad I could help. If there''s anything you need me for, I''m there." Maya said and disconnected the call. She had felt awfully guilty after Visha stood up for her. She just wanted to return the favor.


    Visha put the phone in her bag and headed to the library too. She wouldn''t want to miss the show, she had prepared. She couldn''t help laughing as she imagined the scene that''d soon unfold there.


    ***

 59 Revenge

    Divya had woken up late this morning. Ever since then, she had been having a severe head ache as if her head had been split in half. She couldn''t remember what happened after she dropped the fake roof on Visha yesterday. Her headache intensified every time she tried to remember, so she decided to let it go. She even thought of asking Priya about it but nothing. She couldn''t reach her no matter how hard she tried. Where could she have gone? Divya wondered. She took a pill for her headache and left for college.


    Divya rushed straight to her class as she was running late. She went in and quietly sat down. However, she failed to notice the intense gaze of people that wouldn''t leave her. But soon enough she slcoukd hear people whispering around her.


    "She acted so high and mighty, but it''s finally revealed what a s**t she is."


    "I''m so glad someone pulled her mask off. Now these idiot boys can see the true colours of their so called ''goddess''."


    "Can''t believe she had an abortion and still had the audacity to be referred as ''goddess''. I even heard she was going after the Cold King."


    "No way! Our Majesty would never settle for ''damaged'' goods. Thankfully, he has very high standards."


    "Yeah. That Visha from the other class also went after him. Honestly, she is still a better choice compared to this thick - make up sl*t."


    "True. She is more natural and way more beautiful than this Divya. I''m so fed up of this one acting like she owns the world, just because she is related to Dhira."


    "You have old news, girl. I heard she was just faking it and that Dhira''s real sister is actually Visha."


    "Really? Just how fake and pathetic can one be!"


    Since the incident where Visha ''threw'' herself at Yash was known by everyone and Divya''s pursuit wasn''t a secret either. They couldn''t help compare the two. And even if the event from last night hadn''t happened, Visha still had better physical attributes than she ever could. No wonder they deemed her the winner among the two. But what Divya didn''t understand the ''mask'' and ''truth'' everyone was talking about. She could feel their animosity towards herself, so she got up and left. People either sneered at her or were disgusted by her, their disdainful looks wherever she went confused her even further. All of it seemed like a huge misunderstanding till she saw the picture on the notice board. She rushed to take the picture off as her world came crumbling down. Her mind went blank as things slowly started to make sense. She understood why people were saying what they did. But how could this have gotten here? Divya thought.


    ***


    Visha had grabbed Dhira and pulled her along towards the library. Dhira had no idea why this one had such a big smile covering her face and what it was that she was so eager to show her. Everyone stared at this scene. Someone was pulling Dhira like a little kid and she had a gentle loving look for her! The whole college went in an uproar. No one had ever thought anyone even had the guts to even look at her, let alone pull her along! Maybe the rumor really was true, maybe Visha really was Dhira''s sister!


    Just when they were around the corner of the corridor, Visha saw Yash enter the library followed by Vir.


    "Right on time!" exclaimed Visha. She was able to catch up to them after dragging Dhira along all the way inside the library too. But it was worth it. Dhira looked at Visha, her eyes seemed to be sparkling as she anxiously waited for something to happen. She then looked up to see Yash heading towards the librarian''s desk which was pretty crowded as it was early morning. A lot of students had come to return the books. As soon as they saw that Yash was here too they gave way and he stepped up to take the opportunity to go first. Vir thanked the people on behalf of his ''brother''. He was already admired by all the girls in the college and feared by the boys. No one would have dared to stand in his way. The librarian blushed seeing this handsome student. She was a middle aged woman with thick librarian glasses who usually had a crude attitude but suddenly changed into a flower after seeing him. Watching this made Visha''s blood boil. He was still considered a minor so this old ''Grandma'' better stop drooling over him before someone reports it.


    Librarian took the book from his hands with flushed red cheeks and started to turn the pages to check for any torn or disheveled pages. It was just a routine. She kept sneaking glances at him in between with a creepy smile. Even Vir was feeling uneasy seeing it. After a few pages, a pamphlet fell out and grabbed everyone''s attention. One of the girls went and picked it up to suck upto Yash. Her eyes widened as soon as she saw the contents of the pamphlet and she awkwardly handed it back to Yash. She turned away still feeling awkward and left. Everyone was stunned to see the pamphlet as well, including the librarian who should be experiencing menopause right now. The pamphlet was about some shady clinic that cured Erectile dysfunction!

 60 Revenge Part 2

    They all stared at Yash awkwardly and stepped away as well. Such a handsome and good looking man, but what a waste. They thought. No one could imagine someone that strong amd manly could suffer from this. There was an awkward silence till the brothers left after returning the book. Yash saw Visha standing near the door giggling and trying really hard to conceal it. She looked so beautiful while laughing. Yash thought. He stood there utterly mesmerised by her beauty. If humiliating him makes her so happy, then he was ready to go through this awkwardness every second of every day. His heart ached seeing her standing so far away. He just wanted to rush and pull her in his embrace, but he couldn''t. She still despised him. He had never felt so helpless as he did now. Yash sighed as he thought of the long road ahead to appease the ''Madam''. Just then Visha felt a gaze upon her and looked up to see Yash staring at her. Seeing this, her lips curved upwards into a smug provocative smile. She knew that by now Yash had already figured out that she was the one behind this, so there was no point in hiding. She saw Yash smile back at her with his eyebrow raised, as if questioning her intentions. Was this guy suffering from a short term memory loss? Did he really forget the humiliation he brought upon her? Yash''s negligence made Visha''s blood boil as she squinted her eyes and stared back with a murderous intent. He casually headed towards her with an amused smile and Vir followed awkwardly as well. His Master had just been publicly humiliated and that too by the Madam. He was very well aware of his Master''s temper, it was like a sleeping tiger that must not be poked. Visha saw them getting near as she scoffed at them.


    "An eye for an eye" she said. If he wanted to act like he didn''t remember then this would definitely make him understand. She ''humphed'' loudly and turned holding Dhira''s hand. Suddenly, she felt a sudden chill up her spine as someone''s chin rested on her shoulder. His warm breath on the base of her neck made a tingling sensation. She turned to see Yash smiling at her. His face right next to hers. He was too close! Her heart started beating faster like it did when she saw him for the first time in the cafeteria that day. She tried to calm herself down afraid he would hear her loud heart racing as she could clearly hear it herself.


    "I can''t believe you started a rumor to keep other women away from me. You want to hog me up for yourself? How selfish!" he said with a smirk and slightly pressed her earlobe with his lips. Visha immediately shrugged him off and he chuckled seeing her flustered. Her heart was loudly banging against her chest as heat flushed to her cheeks and ears. She glared at him one more time before walking out. Dhira didn''t say a word as she could feel that Visha felt quite embarrassed. She had brought Dhira to watch a show and clearly ended up giving Yash a chance to flirt with her. Visha touched her earlobe gently, as she could still feel the sensation on her ear where he had nibbled at. Wasn''t he supposed to be the Cold King? Why was he flirting around with her, out in the open, then?


    ***


    Vikram woke up with his vision blurry and his head hurting as if it had been banged against a wall. He blinked his eyes continuously till his vision got better and saw a very familiar room. This was Davar''s safe house he was brought to last time. A fear crept in as he desperately tried to get away and discovered his limbs tied to a chair.


    Seeing that their prisoner was awake, Davar felt relieved. He had worried all night long that his men might have been too rough with him. If he had accidentally killed him that easily, Dhira would have skinned him alive.


    "Morning, sunshine." he chirped up with a smile. If he wasn''t tied up Vikram would have jumped up in fear. He was too afraid of Davar, and now he was here again! He remembered asking Visha to meet up and she had even agreed. He was happily waiting for her to show up when a black van entered the underground parking. After that, he couldn''t remember anything.


    "Why am I here again?" his voice was evident of the crippling fear inside him.


    "Because I missed you." Davar said as he grit his teeth. If it wasn''t for this idiot handing him a girl who was a Bhairavi, he might not have ended up on their radar. He was just a small timer who would have been ignored for a long time. In his rage however, he forgot that he was already attacked and was left to die. If they hadn''t seen Visha''s picture, he would have been burnt alive in Hellfire. He was blinded by his rage and the humiliation he had faced. His safe house was almost burnt to the ground, a lot of his men were ruthlessly killed and he himself had almost died! He wanted to vent that anger somewhere and Vikram was the perfect punching bag.


    Davar went to him and stared in his eyes that had already teared up. Vikram had started begging to spare him saying he''d do anything. He''d even bring the ''b***h'' by her hair if he had to. With the mention of Visha''s name, Davar''s face turned even uglier. He held up Vikram''s chin abruptly and pulled out his tongue. Vikram started shaking his head as tears flowed down his cheeks. Davar''s men saw this and rushed to hold him. His grunts got louder and his eyes widened as he saw the knife in Davar''s hand slowly making its way towards him. He desperately tried to jerk his head from their tight grips as he could see Davar''s rage increasing every second. He looked like a mad man. Vikram let out a loud muffled scream as he felt a sharp pain on his tongue. He spat out a mouth full of blood and opened his eyes to see a piece of flesh in Davar''s hands with blood dripping from it. His eyes widened as he felt an emptiness in his mouth. That was his tongue!

 61 Revenge Part 3

    Dhira''s phone buzzed during her lecture and she picked it up to see. It was a picture from Davar. She downloaded it and saw Vikram''s bloodied face. He had been beaten black and blue, with various cuts on his face, it was barely recognisable. Below the picture there was a text, ''News: He''s mute now!''. Dhira''s lips curled up from the side showing satisfaction on her face. This bastard had wanted her Puppy to become a prostitute. She''d never let him go. But that Davar guy sure had an interesting way of passing information though. It had made her laugh. He could be of more use in the future as he was lying well below witch radars and no one would suspect him either. She had already warned him that if she ever got complaints, she''ll have to get rid of him. So he was well aware that he was just an expendable pawn for Dhira and will have to look after himself. If he really could prove to be useful, then she won''t mind looking away from small things. She started typing the reply, ''Keep going. Have more for you.''


    A chill ran down Davar''s spine as he read the text. Could this woman be anymore scary? There were two points that had made him shiver. One was that this was not enough torture, and she wanted him to keep at it. He felt confused if he should pity the man who had brought this on him. And two, she had more work for him! Just who had been stupid enough to offend the devil incarnate herself? He pitied the ones that had caught Dhira''s eye this time. He had been one of those people a while ago, but luckily he made it out. Even if he hated her to the core, it was better to just knuckle under than visiting her dungeon again. He wasn''t stupid enough to offend her a second time.


    Dhira thought for a moment before she opened up her chat with Visha and started typing. She had already decided to let her go on one of the missions in their coven. Visha''s strength was not to be underestimated but her lack in experience and skill would prove to be fatal soon. Seeing what else she was capable of, might even help finding out more about Visha. Dhira was hellbent on finding about her origins.


    ''Meet me after school. Have a mission for you.''


    ''I''m not done with the bitches yet.''


    ''They are small flies. We have more important things.''


    ''Fine''


    Visha sighed in disappointment. They had schemed against her a couple of times, she didn''t want to go easy on them. There was no way she''d let this go, she definitely will give back two folds. Fortunately, their plans didn''t work but what if they did. She''d have stripped herself naked in a hall full of people, had a horrible wardrobe malfunction on the stage, could have been raped or died or both! They didn''t show any mercy while scheming against her, then why should she. But since there was a task at hand, they could take a breather for now. When she gets back, she''ll have her revenge.


    ***


    Priya undressed in front of the mirror right after she came back. She had woken up in her car and hurried back home. She could feel a soreness and a severe pain between her legs while driving.


    Priya stared at herself in the mirror as tears started flowing down her cheeks. Her body was covered in bruises and hand prints all over. She didn''t remember much from last night, only bits and pieces. But the pain and suffering from last night could never be forgotten. She touched the bruise right above her breasts and winced in pain. It must have been from when they held her down, there was another on the other side and near her knees as well. More bruises covered the area around her chin from when they had gagged her. Each and every mark, brought back memory flashes of the torture from last night. The torture she had to endure because of that vixen. That b***h Visha must have escaped unscathed. All that she had endured last night should have happened to Visha. It should have been her, standing in front of her mirror, scarred by the agonizing pain, crying her eyes out, cursing at her fate! But it was Priya instead. Her bloodshot eyes started twitching from the rage she was feeling inside her. She will make Visha burn in the depths of hell. She''ll make her wish she was never born. She''ll definitely have her revenge.


    ***

 62 Priesthood

    Visha came out after finishing her lectures and heard people talking about Divya. They were calling her sl*t, b***h, liar and fake. About how she had acted all high and mighty like she was above everyone. Visha herself never thought abortions as a bad deed. There were circumstances that led women to do it. But Divya had been looking down on everyone, calling others wh*res and sl*ts for even looking and talking to guys. She had humiliated every other girl for some or the other stupid reason. And with the information exposed by Maya, they could see the hypocritical nature of the doublefaced b***h that Divya was. Finally, they had the opportunity to return the insults that were thrown at them and they had all intentions to fully utilize it. She had reached the Director''s office like Dhira had asked her to. She opened the door and saw Dhira leisurely sitting on the Director''s chair while a middle aged man stood on the side. The man seemed familiar and Visha pondered for a while when she finally realized, it was the College''s Director! She looked at Dhira who had casually taken his rightful spot as the man stood on the side obediently. Dhira gestured her to come in and sat up straight.


    "You wanna have something?" Dhira asked ignoring the man on her side. Visha awkwardly shook her head to say no. Dhira turned to face the man as he instantly threw a flattering smile at her.


    "Just a tea for me then. And don''t let anyone else in."


    "Yes, Miss. Right away." he said with the smile still plastered on his face as he turned away and hurriedly left the room. Visha was still shocked by this ordeal to say anything. Dhira had just treated their Director like a butler! Visha couldn''t help but feel sorry for the poor man. Dhira sensed the pity in her gaze and cleared away the obvious confusion.


    "He''s a low grade witch in our coven, just a nobody."


    Visha kept silent but things did seem more clearer. Since their Director was one of Dhira''s underlings, that would also explain the power that Dhira had always held in college. No wonder everyone always tried to suck up to her. She was a powerful figure in more than one ways, the heir to a coven with the college director no more than an attendant for her.


    "Sit, I have to discuss the details of the mission with you."


    Visha nodded and sat down compliantly to hear what awaited her. She was excited beyond words to finally be a part of a coven. She had wanted to do her share of work for quite some time now, but this was the first time Dhira had agreed.


    "Have you heard about the Philosopher''s Stone?" Dhira asked. Visha''s eyes twinkled when she heard that. Of course, she had heard about the mythical stone that could turn any metal into gold!


    "Isn''t that just a myth though?" she asked in bewilderment. If a thing like that had existed, wouldn''t it be impossible to hide. It would be used by people all the time turning things to gold and then gold would have never held the value it did. Someone would have heard or seen something to keep the rumors going.


    "No, it''s not just a myth. I know of one that exists."


    Visha''s eyes widened in shock as he stared with her mouth hung open. The words had rung in her ears for a while before she could calm down. The legendary miracle actually exists! Seeing that she had wrapped her head around this piece of information, Dhira proceeded.


    "There''s an ancient Priesthood that has kept one safe for thousands of years. It has a very special way to be used. It''s activated by a unique spell that was kept well within the priesthood. It can turn metal to gold only under a specific star chart that occurs once a year and lasts only a few moments. Only astrologers and priests of great caliber can deduce the timings correctly. That''s what had made it possible to keep it hidden for so long. Since only a few people knew of its existence and how to use it, there was not much great threat to its safety. But recently, the High Priest had contacted me to convey the information that the stone was missing."


    Visha nodded in between Dhira''s words as all of it slowly sinked in. Using the stone was quite difficult and only people with great knowledge could use it! No wonder it was always dismissed as just a myth.


    "Since no one knows how to use it, even if it was stolen, it has no use to anyone." Visha concluded.


    "True. But turning the metal to gold has been a religious ceremony, only a small piece is turned to complete the ceremony which is never used for anyone''s personal greed. All the items that have been turned still sit in the treasure room of the Priesthood. And there''s a belief that if this ceremony is ever missed, it''ll bring forth great calamities and destruction. The priesthood has never missed a year in more than five centuries. It is said that five centuries ago, someone had misplaced the stone and the ceremony could not be performed. The next day, there was a sudden drought that killed almost everyone in the surrounding kingdoms in just one year. And the next year after the ceremony was performed, it had miraculously started raining bringing several kingdoms back to life. The population back then was not even one-tenth of what''s now. They can''t take the chance."


    "When is the ceremony supposed to be?"


    "In two weeks."

 63 Clear-cu

    "In two weeks. Or else the Priesthood wouldn''t have came to ask for help. They don''t like others meddling in their business, especially witches. But since we have a much larger network, they had no choice."


    Visha nodded now that she had a full grasp of the situation. No wonder the priesthood was desperate enough to ask the witches for help. They might never find it on time by themselves and with Bhairavis, they atleast had a sliver of hope. Visha sighed and thought for a while before speaking.


    "Someone from within the priesthood might be the culprit or an accomplice to the incident." she concluded.


    "It''s highly possible. But we still have to keep an eye out." Dhira warned and Visha nodded. Now that Dhira had briefed her about the mission, it was time to meet her teammates. She picked up her phone and sent a text. Both of them talked for a while till a knock at the door interrupted them. Dhira answered, "Come in" and four people entered the room, three male and one female. The girl and two other boys seemed to be the same age as Visha. One man was a little older maybe in his mid or late twenties. Was that the team head? Visha thought. The girl had very delicate features but there was a contrasting ferocity in her eyes. One could call her pretty, but not exactly beautiful. The two other boys seemed glad and cheery. Visha could guess they had a lively personality just by looking at them. But the man stood at the back with a cold expressionless face contradicting the youthful and active images others had. Dhira gestured at them and one of the boys came forward with a warm smile to greet Visha. She politely smiled back with a nod to accept his greetings.


    "This is Shaurya, the leader to this team."


    Visha was slightly taken aback hearing that this young boy was the leader and not the older guy behind him. Her gaze instinctively landed on him and he shook his head after noticing the obvious pity in Visha''s eyes. She immediately looked away as she felt guilty for making it awkward for him. Dhira continued, "You will be a part of his team, and I expect you to behave."


    Visha nodded. Dhira still had her doubts and asked her to meet up before leaving.


    ***


    Visha rushed to the backyard of the main house. She had informed her mother that she would be leaving town for a college trip. Payal had agreed readily since she thought it would be safer if Visha left the town for a while. She hadn''t sensed that powerful presence in a while but she still wanted to be cautious. Visha left with her luggage straight for the Bhairavi''s main house. As soon as she reached, the butler had told her that Dhira was waiting for her in the backyard. She came out of the house into the backyard and saw numerous human shaped cutouts placed randomly all over the lawn.


    Dhira turned back to face her when she sensed someone behind herself. Visha hurried upto her side and stared at the green and red cutouts in front of her. The land was divided in large square areas with those cutouts in different positions. Some squares had red ones more some had green ones more. Visha couldn''t understand what this was.


    "Red ones are your targets. Burn them." Dhira said pointing to one of the squares at her right. Visha hesitated for a moment before she nodded and did the flame spell. The entire square burnt to a crisp and the butler behind them felt like crying. He was a low grade witch and it was extremely difficult for him to make grass grow in such large areas. Whenever his Young Miss trained this new one, it meant a quintupled workload for him. He might not be able to mend this huge grassless patch for weeks.


    Once the flames died down a bit, Dhira frowned seeing that there was no trace of the cutouts left. Just ashes!


    "Fail!" Dhira announced. Visha didn''t understand why. She had gotten rid of the targets successfully.


    "Only the red ones were targets." Dhira said and headed to the next square. She squinted her eyes and chanted, with her eyes now ablaze she looked fierce. Multiple flames shot out of her extended palm and landed on the red cutouts, specifically. It was so precise and accurate that not even the grass around it was burnt. There was a red one right behind a green one which was burnt from its back! The skill and precision she possessed was one people could only dream of. Even the Masters and Madams of various clans couldn''t have pulled off a clear-cut attack like this. She was a legend for her skills in all of the witch world. That was the reason no one could object her as the heir even with her unknown origins. She was just an orphan taken in by Rajesh while the other candidates were from prestigious witch families. Some of them had been witches of more than fifty generations! And it was a proven fact, that the firstborn was always more powerful than the previous generation. But Dhira had surpassed them all by leaps and bounds, making them all feel like children.

 64 Elite Team

    Visha was too shocked to say anything. Dhira''s amazing skills had left her stupefied. She felt like a kid that had been handed a flame thrower while Dhira was a witch in actual meaning. She shook her head in embarrassment. Dhira felt a little guilty for going that tough on her. Visha was extremely powerful and that had made Dhira overlook the fact that she was still new. People take years to hone their skills and its been just months for Visha.


    "You are more powerful than other beginners, but without proper skills this very power could harm your close ones." The butler stared at his Young Miss with his mouth agape. He scoffed at the words ''more powerful''. She destroys his hard work over and over again. She''s not just merely powerful, that one was a little demon! He grit his teeth as he cursed at Visha. He was one of the most loyal people to Dhira and was aware that his Mistress had no intentions to let information about her be leaked. So cursing was all he could do for now.


    Dhira continued, "The green ones were destroyed in your attack on the red ones. They could''ve been normal people, or your friends or family."


    Visha was shook to the core by Dhira''s words. She understood the dangers lack of skill could impose. She decided to train till she could become a master in spells, just like Dhira was. Dhira came forward and took Visha''s hand in hers. She took out a something from her pocket and placed it on Visha''s palm. It was a platinum ring with a blue sapphire embedded in it. Visha looked up in confusion unable to grasp Dhira''s intentions.


    "It''s an Enhancing Stone. It''ll help you regulate your powers."


    Visha''s eyes lit up as she quickly put it on her ring finger on the right hand. It looked extremely beautiful with its entwined vine like design and small red stones on it around her finger. She went upto the next square and chanted the flame spell once again. This time a few flames shot onto the cutouts. About seven red ones had been lit up out of twelve but not one green cutout was harmed. She looked at Dhira hopefully waiting to be praised. A smile formed on her face as she gave a nod and that made Visha jump up in excitement. She ran to Dhira and hugged her like a little child. Dhira patted on her head before letting go.


    "Behave!" Dhira said again in a serious tone and Visha nodded obediently.


    ***


    The team of five started to look for their respective seats on the flight. Visha found the seats and sat down. She was hers was the window one. The other girl came to look at the seat beside her and grit her teeth before she turned to one of the boys. Her tone was full of anger and disgust.


    "Ashwin, let''s exchange seats." Her displeasure after seeing her companion for the trip seemed absolutely clear. Visha frowned at her offensive words. She had not even met the girl before today, how could she have even offended her. Ashwin had sensed the animosity and instinctively looked towards Visha who seemed to have sensed it too. The girl turned to notice Visha''s glare and a sudden chill ran down her spine. There was a certain weight in that gaze that she could never forget. That gaze seemed to have pierced right through her and she started to shake a little. Visha suddenly turned away and glanced out the window. She didn''t want to involve herself in useless banter. She was here to do her share of work because she didn''t want to end up as a burden on Dhira. Seeing this scene unfold, Ashwin nodded awkwardly and sat down beside her. "Don''t be offended. Trisha takes a little time to warm up to new people." he tried to explain his fellow teammate. So her name is Trisha, she thought. Her name was quite similarly pronounce as Visha, with just one phonic alphabet different but she was nothing like her. (When written in Hindi, just one character is different in the two names.)


    Trisha went towards the back to sit down beside Shaurya. They were sitting just two rows behind Visha and Ashwin. She looked still displeased seeing Visha tag along and started to complain to Shaurya.


    "Why are we taking her? You know this is not some field trip, right? " she was obviously dissatisfied by Visha''s presence.


    "Miss''s orders. You have no right to complain." Shaurya said trying to brush her off but it didn''t seem like she took the hint and continued to spew poison.


    "Just because she''s close to Young Miss, doesn''t mean we have to end up with babysitting duties." she said raging on.


    "Like I said, you have no right to complain." Shaurya repeated, this time with more pressure in his tone. But Trisha refused to back down as she complained continuously.


    "Why do we have to take in a nobody that just showed up at the main house mere months ago? Young Miss shouldn''t have abused her powers to shove that newbie upon us."


    "Why don''t you try saying that to Miss when we get back?" Shaurya glared at her with a brow raised. Trisha froze for a moment and realized that she''d have been thrown into the dungeon for saying that in front of anyone else. Dhira was a great leader but everyone was aware of her temper. She would always reward the obediant but viciously punish those that dared offend her. A terrorstricken Trisha started to sweat profusely trying to think of a way to explain herself.


    "What I meant was that we are one of the most elite teams among all the branches of Bhairavis. It isn''t fair if a newbie uses their connections to land a place among us, that''s all." she then finally sat back in an awkward silence.

 65 Priesthood Part 2

    The entire journey was absolutely quite except the occasional angry stares from Trisha. But Visha completely ignored her and that made her even more furious. She couldn''t take it anymore and started to throw occasional taunts but Visha completely refused to give her a reaction. Soon they reached the Priesthood Main House. It''s entrance was from within a prestigious temple. This temple was famous in the entire country for granting people''s wishes, and hence hundreds of believers were always there to visit the shrines. Since it was so crowded one of the priests'' disciples came out to greet them and to show them the way. He was quite young and must''ve been around eighteen or so. The shrine chamber was filled with hundreds of people and was extremely crowded. It became quite difficult to spot their guide in this chaos. But thankfully no one lost the sight of the young disciple and pushed their way through the bustling sea of people. The team followed behind him to a corridor that didn''t allow common followers to enter. Only the temple''s priests had access to the grounds beyond that corridor. They finally breathed a sigh of relief after leaving that swarming crowd behind. The disciple occasionally looked back to see if their guests were able to keep up. The corridor opened up to an open ground with a few buildings.One could easily see the river a


    that flowed behind the buildings at some distance and the thick forest on the other shore. This temple completely surrounded by mountains, seemed right out of a dream. No one can imagine such a peaceful and serene place to exist in the modern world. Shaurya spotted a building ahead that stood surrounded by a patch of lush green grass. The disciple went and pushed the wooden doors open revealing a hall with a gold statue of the temple''s deity! It must''ve been about twelve or thirteen feet tall that stood upon another four feet pedestal. The height made the deity look majestic and overpowering. Below it were nine chairs with a long table ahead. The word ''chair'' seemed like an insult, they were more like small thrones. The one in the middle was bigger and slightly higher than the others. All of the nine thrones too were made of gold! This simple looking priesthood could put most of the business tycoons of the country to shame. They were the filthiest rich among the filthy rich! All five stood their in awe as they stared at the gold in front of them wondering if they had chosen the wrong profession and if they should become priests instead. Just then they heard a few footsteps approaching and looked up at the entrance beside the statue. Nine enigmatic men, probably in their thirties, stepped into the room one after the other. They had a royal yet benevolent aura around them as they gracefully sat down at their respective ''chairs''. The disciple standing beside the team bowed to them and left after shutting the doors. Shaurya too bowed and everyone else followed him.


