Daughter of the Naga

Chapter 26

I sat by the fire brazier with Kesar. She was tending to the burn on my upper left arm. I hadn't realized I got burned until then.

"My lady, your injury has worsened," Kesar said. "You might need to drink some of the divine Soma."

"I thought it was just a minor burn. Is it that bad?" I asked, wincing a little when Kesar applied some more cooling balm on it.

"A holy drink is more effective since you were burned by no ordinary flames," Kesar said.

"It was no ordinary flame all right! It burst out from Morokot's freaking hand!"

"Lady Morokot was given the gift of fire," Kesar told me. "It's the five-colored flames of Lord Agni. I am amazed that you were unaware of the pain, but you may fall ill if we leave the wound untended."

Now that Kesar mentioned it, I noticed the stinging pain had indeed sharpened. It felt like a snakebite.

"Well, I could use the holy drink now," I said with a grimace.

Kesar turned to a maid and asked for the Soma Juice. The maid came back with a golden tray and the nectar in its golden cup.

After I downed the sweet delicious cool drink, my pain and fatigue dissolved. The burned skin began to itch and heal itself. The reddish patch turned into a healthy tone again.

"It worked like a charm, Kesar! Look, it's all healed!" I said and smiled at her. She smiled back, looking at my arm in relief.

"I'm glad you feel better, my lady."

"Kesar, I didn't know what I would do without you," I said. "You're truly my guardian angel!"

With the boost of the holy juice, I leaned over and planted my wet lips on her cheek. Kesar stared at me then turned her face away. I blinked.

"Are you alright?"

She just nodded though she still didn't look at me. I realized what it meant and wanted to kick myself. Must I always be that stupid? Then I tried to think up something to change her gloomy mood.

"By the way, Kesar, I have hardly seen you with your wings until this evening. I would like to look at them again. Do you mind showing me?"

The maiden's eyes drifted back to my face but then she shook her head.

"There's nothing to see, my lady," she murmured.

"Oh please? Just a little look?" I said in a pleading voice.

Kesar was still silent.

"You know, I just want to compare you with my drawing," I said again.

"Your drawing?"

"Yes, I drew you," I said and turned around to retrieve my bag then got my drawing pad out. "Here it is!"

I showed Kesar the portrait of herself. She looked at it for a few minutes then gazed back at me. Her dark brown eyes glittered with emotions.

"My lady drew me?" she said almost in a whisper. I nodded back with a smile. Kesar brushed her fingers over my sketch as if it was priceless to her.

"It's beautiful," she breathed at last.

"You are beautiful," I said. "You should not be embarrassed about your true form."

Kesar was quiet for a long moment. Then she rose from the seat. I looked up at her as she backed away and the air around her body began to twirl into a whiff of gold dust.

Her skin shimmered with bright light. Then a pair of golden wings sprang out from behind her back. Kesar's beautiful wings extended almost two meters long. Her lower half was coated with sleek brilliant plume. Each feather sparkled against the firelight, dazzling me.

I had never seen anything so magnificent like that, and I was blown away by the beautiful winged-maiden. For a long moment, I sat gazing mutely at her angelic wings and her swan-like feet. They were also golden in color. Kesar stood shyly under my stare.

As if hypnotized, I stood up and walked towards the Kennari. She folded her golden wings and tugged them back where her human and her bird form joined. Her long flowing tail spread over the floor like the tail of a peacock.

I circled around my handmaiden, admiring every strand of her feathers and beautiful wings.

"Can I touch your wings, Kesar?" I asked. The maiden stiffened a little, but at last, she nodded, granting me permission. I came around her and brushed my hands over the smooth texture of her feathers. My fingers roamed over the small of her back and down her soft cottony feathers around her hips and thighs.

"Your feathers are so beautiful," I whispered in amazement. My curious hands kept wandering over her lower half until she squirmed away with a slight blush on her cheeks. I stood up and turned Kesar around to face me.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of," I said to her.

Kesar looked down. "I was afraid that you wouldn't favor me."

"Kesar, you are my favorite," I said, tipping her chin up to make her look at me again. "How could you not see that you're special?"

Her gaze held mine. I could see the tears dampen her thick black lashes. We were just a kiss away, and I did want to crash my lips onto hers.

But then we heard a knock on the door, causing us both to part from each other.

Several maidens entered the room, but one of them almost knocked the air out of my lungs. She walked forward in all her usual glory and looked back us.

"Amarisa?" I breathed.

"Your Highness." Kesar quickly bowed at her presence.

The princess nodded back awkwardly. I noticed she was holding a beautiful garland of white jasmines in her hands. Yet what confused me was why the princess had come to my chamber out of the blue. As if she could read my mind, Amarisa cleared her throat and muttered curtly.

