Page 46 of Twisted Sins

It was yet again another reminder of how far off her home and out of place she was in the Kabali clan. Sucking in a deep breath, she tried not to stare at the skulls. She looked at the seer instead.

An ancient-looking woman wearing the Kabali clan clothes was seated, chanting something. The seer’s eyes opened, and she said something while staring intently.

“W-what is she saying?” Nandini asked.

“She said greetings to the Kabali heir’s wife.”

Nandini wasn’t surprised that the seer identified her by the clothes. Unlike the rest of the Kabali women, the silver border to her black head veil gave her away.

The old woman continued to stare intently and said something using her name.

“She is saying that you look like your aunt… Nandini Thakvar.”

Nandini was surprised. She knew she was named after her father’s older sister, but she had never seen her aunt’s pictures.

Her aunt had died twenty years ago in an accident. It was surprising and intriguing that the old woman knew how her aunt looked.

“Ask her if she has met my aunt,” Nandini said.

When Uma translated the question, the seer shook her head and said something.

“She says she hasn’t met your aunt,” Uma replied. “But she and most people of Singoor have heard of your aunt. She was beautiful, brave and intelligent. And she was understanding and accepting of all Singoor traditions and cultures.”

Nandini had heard a similar description of her aunt from her father. She felt a twinge of loss of never having met her aunt.

The seer looked at her keenly and said something.

Uma hesitated before translating. “Skandamai says you are courageous and intelligent like your aunt. A Thakvar tigress. But you are also very stubborn and willful. You must accept the Kabali clan and its traditions. You must stop fighting the Kabali heir. Accept him as your husband and consummate your marriage. Singoor will prosper once again with the Kabali and Thakvar heirs.”

Nandini’s face heated.

I will never accept the demon as my husband!

Uma said something to the seer to which the old woman shook her head and told a barrage of words in an insistent way.

Uma frowned. “I told her that your marriage is consummated and that I saw… blood from your wedding night. But she insists it hasn’t been consummated, and the Thakvar tigress… you haven’t accepted Rudra as your husband.”

Nandini’s cheeks heated as she had deliberately led Uma to think otherwise.

Uma shook her head. “I think the seer is mistaken as the wedding ceremony and the wedding night for the heirs of a clan are held in the holy land. But yours didn’t happen there. Instead, the sand from the holy lands was brought for the wedding ceremony and also placed at the corner of the tent on your wedding night.”

“I see.”

The seer looked at Nandini and said something more.

“The seer says a warrior like Rudra needs a wife who is brave, resourceful, and accepting. She says you are brave and resourceful, a tigress. But you also need to be accepting of your destiny.”

The seer looked at her, and then reached for a human skull behind and held it in her hand and indicated to Nandini to touch it.

Nandini was shocked. Although it creeped her out, she slowly reached and touched the smooth surface of the skull.

The seer's eyes flashed in satisfaction, and they said something.

“Skandamai says that the Kabali clan has been known for centuries for its kapali worship, which is the worship of skulls. You must not get scared to embrace the darker forms of worship and war, especially being the Kabali clan head’s wife.”

Nandini slowly nodded and then murmured an agreement.

She then thanked the seer with joined palms before stepping out of the tent. Although she didn’t believe in superstitions or premonitions, the old woman and her words unsettled her.

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