Aarush narrowed his eyes at the high priest because of the strange remark he had just made. "Shreya. We are focusing on finding Shreya."

Jagdish blinked a few times before his frown lines cleared, and a smile formed on his lips. "Of course. Shreya, yes. I was talking about her only."

Aarush was a bit flustered, raking his hands through his hair when Jagdish didn't stop grinning at him, and he deftly looked away. "What is it now?"

Jagdish chuckled and picked up the chalice containing a mixture of their blood. "Nothing. I am... amused. That's it."

Aarush huffed and glowered at the man. "Get me in, Kaka. Stop dawdling."

Jagdish couldn't control the snort and ended up sniggering. "Sure, Your Highness."

A red tint crept up Aarush's neck at the manner in which the old man seemed to be teasing him, and he huffed again before stepping away. "You are growing senile with each passing day. Considered retiring yet?"

Jagdish snorted before assuming a serious facade. "Of course not, Your Highness. I still need to conduct your wedding."

***

Shocked she was when the same deep and cold masculine voice fell in her ears from behind her, and she knew she was caught. Dread filled her up yet again, and Shreya swerved at her spot instantly. In the illumination flitting through the windows from the streetlamps outside, she clearly perceived her captor's features. A sharp nose, a head full of black hair, a handsome and clean-shaven face, and dimples on his cheeks as he grinned at her.

He was walking up to her with a lazy gait as delight shone in his eyes. "Freed yourself, I see." He chuckled. "Feisty you are. Is this how you charmed Aarush?"

She took a step backwards, her nose flaring in a rage. "Don't you dare come closer. I will," she glanced around the hall, "create a ruckus. I will scream and shout. I will," her gaze darted back and forth the area to spot something she could use as a weapon, "raise an alarm."

He smirked at her. "Who do you think will come to save you here?"

She glowered at him. "Perhaps I don't need anyone to save me. Perhaps I can escape myself like I fled that dank, dirty chamber."

He chuckled and gestured at the corridor leading down to his right. "Instead of holding you captive in that dank, dirty chamber, how about I treat you as my esteemed guest?"

"Let me go. What part of these three words does not make sense to you?"

His cheerfulness dropped, and a frenzied wrath took over his countenance. Gritting his teeth, he pointed at the corridor again. "I am going to ask you nicely one more time before I lose my patience. Come with me. We will talk over a nice and warm dinner. And I will personally drop you off at your grandparent's place once we are done."

She was going to die a brutal death, and she knew it. Her gaze swept around the dark hall yet again in a bid to locate an exit route, but she couldn't comprehend what she could potentially do in this situation. She couldn't even gauge what place it was. A villa? A manor? Was she even in Rajasthan anymore? She did know the door lay behind her, but even if she was planning to lunge and sprint, the tall man in front of her was surely going to take her captive yet again. Her shoulders slumped and she frowned at him. "Why can't you just let me go? Will save you money and energy instead of dropping me personally. Not to mention, some fuel as well."

Lines of confusion marred his face. "What?"

She put up a saccharine smile. "I will get going then?"

He chortled and gesticulated at the corridor again. "Let's have dinner. We will sit down and converse like two mature adults instead of throwing tantrums, yes?"

She flashed her eyes at him. "You should have considered that before kidnapping me."

He shrugged.

Left with no other option, she glared at him again but decided to walk in the direction he was pointing towards. He fell in step with her, and the two began sauntering down the winding alley. Black stone walls embedded with LED bulbs casting dark shadows on the marble flooring encompassed the narrow gallery through which they ambled. She saw some portraits of stately noblemen along with sculptures of mythological creatures embellishing the path and the walls, and she was strongly reminded of Suryagarh Palace.

She gulped down the string of questions popping into her mind. "What is this place?"

He glimpsed at her. "Oh, I should have mentioned." He grinned. "Welcome to Shauryagarh Palace."

She frowned at him once again. "Which place is that?"

He mirrored her expression. "Don't tell me you haven't heard of Shauryagarh before."

Ah! Another royal family, another palace. She should've never set off from Udaipur to head to Suryagarh by herself in the first place. And she should've heeded the warning bells in her mind to not get embroiled with Aarush Chauhan and his fantastical madness. But then she was an absolute and utter fool to get sucked into the perilous vortex and get caught in the crossfire between God knows which two cities and what feud the absurd family held on to. "No, I haven't."

His smile said he was amused and impressed at the same time, and she couldn't discern what the underlying reason could be.