"I came here to apologize for my action the previous day," she said, still unable to look at me in the eyes. I kept staring back at her in confusion. She held out the garland towards me at arm's length like a guilty child. I looked at the jasmine flowers, which were strung together to form beautiful patterns. "Accept it as a token of my apology."

Her words sounded like an order, and it made me smile. I would never imagine the princess to go out of her way to do this. At the same time, I was overjoyed that she did. I took a few steps forward to grab the lovely hand that was holding the garland.

Amarisa looked back at me with a shocked expression. She tried to withdraw her hand from my grasp, but I kept holding it tightly in mine.

"You made Malis scare me senseless," I said, knowing that I had the power to guilt-trip her now. "But I would gladly accept your flowers, my princess, only if you agree to stay for a bit longer."

It was just my excuse. Amarisa didn't need my forgiveness. No matter what she did to me, my heart would never hold her at fault. Now, it was the right time to pave the way for our friendship, and I wouldn't want to let the princess slip from my hands.

There was a long silent moment. As if to give us some privacy, Kesar, whose wings had already vanished, bowed and retreated from the room along with the other maidens. Seeing the Kennari walked away had caused a sting of pity in my chest, but there was no way I would let go of my princess's hand. I turned back to Amarisa. She was still glaring at me.

"I must leave," she said.

"Your Highness, please?" I coaxed. "I was injured from the practice last morning. You would give me relief from pain if you stay."

My words seemed to melt her resolve. Amarisa hid her eyes under those long curved lashes. Without delay, I pulled her with me towards our seats by the brazier.

The princess did follow me, yet she remained standing after I sat down. I tugged at her hand, and to my utter delight, she complied. I could feel my heart pump in excitement. The princess took a seat next to mine at last. I couldn't stop myself from smiling as I looked at her.

Then Amarisa's eyes seemed to focus on something else. I realized she was staring at my drawing pad. The princess picked it off the floor to her lap.

"What a strange material," she said, tracing her fingers over its spiral binding and hard covers. Then she looked back at me.

"It's called a drawing pad," I told her. "I use it to make art."

"You draw?" Amarisa said as she flipped through the pages. Her eyes glided over my work of Kesar although she tried not to look impressed by it.

I nodded with a sheepish smile. She ran her fingers over the brown acrylic page one at a time. When she reached the work I made of the spiral, she turned to me again.

"What is this?"

"Wait, you also don't know about it?"

Amarisa shook her head. I wasn't sure how I should react to that, but I had forgotten all about the spiral until now. I scooted closer to the princess. She recoiled back from me, but I gave her a reassuring smile then pointed to the image.

"That's what brought me into your realm," I told her. "The stone spiral had a carving of a seven-headed Naga. It's visible only when you have aligned all the rings. The object acts as a portal or a door of some sort and can be activated by a crystal stone called Chandramoki Moni."

Amarisa stared at the detailed sketch, trying to get her mind around it.

"I'm not aware of how the people in your world could build such a thing," she said, astounded.

"Oh you got it all wrong," I said. "The spiral that sent me here wasn't built by the people of my time but yours."

"But none of King Father's architects have ever been ordered to build something like this," she said. "If there was such a structure in our kingdom, I would know of it."

"Are you sure?"

"I have no interest in telling lies." Amarisa frowned back.

"Oh no," I sighed in exasperation. "This is so confusing! If no one has built it here in your time, then how could it be discovered there in the future?"

"How did the thing you mentioned work?"

Flashes of memories rushed back into my mind, distressing me. I wondered what had happened to my father, Dr. Ivan and the others. Did they know I was missing? Or was their time moving forward or standing still while I was here?

"I'm not quite sure," I said. "I remember I touched the Moonstone then all hell broke loose. I remember there was a lunar eclipse and the spiral glowed and burst into brilliant light. A strange phenomenon. The next thing I knew, I was inside the pyramid's pit of your land."

"The pyramid? You meant the Temple of Shiva?" Amarisa asked.

"That very one." I shrugged dejectedly.

Amarisa's dazzling eyes flickered with unanswered questions.

"Queen Mother Jayara also mentioned that the Great Lord would send the one who is destined for an unforgiving fate."

"An unforgiving fate?" I said. "What does that mean?"

"I do not know the details." The princess shook her head. "It's the secret of the gods."

It gave me a headache thinking about what it all meant. I decided to brush it aside for now.

"Anyway, Amarisa...I meant...Your Highness, please forgive me for what I told your mother," I said. "I did not intend to insult her noble blood. Maybe it was just a mere coincidence."

"I knew you did not lie," she said, looking down at the fire hearth. "I just fell prey to a hasty temper as Queen Mother said."

"How is she now?" I asked. "I remember the look of shock and distress on her face when she found out about my birth mother. I felt so terrible."

"Queen Mother is well," Amarisa replied and then she paused and looked at me. "But I overheard her talking to the Hora, something about the mysterious way of the Samsara."

"You mean the Cycle of Rebirth?"

"Indeed."