True Rising: Mark of the Defenders

by Tanishq Sheikh

  Part III

  True rising

  Twenty - seven

  The powers that be.

  Ninth month of pregnancy and I’m not feeling so powerful. I groan, swinging my feet off the bed. My stomach is well-rounded and heavy. I’m not hungry all the time but I’m eating well, or rather I’m being fed well.

  Upon our return from Nepal, Ajaz took me back his ancestral home, under the loving care of his mother, I’ve eaten more healthy food than I’ve had in my entire life, I’ve rested more, watched endless sitcoms, read innumerable books and gone on long peaceful walks around the humongous Markos property.

  I look like a changed person. My skin is smooth and glows, my hair is lustrous and shiny, my eyes are bright and clear and my cheeks have a permanent pink tinge prompting Ajaz to call me a tomato.

  Ajaz. His name brings a sigh to my lips. He’s fussed over me like a mother hen, slept with me in his arms for afternoon siestas and longer nights, held hands with me as we walked across the vineyards on his property and basically indulged my every whim.

  One month ago he left for the US to take care of a few urgent issues with his business. All supernatural happenings aside, we’re very much ordinary humans, living ordinary lives dependent on the corporate world. He can’t ignore his work forever. Knowing that I’m in capable hands was his priority and having done that, he left with a promise to return well before the baby’s due date.

  I dislike being without him. It feels like missing half of myself and I’m lost and alone despite his family being around. Azmath and his family are still in Bombay but his mother, Asad, Rinaz and their twins are there to keep me company. Frankly, I’m not a people’s person. I’m no good at small talk and I prefer spending my time alone reading or taking long walks.

  This morning, I’m missing Ajaz with an intensity I haven’t felt before. I need to feel his arms around me, I need to spoon with him as I sleep with his hand protecting my belly, I need to feel his breath against my skin; but he isn’t here.

  I eat a quite breakfast with the rest of the family before heading into the library. It’s my favourite room in the mansion with its extensive collection of books and ancient manuscripts. I have poured over the family history through ancient texts that shed light on a lot of my queries.

  Together with Partho’s version of the Sangram’s legacy, I have finally made sense of the connection between the two families.

  ~ ~ ~

  At first there was nothing and then out of the ashes of a dying star, a planet took shape. It was a ball of hot lava but as it cooled, it formed layers upon layers of different compositions of elements and finally a solid terrain on top. Oceans, mountains, rivers all ran free and in abundance to sustain life.

  Life was formed out of a complex mix of the elements of Space, Air, Water and Earth. Some scriptures called them the Doshas, some the Ailirs, others Godihas and so on. The region where the Amarah clan, which was where the Markos’, originated, they were called the Ailirs and the region where the Sangrams originated they were called the Doshas.

  There is no single theory on exactly who created life but the popular belief through multiple scriptures points towards an entity called the Unity. Again the names vary from region to region and in some places the Unity was referred to as the Trinity or Triad due to the three important elements required for the glorious sustenance of life: Creation, Preservation and Destruction.

  Through the miracle of life, the Triad exists in us all. Does that mean humans have superpowers? In a way they do. Our bodies create cells every day, they preserve and nourish the cells daily and they destroy any unwanted cells. Daily miracles.

  To maintain a harmonious existence the Triad need the Doshas to be in balance. But when they don’t, up rise the Kleshas, whose only aim is to create an imbalance in society.

  At some point in time, as the Kleshas started their ambitious desire to rule the world, the Triad spread knowledge into the minds of humans who could decipher and guide others. These became the scriptures handed down from one century to the other. Every civilisation that existed on Earth recorded them.

  So who were the Defenders? In their own time, they were ordinary people with extraordinary powers. They were learners, healers, shamans, doctors, animal whisperers, philosophers and more. They were entrusted with secrets of healing diseases, making discoveries and enlightening mankind. Over time some even began to be revered as demi-gods or tutelary.

  It was their duty to protect, serve, fight and sacrifice. With the Kleshas spreading mistrust between humans, it was up to these defenders to keep them at bay and protect the secrets of the Triad.

  There were several hundred such clans around the world but only a few survived into modern civilisation. The Amarahs, the Sangrams, the Shishaus, the Guerreros, the Akechetas, these are few that are recorded as having direct descendants. Each clan had their own set of scriptures that they safe-guarded. Each clan is equally powerful and vulnerable at the same time. Any dilution in their bloodlines and they are immediate targets of the Kleshas.

  Since these clans could obviously not in-breed, they had certain other clans who lent them support such as the Sahra, Laibar, Khan, Numin and a few others. Despite this, the clans couldn’t maintain a completely pure blood-line and now there are only a handful of them left in the world.

  ~ ~ ~

  I have been reading the ancient texts for almost a month now to keep my mind occupied. I have understood the reason why the Kleshas targeted me. Since I’m not a pure blood of the Defenders with only my father being one and my mother being a commoner, I was the one who they could easily latch onto. My union with Ajaz who is a pure blood descendant of the Defenders makes our baby the perfect target to draw out the secrets that can eventually destroy them. She will help them destroy or manipulate those secrets. She will be their living manifestation in this world.

