My head felt as though it was stuffed with spikes of fire. I had wept myself dry like parched grass while cursing myself for failing to protect the one I cherished the most.
The darkness had fallen mercilessly upon the earth. There was neither the glory of the moonlight nor the twinkling of the night stars. Even the trees that stood hovering over me seemed to hold their breath.
Kesar found me curled up like a fetus on the ground a while later. She brought something sweet to my lips and coaxed me to drink.
"Nikita, drink," she said. Her voice coated with tears, as though she'd been nursing a great sorrow within her heart. I opened my eyes and our gazes locked. Kesar's breath was like a warm brush of feathers over my tear-stained face. Her golden wings enveloped me as a bird in the nest standing over her offspring.
"I will tell you of the message the princess has left for you," she said softly. My tongue could find no word upon hearing that, but my eyes sent her an obvious inquiry.
What is it?
"Her Highness had come to me before she went away, telling me she would be far beyond any reach, and that I must take care of you in her place."
A dark cloud of wild grief encompassed me.
"I tried to stop her, begging her not to leave, telling her you love her, but she has convinced her heart and set her mind upon the journey, and she would not stay another day," Kesar went on. "I must not tell anyone, that she made me promise. Most of all I must not tell you. But how could I keep this secret while you're suffering?"
"Where..." I croaked the word and tried to sit up though my tired form protested. My hands found Kesar's small shoulders, "Tell me...please Kesar...do tell me where she has gone to?"
"She did not say, my lady, I do not know," Kesar replied with a saddened shake of her head. Remorseful tears welled up from my eyes like some spring with crystal stream falls over the ledges of a high precipice.
"Oh Kesar, evil is me. It was I, who caused her heart wrench!" I said as my own fresh tears rolling down my cheeks. "In her hours of need, my hand was not there to caress her. I made her run away from this searing pain. Now she is gone!"
"Don't berate yourself anymore, my lady." Kesar shook her head, but I turned away from her. My hands tore the grass and dirt off the ground. I started flinging rocks into the still pond along with my curses and anguished screams. The winged-maiden came to grab me, holding me until my violent rage ceased.
There we lay as I was mourning and weeping.
But all of a sudden, I felt something solid against my palm. When I opened my hand, I found a strange object gleaming with an unusual sheen. It was round and flat like a very large silver coin, yet sparkling like some rainbow jewel.
"What's this?" I breathed in wonderment. Kesar turned and looked at it. Then a flash of recognition crossed her teary eyes.
"It's a scale, my lady!" she said. I quickly sat up and brushed off the dirt that clung to the mysterious thing. Indeed it was!
"The Naga King," I muttered to myself. "It must be him."
Then with a new surge of energy, I willed my body to rise again. So long as I lived to look upon the world without her, the heaviness of guilt in my heart would remain. This was the only way I could redeem my wrongs.
"My lady?"
"I know where to find her, Kesar," I said as I stood on my wobbly feet.
Kesar was startled by my abrupt change of mood and tried to restrain me.
"But you must first rest to regain your strength," Kesar said. "The night has fallen deep and dark. Tomorrow won't be too long to wait."
"No, the time is now," I said resolutely. "My wicked destiny might lure me back to my doom sooner than the sunrise. I won't wait another moment, Kesar."
"Where are you supposed to find the princess?" she asked. "You don't know where she is."
"I do now," I told Kesar as my legs began to stagger into a stride. "The scale belonged to the Naga. I know she must be taken to the jade green palace of the Serpent King."
Back to my chamber, I told Kesar to prepare my bath. It was just an excuse. I had something else to do and didn't want the sweet maiden involved. She did not question me and heeded my words as always. The first moment she was gone, I grabbed my bag and everything I thought I would need and went out to meet my mother.
As expected, the Queen was praying inside her ashram where candles and incenses were constantly lit. The room was filled with fragrant flowers and offering fruits.
"Mother!" I cried. She swirled around to me with a relieved look on her face.
"God bless you, Nikita, you have returned!" she gasped. "Where have you been?"
"Mother, listen, I come here bearing an important news," I said urgently. Then with no delay, I presented her with the scale.
"A Naga's scale?" she said.
"Amarisa is not abducted by the Asuras," I told her. "She must have left willingly with a certain serpent deity. I have seen him before in the Forbidden Garden. He was convincing her to return. Indeed, he must have taken her with him!"
"Oh lord," she breathed in shock. "Is that true?"
"Yes, mother, I swear it," I said and proceeded to tell her everything that transpired this event. What I had heard from the Naga King that night, and how I had declared my shameful affairs to Amarisa. How much she had wept and grieved and scorned me, telling me to vanish from her sight.
My mother shed her tears quietly as she listened. My throat tightened as I relived the moments in my mind. When I had gone through all necessary details, she embraced me to her bosom and whispered words of empathy. We hugged until sometimes had passed that I pulled away again.
"I want to bring her back, mother," I said, "starting from tonight."
My mother was silent for a while. She looked older and grimmer in just a matter of days. My worries doubled as I watched her face considering my plan while the news still amazed her mind.
"Nikita, make no haste," my mother advised me at last. "If what you said is true, we can't go intruding where we're not invited. Amarisa is now under the protective hood of her divine father. There will also be dangers of demons skulking in every corner. How could you, alone with a heart full of worry, embark on such a journey?"
"But I have to go, mother!" I said, feeling my tears spilling from my eyes again. "I can't give Amarisa up, and you know so! She left because of me, and I vow to bring her back and would not cease until I set her free!"
She was silent for a long moment before sighing heavily to herself.
"Follow your heart then, my darling daughter, but heed me well," my mother said, "The serpent god would not be pleased to see you there."
"Yes, I am aware of that and accept whatever consequence is," I said, "Now I want your guidance, mother. How do I get through to the Naga Kingdom and unchain her?"
"The Naga realm is separated from ours. It is beyond all physical boundaries," she said. "To go into another world like this, you must find its secret entrance."
"Then please tell me where the entrance is," I said impatiently.
"There are four great rivers that shall carry you to Anavatapta, which lies at the center of the world," she said. "The four rivers of our Kingdom intersect each other at a point acting as a gateway to the Naga Kingdom."
"Where can I find the gateway then?" I asked. My heart was fueled with hope again.
"Nikita, no mortals can find or get passed the great Water Entrance," she said, "unless you're summoned or there is a special offering."
"I will find a way to get through it, mother," I said, undeterred. "Even if I had to turn over the heaven and earth, I would still do it until I find her."
My mother sighed, but she yielded to the fortitude of my oath.
"Sometimes you make me wish I could see the man who fathered you," she said, smiling with tearful eyes.
Despite our distress, this brought a smile to my lips. We went into each other's arms again for a moment longer.
"Do what you set your heart into, Nikita," my mother whispered. "All I could offer now is my blessings."
"Thank you, mother."