She focused on the vast hall looming into her view at the end of the alley. A gigantic oval-shaped living area with obsidian walls and white marble flooring. A regal chandelier casting mellow golden light swaying above the ornate sofa set in the middle. One side of the hall had the teak dining table with silver chalices and platters decorating the surface while the other side had scores of bookshelves lined with a multitude of tomes. However, she couldn't shrug off the frigidity in the air and the darkness enveloping her from all sides. The ghastly shadows due to the dark colours all around weren't helping her case either.

She heard the clinking of glass coming from a corner until her gaze fell on a woman sitting on the couch in front of a gargantuan bookshelf with her legs crossed and her eyes fixated on a tome lying on her lap.

Shreya sensed the man move ahead of her as he went to speak to the other woman.

"Shyamali, I didn't know you were coming back tonight."

The girl—Shyamali—looked up from her book and stood up with a gentle smile on her face. "Yes, I... I was just..."

He sighed. "Are you okay?"

She shuddered. "Just a bit shaken up." Gulping, she blinked back the tears in her eyes. "Had Uncle not arrived on time, I don't even—"

"Relax, Shyamali. You have nothing to worry about as long as Uncle, Arnav, and I are alive."

That was when Shreya's eyes fell on the baby bump the girl was flaunting. Broken conversations between the immortal and the mystery man from a night ago echoed in her mind, and she comprehended who this woman was. Someone special to Adhyayan for him to abandon his pursuit of killing Shreya Awasthy, for the mystery man had captured her. Bile rose up her throat at the thought of the man with a mole on his cheeks threatening a pregnant woman and her unborn child with certain death to get the immortal off their backs. Somehow, she wasn't too impressed, and for a fleeting moment, she felt terrible for this Shyamali girl. Her face was indeed ashen, and her croaky voice conveyed how she was still reeling from the mishap.

"I should go and rest. Arnav just left for Jaipur," Shyamali said. "Have your dinner on time."

The man tipped his head and gestured at the captive guest behind him. "I brought a guest along."

Shyamali finally saw who it was behind him, and fury blazed through her eyes. Her accusing glare went to the nonchalant man. "Why did you bring her here?" she nearly shrieked as her protective palm went over her belly. "If those two crazy men get to know—"

"Nothing," he beamed, "will happen, Shyamali. As I said, as long as I am alive, no harm shall befall you or the future of our lineage."

She uncomfortably shifted in her spot and glowered at Shreya before addressing the man. "I will have dinner arranged for both of you. Have a good evening."

Shreya hugged herself when she sensed the cold stare directed towards her by the pregnant woman. She was edging closer and closer, and Shreya could tell the mother in her was moments away from annihilating the person responsible for the mystery man holding her hostage.

Until Shyamali stopped right in front of Shreya and lowered her voice to a dangerous, icy whisper. "Tell that lovelorn, sick monster to keep his hands to himself and not even think of harming my baby ever again." She huffed and looked at Shreya once over. "And do tell him that I have never loathed anyone as much as I despise him." Casting one final glare at the girl, she strode down another door to the left.

Shreya scowled at the strange remark and rounded her shoulders before her eyes landed on the man. He was smirking at her. "Care to tell me what you need from me? And why is your palace so cold?" she said.

His brows shot up, and he gestured at the dining table. "Let's have dinner, shall we? I am famished." He walked towards the table and sat down on his usual chair next to the highest one at the head of the table. When she strolled ahead and plopped herself across from him without throwing another tantrum, he chuckled. "I haven't introduced myself, have I?"

She pursed her lips and shook her head.

"My name is Abhaas Chauhan," his eyes twinkled with joy, "and I am Adhyayan Singh Chauhan's distant nephew. The next in line for the throne and the crowned prince of Shauryagarh."

She felt her breath hitch in her throat. So, she was indeed in the lion's den. Thankfully, the lion was dead for over twenty-four hours now, but perhaps this man in front of her, sitting with an air of insouciance and indomitable power around him was behind all those explosions and gunshots that still resounded in her ears. She could still smell the stench of blood and gunpowder from a day ago. She cleared her throat and gulped down another shot of bile rising up her throat.

A servant came ahead to place a bowl of steaming hot soup in front of her before placing another identical bowl in front of him. Wisps of smoke emanated from the surface of the creamy beverage, and she glimpsed back at him to find his elbows propped on the table as his fingers were linked together while his intense gaze was absolutely and unwaveringly on her.

She licked her lips. "What do you need from me?"

