They stayed too quiet, too gentle, too certain in their faith—forgetting that evil wears a familiar face, and strikes in disguise.
~~~~~
Ahmaya is deep in thought when she hears a soft knock on the door.
She stands and opens it. Ayani enters, instantly greeting the Terrapin with affection. Her eyes light up at the sight of him—it's clear she adores the little companion.
"How are you?" she asks, gently. "Are you comfortable here?"
"Yes," Ahmaya replies. "This place is… beautiful and peaceful."
Ayani hesitates. Her smile fades into tension. "I'm here because my father sent an urgent message. All my Aokma cousins and close friends have gathered, we are....…"
"Oh, is there an occasion...?" Ahmaya wonders.
"Father says there will be a war tomorrow…." Ayani's voice grows heavier. "Gyanwati came to warn my father that if I refuse to surrender my powers, she will kill me in two days."
Ahmaya now understands what she had glimpsed earlier—Gyanwati speaking to Ayani's father in secret. Still, she wonders why he defended her when she asked him about the meeting.
"What now? What are you going to do?"
"We will fight," Ayani says firmly. "We have to. God is with us—I know that, he will help us. But you must stay here. Don't leave this chamber or get involved. You haven't learned how to use your powers yet. It's too dangerous."
"I understand. I won't leave. But… can you defeat them? They seem so strong." Says Ahmaya, concerned.
"We will," Ayani says without hesitation. "We are God's people. We have done no wrong, Good always finds strength in righteousness."
Ahmaya nods, but concern lingers in her eyes. "Please take care of yourself."
Ayani pauses. A silence passes before Ahmaya softly adds, "Can I ask something? Do you know anything about Kitbok? How is he doing?"
Ayani hesitates, then answers carefully. "He's getting married soon."
"I know how it feels," Ayani says gently. "To care for someone you cannot have. I once loved too—a human. At first, I helped you both meet because I saw myself and my lover in you and Kitbok. An Aokma woman and a human man… I thought perhaps your story could be different. But I was wrong. It only deepened the longing between you."
"You loved a human too?" Ahmaya asks, surprised.
"Not just any human," Ayani says with a faint smile. "A British man. Blake."
"Blake?" Ahmaya's curiosity sharpens. "Why couldn't it work?"
"Our worlds are too far apart. I belong to the forest—I am bound by duty. Aokmas can't live with humans, not without sacrificing too much of who we are. And with everything that's happening in Pataallok… it's even more dangerous now. I couldn't drag him into this life."
Ahmaya's heart aches. If Ayani couldn't live with a human even in the same time, how could she ever think about Kitbok?
.
The entire household is on high alert. The sky is bright, the breeze is cool, but the mood is tense.
Since morning, Ayani's family, cousins, and friends have stood watch, waiting. Gyanwati's attack could come at any moment.
Ahmaya stays locked inside the lake chamber with the Terrapin, as instructed. One of Ayani's relatives stands guard nearby.
Hours pass, and morning turns into night, yet nothing happens. They're all worried about what Gyanwati might be plotting.
Ayani appears calm, but she is frightened, and her family feels the same. She knows how ruthless the Patallok forces can be. Darkness will do anything to fulfil its ambitions.
It is the night with no moon, which is ideal for all ill practices. Everyone is awake and attentive, including Ahmaya.
*KNOCK*
Ahmaya's room is still and quiet. The lake outside lies motionless and dark. When someone knocks on the door, both she and the Terrapin grow anxious. She hurries to the window and scans the water, looking for anything unusual—but the river is black, silent, void of any other signs.
*KNOCK*
She freezes as the second knock breaks the silence.
Then—"Hey, it's me. Open the door." Ayani's voice.
Ahmaya exhales with relief,but a worry crosses her mind.
She calls out, "Is this really you?"
"Of course it's me. Open the door—I brought you something."
Something feels off.
She steps toward the door, her heartbeat uneven. The Terrapin shifts in front of her, blocking her path with quiet urgency.
"Stay calm," she whispers to him, trying to believe it.
Don't panic. Someone's nearby. They won't let anything happen. She repeats in her mind.
And opens it.
"NO!" Ahmaya screams.
She should not have believed it was Ayani.
She was wrong.