  Over my dead body! Anger bristles through my veins stirring something deep within. I’m alone in the library with manuscripts spread all over the desk that stands in the centre of the room. I extend my arms, turning my palms up to scrutinize them for any evidence of supernatural power in them. Months have passed since Partho said he’s transferred powers into me but I can’t feel a thing. There are no sparks, no glowing bolts of light, nothing. I’m as plain as I was before.

  Until right now when I felt something. It could be the baby moving but I’m used to the sensation of her movements by now. This is different. Almost like a strange surge of power racing through my circulatory system. Or it could just be adrenaline.

  No, it’s something else. Something powerful but out of reach. I bite down on my cheek, placing one hand on my waist as I try to fathom a way to tap the energy and use it. Fifteen minutes of pacing and I come up with nothing.

  I’m frustrated. I have no idea how to safeguard my baby from the Kleshas.

  Giving up, I decide to get out of the house for a while. I miss Ajaz and wish I could snuggle into the safety of his arms. He always gets my feelings and right now I’m exasperated beyond belief. I can’t be around anyone and engage in small talk.

  As luck would have it, I all but bang into Rinaz who’s bustling towards the kitchens scaring the daylights out of her.

  “Oh, you startled me, Prisha!” she exclaims, looking flustered. “Where are you headed? Do you need something?”

  “No,” my response is so quick that I’m worried it sounds impolite so I add in, “I thought I’ll get some fresh air.”

  Her nod is too quick, too eager, giving me the strange feeling she doesn’t want me around either. She’s about to move but hesitates. “Azmath bhaijaan and Aamina are arriving tonight with their children so I’m off to oversee dinner preparations. Don’t stray too far out.”

  My smile is awkward. I don’t have any affinity with Aamina and Rinaz knows it. I take a step away towards the doors before Rinaz calls out to me again. “Prisha, wait.” I turn in surprise to find her fidgeting with the tassels at the edge of her stole. “You should be
aware, Nadira is coming too.”

  That name hits me like a bolt slamming my heart into my rib cage. Ajaz’s ex-wife? Try as I do, it always bothers me that his family regards me as his second wife. Something prickles at the base of my nape. I nod and leave as soon as I can. I know I need to get away into the open as soon as possible. Only Ajaz knows how I react to the slightest mention of Nadira. And only he can calm me down.

  The Markos mansion is surrounded by sprawling, immaculate lawns bordered with trimmed hedges and dotted with intricate water fountains. A huge koi fish pond with a bridge going over it leads to a breezy gazebo with marble columns and bright, green creepers.

  It’s one of the most immaculate properties I have ever seen and it is Asad’s duty to see to its upkeep. He has done a remarkable job with it. Everything is in place, the plants are flush with flowers, the hedges trimmed, the pond water clean and bright. It’s a sheer joy to be out here in the open but not today. Today I can’t see beauty in anything around me.

  I walk at a brisk pace putting as much distance as I can from the mansion and its grounds that suddenly feels oppressive. I enjoy sitting in the gazebo with Ajaz but since he’s not here, I head on ahead to the back of the mansion on the path that leads towards the vineyards.

  I can feel my face burning and then cooling at the same time as tears flow down my cheeks unchecked. My heart feels as though a million needles are piercing it each time I recall Nadira’s name. My mind throws up treacherous images of her with Ajaz, at their grand wedding, the reception, dinners, family photos, at their home in California, just about everywhere!

  No! No! No! My scream is a high-pitched cry making me sink onto the soil in pure anguish. My body is wrecked with heavy sobs that I can’t seem to control. Somewhere at the bottom of my subconscious mind I’m aware my reaction is more exaggerated than I intend it to be but I’m unable to stop it.

  I have no idea how long I sit there but I manage to get a grip on my runaway emotions. I wipe my messed up face and brush my hair aside to realise I’m sitting between a row of grape vines that are dense overhead but allow some light to filter in.

  I love the vineyard. I love the sickly sweet smell of grapes mingled with the fresh smell of the leaves and the soil, I love the mellow rays of the sun filtering through lighting everything underneath like magic. But what I love the most is walking through it hand in hand with Ajaz as we plan our future together.

  Ajaz. Where are you, my love? I need you here.

  Do you really? The voice is not mine but it is familiar.

  My head snaps up and I rise, brushing dirt off my clothes and laying a protective hand over my stomach. I look around but I see no one. The soft thud of the pad of a foot meeting the earth makes me do a swift spin. My eyes widen in shock.

  It’s an enormous beast that looks like a cross between a dog and a wolf. It’s blacker than the darkest night with long, sharp pointed ears, narrow, yellow eyes, a long snout and large fangs dripping vile saliva as though aroused by the thought of a free meal.

  I stem the panic that is set to turn into hysteria. I’m alone and I can’t outrun this creature.

  No, you can’t! An evil, raspy voice croaks. I can hear the creature in my head!

