(Book 3) Hayden Mackay and The Shaatrumani Stone

20. The Thribhuvan Portrait (Part 1)

Hayden Mackay, stop ogling at her!

As my inner conscience reminded me, it took all force of my will to not to look at her the way I have ever looked at anyone before. Time has lost all it's meaning, watching her right in front of my eyes. She is real, so real. My heart was bursting with euphoria and it was hard to not tell her that it was me, of all people in the world, she has chosen to ask help. But somehow I wasn't quite able to handle the fact that she wasn't recognizing me yet. 

In reality I should be worrying, learning the fact that the person I have been picturing turned out to be Pruthvi's sister; the one Shashi's looking for to replace Zarina Khan. Instead, I was getting mesmerized by her beauty and I knew, it was very unlikely of me.  I was being a complete different person now and it was all worth it. Despite of looking too thin, weak and slightly messy with all the hassle she has recently undergone, I was still finding her charming in a classy way. And not to mention, I was immensely fighting with myself to not to get lost staring into those eyes of hers.

Keeping my nameless feelings aside, there were a loads of questions yet to be answered before we could take her back to the academy. Was there anything supernatural about her and that was how she was asking for my help? And not to forget the burning question that people of Dakshinpur were craving to know-was Nazira Khan as dangerous as Zarina Khan?

I was waiting for Pruthvi to introduce me to her, atleast that way I might start making a conversation but it seemed he was more interested to find out about her background and I couldn't blame him.

"You live all alone in this huge palace?" he asked.

She nodded, her eyes strolling up and down his face, to read his lips.

"Since when?"

"Past four years."  She signaled.

I raised my eyebrows in a slight shock and then I translated it to Pruthvi. My mind began to race instantly. Wasn't she is Paschimgarh a few months ago? Or was it Ira's miscalculations in finding her exact location? My curiosity demanded me to ask her the instant question that came to me, but somehow she was feeling a little difficult to even look at me. Or perhaps she must have already realized what kind of a brat I was being.

"Isn't Shourya taking care of you?" Pruthvi asked, "I thought he is living with you."

She blinked and shook her head before signaling, "He meets me only once in a week or thrice in a month."

Again, different sort of questions raged in my mind but the next reaction from Pruthvi was quite surprising.

"How can he leave you to live alone?" He asked, as if it was her fault.

She frowned in a cutest way, unable to answer him.

"Calm down!" I suggested, gently nudging his arm. Somehow I wasn't liking his way of asking series of questions, even though it was genuine for him to enquire all about her.

"Hayden, don't you find this weird?" he asked, "Shourya leaves her to live alone in this huge eerie palace..."

"Speaking about leaving alone," I interjected, finally grabbing the opportunity. I slowly turned towards him and glared daggers at him. Now that I was alright, gladly accepting the reality and coping up with my feelings for Nazira Khan, I presumed it was time to deal with him, because of whom I had to lose a few strand of hair in the last few hours.

Understanding my inner meaning from my angry tone, he forced a smile. "Oh right, about that!"

"Flame Formation!" It was second time after meeting Singh my simplest command came out in its fiercest form. My hands lit up with fire, blazing till the top of my arm.