"I have already told you. I need you to forge another necklace for me. Identical to the one you had forged in another life."

She clenched her fists. "I did not forge that stupid piece of jewellery. I am a student of World History. Not a jeweller."

"Of course, you as Shreya Awasthy didn't forge it, but your past self did."

She grimaced at him. "How could she, genius? The artefact is five hundred years old, and Meera existed only three hundred years ago."

Surprise crossed his features, and his brows creased. "They didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?" she snapped.

He snickered. "What was her name now? The woman? Your past self?"

"Meera."

"No!" He pinched the bridge of his nose with his eyes closed. "Not Meera. That other girl."

Her ears perked at that, and she sat up straighter. She would've disregarded his ramblings to be from a madman, but even Elder Woman had mentioned something along these lines only a night ago. Curiosity reared its head inside her heart, and she peered at him keenly.

His eyes snapped open, and he grinned. "Vaidehi! Yes! That was her name. Vaidehi..."

She eyed him with distaste. "I have no clue who she is. I can't even pronounce that name."

He chuckled again. "Have the chicken," he said when another servant brought in a silver platter with roasted pieces of chicken and chunks of vegetables garnished with a very aromatic chutney. "This is a special recipe from the royal kitchens of Shauryagarh. You are going to love it."

Her stomach rumbled, but the blaring headache at the back of her head prevented her from getting the urge to gobble down food. More so because the discourse was too puzzling and confounding for her. To the extent that she was suddenly engulfed by a bout of extreme identity crisis. But when she sensed his eyes on her, she used the fork to stab a piece of chicken and stuffed it into her mouth.

"So," he took a swig of wine from the silver goblet in front of him, "how did Vaidehi forge it?"

She shrugged. "I don't know."

"You don't remember?"

"Nope!"

"What kind of powers do you have?"

She was getting very annoyed with his never-ending list of questions. Biting back a caustic remark, she muttered, "Don't have any."

"What do you remember from Meera's life?"

She huffed. "Nothing."

His head tilted to the side, and he continued gaping at her wordlessly.

"See? I am of no use to you." She flashed him a tight-lipped smile. "Why don't you let me go? And why don't you kidnap someone who actually serves some purpose to you?"

He leaned ahead in his chair. "What happened during the blood ritual? What all do you need?"

Alarm bells rang in her head. There were only five people present during the ritual yet he knew about it. Unless it was common knowledge to everyone, which she was sure it wasn't, how could Abhaas Chauhan, from a distant city she couldn't even pronounce the name of, learn about it? She fiddled with a roasted slice of bell pepper. "I got a vision of sorts," she mumbled, "that told me where to find the relic. I am not sure what is needed for the ritual."

"Surely Meera's bloodline was needed," he muttered audibly. "And that's why Dharamraj was so ardently protected. That means... if I want... Vaidehi's... Vaidehi's bloodline..." He closed his eyes and continued talking to himself as the sides of his fists tapped his forehead. "Her bloodline is not an issue. And I am sure we would need the five elements, i.e., the Panchatatva. What else?"

She pursed her lips. "If I tell you, will you let me go?"

His eyes snapped open, and a sinister smirk appeared on his lips. "I will let you go once you forge the necklace for me."

She huffed and crossed her arms, leaning her back against the chair and scowling at him. Brushing off the stray strands of her unruly hair away from her nose, she shrieked, "Fine! I will forge that thing for you with my non-existent special powers, which will behave exactly as I would expect it to. It will adorn some pretty Indian woman's neck, and that would be it."

He nodded with an amused smile on his face. "Yes, yes, I do see what all the hype about you is. You are pretty and feisty. But what was so special about that Meera? I have heard three men—three good-hearted and powerful men—fell for her charm. She was quite timid, no?"

She groaned and slumped her shoulders. "How would I know what she was like? As I said, I don't have any information you are seeking."

"So, you really don't remember anything."

"No!" she yelled, banging her fists on the expensive table. "Nothing at all. Zilch!"

"Hmmm." He contemplated for a moment, his fingers roaming over the rim of the chalice of wine. "That means you have no memories and no powers. And," he scoffed, "strangely enough, no knowledge. Perhaps the rumours are indeed true."

"Yeah, dude. You are so thick-headed. I have said this a million times already. I have no info for you. Which language would you understand better? I do know broken Hindi too if that would make sense to you because you clearly," she snorted, "don't understand English."

"How is Elder Woman these days? Must be very old by now."

She clicked her tongue in exhaustion. "Yes, she is ninety."

