Yakshagni - An odyssey of unbroken devotion - II

 36) Manohara - The Tormented Yakshi

"Ekveer..." Dharma sobbed in fear. The air crackled with tension, throwing Maurya into a tizzy.

"Who is Ekveer?" Maurya demanded, tugging Dharma to safety from the edge of the ditch. The water was rising steadily and spilling over to the floor of the house.

Dharma's agonized cry penetrated Maurya's heart with stinging pain. Hearing another man's name from her, with such poignance in particular, aggrieved him. The rawness of the anguish rendered him helpless and he fretted about her feelings for the other man.

Dharma was unaware of Maurya's despair. A plethora of soft voices besieged her. Almost identical to the profusion of nocturnal sounds in dark woods, the murmurs swamped Dharma's head. In her haste to search for the man who had haunted her dreams, she twisted her ankle and the pain shot up like an electric shock, numbing her senses. Everything began to blur for her; however, the whispers grew louder. Feeling groggy and light-headed, Dharma's eyes drooped. She began to slide down from Maurya's grip. Figuring that she was passing out, Maurya wrapped his arms around her tightly and prevented her from slumping down.

"Dharma, open your eyes..." Maurya's concerned voice floated over her. Amidst the babble of voices, Dharma identified Maurya's words but they remained out of her cognizance. There were much more confusing and incomprehensible whispers around her.

"We are leaving you...."

"Go to Alaka, Hanneli..."

"We have fulfilled the promise made to your father..."

"He is Ekveer, the prince of Alaka"

"Goodbye Hanneli...the Yaksha clan has to go..."

"She is not opening her eyes...Dharma, wake up …" a worried Maurya prodded her. Dharma was, however, inundated with subdued voices.

"We will disappear together with Yakshagni into the womb of Mother Earth."

"Yakshagni was the sacred river of Alaka; the kingdom where you were born."

"Your ancestor had promised Yakshagni that when the other end of the river is discovered, she could surrender herself to Earth..."

"You and Ekveer have found out this end. So now, we will depart."

"Leave for Alaka, Hanneli...They need you there."

"Love him with all your heart. He is your true love..."

"The woman who had lived here was Manohara, your ancestor. By coming here, you have released her spirit. God bless..."

"Manohara and the king had loved each other, and like you and Ekveer, they had jumped into Yakshagni. Unfortunately, they had gotten separated and landed in different eras of the time. The king was found on the banks of the river Pushpavati much earlier. Manohara was carried by the currents to this end of the river. She came ashore years later."

"The most powerful warrior of all; Time, defeated their love."

"Once they lost their precious time together in Alaka, they could never find it again."

"Hence, Manohara was haunted and cried for her lost love in Avadhi."

"The queen's curse had destroyed their journey on the other side of time."

"You have your father's blessings."

"You and Ekveer were steered to the land at the same course of time."

"Like your father had predicted, you and Ekveer would save Alaka from destruction."

"Hanneli, you know who we are, don't you?"

"Your protectors; we are Yakshis, your own clan. We came along with you to this timeline..."

"Now, it is time for us to bid farewell to you and the world."

"Ekveer and Maurya are one and the same...Like you and Hanneli."

"He will take care of you. He loves you."

"You have travelled through eons and reached here. Your love hasn't perished mercilessly. There is hope for Alaka."

"Alaka has suffered a lot for its cruelty to you and our clan."

"Yakshagni's secret will die with her."

"You are on your own now."

"There is danger still lurking around you both."

"We won't be there to protect you now Hanneli....so take care of yourself and Ekveer."

The murmurs went on without pause and Dharma felt as if her head would burst. She slipped deeper into blankness.

****************

The coffee had turned cold but Arjun had not relented so Rashika teased, "Arjun, you can never be angry with me for long. It has been almost two hours. Still, you are sulking."

"I am not sulking. I did what you told me, and yet you are not trying to convince your father. What do you expect me to do? Propose to you in front of the whole world?"

Rashika asked him coyly, "Would you do it?"

"I would if you get rid of Maurya."

Rashika laughed, a teasing sound that warmed Arjun's heart. His impassioned eyes roved over her face. He loved her crazily and if she asked him to die for her, he would do so without thinking twice.

Sniffling, he checked the time, "Come on, I have to go to the office. Drop me at the junction."

"Alright, come...." Rashika jumped up, checking her phone. Maurya had not returned to New Delhi yet. She had messaged Lekha whose reply confirmed that Dharma too was missing from action. Enraged at the temerity of Dharma, Rashika swore silently that she would never let the other woman live peacefully, and she would ensure that the moron who had escaped police custody would take her away. She didn't care if he abused or killed Dharma.

