Page 9 of Twisted Alliance

“Our Lord Shiva’s form had been in the region for centuries in his natural form before even the existence of clans, whereas Goddess Shakti’s form was a beautiful statue commissioned by four clans centuries ago.”

Shivay had heard the same from his mother but hadn’t known that four clans commissioned the statue.

“So, if the stolen goddess statue is restored, will there be peace in the region?” Shivay asked.

Shivay would hire several teams of investigators and activate every bounty hunter out there to find the stolen statue.

The older man’s eyes lit up in hope only to be followed by a fallen face. “Yes, there is hope for peace if the statue is restored, but it has been decades since the goddess statue was taken from us. Some people still hope she will return, but most have learned to move on without her.”

“And what about the oil drilling? Why has that been stopped?”

There was anger and disgust on Rai Bahadur’s face. “That is because of the Kabali clan. After the statue was stolen, they didn’t allow anyone to drill oil in the Sands of Singoor. Every businessman or organization that tried to enter has been brutally killed over the past twenty years.”

Shivay recalled the taxi driver referring to the Kabali clan as savages responsible for slitting the throats of the two businessmen in the jeep.

“So if the goddess statue is found and the drilling of oil resumes, will there be peace in the region?”

Rai Bahadur nodded. “Yes, I believe there will.”

Shivay knew both those tasks would take some time to be accomplished. It could take months or years, which would mean his father will have to stay in the region until then.

I cannot wait that long.

The memory of heartbroken tears in his mother’s eyes made him determined to find a solution to take his father to San Francisco.

“Is there no other solution to bring peace among the clans? What if I initiate peace talks among the clan leaders, especially with the Kabalis to allow oil drilling?”

Rai Bahadur shook his head vigorously. “No! Please don’t attempt that. It is dangerous, and your father will be devastated if anything happens to you. As in the past, all heirs died after one such meeting.”

Shivay picked up an underlying detail in the way Bahadur mentioned the deaths of heirs. “How did the heirs of the clans die?” he asked.

Shivay knew Rai Bahadur was including his father’s older brother when referring to the heirs.

The older man took a long pause before speaking. “After the Goddess Shakti statue was stolen, the clashes began, and all outsiders were driven out of the region. A few years later, the leaders of prominent clans met to find common ground to bring their people together. Several heirs died under shocking circumstances within a few years of that meeting. The last ones were your uncle, who died in a car accident along with his sister.”

“Couldn’t the causes be murders?” Shivay asked.

Rai Bahadur shook his head. “All of them were accidents and natural deaths, as if…” the man’s voice shook as if in fear, “… as if the land was cursed and the heirs paid the price.”

Everything that Shivay heard seemed unreal, especially about the heirs dying. However, he pushed away his pragmatic mind that refused to believe things beyond logic.

And if the people of the region believed in the curse, he would have to work around it.

Shivay had been in several dangerous situations before and had come out of them successfully. And the current situation would be well worth the risks.

“At this point… not much can be done other than what your father has been doing… unless an alliance forms within the clans.” Rai Bahadur froze and looked at Shivay with a strange expression.

“An alliance?” Shivay asked. “What kind of alliance?”

Rai Bahadur looked uncomfortable, as though he had revealed something he shouldn’t have.

“I-I shouldn’t have brought it up. Your father will not want you to—”

“Mr. Bahadur, please tell me about the alliance.” Shivay knew the older man wouldn’t be swayed by materialistic things and had strong loyalty towards Shivay’s father. “If there is any other way to help unite my parents, I want to use that opportunity. Please don’t withhold that information.” And if not Rai Bahadur, Shivay could find out about the alliance from someone else. But he rather not lose time and find out from someone he could trust.

The older man looked torn but slowly nodded, seeing Shivay’s determined look.

“For the regional feuds to settle down… and to bring stability between the clans… a strong alliance has to be formed between the legitimate heirs.”

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