Part 1- The beginning of an end

" One umbrella you could not carry, just one." she cursed herself as she got out of the bus stop and started walking towards the familiar road. Although she had seen grey clouds gather that morning, she knew that monsoon season had begun but didn't bother to carry an umbrella. Many times she had been here, the same road, the familiar footpath. For a year, attending the same type of meetings with all of the Elders, following the same type of procedures, but somehow, today, it felt different. It was the last meeting, the one she had dreamed of. The meeting would change her life as well as the lives of her children. She wished that it wouldn't rain but knew that it would. Anxiety poked in her stomach. 'It's the final meeting, the verdict,' that's all she could think of.

The council hall was not far from the bus stop, but she dreaded that the meeting had already begun. So, she hurried down the broad footpath. Small quick steps, one after the other. She didn't care If she stepped into a puddle and marked her jeans with brown splashes. She walked past the empty street. All the streets were empty that day because it was raining cats and dogs.

Finally, she reached the council hall. That ominous building stood the test of time, one could easily mistake it for a haunted mansion. Colourless stone walls, marked with moss and beaten by heavy rains and smoke. Ancient symbols and statues carved on its roof looked old and had not aged with grace. She reached the giant gate which was adorned by statues of beautiful women holding lanterns in their hand on either side of the gate. There was no need for a guard there, nobody would enter this compound anyway.

She entered through a wicket within the large gate. A narrow paved pathway that went across well-trimmed lawns led her to the entrance of the building. The building had a wide staircase that ended at giant wooden doors which were intricately carved with vines and flowers. An elephant carrying two snakes in its trunk was carved on a stone on the top rail of the door. She had been on these premises many times and did not care for this view. All she had in her mind was the council meeting, so she hurried towards the stairs.

There stood Markand, with his hands folded and frowned at the sight of Leysa scampering towards him. He was wearing navy blue trousers and a white ironed shirt. He had curly dark brown hair with little grey streaks in them. "Leysa why are you so late? And soaking wet," he asked, "How did you get here?"

She didn't answer him.

"Where is your car?" he asked.

"I came by bus," she said, " I didn't want to drive here. I didn't have the nerves for it."

He nodded and waved his hand.

"Hurry up, let's go inside. The meeting has started already, and everyone is waiting for you." he pushed open the door. They walked across a long dimly lit corridor with walls painted in dull beige.

As they walked fast across the corridor, Leysa noticed the walls. "The colour of the wall sucks the joy right out of you, doesn't it?" She was blabbering, out of nervousness at this point.

He looked at the walls but didn't say anything.

" I am hoping for a positive result

from this meeting, but the weather is a bad omen." Leysa sighed.

"You are thinking too much, I know the results will be positive. Besides, earlier meetings were good. Three of the council elders have given a positive response. I don't think you need to worry about it." he said.

They stood at the glass door of the council hall. She could see her blurred reflection on it. " Gosh, I look like a wet puppy. A shaggy blue puppy. I was so anxious that I didn't even look in the mirror before leaving." she said to Markand. She was wearing blue jeans, a light blue shirt with a brown stole and hadn't brushed her hair.

"You were never fashionable, to begin with," smirked Markand.

"Developed a sense of humour have you?" She taunted. "After going away for all these years."

"I was not the one who went away, Leysa; you did," he said, glowering at her.

She wiped her face with her wet hand and they entered the council hall.

The room was dead silent as they entered. A hundred pairs of eyes stared at them as they walked across the room and sat at a small table. There was a narrow long table opposite a large long table at the end. Where a tall, bald old man sat in the middle, and beside him sat two younger-looking women. " You are late, Miss Bhaskara," he said with a cold stare. Leysa gulped, it had been twenty years since someone had called her 'Miss Bhaskara'.

"I...I am sorry," she said.

The Council hall was a large room, it was well-lit by long arched windows. An oval chandelier hung from the ceiling, giving out almost a golden aura to the people sitting at that table.

"You should have come here at least 10 minutes early," Markand whispered.

"Yes, I know I should have. All of them are staring at me and that's hyping up my nerves." Leysa said.

A tall, pale man who stood at the end of the table of council elders, cleared his throat and started reading out from a paper. "Today is the final meeting, for petition number 3513, submitted by Leysa Bhaskara. A petition for exemption of all three of her children from the Selective Legacy tests. Three council members have given their approval for the exemption, and today, after the case is being presented before the council elders Biswa Raj and Aveda Gautama, the verdict will be given."

