Page 81 of Twisted Alliance

He didn’t say anything.

Soon, they entered the small gates of the Kailash Ashram. He drove inside and then pulled up in front of the main entrance of the small home within the retreat grounds.

Looking forward to meeting her father’s mentor, she wore back her veil and stepped out of the vehicle to take the bag she had packed, but Shivay opened the trunk and held it in his hands.

“I can carry it,” she said. “It isn’t heavy. I just packed some sweets for the family.”

He didn’t hand it to her. He simply wrapped his hand around her waist and led her inside.

Her cheeks heated under the veil at his somewhat sweet gesture.

As soon as they stepped into the house, they were received by Kailash Kayastha and his family.

Ishani was delighted to see the elderly man smiling as he came towards her. She touched his feet.

“God bless you, my child,” the old man said. He then looked at Shivay.

Ishani introduced him. “Guruji, this is Shivay Thakvar… my husband.”

The old man looked at Shivay for a long moment. “Are you the Thakvar heir who is uniting the clans?” he asked.

Ishani was surprised that her father’s mentor had also heard about it.

“Yes, sir,” Shivay replied.

Kailash Kayastha smiled. “We might not have a feast fit for the Thakvar heir but do join us for lunch.”

Ishani held her breath. She knew Shivay had asked the security to wait at his city office, which meant he might have been planning to join them.

“It’ll be my pleasure, sir,” Shivay replied.

Ishani was shocked and pleasantly surprised. She was even more surprised when they were led into the small dining area where lunch was readied. An additional plate was placed for Shivay with small bowls filled with simple curries and dals.

Ishani surreptitiously watched him from under the veil as he ate the simple meal.

“You still retain the flavors of the Gujjar cuisine, Mrs. Kayastha,” he said to Kailash Kayastha’s daughter-in-law, who was also wearing a veil.

Ishani was once again surprised that he knew each clan had its distinct flavors and recalled the Gujjar cuisine from their visit many weeks ago.

“Yes, Mr. Thakvar. Although my father-in-law lives here in the city, his heart is in the Singoor region.”

Ishani’s heart ached, knowing it was true. Kailash Kayastha left the Singoor region only because he lost his son to violence. He did not want to risk his other son’s life.

Ishani hoped all the clans would unite soon with a proper peace treaty. Knowing how determined and commandingly charismatic Shivay Thakvar was, she hoped he would succeed in his effort to unite all the clans.

Right after the meal, Shivay Thakvar thanked the family and excused himself to take a phone call. Soon after, the rest of Kailash Kayastha’s family members dispersed to perform their duties at the retreat and temple, leaving her to spend time with her father’s mentor.

Ishani wanted to ask Kailash Kayastha about an important topic, but she hesitated to ask, knowing how much sadness the topic might bring him. However, she needed to know everything she could to help with a greater cause. “Guruji, can you tell me how Goddess Shakti’s statue looked at the Singoor temple?”

The goddess statue was always decorated with flowers and surrounded by offerings from the devotees that many people in the current generation could not describe the statue. Kailash Kayastha was a priest at the Singoor temple, and as part of his daily duties, he would have taken away the dried-up flowers and performed the ritualistic cleaning of the idol every day before the temple opened for the devotees.

The elderly man did not respond immediately. “The Goddess Shakti statue was very beautiful.” She saw tears welling in his eyes. “I just don’t know who had the heart to steal a statue that protected the Sands of Singoor.”

Ishani gently patted the old man’s hand.

“My husband is trying to find the Goddess Shakti statue, guruji. We are hoping to restore peace in the Singoor desert.”

There was surprise and hope in the elderly priest’s face. “God bless your husband, my child. I hope he succeeds.” He blinked his eyes. “All I remember of our Goddess Shakti is that she looked divine. My memory isn’t as good as it used to be to describe her in detail.”

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