    "Elite team three, Bhairavi, at your service."


    The man in the middle nodded as a gesture to accept the greeting. His aura was no lesser than that of a King! One of the First Priests scoffed at the word ''elite''. The others looked at them in disdain as well. They were clearly upset about involving witches in their business but couldn''t say anything against the High Priest himself, so they directed their hatred towards the witches. Visha looked up and stared at the man who had scoffed at them just now. The disdain was instantly replaced by a slight fear as he saw a beautiful pair of cold eyes staring back at him. He could feel a chill in his entire body as he continued to be both awed and surprised by the girl. She had a powerful aura around her that no one could escape. That look was capable of freezing the most brave men. He shook his head in an attempt to escape the unbearable chill he was feeling.


    "You must already be aware of the situation?" said the High Priest. Visha turned her gaze away from the despicable First Priest shifting her attention to the gentle High Priest.


    "We have been briefed a little, Your Eminence." Shaurya replied and after receiving a nod from the High Priest he continued, "Our Mistress has informed us that a treasure has been stolen from your lands which is of utmost importance to avoid a great calamity. That is all."


    "That was what happened but she had omitted a lot of details. The stone was stolen two days ago when all the disciples and Second Priests had already gone to bed. I was discussing the details for the ceremony with the First Priests right here in this very House of Priests. That''s when we heard a scream and rushed towards it. We found a pale faced disciple on the floor outside the Treasure room. He was pointing towards the bodies of the guards at the open gates. We immediately rushed inside to see the volt door of the Treasure room open. The gates of the inner chamber, where the stone was kept, had been blasted open and the stone was missing." the High Priest explained the entire incident. Even though he sat on a very high reputation there was no hint of irritation or arrogance in his tone.

 66 Priesthood Part 3

    Shaurya nodded his head all the way through the High Priest''s explanation. Visha and the others quietly listened to it without any reaction but the last part made it a little difficult to believe.


    "My apologies for interrupting in between but... " before Shaurya could complete his words a scoff resounded in the room. Visha turned to see the man from before who was looking down to convey it wasn''t him this time with his gaze pointing to his right. The man beside him sat straight with arrogance clearly dripping from his face.


    "How dare you interrupt our High Priest? Know your place boy." he scolded. These people in front of him were witches to begin with and that had filled him with utter disdain. Then they turned out to be some kids who had no shame interrupting the High Priest. These willful ignorant brats had the audacity to disrespect their High Priest. Did they have any idea that this was the youngest council in a century and were deemed to be the most talented and skilled.


    "Beggars can''t be choosers." Everyone turned to look at this utterly disrespectful little girl.


    "You... " before he could spite back Visha''s voice resounded in the room.


    "We came to help because you asked for help. And isn''t it strange that someone sneaked into your treasure room and blasted an entrance with no one noticing! Were you all drugged?"


    Even if her words pierced through all the First Priests like blades, they could only clench their fists as her every word was true. They couldn''t think of any way to retaliate. The High Priest sensed the upcoming war and tried to stop it.


    "They are our guests and it is not a custom of our priesthood to disrespect guests. First Priest Dharma should keep that in mind." he said gently. His voice was gentle yet full of authority and that made Priest Dharma nod as he shook his head. Then he turned to the team again.


    "That had stood out to us as well which is why we asked your Coven for help. Since this is not our area of expertise we would be needing your guidance." the High Priest continued with a gentle tone. Shaurya and others nodded awkwardly. One of theirs had just clashed with a First Priest and that had made them feel highly embarrassed. They couldn''t wait to disown this wretched brat with a big mouth as soon as they got back.


    "I apologize for my subordinate, Your Eminence. If it''s not too much trouble, we hope to start our investigation with the treasure room." Shaurya said with his head bowed in embarrassment. Couldn''t this brat had stayed shut?This was no ordinary priesthood, it was the largest and the most auspicious one. Every priest in the entire country could only dream about this prestigious place. Even without the knowledge of the Philosopher''s Stone*, it had stood at the peak of the religious community for centuries. If Dhira found out that they messed up their only chance to establish an alliance with them, would she consider showing him any mercy for his years of service? The thought in itself seemed highly impossible.


    The High Priest agreed to their request and highly respected their professionalism as well. Instead of wasting time in worthless chatter they wanted to get straight to the work. He got up and came to the group of the youngsters. The First Priests got up after him and followed closely behind. The High Priest held up his hand to gesture them to leave, and they complied as they bowed before leaving. First Priest Dharma looked at the team filled with hatred before leaving. Once everyone left he turned to the group and smiled apologetically.


    "The priesthood hardly ever comes in contact with the people outside. First Priest Dharma is just a little cold to strangers. He''s otherwise a very loyal man who holds me on a pedestal.I believe our young guests won''t take it to heart."


    "Of course not, Your Eminence. We understand the predicament the priesthood is facing. At a time like this we know that one has to be cautious, but one must know the difference between caution and belittling." Visha answered immediately before anyone else could.


    The High Priest smiled at that and nodded in agreement. "You are right, little lady. And there is no need for formalities, you all can just call me Priest Vishva. And who might this lively little lady be?"


    "Visha" she answered. Her eyes caught Priest Vishva''s attention. They were full of confidence and sincerity. This little lady was a fierce tigress who slept soundly till someone provoked her. He couldn''t understand why but Visha emitted a strange aura around her. He couldn''t ascertain if it was positive or negative. This was the first time something like that happened. Maybe, the disappearance of the stone was fate bringing them together. He had met this little miracle on the universe''s command. Who knew what their destiny was?


    Priest Vishva summoned one of the disciples to show them the way to which the young disciple seemed highly against. He narrowed his eyes as he stared at the foreign group in their premises but kept quiet and led them. He was different from the one before, he didn''t look back to see if they were following him. To be exact, he didn''t care as he had already branded them as his enemies just because they were witches. Atleast, he was smarter than that First Priest Dharma and kept his opinions to himself as he quietly led the way.


    ***


    Philosopher''s Stone - The one I''m talking about is an Indian Myth, Paras Patthar. But that was the word closest to it''s English translation. Please don''t confuse it with the western one.

 67 Treasure Room

    The team came out of the House of Priests and saw the lush green grass surrounding it.They gazed at the mighty river in the distance that could be heard from there. And the dense forest on the other side of it which looked like an impenetrable wall. The mountains surrounding it made it seem as if this was a bowl of heaven on earth. The scenery from here was simply breathtaking.


    "It''s a great view." Visha said as she looked at the peaceful scenery the river and forest created. The disciple of the priesthood followed her gaze and a chill ran down his spine. Their guest was talking about that cursed place that no one dared to loiter around. A lot of people had never returned after crossing the priesthood grounds. The other side of the river was a horror for the disciples and priests. Even the First Priests were afraid of it!


    "That''s the Dark Forest. It''s a forbidden area." he said and quietly resumed with his task as a guide. Forbidden area! The group looked at each others stunned expressions and hurried to catch up with him. Shaurya was a man of few words who just kept to his own work and nothing other than that. So he took the initiative to ask the question they all had in their minds.


    "Why is it forbidden?"


    The disciple hesitated a moment before replying nonchalantly, "I don''t know."


    Shaurya pursed his lips and decided to let it go. The boy was obviously lying but there was no need to interfere into anything until absolutely necessary. Those were the orders of their Miss and he would obey. So everyone followed him silently after suppressing their queries deep in their hearts. They went down the stairs that seemed to be never ending. Light down there was scarce and only a few torches lit the way.


    "We shouldn''t have agreed to bring her along. This girl is just trouble. What if that priest says something to Miss? What will we do then?" Trisha complained.


    "Let''s get the work done first, we can worry about that later." Shaurya sighed. After what happened in the House of Priests, he couldn''t stand up for Visha anymore. She had really proven herself to be rather impulsive in front of everyone. He couldn''t refute back even if he wanted to. The silent older man fell back so he could walk beside Visha.


    "You did good there. You couldn''t have let that priest belittle us and then take that tone with us too." he said.


    Visha nodded silently as Dhira''s warning played in her mind over and over again like a broken record. ''Behave''. She had said that to Visha twice before leaving. Did she really do something wrong by defending her teammate? Would Dhira be mad at her? Or worse, would she be disappointed in her? After walking for a while, they reached the Treasure Room. The disciple opened the door to a huge spacious room. It was much larger than the House of Priests itself, and full of gold items! There were gold scattered on the floor with heaps of them as high as ten feet! Everyone''s eyes widened in surprise. Though they were already aware that the gold had never left the priesthood, they still couldn''t help staring at it. The golden statue and chairs seemed so trivial in front of all this. Visha was the last to enter and was just as stunned as the others to see the number of shining objects in the room. Just a few torches were enough to light this room due to the reflections of the gold. They couldn''t help but gulp down their urge to touch it all to confirm its existence. It felt too much like a dream! Shaurya looked back to see Trisha and Ashwin drooling behind him. Then he looked at Visha and the man walking beside her who looked to be stunned but not drooling. He heaved a sigh of relief and felt better to see there were still two people who wouldn''t embarrass him. After walking for five minutes they reached the other end of the Treasure room. There was a large hole in the wall with charred ends and rubble on the inner side of it. They all walked closer and were left speechless. The wall was atleast 3 feet thick! It must have been a blast of very high magnitude to blow up that wall. Everyone went into the Inner Chamber to find some clues. But the entire chamber was empty with engraved walls. There were multiple engravings depicting the temple''s deity. In the middle was a stone table that came upto their waists covered in a thick layer of dust. There was a small square gap with no dust that indicated that something must have been kept on the table. Visha was behind everyone so she was the last to enter, but she slipped at the entrance and the silent man caught her. Her scream made everyone turn back to see her being helped up.

 68 Treasure Room Part 2

    Her scream made everyone turn back to see her being helped up.


    Ashwin rushed and held her hand to help her stand up. He then looked at the older man, "Brother Danish, what happened?"


    Danish shrugged his shoulders to gesture he didn''t know. They trio then bent down to look at the floor but couldn''t see anything. It was dark. Ashwin went back and pulled one of the torches out and handed it to Danish. They saw a dark liquid lining the entrance. Visha touched it and brought her hand closer to the torch for a better look. Visha and Danish gasped as they saw the red stain on her fingers. It was blood! Danish looked up to face the others, "It''s blood." Shaurya knitted his brows as he tried to think of an explanation. No one had been here since the stone was stolen, so was it from before that then? But how could it not have dried up at all? Does it mean it was fresh?


    "Has there been someone down here after the stone was taken?" Shaurya asked the stunned disciple.


    He shook his head as he stared at Visha''s blood stained fingers just like everyone else. The priesthood was a very tranquil place and the disciples had been sheltered ever since they were young. They hardly ever saw any blood.


    "Could someone have sneaked in?" Ashwin asked suddenly. Shaurya thought carefully for a while before speaking, "Even if someone had sneaked in, why would the blood be lining the entrance. This is obviously intentional. Could there be a spell?"


    This made everyone look at the line made from blood at the entrance. But who could tell if there had been a spell performed?


    "Could a tracing spell work?" Visha asked. She had been quiet after her scream that had echoed in the entire underground treasure room. Trisha scoffed at her in ridicule. This newbie thinks she''s so smart, but she''s just plain stupid.


    "Are you really this stupid or do you just act like it? Tracing spells are not used to find out existence of spells. Only high class Aura reading spells are capable of also tracing remnants of magic. You''re just a newbie who doesn''t know anything. Let your seniors work and you can just think of this as a school trip." Trisha''s voice was laced with venom as she lashed out on Visha. This made Danish furious and he gave her a warning look. At that Trisha finally shut up and shook her head in fear. Even if she was a blabbermouth, she wouldn''t dare offend Danish. In his eyes, Trisha was the last person who could ridicule Visha. She had no right to hate Visha for being in the team because she was close to their Miss. Trisha herself was in this team only because she was a doted second daughter of a generational witch family and not even a first born. If it wasn''t for the influence her family had, she was not even capable of serving this elite team as an attendant. That was the only reason everyone held back from teaching her a lesson even after she made this once top elite team fall to the third place. If it wasn''t for Shaurya, Ashwin and him holding the fort, they might''ve fallen way further. Another scoff echoed in the room as Visha stood up and looked back at Trisha with a taunting smile. Her eyes were filled with ridicule as she looked at Trisha from top to bottom as if inspecting her.


    "I can clearly see who is treating this as a school trip. If you don''t know anything then you shouldn''t cut in." Trisha grit her teeth as her body started to shake in anger. She was the highly respected Young Miss of the Wahera family. She was doted on by her family and feared by others. No one had ever spoken back to her. And this little wench had called her an amateur witch who was treating her mission like a school trip! How dare she? Just wait till her elder brother knew about it, he will skin this big mouthed bitch alive!


    Visha ignored the murderous intent in her eyes and turned to face Shaurya. He was the leader and he held the rights to approve or disapprove suggestions.


    "Tracing Spell could trace the blood back to its owner."


    A smile appeared on Shaurya''s face as he nodded at Visha. It was a good idea, everyone was racking their brains to find out the reason for tye blood or wich spell was performed, and overlooked something simple but crucial. They had a lead! Visha really thought upon facts and not assumptions maybe that''s why she didn''t miss the basic thing that everyone else overlooked.

 69 Green Flame

    Shaurya had already given his approval to Visha''s suggestion and that had further fanned the rage in Trisha''s heart. But she knew it was best for her to keep quiet for now. Hence, she reluctantly shook her head and let things progress on their own. Shaurya took out a small piece of cloth from his pocket and bent down. Visha peeked from behind the others and saw him soak a corner of the cloth in blood. She had just read about these spells until now and had never seen it in action. This would be her first time seeing someone other than Dhira perform a spell and she was extremely excited. Her eyes twinkled seeing Shaurya chant holding the bloody cloth. A flame erupted out of nowhere at the corner of the cloth and she let out a loud gasp. Seeing all this happen in front of her eyes was proof that her dream had finally come true. She was now officially part of the witch life she had always wanted.


    Shaurya dropped the cloth to let it burn and quietly stood up. In just mere moments, it was completely burnt off leaving no ashes behind, just a small green flame! Visha''s expression changed to that of a child full of wonder and curiosity as she saw the flame float and exit the Treasure room. The disciple was too stunned to move and stood their with his eyes widened. Everyone else hurriedly followed it in the long corridor, up the stairs and into the lush green lawn outside the House of Priests. But the green flame showed no intentions of stopping as it rushed towards the riverbank. Shaurya and Danish were the only ones who could keep up with its speed. Visha and Ashwin had ran out of their breaths following them but didn''t stop as they couldn''t afford to lose sight of their only lead. They stopped to catch their breaths only after they saw Danish and Shaurya standing at the river bank. They didn''t move and stood there like statues.


    "What happened? Where''s the Tracker?" Visha asked. She couldn''t help but imagine they had lost it''s sight. If that happened they won''t have much to carry the investigation further.


    Shaurya turned back with a lost face and didn''t reply to her as he dropped down to catch his breath with his eyes closed. He looked tired and frustrated as he repeatedly punched the ground beneath him. Visha then turned to Danish who was still staring into the horizon. He hadn''t budged from his spot either. She held onto his arm to get his attention. Danish looked at her for a brief moment before pointing towards the dense forest at the other side of the river.


    "It went in there and vanished."


    The words struck like thunder as it dawned on the others standing behind her. In there? Wasn''t that the Forbidden Forest that disciple told them about!


    ***


    The team had already grown accustomed to following their quiet guides who didn''t interact and just followed their mentors'' instructions dutifully. The disciple this time was a bit older, and looked to be in his mid twenties. He even had a different uniform than the ones from before. But they were flustered enough and couldn''t bother with different uniforms. It was the least of their worries. They had been walking along the river bank for a while till they saw an all white house. It looked even more peaceful than the priesthood as it was quite a distance away from there. Its white gates had two golden swans as door handles. The swans had been intricately carved with even the most minute details taken care of with extreme precision. The disciple walked up the steps and opened the door revealing its beautiful interior, which was also white. The only other colour in the room was golden. The white couch in the middle had a golden lining with some other golden swan shaped antiques on display across the room to contrast the white. Seems like he likes swans a lot. Visha thought as she stared at the different swan antiques. The disciple then told them to wait there and left.


    They had gone back as soon as they saw the green flame disappear into the Forbidden forest. Shaurya had requested the disciple that had guided them to the Treasure room for an audience with one of the Elder Priests so they could seek permission and some pointers before heading into the forest. He was the leaderwho was responsible for their lives and hence didn''t want to rush into any situation blindly. They didn''t know anything about that forest or the reason why it was forbidden. The only Elder who agreed to see them was the High Priest Vishva himself. So one of the disciples had been asked to guide them to his residence. Shaurya was aware that none of the other priests liked the idea of involving witches but he had never imagined they wouldn''t even cooperate for the stone. Just how deep-rooted was their hatred for witches?

 70 Break

    The team sat down on the white couches to wait for the High Priest. He sure had a luxurious life for a priest. They thought as they looked around at the golden antiques. They had always thought priests to be living a simple down to earth life. None of them ever imagined the High Priest residence to be filled with golden antique statues. Visha stood up to take a closer look at the beautiful pair of swans carved at one of the walls. The pair of swans were touching beaks to form a heart shape with their necks in a pond surrounded with trees. At the end if the pond, there was a house like carving. Even though it was quite small in the carving but one could sense its extravagance as it had been shaped like a palace in distance. It was a beautiful scenery carved upon the white stone which made it look simple yet elegant. Visha traced the swans with her fingers feeling the smooth curves of their feathers with every stroke. The voice of someone clearing their throat from behind distracted her and she turned to see Shaurya glaring at her while Priest Vishva stood beside him with a warm smile. She bowed in respect to the High Priest and came back to stand with others. Priest Vishva was a humble and polite man who didn''t care much about wordly ways of showing respect. He was never offended by aloof people like Visha, in fact he found them interesting as there were not many who were capable of detaching themselves from worldly affairs. He sat down and gestured them to sit down as well. Everyone bowed again before taking their places and Shaurya took the lead.


    "Your Eminence, we found traces of a spell in the Treasure room and suspect that it might''ve been used to cover the noise of the explosion or for the mysterious noiseless explosion itself. Blood was used to conjure the spell and we tracked its origin to the Forbidden forest. Hence, we''d like your permission to carry the investigation further."


    Shaurya had kept it short and precise as not to waste any more time. Young Miss had already told them that time was of essence for this mission. The stone must be found before the day of the ceremony at all costs. His words had given a slight shock to the High Priest but he soon regained his composure. Priest Vishva forced a smile on his face and replied.


    "The priesthood is very thankful to the Bhairavis for their assistance in this matter and I will personally remember to return the favor to your mistress. I shall take this into my own hands and would like our young guests to rest as the journey back would be quite tiresome."His words had clearly stated that he refused to let them investigate any further and asked them to leave as soon as possible. Visha felt something was odd after hearing High Priest''s refusal to grant permission. Was the Forbidden Forest really that dangerous? She couldn''t help but closely observe Priest Vishva but in vain. He was a reputable High Priest, there was no way he''d lose his composure in front of some youngsters. She secretly pulled out a small grain sized black bead from her pocket and threw it at the High Priest. It successfully landed on his coat unnoticed and Visha felt proud of herself. Others still hadn''t wrapped their heads around his harsh words. Before anyone could refute back, Priest Vishva got up and left.The team had no option but to leave the High Priest''s residence with their heads sunken in disappointment. They had really looked forward to becoming heroes after completing this mission and getting an alliance as a trophy for their Young Miss but ended up being shunned away by the only humble priest there.


    "He did say he''d return the favor." Trisha said trying to make everyone look at the silver lining. But this only aggravated them further as they increased their pace to walk away from her. Her ignorance and stupidity had never failed to annoy them but no one was willing to talk any sense into her. It was a disappointing and tiresome day and none of them had any energy to waste on her.


    By the time they reached the priesthood, High Priest had already sent word to prepare rooms for their guests to rest before leaving. So everyone there was already aware that the witches had been kicked out on their very first day! They must''ve been some really useless bunch of trash to have been sent back in just a day. All the disciples gave the team mocking gazes and sneers as they passed them. Since the priesthood was very strict regarding discipline no one had dared to come up and say anything but the looks they gave the team was enough to make their teeth clench in anger. Ashwin just wanted to go around punching those idiot disciples who were ridiculing them and calling them useless. He wanted to shout at the top of his lungs that they had found a lead and it was their ''precious'' priesthood that had stopped the investigation in between. All they could do for now was go to their assigned rooms and think of something. Shaurya saw Trisha as a useless idiot and since Visha was a new member, he wasn''t ready to accept her opinion in making decisions yet. So he asked only Danish and Ashwin to join him in his room to discuss what to do next.

 71 Black Spo

    It had been a long time since all the First Priests had assembled in the High Priest''s residence. The eight priests entered the long hall and stood in front of their seats with four on each side. The usually calm High Priest entered the hall in a fluster ignoring the bowed heads of the First Priests as he rushed to take his seat in the front. He wanted to address this issue immediately and couldn''t care less about formalities. Everyone else sat down taking his lead and waited for him to start this meet. Priest Vishva took a long breath in an attempt to calm himself before beginning.


    "The witch group has proved to be quite useful. They discovered traces of witchcraft at the doorway of the Inner Chamber. And successfully tracked its source as well."


    "Is this meeting being held to discuss our support to the witches? Forgive me, Your Eminence, but I still stand on my previous opinion. The priesthood has remained untainted for centuries, witches and their dark world is not something we should involve ourselves in." one of the First priests said as he humphed loudly. All the other priests nodded in agreement and started to discuss among themselves. None of them was pleased by the constant support High Priest had been providing those youths.


    "I stand with Priest Shravan regarding this matter. A witch coven doesn''t deserve an alliance with our priesthood. Witches and Priests do not belong to the same world." said Priest Dharma. He did admit that the witches had helped them this time and he felt grateful towards them for that. He had never expected those kids to be able to find this much within a day but he was adamant about not forging any alliances with them. Priests and witches have never seen eye to eye. They were two groups who have always stood on opposite sides. An alliance between them was just impossible!


    "That is something we will address later. Right now, there are more pressing matters at hand which need out immediate attention." The room fell silent and turned their attention to Priest Vishva. The seriousness of the matter seemed evident in his grave expression.


    "The witches have tracked the spell back into the Spirit Forest."


    "Spirit Forest!" they exclaimed. A wave of terror washed over the room as their faces turned pale.


    "No human resides in that forest. There is no way the spell could be traced back in there."


    "I thought the same thing at first, but then a thought struck me and everything else fell into place after that. I wanted to ask all of you esteemed knowledgeable men, do you think it''s possible that ''he'' survived?"


    Gasps resounded all over and the priests broke into a vigorous discussion. No one could have imagined High Priest bringing up that scumbag. That man was a black spot on the history of this prestigious place. He hasn''t been mentioned in years.


    "Impossible!" they all started shouting in agreement. Priest Dharma shook his head as he pondered for a while. Even though the possibility of him surviving in there was next to none, but if they thought about it, that would explain everything.


    "Listen, my brothers. Think about it for a while, this one possibility explains the entire incident. He knew the priesthood in and out, was fully aware of the stone''s whereabouts and the runes guarding it. We must not think like the frogs in a well." Priest Dharma tried to contain the situation. Priest Vishva smiled at him expressing his gratitude and he nodded back.


    "Priest Dharma is right. We must take this possibility in account." another priest agreed.


    "If that''s the case, then we''re doomed. If he could survive in their for all these years then he has far surpassed any power we''ve ever faced. The priesthood is in grave danger." Priest Shravan added. His words had made the other priests bite their lips in helplessness. That man was more powerful than all of them combined to begin with, and now he seems to possess an inhuman level of strength.


    "That''s why. I have asked the witches to leave. This is a matter that must remain within the priesthood and I further suggest sending disciples away. We cannot put their lives in danger as well." Priest Vishva looked heartbroken as he announced this. But it was the best way to keep their disciples safe. The First Priests shook their heads at their incompetence as masters. They were unable to protect their own disciples and had to plan to send them away. They agreed with a heavy heart and decided to announce it tomorrow after the witches left. And once the disciples were safe, the High Priest would lead the First Priests into the forest to conduct a thorough search. With that note the meet ended. Priest Vishva stood up from his seat with that familiar humble smile and gave a sincere bow.


    "It has been a great pleasure to have protected this place alongside you all. My brothers, may we fulfill our duty and go down with pride. I''ll pray to remain brothers with you proud gentlemen in our next lives as well."

 72 High Priest knows!

    "It has been a great pleasure to have protected this place alongside you all. My brothers, may we fulfill our duty and go down with pride. I''ll pray to remain brothers with you proud gentlemen in our next lives as well."


    Priest Vishva''s words rang like beautiful wind chimes in their ears. All the other priests immediately bowed back respectfully as the feeling of brotherhood resonated in their hearts. They were proud of the years they had spent protecting this heavenly place and were ready to die doing it as well. Since, it was what fate had decided they will happily go along with the God''s plans. They had faith, the Gods would never let any harm come to this place and hoped they''d live to see it happen. The priests greeted each other with warm smiles and left for the Priesthood.


    Visha opened her eyes, and a bit her lower lip nervously, as she sat up straight in her bed and looked around the empty room. She blinked a few times to wrap her head around things before she got up and left the room.