With surging fury, she got into the car. Agitated thoughts and incensed temper impelled Rashika to drive recklessly. Arjun checked her, "Rashi, slow down. You are crossing the speed limit. See, there is a traffic policeman standing..."

Nonetheless, Rashika was in no mood to listen to him. Her head was filled with images of Maurya; smiling, laughing, teasing, proposing to her...On her sixteenth birthday, he had got a bouquet for her; even now she had their petals stored in between the pages of her diary.

"Rashi, where are we going? This is not the route to my office."

"Just for a day Arjun, be with me. I want to escape from my angry thoughts."

"Why are you peeved now? That I didn't propose to you?" Arjun needled her.

"Aww, I know you love me..."

"But not enough for you to forget Maurya," he grumbled.

"Oh, can you please forget Maurya? Is it necessary that you have to bring up his name in every conversation?"

"He stands between us, Rashi. We would have been together if Maurya had not proposed to you before me..."

"Unlikely!" Rashika burst out, taking the highway to Agra. She was not sure where she was going but her frenzy blinded her to caution. She was hurting deeply over Maurya's betrayal and she was hauling Arjun after her to hell.

Arjun went still, "What do you mean by that?"

"I have loved Maurya since he came to Delhi. Do you hear me Arjun, I have loved him since I was nine or ten years old! I love him madly...." Rashika roared, venting her frustration on Arjun.

"Stop the car, Rashi...." Arjun ordered. Rashika's unpredictability had sparked his unease. She was driving with a devil-may-care attitude. And the particular road that they had taken was infamous for accidents.

"Why should I stop, Arjun? Didn't you want to spend the rest of your life with me?"

"Not when you are in love with another man...."

"And he loves me. Do you hear, Arjun? Maurya loves me more than anyone in his life. I am the only one he has. My father made him what he is today. If it had not been for my father, he would have remained an orphan like that bitch who is chasing him. She will never get him...Maurya and I are made for each other. He can never be with another woman."

At the speed the car was cruising, its tyre burst suddenly and Rashika lost control of the vehicle. It veered towards the right and skidded around in the opposite direction. Arjun shrieked out a warning but Rashika missed it by a fraction of a second. An oncoming wagon crashed into the car.

Both the vehicles toppled sideways. The piercing screams of the occupants of the vehicles shattered the peaceful quietness of the countryside. The state transport bus and other vehicles that were following behind, ground to an abrupt halt on the highway. Some of the bus passengers and drivers rushed to help the accident victims.

***************

Dharma opened her eyes slowly. She was lying on a comfortable bed and the room was in shadowy darkness. She looked around the room. Maurya was dozing on a chair. Not wanting to disturb him, Dharma tried to rise. Her head throbbed. Her shallow breathing awoke Maurya. He jerked open his eyes.

"Dharma...."

They regarded each other. Dharma lowered her gaze and reached for the water jug. Seeing her struggle with it, he poured the water into a glass and offered it to her. Their fingers brushed and he withdrew his hand quickly. She drained the water in one swallow.

"How do you feel?" he asked gently.

She shrugged as she flicked her eyes around the neatly arranged room, "Where am I?"

"At Shankaran's house. When you fainted, we brought you here."

"What happened in Avadhi?"

"I think when I pulled you away from the trapdoor, you twisted your ankle and lost consciousness. How is the pain?"

"It is ok. The head is aching a bit."

"You haven't eaten anything since we arrived."

Maurya uncovered a plate and handed it to her. "Shankaran had brought this for you but you were sleeping, I asked him to leave it here."

"How long was I unconscious?"

"Not too long. When we sprinkled water on you, you did open your eyes but you were too wound up. You couldn't stand on your feet and with that ankle pain, you were almost on the verge of collapse. We brought you here. The painkiller helped you to sleep."

Dharma shot a glance at her ankle. It was covered lightly with an elastic bandage.

"Eat," Maurya commanded.

There were some idlis, a bowl of sambar, and coconut chutney. It smelt delicious and Dharma realized that she was hungry. She ate while Maurya watched her steadily. Without tearing his eyes away from her, he helped her wash her hands. She was conscious of his stare but she pretended to be oblivious of it. Having finished every single morsel on the plate, she confessed, "I was hungry..."

Maurya waited for her to settle down. He then probed, "Who is Ekveer?"

Dharma went pale at the sound of the name. The hammering continued behind her eyes. The murmurs and whispers came back to her in a rush. Strangely, she remembered every word of the Yakshis.

