Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

As a boon granted from the womb of Goddess Kāli,

he rose from the crimson waters as the chants of our prayer birthed flesh, 

and blood,

nay, his blood stirred with the embers of a storm,

A contratious storm born of sinewy currents stalking

the smoky laps of the sea, 

he was a mother's boon, 

he was the answer

to all our prayers,

sewn from the nerves of the Gods, he was our saviour forged from sheer will of steel. one name that dripped cool milk in the desolate chambers of our hearts, 

dheera,

sura,

asura,

you know not 

that you are

our beginning,

and our end.

—

Reena

That incorrigible fool. Imbecile. Dumbass.

She scampered out to the lush courtyard of her father's mansion, clamping her helmet in place as she climbed on her motorcycle. She kicked-started the engine and it roared to life, streaming through the roads in a liquid motion. 

"Amma..nimma thindi?! " // "Amma, your breakfast?!" Malamma called after her, rushing towards the balcony as she watched her mistress pull the motorcycle onto the driveway. 

"Adakka nange time illa, Malamma!" // "I don't have time for that, Malamma!" She called out as she disappeared behind the huge metallic contraptions for gates. 

She was going to kill that scatterbrained human with her bare hands. Of course, she was in a hurry. 

Strumming the motorcycle into third gear, she zoomed through the highway, cocooning her heart amidst a firestorm brewing in the middle of her chest. Just where the cool metal of the amulet now lay, searing a brand on her caramel skin. 

Yes, she would find him and sink her dagger right in the middle of his throat just to watch the blood slurry out. Just like she had done so when she first laid eyes on that damned idiot. 

After what felt like an eternity, she had tailed the monstrous jeep which belonged to her father's men and pulled up her bike right behind it. A clutter of men awaited her in the midst of the coal bedded road. On the way to the bowels of Hell, or what even lay beneath the cursed land. Narachi.   

Hot dust swiveled around them in thin films of coal as she marched to the bulky masked man clad in a blazing crimson jacket and eyes sheathed with protective gear. Thick shoulders hunched a little as his errant locks clouded his vision. She wondered how the man could see with all that hair covering his face like he was some kind of a primitive specimen. A very attractive specimen at that. 

He cast a lazy glance in her general direction. She felt the corners of his mouth quirk with mirth beneath the mask even. Somehow that exasperated her, even further. 

The nerve of this insolent guy!

Andrews yanked a flimsy blueprint from the masked man's hands and clicked his lighter to it, crumpling the paper in flames in seconds. 

She shoved her father's partner out of the way and he knew better than to meddle with her. Together with the rest of the men, they parted like the red sea on a parched cobalt bed before her to let her pass through. The armed men formed a safe perimeter around them, further away. 

Reena fished her dagger from the sheath inside her boot. Flipping it twice as she flicked her wrist, she grappled the slightly taller man's hair before she pressed the sharp blade on his clothed throat. One wrong move and she could bleed him like a pig, it'll be like hot knife raging through butter. She liked the power she held over him in that moment. Relished it even. 

"How dare you leave this miserable amulet with me?" She spoke with slow precision, pouring distaste into her words. She seemed to be visibly shaking with ire. 

"Chinna..shy is coming for your Bhava. Naavu khaasagiyaagi maatanaaḍabahudee? // "Can we discuss this in private?"  

Rocky's shoulders shook with unspilled laughter this time. Reena pressed the blade in further, drawing a little blood from the side of his throat as he rasped, "Neevu duraviralu saadhyavaagalilla, allave? Keep it safe for me, Chinna." // "You couldn't stay away, could you?"

He padded his thumb, traced a slow, soft pattern on her cheekbone. Least worried as a little blood trickled from his flesh. 

She couldn't contain her fury any further as she yanked down his mask. She twisted the roots of his hair back and pressed the lining of the blade into his exposed flesh this time. She didn't regret her actions but maybe her heart did a clenched a little, like it always did in his godforsaken presence. She internally winced at the sight. 

Just a teensy-weensy bit. 

It didn't help that he had a perfect set of teeth, flashing at her at every given opportunity. It didn't help that she grew aware of the texture of his softer than sable hair, twisted in her fingers.

He smelled like sweat, earth and musk and that definitely didn't help her as she was in close proximity with the monster himself. 

"How dare you break into my room while there were thousands of guards outside?" Her brows crinkled and she spoke through gritted teeth, again, "Don't answer that. I.. I know. " 

"I have to go, Chinna. Rocky will coming for to you, always.. " His deep voice invaded her defenses, crumbling the walls like they were made of cookie dough. 

Somehow, she didn't know if she imagined it. But his voice dropped a little, smoothened like melted butter melding into fresh cream, just so she was the only one to catch it. No, she was definitely imagining things. She positively loathed the man and his equally infuriating grin. 

Then why does her heart rattle like frail birds trampling in a cage every time she went closer to him?

"I don't want your stupid amulet. Take it with you. " She bit the inside of her cheeks, trying so hard to hate him more and more with each passing second. 

"Haagidre safe aagi chaakuna nin khat atra hiditidya? // "Then you wouldn't have fastened it around your neck so safely, would you?" He curled a playful brow and caught her boot knife, smoothly removing it from her grasp once her grip slackened, for half a second. He wasn't one to take chances. 

Ever so tenderly, he untangled her hand from his locks, and bent his knees. Reverently, he put her dagger back in the knife sheath in her boot and she hissed as his fingers caressed her jeans. As if hellfire had dared to touch her. 

He towered over her, enclosing his hand over hers. She gasped as her entire hand just fit in the heart of his. He traced her cheek one last time and she thought she saw something break in his dark irises and it was gone in a flash. Replaced with frosted wood chips with a whip of his mischievous smile.

She scoffed at him. This man was the single most aggravating human being she ever knew. 

Something shifted in her once she thought of where he was headed. Rocky was going into the womb of death itself. Narachi was claimed to Hell unleashed on earth and the tales sung by her father, his oafish goons and his useless partners endlessly spoke of how one never made it out of there..alive. Especially Andrews because she was sure he looked he had shat his pants the last time he uttered the words, 'Narachi is the heart of the K.G.F Empire!'

Fuck it. Fuck it all. 

She grabbed the lapels of his jacket and tipped her toes as she brought his rough lips to hers. It was all beard and moustache for miles before she seeked his sweltering tongue, not teasing, not playing around. She needed his tongue like she needed oxygen. 

Her tongue laved the corner of his mouth, tugging at his bottom lip withholding nothing as she bared herself to him, arms enclosing his shoulders. Oh, this was a long time coming and she wanted to savour it, remember how he tasted. Like cigarettes splashed with a hint of beer and, well, enticingly masculine. Like Rocky. 

She smiled a little as she had finally figured out a way to shut him up and she saved the little piece of information for further use at the back of her head. 

Maybe she needed more time with him.. maybe he would come back to her or he would die. Even for Rocky it was a long stretch and there was a possibility that he could die out there, in the cold and forlorn mines of doom. 

Hot liquid pricked her lashes and she chased after his lips instead, distracting herself from the harsh truth that lay before her. No, she would pine and whine later, in private. Not now. She just needed a few more minutes..

---

Rocky 

At first, he didn't move, almost like an adorned stone pillar meant to stand in the corner of a temple. And then his muscles obeyed his whim and his arms came crashing down like metal barrels around her narrow waist, lifting her a little for better access, warm flesh seethed through the white fabric of her shirt. It was so feminine it hurt his brain cells to even think straight. 

And she had to go ahead and smell like that.. like a lethal combination of vanilla and buttercream..

He resisted the male urge to grab her ass right there as they were surrounded by her father's goons. Not that he gave a shit about them or even feared them, he mentally scoffed. It had more to do with relishing her in private than anything else. 

Or maybe it was more than that. It was a promise he made to himself. To come back to her. 

He didn't know where the thought came from, hell, he was on a suicide mission for all he knew. But he thought he would die trying. As he always had right from day one. And then here was this woman giving him a peek of her soul with just one kiss. One goddamned kiss and he became putty in her hands. 

He sensed her urgency with just one swipe of her tongue and he took the hint, navigating through the soft contours of her mouth. 

Her low moans drove him wild with the coal fire that surrounded them and electrocuting shards pierced him as she clutched his hair again, weaving her fingers through them.

Soon. He reminded himself. Her kiss was practically a demand to get back to her in one piece and at that moment he was more than certain that he would make it back this time. 

