Author’s Note– Two chapters in a week? Yeah, that my birthday treat to you guys…..Yayyy!!!!
Disclaimer- If Nagin 5 belonged to me, it would not have ended the way it did. So yes, I don’t own it and refer Chapter 1 for full disclaimer.
Also being posted on Wattpad (https://www.wattpad.com/story/260113386 ) if you find it anywhere else than please report as my work is being copied.
Beta reading by Shesha485.
Previously- A truce between Bani and Daksh-Pankaj, Markaat’s escape and a trap for Vani.
(Link for Chapter 5- https://www.tellyupdates.com/beyond-great-darkness-chapter-5/ )
Beyond Great Darkness
Chapter 6 – Wings and Venom!
The Tilismi Cave was eerily silent. Veer and Bani were expecting to hear Markaat screaming or shouting at them as she must heard them approach but were shocked that the cave was completely engulfed in silence.
With a glance at each other, as if in a silent agreement, they quicken their steps towards the inner cave where Markaat is bound. Approaching the steps of the cave, they see that whole cave is empty. Not a trace of either Markaat or Lord Shiva’s Trident is found.
They rushed down the stairs, completely unaware that they were actually rushing into a trap……
The trap had triggered as soon as they stepped down from the last step. The cheel prince felt the air currents before he actually saw it and pushes his wife aside just as an arrow passed from the place she was standing just moments ago.
“Ahhhh…Veeranshu what happe…..”
“Sorry Bani, I…..” He ducks as another arrow flies towards him. “Bani change now!” there was urgency in his voice. They both change into their respective animal forms, the agile form of a bird giving more maneuverability to the cheel prince while the aadi naagin kept close to the ground to avoid the arrows. By now the arrows were flying towards them from all directions.
Veer
As soon as he saw his wife changing into her snake form, he evaluated the situation around him, trying to find a way to escape the flood of arrows coming towards them, the number and speed of which was continuously increasing. He dived downwards as he felt an arrow coming from behind, extremely thankful to his bird senses which could judge the wind currents around him, that particular ability more enhanced now that he was in his eagle form.
He takes an abrupt cut towards left as another arrow just swoops by from above his right wing. He escaped from that arrow but half a dozen more were heading his way. He continues to evade each of them.
Deciding he has had enough, with a glance at Bani to assure himself that she was faring good, he soars straight up towards the ceiling, with a hope that the arrows will not follow him such high up. But it was in vain as the attack did not cease. Realizing that the arrows were not limited to a particular area but were targeting human presence, or well, animal presence in his case, he decided to remain higher up, hoping that more of the arrows will target him in the air rather than Bani on the ground. He ducks and dives and soars and glides, criss-crossing between arrows, hoping that the attack would stop before his wings are tired out.
Bani
Bani shifts to her snake form without any question as soon as she heard the urgency in her husband’s voice asking her to change. She shrinks her size and lays down low on the ground expecting the arrows to fly from above her without harming her. When the arrows kept targeting her even low on the ground, she reached the conclusion earlier than her husband that the arrows were triggered by presence of a living being and were not bound to a particular area. She kept crawling here and there, continuously moving so as to protect herself, and also using her tail to flung the arrows away from her.
More than once since the attack started, she envied her husband’s eagle form with gave him a better flexibility to evade the arrows, her own snake form hampering her as she was stuck on the ground. Suddenly, she saw her husband shoot-up towards the ceiling and sent him silent thanks as the flood of arrows were now diverted, but also let out a hiss of frustration when she realized that her husband was taking more danger upon himself.
The attack continued for quite some time and both the eagle and the snake were beginning to tire out with no means of escape available in near future. Both were continuously moving but at one point in time, they were exactly in a straight vertical line one on the ground and another exactly above her.
As soon as that happened, a magical net sprang from above and fell on them capturing them together and they are immediately forced changed to their human forms, the arrows miraculously stopping. If they had known that just coming together at one place would stop the arrows, than they would have done it a lot sooner. Perhaps they had not yet realized that the spot they were in was the exact same place where Markaat had been bound for all these days.
“You okay sweetheart?”
“Yes I am fine. You okay?”
“I am always fantastic sweetheart.”
She raises her eyebrows at that reply and notices a small cut on Veer’s arms, He probably had not been fast enough and an arrow had just touched and gone by. She places her hand on the wound to heal it, but her healing powers do not work. She tries to change to her snake form but her shape-shifting powers do not seem to be working either.
She look at Veer, her eyes telling him ‘you try’ and she looks around finding a possible means of escape while her husband tries to change into his eagle form. Receiving a shake of head from him, she closes her eyes to concentrate and release a burst of power towards the net, expecting it to give out but all her effort were for naught. Instead they felt the magic of the net growing stronger around them and tiring Bani in return.
Veer quickly takes her in his arms and she rests her head on his chest, tired from releasing so much energy in a try for escape which was sucked in the net.
Veer, in a soft voice, “You okay sweetheart?”
“Hmmm”
“Rest now, love. We will think of something to get out of here.”
She further snuggles closer to him. Without leaving her comfortable position in her husband’s arms, she says, “Did you notice what I noticed?”
Veer- “The net is sustaining by taking power from us. It is like a parasite.”
“Yes. And the more power we release in trying to escape, the more powerful the bonds are becoming. Also I was talking about this place. This is the exact same spot where we captured ‘her’.”
“So this was her idea of revenge. Trapping us in the same place as we did to her. The arrows were just a distraction so that we don’t notice this trap. The arrows were just a way so bring us here at this spot.”
“Hmmm. You are right. But think about this net, it is slowly sucking our powers, our life force, using it to power itself. The captured person will try to escape but it will fasten the draining. The only way it will stop is when the captured person has no life force to offer, is dead. Ingenious! I would love to study this net if we were not captured in this thing….”
“Only you, sweetheart. Only you will think of obtaining more knowledge in life threatening situations like these.”
“Wise men have said, Knowledge is power.”
“Who are these wise men, who I don’t know about and who are talking to my gharwali haan?” Veer asks in a teasing tone.
“That is for me to know and you to never figure out.”
“Accha….gharwali is trying to act smart haan. Remember, I will return it with interest.”
“We’ll see it then. Accha Veeranshu listen, do you have your phone with you? We could call somebody. Mine fell down during the fight.”
He takes out his phone from his pocket, “No network….Figures….”
Bani- “It was worth a try.”
Veer- “But I also found in my pocket…….this….” He takes out a Swiss Army Knife from his pocket and tries to cut the net with it, but there is not even a little tear.
“Magical net, patidev”
“It was worth a try, wifey.”
They look at each other and burst out laughing. If they could laugh even in such a situation, there was hope in the world yet.