    ***


    Shaurya furrowed his brows as they didn''t find a way out that could save the situation at hand. After tracing the spell back to the Forbidden forest, everything had taken a turn for the worse. The High Priest ordered them to go back after halting their investigation mid-way. Since they themselves didn''t want the coven to investigate any further, they had no choice but to comply. This also meant that they won''t be forging any alliances with the priesthood and that had put the team in a difficult position. Shaurya very well knew that Young Miss wouldn''t send out an elite team for a stolen stone, no matter how valuable of an item it was. If it wasn''t that could benefit the coven, then it was useless to her. The main purpose she had chosen them was because of the concealment this mission required and to successfully forge an alliance with the priesthood. If the Young Miss finds out that she had wasted her efforts and resources over a dead deal, she''d definitely take it out on them. And her anger made the trio shake in fear. None of them had the guts to face her after failing this mission.


    "Bhairavis stepped up to help the priesthood in need and it was them who stepped back. They owe us this alliance." Ashwin said. He felt wronged by the priesthood''s unfair behavior. They were not the ones at fault, then why should they be in loss. The coven had nothing to do with their matters yet they provided their immediate and undivided attention on such short notice. Shouldn''t the priesthood be grateful for it and just happily accept such a minor demand. It was just an alliance, why did they have to be so stiff about it?


    "If people could forge alliances just by favors, it''d be a different world. Young Miss wants it because uptill now only one coven has been able to forge an alliance with a religious community, and that''s Devdoots. The Western Priests have supported their coven for centuries. No one knows how they did it, but that kept them on the very top of the witch world for all that time." Shaurya said.


    "So, Young Miss thinks it would be like that for us too?" Ashwin asked. Everyone knew about the alliance between Devdoots and the Western Priests. It was one of the most wealthy and esteemed priesthoods in the country. What no one knew was what their alliance was and how they had contributed to the long successful reign of the Devdoots. But ever since they forged an alliance with the priesthood they became invincible. If it hadn''t been for the heaven defying powers of that legendary witch, they''d have probably still been on the top.


    "Maybe. We can never understand how her mind works. What we need to focus on is the task at hand. Witches and priests have never seen eye to eye, and that''s why an alliance with them has been an impossible task. We need to figure out how we could get the priesthood to owe us enough to make them feel burdened and then finally give in." Danish said. Both of them nodded in agreement. Even though he was not the team leader anymore, they never stopped respecting him. He was the smartest and strongest among them, after all. If it hadn''t been for taking responsibility of that incident, he wouldn''t have had to step down. It was a bitter memory that no one wanted to remember so they immediately distracted themselves and got back to work.


    Even though it felt unfair, it really wasn''t. Priesthood had asked for help and they had agreed. If they say they don''t want it anymore, the coven will have to step aside. The most one can expect is another favor in return, that''s all. So this trip had turned out to be a complete waste.


    "Am I the only one who thinks that High Priest might already be aware of the culprit?" Danish asked. His question made Shaurya and Ashwin turn towards him with eyes widened. Their eyes blinked continuously with a blank expression on their faces.


    What? High priest knows the culprit!

 73 Priests fear

    "Brother Danish, what do you mean by ''he knew''?" Ashwin asked. Those words were too much of a shock and took time to sink in. Shaurya too looked at Danish with hopeful eyes. They might finally have a lead, even though this ray of hope was still dim yet it was enough to put a sparkle in their eyes. Both of them were waiting for their senior to impart some knowledge to them. The expression on their faces hasn''t changed even now. Danish thought. Shaurya was now the leader and he still looked up to him the same way he did on his first day. He hadn''t lost the respect he had even after gaining a title, this made Danish feel warm inside. He nodded and spoke up.


    "I cannot help but feel so. You remember, how everything was just fine at first? But as soon as we mentioned the Forbidden forest, High Priest''s behavior took a full 360 degree turn. There is definitely something he knows but wouldn''t let off."


    Ashwin let out an ''ah'' as he finally understood what Danish meant by High Priest knowing. He hadn''t paid much attention till it was mentioned. But now that they tried to remember, it was exactly as Danish had said. High Priest had asked them to stop and leave right after they mention the forest.


    "But what could be the reason to hide it from us? We came here to help them out and we''d have done that till the end regardless of the difficulties it posed." Shaurya asked. It really was a bit off though. They''d have happily agreed to lend a hand to deal with whoever the thief was. Then why would High Priest go to such extreme lengths and send them away.


    "Hm. That''s something I''m trying to wrap my head around. There could be a few reasons. Maybe they believe it''s an internal matter if it involves the forest and don''t want outsiders to intervene. Or they could be afraid of taking responsibility of getting us hurt or missing or dead." Danish concluded. He had already seen that Priest Vishva was a noble man who''d never put others in danger. The only other thing he was concerned about was the priesthood, so aside from these two he couldn''t see any other reasons at all.


    "Hurt or missing or DEAD!" Ashwin repeated the words cowering in fear. His face had went pale as if he had already faced death.


    "Cowards shouldn''t have made it to the elite team. You''re a disgrace." Shaurya teased and Ashwin pouted at that. Their little banter reminded Danish of the good old days, and he couldn''t help but chuckle up. These two had always had a love hate relationship. Their heartfelt reminiscence of memories was disrupted as someone suddenly opened the door to their room. A small hooded figure sneaked in before closing the door behind it. The hooded figure them smoothened its cloak before removing the hood. It was Visha!


    "What are you doing here so late at night?" Shaurya asked.


    "I found something." Visha informed as she strode in and sat down on a chair in the room. The trio exchanged glances among themselves and then turned to her with knitted brows. Even the slightest movements of theirs were always perfectly in sync. Visha had never noticed it until now as this was the first time she had seen them together like this. It was a very small detail but Visha had a habit of analysing even the tiniest of them. They must have been together for a really long time, doing every little thing alongside each other to achieve this level of synced movements. To the point where even their eye movements were enough to convey thoughts. This deduction had made her even more determined to work hard so she could reach the same level of understanding and be like that with her Big Sis. Just like them. They truly were a team!


    Visha told them everything she had heard in the meeting of the Priests. From their mutual disagreement on the alliance to dismissal of all the disciples. The more they heard, the more shocked they were. Danish was right, they had hidden things from them. The Forbidden forest or the Spirit Forest, as they had just found out, really was the reason for halting the investigation mid way. Not only that, High Priest also had the idea about the suspect. It was someone in the forest. Someone who was powerful and scary enough to make this millennium old priesthood, shake in fear. And apparently, it was a difficult task to survive in that forest too. As the fact that person had survived for years in there is what made them even more afraid. The survival had claimed to make that person stronger and it made them determined enough to dismiss the entire priesthood! And even made the priests talk as if it was their final will, before they left for their final battle!


    "You were very quick-witted to plant a mole spell on him at that time. I''m honestly both shocked and impressed." Shaurya complimented.

 74 Disband

    Instead of the usual dead silent mornings, today was a bustling one. Every disciple and every priest in the priesthood had heard that the witches were being kicked out after just a day. And that had delighted them to no extent. They were guests of the priesthood before so no one talked back, but now the jealous disciples didn''t have to watch themselves around that useless group anymore. And since they didn''t want to miss the good show, everyone assembled with sneering smiles, outside the Hall of Priests waiting to ambush. The hatred they held for their witch ''guests'' could finally be let out. They wanted to spite them and watch them fall from their high horses. As soon as the youths exited the hall, insults and scoffs echoed within the crowd. No effort was spared to embarrass the group that had came here with the intent to offer help. But no one seemed to care about their generosity all they cared about was the enmity between priests and witches. The goal was clear-Utter Humiliation!


    "Who did they think they were to come and ''help'' our priesthood? Like witches can do any good at all."


    "Even ten of such so called ''Top Covens'' won''t measure up to the soil of our priesthood."


    "If our High Priest wasn''t humble enough to let them try, dorks like them could never even have stepped in here."


    "True. Do they even know how tough it is to get in here? And they just got to walk in like that with nothing to offer. What a waste!"


    Ashwin couldn''t take anymore and was about to knock some sense into a snickering teen ahead, when a priest noticed him eyeing his disciple. He immediately came to stand in front of him, "Don''t even think about it."


    This angered Ashwin further but before he could jump in, Shaurya stopped him. He gave Ashwin a warning look and turned to the priest with a malicious intent before turning to push Ashwin forward. This pleased the arrogant priest to no extent, he felt proud to have scared away the witches. As the group made their way through the crowd, countless insults were thrown at them. But they seemed to have put on a thick skin as they ignored it all, shocking the disciples. They wanted to crush these witches who had barged into their serene and peaceful territory, but when they didn''t get any violent outbursts as they had expected, it enraged them even more and their comments got even more ruthless. The group''s careless attitude had lit a fire inside them.


    "They''re quite a shameless bunch. Anyone else would''ve left in the dead of the night to save face."


    "They must''ve thought that begging our High Priest might change his mind. Even if he is kind, he isn''t going to let a useless bunch to freeload."


    "They''re just trash who came to suck up to us. I''m glad we didn''t give in." said one of the lower priests.


    But the group continued to ignore their attacks and made them look like annoying flies that were just being waved off. Their insignificance to the group was evident in their actions. The disciples of the priesthood had always lived in a peaceful atmosphere and were not that highly confident about their physical strength. Hence, no one dared to touch the scary looking youths. The only thing they could do was insulting from afar. The show that everyone was so excited and eager to watch never happened. They felt disappointed and were about to disperse when the gates to the Hall of Priests opened and made them turn back. The High Priest stepped out with the First Priests following behind. He didn''t have his warm smile today nor the usual happy glow around him. He seemed to have aged a good few years in just a night. The First Priests behind him didn''t look any better either. Their eyes seemed hollow and empty as their pride didn''t let them look down. They''d never stand with dropped heads in front of their disciples.


    "My young children, I have an announcement to make." High Priest said with a heavy heart and everyone attentively looked at him. The disciples and lower priests could feel the gravity of the situation.


    "All of you have made me proud in being your High Priest. It was an honor I never thought I deserved, and I still think the same." he let out a dry laugh. The First Priests felt their hearts ache as they saw their highly respectful High Priest so helpless. High Priest could see the confusion in countless eyes as he continued, "You kids had made this lonely man''s days brighter and given him a purpose in this worthless life. For that I will forever be grateful and remember it to my last breath. I love this place with all my heart and it pains me to tell you that due to some unbeknownst circumstances, the Hall of Priests has decided to disband this priesthood within next three days till further notice. I know this place has been the only home to most of you. And I''m ashamed to have not been competent enough to keep it standing. As soon as we secure the area completely, it''ll stand again as tall as ever. I hope, I''ll be sending out letters inviting you back soon. I apologize for not being able to protect this place that is loved by you all."

 75 Pair of Swans

    None of the disciples or lower priests knew what had happened. All they were told was that priesthood wasn''t safe anymore and hence they were being dismissed. Never in its long renowned history has it been closed for even a minute. But now it was for who knows how long. Does that mean this was the biggest threat they had ever faced? Big enough to force the Hall of Priests to dismiss the entire priesthood!


    With heavy hearts they packed their belongings, they only had three days to bid farewell to each other. Since priesthood taught detachment from materialistic things, the disciples and priests hardly had any belongings. It was just a pair of clothes and some food for their journey. The time passed in a blink and everyone stepped out to leave. They looked at the high doors that opened into the temple courtyard, reminiscing about the first time they walked through those doors. They were so young and naive back then. They grew a lot individually and formed into a family within these walls. They had never thought they''d ever have to leave it behind. When they turned back and saw the priesthood close its doors, their hearts sank and many tears fell. It had been more of a home than their real homes all these years. There were many orphans among the students that were offered refuge by their masters and friends. Everyone bid their farewells to each other and started to leave little by little with their heads shook and tears falling. There was a group of four disciples left with a priest in the end.


    "Master, how long will we have to stay out here? I want to go back." said the youngest one among them. His innocent words made the older disciples tear up even more. One disciple squatted on the ground and broke into sobs till he left out a wailing cry. He was the same one Ashwin had almost pounced upon. But there was no trace of ridicule on his face. He was too distraught to be disrespectful to anyone anymore. The other disciples followed suit and began to cry as well. The priesthood was the only place that treated them fairly. They were all orphans with no money or a place to go. It was the only place that they could call home, which was now being taken from them. The priest wiped away his tears and yelled in an angry tone.


    "How could crybabies like you call themselves a part of the Northern Priesthood, the most powerful priesthood in the entire country. I don''t have weak disciples like the lot of you. The Hall of Priests will surely take care of whatever the threat is and we''ll soon receive letters from the High Priest to report back immediately. All you good for nothings have to do is to stay put till then. Can''t you even do that?"


    They were all aware of their master having a fiery temper with the softest heart. The disciples sniffed back their tears and got up with a new-found determination after hearing their master. It was true, they just had to stay put and not lose hope.


    "You truly are weaklings if that''s all you want to do." a voice came from behind the bushes and shocked the crying bunch.


    ***


    All the First Priests gathered at the High Priest''s residence waiting for further instructions. As soon as the doors were closed, they had closed all entrances to both the temple and the priesthood. This place had always been peaceful but today it had felt abandoned for the first time. Priest Dharma felt his heart ache as he looked around. For more than a millennium, this priesthood had stood through wars,calamities, every thick and thin. Nothing could ever bring harm to the priesthood, but now they were facing a life threatening crisis because of him. He couldn''t help but be overcome by guilt. He was expecting others to blame him and curse him. But to his surprise, no one did. In fact they felt sympathetic towards him, and that had worsened the guilt he was feeling. So he kept his head down in shame the entire time.


    High Priest entered the room and everyone stood up to greet him. His gaze swiped through the room and stopped at Priest Dharma''s shook head.


    "Priest Dharma, you''re of no help to your brothers if you continue to sulk around. This was a mistake that all of us share, and we must correct it. Now is not the time to take blames and house guilt for it."


    Priest Dharma looked up and nodded. It was true, he could feel guilty all he wanted but only after this was taken care of. The High Priest walked through them and stood in front of the wide scenery carved in the stone wall. He raised his hands and placed them on each swan. With his eyes closed he started to chant, and so did the First Priests. As the chants came to an end, the swans moved! Their beaks that was forming a heart opened and they looked up. The wall made a loud rumbling sound as gust of winds swooshed out from behind it. Like a sliding door it went up and revealed a hall. The walls inside were of a dark shade, implying to the amount of time it had withstood till now. The hall had nine thrones similar to the Hall of Priests. But instead of the statue of the diety behind them there was a large pair of golden swans.

 76 Huge risk

    Instead of the statue of the diety behind them, there was a large pair of golden swans. It was the same way as in the scenery outside, their beaks touching to make a heart. The throne in the middle was the biggest and there were two rows of four thrones each on both its sides. Everyone went inside and took their respective places. High Priest looked on both his sides to see everyone in places and stepped on a small circle carved in the ground. He tapped on it and began to chant again. Golden lines began to shine as they spread out from the circle and formed a map covering the entire floor of the large hall. It was surrounded by mountains on all sides except one and a stream ran through that open side. Right beside the stream was a small picture of the temple''s deity. Between the mountains laid a vast forest with a small golden patch in the middle and a small palace like picture on its side. This wad the same palace carved outside in the scenery. A few kilometers away from the golden patch a black mist started to rise a whirled covering a small part of the forest.


    "There he is!" Priest Dharma shouted as he pointed towards the black mist that was highly contrasting against the golden maplines. All other priests nodded and broke into a heated discussion.


    "Now that we know where he is, what should we do now? We can''t win against him in a head on battle even if all us combine our powers. We need a plan." said one of the priests.


    "I think Priest Devansh is right. We cannot face him head on. We have to think ahead" Priest Shravan said.


    "We don''t even know what he wants to lure him out of there. All the evil spirits seem to be clustered at that one point. I have never seen this happen before." said another. The priests were very well aware of the evil spirits this place attracted due to the high spiritual energy it emitted, but they were always scattered around the forest. They have never seemed to have shown this kind of behavior before.


    "Could he have something to do with that? But why would he gather evil spirits?" one asked and everyone started to discuss it among themselves. No one could guess his plan of action or the reason behind doing so.


    "Can he harness the powers of the evil spirits?" Prince Dharma asked in confusion. These words made a sudden realization struck in Priest Shravan''s mind.


    "Is that why he stole the stone? Nothing other than the Philosopher''s Stone has the powers to do so. It is the only thing that can affect the spirits around it" he said and made their faces go pale.


    "We have worked so hard cleansing the Spirit Forest of evil spirits it attracted every year without a miss. And all of that just so one day a lunatic could use it to gather them and fulfill his evil intentions? We all are well aware of the calamities those evil spirits can bring forth if not cleansed in time." Priest Dharma sat back down after he finished. His mind was in a daze as he imagined the consequences of his actions that day. If only he hadn''t hesitated that time, if only he hadn''t let him escape into the Spirit Forest. If only he had followed him and not just imagined him to be dead in there. There were too many ifs, but he knew that there was no way of changing what had already happened. All he could do for now was to rectify his mistake or die trying.


    "I do have something in mind, but it involves heavy risks." Priest Vishva finally opened his mouth as he confided in his brothers. Everyone turned towards him and awaited him to continue.


    "We can use all our powers to summon the Great Guardians! We cannot let this spiritual place fall into evil hands even if that''s the last thing we do."


    Everyone exclaimed at the words -''Great Guardians''. Great Guardians were the spirits of former High Priests that ascended and became celestial beings. Summoning them all required an immense amount of power, but that could claim all their lives! The whole Hall of Priests would be wiped off in an attempt to summon them. It was definitely a huge risk. First Priests exchanged glances among themselves unable to decide what to do. The Hall of Priests did posses enough power to do so but it would mean an untimely end to all them. Wouldn''t that be the same as ending the priesthood?


    "What about the priesthood then? The priesthood can never end." Priest Shravan voiced out his worries. He was right, even if they overcame the trouble this time by laying down their lives who would be performing the cleansing ceremony afterwards. Without the ceremony, this place would be gone anyway.

 77 Spirit Fores

    Without the ceremony, this place would be gone anyway.


    "Draft out letters to the candidates you have in mind as your successors. We will leave the sacred texts in the Hall of Priests explaining the ceremony rituals and chants. And with it letters with the priesthood seals appointing them as the new Hall of Priests. We leave in an hour, get it done by then and meet me at the riverbank."


    ***


    One Hour Later.


    The First Priests gathered at the riverbank with the High Priest. The High Priest kneeled near the riverbank and offered prayers to the spirits as he asked for a passage. He was well aware of the sacredness of the Spirit Forest, he will have to be granted permission to enter or else all the spirits and beasts in there would view them as intruders and attack. Right now, they had no time to spare fighting beasts or binding spirits.


    As the High Priest finished his prayers, two trees on the other side started to grow taller as they binded together. Soon the joined tree trunks bent forward to form a bridge above the river. The priests offered grattitude to the spirits of the forest as they walked over it.


    The Spirit Forest was the most dangerous place for unwelcomed guests, but for the High Priest it was a sacred place that should remain undisturbed. Some spirits here were as long as thousands of years old and their strength was at par with the gods. They could become highly aggressive if anyone disturbed their slumber. Other than that were some century old spirits that gathered here with time. Each year the stone cleansed the place of evil spirits leaving only good or the neutral ones behind. Since the Spirit Forest was quite rich in energy many spirits gathered here to cultivate. Many mythical beasts resided in this forest and none of them were fans of human intrusion. There were countless Gandharvas, Yakshas, Shunis* and many more. The legend has it that even an Ahi* sleeps in the depths of these mountains.


    The priests carefully made their way through the dark forest as they followed closely behind the High Priest. They didn''t want to unintentionally disturb a spirit or run into a beast. It would be tragic if they couldn''t even reach their destination to call for the Great Guardians. Since they weren''t powerful enough to cover a large area, it would require close proximity with the enemy for the summoning to work.


    Priest Dharma caught upto the High Priest at the front.


    "My apologies, Your Eminence, for I have failed you." Priest Vishva raised his hand to stop him right there but he was determined. "Please, let me. I must say this now before it''s too late. It was my fault that he escaped. Let me be upfront during the summoning. It is the only way I can die in peace. I beg you." he suddenly knelt down and touched Priest Vishva''s feet. Priest Vishva could understand that the guilt Priest Dharma felt was eating him away. But he hesitated to let him be the first sacrifice. Since there were nine of them, there was a chance that the last ones could survive. He couldn''t bear to take that chance away from his brothers. Before he could say anything Priest Shravan came forward as well.


    "What rubbish! Priest Dharma is the oldest and wisest among us. He must stay behind to teach the next generation." He bowed with his hands clasped together, "High Priest, please let me."


    At this another one came forward, "Aren''t you getting ahead of yourself by claiming to be young! You''re just an old bag of bones. High Priest will definitely make me go first as I''m the youngest."


    "Wasn''t it just last week when you mixed up the names of your own disciples, old man?" said Priest Devansh with a laugh. His words made the previous priest go red in rage.


    "Who are you calling old? I''m as young as one can be!"


    All the First Priests ignored the High Priest and started to call each other old just to offer themselves to be first in the summoning. Even though it seemed like they were bickering but the way they were ready to go first just to give one of their brothers a chance was enough to melt a million hearts. Priest Vishva felt a wave of warmth take over him and his eyes teared up.


    "Enough!" he yelled and the heated arguments dropped within a second.


    "I''m the High Priest and I shall be the first. No more arguments regarding that." he said and turned to continue their journey without looking back. He wiped his tears with his sleeves that were threatening to fall any moment. He didn''t want the First Priests to see him in this vulnerable state. Since he had already decided to go down, he wanted to do so with pride.


    A loud screech echoed in the forest and startled everyone. As the sound of loud rumblings seemed to be coming towards them, the First Priests instinctively surrounded the High Priest as they started to run away from it.


    ***


    *Mythical creatures from Hindu Mythology.


    Gandharvas are half humans and half horses with wings. They are quite similar to centaurs only they can fly.


    Yakshas are powerful nature spirits or beings that sometimes guard valuable treasures and live in tree trunks or roots. They are depicted as both benevolent at some places and also as monsters that devour travellers.


    Shunis are kind of dog monsters that are very fierce and aggressive. Though there are some people who worship them and see them as well intended guardians.


    An Ahi is a huge serpent like monster that is large enough to devour all the water bodies of the entire earth. It can also take away fertility from people. And it sleeps in the mountains.

 78 Loud Rumblings

    "What the hell was that?" asked Ashwin as he heard the rumblings in the distance.


    "The forest is full of mysterious beings. From the noise, it seems to be quite big. We must steer clear of it. We don''t want to disturb even the smallest ones hear, let alone the big ones." Priest said.


    When he saw the group of witches standing outside the priesthood he was shocked. They were supposed to return three days ago but had decided to stay.


    After Visha called them weak, one of his disciples wanted to get in a fight with them but before he could even touch her she threw a powder on all of them and they couldn''t move. It was as if they had been frozen at the spot. Visha then explained everything to them that had happened from the beginning. The Priest was shocked to hear that the Hall of Priests planned to lose their lives in this battle. After hearing how the witches had helped the priesthood and even decided to stay back to help, they felt ashamed. They were cursing and insulting their benefactors. That''s when Visha told them that if they really felt guilty then they should help them find their way to the forest. They had known the vast forest on the other side of the river as the Forbidden Forest. No one had ever been there how could they know their way in. But the words ''Spirit Forest'' made them jump up. The Spirit Forest was a mythical place they had all read about. It was an abode to a lot of mythical beasts and sacred beings and spirits. They could never have imagined the Forbidden Forest to be the same Spirit Forest they had always read about. It was hidden in plain sight! On their way Priest Dravya apologised for his disciple''s rudeness back then. Shaurya immediately brushed it off as he wouldn''t hold a grudge on such a small matter. The teams followed their lead and familiarised themselves with each other. The kid with the loose mouth had an extreme change in his behavior towards the witches. He came to them on his own and introduced himself, Laksh, and his teammates, Kashyap and Vinay with the youngest one being Dhruv. Dhruv was hardly seven or eight years old and had a carefree and innocent smile whenever he spoke. Strangely he stuck to Visha and followed her like a cute tail. She liked the cheeky brat and hence didn''t mind chaperoning him while others talked.


    Shaurya asked Priest Dravya if he knew anything regarding a person who may have survived in the forest. From the way First Priests had talked, it seemed to be someone originally from the priesthood itself. And that must also had been the reason Priest Vishva asked them to leave, as he may not have wanted to bring that matter to light in front of outsiders. Priest Dravya thought for a while and suddenly remembered something.


    "There have been a handful of people who vanished in the Forbidden area every year. You know, kids can be quite difficult to tame. But there was one man about eight years ago, I was a senior disciple then. He was a direct disciple of the then First Priest, Daksha and the brother disciple of Priest Dharma. His name was Drona. He was one of the most elite and also the youngest one to climb up that fast. One day, the First Priest caught him doing dark magic in his room. He was a warlock that had infiltrated the priesthood, god knows why. Priest Daksha disowned him in front of the entire priesthood and even issued a death sentence. But he murdered his master and escaped into the woods. No one can live in there so everyone assumed he was dead."


    "Dark Magic? What would a dark warlock need a Philosopher''s Stone for?" Shaurya asked. Priest Dravya shrugged his shoulders as he didn''t know much about the wiccan world.


    "If it is a dark warlock behind all this then I''m glad we stayed. The Hall of Priests are powerful, without a doubt, but they don''t know much about witchcraft. So we will go their as well, you should stay hear and guard the fort."


    Priest Dravya jumped up to stop Shaurya, "I''m very thankful to all of you for this offer but I won''t stay behind to guard mere walls. This is a matter of the Priesthood and we shall go with you."


    Shaurya pointed towards little Dhruv who was walking ahead with Visha. Out of mischief, he let go of her hand and started to run away. Visha too followed as she tried to catch him. His high pitched childish giggles could be heard from there as he escaped from her grasp. Priest Dravya immediately understood what Shaurya meant. After that he left Dhruv back at the priesthood with Vinay and Kashyap while he and Laksh came with them. As the witches may not know about mythical beings as much as them, Priest Dravya would not let Shaurya and others to go by themselves. They crossed the river with the help of a bridge Ashwin and Shaurya conjured out. Just as they set foot on the forest grounds, they heard loud rumbling voices from within the forest.

