rajveer found pakhi at the bottom of the stairs, pale and unconscious. he now sat kneeling beside her shaking her, she didn't wake. rajveer swallowed thinking the worst. his heart thumping louder than ever, loud enough that even someone standing beside him could easily hear it. he quickly placed a hand over her neck but his own insides were buzzing so violently he didn't feel the pulse at once. NO. he seized her whole neck in his hand, and he felt it.
A lump building in his chest suddenly dissolved. he seized unconscious her from under her arms and hugged her tight. he felt a cooling very pleasant sensation inside his chest as if someone had just thrown a bucket full of cold water on the thing that was burning him from inside a moment ago. the pain seemed to ease, his insides relaxed his breathing slowly returned to normal but he held her, still tight as if was worried that he might lose her again if he left her, his eyes were closed now tears trickling down on his cheeks. he didn't realize but he hugged her even tighter. 'aahh..' pakhi croaked in a very low voice as if just woken from a good sleep and was stretching 'don't squeeze me now' she said affectionately.
rajveer enfeebled his brace so he could face her. his mobile was laying on the step above, casting her face in a ghostly glow. It made Rajveer remembered their night time strolls to each other houses, their meetings in dark. The thought warmed him. pakhi reached out and wiped Ranveer's still wet cheeks.
that's when the sound of many scuttling footsteps reached their ears, they could see three beams of flashlights pointing randomly on walls footsteps and ceiling, coming closer.
'rajveer' Aditya's shouted his voice echoed in the tunnel-like the place.
'yeah, we are here' rajveer shouted back his voice wavered, his throat had gone dry and his mouth was full of saliva. he swallowed again.
'wait where you are we are coming' sidharth shouted this time.
'okay, don't worry I found her' he shouted back
rajveer had told them that he found the way and he was going and they could come after him. though he wasn't sure what took them so long, perhaps because of elina he thought. it wouldn't have been easy for her to get there, considering this he asked pakhi rather nervously 'how did you get down here, it's like 20 feet. you didn't jump in, did you?'
'I -don't know I can vaguely remember anything but -I know I felt like I had to come here, I was compelled to get here, I caught a taxi I remember, I remember the driver, he.. drove like crazy he didn't asked for money either, he left me close to the tomb and drove away. then I don't know, I wake up and found you hugging me.'
'How did you know it was me?'
'whom else it would be, my knite ought to come, rescue me' she smiled gazing deeply in his eyes, a tear poured out of the corner of her eye and made its way down on her cheek. rajveer wiped it with his thumb and kissed her on the forehead.
he got up and help pakhi to her feet 'you're feeling okay?'
'yeah am fine, but I might need support' she said notoriously.
rajveers smiled 'my pleasure my lady' he said giving her a short bow as she crossed her arm under his and leaned on him.
that's when sidharth Aditya and elina reached them. elina inhaled sharply when she saw pakhi 'oh.. thank God you are safe' she came forward and hugged her. 'you are fine right?'
'Yeah I'm okay now'
Aditya and Sidharth's expressions were relieved, they didn't say anything though. He was expecting them to scold him for not waiting for them but they didn't. instead after inquiring pakhi about her health and how she got here. sidharth said 'so, what we gonna do now, go back and come again some other day or what?'
'It would have been a good idea If this Mantrik would not have been so eager to get the amulet' Aditya spat on the word 'Mantrik' as if it was an abuse 'it's clear that he couldn't just possess someone and get the amulet even if he has the key, he needs us. if we do leave without taking the amulet. he would use someone else to allure us here, to how many people we can tie those threads and hope that they'll not lose them. I think the sooner it ends the better, perhaps as Suresh says that amulet could help us defeating him'
'you are right' rajveer agreed 'and secondly it's a temple if mantrik himself can't enter this place much less any lesser spirit could I was worrying without any reason i think, it shouldn't be much dangerous, sidharth just saw an old man in his visions I think we three could take an old man, what do you think?'
'I think so but I have some suspicions, it still might be dangerous'
'what suspicions?' sidharth asked
'I am not sure, but if am right I think we will find it soon' aditya said grimly 'shall we go then?'