He wasn't born yesterday, no and he has had his fair share of exotic women falling over his feet most of his days, begging for him to take them without a moment's notice.

Not his Reena, no. If she wanted a kiss she would just threaten to end his life. He smiled into her mouth and chased the lining of her pulsing throat with his palm. 

He was breathing hard, pining for air just moments after their lips parted as he chased them. Phew, that was a first. 

He only wanted to taste more of her inviting, caramel skin. He didn't want to risk thinking about her bare flesh pressed against him right out here, on the gateway to hell of all places. He knew then and there that he had to come back alive, even if he had to sell his soul to the Devil himself. Apparently Garuda in this case. 

He would come back for his chinna. 

"Don't die out there. I.. I hate funerals.." She spoke quietly as she pressed her temple to his, holding onto his shoulders just a moment longer. "..And don't you dare laugh and make this weird. " 

He mocked her with his brow and bent a little so his breath kissed the tips of her ears, "Yes, Madam." 

He winked at her and fastened the mask around his face. Reena's cheeks were flushed red, lips plump and her chest heaved with such fury that he was almost tempted to quit his mission and trot after her. Almost. Well, she was the very picture of desire. 

She turned on her heels and stomped to her motorcycle in a hurry, to be the first one to get out there.  He chuckled to himself and his heart lurched a little. Ah, now he simply must keep his promise, come hell or high water. 

—

Chapter Text

leaves fell

emerald as the

sun burnt 

the tips, 

only graves 

sat in silence

taking slow sips,

blood riveted 

turbulent pulses,

grazing soft lips. 

---

Reena  

She wrung the cylindrical metal body until blood drained from her knuckles and she didn't dare look back at his departing shoulder blades. She sped homebound. 

Because if she did, even for a second, she would risk losing the last fibre of her sanity. And she was not ready to give up, not just yet.  

Lodging her sleek black and crimson BMW R80/GS into the garage, she yanked off the helmet in frustration and tossed it on the smooth leather. Somehow, it seemed to mock her. Her father had imported the motorcycle from Berlin for her twenty-first birthday. It was one of those gifts which was meant to shut down her calls of protest for her engagement to Kamal.  

Although she hated most of the presents her father had given her, this was very close to her heart because this vehicle effectively removed her from the daunting mansion. 

She took the back staircase that led straight to her bedroom. Afraid that she would spontaneously combust if she stood out for even one more second, she skirted over the stairs as if her life depended on it. 

Reena shut the door and sank against the hard, ornate wood. Fingers flew to her lips and they shook as she recalled the rushed and fervent kiss that she had shared with Rocky not thirty minutes ago. 

No, she could not ignore his hard muscles beneath that cursed jacket and how brilliantly he stiffened under her fingertips. Oh, the endless possibilities..

Get a hold yourself, woman. He's just another guy.. Right, right? I can do this. 

Not even in her wildest dreams did she think she would fall for such an audacious asshole. Maybe she had known for a while and she knew she could never admit it to herself. 

Rocky stood for everything that she didn't dare even dream of. Not the usual brood of tall, dark and handsome. He had an aura of danger clinging to him and when one thinks he is driven purely by impulse, he strikes with a strategy that leaves them stupefying. The cocky smirk might have had a strain on her heart but she saw beneath the mask, his astute eyes wandering in search of triumph and surprisingly, the truth as well. 

There was just something maddening about those tree-bark eyes she wished to sink into while they soaked gloriously in the sun. They seemed to see right through her. Like she could clamber onto the branches of his soul and live on forever. 

In so many ways, he was a driven man, more so like she was than she gave him credit for. Which is why she ground her teeth in his presence, letting her perfectly-manicured fingernails dig into the beds of her palms. 

She loathed that her veins tucked beneath her skin every time he appeared before her. Every time he said, 'Chinna' in that lazy rasp. And when he looked at her, it was as if he cocooned a piece of the sun in his irises. Melting her resolve to stand still under his perceptive gaze. 

Her mind wandered to the day when Kamal had dragged her off to hunt Rocky down for teasing her at her own goddamn party. And if she got a chance to send her useless fiancé on a wild goose chase, she yanked it like an unwanted weed on a field. Beyond everything, Kamal didn't even know that it was Rocky! And his inadequate goons had failed to locate him and instead, Rocky had jerked her into the hotel room, clad in nothing but a towel robe. 

It's not the most romantic thing, no. Hell , it was pathetic, inappropriate and downright degrading. Yet she was drawn to him like a moth to a flame. She had felt so fucking stupid too. And he swooped at a chance to tease her, claiming that she couldn't stay away from him and chose to hunt him down instead. Not like Rocky to know the meaning of "subtlety".  

His scent had clouded her nostrils first, sandalwood, masculine and clean. She had to fist her hands from gripping his erratic hair and making him submit to her will, then and there but the years of conditioning grilled into her nerves forbade her from doing so. 

Instead, she kept saying, "I will kill you." Just so he didn't get any ideas. And even then, his eyes positively glazed over at the thought of her hunting him down with her goons. So, guess that backfired because somehow, it had turned him on, the twisted man that he is. God, maybe they were meant for each other. And he had gone on and on about trains and railway tracks like a four year old chanting, "Chikku bukku chikku bukku!" She truly wondered how he had survived all these years with those half-witted analogies. 

Reena had practiced and mastered physical restraint that day and she couldn't have been prouder. She was torn between ravaging his lips and letting him have a taste of her excellent right hook. Maybe she would have, if she wasn't so preoccupied at keeping her feelings suppressed under a fucking trapdoor. 

Later, he had decided to cosplay with her driver's costume after successfully beating him up into a pulp as well and took her out for a ride in the city. By that time Reena had lost the energy to object to his bullshit. Yet, he had managed to seal the deal with a piece of an old bun when he stopped the entire traffic with his gun, for the struggling woman and her child on the road, someone he didn't even know but had recognised the image as someone from his own past, perhaps. There was no way that a self-serving and impulsive man like Rocky would do anything for anyone without a prescribed reason. 

She had shot him a soft look then, positively at a loss for words and let the events of the day sink in before she bit off more than she could chew. It had been a long day for her and she could never put herself in the woman's shoes but saw the narrative through his eyes instead. Yes, she had needed more than a minute as the whole incident felt like a cart of cement dropped in the midst of her chest. And the bastard had the gall to shoot her with a cocky stare before he had dropped her off at home, not before effectively goading her. 

Reena had hired a private investigator to suck out information on him purely out of curiosity at first, right after that incident and then it turned into a slow obsession. She had poured over his files all night with a sly smile on her face the whole time. Unequivocally, he wanted to big and she felt it in the tissues of her bones and what's more, she had evidence to support her conclusion this time. 

The wall on the far right began to look like a murder board with trooping red strings, numerous tapes sticking up Rocky's face through the decades. 

Yup, she had lost it.  

At the tender age of ten, he had blazed the streets of Bombay with a fire to own the city by infiltrating Shetty's gang. It was straight out of a gangster movie and when she tracked through the events, he had favourably secured Shetty's gang back in Bombay, so much so that even Inayat Khalil's men had bucked over and fled the scene once they knew he was alive. 

She would never forget that day at the club when she had dared him to touch her in front of all her useless men and Kamal. And if he had managed to do so, then she was his. Was it a pathetic attempt to grab attention? Yes .  But damn it all to hell, she needed to find out if she was just Miss Moneybags or if he really gave a shit about her. She simply had to know. Furthermore, Kamal was beginning to grate her nerves more than necessary and he turned into a significant pain in the ass while under Rocky's shadow. She got a kick out of it. 

Again, he had literally dodged the bullet with a larger than life solution, holding every soul in the arena hostage with one short matchstick and all their feet soaked in petrol. Petrol ?! That ludicrously crafty man had implanted a petrol tank as backup even before he had entered the club. And they said she was being picky with men . As impressive as it may have seemed, he had gone ahead and launched into one of his preaching sessions about love, manhood and values. And she remembered flipping from blithering rage to being comatose with happiness because he might have mentioned the words: girl, love and value not in that particular order. Profoundly, the worst proposal ever, yet it was quirky nonetheless. 

That cursed day, something had tugged her heartstrings after so many years of its conditioning and confinement. A fever birthed in her core, branching through each nerve frond that encompassed her entire body. She had felt alive . She had finally learnt how to breathe because she was around him. 

Another thirty minutes went by and she had taken a rather long and cold shower. Not that she ever felt ashamed for ever satiating herself but the thought remained daunting as to the reason behind it. Or more significantly, a certain someone's exceedingly lush beard.  