 79 Spirit Gajakesari

    The team started to run away from the noises with Shaurya taking the lead. Visha and Ashwin were in the middle with Priest Dravya and Laksh. Trisha was the worst when it came to physical activities and hence she was at the back. Danish decided to stay at the back so he could overlook the whole group but the slowpoke Trisha made it very difficult. Danish decided to hold her hand and tried to catch up. He''d drag her if he had to but they couldn''t risk being too far behind. They were almost about to catch up with them when Shaurya yelled, "Run!", and a loud roar sounded from ahead. They could hear trees being trampled upon by something big in the distance heading for them. The group started to run in the opposite direction this time, but the trampling noises kept on getting closer regardless of the numerous turns they made. It was following them!


    "Running isn''t helping." Danish said and everyone stopped. As much as they hated to admit, they wouldn''t outrun this beast. No matter how fast they had run, it kept on getting closer. "We will have to stay and fight."


    "You can''t." yelled Priest Dravya. "Every creature in here is sacred and holy, we cannot harm them no matter what!"


    "It''s after us. We''ll die if we don''t do it first." Aswin shouted. The entire witch group felt the same way. To hell with some beast, their lives were far too precious. If defending themselves was a sin then so be it.


    Priest Dravya could see that his companions won''t be agreeing with him. Laksh stood by his Master''s side as he clasped his hands together and started to chant something. A translucent circle appeared in front of them and Trisha being closest tried to touch it. She gasped and jumped back as a slight touch of it gave her an intense shock.


    "What''s the meaning of this?" Danish asked. He was the one who always maintained his composure and kept his calm. He could see that the priest was ready to fight back even after knowing they were heavily outnumbered.


    "It is our sacred duty to protect the Spirit Forest, the entire priesthood was built to do it." Priest Dravya was determined and everyone could see it.


    "If we die here, then no one will be able to help the High Priest. You need to calm down and think rationally." Danish tried ro reason with him.


    "If that''s God''s will, then so be it. The High Priest is doing the same as us right now, protecting the Spirit Forest even when the odds are against him." Priest Dravya had no intention to let them bring any harm to the beast, even if they die. As irrational as it was, Priest Dravya did make sense about High Priest doing the same thing but on a larger scale. No wonder he took the same step as those stubborn old men and put his life on line to protect this place. It seemed the entire priesthood qas full of stuck up old men. Before he could say anything the beast roared once again and it seemed to be just behind them. It stepped into the clearing after trampling more trees and everyone finally had a view of the magnificent elephant. It was atleast four times the size of the normal elephants and had a weird bump on its forehead.


    "It''s a Gaja(elephant)! And from the looks of it, not a normal one. It''s a Spirit Gajakesari!" said Priest Dravya. It was a Gajakesari! The witches looked at each other in shock. They knew nothing about a living one, all they had heard was that bump on its forehead had a bone in it. And witches would kill to have that and use it in witchcraft. It was far too precious and rare. It was used to make charms for wealth and success too. They had only ever heard of buying it in the black market. If the bone of a normal sized Gajakesari was precious, just how much would this one be?


    The Gaja roared once again before it swinged its trunk and smashed Ashwin away. He landed against a thick tree trunk and coughed up blood. Shaurya immediately started aiming flames around the beast to scare it away but it seemed to have no consciousness. It went on a rampage and tried to trample Priest Dravya beneath its foot. Thankfully, Laksh was right beside him and pulled him away. Trisha rushed towards Ashwin to heal him while Danish helped Shaurya. Priest Dravya and Laksh came back to their senses and saw right into its eyes. The Gaja had no pupils, its eyes were all white.


    "There''s something wrong with it. It has no pupils." Laksh yelled.


    "Then that means its under someone''s control. Its black magic." Danish yelled and started to chant a spell. Shaurya saw him and distracted the beast with Priest Dravya and Laksh, so Danish could wash away the mind control. After completing the spell, Danish pulled out a small dagger and aimed it towards the Gaja''s back. Priest Dravya saw it and rushed forward to stop him.


    "Don''t you dare!" his scream attracted the beast''s attention and it began to rush towards them. It saw the dagger Danish held and madly swung its trunk around and with a swoosh smashed Priest Dravya away. Danish saw his window of opportunity and threw the dagger that pierced a few inches into its flesh at its back. As blood dripped from the wound, the beast lost its mind and rushed to trample Danish. Since, Danish was still chanting to clear its mind through the dagger he threw, he couldn''t move.

 80 Respective tasks

    As blood dripped from the wound, the beast lost its mind and rushed to trample Danish. Since, Danish was still chanting to clear its mind through the dagger he threw, he couldn''t move. The beast saw Visha standing behind Danish with a strange glow around her hands and shifted targets. It coiled the trunk around her waist and picked her up. Everyone else rushed forward to help her and Visha increased the pace of her chants and formed a small blue translucent ball that hovered between her palms. The Gaja seemed to have grasped her intentions as it threw her with all its might away in the air. Visha was in mid-air when she finally released the ball at beast''s feet. A sudden chill blasted the entire clearing and the force threw everyone leaps away. A sudden fog covered the entire place and slowly started to clear away. What they saw after the fog dissipated was unbelievable, the whole Gaja had been frozen solid in its place with its trunk still in mid air from when it had thrown Visha away. Trisha widened her eyes as she saw the impact of the small freezing spell Visha had done. Ashwin came forward and knocked at the frozen Gaja and a ''thak'' sound came out.


    They were the elites of Bhairavi, and yet the most they could manage with a beast of that size was a frozen limb. But a newbie like Visha completely froze it solid in one go. Just what exactly was she?


    "I don''t think it''ll be following us for quite a while now." Shaurya said.


    Danish turned to Priest Dravya who was still in shock to see a majestic beast completely lose to a young witch. He couldn''t believe his eyes, if witches were this powerful then why did the priesthoods never worked with them before? Were the old priests afraid of their power? Or were they more powerful? Questions kept on popping in his mind non stop and none of them could be answered. He could never ask it out loud to any First Priest or even the High Priest without sounding disrespectful.


    "As per your request, the beast is unharmed. We should continue to find the Hall of Priests." Danish said and Priest Dravya nodded, still in a daze. Laksh looked at his suddenly dumbstruck master in disbelief and then at the frozen beast. That girl was really something else. She had disrespected them, talked back to them, called them weak, but now he could see why. That arrogance she had must come from the immense power she held. But the cold way she had of caring for people brought a smile on his face. A warm fuzzy feeling gripped his heart as he looked around to find her but he couldn''t.


    "Where''s that witch girl?" he asked. His words made them look around themselves but no sign of Visha. The beast couldn''t have thrown her too far, she should''ve been back by now.


    "Could it be that she got hurt and she can''t move?" Ashwin asked. That was a terrifying thought. In a forest as dangerous as this, they cannot let her be alone or injured or both. Shaurya took a deep breath and stepped forward, "Did anyone see which way it threw her?" Everyone was busy fighting the beast. They were just one mistake away from death and no one could have afforded to look away at a time like that. It was hard to keep track of anyone else, so they shook their heads to say no.


    "She was standing at the back the whole time. How could anyone have noticed that coward? She was just lucky, I think." Trisha scoffed as her tone dripped of jealousy. All that she did was stand at the back while everyone else put their lives on line to fight that beast. That newbie can''t just wash it all away because of one lucky move.


    Shaurya chose to ignore her comment and faced others with a grave expression. He being the leader bore responsibility for the safety of everyone in his team and Visha was no different.


    "The Gaja''s trunk is frozen in mid air. Maybe, she is in that direction." Laksh said. Shaurya noticed the beast''s trunk pointing to a possible direction. He pondered for a while to think of the best way to do this. They still had to track down the Priests before they offered up their lives. Time was of essence here. He couldn''t afford to lose even a second more.


    "Danish take Laksh with you and try to find Visha. Everyone else will be with me to track down the old men. And Danish take this tracker spell, contact us if you run into trouble and join us as soon as you find Visha." he took out a small black stone and handed it to Danish. He kept it in his pocket and Laksh too happily agreed. After all, that girl had managed to save everyone without hurting the Gaja. That bad mouthed girl from before was now a respected savior in his eyes. He wanted a chance to save her too and return the favor he owed.


    Trisha couldn''t believe that Shaurya was ready to waste time on her. Had he forgotten how Visha had sabotaged their only chance impress the priesthood? That loosemouthed b***h had offended First Priest Dharma and cowardly stayed behind in the entire fight with the beast. How could he still not be annoyed by that idiot? Trisha grit her teeth as she cursed Visha. That sly vixen sure knows how to get the powerful ones on her side. First, it was the Young Miss and now the team leader. She felt awful seeing Shaurya fall right into Visha''s honey trap. Her rage had been fueled to the point of no return. Once this was over, she would immediately contact her brother to help out and take care of Visha. No matter how immensely powerful Visha was, she was still a newbie. There was no way she would stand a chance against one of the strongest witches of the coven.


    The team then split up to carry out their respective tasks.

 81 Snap!

    Ear piercing screams echoed in the forest. Priest Dharma looked around at his brothers covered in blood. They were barely holding on to their lives as they lay in a pools of their own blood. If this continued any longer, they''ll never make it to the summoning grounds. What he couldn''t understand was the reason behind all this. It had been just a few hours since they entered the forest when they heard the loud rumbling sounds and tried to escape it. While moving away from its path, they accidentally ran into a pack of Shunis. The priests knew that the beasts of this forest hated human intervention and hence politely offered their prayers and started to move away again. But even before the prayers had ended, the pack attacked them out of nowhere. As dangerous and vicious as these beasts were, they had never attacked the higher priests before. And on top of that those blank white eyes, were too horrifying. What had gotten into them? The priests had tried to build up shields, but the Shunis were too fast. Two of them had already lost consciousness from the several bite wounds on their bodies while the others were heavily injured. Right now, the High Priest and Priest Dharma had successfully managed to build a shield around them. But with the constant attacks from the pack they had no idea how long they''d be able to hold on. It had been a good few hours since the shield came up, but the pack showed no sign of retreat.


    "The sun is about to go down, they''ll be more powerful then." High Priest said as he looked at the reddish sky.


    "I''ll open the shield from the back, you all must go on." Priest Dharma offered. He had been carrying the guilt of his mistake for a while now. If he could save their lives in exchange of his, he''d be more than happy to do so.


    "We won''t leave you behind." Priest Shravan said. He was very well aware of the reason why Priest Dharma offered himself.


    "Priest Shravan is right. If we leave behind a man every time we face an obstacle, no one will make it to the summoning grounds then." High Priest said. He could never let anyone be used as a scapegoat for their escape. Being the High Priest, he was the only one who could commence the summoning. He knew that if this starts to happen, the priests will definitely do this over and over just so he could make it. He wasn''t going to use his brothers as a shield.


    "If the summoning doesn''t happen, we will lose a lot more lives. And hadn''t we already decided to die if we had to?" Priest Dharma yelled. He knew this was difficult for them, but this was not a time to be emotional. They had to think rationally, one life was just a tiny speck when compared to thousands. He could see the other priests struggling as their previous determination seemed to have wavered in front of his logic.


    "Don''t worry, you all just have to make it to the summoning grounds. Once it happens, the forest would return to its peaceful state. I just have to keep this up till then. The more time you waste here, the lesser the chances of my survival. Hurry up and do it before I burn out." he said with a reassuring smile. All of them knew that he won''t make it, but still nodded and hoped for the best. They had to make it there faster than they had originally planned, since Priest Dharma''s life depended on it. The priests bid farewell to their brother and hurried up on their journey with tears in their eyes. They had known from the start that the priesthood won''t make it out without harm yet it still made their hearts bleed to see it happen. Regardless of how much they had prepared themselves, and how they had hardened their hearts, but loosing one of them like that made it worse. He wasn''t lost in battle or summoning like they had thought, he was sacrificing himself so they could make it out. Priest Dharma was more than a comrade, he was their brother they had studied with, ate with, lived with since they were ten.


    As they left Priest Dharma too had teared up, he won''t be seeing his brothers ever again. He was sad but not regretful of the choice he made. Once again, he took a deep breath and put all his attention to the shield he was now holding up all by himself. He had to buy them as much time as he could. He kept calming himself and took deep breaths as he maintained the defenses. The shunis were growing more and more restless by the second, as their attacks on the shield grew more vicious and aggressive.


    Four more hours passed, Priest Dharma was running on fumes. He was at the verge of loosing consciousness but shook his head again and again to keep the shield up. His breathing was getting irregular as beads of cold sweat broke out all over his body. It is said that one can sense their end coming, Priest Dharma sensed the same as he saw the mad shunis attacking the shield. It had started to crack, its demise was just mere minutes away. Priest Dharma saw the saliva dripping from Shunis'' large canines. They looked like rabid dogs who had seen the last piece of meat. Suddenly, he heard a loud snap and the mighty shield came crashing down.

 82 Visha wakes up

    Visha opened her eyes and a massive wave of pain swept all over her body. The Gaja had thrown her away with all its power, she landed several hundred metres away and judging from the reddish sky, she must have been unconscious for quite a while too. As she regained consciousness, every part of her body felt like she had definitely broken it. While groaning in pain, she inspected herself for any major injuries but to her surprise, there weren''t any. Her body ached from the impact, but nothing was broken and no serious injuries at all. Her limbs were covered in scratches but nothing too severe. Visha thanked the goddess as she got up and tried to find her way in the forest. Every direction looked the same from where she was standing, finding her way back won''t be easy. She headed to the direction she thought she was thrown from. But after walking for a while and not finding the clearing in which they had fought the Gaja, she knew she was lost and there was no possible direction to head towards. Visha let out a sigh as she saw no hope in wandering aimlessly.


    Suddenly, an ear piercing cry resounded from behind her and she turned to see a small white object fluttering straight towards her. It collided with her and she fell as the white object landed on her chest. The pain from before returned as she let out a groan. Her body wasn''t ready for any imapct at all.


    Visha got a better look to realize that the white object was a swan! It was constantly crying out at her without moving at all. She saw one of its wings stained in blood as it kept on crying. It was hurt.


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    She held the creature gently and felt the smooth feathers as she stroked it. She stood up with the bird in her arms that wouldn''t stop crying. Visha felt as if her ears would start bleeding and she tried to put it down but that seemed to make it worse as its cries became louder and more fierce. What does it want, she couldn''t figure out till she heard a howl. Visha looked up to see a handful of Shunis running straight at her and she instinctively started to run away. As soon as she started running from the Shunis, the swan seemed to have calmed down. Is that what it wanted?


    Visha started to think of another way as she leaped through the forest. Because there was no way of outrunning the beasts and they''d soon catch up. She brainstormed to look for ideas as she remembered the words of Priest Dravya. The creatures were not to be harmed, as they all seemed to be possessed or controlled. An idea came to her and she pulled out one of the vines hanging from a tree. She started to chant and tied a knot in the vine. After a few knots that covered the vine, she joined both its ends and tied the last knot forming a small ring. She stopped abruptly and threw it backwards in the air while chanting. The ring fell on one of the trees and as soon as the shunis passed from beneath it, a gust of wind swooshed through and created a barrier enclosing the Shunis inside. As the beasts howled and roared at her from inside it, Visha could finally take a breather. She had fought a Gaja just a few hours back and now the Shunis. At what awful star chart did she enter this godforsaken forest, she thought as she plopped down to rest. Her body had still not recovered from the impact of the fall from before and now she had to race around as well, she had reached her limit. The swan freed itself from Visha and started to walk away.


    "Wait, Mr. Feathers!" she called out. But it ignored her and kept walking.


    "Well, aren''t you a grateful one?" Visha taunted as she saw its feathery back swaying side to side as it walked away. But the bird seemed to have heard her as it turned back and let out and angry cry before continuing to walk away. Did that bird just scold her? Maybe she should teach its feathery little thankless ass a lesson. She followed to catch it but it sensed her intentions and took a leap forward and looked back tauntingly at her. This seemed to have infuriated her further as she seemed determined to catch it and started to run after it. She had forgotten all about her exhaustion as chased Mr Feathers around. After following it for a while she saw the swan land on the surface of a pond and swim away. For some reason, this scene looked very familiar to Visha. She came out from behind the trees to get a better look and saw the beautiful scenery. The pond was large as she looked at the trees on its other side. It was so clean like a mirror reflecting everything clearly. It was surrounded by lush green trees that made it appear like a Heavenly Spring. She saw another swan at the lake swimming towards Mr Feathers.

 83 Rescued

    The pond seemed so clean like a mirror reflecting everything clearly. It was surrounded by lush green trees that made it appear like a Heavenly Spring. She saw another swan at the lake swimming towards Mr Feathers. It was evident by its quick pace that it was glad to see its partner. But due to its injury, Mr Feathers was having a difficulty swimming and was way slower than the other one. Visha felt bad for the poor bird as she had gone through hell to save that one so she jumped into the lake to help without giving it a second thought. She went in till the water reached her waist and pulled Mr Feathers out of the lake. It struggled to get away but Visha was adamant and nothing could persuade her otherwise. She pulled Mr. Feathers out and started to look at the plants nearby. She remembered reading some books about herbs in Dhira''s library. After plucking what she felt was useful, she started to crush it with her hands and rubbed its essence on the wound. Mr. Feathers let out a few whimpers of pain during the process but it was clear he was holding back. The wound looked like a bite mark, must have probably been from the Shunis earlier. She ripped off one of her sleeves and tied it neatly on the wound. Mr Feathers had its beak clutched tight and refused to show any sign of pain as Visha tightened the knot on the bandage. A warm smile appeared on her face as she gently stroked the brave swan.


    "Good Mr Feathers. Brave Mr Feathers." The swan immediately puffed up with pride hearing its praises. Visha let it down with a distant smile, she had grown slightly attached to it. Mr Feathers swiftly ran into the lake and started to swim towards the other swan. That must be Mrs Feathers, Visha thought and chuckled. She too cleaned up her scratches from before and quenched her thirst as she prepared to get back to her quest. The priests still had to be found and her teammates too. The journey was far from over.


    She heard Mr Feathers voice again and looked up to see the swans rubbing their necks together showing their love. This lovely reunion was breathtakingly beautiful and warm. But a sudden realization struck Visha. The scene was all too familiar. This was just like the scenery from the High Priest''s place! Could there also be a palace here just like in the carving?


    ***


    Priest Dharma was running through the woods with bite marks all over him. He could barely suppress his pain anymore as blood oozed out of his wounds. After seeing his last hope collapse in front of him, he had no other choice but to make a run for it. He lead the pack away from where his brothers were headed and was more than happy to serve as a distraction. Priest Dharma had felt very guilty and was determined to do anything to redeem himself. So determined that he''d readily give up his life in the process. He only had one goal in mind, to give his brothers as much time he could.


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    The howls of Shunis echoed around the forest as they hungrily followed behind Priest Dharma. Their eyes had become all white and lost the glimmer of their souls. But one could easily sense the madness just by looking at them as they crazed around following Priest Dharma''s scent. He had managed to climb up a tall tree as he watched the beasts hungrily sniffed around. He knew his body needed some rest if he planned to keep them engaged any longer. It was getting more and more difficult, as one or two Shunis managed to bite off a part of his flesh every now and then. He had been struggling to keep a distance between him and them. Their occasional catch ups to him made him weaker every second as blood continued to drip out of his wounds. But he was determined to give his brothers as much time as possible. Suddenly, he heard a snap and looked at his side to see a crack on the branch he was sitting on. It won''t hold him, so he tried to grab the thicker branch above but he was just a second late. Before he could garb it, the lower one snapped and he fell down with a loud thud. Priest Dharma looked up to see his demise closer than ever as the mad beasts growled at him. He breathed heavily and watched death grow closer by the second. He could see the beasts getting ready to pounce at him, but there was no regret on his face. He had successfully given the priests a headstart of more than two hours. Feeling proud of his achievement, he closed his eyes and surrendered to his fate.


    But the unimaginable, neverending pain, he had expected just didn''t happen. No Shunis attacked him. He opened his eyes and saw them attacking an invisible wall. He turned around and saw Shaurya standing there with a knotted up vine in his hands.From behind the Shunis came Ashwin and Trisha, both holding up a ring of knotted vines. His surprise knew no bounds to seeing the witches in here. The same witches he had opposed with all his heart, the ones that were told to leave days ago, what were they doing here? The answer to his question came from behind Ashwin-Priest Dravya!

 84 Prayer

    Ashwin tended to Priest Dharma''s wounds andcouldn''t help but feel the pain from numerous bite marks all over him. Some Shunis had even tore the flesh from his very bones. It was very difficult to treat this wound since he wasn''t the expert in herbs. And the supposed herb expert, Visha,wasn''t around. He doubted the fact that she was one but since Danish had told them that was what Young Miss had said, no one could refute back and had to accept it. Since, they were the only team missing one and a herb expert was crucial to all elite teams.


    Priest Dravya explained Priest Dharma how he had met them outside the priesthood to ease his confusion. And everything that happened from then on, how they conjured up a bridge from magic, how they faced a Spirit Gajakesari without harming it, how Visha went missing and they had to split up because of that. Priest Dharma listened quietly till the end. The more he heard about the young brats he thoroughly disliked in the past, the more astonished he was. The youths he saw as selfish outsiders with some hidden ulterior motives, turned out to be the greatest help to his disciples and the priesthood. Not only did they refuse to leave the priesthood in a problematic situation, they even risked their lives coming here to save it. Maybe the High Priest wasn''t in the wrong to ask their coven for help. Regardless of how much he was against witches, he couldn''t be ungrateful towards them after they had done so much. He gave Shaurya and others a thankful look and Shaurya nodded to accept his heartfelt gratitude.


    "You''ve helped us enough. I cannot bear to drag you all into this any longer. The situation is worse than we had thought. If you stay, you might not make it out alive. So please, you must leave immediately." Priest Dharna begged. He already carried the guilt for not being alert enough and causing this, he wcouldn''t be able to carry the burden of their deaths too!


    "We know about the black magic practitioner."


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    Boom!


    Shaurya''s words were like a bomb that fell on Priest Dharma. They knew! But how? This was something only the Hall of Priests were aware of. How did these kids find out?


    Shaurya could clearly see the shock he had suffered. Priest Dharma was not someone who could control his emotions from showing on his face. And the confusion kicked in right after the look of shock faded. He could guess that it would be difficult to digest if an outsider knew a well kept secret.


    "Visha was worried after she saw the reaction on High Priest''s face when we mentioned the forest. So, she planted a bug on him and saw everything that happened. She was the one who told us to wait for things to settle down and leave after you all. When we found out that you were betting your lives, we couldn''t just sit by." Shaurya consoled him. Of course, the reason wasn''t because he was a good person or anything. Their mission was an alliance with the priesthood and if anything happened to the High Priest they won''t stand a chance. He was the only one who even listened to them, everyone else would be more than happy to kick them out. Plus, helping the priesthood would give them a better chance at the alliance.


    "That poor girl! She is roaming around alone in this forest. I''ll pray that she stays safe." with that Priest Dharma closed his eyes and silently muttered a prayer for her. Trisha couldn''t help but scoff at him. Is this man crazy? He believes in this stuff. But Priest Dharma ignored her and continued. He knew that neither that place was some normal temple and neither was he some normal priest. He knew his prayers would be answered. If the deities won''t hear them, the Northern Priesthood, then who else would they hear?


    "I hope you know it was her own cowardice and stupidity that landed her in this situation." Trisha said with a sneer and turned away.


    Priest Dharma got up with the help of Priest Dravya as he saw the girl dash out towards the west of the forest. He could see this one was not on good terms with the bad-mouthed girl and that made him dislike Trisha instantly. He was grateful to Visha and if someone didn''t like her then he won''t like them either. As he saw them head further into the Spirit Forest, he finally gave up. He had seen the determination in their eyes and a feeling of warmth spread inside him. Since they already know and want to accompany them, there was no stopping these youths. Afterall, he could use some extra helping hands keeping his condition in mind.


    ***

 85 Takshak

    Danish and Laksh saw the sky get dark and started to prepare for a camp. Danish knew that it would be a wasted effort to keep looking for Visha now. They''d miss out any clues in the dark and not to forget the dangers this place held in the broad daylight let alone at night. Even though he was anxious to find her, he wasn''t ready to risk their lives roaming around at night in vain. The best decision right now was to continue tomorrow. Plus, he trusted her. It hadn''t been too long since they met but Visha had shown good talent as a beginner. He wasn''t someone who acknowledges people easily, but Visha had earned it. She was smart, quickwitted and well versed in knowledge of witchcraft. She can certainly take care of herself. With that he consoled his guilty conscience and decided to spend the night on a tree. It seemed to be the safest option so they found a widespread and strong tree with the thickest trunk. Even in the dead of night, one could see its branches reaching far and wide. Danish climbed up and found a thick branch capable of supporting him as he got as comfortable one could get on it. Laksh had taken to another branch right beside him. Strangely, they could not feel any bugs around them, not that it mattered since sleeping on the ground was far too dangerous. The fatigue of the day''s battle finally caught up and they fell asleep.


    It had been just two hours when Danish felt a weird sensation on his arm that was moving towards his shoulder. The feeling of something cold and soft against his skin woke him up. As it was wriggling upwards towards his shoulder, he tried to brush it off with his other hand. But now that soft, cold feeling shifted to the palm of his other hand. He lift it up to take a closer look and saw a finger-thin snake wrapped around his wrist staring directly at him!


    Danish was no fool and kept his movements minimum to avoid alerting it. After all, he still had a lot left to do.


    "Laksh!" he said in the lowest voice possible.


    "Laksh!" this time he was louder than before and successfully woke up the Sleeping Beauty. Laksh wiped the saliva off his mouth and turned towards Danish, still in a daze. With his eyes half opened and his tone still sleepy, he asked while he scratches his head, "What?"


    "Laksh, you useless idiot!" this time Laksh opened his eyes wide open as he felt extremely annoyed by the disturbance. Before he could retort to being called an idiot, he saw the dark green snake slithering as it stared at Danish. He instantly recognised that snake and wouldn''t dare to feel sleepy anymore.


    "Danish don''t move. It''s not here for you."


    "What do you mean?" Danish asked. Laksh''s words were extremely confusing. He spoke as if the snake had some target of sorts.


    "Trust me. It won''t bite you just provoke it to test your luck. That''s a Takshak Naag."


    As soon as he heard this, Danish''s eyes widened in shock. Weren''t these snakes supposed to be extremely poisonous! How can this idiot just spout something illogical like it''s not here for him. And as far as Danish knew, the venom of a Takshak Nag is believed to give the most excruciating pain. It could give a similar sensation to being burnt alive and in some cases for days before the inevitable!