'well that was unexpected' elina laughed a little 'I thought we will have to at least argue to let us come with you'
she had returned to her partner till now. they started to move, rajveer and pakhi in front Aditya and elina following them and sidharth in last, rajveer sometime feels bad for him. but what could he do, he refuses to even try making a girlfriend, he says he didn't want a responsibility until he doesn't feel he could actually take it. Aditya and elina were too holding hands like him and pakhi but there was an air of inveracity between them. he wasn't sure however perhaps it was just because he knows that their relationship unlike theirs- however started at almost the same time when theirs had started 5 years ago, rajveer himself was the one who made the pair of them to confess their love for each other -hadn't get on very well in all these years. what he had perceived in however, was that Aditya had been very possessive toward elina, so possessive that elina started to feel jailbird, and that in Ranveer's point of view was not a healthy aspect for a relationship. his belief was that you have to show trust in your partner if you want true loyalty from them if one has to leave you, he or she will leave anyway. there is no point stopping them from talking to everyone else. honour them with your trust and that honour of your belief in them bound them to you. obstruct someone out of a limit and you'll soon find a rebel being born. however, there was no point thinking about their relationships right now there were other prominent matters.
It comes out that they were already near to the end of the stairs, soon Rajveer and pakhi stepped out into a long stony room, going on almost 10-10 feet on either side of them. however, from the stairs to the wall in front of them, it was hardly more than 6 feet when rest of the three came out they were standing in a row, facing what they were just now realizing, a kind of door. Now with so much light, they could see the difference. There was a reason however of it to look like a door and a wall at the same time. it was just a huge stone slab dropping from the low ceiling, it was of the same blackish stone, the rest of the room was made of. they were only able to make it out because other tiles were smaller in size. Rajveer could tell that it would not swing or slide it would only move upward. also, there were three objects laying on the ground in front of the door. in middle there was vas, it seemed to have a shiny surface but was completely covered with dust, on its right was a small rugged-looking stone, on its left was an oval stone bigger than the one on the right but smaller than a brick. now rajveer was noticing other details about the door, in the middle of it was three slots were resembling the shapes of those objects on the ground. nobody was saying anything, everybody seemed to be taking in the meaning of all that until elina started to walk forward as if in a trance.
'stop' rajveer shouted he didn't know why exactly he did that but it was a kind of gut feeling, they were in an unknown place they should be careful to touch anything 'don't touch anything'
'I wasn't' elina replied calmly 'there is something scribed on it, look'
she pointed at the upper side of the door everyone turned their mobile lights to the point and they too could see it.
there was actually something scribed on it but because of dust, it was hardly visible.
'aa.. sidharth, you didn't mention this door' rajveer asked nervously.
'I don't know man, they were just visions, I never actually came here'
'yeah right'
'I think I know why' everyone looked at Aditya 'sidharth only saw what mantrik showed him, and he only showed him what he knows, he can not come here so he doesn't know what's in here'
'and you had an idea about this too' rajveer quried
'yeah I was expecting that whoever build this secret underground temple to safe keep the amulet would not make it so easy, so anyone could get it'
'smart man!' rajveer said approvingly 'so, what do you think about all this'
'I can bet there is something written there, which we have to decipher to understand how this door opens. perhaps something to do with those objects' Aditya replied a little smugly
'humm.. sidharth' rajveer called
'yeah'
'can you go, and clean some dust from there so we can read what's written there, just be careful not to move any of those objects'
'man... am not a Scapegoat you know'
rajveer snorted 'forgot I said anything' and started to move forward to do it himself.
'hey.., come on I was joking' sidharth said earnestly as he crossed Rajveer, he and gave a large breath to the objects as he approached the door and started brushing the dust of 'since when you've become so dense, han!'
rajveer exhaled 'Sorry, I kinda forget sometimes your ability to get on people nerves' he said sarcastically
sidharth however laughed mischievously as he worked. Now rajveer could see, surely there were some words written on it but he couldn't understand it. it looked like Hindi but it wasn't Hindi. Rajveer could read it but couldn't understand it. it was Sanskrit, ancient language of India.