Once again her mind wandered to the impromptu party she had thrown for her "friends" who had come from all over the city and even some from abroad. She hadn't really given a shit about parties but it was a necessity. To exude the power she held over the city. The glorious advantage of being Rajendra Desai's daughter, just so she could keep up appearances and bare her fangs at anyone who dared to make eyes at her. 

Rocky had practically barrelled through the barricades and stumbled in front of her, drunk as a fish and had the audacity to match her gaze, pace for pace. It was deplorable, if she was going to be candid to herself at the very least.

When she had sent her ruffians to strongarm him, he had simply compromised twenty men of hers while he staggered across the road. It made her cackle in the middle of the night, even now. What a dumbass?!

But he was her dumbass now and she wanted him to live through the mission her father and his partners so easily strapped to his head. To them, he was an easy pawn, replaceable and well, for lack of a better word, disposable . It didn't matter if he lived or died after he manages to kill Garuda. And that's a big if . 

No, they wanted their paws all over Narachi once Garuda was out of the way and like the cowards they were, shitting their pants in private while they sent in one infiltrator to do their dirty work for them.  And that goes for her father too, yes , especially that spineless man. 

In so many ways, she was similar to Rocky, they were both victims of high expectations and hopes. Yes, and that was as far as she could go while comparing herself to him. If she knew him any better, she would say that he was single-handedly plotting to usurp the K.G.F. 

Some things just didn't seem to add up during the D.Y.S.S party office fiasco. Rocky would have taken the shot if he wanted to. Hell, he was a trained killer and a walking weapon. She had heard whispers from the men that they had in point of fact snuck in a gun and handed it to him on a fucking golden platter. 

Why then did he hesitate to take the bloody shot and be done with it all?! 

Something else was afoot here and she had no means to investigate. Yet a fear unbeknownst to her creeped up her spine. 

What did he have to lose anyway? It's not like he had any family waiting out here for him. No one gave two shits about a hired killer coming out of that hellhole in one piece. 

Well, no one except for her. 

Reena never prayed to the Goddesses like the spoiled little brat that she was. No . But that night she fell asleep praying to whoever was listening out there. 

That he come back into the warmth of her arms with a beating heart. 

—

Chapter Text

he waited

for withered

mercy to 

lick his 

blooming wounds,

nay, erase 

screams, 

split skies, 

cries blithering

of souls that swim

in eternal torment,

teeth grating,

nails screeching,

cerise rivers 

gliding with

currents rippling

storms as bright

as a day. 

—

Rocky

The stench from his rags burned his nostrils just as he twisted his feet in his sleep. He shuffled around, trying to find a comfortable side on the hard floor of a tent in hell's counterpart, Narachi . He gave up after five minutes of fussing about and he decided to lie on his chest instead, just so the coolness from the floor provided a temporary relief to his indisposed body.  

Rocky balled the hand-stitched rags beneath his head in an attempt to find a softer side and was doomed to fail that night.  The sole of his feet was killing him, as was the consequence of dueling with a rock. He had escaped with a minor gash and one of the older women was kind enough to clean it up and fastened it with an old piece of cloth stuffed with some herbal paste. It still didn't stop the pricking and he feared it might begin to itch soon. 

Flashes of raindrops swifted through his closed eyelids and the chilled taste of naked rain swirled in his mouth. Nails raked the fabric this time and he drew shallow breaths. 

She was a bride clad in coal lace, wisps of smoke encasing her in the womb of a monster with numerous black strings. Or was it wings, he knew not. He pulled. And she moved. His amulet nestled in her bosom and he recognised it from the carvings. 

It was his mother's token of protection from the beyond now thriving in the hands of his beloved. He smiled a little.

She pleaded with her eyes, thick hands smothered her soft petals for lips, muffling her cries. As if someone had decided to screech an iron crowbar against the membranes of his arteries, scraping and scraping until the walls collapsed entirely. Oh, how sublime was his heart when it leaked a crimson glow. 

She drew breath. Traded with a swift sink of her teeth into the masculine hands. 

"R-Raja.. I'm coming for you. Don't die, please don't die.." 

Sweat caked his chest, a chill encased his fingertips and he shot off the floor in one swift motion. His head thumped. Heart galloping as he brought his smudged fingers to the surface of his lips and cheeks, shaking. Nail-beds soiled with the black earth that buried the dreams of every resident of Narachi , mocked him, incinerating his hopes for a new dawn.  

Reena.. Reena.. Avalu illidalu.. avalu ille iddalu?!

 Avalu enadaru tondareyalli irabahuda?! // Reena.. Reena.. She was here. She was right here?! W-Was she in trouble?!

No, it couldn't be. He was here in the so-called limestone mines and it was just a nightmare designated to mock his resolute will. Yes, that was it. He couldn't afford to be weak now, couldn't afford to get distracted, not after twenty five days of scouting, planning and procuring intel . 

He spat at himself inwardly for the fear that seemed to grow with each second. No, it was not for his fate. His thoughts trained on his lifeline at the other end of the world. He could only hope she was safe. Only hope that the madman's elaborate scheme works out, just the way he had planned. To cross the t's and dot the it's. 

—

Reena

Her body sank into the soft sheets, the snowy covers burying her deep like a grave of feathers. Her breath felt like fire in her lungs. 

Had it become too soft for her liking? She couldn't tell. 

She peeled off the thick blanket that weighed down on her chest like a contraption. Fingers pads dug into the cold metal of her lover's amulet, she traced the sign and concentrated. 

Deep breaths, Reena. In. Out. In. Out. 

She gripped it until the edges pricked her skin this time, springing off the mattress like it had burned her skin.

Once upright, her gaze flitted around her room as if she had caught the scent of sandalwood in the air. Her fists balled on the sheets in frustration. Eyes pricked like hot poker sticks.  

So, her plan to nap through the torturous wait backfired. Anger possessed her in a violent fit as she grabbed one pillow, tossing it to the floor, followed by her body. 

How could one man dictate the way she lived now, from miles and miles away as he rotted in a snakepit?!

It wasn't like her to give up her comfort for anyone, let alone that miserable oaf. Ugh, pathetic, Reena. 

She let the cold floors lull her into a deep slumber. 

—

She skipped to the breakfast table, stomach gurgling as she smiled a little. Yes, today was definitely better than yesterday. At least she got three hours of sleep. Three is hell of a lot better than two. She was a little pleased with herself. 

"Good morning, Reena. " Her father's deep voice pierced her little bubble of peace. 

"Morning. " She mumbled . "Malamma, nange bari bisi toastu." // Malamma, just hot toast for me." Her stomach protested at the sight of gruesomely ghee infested parathas, stacked like a little tower. 

Maybe the servants would get a generous portion of leftovers to eat if she skipped out a little. And she surprised herself as the thought struck her mind. Rocky's 'bun' speech from the other day was clearly having a field day with not only her heart but her brain went for a toss too.

Malamma placed a plate of hot golden toast, the film  of melted butter glinting in the morning sun. And Reena downed slice after slice wolfishly. Damn , she was famished. 

"Good morning, uncle!" An awfully deep baritone clouted the room, sucking the beauty of the living as he entered the dining area. 

Well, there goes my appetite.  

"Good morning, Kamal! How are you this morning, beta?" Her overenthusiastic father responded. She rolled her eyes heavenward. Here we go. 

"Ninage ondu worst, most predictable vichara share madabeku.." // "I just have the worst and the most predictable news to share with you.." The despicable creature eyed her sideways, clearly harbouring some juicy gossip in his head like an old woman at a kitty party. 

He traced the lining of his blazer, pretending to catch a stray thread and sighed with forced nonchalance. 

"Well, don't keep us in the dark, Kamal. Do tell. " She managed with a straight face and she was proud of herself for having gotten through one sentence without a cuss. 

"Ayyo devare, elli start madabeko gotthagthilla.." // "Oh dear me, I don't even know where to begin.." He cackled for a good minute, clutching his side. 

" For the love of God ..spit it out, Kamal. " Reena bit the air, his voice grating her with every second. 

"N-Ninna brave aashiqu hoda. Hogi taleyalli gundu satta!" // "Y-Your brave lover went and got himself shot in the face. " His sickening laugh continued. 

"W-What was he thinking?! That he could best Garuda.. that too on his turf?! Stupid bastard!" 