    Laksh could see the colour of his face leaving as his breathing fastened.


    "Danish don''t freak out. It won''t bite you. It is said that Takshak Naags are not allowed to kill anyone from their venom till they have been assigned to it. They are like executioners of the Higher Authorities. So, trust me it won''t bite you. Let it go."


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    What? Is this guy really asking him to not do anything because of that bullsh*t reason? Is everyone in this priesthood this crazy? Leaving everything to fate and crap. Who is to guarantee his name hasn''t been on the verdict yet?


    After staring at Danish for a while the snake leapt off his hand and disappeared into the forest. Just like that! He turned to look at Laksh in confusion.


    "How did you know?"


    "There are no Takshak Naags in this forest. They''re found in the central past or the northeastern part of the country. If one has travelled this far, it means a verdict has been passed with someone''s name on it. And considering the situation, if you think it''s you then you''re just unrealistically self-centered." After a small pause he scoffed.


    "Do you really see yourself as important enough to end up on the hitlist of someone from the higher authorities?"


    After explaining, Laksh shrugged his shoulders and went back to his sleep leaving Danish in a daze as he continued to stare in the direction that snake had vanished.


    "What did you mean by Higher Authorities?" he asked.


    "Someone of a celestial saint level or above. Maybe the Gods and deities. Now do you realize how delusional you sounded thinking it had come for you." Laksh let out a small laugh before turned over facing away from Danish who understood the meaning behind this gesture. Laksh won''t talk anymore so he too lied down thinking of how close death came to him today. After all, that wasn''t some normal snake. The venom of a Takshak Naag gives one an excruciatingly painful and extremely slow death. It is said to be experiencing a living hell! He couldn''t help but feel sorry for the poor fellow who it had actually came for.

 86 Mysterious Beauty

    It had been three days since everyone entered the forest together and for those three days Visha had ended up carrying Mr Feathers around. The stupid bird just wouldn''t budge away from her. She had been wandering around the lake at first but couldn''t find the palace from the scenery. So she gave up and decided to head towards the direction of the dark entity from the map she had seen. She still remembered it being towards the west of the forest. Judging by the sunrise, she headed straight towards the west. But surprisingly, she couldn''t leave the lake, no matter how hard she tried she''d end up by its side over and over again. She had tried going to different directions that were directly opposite from the lake but she''d still end up there again. Three days were enough for her to try everything that came to her mind, to exhaust up all the ideas that popped up but nothing seemed to work. It felt like some sort of illusion or a trap. Visha was growing anxious as there was a lot at stake and the clock was ticking. If she doesn''t reach the priests in time, everything will be over. But how to get out of this bizzare place? This was a freaking maze with no way out at all.


    Visha ended up at the lakeside again and this time she screamed to let out her pent up frustration. She dropped down on the lush green grass and looked up at the sky. Mr Feathers trotted towards her and settled down in her lap all cozied up. The bird seemed to have developed some sort of liking for her after it healed. It could sense that Visha was genuinely helping it and let all its guard down around her. Mrs Feathers had decided to leave the very next morning and they had been inseparable ever since.


    Visha let out a long sigh and started to run her fingers through the bird''s soft feathers. It felt so relaxing as she petted him. Even though she wasn''t a fan of it following her around but she couldn''t deny that he was a great help for her survival these days. It was Mr Feathers who had found the wild berries that had kept Visha alive. As the feeling of being trapped crept up within her again, reminding her of the hopeless situation she was stuck in, Visha let out a cry and laid down. She had never felt so helpless in her entire life. Mr Feathers seemed to have sensed her feelings as it pushed up her hand with its beak suggesting her to use him as emotional support. It knew how Visha enjoyed running her fingers through its feathers. Visha smiled at the generous offer and snuggled up with Mr Feathers.


    The sudden sound of a female laughter interrupted the new Master and assumed pet. Visha sat up and looked towards the source of the sound. It came from a tree right behind her, she looked up to see a beautiful woman sitting on one of the branches swaying her legs as she watched her with a playful smile. That bewitching smile seemed like a sensuous trap inviting people to their deaths. She had almond shaped green eyes, beautiful plump lips on an oval shaped face. Her eyes contained a ferocity that contradicted her alluring looks. Visha could feel that this woman was powerful and very dangerous so she took a step back as her senses went on a high alert. When the woman saw Visha being cautious with her, she let out another laugh and jumped down. She landed on her fours and stood up straight. Her black shiny curls fell on her shoulders like waves. She was wearing a sand brown top and trousers. They were of the same colour as the tree trunk that she was sitting on and that had made it a little difficult to spot her at first.


    "Is that your pet?" she asked. Her voice was as bewitching as her beauty if not, more. But that taunting tone could piss off even saints. Her words seemed to have angered Mr Feathers as he leapt out of Visha''s arms and started to angrily squawk at the woman while flapping its wings at her. She looked extremely annoyed as her lips started to twitch listening to Mr Feathers.


    "Maybe I should have roasted duck for dinner tonight." she sneered.


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    This enraged Mr Feathers even further as it dashed towards her on its tiny legs. She bent down with a smile and caught Mr Feathers'' head with her hand as the little bird struggled to attack. It was like watching a kid pushing against a rock. Once she had her fill of amusement, she pushed the poor bird and it flew away and fell on its feathery butt. Mr Feathers got up and charged at her again, but this time Visha scooped him up in her arms. No matter how much he struggled Visha refused to let go of the squawking angry bird.


    "Who''re you? Or maybe I should ask what are you?" Visha said icily. Her voice was laced with poison and this seemed to have impressed the mysterious beauty.

 87 Hundred Chambers of Deception

    "Who''re you? Or maybe I should ask what are you?" Visha said icily. Her voice was laced with poison and this seemed to have impressed the mysterious beauty.


    "That is of no significance. What matters is that I''m stuck here just like you and I want out just like you. So maybe we could work together."


    "That depends on if you''d be helpful enough."


    The woman laughed at Visha again after hearing her reply. There was something about her laugh that made Visha want to give in. But she was firm on not falling for it.


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    "Is the fact, that two are better than one, not enough?" she asked.


    "If you are stuck here too, than you are no better."


    Visha''s words drained the playfulness from her face. She seemed offended as she glared at Visha with great hostility.


    "Then what do you want, little girl?"


    "You seem to know more than me. Maybe you could share. The better I understand the situation, the more I will be of help."


    The woman grit her teeth and the reluctance was clearly visible on her face. But since there was no other option, she gave up.


    "It''s black magic. Someone has closed this place off from the outside world entirely. And not just this place but all the forest has been divided into small traps just like this one. That means no one is going anywhere!"


    ***


    Danish and Laksh had been walking for three days, while eating whatever they could find and somehow surviving. In the forest, all the trees looked the same, all the sceneries looked the same. If it wasn''t for the frozen Spirit Gajakesari that they somehow reached over and over again, they wouldn''t have noticed that they were trapped. Ever since they slept the night they saw the Takshak Nag, the next morning they ended up in front of the frozen beast. No matter which way they went they''d somehow end up at the same place again and again. Laksh didn''t want to give up and continued to head out again but Danish stopped him. It was a futile effort to just keep walking.


    "There''s no point in walking when we end up nowhere. We''ve tried all different directions." Danish said.


    "But we can''t just sit and do nothing. It was you guys who told us that the First Priests and High Priest plan to give up their lives. You know what''ll happen if we don''t make it in time." the thought of loosing the elder priests had rattled Laksh to the core. There was no priesthood without them and that meant everyone will have to go their own way. All the children were extremely close to their masters, and grandmasters. For outsiders they were just priests, but to them they were more of a family than their own blood relatives. And many among them were orphans too who had nowhere to go, like the little Dhruv. He was found by their master when he was just two years old. Ever since then, they have watched the little one grow and the thought of parting made Laksh''s heart bleed. The little guy was too naive to even know the meaning of the word orphan, to him his elder brothers and his Master were the family he had always known. He couldn''t bear to imagine Dhruv''s face when he is seperated from them. He wouldn''t be able to take it and ball his eyes out crying. Everyone in their group had treated him like a little brother and took care of him, gave into his every whim just to see the cheeky smile on his adorable little face. They won''t be able to watch his face covered in snot and tears as he wailed. Laksh held his chest to simmer down the immense pain the thought had brought.


    "We must find a way. You''re a witch, you must know something." he pleaded. Danish was very well aware of the urgency of the situation they were in. He pondered for a while before speaking.


    "I think it''s the Hundred Chambers of Deception!"


    "The what?"


    "It''s a trapping magic. It divides an area into small sections and turns them into dimensions. We are not in the Spirit Forest anymore, this little section of it is an entirely different dimension of its own."


    "Why would someone do that?"


    "It''s a trap people lay in self defense. Something to trap their enemies and themselves away from the real world. This way no one can go anywhere, not even the conjurer himself. I don''t understand the why, in fact I don''t even understand the how? It requires great power to conjure this spell in a small area, and this one probably covers the whole forest. Since he doesn''t know our exact locations, he has to enclose the entire forest. Just how does someone pull off something of this magnitude?" he started wondering. Afterall, the power needed to lay this trap was no small amount. Even if the elders of the entire coven came together they''d have a difficult time making it happen. How can one black magic practitioner pull something like this off? Did he somehow figure out a way to harness the power of the stone?

 88 Just a Prayer

    Priest Dravya looked at the exhausted faces around him while he helped Priest Dharma sit down on a rock. Ashwin lay on the grass and Trisha was cleaning up with a wet cloth. He then turned to Shaurya who too had a face drained of any energy as he went to examin the shield they had around the Shunis. Even if he couldn''t hear the beasts trapped behind him, he could see them causing a ruckus inside. Their vicious mouths opening and closing constantly, probably barking, as their saliva dripped from it. Their white pupil-less eyes staring right at them as if every one of them had a target on their backs. The pack looked like rabid dogs that needed to be put down immediately.Priest Dravya then looked away as the sight instilled a fear in him that he couldn''t put into words.


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    It had been three days of walking that lead to nowhere. Priest Dharma was still injured and had a difficult time walking, and since they had been ending up at the shield again and again, there was no point in making the poor man move anymore. Priest Dharma was a hard headed man who wanted to continue regardless of his injuries. He knew his brothers were in dire need of their help, and the plan they had for dealing with the situation. He didn''t want to be left behind. But Priest Dravya refused to let him walk anymore, he needed to rest to recover or else he won''t be anything more than a burden. The stubborn old man had finally given up after hearing that. That was the last thing he wanted to be.


    Shaurya came back after inspecting the shield spell and sat down near the two priests. Ashwin passed the water to them and they took turns to quench themselves. Shaurya then took the last sip before throwing it back in the bag.


    "How much do we have left?" he asked.


    "Two more bottles. It''llsomehow last for just a day." answered Ashwin. There were a lot of people in this group. They had taken some supplies when they started the journey. Everyone had carried around their own supplies but no one had expected to get trapped here. And this part of the forest hardly had any water sources nor any food supply. Theirs had lasted them till now but it was running out too fast.


    Priest Dravya couldn''t help but sigh as he turned to Shaurya.


    "You said you knew what witchery this is? Don''t you know how to get out of this?"


    "It most definitely looks like the Hundred Chambers of Deception. But that is very high level magic, one person cannot conjure it. It''s impossible. That''s why I had ruled out that possibility but I don''t know anymore." Shaurya shrugged his shoulders as he looked at his teammates helplessly. He couldn''t shake away the responsibility he had, he was the leader of this team. He has to find some way out of this. He turned to Priest Dharma as something popped up in his mind.


    "Priest Dharma, from what Visha had heard, all of you were ready to lay down your lives in order to go against him? You are priests who don''t know anything about witchcraft, and are absolutely defenseless against it. What exactly did you all have in mind to do against a warlock?"


    Priest Dharma was taken aback by his question, he couldn''t possibly tell some outsiders the secrets of the priesthood. No one knows the purpose of this priesthood except the Hall of Priests, not even the priesthood itself. He absolutely cannot reveal it to some outsiders. He was grateful for all they had done, and would personally lay down his own life to protect these brats but this was a priesthood matter. His personal feelings had no say in it, so he chose to say quiet.


    Shaurya saw the reluctance on his elderly face and still continued.


    "It has been three days since we put up that binding spell." He said while pointing towards the shield with his chin. "I doubt it will hold on for much longer. I''m sure you wouldn''t have came all the way here to face a warlock with nothing in mind. If you do have something up your sleeve, then maybe that thing can get us out of here too. The shield can go out anytime, we are running out of food and water. Please, we are sitting ducks in here. If you don''t open up soon, there will be nothing left of us." Shaurya pleaded. He saw a sudden shift of emotions in Priest Dharma''s eyes and a hope bloomed in him. Priest Dharma let out a long sigh as he faced Shaurya.


    "What we had in mind, required a lot of power. I am unable to do it alone. I really have nothing up my sleeve. But something must have alarmed Drona to put up such a fierce defense. I see no threat here except the prayer I had made the night before this started."


    His words shocked Shaurya as he kept staring at him dumbly. Is Priest Dharma trying to say that this had something to do with his prayer? But how? It was just a prayer. Right?

 89 Ageless Being

    "What we had in mind, required a lot of power. I am unable to do it alone. I really have nothing up my sleeve. But something must have alarmed Drona to put up such a fierce defense. I see no threat here except the prayer I had made the night before this started."


    His words shocked Shaurya as he kept staring at him dumbly. Is Priest Dharma trying to say that this had something to do with his prayer? But how? It was just a prayer. Right?


    "What do you mean by that? How can a prayer be a threat? Just what are you people hiding?" Shaurya knew that the Northern Priesthood was the most powerful priesthood in the country. But no one knew why or how the powers of priesthoods were measured. What exactly had given this priesthood the status above all others? He could feel it in his bones, that the answers to these questions were the also explanation he was seeking. That there was something in this priesthood that stood out, something that was very powerful and it was not the Philosopher''s Stone.


    ***


    Visha looked at the beauty walking beside her, the fierce aura she emitted was like that of a predator. If she wasn''t used to powerful auras around her, she would have been terrified and wouldn''t have managed to walk with her. But since this was the first time Visha had seen someone whose beauty could rival her own, there was a part of her that was curious to know the woman''s identity. But she knew that there was no point in knowing in something so useless in a situation like this. They were just working together for the time being, so she immediately crushed the bubble of curiosity inside her. Visha looked down at the bird comfortably sleeping in her arms. She ran her fingers through its soft feathers and continued to walk. Soon, they reached the end of the confined part, Visha remembered automatically reaching the lake after she went just a few more steps. The woman beside her stopped and turned to Visha. She grabbed Mr Feathers from her arms and threw him forward. The poor bir was abruptly awakened from his sleep and found himself being tossed away. It squawked loudly before it vanished!


    "What did you to him? Where is Mr Feathers?" Visha screamed. She had forgotten all about the fear this woman had instilled within her an hour ago, as her anger took control of her. That bird had helped her through these tough days and was her only companion all this time.


    The woman was slightly startled when she saw the slight spark in Visha''s eyes as she yelled angrily. She knew this little girl was not normal as soon as she was able to see her on that tree. No human would have been able to see her until she wanted to but not this one. And now that spark in her eyes had proven her right. The woman sneered as she reached her conclusion. So she isn''t human either! She thought.


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    She kept on staring at the sparks flying in Visha''s eyes and completely ignored her blunt remarks and insults. She just wanted to see the colour of her eyes. Every species have a different eye colour, if only she could see her full fledged eyes. She''d be able to tell what Visha was, just a little while longer, she thought.


    But a squawk interrupted Visha''s outburst and made her lose all her rage. She turned around to see the bird appear out of thin air and walk back as it angrily stomped its flippery feet. It squawked angrily at the beauty who seemed entirely uninterested and unaffected as well. There was no guilt in her eyes as she narrowed them to look straight at the bird.


    "How much longer do you want to put up this act? You wanna go around fooling with little girls? Does your wife know?" she said and sneered at Mr Feathers. After hearing this, the bird felt wrongly accused as it gaped dumbly at her. How dare she accuse him of fooling around? He was absolutely loyal to his wife. Is she threatening to sow seeds of discord in their lives?


    "What do you mean?" Visha asked.


    "This old man right here has been fooling you all this time."


    Old man? Was she referring to Mr Feathers? Mr Feathers was an old man! Visha had always imagined him as a youth, newly paired up with Mrs Feathers, but he was an old man!


    "What act?" Visha pushed her shock aside as the situation was dire and she needed to get out asap.


    "He is an ageless being, who can pass through different worlds. And that means he can pass through different dimensions too. You should have passed right through while carrying him, the very first time. I don''t have the power to do so and he was following you around like some pet. That''s the reason I asked you to help. Because of him!"

 90 Guard

    Mr Feathers turned its head away from Visha. He refused to face her directly out of his own guilt.


    "What?" Visha screamed and stomped towards the already guilt ridden bird. She picked him up so she''d face him directly. Mr Feathers was still not looking straight at her and kept on trying to avoid her gaze.


    "Is this really true? Were you purposely not helping me? You knew how important it was for me to get out of here and you still did this. Why?" she glared at him angrily. Mr Feathers could feel the rage boiling inside her. He knew she wouldn''t back down till she got the explanation she wanted so he gave in. After a long sigh, he started to squawk and continued for a long time, as if explaining everything. Visha then turned to the beautiful woman to translate. Mr Feathers too turned towards her, since she was the only one who could understand him.


    "He meant well. He says there was a danger outside and he wanted to protect you in return for healing him.He had asked his wife to go someplace safe while he kept you out of danger since he was feeling indebted. Says you should be grateful since he has never left his wife''s side in centuries." she explained calmly. The haughtiness from before was nowhere to be seen anymore. She resented humans but since this little girl didn''t seem to be one she had no reason to treat her like one. Even though she was curious about her identity, she wouldn''t want to be the one to provoke her. Atleast not till she was entirely sure of what exactly she was and where her powers stood. Afterall, risks were not in her nature.


    Visha''s gaze grew softer as she listened to Mr Feathers'' explanation. He had good intentions, she couldn''t stay mad at such a good hearted one, right?


    "Listen, Mr Feathers or should I say Grandpa Feathers, I''m not entirely sure." Visha sounded confused but this seemed to have offended the bird. She ignored and continued, "Thanks for your concern but I can''t just hide out here while everyone out there is suffering. I have to help them and for that I need you. If you really do feel indebted then get me out of here and lead me to them." Visha blinked cutely at him a few times and Mr Feathers let out a long sigh before nodding.


    Visha held him in her arms like before and started to walk towards the exit. The woman followed right behind her, finally she could get out of this cage. She didn''t want to stay there for the rest of her extremely long life. She felt relieved to have finally found a way out. But before she could touch the bird Visha took a step back. She narrowed her eyes as she looked at the outrageous little girl demanding an explanation.


    "Who said we''d help you?" Visha asked her asher lips turned up in a wicked smile.


    "How dare you? Didn''t you say if I was helpful, then we could work together to get out of here?"


    "I only asked for information so I could be of help. Now I did help you find a way out, but I never agreed to take you out."


    The woman wanted to beat Visha to a pulp as she heard her. So this little girl had the audacity to play word games with her. She would definitely tear her to pieces for that. But right now she needed her so she couldn''t hurt her or else there wouldn''t even have been her corpse left behind. She''d have devoured her whole!


    She grit her teeth trying to suppress the rage whirling inside her, "What do you want then?"


    "You''re very powerful, I can sense that. And there is someone dangerous out there, Mr Feathers can sense that. You need me to get out of here, and I need someone powerful around as soon as I get out of here. Maybe we could come up with some sort of arrangement." Visha said with a straight face as if she was just stating facts that had nothing to do with her.


    "Fine. I''ll offer you protection. After we get out of here." she had to give in. She needed this little twat to get out of this god forsaken place. As soon as they get out, she will have her head. Does this little bitch really think she could manipulate her?


    "So you agree to offer me protection from the moment we step out of this place? Make a contract then." Visha knew that spirits were very cunning and she was not going to be at a disadvantage of any kind. No matter what, they are unable to break contracts. The woman''s face started to twitch. This little twat was too smart, once she makes a contract with someone her powers would be bound according to that person. She had never made contracts with humans because that''d mean she''d be weak. But since this girl wasn''t one, she should still be able to use all her powers.


    A dagger appeared in her hands out of nowhere. It looked ancient with its hilt beautifully carved, its head looked like some sort of monster with a wide mouth, large fangs, and huge scary eyes. She made a cut on her hand and smeared the dagger with her blood. She then handed it over to Visha.


    "I promise to protect you with my life from the moment we step out of this place."


    Visha took the dagger and smeared her blood the same way.


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    "I promise to release you from your vow, as soon as I''m safe."


    After that the dagger disappeared the same way it had appeared, into thin air.


    "I''m the yakshini, Nati. And from now on, I shall be your guard."

 91 Concern

    "I''m the yakshini, Nati. And from now on, I shall be your guard."


    ''Guard'', it did sound nice, Visha thought. Having such a powerful person on her side, already made her feel safer. How advantageous would it be if she could have her around forever? Visha immediately dismissed the thought as she looked at Nati''s displeasure after announcing her service. Nati already hated doing this temporarily, she''d never stay a second longer than promised.


    "And my name is Visha, not little girl." Visha said and turned around immediately. She knew she couldn''t trust a cunning spirit like a Yaksha. She had read about them tricking people into believing they were gods. They had been posing as gods for milleniums, fooling people into worshipping them. They were powerful beings without a doubt, but still far away from godly powers. Since, humans had no idea of a God''s powers they easily fell into Yaksha''s traps. And the name Nati, was oddly familiar. She couldn''t remember where she had read about it, but this one couldn''t be an ordinary yakshini if she was mentioned in books. Right? There was no way she was going to let down her guard. She must remember where she had read about a yakshini named, Nati, and hope she didn''t get herself into trouble. They walked right through the part of the forest and entered another one with the help of Mr Feathers.


    Nati was not a woman of many words to begin with, but the silence between them right now was making even her uncomfortable. She could see Visha thinking really hard about something. Her brows would twitch every now and then. Nati had never been a slave or a prisoner, she hated the status quo her sitaution had forced her into. She had vowed to protect the twat, she can''t let any harm come to her. She will have to wait till she is free from this vow so she could turn that smug little face all the way around. She snickered at thought of doing so, she could already imagine Visha''s head turned around. What a gruesome and delightful sight that''d be! Nati thought.


    Visha walked forward to see a similar sight of a pack of vicious saliva dripping canines behind a translucent wall. The scene had startled Mr Feathers too. He knew these pupil-less eyed monsters very well. They used to be his dear friends, before someone had turned them into mindless beasts. They had suddenly attacked him and chased him around the forest. When he had tried to fly away, one of them almost bit his wing off. He barely managed to get out of it alive. He couldn''t help but feel sad for his unfortunate friends.


    Nati was the only one that was surprised. She carefully examined the beasts before turning to Visha.


    "What happened to them?" she asked.


    "Black magic." Visha answered expressionlessly and turned to continue their journey. She had no relation to these beasts, and was neither shocked nor empathetic towards them. Since she felt no emotion for them, there was no concern either.


    "That''s not possible. Black magic doesn''t work on the creatures of Spirit Forest."


    Nati''s words made Visha freeze in her tracks. She turned around to face Nati who was still examining the beasts inside the shield. Nati could feel someone''s gaze on her and saw Visha''s brows raised demanding for an explanation.


    "Spirit Forest is a sacred and blessed place. The creatures that reside here aren''t normal either. They''re immune to all kinds of Black Magic. Be it curses, hexes, blood magic, or anything else, it just doesn''t work."


    The words had shook Visha to the core. This was the explanation that she had been believing till now. But this new piece of information had left their previous assumption in shreds. If not black magic, then what was this?


    "What do you think happened here?" Visha knew well that Nati was quite knowledgeable. She might have an idea about the real trick behind it.


    "Their souls seem to have been replaced by contracted souls. But these low class human souls aren''t powerful enough to drive away the original ones. Spirit Forest has very high soul energy, beasts here contain powerful souls since they were born and bred in this environment..." Nati stopped as she saw the bewilderment on Visha''s face. Her eyes were widened as she stared at the beasts behind her.


    "What?" she asked. Visha seemed to have been pulled out of a trance. She turned to Nati to share the earth shattering concern she had just had.


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    "There is only one thing that can control souls and make them leave, the Philosopher''s Stone. But if he''s using the stone to keep the original beast souls away, then what is he using as the power source for the Hundred Chambers of Deception!"

 92 Soul Mastery

    Laksh and Danish were resting under a tree, with their backs on its trunk. They could see the efforts they had made were futile and that there was no hope in just wandering about, so they had given up. Laksh looked at Danish who was lying with his eyes closed. He was still curious about the Hundred Chambers of Deception. This was the first time he had heard that name. Priesthood rarely had any information about witches and witchcraft, so everything about it was new to him.


    "So, is there a way out of this spell?"


    Danish got up to face Laksh who had a sliver of hope remaining in his eyes. Because if there was a way then they could finally deal with Drona. Danish sighed as he felt awful for taking away his last ray of hope. After all, it was called the Hundred Chambers of Deception for a reason.


    "There is no way out, it can only be broken from outside. Or we will have to stay here till he gets old and dies on his own since he''s also trapped here like us. I highly doubt he''ll undo the spell himself, because whatever scared him is still out there somewhere."


    Laksh''s face dropped in disappointment as he laid back down quietly. Danish looked up to see the sky that looked the same as before, but it was just a part they could see now. Nothing seemed different but it was worlds apart. Were they really going to die like this?


    Sounds of rustling leaves interrupted their thoughts and made them get up on full alert. They stood back to back as they carefully examined their surroundings. It was impossible to have missed a beast in three days. Could the ice have melted from the Spirit Gajakesari?


    The thought made Danish shudder. With a beast of that massive size in such a small part of the forest, they had no chance of survival. Should they fight or just give into an easier death? Before they could follow that thought further, a familiar figure appeared in front of them. Her beautiful brown eyes glanced coldly back at them. There was a snow white ball in her arms. A long slender neck popped out and gawked at the two of them as if examining them before going back to sleep. Laksh broke into a smile as he excitedly ran towards Visha. He was worried to death about her, after the battle. She was the one who had found out about the crisis the priesthood was in, not only that she had stayed behind to help even after the way they had treated her teammates. The debt he owed her was far too great.


