●Time isn't what it use to be
Life isn't what we imagined to live
What once was a dream, is now a forgotten tale●
"First your friends had us walk for hours, now you. Are we anywhere near your house?" Mikesh asked, slowing down with every next step he took. Time was stretching like eternity and so was the distance to cover.
"Almost there." Hendoor said.
Been walking in line for almost an hour with Hendoor leading the group, followed by Sol, then Diya, Mikesh, Dadi, Imam and Zoya, finally with Ariem and Fonjuar at the rear with Fonjuar in his wolf form, everyone was worn out.
Except, of course their new mountain friends.
"How come no one ever discovered this forest? Looks quite normal." Diya looked around, hoping to spot something unnatural but nothing out of the place caught her eye.
"We do not live in the same world. Where you live and where we live are two very different places, both have no connection except land, this is not an area but a whole other world. Abduction of Shivani and you all following her here can be the beginning of construction of a bridge between the two worlds, already connected physiographically." Hendoor explain while his walking pace didn't go off the mark for a second.
"It's too much to take in in such a short time but dude, this place look pretty normal, infact there wasn't anything weird except those road blocking bushes." Mikesh said.
"Did you touch those bushes?" Sol asked with a quirky smile, edge of her lip stretched outwards as it widen at the look on their faces.
"No, but we drove through them. It can't be a magic, right?" Imam's eyes were unfocused as he tried to recall the earlier day's scenario and came back with look of confirmation.
"It was there, we all sa—" Zoya stopped as a look of realisation crossed her face. Everyone gathered around her, waiting for disclosure.
"I don't remember how we crossed that barrier of bushes, my eyes snapped closed the moment we drove into it and opened only to see the mountains." Zoya continued as Diya, Mikesh and Imam agreed without nodding as the shock of remembrance held them speechless.
"I was driving but my eyes were squeezed shut. It was an illusion." Imam said.
"Yes, that was just a facade, your eyes only opened when you crossed the spelled path. Most people just return from there, considering it the dead end, and the impenetrable spell bounds restrict the building of further curiosity and hence they never come back to explore. Those who try and enter, become the victim of impenetrable spells." Hendoor explained, he looked much less threatening now, without a sword in his hand, than a few hours ago. His green eyes distinctly visible in the afternoon light of the blazing sun as sweat drops peeked through the bunch of hair strands, dropping on his forehead.
In any other circumstances, they would've found him attractive but this situation is far from general.
With back to back disclosure of unimaginable and unheard, all they saw at the moment was, their hope for survival and guidance while on search for Shivani.
"My old bones can't take this lot of journey much longer." Dadi spoke for the first time in a while.
"You don't look surprised by this revelation. Grandmother? Have you been witching for your life?" Hendoor said, more like a statement than a question.
"I spent my life studying demons and angels, witches and wizards, I felt their presence my entire life and was never uncertain about their existence. Now that I came to their territory, am I to be surprised? Sorry to offend you young man but this is my area of expertise and I'm going to enjoy every moment while I'm at it. With all due respect, your information was new but not a surprise."
This had the team shocked as they all gaped at Dadi, who, now stood with support of one of the trees, nearby.
"I'm so happy you are with us Dadi otherwise these would make us look like an utter fool out here." Zoya said in amusement as she gave out her hand to Dadi for support, who took it gratefully and straighten up, pulling away from the tree.
"I'm going to enjoy your company so much, woman." Ariem said, clapping her long wavy hands, her expressions as amused as Sol and others while Hendoor looked impressed and flustered at the same time.
"Really Hendoor, how far is it now actually?" Sol asked, her patience wearing off but eyes, as calm as ever.
"We will be there before anyone collapse. Don't worry." Hendoor said and went back to leading the group to his hell burrow.
There Shivani was walking aimlessly on the streets of Ratri, her head almost cooking under the exhaustion of overthinking and heat from the furious sun at top. As people walked past, she could think of nothing but how this happened to her and despite longing for her parents all her life, now she felt, detached.
She still couldn't come along with the fact that her mother was back and that too in an entire different avatar, with the weirdest story of all times, not that anything can be considered weird at this point.
Beating around for more than an hour, Shivani finally came to halt in front of a small square hut with a black plastic curtain hanging on the door, drawn close.
After staring for a while, fighting mental battle with herself whether to infiltrate the strangers house or not, curiosity got better of her.
Gathering up the courage, she approached closer and pulled the curtain to the side.
At first, she tried to peek in from a safe distance but failed to see through the darkness of the unlit hut. Moving partially inside, a faint trace of reflecting light from the left- far corner of the hut, caught her attention.
With every step taken in the direction of that white fading light, the area lit by it increased, finally spreading on the whole left wall as Shivani came face to face with something, totally different from a wall.
It was a mirror, the mirror showing the reflection of people walking in a forest among the thick giant trees, stepping on dried leaves and branch twigs, they all moved in a line.
Shivani knew these people.
"Dadi–" she called out, hoping for a miracle but expecting the heartbreak.