Timeless: A MaNan Historical

Chapter 25: Pain

A group of men (Po, Vo, Ro and others) dressed in leaves and twigs with beads on their necks were gathered around a man and a woman who were dressed in more beads with a crowns made up of nature's produce.

Po: Oh Great one, we need something to sacrifice to the jungle spirits. The jungle spirits have been asking for a human sacrifice.

Vo: But Po, we need a non-tribe member for the sacrifice, how can we find someone so early in the morning in the jungle?

Ro: I saw a lone young girl in the river. She looks unattached with any man.

Tribal Lord: She is the perfect human sacrifice, bring her to me at once.

...

The cool waters of the river washed away all the dirt that had stuck to Nandini's body from the night she spent in the cave. Nandini recollected the events that had transpired between Manik and herself in the cave. Although she felt she couldn't trust him anymore, she could sense a change in the way he looked at her and touched her. There was something more to his stubbornness to help her get up and down the horse. Nandini knew that she is tied to him through her love forever. But will he be with me forever? No he cannot, he is a Prince even if he says he is banished from his Kingdom, he can never be with a commoner like me. I will have to accept the fact that our love will be incomplete. 'our love'... Does he love me? is that why he was behaving differently?....

Before Nandini could analyze her thoughts, she felt someone grab her by her arms from behind.

Nandini: Manik, leave me. You cannot just grab me like this.

The man shut her mouth and another man covered her eyes. Nandini understood that it was not Manik. Who would want to kidnap me if not for Manik? She thought.

...

Manik rested under a tree away from the river to give Nandini some privacy to have a bath. I will make you trust me Nandini, I will do whatever it takes, Manik thought as he thew some pebbles from the foreground further into the jungle. He continued to wait, hearing the birds chirp and the leaves move due to the cool breeze, when he realized Nandini hadn't come to get him.

Manik: It has been over 30 minutes, and there is no sign of her. I hope she is alright.

...

The men who carried Nandini carefully rested her on a raised platform.

Tribal Lord: She is beautiful. If not for our need for a human sacrifice, we could have kept her. Maybe get her married to our son?

Tribal Lady: We can still keep her. Maybe we can sacrifice her hand instead of her life.

Po: Oh great one, we can keep her as long as the jungle spirits are satisfied with just a part of her flesh.

Tribal Lord: Begin the sacrifice then. Call me after you remove her arm.

Nandini was hearing all this and was trying to escape. Her arms and legs were tied with ropes and they had covered her eyes and mouth with some material which left a weird taste when Nandini tried opening her mouth to shout out to Manik for help. Tears had formed in her eyes out of fear, but she could feel a burn near her eyes as each tear drop left owing to the material covering her eyes. The ropes that held her in place cut through her skin as she tried to struggle out of its grip. She was in pain, she could neither move, cry nor shout for help. She felt a leaf with water touch her right arm.

Water droplets from the leaf trickled down from her upper arm to her fingers as Po symbolically purified her arm that was to be severed as sacrifice to the jungle spirits.

Nandini could hear a man chant something, but she couldn't comprehend the meaning. All she knew was that she was trapped and they were planning to cut her arm. She said a silent prayer for protection before She felt a sudden pain on her upper arm and could feel some blood ooze out of her arm. She heard a man come forward. Next, that man placed his finder on the cut and removed the blood swiftly.

Tribal Lord (tasting her blood): It is pure. May this blood protect us from our enemies. Po, you can now cut her arm.

Po took a sharp bone axe and placed it on Nandini's arm as a marker on where he was about to cut. He moved his arm with the axe backward with great force to gain momentum to cut deep into her flesh. Nandini closed her eyes anticipating the axe, flashes of Manik in the Palace and in the jungle came to her. Within seconds, the man attempted to throw the axe in a forward motion, but he felt someone preventing him from doing so from behind. Before he knew it, he received a blow on his head and fell flat to the ground.

Nandini felt a warm touch on her arms, this touch was filled with concern and care for her. She knew it was Manik, but couldn't speak as her mouth was covered with that material. He gently untied the rope on her arms and removed he cloth that covered her mouth.

Nandini immediately hugged him, she needed his warmth, she needed him.

Nandini: Manik...

She had tears in her eyes, but the cloth burned her skin as those tears left her eyes.

Nandini: Auuuch...

Manik broke the hug and looked at her, she had a cut on her arm with blood still oozing out from the wound. Her wrists and ankles had red marks from the rope that was used to tie her in place. Her luscious rose petal like lips were parched and her twinkling eyes with blocked by a cloth. Manik's eyes involuntarily teared up seeing the state in which she was. She was in pain and he couldn't bear it. I will not let any one who did this to her live. Each and every one of them will have to pay for causing pain to Nandini, he thought as he removed the cloth that covered her eyes.

In his tear filled eyes, Nandini could see the pain her physical suffering brought to him. Without leaving her gaze, Manik picked her up in his arms and started walking towards the river, when he was stopped by a man.

Tribal Lord: Where do you think you are taking our unmarried sacrifice?

Manik: So you are the one who did this to her.

Tribal Lord: Yes.

Manik: I will not spare you for doing this to her.