*****
But not for long, as we heard a loud sound of slashing.

I looked around to find a dagger inserted in the tree's trunk, within seconds, the tree split into two. Only smoke was left there.

I quickly turned my head to another side to see more daggers coming in our way. A gush of fear ran down my spine. It sent chills throughout my body.

I felt getting numb, I was not able to think how to save ourselves. Frightened, I hurriedly pushed down Bela and Gracious, I too lied on the ground but I guess it was a little late since a dagger already went slashing my arm.

Blood oozed out and I yelped in pain. Bela screamed with tears in her eyes.

"Bela... Bela relax... It's just a small cut" I tried to calm her but her tears didn't stop. She started shivering in fear as one more dagger went soaring above us.

"Bela... Relax" She refused to listen to anything.

I crawled to one side, dragging Bela and gracious along, behind a tree.
While daggers kept raining one after another

Bela put her palm on my arm immediately without wasting a second.

"Bela... It's...

And my words died in my mouth as soon as she met my gaze with her teary eyes.

She cupped my face " Last time they took you away from me with this dagger. I won't let that happen this time". She whispered almost inaudibly.

"Bela...

" No... No... No, I won't let this happen" She shook her head vigorously. Her palms were shivering, she was shivering.

"Bela... Please calm down" I rubbed her back, trying to calm her but she kept holding my face in her shivering hands, shedding unstoppable tears.

Her face turned red due to intense crying "I won't... Won't let anything happen to you" She again croaked.
She was having difficulty in breathing. The flying daggers did not cut me but her state definitely cut my heart into pieces.

Trying to stop her from crying, my eyes also started pouring.

I kissed her forehead, her cheek, and then another cheek "I won't...
She kept saying, I hugged her tightly. She was still shivering in my arms.

" I am fine Bela. See I am here with you. I am safe Bela. Please calm down" I whispered sweet nothings in her ear.

It seemed like she was in another zone, experiencing something horrible. I kept patting her back, kissed her forehead and she eventually relaxed.

Her tears stopped but she kept clinging to me like a baby, putting her head on my chest near my heart, she kept listening to my beating heart.
Even Gracious looked gloomy.

She was sitting on my knee staring at Bela, I clicked my fingers on her tail, I was expecting a glare but she came near me running, throwing her legs she laid down on my stomach.

I patted her head.

My two cute princesses.

I loved them glaring at me for doing something wrong. I couldn't bear their sadness. I loved it when Bela taught me how to walk properly, I loved it when she used to smile.

I loved when Gracious threw tantrums, I loved how she would melt every time when I kiss her forehead just like how I melt when Bela would kiss my forehead.

Looking at them all sad pinched my heart. Softly Stroking both of their heads I said " Bela let's just end this. Two wheels and everything will be back to normal. I don't know what will happen after we complete this but I surely know that you have become an important part of my life. I don't know I will be able to say this again or not so I am saying this now 'I want to spend the rest of my life with you'

I want to listen to your scoldings, I want to wake up seeing your face, I want to cherish our togetherness. I won't term this feeling. Words will fall short to bound this feeling, to explain this feeling.

I know I broke your heart when I said I don't feel the same and trust me I regretted it very much when you refused to even look at me. It pained my heart. I wasted so much time due to my stupidity. "

Tears made their way out of my eyes, Bela's eyes too glistened again.

She cupped my face, lifting herself upright in front of me. Coming closer to me, she kissed my forehead. Her lips lingered there for long. I closed my eyes to feel that divine, pure touch of her lips on my skin.

"As we are reaching closer to the last wheel, I am afraid I might lose you. My eyes won't get that beautiful sight of yours. As close we are to the end, my heart is sinking at that pathetic feeling. " I whispered near her lips.

Both of our eyes kept pouring non-stop tears. I cupped her face. Inches by inches coming closer, she rested her forehead on mine.

"I want to keep you to me" We both whispered at the same time.

We both heard a loud gasp. As I looked at the source, I found Gracious scowling at us. I smiled at her, "I want to keep you to me too" I kissed her forehead. She hugged my cheek, extending her one leg, she invited Bela as well.

Chuckling at her, Bela again joined our forehead and Gracious hugged her cheek too.

******
As the daggers kept soaring, we tried to analyze how to dodge them. Bela was still scared looking at the daggers, I intertwined our fingers and smiled at her.

As we examined carefully, we saw daggers been thrown one after another. If a person stood in the middle, the daggers would have slashed his knee, at the lowest point. That high from the ground, they were been thrown.

If we would have moved from the jungle itself, we would have failed to locate the wheel, and also the dagger was slashing anything, it seemed they were been thrown in a circular motion
So, it wasn't a safe idea to reach the wheel by walking.

We decided to crawl to the destination. Since it was attacking above knee level.

We started crawling fastly, and as expected we were successful in reaching the end.

We saw a rotating tree, instead of leaves it had daggers. That was the reason why they were been thrown above a particular level.

We went to the backside of the tree. Since it was continuously rotating, we were still in the danger.

We could see the wheel before us. I nodded at Bela. We hurriedly went near it, we raised our arm to touch the wheel.

Bela was already looking back at the daggers. We touched the wheel and simultaneously, Bela screamed "Mahir Ji".

I looked at Bela, her other arm was wrapped around my neck. Soon I realized the dagger was about to hit me but Bela kept her arm protecting me.

" Bela " I panicked looking at her. Gracious too screamed looking at Bela's wound.

I glanced back to see the tree had already disappeared.

"Bela" I was looking for something. I don't know what but I wanted to just heal her wound anyway. I pulled out my handkerchief and wrapped it around her arm after pulling out the dagger.

She smiled with her tear-filled eyes. Her breathing was getting slower with each passing second. Her eyes were finding it hard to stay open.

My heart was sinking down. "Bela... Bela... Open your eyes... Gracious do something... Bela" I kept patting her cheeks.

Gracious kept her tail on her forehead but it didn't work.

My heart was dropping at the sight.

when I lifted my hand to pat her cheek again, what I saw shocked me to the core. There was no blood. My handkerchief again turned white. D...Did her arm heal?

I unwrapped the handkerchief and saw, her arm was healed. Back to normal. H...How?

"B... Bela...

I could not even form a word.

I heard an evil laugh echoing in the atmosphere. When I looked in front, the ground slipped off my feet.

The scene before me was haunting me like none before. H...how? My head started spinning.
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Just a small request, if you reading this story, kindly do not skip any part as it will create a loophole for you in the coming parts. Vote or comment is totally your wish but do not skip as it will spoil the revelation.

Thank you so much for still being with me❤.

Please ignore grammatical mistakes.

Thanks for reading❤.