    "Where did you get that?" Danish asked as he pointed towards Mr Feathers.


    "Nice to see you too." Visha said sarcastically and pulled out a pouch full of berries she had kept before leaving the lake. Danish and Laksh refused to take it as Danish pulled out a similar pouch full of berries as well. Since this place was originally close to the lake, it had similar trees as well. They didn''t have to worry about any food source at all, and the water vapor collected on the frozen Spirit Gajakesari was enough to quench both of them.


    "How did you get here? Was the spell somehow dismantled?" Danish asked.


    Visha shook her head and pointed to Mr Feathers, "This guy here can travel through different dimensions. That''s how we got here."


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    "We?" Laksh asked as he looked around in confusion. There was no one other than her.


    Before Visha could explain anything Nati stopped her. "Don''t bother. They can''t see me."


    Visha furrowed her brows as she looked at her. Why would Nati stay invisible to her friends?


    "Since I''ll be leaving you soon anyway, there''s no point in making my presence known. If no one knows about me then I can be your little ''surprise''. Got it." Nati explained and then went ahead and stood behind Danish and Laksh. She looked at them from head to toe examining them. Then she clicked her tongue and turned away in disappointment. Too weak. Nati thought. They were pests really!


    "I meant me and Mr Feathers." Visha explained awkwardly as she glanced at Nati who turned to her with a smile after hearing that. "Good job!" she said.


    "That''s great!" Danish exclaimed. "Now we can reach others and finally get out of all this." Laksh finally had the hope he was looking for. He had almost given up after he heard Danish talk about this Hundred Chambers of Deception.


    "Some bad news though, this man has something really big up his sleeves. These beasts'' souls have been replaced by some cheap contracted human souls." Visha said. She hadn''t read much about this, so it was better to put it out. She was hoping Danish would know something so she turned to him to see his reaction to this information. Thankfully, Danish did have a reaction.


    "Contracted souls? So that means, this Drona guy practices Soul Mastery magic!"


    "Soul Mastery?" both Visha and Laksh asked in a monotone.

 93 Gatekeepers

    "Contracted souls? So that means, this Drona guy practices Soul Mastery magic!"


    "Soul Mastery?" both Visha and Laksh asked in a monotone.


    Danish nodded and continued, "It''s a dark magic which traps troubled human souls and uses them as slaves. As the souls grow older, their powers increase which in turn makes the practitioner more powerful as well. The more souls they have, the faster they progress."


    Nati was still walking here and there behind Danish and Laksh. It was just impossible for Visha to listen to Danish, she was too distracting! Visha glared at her angrily and for some reason unknown to even herself, Nati stopped. Those eyes were terrifying, Nati thought as she quietly came and stood beside Visha who was now finally concentrating on Danish.


    "So, these souls are all trapped by him? How powerful does all these souls make him?" Laksh asked in astonishment. There were hundreds of beasts in the forest, this means he has hundreds of these so called trapped souls!


    "That means he must be one of the Elders of their tribe!" Visha concluded. What else could explain his command on over hundred souls! Danish nodded in agreement and sat back down. The little hope of getting out of here that had made them so happy a while ago, seemed so trivial now. Even if they do get out, how should they deal with an Elder of the Soul Master''s tribe. Visha looked at their dejected faces and pursed her lips. The worst was yet to come. She hadn''t even got to the bad part yet.


    She hesitated a little but it had to be done. And she''ll do it just like that, like ripping off a band aid.


    "He''s using the stone to keep the original spirits out that means he''s using something else to conjure the Hundred Chambers of Deception." she kept a low voice and said it all in one breath. She had no idea what she was hoping for but judging from their pale faces, they definitely heard it. Visha lowered her haze, she couldn''t keep looking into those hopeless eyes!


    ***


    Shaurya saw Priest Dharma wince in pain, he signalled Ashwin who nodded back in reply. Ashwin went and brought some medicinal pastes they had in store. He began redressing Priest Dharma''s wounds. It had been a while and bandages needed to be changed regularly or it might become infected. Trisha turned away as soon as Ashwin pulled off the bandages revealing bloody gory wound. It was too much for her. Ashwin let out a sigh, thankfully it wasn''t infected. He continued to tend to it. Shaurya kept on looking at the Priest that was wincing in pain every now and then. He couldn''t help but wonder about what Priest Dharma had said. The doubts in his mind refused to let go. Does this man truly have the authority to request for a Celestial level Kill Order? Priest Dharma had admitted that his prayer that night might possibly be the reason for this fierce defense mechanism Drona had put up. Was this really possible? Is this why priests are believed to be so powerful? Could there be something more to this Priesthood than what meets the eye? There definitely must be.


    "First Priest Dharma! I have a question and I want an honest answer." Shaurya''s stern voice made everyone turn towards him and then at Priest Dharma who was just as startled by the sudden spotlight. As if having the impression of impending doom, he gulped and thought very seriously before giving a slight nervous nod.


    "This is not an ordinary Priesthood, right?" his words were like lightning to everyone, including Priest Dravya as well.


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    Priest Dharma already knew it had to be something along those lines and he couldn''t lie anymore. These people went out of their way to help the priesthood, they were all stuck here because of his mistake, he just couldn''t be dishonest with them. He nodded slightly and shocked everyone with it.


    "What is this place? Who are you people? What makes this Priesthood stand above all else?" Shaurya''s questions were like darts that hit bull''s-eye one after the other. All were to the point, and would answer every mystery about this place.


    "Because we aren''t a priesthood, we are guards, watchmen. You can even say Gatekeepers, of sort."

 94 Original Guardian

    "Because we aren''t a priesthood, we are guards, watchmen. You can even say Gatekeepers, of sort."


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    "Gatekeepers? How come I don''t know this either?" Priest Dravya asked. He had been in the priesthood for more than two decades and this was the first time he ever heard of this Gatekeeper thing.


    "This has always been kept within the Hall of Priests, and was passed down from one successor to another. Like my Master Daksha passed it on to me, and like I would have passed it on to you." Priest Dharma sighed again as he said this. Now that they were all trapped in here, he won''t be able to pass it down himself. All that remained were the letters they had drafted before leaving, and since Priest Dravya was the successor he chose, someone else will have to step in now. Priest Dravya saw the reluctance on his face and couldn''t stay quiet.


    "Soon, that shield will break and we will all die anyway. This is as good a time as any." Priest Dravya said as he glanced at the shield behind Priest Dharma. The vicious beasts ready to rip them apart at any moment. The fear they had initially instilled was still lurking deep within their hearts. Priest Dharma knew that it had taken the entire Hall of Priests to keep them away, as soon as that shield broke their lives would be over. In this trap they couldn''t outrun them, or redo the shield since one of the knotted vine-rings of the binding spell was on the other side. He took a long breath and gave in. Since everyone here will literally be taking it to their graves, there seemed no harm.


    "Let''s start with the beginning then!" he announced and everyone quietly sat down to listen to this story. This was something they could never know if not in this life threatening situation.


    "This Spirit Forest lies on the outskirts of the Realm of Gods and that''s what makes it so rich in spiritual energy. It''s like a safe haven for all mythological beasts and spirits. Each and every spirit here is for the Gods to chose from. They''re taken in as familiars, mounts, servants, disciples even. Every being here has their own status according to the Gods they serve."


    "Gods? Are you saying this place is where Gods live?" exclaimed Trisha. Is this really happening? She wasn''t listening wrong was she?


    Priest Dharma shook his head to say no, "This is where the Gate to their realm is. And that Gate once had a very strong and powerful Gatekeeper. He was an immortal who was leading a simple life, just fulfilling his duties. That simple minded man was mesmerized by the beauty of this place and requested the gods to let him settle beside it. He wanted to spend the rest of his life among its beautiful creatures. He begged and begged every God he could find. They advised him otherwise, after all everyone knew he was a good one with just his duty on his mind. But he refused to let it go. Soon, he was granted the permission to do so if he accepted to live as a mortal, since they couldn''t allow an immortal to exist outside the Realm of Gods. This world had its own rules and it said ''everyone had to die some or the other day'' and if he wanted to live in this world he''d have to follow its rules as well. He agreed to their condition and left to live his remaining days in peace. With the Gatekeeper now being a mortal, countless evil spirits started to gather in the forest because of its powerful energy. They all wanted to be powerful like the beasts here. The Gatekeeper fought them all with his ''weapon'' that he had brought along and kept them away. But he started to grow old with time and it started to get difficult. He couldn''t rest without performing his duties either, so he found disciples. He trained them, showered them with the knowledge of these beasts and the Realm he had once served. He passed on his duties along with his ''weapon'' to his nine best disciples before he died. His disciples continued to protect this place after him and founded this priesthood in his honor."


    Priest Dravya gasped in amazement as he stared at Priest Dharma. He never knew that there was such a story behind the priesthood. In all his life, he couldn''t have guessed something like that to be the foundation of this place. So, they were like the successors of the Gatekeeper of The Realm Of Gods!

 95 Fight back

    So, they were like the successors of the Gatekeeper of The Realm Of Gods!


    "Then the statue of the deity we worship at the temple is?" Priest Dravya asked. If they were what he had thought they were, then the deity must be someone different too, right?


    "The deity in our priesthood is the gatekeeper, the Original Guardian of the Realm of Gods!"


    Priest Dravya let out an ''Ah'' as he finally understood the foundation of this priesthood. But something was still amiss.


    "Then the ceremony of turning metal into gold, what is all that about? And where does the stone fit in this story?" Shaurya asked. Priest Dravya glanced at him in surprise, he had snatched the words right out of his throat and then at Priest Dharma while nodding in agreement. He wanted to know the relation between the two as well.


    "The stone has the power to command souls like you all know, it was embedded in the hilt of the Original Guardian''s broadsword. That weapon was gifted to him by the Goddess Bhairavi herself. The stone turns the metal to pure gold using the evil spirits as a source of power. Afterall, Gold is a symbol of purification. The abundant spirit energy of the forest makes sure to replenish its powers on its. It takes about a year to get it back to full function."


    Everyone let out another ''Ah'' as they understood the schematics behind this other worldly ceremony. So, it was a symbolic ceremony that wouldn''t work outside the priesthood since it required the heavy spirit energy to function. The priesthood really had connections with the Gods and that''s what must have made them most prominent in the country.


    "Look!" Trisha yelled as she pointed towards the shield with her eyes widened in shock. Everyone got up to see a crack in the translucent shield and broke into a cold sweat. The calamity was finally upon them. Ashwin gulped hard as he stared at the beasts that were ready to pounce as soon as the shield went down. Shaurya was supporting Priest Dharma as he looked at their large canine teeth dripping with saliva. Their pupil-less eyes evoked a fear in all of them. The memory of being chased around and bitten was still fresh in Priest Dharma''s mind. He had already given up back then, when he saw the witches, there was a ray of hope. But this Hundred Chambers of Deception has proved otherwise, they all will definitely die here, a gruesome and painful death at that. Being teared apart by so many beasts at the same time couldn''t be the best way to go, right?


    Another cracking sound almost made their hearts stop, and the previous crack started to spread further. Trisha started to take steps back. She could see her end near in those low growls that were now starting to escape through the crack. With every crack the sound grew louder and made them retreat several steps.


    Awwwoooo!!


    Their howls were now clearer than ever as they all did it in unison. Can they do that? Do beasts even have the knowledge of such unison''s existence. Shaurya had never seen a pack that howled in such perfect sync like that. There was definitely something wrong! The cracks kept getting bigger as they spread through the entire shield.


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    With a loud crashing sound it was blown to bits and set free those vicious Shunis. The beasts let out another howl before they leapt towards them. The pack had to starve for three whole days in that shield. They were more restless than ever.


    "Run!" Shaurya yelled and everyone took off. Shaurya and Priest Dravya held up Priest Dharma as they started to run. None of them could gather the courage to look behind as they ran for their lives, but they could easily hear the maddened growls getting closer. The distance between the humans and the beasts was rapidly closing. Shaurya screamed as he felt several sharp teeth clutching right at his ankle. He could feel the grip tighten as it touched his bones sending a sharp pain all over his body. He let out another scream and broke into a cold sweat. He looked behind and saw a Shuni holding his leg and another one about to pounce at him. He started chanting and raised his arms aiming at them. A sharp power flew out of his palms and knocked the beasts several feet away.


    "Stop" he yelled and everyone glanced at him. He put down Priest Dharma and turned to others. He could see the confusion in their eyes and fear on their pale faces.


    "Running won''t do any good, so let''s fight back." he said and a killing intent shone within his eyes that made the priests shiver. Ashwin and Trisha nodded back in agreement.


    "You can''t! They are sacred beings, they cannot be harmed." Priest Dravya yelled. But Shaurya had already made a decision. He was not going to give up his life for the so called ''sacred beings''. If the gods loved these things so much then they could come and save them. Ashwin and Trisha took their stances ignoring the priest''s words completely and started chanting. A fire could be seen forming in their palms as they stood surrounding the priests ready to burn them into the very ground.

 96 Battle for Survival

    Ashwin and Trisha took their stances ignoring the priest''s words completely and started chanting. A fire could be seen forming in their palms as they stood surrounding the priests ready to burn them into the very ground.


    The beasts leapt at the witches and the battle for survival began. The trio was mentally prepared to fight till death. Trisha let out lightening strikes at the Shunis like handling whips from both hands. She swung the lightning as she cleared a wide path for herself. And the sheer force of those strikes was able to throw the beasts several feet away. Ashwin was using air blows like giant boxing gloves to keep them all away. He wasn''t holding back as he landed punches one after another hitting several at a time. The strikes had broken their bones. The sound of snapping bones could be heard by the priests as they constantly yelled to not harm the creatures. They were the sacred beings that the priesthood was established to serve and protect. They were the true lords of this forest, while priesthood was just the servant''s quarter. Priest Dharma had taken a vow to protect these creatures when he had first entered the Hall of Priests. This scene was worse than death to him.


    Shaurya continued to ignore the wailing priests, as he struck the creatures snapping their bones and kicking them away. He had enhanced his physical abilities by three times with magic and was covering the most ground. Soon, the entire pack was on the ground with several injuries. The witches finally had the chance to catch their breaths after an intense two hour battle. Shaurya looked around and his lips curved upwards in a smile. They hadn''t gotten out unharmed but it was finally over! He had never thought to get out of this alive but they did. He broke into a chuckle as he turned to see the smiling faces of Trisha and Ashwin. The fact that they were still breathing gave them immense joy. The happiness of being alive was just overwhelming and a bit shortlived. The sounds of snaps could be heard everywhere around them. Shaurya''s face went pale as he saw the beasts getting back up. Their once broken bones were snapping back into place and their injuries were healing by itself. The joy that had filled them a moment ago was nowhere to be found. The horror struck the team as the beasts started to get back up on their feet.


    "They will keep getting back up, stronger than before, more vicious than before. We have no way out." yelled Priest Dharma from behind.


    "Then how do we get rid of them?" Shaurya asked as he once again had to push away the same beasts.


    "We are Priests not some hunters!" He answered.


    "Then do what you were doing till now and sit right there." Shaurya said and stepped into the battle again. He had been the most exhausted since he had taken care of the most of them before. He could hardly catch his breath as he struggled to keep going. He turned around to see Ashwin and Trisha in the same state as him. Trisha''s lightning whips were either loosing their magnificent effect from before or maybe it was because the Shunis were stronger this time. Ashwin was no different than her as he punched the beasts and barely managed to keep his limbs from being teared apart. They can''t carry this on forever Shaurya thought. This might be the end of this elite team. He took a deep breath and yelled, "Let''s go down fighting!"


    The three let out a battlecry in unison as the raged head on among the beasts. Since, they were gonna die anyway, the least they could do was to make these beasts work for it.


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    This battle went on for three more hours before all the beasts went down again. The trio sat down to catch their breaths.They all looked haggard with scratches and wounds all over their bodies. They were so tired that even moving a finger would be an impossible task now. Shaurya and Ashwin looked around as they heard similar snapping of bones and regeneration of flesh. The beasts had stood up once again, this time faster than before. So once again, the trio pushed their bodies up as they stood up staggering. Their limbs were ready to give in at any moment. Even standing straight was taking so much effort, just how would they fight? All three of them could see their end in the pack that had been viciously growling at them. The five-hour long battle had drained every bit of energy in them as they struggled to even keep standing. Everytime the Shunis had woken up, they were twice more powerful than before. And now they were four times their original strength. As Shaurya and others glanced at the beasts, they couldn''t help but regret coming here. These beasts had resurrected twice already. On the inside they knew, there won''t be a third time. This will be the end.

 97 Little Girl!

    These beasts had resurrected twice already. On the inside they knew, there won''t be a third time. This will be the end.


    The pack darted towards the three witches as they growled in anger like rabid dogs. With saliva dripping from their mouths as they howled in unison. Their barks were enough to instill fear in the hearts of the witches. They growled like mad dogs before leaping at the trio.


    Before the battle could even begin, Trisha already fainted out of exhaustion. She was the pampered Second Miss of her family who had never done any sort of physical labor. A five-hour battle was more than anyone could have expected of her. Shaurya was not too surprised to see her on the ground, he had expected this to happen somewhere in the middle of the second round. She did great holding on till its end. Her ''delicate'' body had finally given in and collapsed. Shaurya turned away as the killing intent once again could ve seen in his gaze. He let out a grunt and leapt into the battle once again.


    Ashwin summoned the large airfists once again and joined him. He put all his might in his blows as he sent several beasts flying. Shaurya had increased his physical strength by ten times already. This would eat up a lot of his magic reserve(the amount of magic power in him) quickly. But he still had to push on for as long as possible. He didn''t want to be torn apart by these vicious beasts. If it came to that, he''d rather burn himself alive than let these monsters feast on him.


    But in just a matter of minutes, Ashwin had fallen. He had ran out of magic in these consecutive battles with no rest or replenishment. A Shuni plunged towards his throat as it finally got its chance. Shaurya ran towards him and kicked away the beast before it could sink its teeth in Ashwin''s throat. And that one moment had given way to the entire pack to surround them completely. They growled as they pounced at them at the same time. Just how many could he push away at once? They could already taste the soft flesh and warm blood in their mouths as they saw the two people from mid-pounce. But before they could feel their teeth plunging into their long awaited dinner, a strong force pushed them all away at once. They had been pushed away with so much force, Shaurya could hear snapping of bones even before they landed on the ground. That force was strong enough to break their bones, when they were four times powerful, at the very impact.


    Shaurya looked back to see the source of this incredibly powerful attack. He was greeted by a familiar pair of cold brown eyes who nodded at him and he finally heaved a sigh of relief. That nod was just her way to say ''Leave it to me''. Visha stood their like a mighty being as she glanced at the beasts getting up and their bones snapping back in place. She looked at the ''Princess'' Trisha lying on ground covered in wounds. Even though she hated this obnoxious b*tch, but the bleeding scratches all over her body were evidence that she gave more than she could. Visha''s eyes fell on the unconscious Ashwin, who was in a much worse condition lying beside Shaurya. Both of them were pretty battered up. She could feel rage building up inside her as her palms let out a bluish glow and her eyes filled with anger.


    They were saved! Shaurya thought and calmed down his racing heart. His body too had given in as he dropped unconscious on the spot.


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    Visha raised her hands as she pushed those beasts from all sides as if collecting scattered toys at one place.


    "Nati!" she called out. That''s where Nati stepped in and formed a temporary shield around the beasts in just seconds. She looked at her own hands with widened eyes. This should have taken longer! It should''ve been a few minutes not seconds! That''s when a strange thought appeared in her mind as she turned to look at Visha who was chanting with her eyes closed. Did she do it? Nati thought. Was it really possible that being with this little wench actually increased her powers? And to think she was originally afraid of restricting herself. Afterall, the contract would make her power level adjust according to her master. And this increased power meant that this little one was more powerful than her!


    Nati thought of the time when she wanted to ripe her head off. She had never been so glad about avoiding a battle. She didn''t even want to imagine the consequences if she had really decided to fight that little b*tch. The thought gave her shivers.


    Visha opened her eyes and let out a familiar blue translucent ball towards the beasts enclosed in that shield. The vicious beasts were growling and barking at her from within. As soon as it hit the shield the entire pack was frozen as it is. Priest Dravya had already seen this before but Priest Dharma looked at the little lady wide eyed. It had taken him all his strength to keep that same pack in a shield, and this girl single-handedly did that while doing another magic on the side! Just what was this girl?

 98 Cupids arrow!

    Priest Dravya had already seen this before but Priest Dharma looked at the little lady wide eyed. It had taken him all his strength to keep that same pack in a shield, and this girl single-handedly did that while doing another magic on the side! Just what was this girl?


    Nati and Priest Dharma both had similar expressions as the same ''little girl'' had just surpassed them both with utmost ease. Both of them felt humiliated and belittled but wouldn''t dare to speak up considering their young opponent was way ahead of them.


    Nati looked away as Visha''s powers had already hurt her enough, and above that her cold, beautiful face was making it worse. Nati looked at her with extreme jealousy, she had never seen someone this beautiful. Nati was the most beautiful woman among the Yakshas but in front of Visha, her beauty just paled in comparison. Visha had this distinct charm that could entrap a hundred hearts with just a glance. There was something that wouldn''t let someone look away from her. It''d require sheer will to do so.


    After that she glanced at the fallen ''pests'' on the ground. These idiots couldn''t even take care of a pack of Shunis. And not to mention they were three witches! Any stupid triad spell could''ve done the job. Did they even think of working together? And above all that, what pissed her off the most was that she had to step in with her Master for such low-lives. What a disgrace! Nati scoffed and ignored them as she went to stand behind Visha obediently.


    Priest Dharma was eager to know more about this ''Little Lady'', as Priest Vishva had addressed her, and what was it that made her catch the High Priest''s eye. He tried to get up and struggled to do so with one leg. Priest Dravya was right beside him and immediately bent down to help him stand up.


    Visha rushed to support Priest Dharma as she had just noticed the bandage wrapped around his leg.


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    "What happened here?" she asked as she pushed Priest Dharma back forcing him to sit down again. She immediately unwrapped the bandages and saw the deep wounds of torn flesh that had barely healed at all. She could already guess what must have happened as she examined the bite marks. It was a good thing Visha had kept those herbs she had used on Mr Feathers before. She pulled those herbs out of her bag and crushed them on her palm before applying it on the wounds.


    Danish and Laksh had just entered holding Mr Feathers and were shocked to see several frozen Shunis. They were greeted with such terrifying beasts. Each of them had this viciousness on their faces even after being frozen. They were glad Visha had went ahead and helped everyone or else these beasts looked like they could tear them apart in mere seconds.


    Just when they had entered this ''chamber'' Nati had immediately sensed the smell of human blood. She told Visha and they had ran away leaving Mr Feathers behind with Danish and Laksh. Since, the two had just entered, they hadn''t witnessed the ''battle'' but they could easily imagine how the things must have unfolded as they glanced at the beasts that had been frozen solid, just like the Spirit Gajakesari.


    Soon, Laksh''s gaze fell on the back of the beautiful girl squatting on the floor. A smile appeared on his face as he walked towards her. But when he saw the complete scene of her tending to Priest Dharma, the smile faded and he rushed towards them. His brows creased up as he stared at the almost half-eaten leg of Priest Dharma. Priest Dravya stopped him from getting any more closer as it might disturb Visha. Laksh could read his concerns on his pale face and stepped back obediently. This was the First Priest Dharma! The second highest position of the priesthood. And if something like this could happen to him, then this Drona really was more dangerous than Laksh could''ve ever imagined. With every step of the way, this man was turning out to be more and more powerful. Even if they could move around with the help of the swan, did they really stand a chance against him? The doubt had taken root inside him and began to spread fear in his heart. He wanted to scream and run away then he looked at the girl who was calmly bandaging her patient with not even an ounce of both. Neither fear nor doubt was visible in her cold brown eyes. They were as calm as an ocean while his heart was like a river thrashing against stones. He felt ashamed for feeling that way. How could he freak out like that when it was his priesthood that was in trouble, when an outsider who was just simply caught up in their mess was so calm! He recollected himself and slapped himself in his mind. Stop being a wuss! He said to himself. And be like that courageous girl. He looked at Visha with admiration. Ever since this journey had begun, he had seen many sides of this girl. She was brave, independent, courageous and someone who was willing to step forward and take a hit when no one did. The respect he had for her had been increasing tremendously from day one. His heart began to feel a warm fuzz as he stared at her checking for other wounds on both the priests'' bodies.

 99 Angry Bird

    Lakshya looked at Visha with admiration. Ever since this journey had begun, he had seen many sides of this girl. She was brave, independent, courageous and someone who was willing to step forward and take a hit when no one did. The respect he had for her had been increasing tremendously from day one. His heart began to feel a warm fuzz as he stared at her checking for other wounds on both the priests'' bodies.


    Nati squinted her eyes as she stared at him. This guy is definitely in love with her Master! What made him think a mere human could match a magnificent creature like her. Nati grunted and looked away. The sight of a love stricken idiot was making her nauseous. This boy would just end up making a fool of himself is all.


    Visha got up and headed towards the unconscious Shaurya and Ashwin. She pulled Ashwin up and started examining him. He hadn''t taken any severe damage, just some scratches and minor injuries. He had passed out due to exhaustion and a depleted power reserve. He will be needing some rest to recover is all. Visha was relieved to see that. But the scrawny Ashwin was too heavy for her so Danish rushed to help her put Ashwin back gently. Then he turned to Shaurya and noticed the bleeding in his leg. He showed it to Visha as his heart started racing as she began to examine it. It was a bite mark. Danish''s guilt weighed down on him as he saw Visha tending to Shaurya''s wounds.


    He should have been here. Danish thought. He should have fought here and protected them. They were his responsibility, he should never have shoved it onto Shaurya. He shouldn''t have stepped down from his position as their leader. Maybe then Shaurya wouldn''t have ended up like this. It should''ve been him not Shaurya.


    Visha had bandaged the bite wound and looked up to see the guilt on Danish''s face. She patted on his shoulder to console him.


    "He''ll be just fine. His flesh hadn''t been torn away, so it just took a few stitches. Its nothing major. Don''t blame yourself."