Reena forgot to breathe. Her heart dropped like a lumps of coal to her stomach. Her mouth went dry. Blood rushed to her ears, eyes gaining a deep sheath of blackness and hot salt bathed the edge of her lashes.

One moment her body froze with just his mere words and the next, she shot off the chair like an arrow strung off a bow. 

Dead..dead? He was.. dead?! No. No. No. Fuck no. 

Kamal caught her forearm before she could reach the set of stairs at the end of the hall. 

"Preyasiru nayi jote malagakke hodare ide aguttade." // "And that is what happens when the mistress decides to lay with her dog. " He gobbed at her. "You placed your bet on a dead man and now you pay the price."

Her breathing grew heavy like someone chafed a cycle chain around her lungs and the last drop of patience left her body. Grabbing one of the thin frosted glass plates off the table, she smashed it to smithereens against his head. 

" You fucking lay a hand on me again, gantlannukittu horahaku sayisthini!" // " I will rip your throat out." She began to quake with a newly born ire. 

Red gushed from Kamal's head and he doubled over in pain clutching the point of impact. 

"Reena, what the hell were you thinking?!" Her father seemed to have found his voice all of a sudden, summoning a horde of servants to attend to his precious stand-in son. 

Reena bent her head to meet Kamal, eye-to-eye, and seethed, " Ninna hendatiginta avana vidhaveyagodu nanna ayke ." // "Better his widow than your wife. " 

She stomped out of the dining hall, leaving a trail of the loud click of her heels behind her. 

"You insufferable bitch! You'll end up in a grave just as…" Kamal whined on and on like a wounded animal. 

Just as she exited the dining hall, turning left, she bolted to the sanctity of her room. There was always time to cry. Later . For now, she needed to pack a bag of necessities and get the fuck of this venomous place. Anywhere was better than here . 

She needed proof of his death before she crawled under her bed and cried herself to sleep. And if she had to stick her hand into the mouth of the lion, then so be it. 

—

Virat

He pressed the earpiece against his ears, a little harder than necessary as an exasperated female voice filled the other side of the phone. Brows furrowed and lips set deep in thought, he clicked his tongue, "Well, you know I'd be honored to host you at the Narachi Mansion, anytime, Reena. "  

She muttered a faint thanks.

"Do you need someone to pick you up?" His voice grew soft, calming her, giving her the strength that she clawed for. 

"Yes. I'll wait at the Diamond Motel on Khan Saheb St. I'm counting on you, Virat. Get me out the fuck out of here as soon as possible. " She managed through gritted teeth. 

"Cintisabedi, See you in a bit." // "Don't worry." Suryavardan's youngest son disconnected the call with a deep sigh. Things just got a little more complicated. 

—

Rocky  

The plan was in motion now and there was no turning back. People were in the right places and places for all the right people, yes . He mentally scratched off the checklist in his head. Disable the electrocuted fence. Lights out until back up power kicks in. Ten seconds. Aim for the drain. Yes, that’s it. 

Ee huchu solemaga suttu haku bidona. // Let’s burn this motherfucker to the ground. 

Even though he had to make a few changes to the originally crafted plan, it proved a detour. He could work with that, he was flexible like that. 

The haunting chants of the folk in Narachi, the thudding of the shovels, bloodthirsty cries from little tongues branded the fibers of his stringent sanity. Had he been through all kinds of shit when he was a kid? Yes. Yet, this felt like a new kind of evil, an evil that corrupted their tender hearts, tricking them into thinking that violence was their way out of the abyss. So much so that they had become immune to it. It angered him that they were reduced to beings even less than human. 

Despite the fact that he has had his fair share of fuckery through every phase of his life, the lives of these kids simmered as a different entity here. He didn't recognize this. Still when he grew up poor, he had his mother, her words and her shield of love protecting him each step of the way. Most of all, it was her entrenched bravery that seeped, even through the darkest of times. She was his light. His love. That guided him, right down to this day. 

It was a surprise that he made it through the bestial trials of Narachi without uttering a single prayer and ridden with a bout of nightmares, featuring his precious Reena. Which still stumped his gut, something just didn't feel right. Something was terribly wrong. 

He needed to get through this ordeal and hurtle back to her, just to let her scent lull him to reality. 

Vanilla buttercream .. mmm.. like a bakery cake. He could just eat her up. Adu khanditavagi soap athava shampoo ne irabeku. Avala  nijavada suhasane agokke sadhya villa?! // Surely it has to be a soap or shampoo, she couldn’t smell like that for real?!  

On some days it was the memory of her silky tresses that made him push through. He strengthened his will like tangling his fingers through them. It was a miracle he lasted this long with numerous unhealed injuries adorning his body. 

In the labour camp, he gave a firm nod to Vittal to proceed as he gripped the handle of the sledgehammer, tracing the rim of the metal body with his left. 

It was time. 

—-

Chapter Text

Reena 

Her tiny feet carried her to the thundering sounds erupting from the master bedroom three doors down the elaborate corridor, ridden with daunting pillars. 

Gunshots were fired.

Pristine cold tiles pricked her skin yet she scuttled on without her robes or the fluffy rabbit slippers her mom had gotten her. The loud thumping of her heart clung to her ears like bed bugs sticking to an old mattress. She banged her fists on the heavy door, wailing and screaming until thorns scratched her throat. 

Heavy footsteps pommeled the marble. Her father’s people swept her out of the way with much difficulty and barrelled through the thick doors. One of the older fellows held her by the torso. 

She kicked and screamed. Still. Bit his hairy hand and wiggled out of the muscled man’s clutches and leapt to her mother’s sleeping form. 

“Amma.. Amma.. Wake up, Amma..” She vehemently shook her mom’s arms but to no avail. “Maa.. don’t be mad at me. I-I will clean up my room.. I-I will listen to Malamma, please Amma, get up. GET UP!?!” She pleaded next to her, face pressed into her mother’s neck which was slowly losing its warmth.

Hot liquid drenched her side in a blotch. No, it wasn’t her. Someone thumped a sledgehammer deep in her chest. Thud. Thud. Thud. Her ears grew painful and salt burned the rims of her eyes. 

She looked down and the sound that erupted in her throat died there. A cerise pool flooded next to her mother’s still form and her lips were chiseled in a small ‘o’ and a matching shaded blotch was printed on Reena’s sky-blue frock with petite little frills dripping.  Her mother seemed to be staring at the ceiling, oblivious to her protests. 

Two burly arms enclosed her body which now clung to the corpse in a fetal ball, warm limbs entangled with the slowly frigid turning ones. Rajendra had to pry her skinny form off his dead wife with great difficulty. Yet, Reena held onto her, yelling once again to not to take her mother away from her. 

She drew his pistol from the gun holster and pressed the muzzle into her father’s side. He let go abruptly and raised his hands in the air, moving away from her, “Papa, gun kelag idu. Easy.” // “Put the gun down, sweety.” His calm voice penetrated the air around her. 

"Y-You took her f-from me. S-She is g-gone.. B-Because of you.. She is gone!!" She sobbed harder, tears racking her tiny chest.  

Her aim went haywire and she warded off the guards with the swipe of the pistol. They backed away, instantly regretting the abrupt movement. 

The gun clicked. A shot fired. 

Rajendra clutched his right leg and piled on the floor as a bag of loose bones. A crimson blotch appeared at the spot above his knee cap and turned to a tiny puddle next to him.

A warning shot. 

“I hate you, daddy! I WILL ALWAYS HATE YOU!” Reena's screams thrummed across the once lively halls of the Desai mansion. 

— 

The afternoon sun was unkind, blasting a heatwave through the car window and raking one side of her face through the very permissible glass. She produced a pair of Ray-Bans from her elegantly zipped sapphire tote bag and slapped them on. 

Virat had sent Daya in his stead to retrieve her from the sickening motel just on time. Even if it had pissed her off that her old friend chose to get Andrew's right hand man involved in this shit show. For the life of her, she didn't know why she ended up there in the first place. Perhaps, she thought Kamal wouldn't think to look at dingy motels for her, nor would her father. 

She gave him a stiff nod, palpably not in the mood to discuss the course of events even though she knew Virat would have filled him in. 

Daya eyed her with least subtlety and his mind was neck-deep in skepticism. 

Reena's tongue cut through the air, "don't look at me like that, Daya. Like I fucking killed someone and ran out of town. "  

"Trust me, neenu ade maadidare, tumba sulbha aagttitu!” // “It would have been a lot easier had you done exactly that." He helplessly looked at his box of cigarettes, itching for a smoke. 