"She does not live in Suryagarh, does she?"

"Nope. And don't ask me where she lives. I can't pronounce."

He took a deep breath and went into a meditative state of contemplation, not even bothering to consume the lavish spread of curries and bread in front of him.

However, she chose to stuff her mouth with the lip-smacking food only because she had an evil idea popping into her head. She needed energy to utilize some of her taekwondo skills so that she could knock out this crazy Chauhan and make a move out of the godforsaken and stifling palace. From what she could tell, as her gaze went around, there weren't many people living inside the gigantic mansion, and with the immortal dead, there was no one who could cast magic to keep her trapped. So, all she needed to do was render this man unconscious, evade the watchful eyes of the servants, and rush off. Hopefully, not too many security guards would be stationed outside.

"Necklace..." he murmured without looking at her.

"What is so special about this necklace?"

His attention was back on her, and his eyes glimmered with something very raw and animalistic. A desire of some kind that she wasn't familiar with. "Well," he said, "it's full of powers. Dark powers. If someone can forge it, that's you, but you have no powers, apparently."

She twisted her lips again and flashed a nasty expression at him. "No, I have none. And thank God for that. Once I am out of here, I am making a dash for Mumbai, and I am never looking back again."

He grinned. "You know what amused me the most?" He leaned ahead all over again. "Elder Woman and the high priest and that vexatious prince didn't apprise you of your heritage and past lives."

Lives. Plural. With an 's'. An existential crisis of the highest order. She looked away. "What do you mean by that?" Indignance dripped from her tonality. "They told me everything."

"Really?" He jeered. "Vaidehi? Her powers? Her allegiance to Princess Shipra? Her enmity with Uncle Adhyayan? Do you know any of it?"

All these new names. Names she hadn't heard. Names she couldn't pronounce. She chose to remain silent.

He continued speaking. "And what about Meera? And Shridhar? Abhimanyu? Adrit Chauhan?"

Those last two names grabbed her attention. Abhimanyu Chauhan, whose famed sword lay in Suryagarh's museum, was Aarush's ancestor. She had seen all those portraits dedicated to him adorning the walls of Suryagarh Palace and heard Princess Adya narrate fables of the most influential king the estate had ever seen. And then the second name. Adrit. Didn't the mystery man ask her to use it as their codeword before she messed up and opened the door to the evil immortal? Oh! So, the mystery man's name was Adrit. But then she was indeed not apprised of any of this. Scorn directed towards Aarush rose inside her heart, and she again remained mum.

"If you don't speak up," he said, "how will you go back to Mumbai? I am not letting you leave till I get everything I need from you."

Was it recklessness inside her heart or was it the firm belief that the crowned prince, despite being insouciant towards her, would never let anything happen to her? She didn't know what it was, but words tumbled out of her mouth. "Aarush is on his way to rescue me, Mr. Chauhan." She smirked and leaned ahead too. Confidence sparkled in her eyes. "And once he is here, he is going to kill you for kidnapping me and," she flashed her wrists in front of him where the lacerations from the ropes shone brightly, "for torturing me."

His brows shot up, and a chuckle of mockery and derisiveness escaped his throat. "Oh, I don't doubt that he must be on his way to Shauryagarh. He owes it to the guest who was there to break the curse. But," he scoffed, "do you really think he's coming here for you? To avenge the kidnapping or the hurt caused to you?" He grinned. "Or do you think he is very fond of you? Do you think he is in love with you? You?" He guffawed with his head thrown back. "You have got to be kidding me. He didn't tell you anything, did he?"

An inferno ravaged through her mind and heart at his crude words. "What do you mean?"

He dropped the joviality due to the frigidity of her cadence. "Oh, Miss Awasthy," he shook his head, "Aarush Chauhan hates this pretty face of yours with a fervour that would scare you. Had you not been the key to breaking the curse, he would've driven a sword through your heart by now. All the facade that he has been putting up the last four days in front of you... is just that." His eyes glimmered. "A facade of the highest order. He loathes you, and if he finds you on a land far away from Suryagarh with no stately responsibilities on his shoulders," his voice dropped to a whisper, "he is going to pick up Abhimanyu's sword and impale your fragile heart. Without blinking an eye."

***

Author's Note:

Can't believe it's the last day of 2024 already! This year moved too fast, and I wish it had moved slower because it feels like I haven't even begun accomplishing all the goals I had set for the year :(.

But 2025 is another year to look forward to. Fingers crossed, may everyone achieve everything they have set out to do. Have a great NYE!!