Deceiving Veils

Chapter-12{Standing at door of dark chamber}

They had walked far away from the rainy land, now atmosphere held frozen cold. Dense air making flesh cold, sky was clearer and view was white. They were moving towards snow capped mountains, inching closer yet so far.

Walking for hours, no one had anything to say. Nandini had been following them absent mindedly. Manik had been sparing glances every mile. He would look at her and then again continue on difficult mountains.
Aashi and Aryan too hadn't been much vocal except for two or three times.

Nandini was broken. She hardly could drag herself towards that nowhere, where she was being taken to. Her mind wasn't able to stop thinking about horrifying scenarios. What would had happened to her mother? This question was hovering her mind and every time she got answered with terrifying possibilities. She had mumbled endless prayers wishing safety for her mother.

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It wasn't easy to drag her along. Manik exactly knew what it takes to walk away from your loved ones. When he dragged her away holding her hand back there, with each step he knew how far her pieces were getting scattered. She was shattering. He had dragged her for miles holding her hand tight but not for once she held his hand back. There wasn't anything she was looking forward to, that he could tell. He let go of her hand after a while thinking she would react in some way but she didn't. She was just following him since then silently.
And that was too much to take.

Aashi was collecting sweet berries from trees along the way. Collecting them in her dress's frill, she walked to Nandini.

Her sweet smile did make Nandini come out of her trance for once.

"Berries," Aashi offered Nandini.

Nandini nodded in no and smiled faintly. Silence prevailed for those two minutes or so before her sobs got finally allowed to escape. Aashi held her hand tightly as she finally seemed to let it out. She finally found that prick she needed.

Manik could hear her sobs. He sighed in relief, not for once looking back at her. He was relaxed to see her finally reacting but too afraid to witness it. Her sobs converted into loud cries as he heard Aashi comforting her. Their journey came to halt for those moments. She was crying her heart out and those cries were making him weak.

Why it hurts so bad?
No, tears don't make you weak, Manik. They make you angry.

Then why I am not angry?
There was no answer. He tried to find one but not a single answer.

He finally turned around to see her shattered in Aashi's arms. She looked vulnerable. Her face was red due to crying. Her hair were a mess. She trembled as she cried more. She was drained out.
Something pinched inside and it hurt bad. He could feel a heat building in his heart seeing her like that. Now that ire which he was missing, seemed to make a comeback. He started to get restless as he saw her so broken. He walked tree to tree, tried letting out that energy but alas, everything was futile.
His feet advanced towards her a lot of times but they halted every time. He wanted to tell her to stop crying. He wanted to make her so angry that she forgets everything else. He wanted to...

He strode towards her in impulse getting looks from a lost Aryan and perplexed Aashi. He stood right in front of her. She looked up at him. He grabbed her from rock on which she was settled. She looked at him with teary eyes. He knew his grip was tight on her arm, he expected her to react but she didn't.

Seeing her looking at him with a blank yet some affinity, he said, "Get a grip over yourself, Nandini."

She blinked her eyes two or three times to let those aloof tears out before he saw a storm building in those big eyes. He lifted her in arms and strode away from Aashi and Aryan. She clutched his coat tighter in her palm as he seemed to take her away from everyone. Pursing her lips to suppress cry, she let out a faint sob and he looked at her.