"Why are you helping me instead of dragging me back to my father? Athva Virat inna chhannagi iruva offer kottna?" // “ Or did Virat make an even more tempting offer?"

 Casually, she pulled out her chapstick and smoothened the balm on her stiff lips. 

He looked at the rear view mirror with a pull of his thick eyebrow. "He made a convincing case is all, besides, Andrews didn't take the news too well and Ninna solalaarada Rocky-ge yen aayitu antha tilkombeku antha iddini. Ondu investment antha kari addana. // "I intend to find out what happened to your invincible Rocky. Call it an investment, if you will.."

Reena fixed him with a hard glare. 

"What!? It was no secret y'all had a major thing going on. Anyone with eyes could see it." The towering man clad in a checkered deerskin suit gave one last shrug before he threw the sedan into the third gear and wheeled ahead. 

“Naanu yen yochane maadthaiddino, neenu ade maadthaidre, do you really believe that Garuda will buy that I am going to visit Virat because I so terribly miss him?!"” // "If you're thinking what I am thinking,”  Reena frowned, way down knowing that her reason was not solid enough to convince the demon leader of Narachi. 

He pulled the car onto the side of the road and turned to face her with grave eyes. "We can sell anything if we play it right. It'll be just like old times." 

—

Radhika (OC)

The woman was clad in a Ralph Lauren indigo patchwork dress, crisp Gucci heels and a pair of Ray Bans to top off the ensemble. She had her rounded nose tip poised in the air.

An air of power swirling with each click of her heels. Glossy hair fell in waves, tucked over one side of her shoulders, maybe a little tousled from the car ride. She was the very picture that inspired devotion and desire in a man.  

Bloody hell, even she might have wavered a little too.  

Her full lips inked dark peach were set in a thin line as she embraced her maiduna firmly and he ruffled her hair with a familiar playfulness. The woman swat off his hand with a small smile. 

Radhika's stomach clawed as she witnessed the scene unfold. Never one to fidget with her appearance or even cast a second glance at another woman's form, something green thrived deep in the pits of her belly. 

Virat motioned to her with his trademark soft smile he saved for the ones closest to him. 

"Reena, I want you to meet Radhika, Anna's fiancée. " he smiled warmly, enough to melt a whole in her heart. 

"Hi, good luck with that." Reena's eyes flashed briefly with pity and she immediately shot it down with a haughty smile. " He's a tough one to crack." 

Virat filled the void with a rather loud laugh and squeezed her shoulder with his long arm in a side hug. 

"She's one of my oldest friends and we go way back to our days in Warwick together."

Radhika mimicked him but only her smile was plastered. Of course, they had studied together in London. She was probably more special to him than he let on. What with them making bedroom eyes at each other and this female was not even subtle about it?!

“Radhika, dayavittu obba kelsagaararanu karesi, avallige ondu room tayaarstiya?” // "Radhika, could you please ask one of the maids to get her settled into her room?" Virat requested her, bending his head a little in that adorable way when he wants something. 

"Yes, of course." She found her voice. "Please don't hesitate to ask Valli for anything and welcome to Narachi. " 

Reena who was clearly distracted with something else, only nodded faintly at her and redirected her attention to Virat, her hawk-eyes pointed that she needed them to move to his room on the first floor. 

The audacity of this woman! Who the fuck did this lady think she even was?! 

It was not like Radhika to succumb to the monster and it turns out it only came out to play when Virat was involved. 

Many years of being addressed as the by-blow of Guru Pandian, President of the D.Y.S.S party, she was accustomed to the name calling and abusive brands. In turn, it strengthened her confidence and made her work towards her future. She had studied hard through the years and got a job as a teacher at the local school. It was not a high life but the food on the table came from her hard-earned money. 

She had constructively avoided her father's cursed shadow on her life and yet, he made it his life's mission to be omnipresent in hers, wittingly making it a living hell. 

When her mother was alive, he would swing by with carts of jewels and clothing, stringing a bunch of sweet words so she would melt in his arms. Not Radhika, no . She was wary of the rich and she knew her father only scratched the mere surface. 

He would ask her two things, “Hegiddiya? Ninna shikshane henge nadittaidde?” // "How are you and how are your studies?" It took her a while to grow a heart of stone and expect nothing from the man who claimed to share her name only in blood. He had kept them in the shadows, even threatened them to not utter a word of her birth. As if that would shun the wagging tongues of the people who pointed fingers and called them filthy names. As if a brand of a bastard was imprinted on her forehead. She never escaped shame. And she hated her father with every nerve-frond in her body. Things came easy to him, to say it as he had given his name to his sons he begot from his first wife. 

And here she was, on one side, cast away in a trash receptacle. 

Six months ago, he had visited her, precisely after her mother had died. He hadn't shown up for the funeral because it would raise questions. Little did he know that everyone knew she was his bastard child, yet he didn't care. He never did. 

Producing a photo of Garuda from his shirt pocket, he announced that she was to marry him in two months and if she refused, he would simply force her hand by having her cut off from her job and quite possibly, all the amenities that made her little apartment function. He had bent her will like a hot metal beaten to shape and twisted her arm into the decision. She spat at herself for giving in. For being weak.  

Beggars are not choosers. Her mother would often say and she couldn't have agreed more with the dead woman's fate, now more than ever. Her future only seemed darker than the rain clouds that now trapped storms in the distance. 

—

Reena

"Get me in there, Virat. I need to know.. I need to see for myself.." She drew a deep breath and examined the magazine tray in her steel Colt M1911A1 and clicked it shut. " Avenue maadadno, illvo .." // “If he made it or not..” She paced the room like a caged lioness. 

Virat slapped on a pair of spectacles and stared at her funny. "Reena, I need you to be patient. It's not as easy as you think it is."

"Don't patronize me!" She snapped at him, aiming the gun at the old man with somber eyes on the portrait hung above.  

"Even if you take the secret route to the mines--" He started.

"--There's a secret passageway?! Of course there's a secret passageway. Get me a map then, I'll find my way in." She interrupted with glinting feline eyes, sticking the gun back in her thigh holster. 

"Reena, listen to me. I've only heard Vanaram hush about it, matthe yaarigu sariyaagi location gottila..” // “And no one knows the exact location, except for him.” He finished in one breath. 

Reena huffed with her hands perched on her waist, "Oh, for fuck's sake!"

“Adu allade, neenu alli iruva guards annu daati hogakke aagalla .. " // “Besides, you'll never get through the stationed guards. Bloody hell, even I don't know the intervals for the patrols out there. I don't want you dead in the process of finding out your boyfriend's life status!" He gesticulated his urge to protect her. 

She bit the inside of her cheek. 

"Why him though? " He mused aloud. 

"Because he is the only thing that was never a part of my father's grand plan. Till this day, he has sneaked around branding his plans in my life.." She choked. 

"Rocky is the one piece that doesn't fit in any scheme. I want him back because it was the one thing that I decided. He was.. is my choice." She took a long pause but eyes glowed with an unhinged conviction.

" I wonder how that will play out for you two.. if he is..alive, that is." Virat concluded with a shrug, twisting the last word like it didn't taste right. 

"I haven't given it much thought, really. He just challenges me, ya know. It's refreshing. Bari naanu koduva aagnannu kela bodalu... naanu bari... allege bandaga aa seethuve annu suttona.” // “Instead of bowing down and obeying every command I give.. I just.. we'll burn that bridge when we get there." She sighed.

"Keep up that positivity. Give me some time until I figure out another way. Allivaragu, neenu saayabaradu.” // “ And don't get yourself killed in the meantime.” Virat pleaded, rubbing his hands on his temple. “Maath kotthtiya?” // “Promise me?"  

Reena scraped her fingers on the edges of the amulet, involuntarily, as if it granted her strength. She managed a curt nod at him. The thorns began to prick her throat, once again. Cold settled at the pits of her heart and it was getting difficult to breathe. 

—

Chapter Text

Radhika (OC)

She stood facing the hard lines of his back. Coarse and masculine. The sacred black cloth draped around his toned waist was promiscuous enough to incite a groan. His large hands rested atop the edge of the midnight fabric. Thumb twiddling with his index finger. Sheaths of ink smothered the canvas above Narachi. Spotted with bright balls of light, winking at them. Moonlight bathed his sturdy body as he stared ahead at the empire his tyranny expensed over.