Leysa nodded and stood up to speak. "Elder Biswa Raj and Elder Aveda Gautama, I submitted my petition three years ago to the council of Partham elders, requesting the council to exempt all three of my children from the Selective Legacy tests. I don't wish them to participate, as the results of the test would bring separation in the family. Instead, I propose that I adopt and train an orphan child from a Partham pure-blood family. So that the legacy of Bhaskara will continue. This child will be trained as rigorously as my own. No exceptions. I will make sure that the child will perform his best in the test. And - "

"I don't understand how Elder Siv Lokesh agreed to such a petition. This is unheard of. Training another child instead of your own for the test. I have never heard of such a thing." interrupted the bald old man who was sitting at the long table. He had a small round face for a bulky body. Thick eyebrows arched over black eyes. His navy blue suit looked expensive, which made him stand out among others who were sitting at the table.

"I agree with you elder Biswa Raj, denying any of the Partham children a right to participate in the Legacy test is unacceptable. But if she is going to train another child for the test the Bhaskara legacy will subsist." said a woman with a firm and calm voice sitting beside him. She was thin and had dark olive skin, and looked of pleasant disposition. She had well-combed hair tied into a bun and was wearing a red and green cotton saree.

"Aveda, it's not just about the legacy. It's about the traditions; you and I and everyone else present in this room are a part of this tradition. Every Partham born of a human has been given these tests. By giving them have proved that they can be a strong and valid part of the Partham world. Are you going to deny her children the validation of being a part of this legacy? Because I cannot let that happen. Ms Bhaskara here very well knows that by not letting her children participate, she is denying them the opportunity to be a part of a prestigious tradition. Whereas on the other hand, she should be thankful to us for letting her impure half-human children participate in it."

Leysa couldn't believe her ears. She said, "I don't think I am denying them anything glorious. Besides, if I let them participate, one of them will be separated from the family. And I cannot let that happen. I married a human of my own volition. I'd left Partham world twenty years ago, knowing very well that I wouldn't be welcomed here, yet I have been called here to fulfil a tradition that will bring only pain to my family. I know that only one of my children will be selected and will be given the best of opportunities and comforts, but at what cost? He or she will not be allowed to stay with us or even meet us. They are my children and I cannot separate them."

"To hear this from you is shocking, Leysa you are the legacy of Aarie Bhaskara. One of our earliest and most respected elders. She was one of our first five council elders. Have you forgotten about that? You and your filthy-blooded husband should be thankful to us for letting you most children even participate."

"How dare you call my husband filthy. All of the filth is in these mindless tests that you present as traditions. Which you have been following for all these years, giving only pain to the families who unwillingly participate in them. Unnecessary customs that separate them in the name of traditions. And you call all of this glorious? What glory does separation bring?"

Markand held her hand tightly and whispered, "He is trying to provoke you, don't fall for it."

Leysa stopped, took a long breath, pressed her lips together and said,

"All I am requesting is that all of the elders try to understand that I don't want to disrespect any of the traditions, but I just don't want them to take away any of my children. In the human world, they will get equal opportunities without any separation."

"You seem very sure that your children will get equal opportunities in that impure world, where only power and money are valued. Here, when one of the more of them are selected he or she will represent the great legacy and will get the respect they deserve," said Biswa Raj smugly. "Firstly, you broke the tradition by marrying a human, and now denying your children from legacy, you are proving that living with a human for all these years has corrupted your judgement and begrimed the Bhaskara legacy. By giving your children an opportunity and separating from that filth we are doing you and that low-life husband of yours a favour."

"That's it, how dare you call Navil a low life? I chose to be with a human. He is more of a respected man than you will ever be. You are not going to tell me where I stand in this." Her eyes turned red, her head heated up, and she clenched her fist and glared at Biswa Raj. Her mouth moved but nobody was able to hear a single word. She constantly stared at him, the tables started vibrating violently. He tried to hold the table with his hands but unable to do so, he tried to push it away. He pushed back his chair and stood up. He looked at Leysa with shock.

"Stop it, you'll jeopardise everything. LEYSA LEYSA..." She could hear Markand's voice at a distance along with a faded roar of the people in the room. Her vision grew narrow, she could see Biswa Raj's face twisted with horror. Markand held her by her shoulders and pushed her out of the hall. "Are you mad? We have worked for a year to get here," he yelled as he pushed her against the beige wall in the corridor.

"You think it's my fault? Didn't you hear the shit he was saying? You expect me not to say a single word when he insulted Navil like that. Would you be calm if he talked trash about Anila?"

He had nothing to say.

"First of all, I didn't come here to enrol my children in these ridiculous tests. They were the ones who called me. Stating that it was a tradition and then insulting me and my family, is this the way for a respected man to behave? If I had a chance he would have bled right then and there."

"That's it, why do you not understand that he was trying to provoke you? If you hadn't sent him a wave like that, he would have stopped. You have jeopardized your chances of winning the case. There will be consequences for these actions." he said while wiping sweat from his brow.