'does anyone know Sanskrit' rajveer asked hoping that at least one of them would know. He was sure Pakhi didn't know it she and him both had Punjabi as a additional subject in school.
'I do' elina told them, rajveer looked at her
'what does it says' Aditya perked up before anyone could ask.
till now all of the message could be seen, and sidharth was coming back to join them. there was 4 short lines there carved into the stone like a tombstone. rajveer wished it would not be their tombstone.
'it says' she took a minute, thinking.
''only one key.. you may choose
your life in error.. you may loose
stone altered state.. reveal the gate
hold strong, or for ever will it close'' she finished looking disheveled.
'that's it?' aditya asked
'probably, it's not like the normal Sanskrit we read. some words are harder to understand' Rajveer could sense discomfort in her tone. she probably wouldn't be admiring her decision to come with them right now. but he couldn't blame her, he himself didn't liked the sound of 'life in error' or 'forever will it close'. He least intend to die like this, starving, trapped inside a dirty room, watching his friends die. No he told himself they would not die here, he wouldn't let them, he will be careful this time.
'okay so, there is only one key' aditya said thoughtfully, scratching his chin mostly talking to himself rather than anyone's else 'so, we have to choose from one of these objects. hmm.. stone altered state reveal the gate' he stepped towards the objects, rajveer didn't stopped him, he knew he just wanted a closer look besides this was his element. of course rajveer wouldn't say that aloud to him anytime but he knows Aditya was the finest mind among them. if anyone could solve this riddle this was him.
Aditya crouched in front of the vas
'it's sand in here' Aditya commentated to them, then he duck walked to the other side and as he reached he gasped suddenly. rajveer and others lurched forward they thought something happened to him but then he turned and started waving them to come forward, grinning.
'dammit.. guys this is.. a raw diamond' he exclaimed.
eagerly rajveer and others went closer and sat beside Aditya to have a look, still carefull not to touch anything.
'this..' he pulled his own hairs in shock 'this could worth millions, look it has a dirt over it but it shines when' he focused his mobile light on it and they could actually see the light reflecting from from its edges and some places where there wasn't any dust.
'man..' rajveer shook his head in disbelief. both girls gasped pressing their hands over their wide open mouths. sidharth got to his feet and started pacing up and down the room, cursing under his breath.
rajveer knew a diamond this size would probably worth much more than few millions. for a second he was really considering to abandon their plans, he was very much tempted to pick the diamond and steer his friends out of this place. what could this Mantrik do, he thought they will take care that he won't get the key and even if hi get the amulet somehow so what? what he couldn't do without that amulet that he'll be able to do with it. he couldn't really destroy this world. it doesn't matter, whatever powers this amulet might hold, he couldn't destroy everything in a snap, world is huge it would take years and years. they might have lived their lives till then, happy lives. with this much money they could literally do anything. any of them, even anyone from their families would never have to put their back into something just to earn their livings. they could finally, truely be able to live their lives. pakhi could be his at last, they could marry and perhaps could get settled in US, he always wanted to live in western countries. Sidharth wouldn't have to scruff his butt sitting on a chair whole day reading, preparing for government services, his old father might finally retire from his work. rajveer's father could retire too, the man had tried literally everything, every work in hopes to become successful, and was still trying, he deserves rest.
rajveer laughed as a thought came to his mind, his mother will no longer be able call him usless. he was sure he would suddenly be her favourite son.
Aditya.. well there wasn't anything like he was suffering from lack of money before but he too could live a luxurious life, like he always used to say he want.
judging from everyone's expressions rajveer was pretty sure their thoughts might not be much different than his own.
The opportunity was very sound to be ignored but still a piece of him was wondering, was it right the right thing to do? they might be able to live their lives happily but what about others, others mantrik would kill, even if this Mantrik would not be able to destroy everything but still he was a powerful destructive force they knew that much now and with the powers he wants to attain from the amulet who knows how many lives would be destroyed. was even this fortune worth so many lives, wouldn't it be mare selfishness?