“ Ri .” She sank firm in her voice. “Aah, Radhika. You are here.” Garuda’s baritone echoed within the master chamber of his boastful mansion. Disgusting to breathe the very air that masked the scent of blood, vibrant and thriving. 

He turned around to fetch his upper cloth, his customarily wild mane was neatly tied in a bun. He looked.. clean ? She wondered if it was a special occasion because good heavens, most of the time the man resembled an ape swinging around in branches of the nearby forest. 

“You wanted to see me?” Reluctantly, she raised her eyes to meet his emphatic ones. “Indeed, I did.” He turned his lips up in the slightest bit and she had to claw her eyeballs out. 

The mad thing showed its teeth. 

The base of her abdomen cleaved. Bile rose to her throat. She forced her lips to imitate his. “Whatever for? I have things to get back to. We had a guest come in earlier.”

He flashed a maniacal smile her way. “I am happy you are learning the ways of this household.” Waving a hand to the velvet clad armchair in front of him, he motioned her to sit. “.. Very happy.”  

To her, it was equivalent to lying on a bed of thorns. Breathing the same air as him did weird things to her stomach. The bad kind . “As great as your enthusiasm is to learn the ways of this household. You will do as you are told. You hear me?” He drove rings of steel into each word.

She gave him a courteous nod and sat down, silently cursing her abysmal father for putting her through the trial of marrying this beastly thing.  “ Reena is not new to Narachi and I am not curious in the slightest to know why she is here..” He scratched his unruly beard with a thought that rattled his head. “But she might prove useful..” It seemed more like he wanted to relish the sound of his own voice. Only wished strongly to have an audience while doing so.

“ I don’t quite understand..” Radhika began.

“My dear, it is not your job.. To understand anything.” He scoffed, his demeanour shifting as menacing clouds threaten a perfectly beautiful sunny day. “Why don’t you focus on the household duties? And perhaps, bending over. In the future, hmm?” 

“Do you wish for me to leave then?” She half rose from her seat and he cast a glance forged with midnight embers. “Sit down, woman. And listen to me.” He roared, rising from his seat and locking his hands behind him. He began to pace the room in elephantine steps. 

“It is a page from your father’s playbook.. And why are you complaining? Your future husband is gracious enough to seat you. And talk to you!” He came from behind her, moved closer, hands wringing the armrest at where she sat. 

Radhika cringed, drawing deep breaths to calm her nerves. This will pass. This will pass. “Or my dear, have you forgotten.. Who you are..” His gruff whisper compelled her to peel her skin from her body and burn the discarded remains. She didn’t need to bet money to know what would pop out of his mouth next. 

“I welcomed you into my Kingdom and agreed to make you my Queen. Even though you are nothing but a by-blow of that bastard you call, father.” Her pale nails dug into the blood-coloured sofa with a vengeance of its own . “It is poetic in a way. A bastard’s pretty, pretty little bastard..” He continued in deliberation, tipping her over the edge. Lost in the trance of his own speech.

Radhika ground her teeth. Toes ploughing in the gold swirls on the marble floors. “Your redeeming quality is your glistening, tight body though, yes.” He clicked his tongue. “Which I will ravish after I make you mine.” He closed in to sniff her neck and she almost jumped out of her skin.

“Pity this cloth forbids me from having a taste.. Right now.” She vowed to break ten coconuts in Tayi Kali’s presence in the temple, the following day. Tayi always guided her even in the darkest of times. She smiled a little, offering a small prayer in her heart. 

“Hmm.. where was I, yes. Yes. I was thinking, we must tie a leash around Rajendra Desai’s neck. Just like your pathetic father thought he could accomplish with me. That miserable fool!” Her father was many things. But a fool?! No. He was no fool!

Garuda rounded her sofa and strutted upto the curtains. Examining the velvet fabric with his rough hands, he twisted the cloth in a chokehold. 

Realisation dawned on her and she found her voice when she finally said, “You don’t mean to say.. That woman.. and Virat?!” Had Garuda had paid a little more attention to his betrothed, he would have noticed jealousy twisting its green, ugly vines around the spilled words. 

“Yes, my dear. I plan on doing precisely that. Kamal is a useless fucker. I could have him killed anywhere but.. How would that be any fun for us, hmm?” The large mount of a man uttered with unwavering confidence. 

“She has a spine of steel, Ri.. I don’t know how you will convince her to–” Radhika began and he cut her off. “Who said anything about asking? She walked into the snakehole on her own..” He yanked off the curtain along with the rod. She was sure she heard a crack from the wall near the fastenings of the metallic clasp. “ ..thinking she can spy on us under false pretences!” 

“..and no one can save her now.” He boomed and shook his head in satiation. 

—

Reena

“We need to buy him some time.. Reena, do you hear me?! He's the only one who can finish the mission!” Virat screamed in a hushed whisper, pacing the room with hands choking his waist. He was losing it. And it wasn’t a pretty sight. “He is the only one that can slay the monster.”

“I need to go to him. ” A folded map rested under her left breast, heavier than a mossy log in a rainforest. Chest drawing fistfuls of breaths. She had nicked it from Vanaram’s living quarters. It was quite a gamble but it had paid off. “He.. he might need help. Or.. o-or what if he is injured?!” That was a blatant lie. If anyone can handle twenty-three guards and burn them as a beacon, just to signal to Virat, it had to be Rocky. There was no mistaking it. 

“Absolutely fucking not! I told you we would find a way to get you to him and this is not it, Reena!” For someone who had always been the flagbearer of patience, he sure threw an infant-like tantrum.

“Virat, listen to me, I cannot sit on my ass while he is--” Reena stuttered. “--We blow out the candle then. For good.” Air poured out of his lungs in exasperation like a swarm of bees spilling out of the hive.

“You don’t mean to..” Reena’s eyes bulged. This was a huge con and it could potentially get both of them killed. It was riding on both their shoulders to make it work. To simply light the match for Rocky to raze down Garuda’s mad reign. 

“Appa needs to die.” Virat spoke with a finality that matched the anger coursing through his twitching veins in his body. He shared a meaningful look with her, “ Tonight.” Seating himself on the couch opposite to hers, he made the call to Andrews and brought him up to speed on the situation. They needed Daya on standby. In case things went south. 

Crash.

The elegant swan vase shattered in the corridor, bringing them both to life. A look of sheer horror swiped their faces and they locked eyes. Jingling anklets parting from the door pricked cold iron rods down their throats. Reena tilted her head to her right, signalling him to get a move on it. 

“Radhika!” Virat sprinted out the large doors with Reena in tow.

—

“You have to help us, please, Radhika!” Virat sank warmth in his words like drizzling honey on a bar of ice. He fixed her eyes on her and squeezed her hands with his larger ones. The lanky man can be a real charmer when he wants to, especially when he concentrates those dark brown eyes on one. Who knows, she might have had a thing for him if Rocky wasn’t around. Reena pitied Radhika for falling into the trap between the two brothers. Yet they needed this to work. This honey-trapping better work if they wanted to keep their heads on their shoulders on the following morning. 

“You are the only one who can distract him while we take care of father.” An ominous cloud hung over his words.

“And what do I get in return?” Radhika’s spine straightened, shooting a nasty glare in her direction. She knew the woman hated her guts.

“You get him.” Reena spoke after a pregnant pause. 

This was not the first time she saw the dark eyed woman worshipping her Warwick counterpart. In fact, it has transpired several times, only she wasn’t in the joking mood to pull Virat’s leg over this. Hell, she might be the one who was engaged to Garuda but Reena knew exactly how that felt like. Much like how Rocky had bulldozed her life, she felt a trickle of sisterhood with Radhika on this. 

Light waned from Radhika’s face. “W-What do you mean?” She parted her lips, gasping as she gripped her pallu. Baring her knuckles to them. Both Radhika and Virat turned to her with shock. A nerve jumped on his jaw. 

“Oh for fuck’s sake, you both know what I mean?!” She was losing it with every second. Every second spent here messing with the chance of someone walking in on their conversation was too high. Every second wasted instead of getting to him on time. He could be hurt.. Bleeding out? Perhaps harbouring heavy injuries without a way out of there?! 

“Both of you clearly fucking have feelings for one another. So, bite the bullet and get the job done.” Reena spat, patience dissipating from her veins with each passing moment. 