She leaned against the wall, her head spinning. She realised that her body had heated so much that her hair and clothes had all dried up. She saw a few people in the corridor stare at her, then from the end of the corridor saw the rest of the Partham elders walking towards them, all three

of them. Elder Siv Lokesh, one of the oldest of the elders, although his shoulders stooped with age but of solemn stature, stopped and glanced at Leysa. He narrowed his eyes and asked her, "You look disturbed. What happened? Today was your last council meeting, right? I think it was with Biswa Raj and Aveda if I am not mistaken."

"Yes, elder Lokesh, it was -" Before Markand could complete his sentence a man from the council hall walked towards Siv Lokesh. He whispered something in his ear. He nodded and

they went inside the hall. The other two elders, Meera Surishi and Siranth Memal followed them.

Leysa looked at Markand rubbed her forehead. " I have fucked this up haven't I? This is so important to me, the results have to be in my favour. I don't know what I am going to do if it is not. The only thing I know is that I

cannot let them take any of my kids away from me."

"You have to understand this, whatever happened inside that hall, the wave that you sent at Biswa Raj, he is... Well, he is a very proud man he won't let go of this event. There are people inside the hall who might be in your favour but convincing Biswa Raj seems very difficult he-"

A man came out of the hall and said, "Sir, Madam, they have called both of you inside."

All of the council members were standing near the long table. Leysa saw Biswa Raj's red eyes glaring at her.

"I didn't expect this kind of behaviour from you. I have known you since you were a little girl, I am very disappointed," said Siv Lokesh.

"Elder Lokesh, I can explain. I would have kept quiet if he had not insulted my husband and my children. My husband is a human and he is a respected man. How can you expect me not to react if anyone talks ill of my family? I - "

"No one has insulted your family. I just spoke the truth. You have not only mocked the traditions that have been followed by generations of Parthams but also have disrespected the rules that were laid down by The Great Council. The same great council of which your great-great-grandmother was a part. By submitting a petition to exempt your children from the legacy tests, you have not just brought dishonour to the Bhaskara name but have also disrespected the

council elders. All of this just for your ego." Biswa Raj blurted.

"With all respect, sir, I have not broken any rules. And I am not doing this for my ego. The great Council was set up years ago to make sure that all the rules were followed and none of the

Parthams suffered injustice. The Great Council made sure that every voice was heard. I had put forth the petition hoping that at least the elders would hear what I had to say and not give a judgement beforehand. My only wish is that my children are not put through these tests... I will substitute another Partham child in the place of my children who will carry out the Bhaskara legacy." Leysa replied. She saw Biswa Raj nod in negation. She got a sunken feeling inside her stomach. A feeling in her gut told her that he was not going to let go of this event so easily.

All of the council members gathered together and started discussing.

"Both of you, please wait outside. The council will have a meeting and will call you inside once they discuss it." said a man who escorted them out of the hall.

Markand walked back and forth from one wall of the corridor to the other, occasionally stopping near the glass door trying to get a glance at what was going on inside the hall. Leysa sat on a small bench near the pillar at the end of the corridor. Her head on her palm bending down and thinking about what she was going to say to her children, who have no idea of the things that the situation is not under control and that the result of the council meeting might not be in their favour. All of them will have to give the tests and one of them will be separated from their family.

A man with a shabby beard came out of the hall and said " The council elders have made their decision, both of you are requested to come inside."

They followed the man inside the hall, he gestured to them to sit at the short table. All of the council elders were sitting at the long table. This time Leysa didn't want to look at Biswa raj.

Siv Lokesh started speaking.

"The petition was regarding Miss Bhaskara's children, whether to exempt them from the legacy tests. All of the council members have come to a decision. And l, of all the members think that it would be unfair if we did not give them a chance to enter the tests. And the tradition that has been followed for thousands of years of selecting the best human children to be a part of the Partham world should be continued. We won't be denying them an opportunity to have a better future. So Miss Bhaskar," he looked at her, "we have decided that all of your children must participate in the legacy tests and only one of your children will be selected. However, we have decided that another council meeting will be conducted to decide whether to separate them from the family or not. Until then the procedures that are to be followed will be followed according to tradition. Whichever child of yours is selected will have to stay away from your family. Only you will be allowed to meet him or her once a month."

"Do you agree with this Miss Bhaskara?" asked Meera Surishi.

Leysa looked at Markand. And he nodded in affirmation.

She bit her lower lip and said "Yes, I agree."

"Sir her eldest child is 19," Markand said. "As most of the human children don't show Partham qualities till they are 15 years old, they get about 2 years to train. So I request you to give her some time to train her children."

"Very well," said Siv Lokesh, "I think a time of six months would be sufficient enough to train your children for the tests."

Leysa had no choice but to agree.

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