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To read the previous chapter, click here
I needed to think and my rage didn't let me. So I walked rapidly to burn my anger off. I found Amrit keeping pace with me. "Don't do anything foolish," he said. I didn't even deign him with a look. "You know we cannot follow you to Mars. You were lucky twice and got away, but there can be no surety that you will be lucky a third time."
"It wasn't just luck," I erupted.
"I didn't mean that!" he rapidly backed off. "But being alone and their captive... Yes, luck alone couldn't have saved you." He said that thoughtfully as if trying to understand how that was possible. I had to grudgingly admit, "I had help."
"Precisely. Both times your uncle's power of ice helped you..." He broke off and stopped and grabbed me by my shoulders, forcing me to look at him. "Look, we need a strategy. Don't think I don't care about the prince. But between you and the prince, I certainly care more for you than him at the moment."
My lips stretched into a thin line of disapproval. "Thanks, but it is not needed. Don't impede me even if you don't help me," I said and left him with his mouth agape.
This had only served to anger me further but a part of me started replaying our little exchange. The ice thing struck me and also the fact that I had help. I couldn't have done this alone. Amrit, I had to admit reluctantly, was right. Heroism was needed, not foolishness.
Tiara, my star, nudged me and spoke up, "I am with you."
I clutched it tightly and felt grateful. "Can we do it?"
"We can get the help you need," it told me. "You need winds and rain to put it out."
"Saturn and Neptune? Should we head out there and seek help?"
"Yes, you could," Tiara said but there seemed the hint of doubt in the tone. "You are Shakti..."
I am Shakti. I am Shakti? Do I need to borrow power?
I stopped at the edge of the Saraswati river, peering out at the cool blue rapids churning white foam and felt her strength. I felt the solid earth under my feet, holding me in place. I felt the gentle breeze and thought of its power to uproot trees and buildings. I thought of fire and ice and the mind. All the powers that Prabhas could master. They were innate to those Prabhas. But I was different. I was said to be different. Why? Was it an image created to appease the restless subjects so that they could hope for something better?
What had I done in my first battle?
As the day turned to dusk, the magical light played tricks and I saw fire hurtling towards earth. I saw my parents get ready to join the war and I felt myself swoon. But it was not a swoon. I was rising as I left my body behind and rushed to meet the fireball. A screen of light came up as a shield and held the fireball at bay. My parents and other fighters were also blinded and shielded their eyes. Naturally, they couldn't see me. The ball of fire tried to pierce through the shield and in a few places, a few of the Dait soldiers managed to breach the shield and faced the Prabhas. They were the powerful ones who managed to cause some damage to the Prabhas soldiers before they were put down.
One of the noticed me and tried to distract me by sending fire in my direction. My star, my Tiara, swirled and cut the flow. Unfortunately, that too fell on some of the unsuspecting Prabhas and (fortunately) on Daits, injuring a few then.
The battle in the sky was more fierce than the one below though it kept the Prabhas occupied and unaware of what was happening above.
As the fireball withdrew and I felt terribly exhausted, I returned to my body, which was ignorant of the part I had played.
I wondered about that light. I didn't have my grandmother's power at that time. It was not just light, it was a shield, something that prevented the fire-wielding Daits from reaching the earth.
How had I managed it? It was instinctive, not clouded by self-doubts.
Clouded... Clouds...
A thought struck me out of the blue. It was not light, it was lightning and I was sending bolts of it, which is why the fire-wielding Daits could not approach. It was neither light nor fire but electrical in nature. They could not counter it with fire! And Daits had not found a breach but had woven between two bolts deftly to reach earth.
It was a momentous discovery. But how do I do it again?
(Continued here)
To read the previous chapter, click here
I needed to think and my rage didn't let me. So I walked rapidly to burn my anger off. I found Amrit keeping pace with me. "Don't do anything foolish," he said. I didn't even deign him with a look. "You know we cannot follow you to Mars. You were lucky twice and got away, but there can be no surety that you will be lucky a third time."
"It wasn't just luck," I erupted.
"I didn't mean that!" he rapidly backed off. "But being alone and their captive... Yes, luck alone couldn't have saved you." He said that thoughtfully as if trying to understand how that was possible. I had to grudgingly admit, "I had help."
"Precisely. Both times your uncle's power of ice helped you..." He broke off and stopped and grabbed me by my shoulders, forcing me to look at him. "Look, we need a strategy. Don't think I don't care about the prince. But between you and the prince, I certainly care more for you than him at the moment."
My lips stretched into a thin line of disapproval. "Thanks, but it is not needed. Don't impede me even if you don't help me," I said and left him with his mouth agape.
This had only served to anger me further but a part of me started replaying our little exchange. The ice thing struck me and also the fact that I had help. I couldn't have done this alone. Amrit, I had to admit reluctantly, was right. Heroism was needed, not foolishness.
Tiara, my star, nudged me and spoke up, "I am with you."
I clutched it tightly and felt grateful. "Can we do it?"
"We can get the help you need," it told me. "You need winds and rain to put it out."
"Saturn and Neptune? Should we head out there and seek help?"
"Yes, you could," Tiara said but there seemed the hint of doubt in the tone. "You are Shakti..."
I am Shakti. I am Shakti? Do I need to borrow power?
I stopped at the edge of the Saraswati river, peering out at the cool blue rapids churning white foam and felt her strength. I felt the solid earth under my feet, holding me in place. I felt the gentle breeze and thought of its power to uproot trees and buildings. I thought of fire and ice and the mind. All the powers that Prabhas could master. They were innate to those Prabhas. But I was different. I was said to be different. Why? Was it an image created to appease the restless subjects so that they could hope for something better?
What had I done in my first battle?
As the day turned to dusk, the magical light played tricks and I saw fire hurtling towards earth. I saw my parents get ready to join the war and I felt myself swoon. But it was not a swoon. I was rising as I left my body behind and rushed to meet the fireball. A screen of light came up as a shield and held the fireball at bay. My parents and other fighters were also blinded and shielded their eyes. Naturally, they couldn't see me. The ball of fire tried to pierce through the shield and in a few places, a few of the Dait soldiers managed to breach the shield and faced the Prabhas. They were the powerful ones who managed to cause some damage to the Prabhas soldiers before they were put down.
One of the noticed me and tried to distract me by sending fire in my direction. My star, my Tiara, swirled and cut the flow. Unfortunately, that too fell on some of the unsuspecting Prabhas and (fortunately) on Daits, injuring a few then.
The battle in the sky was more fierce than the one below though it kept the Prabhas occupied and unaware of what was happening above.
As the fireball withdrew and I felt terribly exhausted, I returned to my body, which was ignorant of the part I had played.
I wondered about that light. I didn't have my grandmother's power at that time. It was not just light, it was a shield, something that prevented the fire-wielding Daits from reaching the earth.
How had I managed it? It was instinctive, not clouded by self-doubts.
Clouded... Clouds...
A thought struck me out of the blue. It was not light, it was lightning and I was sending bolts of it, which is why the fire-wielding Daits could not approach. It was neither light nor fire but electrical in nature. They could not counter it with fire! And Daits had not found a breach but had woven between two bolts deftly to reach earth.
It was a momentous discovery. But how do I do it again?
(Continued here)
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