Virat twisted his head like a snake and directed his glare at Reena. Very carefully, he turned back to Radhika and spoke with finality, “Radhika. Y-You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

Reena popped her eyes at him, silently staring at him to persuade her. This bastard clearly had a different agenda! She threw her hands in the air and slapped them on her thighs. Moving towards the window to check for listening ears, lurking around. 

She shut the curtains and walked back to Radhika. Bending next to her this time and she sunk the right amount of desperation in her eyes. Pinning the woman with them. “ Listen. This guy — My guy, Rocky. He is out there in God knows what state. I-I cannot lose him again. Please, you gotta understand. I cannot fucking lose him again. You  hear me?”

Radhika rubbed her face with her palms. “Don’t make me beg you.” Reena’s words hung in the atmosphere, throttling the both of them and love bugs had a staring content of their own. Virat nodded at her one more time, encouraging her to speak up. 

At this moment, Reena had decided that she would pull the strings herself if this lady didn’t cooperate. Fuck everything. She would march right into Narachi and pluck him out of there if she had to. 

Wiping away her spilling tears, she tucked her pallu at her waist. “I’ll do what it takes to keep him at bay.” She held Virat’s hands one last time giving it a gentle squeeze. He placed a hand on her cheek, affirming her that it was going to be okay. “He won’t hurt you. As long as he thinks you are weak and harmless. Stick to that.” 

That still remains dubious but we are running short of time and this is the last option.

It made her sick to her stomach to send the lady into the snake pit by herself. Her bones jutted out of her knuckles in protest and yet this was a hard call. She had to shut off her humanity if she wanted this to work. Forget what she was feeling, how Virat was letting this fly?! Knowing it was a potential suicide mission when his psychotic brother was involved!? 

“I hope you find your.. Rocky.” Radhika squeezed her hand one last time before leaving her room. With determination firing her every step. After that, it truly seemed like someone was hellbent on twisting an icy knife in Reena’s guts. 

She strode to her and pressed a leather-cased short dagger into her surprised palm. “Whatever happens, stay safe.” Reena called behind her as she crossed the threshold. An affirming smile pasted on her face and it seemed more like she wanted to convince the both of them. 

Virat’s stone face turned to hers, trembling as he said, “And there, you just threw me under the bus. That too with my sister-in-law-to-be?!” 

“She is your brother’s fiancee. And if you were a tad smarter, you would have probably spotted that she harbours feelings for you.” She shrugged, pulling her Colt out and checking the roulette on principle. “ You. And not your bastard brother.” 

He threw her a glum smile and shielded his weapon beneath his sleeve. Tears threatened his eyelids and Reena grabbed his shoulder. “Let’s go.”

He gave her a short nod. His long legs swallowed the path to the door.

—

Chapter Text

crimson ran

bathing soil wet

as fervent as the

wrath of Mariamma,

sins soaked grains,

bliss was lips

of prayers answered,

they rejoiced 

as skies shed 

tears of glee

upon seeking arms,

yearning for 

a new day

and he emerged 

as one,

head held high, sowed 

red as dawn

birthed a new sun,

aye, they wept, 

they smiled,

they let their laughs

part seas. 

—

Virat

Life trickled out of his father’s eyelids as he beheld him. Virat thumped the pillow back on his face, ashamed at himself for having removed it in the first place. Suryavardhan, the old eagle, squirmed on the bed as his fingers raped cotton sheets. His chest leapt off the surface, aiming for the ceiling. Only Virat’s arms laid pressure on his body, securing it in place. Salt scorched his lids as the spirit parted from his limp body. Still . The flesh that belonged to his father once, turned cold and still. Dead ? Yes, his father was dead. All thanks to him.

Virat consoled himself. This had to be done. Someone had to do it and he had volunteered to do it. That was all. No, that was all there was to it.

Two patrol guards barged into the room out of nowhere, catching him off guard. His pupils dilated. Reena peeled from the wall, tackling the larger man from behind. With a short blade dangling from her expert fingers, she did a quick flip and slit his throat in one clean swipe. Nice and easy. She seemed far too comfortable with the weapon. He grew wary.

The other man took a swing at her ribs. She bent, heaving. Before he alerted the other guards, she twisted his arm around and plunged the knife in his Adam's apple. Today was not their day. Neither did the woman blink, nor did she have to look at the direction of her dagger. Reena punctured him with the steel, sticking it in twice over, just to be thorough. He landed a weak punch to her side and slid to the floor. A loose bag of sagging flesh. An angel of death garbed in nothing but black stared over them. No, it was too good to be true. Like she had anticipated this night to befall.

“I’m calling Daya,” she said without looking up at him. “Help me clean up, will you?” She summoned him.

“I-I’m.. I’ll be right with you.” he said, willing his hands to stay static. Keeping the tear valves flowing. Only for his brother’s vengeful eyes. 

—

Reena

That night, she couldn't sleep. Her nerves ticked like the errant tail of a lizard on the wall. Her body coiled like a wound up children’s toy, ready to screech whatever god awful song that blasted out of the little speakers. No, she sure as shit could not shut her eyes. 

She yanked the map out of the bra, and flipped it over and over. Eyes perusing the blocks that marked the path from the palace to the Biligere sector. This zone was heavily guarded with packs of patrols passing by during regular intervals. Purely out of luck, she had come across a binder of schedules and it routinely changed, every week. Thank God for Vanaram and his obsessive tendencies to be comprehensive. 

Reena needed to find the right window to escape through the tunnel and that would lead her straight to the watch tower in Naraachi. By a long shot, this could potentially function or blow up right in her face. She was going to do anything but sit with her thumb up her ass while he was out there, risking his neck for the rest of the lot. For her father’s suicidal mission along with his band of bungling imbeciles. 

Although she had located the basement entrance on the very same night she had procured the map from Vanaram's office. Right after they had staged the alarming cry for Virat's father, Sooryavardhan. It was indeed, marvellous, how the mighty fell! Once, he was the ruler of this cursed land bursting with gold with his younger brother Adheera and his first born, Garuda flanking his sides. So unstoppable was he that everyone he stepped on were merely ants. The boot didn't coddle with an ant and vanquish hordes of ants, it did. For which he paid the price at the hands of his own blood. 

The second Virat suggested that they send Radhika to create a diversion while they murder his father, or the fancy term would be euthanasia, a part of Reena ticked like a fly trapped in a windowless room. Wasn't he even a little bit concerned about how he was committing patricide so he could follow it up with fratricide?! Suryavardhan was very much alive, drawing bouts of oxygen into his lungs when Virat chose to smother him to death. Despite all the buzzing in her head, her ledger rippled waves of red. 

No, it did not astonish her. She was Rajendra Desai's daughter, through and through. And if he had taught her one life hack, it was to never stop and think about what you do or why you do it. You do it because you had to. How typical. Even then it bewildered her. How did she stick to that piece of gold all these years? Maybe, it helped her ease at night. Maybe it didn't feel like having her teeth pulled out when she thought about it. After all this time, Rajendra didn't have any regrets because he was a man and somehow she was expected to feel things. And why — because she was a woman?! Fuck that shit. She would not budge this time around. Because this time, she has found a reason to breathe. Something.. Or someone worth fighting for. As foolish as it may seem, as agitated and rushed as it may seem, this is her call. 

Fuck dad. Fuck Kamal. 

Fuck them all.

Drowning in a loose white salwar she had borrowed from Radhika, she stood rigid in front of the pyre with the flaming corpse that was once Suryavardhan. The charred wood swallowed the flesh as its own, writhing and smearing him with a lifetime of pain and horrors on the other end. Men like him would never "rest in peace" as people claimed. The people who kissed Garuda's hands out of quaking knees, fear gestating the stench in the air as they held Virat's hands with deep, sorrowful eyes. As if. 

 She couldn't believe that she had once addressed him as uncle . Damn, that cleaved her nerves to no end . Here lies a man who had dug out the first rock lined with splits of gold. Here lies a man who was willing to barter the lives of thousands just so he could line his pockets with masses of wealth. Alas, he was nothing but ash and what could he carry forth to the afterlife?  

Shit. She was a part of this madness as much as she hated to admit it. Was her father the only one to blame, though? Not anymore. He reprimanded her and demanded she bring her ass home. Kamal tailing along with puppy eyes, somehow, he assumed all would be forgiven if he did just that. In what world though?! She gave them both the finger and said that she would hang back here for a few more weeks under the pretence of visiting Virat. 

Her father only followed it up with, “When have you ever listened to me, you ungrateful child!” Reena shrugged and walked away, feigning nonchalance. 

