The Cloud of the Princess - Part I Chapter 20

The conversation between the Vaithiyar and the person whom he identified as 'bhatha' ended after a few minutes and the so called bhaktha left the Vaithiyar's room after get his blessings one more time. The Vaithiyar not knowing that the girls were waiting behind, closed his eyes and started to meditate. Sembaruthi became a bit worried on seeing this. She had expected Jayendiran to have informed the Vaithiyar about their arrival. She did not have the courage to go and disturb the Vaithiyar herself. Even if she had the courage, she would have preferred not to do that. A part of the reason was the peculiar room where she was in. The strange vibrations were still there , but it did not increase and decrease randomly anymore. There was a constant pace to it and she could connect it with the recital of the magical phrase 'ohm' .
She was not sure what to do next except waiting for the Vaithiyar to see and call her. 'It might never happen as he is facing the opposite side and may just get up and go out of one of those doors. ' she thought looking at the five doors that were on the opposite. She decided to wait for a little while before deciding on something. She communicated the message through her eyes to the girls who were sitting nearby. The girls seemed to have understood the message and adjusted their positions as if beginning a wait for a long time.

The wait continued longer than what she had expected it to be. Slowly she began to lose hope about the Vaithiyar seeing and calling her when something suddenly occurred to her. 'I intend to meet the Vaithiyar and discuss what my husband has told me. But i cannot do it with all these girls. The matter concerns the kingdom and it is of utmost importance and secrecy. Is this not an opportunity that is coming my way now? I should make the best out of it. Let me send the girls out to look for Jayendiran while in the meantime i shall go and talk with the Vaithiyar. This is not a small house where these girls will find Jayendiran very easily. This is the biggest house in Araimedu, only after Oorasar Sethupadhiyar's palace. And with Kumudhini leaving tomorrow, hundreds of her relatives have gathered here. The girls will be stopped by every other person they meet in their way and they will have to spend at least a minute with each of them talking about the usual things. Moreover it is very possible that Jayendiran has left the house to do something outside. Yes. He did mention that he had some work to do before sending Kumudhini off. Let me hope that he is not in the house at all. So in any case it will take the girls at least the time to climb and get down a cocunut tree before they find Jayendiran. But...that is only one side of the story...even if the girls don't find Jayendiran soon enough,will i be able to disturb the Vaithiyar who is in deep meditation? Will he be angry at me if i did that? Haven't i heard about angry saints cursing people who break their thavam?. But from what Jayendiran suggested, the Vaithiyar wanted to see and talk to me. It is obviously about the message that my husband has passed across. So why not i go and wake him up myself. It is for the benefit of the kingdom and if i don't do it, i might repent for it later. Moreover there are too many mysterious things that have happened in a day and a half. The Vaithiyar seems to be the best person who can give a solution to the questions that are troubling me. Yes.I think i should wake the Vaithiyar up. And once i send these girls out, i have to be really quick. If luck is against me,I might not get more than a few minutes to talk with him alone and i should make the most of it'

Sembaruthi turned her head slowly and spoke something into Imayaazh's ears.Imayaazh listened carefully and passed the message across to the other girls in the same way as Sembaruthi did. After a few seconds, all the girls except Sembaruthi got up one by one without making any noise and left the room. Sembaruthi after making sure the girls had gone a few steps away,slowly got up without making any noise. She looked around carefully and made sure no one was watching her. With steps resembling a tigress hiding behind a bush, moving cautiously to pounce on its prey, she walked towards the Vaithiyar. She could suddenly feel that the vibrations began to increase and decrease randomly again. 'Oh my god. Is my head swirling? Why are these vibrations increasing and decreasing again. Is someone controlling these vibrations or is it my state of mind that corresponds to these vibrations. Am i walking properly?Or am i falling down into a bottomless dark pit? There is some force in this room. Is this man only a Vaithiyar or is he some sort of a magician? Is he controlling my actions? Here i am in front of him. I have no other option but to wake him up.'

"Ayya. " She called in the mildest of voices possible. She did not know what to expect. She was not even sure if the Vaithiyar had heard it at all.

The Vaithiyar responded without opening his eyes. His voice echoed synchronous with the vibrating frequency.

"Sembaruthi. Quick. Run.Close all the nine doors of this room. You have already wasted a lot of time"

Sembaruthi was shocked to hear the Vaithiyars reply. 'Did he know that i was waiting for him? So why was he meditating all these time then.' She could not think any more. She felt as if something beyond was controlling her. She ran across the circular room closing each door as quickly as possible.
She closed all the nine doors when a slight doubt entered her mind if she had properly closed the eighth door. She went to recheck if the door was closed properly. She tried to push the door to see if it opened but it did not. She suddenly realised that she had not locked any of the doors but still they could not be opened by pushing. She pushed the door in front of her even faster but was not able to. She felt as if she had fallen into a trap. 'How can i open these doors now? I am sure it cannot be opened from the other side. But if i cannot open from it even from inside, then what does all this mean?' she could not find any answer.
The Vaithiyar was still sitting in the middle of the room , meditating.
Sembaruthi checked if the knife she had in her waist was still there.
It was!
She moved slowly towards the Vaithiyar. She came now in front of him.

She was about to ask what the Vaithiyar was up to when the words jammed in her throat. Her head broke into infinite pieces. Her body was drenched in sweat. She witnessed a terrifiying sight.

Oh my God!
The eyes!
The eyes!

The same eyes that made her faint and roll down Madiyamalai three years back!
The same horrific eyes!

Sembaruthi screamed and fainted down locked up alone in the Vaithiyar's room.

Dhalapadhi Maithreyan's chief ottran was starring at her with his red blood eyes.