  I stare at it partly in fear, partly in awe. I know I’ve met it before during one of my out of body experiences but it’s here now, in my present. This can’t be a good sign. How has it managed to cross over a realm?

  I shrink back one step at a time, keeping a steady eye on it. My nerve endings are tingling with the immediate threat they can decipher from this creature. While in the realm it couldn’t hurt me, here it can. And I don’t have Ajaz to protect me.

  No, you don’t! It agrees in silence, taking a step toward my retreating figure. You don’t need anyone to protect you, do you, pet?

  I stop. There is no way I can outrun it. My only choice is to find out why it’s here. Before I can decide on the next course of action, something snakes up around my feet. I jump aside, startled, only to find two, sturdy vines creep towards me and encircle my legs up to my shins in a death’s grip. Before I can react, two more vines creep up from the top and encircle my arms pulling them wide open on both sides. I’m strung, spread-eagled like a sacrificial animal, before the malevolent beast.

  My throat goes dry with fear as I watch it take slow, steady steps towards me. It comes to a stop mere inches from my defenceless body that is quivering with fear. I can’t die like this!

  The beast comes closer. It is huge. It stands almost four feet high and can reach my neck with its sharp teeth if it wanted. Instead it drops its head to my belly, sniffing it, making me cringe in sheer terror. Before I can react, it tears at my dress with a razor sharp claw, creating a jagged cut across my belly. Exposed and helpless, I shriek as it licks the blood that is oozing out of the cut.

  Ah! The chosen one is coming along just fine, pet.

  I begin to thrash violently against the vines that are holding me prisoner but I only land up tiring myself. Think! Find your strength within! Find it! Find it!

  Sweat pours down my helpless body mingled with blood and tears. I close my eyes and reach deep within my soul. I channel all my energy to a focal point intent on finding whatever strength I can to protect my unborn child.

  My eyes roll back in my head and I begin to levitate against my barriers. My hands tighten into fists, my teeth grind into each other, the veins at my neck stand and then with a loud cry a bolt of raw force rises out of me and shatters the vines into pieces.

  The beast too is thrown back and lands a good ten feet away from me. It snarls and snaps angrily as it circles around me. I face it hunched like a warrior ready to pounce if need be.

  Well, done, pet! See I told you, you don’t need him to take care of you.

  “What do you want?” I snap through my teeth that are grinding so tight against each other that I fear they might fall out.

  You already know what we want. The hour is near and soon she will be ours. You can’t stop us.

  “No! You’re wrong! I can and I will stop you! I won’t let you take my child!”

  You can’t stop us from taking what’s ours! You live to give birth to her from your living loins, that’s your destiny.

  “Is that what you’ve come here for? To tell me what I already know?”

  The beast sniggers sending chills coursing through me. I’ve come here to warn you, pet. You might think you’re powerful now with all the secrets within you but do you know they’re useless to you as long as the child is in your womb?

  “You’re full of crap! You’re scared I’m going to disintegrate you and your minions! I just used it against you, didn’t I?”

  This time it actually drops its head and shakes it side to side with mirthless laughter. That was nothing. A jolt? Is that all you got? I wonder if you’re always going to need your boy to save you?

  The beast’s words enrage me. I know it is trying to bait me but I don’t get why. How is it helping the beast if I unleash whatever powers that I have on it? What am I missing here? I don’t get time to think.

  Black fog begins to swirl around the beast as it backs up and gets in line for a straight attack.

  I let out a furious snarl beckoning the forces within me to rise at my will. The day is shrouded in shadows as the full force of rage engulfs my senses. I can’t see it but I know my eyes are wide and burning like hot coals. I levitate as the beast charges at me, my wild hair flipping around my face.

  An enraged cry escapes me as I use my hands to slam the beast with all the power I have. Time seems to stop as it leaps at me shrouded with swirling black fog. Its foul, hot breath sears my face, its saliva drips across my forehead and then before my force can crash into it, it disappears right over my head leaving just swirls of black mist in its wake.

  I fall back onto the soil drawing in deep gulps of air. The darkness clears to let dust rise into rays of sunlight. My eyes take in the devastation before me. The powerful force that I unleashed has fla
ttened healthy plants in a radius of ten to twelve feet around me. I did that?

  As if on cue, my sore body begins throbbing with pain. In the aftermath of the surreal attack I realise I’m still a very vulnerable human given to solid jitters and real aches and pains.

  Twenty - eight

  Unknown wounds.

  “Prisha! What happened?” Rinaz is the first one to screech when I reach the doors of the mansion a good thirty minutes later.

  The walk back was excruciatingly painful but I try my best to regain my composure. But there’s no hiding the fact that my clothes are tattered and I’m covered with scratches and a lot of dirt. I hold the flap of my torn dress over my belly. It’s the least I can do to maintain my modesty.

  “Prisha! My God! Did someone…?” Asad starts and stops not able to ask the hideous question.

  “Get out of the way, Asad! Let her sit!” Rinaz brushes him aside, leaping to help me.