Radhika nudged her when Guru Pandian had walked in. Nose held high in the air like his blood was forged from the smouldering metal that boiled in the mines. Yes, it was the frail woman’s father. The man who didn't flinch when he sold his bastard daughter off to the biggest asshole of all, Garuda. What a match! These cocksuckers were worse off than her father and yet he was just as much answerable for the crimes committed. It was set in stone. They were all going to hell. 

Reena felt a strange kinship with Radhika. The woman had held her hand briefly when she had recounted last night's successful attempt at keeping Garuda occupied in his chambers. Guilt ripped through her as if metal shrapnels sliced her sides as she listened. She had thanked the stars for Garuda having donned the black cloth. It purely meant abstinence for men in every form when they honour the celibate God. The "fast", she assumed, relayed that one shouldn't lay a finger on one’s wife or intended. Some men locked their women up just to resist temptation and the others merely stayed away. It was much simpler that way. 

But she reminded herself that this was her decision as much as it was Virat's. She hated herself every second after she had willfully thrown Radhika into the jaws of the lion and handed her a toothpick for defence. The woman was shrewd, nonetheless. She had played her cards right and rerouted the conversation. It was as easy as being the harebrained woman which pleased him to no end, she had quoted. He liked his women that way. Dumb and fuckable . Seemed to her that all of them around her did. 

Although Rocky was different, she wondered how he would be with her. Despite all that she had undergone in the last few months, she had no idea of the man he truly was. There were breadcrumbs she picked on. And that was it. Slightly confused on her faith in Mariamma or just the amulet that hung around her neck, ingrained strength in her nerves, over and over again. He couldn't be as bad as her dad, could he? She would have to wait and find out. 

Garuda's paranoia charged the air with spittles of fear and rampage. Security doubled overnight and Vanaram personally stalked the halls with an elite squad posted out of the Small boss’s and Virat's rooms. Only until the Mariamma Jathre. That was the plan. They knew that much. They believed as much. 

Judging from how he fattened his three sheep, feeding them with the richest meat and mead he ate from the table. And solely serving it to them would make one ponder. Just how much does he need Mariamma's boons that he was ready to sacrifice their blood to bathe her feet?

So far, this was the most logical agenda of Garuda and the rest of them shook their heads in unison for a rattling feeling that it wouldn't exist on their shoulders, if they chose to disagree. 

She didn't tell Virat about the map. Something in her blipped. He was hiding something from her and the stench was unmistakable. Radhika trusted him blindly and why wouldn't she? She was head over heels in love with the man. Hell, Reena had known him for years and something pricked her every time he promised her another route that got her into Naraachi. No, she didn't trust anyone to put it past her. Not when Rocky's life was in danger. 

Granted, he does manage to kill Garuda. Then what? There were hundreds of guards monitoring the Biligere border and if she could just get through the crossing at the right moment the Puja began. There would be fewer guards at the border as everyone would be heavily invested in protecting their asset and master, Garuda. Back at the arena. She would have a safer bet. She would have a fighting chance to make it out alive and kicking. 

Virat wasn't planning on moving an inch from the mansion and Radhika chose to stick by him at all times, right under Garuda's nose. Poor sod didn't even smell the stinky pie the both of them were cooking. 

Daya had smuggled in walkie-talkies, a basic set of short hand blades and a machete too, in case she was feeling fancy. And a shitload of hand grenades. Shitload that she could arm herself with when she was transmuting till the 13th watch tower.   

Having read the swapping schedules of the guards posted at the east corridor where her room was located, she found a way to access the servants quarters through the kitchen. If she was really, really quiet like a mouse that had its vocal cords ripped out. She could manage to sneak into the basement through the same trail. It required lock-picking but hey, she had that covered. She was only sixteen when she had raided her father's bureau. Just för the thrill of it. 

Nothing she couldn't handle, eh. Yeah. Let's focus on staying alive for now. 

—-

Chaos . 

Sheer panic stricken faces crossed her path. She kept moving with the sea of bodies. They hunched over and shrieked, terrorising the never-ending night. Some sprayed blood spittles in the meshed air, choking.

Others wailed over the loss of a loved one. It was happening all around her and all at once. Her eyes combed through the smashed limbs and flesh hanging off bodies like they didn’t even belong there. As if someone unleashed a brutish punishment upon them and simply decided to peel out skin after skin because they were bored.  

Reena threw herself before an unarmed woman clutching a baby to her bosom. The attacker advanced. Carving out a mouth on a man's throat who dared to pounce on her. Armed with her short blade perched behind her elbow, and a poised tactical dagger in the other, she let the chaos envelope her. 

One amongst many. The drab dark shroud cached her slender form amidst the flailing arms and scuttling legs. She was unseen. Liquid movements allowed her to weave in and out of the packs of bodies that cluttered along the arena. She focused on breathing and she pledged on doing it until she witnessed the very same in him. Nothing would take him away from her for a second time and she vowed to herself. Leaving this hell without him was impossible. That much she knew was going to be true. That much she banked on.

Adrenaline pumped through her veins like a fire stricken lightning spreading every inch of her body. She sprinted until the muscles in her legs pleaded for a breath. Gunshots blared her eardrums and coal coated men fell like shooting stars from the garrison. 

Men, women and children lay, massacred in huge numbers. She did her best to dodge the bullets and seized a rifle from a dead man's body along the way. Reena did her best to survive. She did her best to save a few lives along the way. 

The memory of the demon's fall will forever be etched in her cranial neurons. Her braveheart had emerged from the cerise river like a vengeful God and his sword slaughtered the sins of half a decade.  He had freed the people from eternal damnation, indeed . He had freed them from shackles. 

The moment her eyes graced his form, tall and very much like the predator he was, warmed her heart to no end. She rejoiced his victory with the people as one but the celebration lasted for all of a handful of minutes. Sieving out like the sand grains in a desert. 

It was too fucking late. All the guns pointed to Tayi Kāli's feet, to where he stood bracing his chest open as if he wanted to make a bed for the bullets. That dumbass!

She cut. She cleaved her way through heaps and heaps of flesh. As a hot knife slicing through butter, clumped her as a whole. Surely, Virat was bringing back up as Daya must have informed him of the situation. Well, she concentrated on keeping on breathing. Just for the time being. 

Most of the slaves stole arms from the dead men that lay stomped on and began to open fire. Women and children rushed out of the arena to avoid getting shot or slaughtered. 

Her eyes seeked Rocky amidst the massacre and she spotted the man clad in black, soaking wet and bleeding in several places. Open-firing at a chunk of men seeking to attack him first. 

Reena was almost near the stony staircase that led to the Goddess' feet. She never believed in miracles, or gods or goddesses. But today, standing in the shade of Mariamma's womb, she knew she extracted strength from that faith. Yes , there was no other reason to explain how she had single-handedly sliced heads and hearts of twenty six men or was it thirty? 

She had lost count. Yet the seconds were something she tracked. Counting every second until she took Rocky in her arms and snuck him to the shadows of safety. That was a promise she made to herself until she breathed her last.

—

" Baby.. talk to me.. fucking talk to me?!" His body sagged in her arms as she cocooned him in the safety of a tunnel. "Don't fucking die on me now, you insufferable asshole! Say something!!" She pulled his sleeves to her temple and hot tears soaked her cheeks relentlessly. 

" Choose one, chinna. Baby ah, asshole ah. Huh?" He coughed blood as he choked on his own cocky laugh.

" Shut up. Shut up. Don't talk, you dumbass. You are bleeding from everywhere, God. " Reena screamed at him. "Daya, I need you to get us out of here. He's lost so much blood.. fucking get your ass here. " She yelled into the walkie-talkie. 

"Chinna, you turning me on..” He paused to cough a bit. “When you taking charge like that.." He joked with a quirk of his brow. Her cheeks flared red at the comment and he grinned rather smugly. 

"I'm trying to keep you alive. " Her voice cracked a little as she pressed a bunched cloth on the bullet wound. "Don't test my patien–" she began and he grasped the roots of her hair this time and pressed his lips to hers. Something clicked in her and she made her mouth move in sync with his. Blood be damned, all the dirt be damned. Air flooded her lungs when she felt his slick muscles move beneath her. This was her home.

" You came..” Rocky pressed his forehead to hers. “ You came for me, chinna .."  

"Even if it was hell, I would come find you. You hear me?" She kissed him once again, not giving a damn anymore.

"You are fucking mine. Only mine. " He growled. 

—