    Danish nodded at her and turned to Lakshya. The sun was about to set soon, they''d need to sleep here tonight. So, he asked Lakshya to help him set up a temporary sleeping area and a fire. Lakshya agreed and handed the sleeping bird back to Visha before leaving.


    Visha turned around and went to sit with the priests, since everyone else was still unconscious. Priest Dharma saw a snowy white ball in her arms as she walked towards him. He tilted his head and tried to guess what it was. Visha sat beside him as he continued to stare at it with a confused face.


    "I found him in the woods and he tagged along." Visha said with a smile as she stroked its soft feathers. The bird shook itself awake and stared at her with his sleepy eyes. Visha smiled back at him and petted its head. She picked him up and turned to Priest Dharma. He seemed to like Mr Feathers, she thought but was met by a pale looking priest. Priest Dharma''s eyes were widened in shock and fear was written all over his face. As soon as Mr Feathers saw him he jumped out of her grasp and landed right in front of the priest. Priest Dharma saw the anger in the bird''s eyes and cowered in fear. Visha couldn''t understand what was going on. Priest Dharma was afraid of Mr Feathers! But why?


    She continued to look at the two of them who seemed to have frozen in their places. Priest Dravya too looked at the scene in shock. He had never seen Priest Dharma fear anyone in his life. This man wasn''t even afraid of death!


    "Forgive me!"


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    The bow offered by Priest Dharma with these words to the white swan came as a surprise to both of them.


    "This servant has failed and is ready to accept all punishment. We had never thought this matter would be blown so much out of proportion to even disturb Your Eminence!"


    Priest Dharma just addressed a swan as ''Your Eminence''! Priest Dravya and Visha gawked as this scene unfolded.


    Mr Feathers started to squawk angrily as Priest Dharma kept his head bowed in shame. His fists were clenched as he silently listened to all the insults being thrown at him. Visha looked at Nati who was just beside her. Nati immediately understood what her little Master wanted.


    "He is angry at the useless human priest. It was their job to keep this forest safe and they had terribly failed. The bird even said that he is bound not to interfere with humans and their kind. And that was the only reason those shitty priests and that culprit conjurer were still alive. And that if he could he''d behead all the idiots in that stupid priesthood."


    Visha was even more shocked and confused after listening to Nati''s translation. The one being bashed was the First Priest of the most prominent and powerful priesthood of the country. A man no one could even reach to worship was cowering in fear because of a swan! Just what was Mr Feathers'' identity that allowed him to bash him like that?

 100 King and Queen

    A man no one could even reach to worship was cowering in fear because of a swan! Just what was Mr Feathers'' identity that allowed him to bash him like that?


    Priest Dharma kept his head low while Mr Feathers continued to sqawk angrily at him. The usually haughty Priest Dharma being on his knees was a difficult sight to witness. Visha couldn''t help feeling bad for him but decided not to intervene since she was completely unaware of the situation. Not to mention she was an outsider to the priesthood and its workings and had no right to object. All she could do was to continue to witness the bizzare scene.


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    "What is wrong with this bird?" asked an enraged young man who had just appeared from behind the trees. Visha and the priests looked up to see Lakshya dropping the firewood he had collected and running towards Priest Dharma. Lakshya knew his leg was severely injured and bowing on the ground in that condition was just plain torture. His heart ached for him and he bent down to help Priest Dharma get up, Priest Dravya tried to stop him but he refused to see one of his teacher on the ground like that. The people he had seen as the peak of knowledge and power his entire life, the people he worshipped as idols, how could he see one of them bowed down like that. His heart had instantly dropped when he saw Priest Dharma on the ground. But to his surprise he was pushed away by Priest Dharma who stubbornly continued to bow. Lakshya was shocked beyond reason as he stared at Priest Dharma and then at the white swan, who now seemed more majestic than ever. The utmost respect Priest Dharma, a priest from the ''Hall of Priests'', showed to a swan was more than the priesthood had ever shown even to the High Priest. The amount of power and status it held must be immense. Lakshya now locked his gaze on the mysterious swan who somehow had the power to bring the priesthood on its knees.


    Mr Feathers on the other hand, noticed the bandages on Priest Dharma''s leg and let out a sigh. Priest Dharma had endured the pain all this time and broke into cold sweat but hadn''t dared to move. The bird finally showed mercy as it sqawked something at him and then turned around. He stomped away, jumped into Visha''s arms and snuggled back into sleep. Everyone was left dumbstruck by the sudden mercy shown by the swan, including Priest Dharma himself. He let out a painful moan as his legs gave way and he fell flat on the ground. Priest Dravya rushed to help him and glanced at Lakshya, who was still too shocked to move. He slowly regained his senses and went to help the priests. Visha looked down at the snow white creature bundled up in her arms. Back then, by the lake, she had just seen it as a normal swan. Then she found out about its ability to pass through dimensions and now she saw a First Priest bowing to him, and even refer to himself as ''servant'' while the bird as ''Your Eminence''!


    The identity it held kept on getting more and more mysterious, she thought. She looked at the unconscious Priest Dharma once to make sure he wasn''t seriously injured, before heading towards the trees. Nati followed behind her like an obediant guard. Visha stopped in her steps, after making sure she was quite a distance away from others, and turned back suddenly to face Nati. She had a serious expression as she looked Nati straight in the eyes and asked in a slow, deep voice.


    "Nati, tell me the truth. You know about Mr Feathers'' identity, right?"


    Nati was taken aback by the sudden interrogation but she had expected Visha to figure it out sooner or later. Nati nodded slightly and that made Visha relieved, Nati then began to explain.


    "The swans do hold a special identity in this place. No one in the entire Spirit Forest has the guts to go against them, especially those priests. They are nothing more than the servant''s quarter." Nati scoffed.


    Servant''s quarter! Was the priesthood that they had deemed to be sitting on the top, really nothing more than that. Nati saw the confusion on her face and continued.


    "That swan couple are the oldest and most powerful spirits of the Spirit Forest. They are like the King and Queen of this forest."


    King and Queen! Visha could never have guessed their identities. She took a second glance at the sleeping bird who looked nothing like royalty right now.

 101 Familiars

    King and Queen! Visha could never have guessed their identities. She took a second glance at the sleeping bird who looked nothing like royalty right now.


    Suddenly, a thought struck in her mind. Nati didn''t say they''re the King and Queen, she said they''re ''like''.


    "Wait, what do you mean ''like''?"


    Nati smiled at this. She had to admit this new little ''Master'' of hers was very observant of the minute details. With every passing moment, she was liking this little one more and more.


    "There''s no one who can rule the Spirit Forest" she said as a matter of fact, "because there was no one with such absolute power among the beasts. Since the swans have the highest status here as they''re the familiars of a very powerful God, they have been treated like the King and Queen."


    "God? What does that have to do with the status here?"


    "Here every creature has a position due to the Gods they are with or their own power which mostly is the same, since powerful Gods chose powerful beasts."


    "Oh" Visha let the information sync in, "So, who is the God behind the swans?"


    "Goddess Bhairavi!"


    Goddess Bhairavi?The two words rang like thunder in Visha''s ears. The thoughts just came randomly popping in her mind and created a chaos.


    The most fierce demon killer in the entire realm! The only Goddess who defeated armies of demons alone! The one who collected demon heads as souvenirs!


    Visha didn''t know what was more shocking, that being a follower of Goddess Bhairavi she met her familiars or the fact that a goddess that bloodthirsty and ferocious liked such soft creatures. Just then Mr Feathers seemed to have been disturbed as it turned over and slept again. Visha looked again at the beautiful bundle of warmth, this time in an entirely different light. There was a sudden sense of respect and more than that was the bubbling curiosity.


    She wanted to know everything about the Goddess she had worshipped ever since she was a child. Her mother used to tell her stories about the Goddess who was the bravest among all Gods and a devout wife who loved her husband, Lord Shiva more than anything.


    Once, she refused to disturb her husband from his meditation and decided to fight an entire troop of demons who had come to attack them. And there was also the story about her being alone in a battlefield with thousands of demons, that she came out of as the winner. She annihilated them all by herself. They were of no match to her power and strength. This happened because whenever she was aggravated she''d turn into the Goddess of Destruction and destroy everyone and everything that stood in her path. Once she was on her killing sprees, she was unstoppable. No one in the entire world had the power or the courage to stand in front of her, to calm her down and bring her back except the one she loved the most, her husband.


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    The story of a woman who brought all men, women and Gods to their knees with her strength, growing up in a world patronized by men, how could a little girl not admire that?


    The admiration of a little girl soon turned into worship as she grew up and understood the concept of Gods, just like her mother.


    Little Visha used to run around the house refusing to eat and her mother would threaten her saying she''d never be able to become powerful like Goddess Bhairavi if she didn''t finish her veggies. Visha let out a small laugh as she reminisced about the things her mother had to do in order to take care of her. She was very stubborn and naughty as a kid. Her mother had to run behind her for every little thing, all Visha ever said was ''no'' to everything, may it be her meals, or tying up her hair, or studying. Her mother used to lure her in with the stories of the bravest goddess. And she''d immediately settle down to listen while her mother tied up her hair, fed her, made her do her homework.


    Visha looked down as she stroked Mr Feathers and went back towards the Priests. She saw that Danish too was back by now and was preparing a fire with Lakshya for the night. Lakshya though was unusually quiet as he assembled the firewood. He turned to look at Visha as he heard snapping twigs and a faint smile appeared on his face. But it disappeared as quickly as he saw the bird in her arms. He was still reluctant to admit the bird''s identity explained by Priest Dravya. After the ordeal from before, he was told about the secret behind the priesthood''s establishment and their inferiority to the beasts of this forest. But for a boy who grew up knowing he was part of the most prominent priesthood in the country, inferiority was an alien concept. It''d take him a long while to wrap his head around it. Visha understood that and decided to give him space.

 102 Danger?

    Seperate tents had been set up for the wounded, everyone else was just lying on the ground enjoying the starlight. Visha glanced up to see a sky full of stars and she was amazed at how bigger they looked than in the city. Same sky could look so different from different places. She thought.


    Then she heard slight rustling of leaves and turned towards a tree on the side, Nati was sleeping there. Being a tree spirit, she was more comfortable on one than the ground.


    "Plus, it was a great place for a lookout." she had added to convince Visha to let her be. And she knew that Nati wasn''t a pet she could keep on a leash, and considering her strength not someone she wanted to offend either. So she had just let it be, not like she had any problems with that to begin with. She knew Nati was fast and strong enough to capably do her job even from there, so she had no objections. Visha started to feel sleepy after that long day and closed her eyes. She instantly began to drift off to sleep slowly.


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    Just then, something landed on Visha''s stomach and she grunted in pain. She got up to see Mr Feathers sitting on her stomach staring right at her. It started squawking in a serious tone and Visha just looked blankly at him. Mr Feathers sighed and squawked again, louder this time. Visha heard a small movement and turned to see Nati landing on the ground soundlessly and walk towards them.


    "He has sensed magic power swirling in some distance. Something is happening, we need to keep moving or it might get worse." Nati said seriously as she waited for orders.


    "I''ll wake everyone up and let''s get moving." Visha got up and dusted away the dry grass stuck on her clothes. She remembered something and turned back, "Nati! You''re not to show yourself until I say so."


    Nati instantly became alert and nodded. The journey will be getting tougher from now on. She could sense that.


    Visha went and woke everyone up. The priests immediately got up after hearing it was Mr Feathers'' command. Shaurya, Ashwin and Trisha were still unconscious. Priest Dharma had gained consciousness just a few hours ago. The old priest was tougher than he looked. Soon the entire camp was up except the injured ones.


    "What should we do?" Priest Dravya asked Danish. He could sense by now that Danish was a wise man and the only person he''d trust other than the assigned leader.


    "I have an idea!" Visha jumped into the conversation. Both Priest Dravya and Danish were ready to listen to her before storming their own brains. She''d proved to be the most useful by now. Danish nodded and gestured her to go on.


    "Me and Danish could conjure up a cart. Pulling them might be easier than carrying them." Visha said.


    A soft smile appeared on Danish''s face, he had the exact same suggestion. It was good to see a newbie catching up that well. He agreed and they held hands as they started chanting. Priest Dravya was excited yet again to witness this. The last time he had seen a bridge being conjured and now this would turn out to be fascinating as well. The vines started entwining with one another as they roughly started to take shape. Soon, a simple hand-pulled cart was completed.


    Everyone hurriedly worked together to put the unconscious ones on the cart and convinced the stubborn Priest Dharma to be on the cart as well. Danish and Laksh went up front to pull the cart, while Priest Dravya and Visha stayed behind to help push it. This would be the fastest way to make this work. Mr Feathers sat upfront as it directed them with its tiny wings. The aloof and sleepy swan was nowhere to be seen anymore, he had a domineering aura around him like the time he ''talked'' with Priest Dharma before. Mr Feathers had chosen to stand there as it had to be somewhere close to everyone, so they could pass through the chambers.


    The dawn was about to break, they had been pulling the cart all night. Priest Dravya had been changing positions with Danish and Laksh one by one so they could get some rest. Even then, walking all night had took a toll on all of them. They were tired and on the verge of giving in but Mr Feathers refused to quiet down. It would start squawking angrily as soon as they slowed down. Laksh couldn''t help as the hatred for that bird became deeper. He felt like a slave being thrown around by that damned bird!

 103 Danger 2

    Walking all night had took a toll on all of them. They were tired and on the verge of giving in but Mr Feathers refused to quiet down. It would start squawking angrily as soon as they slowed down. Laksh couldn''t help as the hatred for that bird became deeper. He felt like a slave being thrown around by that damned bird! But he calmed himself down. He had no other choice. If even his teacher and the First Priest Dharma were afraid of him, what could a mere disciple like him do? Other than gulping down his anger, obviously. He kept his head low and tried to ignore its annoying squawks.


    Visha looked at the tired faces of everyone and couldn''t help but pity them. Mr Feathers could be quite stubborn when he wanted. She still remembered how he had stayed quiet as she had stumbled around that lake for three days, despite knowing the way out. Even though his intentions were to keep her safe in return for healing him, he was aware of the reason she was wandering around for and still chose to keep shut. And the next time was when he jumped at her last night and stubbornly refused to let them wait and get rest. She had no other way but to comply to his wishes.


    What she couldn''t understand was the reason behind this sudden urgency. Just what could have riled up the most powerful spirit of the forest to this extent?


    Visha was still wondering about it when several small thuds echoed all around them. Everyone was immediately alert as they glanced around themselves. Mr Feathers started to squawk even louder as it flapped its wings and pointed forward. Nati yelled, "He''s telling to run. Hurry up!"


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    Visha dashed towards the cart and gave it a large shove pushing it from behind. Priest Dravya and Laksh were the ones at front right now. They immediately picked up the gesture and pulled with all their strength and might. Danish started pushing even harder beside Visha and the cart soon gained speed as it stumbled upon the rocky path. The forest wasn''t plain anywhere, they were grateful it wasn''t too dense and atleast they could pull a cart through it. Priest Dharma tightened his hold on the cart in the fear of falling from it. The sudden speed had made the journey get much more rockier than before. They had certainly gained speed as they kept dashing forward. Beads of sweat started to form and drip down slowly from the bodies of the four of them. They were gasping for air but didn''t dare slow down, they knew that whatever the swan had sensed was powerful and from what they had heard also quite many in number. Mr Feathers squawked again and flapped its wings in happiness. Priest Dharma gladly announced the good news, "The end of this chamber is straight ahead. Just a little more."


    A wave of joy surged among them. Danish let out a scream as he put his all in the end sprint. Priest Dravya and Laksh followed suit as they let out cries exerting their all in it. Visha too felt relieved as they saw an end to this vigorous journey. But it was too early for their joy.


    Loud gallops were heard right behind them and before they could turn to look, a shadow leaped above their heads and landed right in front of them.


    Priest Dravya and Laksh almost fell on their faces to bring the cart to halt all of a sudden. Danish too tried to pull it back so they won''t bear all the force of the heavy thing. His hands were calloused from the rough vines in trying to do so. The inertia of this had almost made Priest Dharma fall off but thankfully he had tightened his grips beforehand.


    Everyone looked up as they gave into their bubbling curiosity. Even though the swan''s reaction had sowed a seed of fear inside them the curiosity won over it. They lifted their gazes to see a black hairy tail swinging as the creature turned back to face them. Their eyes widened in shock as they stared at that magnificent body of a half-horse, half-human creature. It''s beautiful black wings neatly folded on the sides as it feathers seemed to shine in sunlight. Its gorgeous horse back with perfect curves. The light bouncing off of the sharp tip of a spear he held instantly caught their attention. They stared at the man''s handsome and finely toned upper body that could make ladies swoon all over it. One could say the human part of it was more than just handsome, it was oddly charming as it let out a chilly dominating aura.


    Visha stared at the mysterious creature that had brazenly stood in their way. It was a Gandharva. A race of warrior creatures that had the honor to fight alongside the Gods in the wars against demons. This was back when demons lived and walked among humans on this earth. Then they became outwardly brazen enough to come out of the dark attacking and even taking over human kingdoms forcing them to become slaves for demons. The usually aloof Realm of the Gods had to step in due to the chaos. There were countless wars before Gods successfully pushed them back into the Demon world. And Gandharvas had served as cavalry in their armies. They were a haughty, prideful warrior race that no one would want to go against. Their battle skills were something humans could never match. Even the weakest among them would be able to fight away a troop of atleast a hundred soldiers with ease.

 104 Deal

    Gandharvas had served as cavalry in their armies. They were a haughty, prideful warrior race that no one would want to go against. Their battle skills were something humans could never match. Even the weakest among them would be able to fight away a troop of atleast a hundred soldiers with ease.


    And right now, an entire herd of them was surrounding the cart with some or the other weapons in hand, but none of them were as dominating as the one in front. He must be their leader, Visha thought as she brainstormed ways to get out of this. This herd of about twenty Gandharvas was more than enough to crush them all into pieces without even breaking a sweat. Even if her group had been in their best health they''d have been nothing more than just warm up to these beasts. But right now, half of them were not even conscious while the other half was on the verge of exhaustion after Mr Feathers'' torture all night. Danish looked around with the same thought as her. A fight with them right now was no better than suicide. There bodies wouldn''t even be left intact after this. These Gandharvas will trample them into a mush, not to mention their legendary expertise in weaponry and battles. If they don''t find a way out of this soon, they stood no chance!


    Just then, the sound of a squawk shifted everyone''s attention towards itself. Mr Feathers stepped out from behind Priest Dharma and bravely stood facing the leader upfront. It started squawking angrily at the leader of Gandharvas.


    His perfectly arched brows deepened in a frown before he answered in a deep heavy voice, "You''re well aware of the rules regarding outsiders. All those years ago, that man had begged for his people to be granted entry in this sacred place in exchange for keeping this place a secret from other humans and protecting it. Now, that it has been infiltrated by a human, that treaty is no longer valid. These people are trespassers now and must be annihilated." His voice wasn''t loud but it contained a dominant tone. He sounded determined and slightly pissed as well.


    Mr Feathers started squawking again and whatever he said must have been a sound argument since it made the Leader Gandharva''s eyes twitch in anger.


    "I don''t care what he was before, but when the treaty was made, he was a human. Being an ex-demigod won''t get him any leeway." he answered with a grunt. His words sent a shock to everyone. The priests looked at each other in confusion, ''The Original Guardian was a demigod?'' But no one in the priesthood knew this, were these Gandharvas present at that time. Even thought they knew that creatures here had long lives but it was beyond their expectations that it could be more than a millenium.


    Visha on the other hand had somewhat guessed the Guardian to have special origins to be the Gatekeeper in the first place. What caught her attention was the way the leaders addressed ''humans''. It was apparent that he already bore deep hatred for humans and the priesthood was no exception.


    Mr Feathers sighed and started to squawk again, but the Leader raised his hand to quieten him. He wasn''t going to listen anymore since nothing could change his mind. He was a stubborn one and Mr Feathers knew it too. But he couldn''t give up either since they were his people. He had agreed to look over the priesthood of his dear friend. Afterall, the Original Guardian and him had once served the same Goddess. He found the demigod brat and personally told the goddess about him. The potential he had seen in that kid had proved to be true and he turned into a marvelous gatekeeper of the entire Realm. Even if he wasn''t alive anymore, even if he had once abandoned his immortality to be on the mortal realm, he couldn''t hate the kid. And when his dying words were to look after her disciples, Mr Feathers couldn''t deny. He too hated the humans but this priesthood had to be an exception. It was a place dear to that brat so he had to look after it.


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    Mr Feathers ignored the daggers the leader shot at him and continued to squawk. He was an honourable ''bird'' of his words who wanted to keep his promise to an old friend.


    "The treaty doesn''t stand anymore, and you very well know it. It''s nothing more than just empty words. You have no right to stand in my way." he yelled at the swan who still refused to budge and kept on squawking with its tiny wings flapping vigorously.

 105 Deal 2

    "The treaty doesn''t stand anymore, and you very well know it. It''s nothing more than just empty words. You have no right to stand in my way." he yelled at the swan who still refused to budge and kept on squawking with its tiny wings flapping vigorously.


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    The other Gandharvas passed Mr Feathers a discontent and disgusted look. He was one of the noblest creatures of this forest, they hadn''t expected him to be corrupted by humans to the extent that he''d fight his own kind to protect them. He was nothing more than a disgrace to this sacred forest.


    "How could you be so shameless to side with humans? You''re a traitor to our kind." one of the Gandharvas from behind yelled and everyone nodded in agreement. They had all been thinking the same thing.


    "You''re a disgrace!" came another voice.


    "Maybe, you should give up your immortality as well and become human since you love them so much." another one chided in and everyone else bobbed their heads and in agreement.


    "Become human!"


    "You don''t deserve to be one of us."


    "Give up your immortality and be like them already."


    They kept on firing insults but Mr Feathers ignored them like they were air. He was hellbent on crossing this chamber with everyone safe and sound.


    "Become a human like that idiot from back then. Sacrificing immortality for a human woman. Tch." they criticised. Mr Feathers hadn''t spoken up yet since he didn''t want to participate in a useless banter. It was too low for a noble one like him but that comment pinched him hard in all the wrong places. The usually noisy bird just turned to all of them with a deadly glare. If glances could kill, there would''ve been a massacre already. That look made the Gandharvas'' blood turn cold as they looked down immediately. Their leader''s heated argument with the swan had given them some courage too and they said all that in the heat of the moment. They had forgotten the position of the swan couple in the forest momentarily but soon regretted it. That glare had reminded them of their places in an instant as they fell quiet and let their leader talk. They knew full well that none of them could afford to offend this haughty swan or else even death might seem easier than what would await them.


    Mr Feathers turned back to the leader and starting squawking again. But this time the tone was low and serious, unlike the one before. And from the way he looked at the tall creature made it seem like a threat.


    "That''s not what I meant." the leader said awkwardly. The threat seemed to have worked whatever it was had scared him.


    "The forest has had it''s fare share of deceitful humans. We just don''t want the history repeating is all." he immediately explained himself. His words made Mr Feathers snort in humor. The ''history'' he was talking about was also personally witnessed by the him and his dear wife. How dare he bring that up?


    Mr Feathers snorted and squawked at him again. Did that horse part get to his brain to forget that him and his wife also played a role in stopping that catastrophe?


    "I have no enmity towards you. I don''t trust humans and I never will. So, please move aside and let me do my work." he said with great difficulty. His face wouldn''t stop twitching as his previous haughtiness was nowhere to be seen.


    Even though this argument was pissing the leader off, he wouldn''t dare point his spear towards one of Godess Bhairavi''s people. The atmosphere kept getting more and more tense as they stubbornly stood there in a staring contest. None of them was ready to stand down.


    "How about a new deal?" Nati asked.


    The stubborn men finally turned their gazes away from each other and onto her. Nati went and stood behind Mr Feathers before their turned gazes could arise suspicion. Visha let out a sigh of relief. That was very close. She thought. If anyone had noticed them looking into the oblivion like that, it''d have been quite a hefty explanation to give.


    The leader was taken aback by Nati''s suggestion, "I''d never again trust a..." before he could complete his sentence Natis jumped in once again.


    "I know and I have a solution that''d stand on all your conditions." she said in her honey laced voice. Her lips curved into an enchanting smile as her eyes portrayed a long lost playfulness. The leader pondered over her words and nodded for her to continue.


    "There is someone who is capable of doing what they said and meets your conditions as well. They are powerful, well versed within the human society and experts at keeping secret identities. Now would you make a deal?" she asked.


    "Who?" he asked in a heavy voice. Everyone knows how cunning and decieving a Yakshini can be. He wouldn''t agree without knowing the other party and ultimately fall into a trap. A mischievous glint passed through her eyes as she turned to point towards someone behind her.

 106 Deal 3

    "Who?" he asked in a heavy voice. Everyone knows how cunning and decieving a Yakshini can be. He wouldn''t agree without knowing the other party and ultimately fall into a trap. A mischievous glint passed through her eyes as she turned to point towards someone behind her.


    Everyone turned to look at the utterly clueless Visha who stared back at them blankly. Even though she was there Visha felt like she had missed something in that conversation. And judging by the way they all were looking at her she knew it had to be something about her.


    Nati was just as surprised as Visha when she saw her standing there stupefied. Could it be that Visha was unaware of her origins? Nati thought. And suddenly it dawned upon her, no wonder Visha asked for her protection before stepping out of the first chamber. And she was even scared of Nati at some places. It all made perfect sense. So, there was another situation at hand now. Nati pondered for a while whether she should be the one to tell her. But then decided against it, since it wasn''t her place to do so. She must not interfere in this ''family'' matter. But since Visha didn''t know won''t that mean that she''ll continue to be scared of her. Nati walked towards Visha with a mischievous grin. This was going to be so much fun. She thought. Visha looked at her and couldn''t help but be on full alert. That smile was more than enough to send chills down her spine let alone that playful glint in Nati''s eyes. Visha looked back at Danish who had his back towards them and was completely unaware of what was happening here. He was on the lookout for all the Gandharvas behind them. Not like he could do much against them but that made him feel at more ease.


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    "Do you think I''m wrong?" Nati asked feigning innocence.


    Visha glanced at Mr Feathers who was looking at her hopefully and then at Nati. "I d..don''t understand." she stammered.


    Nati faked an '' It''s so obvious '' expression before explaining, "Don''t witches fill all the criterias I mentioned?"