"Dharma, I am asking you something," he repeated, an unfamiliar dread clutching him. Losing her to another man would kill him, and he realized the stunning truth with desperation.

"You..." she answered softly. His eyes widened in astonishment. Her tender gaze and loving smile were the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. For the first time in his life, he understood implicitly the sense of belonging to another human.

"Me?" he asked, even though her perplexing answer made sense in a primal way.

"Yes, we have a connection from another time," Dharma revealed.

Not taken by surprise, Maurya responded, "I knew it."

There was a tentative knock on the door. Shankaran put his head around the door.

"How do you feel?" he asked Dharma.

"Better. Thank you for the delicious meal. I just devoured them hungrily..."

Chuckling at her expression, Shankaran said, "We shouldn't have gone into the house without cleaning it first."

Dharma recalled the rising water, "The house must be flooded by now. The water was rising..."

"No, after ten or fifteen minutes of opening the trapdoor, the water began to recede. It went down pretty fast. I put the lid back."

Shankaran's answer ushered back the memories of the whispers that Dharma had heard. Thinking back, they made more sense now. She remembered all of them very distinctly. Sighing, she looked at Maurya. He was studying her, noting every minute expression on her face.

Shankaran requested them to stay, "You can stay here for the night. There are enough rooms. It is drizzling outside and the weather forecast is bad. They are predicting a heavy to very heavy rainfall here tonight."

"Yeah, I saw the news. There is some depression building up, right?" Maurya asked

"Yes, in the Southern Ocean. It is not advisable to drive back tonight. Stay the night here."

"You have already gone to so much trouble...." Dharma began but Shankaran cut her short.

"Rubbish. It was nice of you two to come here. I have been calling Maurya for months, and only now he has got the time to listen to me. We will finish the discussion about Avadhi tomorrow when you are rested."

"Thank you so much. I will arrange for the pickup tomorrow morning." Maurya added as Shankaran left the room.

They were silent after Shankaran left. Maurya then asked, "What happened back in Avadhi? You called out for Ekveer. How did you remember the name?"

"I don't know where to begin Maurya. I think you were right. Hanneli was my name. And Ekveer was her love."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember, I told you that I hear whispers. I heard them again today."

"And?"

"They revealed that Hanneli and Ekveer had loved each other at another time. There had been a woman in Avadhi whose thoughts I could perceive. I did mention that, didn't I?"

At Maurya's nod, she continued, "Well, Manohara was my ancestor."

"So, Avadhi belongs to you and not me..." Maurya murmured thoughtfully.

"Maurya, there is something I have to tell you."

With trepidation, Maurya waited for her to explain. When Dharma had slipped near the trapdoor, for a moment, he had thought that he had lost her. That had been a devastating moment for him. He had even considered going after her into the waters but at the nick of time, he had held her back.

"I am a Yakshi...."

"A what?" Maurya asked in mystified shock.

"Yakshas are a tribe that I belong to. Apparently, some members of the clan have been present around me without being visible. They disappeared into the river in Avadhi when we opened the trapdoor. They were unseen shadows who had protected us from danger. They were the ones who whispered to me when you were in danger."

"What did they tell you in Avadhi?"

"That we had loved each other in a distant time, and in a faraway land..." Dharma's words brought a tingling sensation to his skin. He listened riveted to the spot.

"Those waters are from River Yakshagni, a sacred river that was worshipped in Alaka."

"Alaka?" Maurya spelt out the name in a daze, recognizing it but not actually identifying the place. His brows furrowed in thoughtful concentration.

"Yes, Alaka. I have to go back to Alaka. Only then, would I know what happened to us."

"But where is Alaka?"

"I don't know. I recall them saying that Jalindra had been Manohara's love and they too had come from Alaka but they had got separated."

"So, Mahendran asked me to visit this place for a purpose. He wanted me to bring you so that you would learn our past."

"I guess so. Maurya..." she uttered his name hesitantly. At his inquiring glance, she sought for his acknowledgement, "Do you believe what I say?"

He came closer and brushed the lock of tendrils that had drifted over her cheek. He swept them away from her face and tucked them behind her ears. Her breathing quickened at the sensual gesture. His touch caused frissons of excitement and pleasure.

"Do you know, I almost went berserk when you slipped in Avadhi? And when you called out for Ekveer, I was raving jealous."

Rendered speechless by his admission, Dharma's incandescent gaze bared her heart to him.

The sudden hum of his phone tugged them out of the trance.