    Witches do match everything Nati mentioned. Visha thought.


    "B..but Shaurya is the leader of this team." Won''t that make more sense? Visha thought. He should be the one here.


    "But you''re special! Aren''t you?" Nati said as a matter of fact.


    "What?"


    "Aren''t you really close to the leader of these witches?" Nati said as she pointed towards the fainted ones in the cart. She remembered Visha saying something of the sorts when they first got out. She wasn''t aware of her powers then and hence saw Visha as a hindrance. There was no need to pay heed to her back then.


    Visha clenched her brows as she pondered for a while. Though Nati did make sense but what shocked her was Nati was listening! This Yakshini wouldn''t even bat an eyelid if she died right in front of her. Why was she suddenly keen on helping her? And that damned smirk of hers felt like a honey trap. Is there some hidden agenda to this newfound sincerity? Visha thought.


    "Since, you''re the only one here who is close to the leader witch, you could be a representative of theirs. Today, the three factions can come to peace and form a formidable alliance. The beasts of the Sacred Spirit Forest, the Northernmost Priesthood and the witches who follow Goddess Bhairavi." Nati announced. Her sweet voice rang like chimes in everyone''s ears. It took a little bit of time for this announcement to settle in their minds though. As soon as it did their were whispers among the crowd. Gandharvas knew that thought witches were different than normal humans but they still possessed the same bodies as them. And considering how much their leader hated the humans, he''d never agree to fall in this trap again. All of them internally snorted at the foolish Yakshini for suggesting this. She''d meet a bad end in the hands of their leader. Everyone knows that Yakhinis are famous for being cunning not strong. It was their male counterpart Yakshas that usually held strength. She won''t stand a chance in front of their leader. They couldn''t help but pity her. Nati saw the ridicule in their eyes but chose to ignore it. As long as the leader and Visha agreed, these pests didn''t matter.

 107 Ceremony

    Nati saw the ridicule in their eyes but chose to ignore it. As long as the leader and Visha agreed, these pests didn''t matter. She then eagerly turned to Visha who still seemed to be thinking about it. Could she have noticed something? Nati furrowed her brows at that thought.


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    Visha could feel that something didn''t fit into Nati''s explanation but she couldn''t pin it down. Also they were running out of time, this seemed to be the only way out. So she gave Nati a slight nod in affirmation. Nati chuckled as she saw Visha reluctantly give in and turned to the adamant half-horse who still looked unsure.


    Divrat knew that what the Yakshini said was true. That girl did meet the criteria and this deal would highly benefit his people, since they all hated humans and weren''t very keen on having them around. This could prove to be the ultimate solution to keep themselves hidden with the guarantee of resolving things with the least human interference. He wouldn''t trust humans and if it was that girl keeping an eye he could rest assured. Divrat looked at the hopeful Yakshini and gave a slight nod.


    Nati was ecstatic to see her little idea get approved by everyone. But the reaction of the other Gandharvas was just the opposite. They couldn''t believe their eyes when they saw Divrat nod. How could their leader agree to this? Did that Yakshini secretly enchant him? That wasn''t possible with Divrat. He was the most powerful leader among the Gandharvas. He led the cavalry against one of the most formidable demon clans and won against them. Enchanting him was just impossible. They pushed that unrealistic scenario out of their minds as they gawked at the scene that was beginning to unfold. What they could never have known was that this event will mark the beginning of a new history. One of a united front against the darkest forces.


    Priest Dravya and Laksh helped Priest Dharma out of the cart and sat him down on the ground. Visha too squatted down after Nati and Divrat. All four of them sat down facing each other with a chalice in between. Priest Dharma was excused from folding his legs due to his injury. Divrat, being half-horse took a large space with his hooves neatly tucked beneath his large body. His wings were still folded around the back. Even though everyone was curious to see them in full glory none of them dared to voice it out. Visha looked at Nati and nodded, gesturing her to begin.


    "I, the Protector Yakshini, Nati shall bear witness to these three powers coming together." Nati''s words rang like drums in Visha''s ears. The ''Protector Yakshini''! That was why her name had seemed familiar back at the lake. She was one of the eight great Yakshinis. The Nati Yakshini provided protection to her worshipers from supernatural powers. She could protect people from curses, hexes and all kinds of dark magic. People spend years to get her protection and Visha got it just like that! The most terrifying part was that she had actually managed to piss off one of the most powerful Yakshinis and lived to tell the tale. Visha felt like she should definitely make offerings to the Goddess, thanking her for bestowing good luck, if she gets back home alive. Who knew how long this luck could last and keep her safe from Nati''s wrath? She feared of what would become of her as soon as her contract ended.


    The other Gandharvas had a similar reaction to Nati''s self introduction. They regretted every vile thought that had popped up in their minds. They had belittled the Yakshini that instilled fear in even the strongest Yakshas. They felt like kicking themselves for their ignorance. They had just badmouthed one of the most vicious and vengeful creatures on earth and had truly invited death to their doors. They gulped in fear and prayed that this alliance would appease her anger and she''d forget about them.


    Meanwhile, Nati was oblivious to the effects disclosing her identity had caused, and continued with the ceremony. "Gandharvas, the Warriors of Spirit Forest; The disciple priesthood of the Original Guardian and The follower witches of Goddess Bhairavi. They are from today onwards joined in alliance with an oath to protect each other''s honor and lives with their own. Gandharvas are to provide protection to the other two in time of need, the priesthood is to provide spiritual guidance to the other two in time of need, the witches are to uphold the secrecy among the human world of the other two at all times. Are there any objections you have?"


    All three shook their heads as that oath seemed to include it all. Gandhrvas were the strongest faction, the priesthood was gifted with the spiritual eye while the witches were safely melded within the human society. Each faction had gotten the task according to their expertise.

 108 Sealed in Blood

    Gandharvas were the strongest faction, the priesthood was gifted with the spiritual eye while the witches were safely melded within the human society. Each faction had gotten the task according to their expertise.


    After confirming that no one wanted to add anything Nati picked up the chalice and handed it to Divrat. He accepted it honorably with both hands like it was precious jewel. He then took his spear and made a small cut on his palm. Red blood started to ooze out as he carefully dripped it into the chalice and then passed it onto Priest Dharma who took off one of the beaded necklaces he was wearing. From outside it seemed to be a normal necklace of rosemary beads every other priest had. But the end tucked away inside his shirt had a small silver rectangle that looked like a piece of a broken blade. Priest Dharma used it to make a cut on his palm as well. It cut through so easily like going through butter. Visha was shocked to see a priest carry such a thing around. That was too sharp and could even be a weapon if needed. She had never expected that. Priest Dharma then dripped his blood into the chalice too. He then turned to pass it on to her and saw her surprise. He smiled at her, "Witches aren''t the only ones that use blood magic, Little Lady." He had used the same honorifics as High Priest Vishva this time. From everything that had happened, he could feel that she was the main key of getting the stubborn Gandharva to agree. Even though he was unaware as to how but he was sure she had something to do with it. He was beginning to understand that the High Priest had definitely seen something in her even before anyone had noticed. No wonder Brother Vishva had trusted her the moment he saw her. As a priest he had always hated witches, and hated her too at that time. But now there was a soft spot growing inside him for this girl who carelessly put her life on line for others. This little one was really special. He thought.


    Visha copied their actions and took it with both hands. She took out the dagger Dhira had given her and cut her palm. Her blood dripped in the chalice slowly, drop by drop. Suddenly, Nati felt a sweet scent permeating from the red liquid. Even though it was sweet, but something about it felt deadly. Like a sweet lethal poison!


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    Visha tapped on Nati''s shoulder to pass the chalice back to her. Nati was pulled outof her former daze and stared at the sweet scented chalice, then at Visha and back. She repeated it a couple of times and Visha looked at her in confusion.


    "What is it?" she asked. Nati shook her head and continued with the ceremony. She stood up while swirling the chalice in her hands. She then went to all three of them one by one and poured the mixed blood on their open wounds.


    Visha felt a familiar pain from her palm. As the familiar feeling of push and pull arose in her veins, she winced in pain. It grew with every second as it started to spread further. Since she had felt this before she didn''t faint this time. But it was still exhausting as her entire body got covered in a cold sweat.


    "This alliance shall be upheld by the generations to come as it has now been sealed with a Blood Bond." Nati announced.


    Visha''s eyes widened at the last two words. Blood Bond! Is that what Big sis did? But why would she form a blood bond with her? She had read about it in the witchery books. It could seal people together so they couldn''t turn against each other or hurt each other. It was used as an assurance against a potential threat to establish trust. But why would Dhira doubt her? Did something happen that she didn''t know about? Hundreds of questions and assumptions started to pop up in her mind. Another sharp pain struck the back of her palm suddenly. Visha immediately shifted her attention towards it as black lines started to appear and form a triangular pattern. Then another set of black lines appeared around it and spread in branches towards her wrist. They went on till a few inches below her elbow. A pattern was soon formed on her arm with multiple lines entertwined together to resemble a flame. As the pain finally started to dissipate slowly Visha''s breathing returned to normal. She was drenched in sweat by now and her legs were ready to give away. But her curiosity took priority as she looked down at her arm and see the final outcome of the lines. There was triangular pattern at the back of her palm with something that resembled an eye in all its corners. That triangle was surrounded within black flames and also seemed to be its source. It looked a lot like tattoo.

 109 Sealed in Blood 2

    There was triangular pattern at the back of her palm with something that resembled an eye in all its corners. That triangle was surrounded within black flames and also seemed to be its source. It looked a lot like tattoo.


    Visha wasn''t fond of them and had never gotten one by herself. But since she didn''t have much of a choice this time, it wasn''t too bad for her first one, she thought as she stared at the black flames engulfing half her arm. She looked up to see the same pattern on the arms of Priest Dharma and Gandharva Divrat as well. Divrat looked tired but was still standing on his four feet as a thin layer of sweat glistened covering his muscular body. Sunlight bounced off it and gave him a naturally rough macho look. Priest Dharma was sweating buckets as his legs gave way and he fell flat on the ground exhausted. Priest Dravya came running to help Priest Dharma and Divrat stepped aside to give him way. Priest Dharma was taken back to the cart as both Danish and Priest Dravya pushed the cart under a nearby tree. They then tended to his wounds that seemed to have opened due to the ceremony and the intense agony from the appearance of the mark. Visha knew Danish could easily handle it and hence decided to sit there a while longer to catch her breath. The torture from before was just pure agony and had taken a toll on her body as she sat down on the grass with her legs squatted. She looked at Nati and pointed towards the mark. She still had no idea about what it was.


    "This is a seal that signifies this alliance and also the keeper of it. Break it and it can burn your entire arm." Nati announced nonchalantly as she headed towards Visha who was looking at her with eyes wide. Nati had just dropped a bomb like a pebble and walked off!


    Divrat''s eyes too widened in shock when he heard that. He hadn''t expected Nati to form a Flame Seal!


    This seal will be passed onto the next heir of their position and had nothing to do with blood relations. So this was her trick from the beginning. How dare she say it could burn off the arm? This seal was very well capable of burning the entire person to ash. No matter how powerful one was, it spared no one! At times it had even engulfed more than one person in it''s flames.


    Anger surged through his veins as he stood up and rushed towards Nati. Visha could sense the displeasure within him and followed suit. Divrat caught Nati by her throat and pulled her a good few feet above the ground. Visha rushed forward hastily and grabbed his arm in a futile attempt to pull it away. His arm was like a solid rock that stayed unmoved.


    "She''s with me you can''t hurt her. Not after this alliance!" Visha said as she showed him the mark on her arm to remind him. Finally, Divrat let go of Nati who perfectly landed on her own two feet. Her lips turned up in a wicked smile as she snorted in contempt.


    "Relax Little one! He can''t hurt me like that." she assured her anxious little partner. There was a sudden warmth within her for this reckless girl who lunged forward even though she was unaware of her true strength and knew she could easily die in the horse''s hands. Nati hadn''t seen many people who''d risk themselves for someone else like that. She patted Visha''s head gently before turning to the Gandharva. Even though she still had the same smile pasted on her face but the warmth she had before was replaced by an icy cold glint.


    "Pull a stunt like that again and you''ll have consequences." she maintained her frosty smile throughout the threat and then went to stand behind Visha like she had done all this while. She knew she didn''t need to say much. She wasn''t known for her mercy afterall!


    Divrat''s hands balled into fists as he let out a grunt. He felt cheated again as he stared at the mark on his arm. He has been tricked into a Flame seal. He regretted trusting that cunning Yakshini. He knew he shouldn''t but he still did. He was drowning in grief as he pondered upon his choices again. Even though he hated humans, he didn''t want to directly go against the swan. And that had further pushed him into taking this decision. These humans were nothing more than piteous lowlifes in his eyes. He felt humiliated to be on beck and call of these very pathetic humans he hated so much. A simple alliance would have given him some leeway to decide the extent of assistance he wanted to offer but now... He sighed again as he looked at the obvious discontent in the eyes of his people. It may not be long before his leadership would be challenged, he thought. He had ended up not only binding himself but the entire Gandharva clan!


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 110 Destination

    Visha made sure Nati was alright as she examined her neck in a haste. Nati could only chuckle at her childish thoughts. Did she really think the Gandharva could hurt her by just that? Just how naive could this little one be? It wasn''t until she saw a tinge of anger in Visha''s eyes that shock gripped her. She could see a slight spark in her pupils, but it was smaller than before. Nati stared at her in curiosity as Visha gripped Divrat''s arm and forcefully turned him to face her. Not only Nati but Divrat was shocked as well by the sudden spike in Visha''s strength. Just a minute ago she was struggling to get Nati out of his grasp but now she violently turned his body to face herself. As soon as he saw her, he too noticed that tiny speck of light in her pupils. To humans it won''t seem much different than just reflected light but he knew that this was proof that this girl had the blood of a higher being than humans. The regret from before subsided a bit, he had understood Nati''s words the first time and knew she wasn''t human. But now he had seen proof, atleast not all of the things were a trick.


    "We just formed an alliance, didn''t we?" Visha asked while gritting her teeth.


    "What do you mean?" Divrat asked, confused about the real meaning of this question.


    "A simple yes and no would suffice."


    Divrat could feel a strong aura around Visha and hence complied with her request. He nodded in affirmation.


    "You hate humans, don''t you?"


    "Get to the point!"


    Visha scoffed at him before replying, "The alliance states, you are to offer protection when needed. We need that protection now."


    Divrat was taken aback for a second by her demand, "Human intervention will come under the witches'' work."


    "True. But the stone is being used to enforce soul magic and control all the beasts of the Spirit Forest. And THAT is your territory." Visha said and flashed a fake smile his way before turning back. All Divrat could do once he understood her words was grit his teeth in anger. This little one had used the alliance as a way to get back at him for hurting that Yakshini. How petty!


    Nati too couldn''t help but laugh at the way this girl''s mind worked. Visha knows she cannot beat up Divrat directly, so she just tortures him the way she can. Her new ''Master'' was quite spiteful. Nati gave Divrat a smug smile before turning to follow behind Visha as well.


    ***


    Ashwin stared at the four sturdy half-horses walking with them. These tall figures had been here ever since he woke up two days ago. He was gkad to see Danish, Laksh and Visha back. But Visha had been carrying a sleeping bird around ever since they were back. When he asked Danish about the sturdy newcomers all he said was that they had formed an alliance and that''s why these four were accompanying them. That vague explanation wasn''t enough to satisfy his bubbling curiosity. But no matter how much he had tried to pry more information out of him, it was all in vain. That Danish had suddenly turned so tight-lipped, it was unbelievable. He had asked Shaurya but he didn''t know either. He was the leader of this team atleast he should''ve known what happened here. But all he said was that whenever he asked Danish the reply was the same. "Not enemies, that''s all you need to know." This was the first time they had seen Danish this dominant ever since he stepped down from his position as the leader of the team. Even Shaurya was aware that even now he was the leader in only name. He had never taken decisions without consulting Danish.


    If even Shaurya was shunned like that, then there was no way he''d find out anything. All he could do for now was suck it in. Trisha on the other hand refused to budge away and kept walking beside Danish to nudge him into spilling the beans. But even she was getting irritated by that tightly shut mouth of his. Just where did this perseverance come from? He hadn''t been like that ever before. He was well aware of her family background and has never dared to offend her. But now, no matter how much she pestered him, he wouldn''t give in at all. Was he no more afraid of what she could do in this coven? Her family is one of the noble families of Bhairavi Clan. Currently, her Grandmother is one of the Elders and her brother was only second to that Dhira in talents. If only the previous Master hadn''t picked up that gutter rat, her brother would''ve been the heir. They were the biggest threat to her throne, even Dhira had to mind her. How could a mere teammate ignore her like that?


    Danish walked ahead as he ignored her deadly glares and joined Visha, who was startled at first but understood when she saw Trisha stomp her feet behind her. So this stunt was pulled to lose Trisha. Danish knows how much she hated Visha and hence decided to walk beside her.


    "Maybe I should start charging people for waving the pests away." Visha said nonchalantly.


    Danish felt awfully embarassed and opened his mouth to apologise but was stopped by Visha.


    "Save it. Why don''t you just tell them? Why run away like this?" she asked. She had always seen Danish being a kind guide for all of them, like a teacher nurturing them with care. Some part of her was curious too about this sudden change.


    "Because I don''t know what to say either. Even I don''t fully understand what I witnessed. All I can tell was, it was something beyond my reach and understanding." he shrugged his shoulders. He had seen what had happened but couldn''t grasp its gist fully. He could tell it was some sort of alliance from the mark on Visha''s arm. But too had questions as to why the Gandharvas agreed, what had been promised to each other, how did they get involved in a broken alliance between the priesthood and the Gandharvas. What role did Visha have in all of this? Why was she chosen to bear that mark and not the leader of this team? He could tell there was definitely something about her that he had missed.

 111 Destination 2

    Visha could still feel Trisha''s glare drilling into the back of her head but chose to ignore it. A haughty second miss of a noble witch family was the least of her concerns right now. Trisha had done nothing to her directly so there was no reason to retaliate. She could hate Visha all she wanted as long as she kept it to herself.


    Visha then shifted her attention at the white ball curled into her arms. The root cause of everything and also the savior of everyone. After knowing his actual identity Visha felt nervous around the same bird that had given her comfort till now. She shouldn''t be pressured about it but she couldn''t help it. After all, it was the familiar of a Goddess. And not just any Goddes, the very Goddess of Destruction itself. The one that she had prayed to all her life, the one that was the prime deity of the Bhairavi clan. But her nervousness had not been noticed yet. Mr Feathers had went back to sleep as soon as the matter with Gandharvas was resolved. It had no time to notice the change within Visha.


    Everyone carried on the journey silently due to the tense atmosphere. One must admit the Gandharvas did have a heavy air around them. The only unaffected ones seemed to be Mr Feathers, Visha and Nati. Everyone else could feel something weighing them down because of their presence.


    Mr Feathers suddenly jumped out of Visha''s arms and caught everyone''s attention. They stopped right where they were and saw the little bird trot up front.


    "We''re here!" Nati said. Visha nodded and stared into nothingness where the next chamber should be. A restlessness surfaced in her heart as she kept staring at their destination.


    After more than a week of struggle, they were finally here. No one knew what lied beyond this chamber or the extent of the power that Drona had. All they had were just assumptions. This one man had turned the entire priesthood and the Spirit Forest upside down. He had replaced the souls of the beasts of the forest and divided it into a hundred different chambers. Both the tasks require huge magic power and strength. His magic reserve must be immensely huge. He was not an enemy to be trifled with.


    Priest Dharma gave everyone a meaningful look and they nodded back. They knew they had finally reached their destination. The Gandharvas gestured everyone to get in the cart and as they took places around it. One of them stepped forward to pull the cart while others took stands at other sides and at the back. Mr Feathers was at the very front so the cart could pass with him.


    Everyone held their breaths and closed their eyes as the cart passed through the chamber. As soon as the cart passed through the invisible chamber, atmosphere suddenly changed. Everyone opened their eyes, the bright sky from a second before was nowhere to be seen. This chamber was entirely dark with no view of anything. No one dared to get off the cart in the dark and continued to look here and there in the darkness. One couldn''t tell if their eyes were open or closed. Soon, a tiny flame away from the cart lit up the surrounding area. Everyone turned to see Visha conjuring a flame spell in her palm. Her eyes seemed to sparkle as it reflected the flame, but the chill in them was unfazed.


    "Stay if you want to die but I certainly don''t." she said coldly and looked down. Her action made everyone else look down at the ground that was unbelievably close and seemed to get closer. They were sinking? It was a bog. Everyone jumped from the cart to where Visha was standing.


    But the Gandharvas were stuck. Since, they were on ''foot'' they had sunken without even knowing it. Just what sort of bog was it. They hadn''t felt anything wrong till they saw it with their own eyes.


    "It must be a spell." Danish concluded as he saw the bewilderment on their faces.


    "What are you all standing there for? Pull us." One of them yelled. Everyone rushed to get branches or vines to pull them out. Ashwin and Trisha brought a long rope like vine and everyone started to help pull their comrades. Visha gestured Nati to stand by and wait for her signal. She won''t let them die but wouldn''t reveal her trump card till she was sure there was no other way.


    They put all effort and even got blisters but in vain. Gandharvas were too heavy for them. They weighed more than normal horses, how could a handful of people pull them out? They could see their end coming and decided to accept it with pride.


    "Leave. This is just wasting precious time. Go and stop the human. We couldn''t be of much help, our apologies." one said sincerely. There was great determination in his eyes as he tried to talk everyone into leaving them behind. Gandharvas were a race of proud warriors, they weren''t afraid of death. A warrior accepts death with grace when it comes. The others however had different plans. Visha was about to gesture Nati when Shaurya yelled.


    "Everyone! Strength Enhancement Spells, now." The witches nodded and started chanting. By the time they were done, Gandharvas had already sunken till their chests. They only had one chance. Shaurya tossed the vines towards them and everyone started to pull. Gandharvas had joined hands as they tried to struggle out of the deadly bog. As soon as one of them reached the surface, he too started to help pull his brothers. Soon, everyone was out. Their cart though was not that lucky and was nowhere to be seen. The ground looked absolutely normal from the side. No one could think that there laid a deadly trap.

 112 Destination 3

    The ground looked absolutely normal from the side. No one could think that there laid a deadly trap.


    Gandharvas stared back at the bog and then at themselves. Not a speck of dirt was upon their bodies. Visha could see the bewilderment in their eyes and started to explain.


    "That was not an ordinary bog. It was a Soul Trapper. Soul Masters use it to gain new souls. Anyone trapped within it would die as soon as they''re fully submerged and their souls would become slaves to the one who laid the trap. I''m sure Drona would have been more than happy adding Witches and Gandharvas to his collection."


    Gandharvas stared at the trap with widened eyes. Was human magic really capable of trapping their souls? This was something they didn''t want to find out. But one thing they did find out was cutting themselves off from the outside world for an entire millenium had given them disadvantages for sure. This was something everyone else needed to know back home. Maybe the decision to ally with the witches was not utterly useless. They had doubted their leader for nothing, he must''ve had their best interests at heart before agreeing to this. Their loyalty and respect for Divrat increased many folds. As they vowed to follow him to their deaths willingly in their hearts and trust his decisions no matter what. If they found out that in reality he was forced and tricked into this, this respect and loyalty would be lost as easily as it was gained. They felt highly indebted to these witches they had deemed weak and useless at first.


    One of them came forward and bowed to them, "We owe our lives to all of you. Accept our gratitude and bestow us an opportunity to repay it as much as we can." The other three followed suit and bowed as well. Trisha smiled and saw this as an opportunity to gain their favors. She stepped up chirpily with a smile, "We''d never leave you behind. We are not monsters. Its the least we could do after you had accompanied us so far."


    The first one to step up gave a slight nod as he smiled back and thanked her. He then proceeded to thank the others as well. When he came to Visha, she shrugged her shoulders and stared at him coldly. Everyone was furious as to why she was being rude to the Gandharvas when they can obviously prove to be powerful allies.


    "You might be mistaken." Visha said sternly. The Gandharvas looked up in confusion at her. They knew since she was the bearer of the mark, she was important and so they kept quiet and let her continue.


    "We did that due to the alliance. That trap was made by a human, it was out of our sense of duty, nothing more. We just hope for you to uphold the alliance. That is repayment enough."


    Gandharvas nodded and stood upright again. Though her tone was quite rough, what she said was true. It was an alliance, there was nothing personal. They barely knew each other, there could not have been any camaraderie here.


    "But how did you know so much about that bog?" Trisha''s voice broke the awkward silence as everyone turned to Visha in anticipation as well. This was a question that all of them wanted an answer to. Danish looked at her in suspicion as well. He was the oldest witch here and even he didn''t know much about the Soul Master''s Tribe. How could a newbie witch know so much?


    "I read about it in one of the books in the study room of the main house. There''s a whole lot more." Visha answered nonchalantly as she sneaked a look at Nati beside her. If Nati hadn''t sensed the trap before anyone and jumped off the cart with her immediately they all would be slave souls already. Even though Visha knew about Soul Trappers, this was the first time she saw one.


    But ,the words that had came casually out of her mouth had shocked the group. The priests and Gandharvas didn''t know what it meant but they did. The books in that study were out of everyone''s reach. Only the Master of Bhairavi had access to them, not even the clan elders were allowed in that room. It contained information even about the magic that was lost to most of the other clans. Trisha gritt her teeth as she looked at Visha in envy. How could an outsider lay hands on the most precious books of the clan? That''s unbelievable. This was something her Grandmother had to know. That Dhira had let her pet run around in the Main Study disclosing precious clan information. This was enough to raise as an issue among the elders. They can finally have something against that perfect ''heir''. Then the Gutter-rat can return to wherever she came from and take this annoying pet with her. Trisha smiled internally as she already started imagining her brother in that seat, all the power that she could have after that. Soon, she could be the Young Miss of the Bhairavi Clan. Her smile grew bigger as the mere thought of it gave her immense joy.


    Nati let out a disgusted grunt as she saw it. "That wench definitely has something in her mind."


    Visha looked in the direction of her gaze and saw the creepy smile Trisha had pasted on her face. Even she could feel malice in those eyes.


    "We''ll deal with her when she makes a move. For now, she''s not worth your interest." with that Visha averted her gaze. Even looking at that idiotic Trisha gave her a headache.