Chaper 16

The Great Sinner

Belgarath had changed a great deal for the past three years. There was no trace of foreigners anywhere and the land was much peaceful than before he had left and he wondered what had brought such a change in his village. On his way back home, everyone was staring at him like an alien and he was really bothered about that. Three years of prison life had owed Owais a beard, moustache and circles under his eyes. Owais was now a totally changed man. He wore ragged clothes and his proud walking has now changed to a lopsided one. People were curious about the new face and kept staring at him.

Owais stopped in front of his house which was now at the verge of collapsing. Brushing the cobwebs out of his way, Owais entered into each of the room trying to remember what it looked like in the past. As he entered into a less familiar one, he stepped on something and he raised his foot to see what was under them only to bend down and pick up a red ribbon from the ground. It was his daughter Rabia's ribbon and suddenly Owais's sunken eyes filled with tears of pain and vengeance. He brought the ribbon closer to his heart.

‘ I swear, I will make you pay for each of my losses. Your peaceful days are over, col. Barnes. My three years in prison, my daughter’s life and my money, you took those things that were my everything. Now it’s your turn. I will take away things that are closer to your heart. I will slowly destroy you, just wait. ‘ Owais said silently in his mind. Losing Rabia was a shock for him and he blamed everything on col. Barnes. It was his way of coping with his losses, by blaming others.

Owais was walking through the market place to find his old acquaintances and from them, he found out about the racist protests and the Legate's departure from Belgarath. Owais at first, felt happy when he knew that there was no foreigners left in his land, but was totally disappointed when he knew he couldn’t get his revenge on col. Barnes. Cursing all the way back home, Owais entered into his old study room. He felt alone in that huge house, still his house was the largest in the whole Belgarath, but it now looked like a haunted house, full of cobwebs and dust. He sat on a chair and closed his eyes, deep in thoughts. Hearing about the racist protest had striked something in his mind and a happy, crude smile decorated his face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tamina was cutting onions for the soup and Aisha was stirring something in the pot. Tamina wanted to tell her mother about her pregnancy, but it scared the hell out of her. No matter how much she mustered up her courage, at the very last moment, she couldn’t let her mother knew.

‘ Tamina, bring a piece of cloth from my room. The old one is burnt out. ‘ Aisha asked Tamina as the cloth that she used to hold the pot in place had caught on fire.

Tamina stood up from her place and the next thing she knew was that she was loosing her balance and falling on the floor. She tried to grab on the edge of the table but her body felt very light and she was already on the floor before she could even get a hold.

' Oh my god!! ‘. Aisha exclaimed and helped Tamina get up from the floor. Tamina was feeling so dizzy and her inside was churning up. Aisha patted Tamina on her back to comfort her.

‘ Are you sick? ‘. Aisha asked concerned.

‘ No, I am fine. I am just dizzy.’ Tamina said supporting her head on her hands.

‘ Wait here. ‘ Aisha said and then went to the kitchen to come back with a tray full of awfully smelling medicines and herbs. Using a mortar and pestle, Aisha started grinding some herbs and then broke a raw egg and transferred all the herbs and the raw egg into a bowl and handed It over to Tamina.

‘ Drink this, it’s good for your weakness. ‘ Aisha said handing the bowl to her daughter.

Tamina took the bowl in her hand and the whole smell of the raw egg and herbs were making her want to puke. Suddenly, reality hit her. She was pregnant and could not eat raw eggs. She was flustered and sat there staring at the bowl.

‘ It may smells horrible, but it’s good for you, Tamina. ‘ Aisha encouraged her to drink it.

‘ I can’t.’ Tamina said.

‘ You are not a kid anymore. Don’t be stubborn and act like a child. This is good for your weakness and you will feel better after drinking this. ‘ Aisha scolded Tamina.

‘ I can’t, I shouldn’t mother. ‘ Tamina said again.

‘ What do you mean by you shouldn’t?’. Aisha asked in frowning.

‘ I.. I am pregnant, mother. ‘ Tamina spat the words slowly out of her mouth fully aware that those words might tear her whole life apart. Aisha sat there frozen with a poker face.

‘ What?. What did you just say? ‘. Aisha asked again to clarify what she had heard.

‘ I am pregnant, almost four weeks. ‘ Tamina said in a guilty, low voice.

‘ Oh god!! Why are you testing me like this? ‘ Aisha wailed beside Tamina who sat there without anything to say. The grief and guilt was eating her up and she knew her doom was near.

‘ Who is he?. ‘ Aisha asked and Tamina ended up telling her mother the whole story.

‘ You have grown up seeing so many women becoming outcasts in this land because they got involved with the foreigners, that maybe deliberately or not. You have seen their lives with your own eyes and the struggles and the shame they had to go through just because they have had given birth to a foreigner's child. You know everything and yet you got involved with a foreigner. I mean you fell in love, and he left you here with a child. I can’t believe you are this naïve, Tamina. ‘ Aisha was unable to resist her emotions.

‘ But mother, he is not the same as other men. He loved me back and I am sure of it, he loved me more than anything. ‘ Tamina said pleading to understand her.

‘ And for what? To leave you like this?. Does he even know that you are with his child? ‘ Aisha asked and Tamina shook her head.

‘ You brought the doom upon yourself by loving him, kid. The whole world will shame you. Be prepared for their accusing gazes and painful words. ‘ Aisha said and left to her room. Tamina sat on the kitchen, totally broken beyond repair.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The news of Owais's return slowly spread throughout Belgarath. The Belgarathians were no longer afraid of him as he was an old lion without his claws and teeth. Whenever he passed before them, some turned their heads away, some nodded at him and some made sarcastic remarks about him. Owais had expected all of this and was unbothered by any of these. The only goal he had now was to make his land pure as that of in its olden days. His eyes itched every time he saw a mongrel kid passing beside him. His anger towards the foreigners, especially col. Barnes was now taking a new turn. The news of the racist protests in Bayadar had put a new kind of hope in him and he wanted to be a part of it.

Owais waited and studied everything, even three years in prison haven’t blunted his predator instincts. Bayadar was resisting the racist protests and the protests were becoming weak day by day. If it can’t reach Belgarath, the protests were going to die out soon in Bayadar and the leaders of these protests were secretly looking for someone who could help them in spreading the flame of racism in Belgarath. Owais noted that the elderly population of Belgarath still nurtured the idea of the purity of land and his manipulative side became alive. Step by step, he took control of the situation, first by apologizing to all the Belgarathians for his past deeds, especially the elder population. It took him weeks to convince them secretly to join the protests and soon he was successful.

Kaidan was unaware of all these secret meetings of the elders who had disagreed with him, but when he found out, Owais was already taken charge of the protests in Belgarath. The elders were foolish enough to believe him and again failed to understand that he was using them for his gains. Owais made a pathway for the racist protests to reach Belgarath and soon the protests got stronger than ever. Since, Belgarath was isolated, the national government again didn’t paid any attention to the protests in Belgarath.

Owais and his group spread the idea of regaining their lands purity by getting rid of all the mongrels out of Belgarath and the elder population totally supported it. The younger population lead by Kaidan was totally against it and soon the population of Belgarath split into two. An older group that followed Owais and a younger group of Belgarathian Redemption Army lead by Kaidan. The older group of people soon proclaimed Owais as their leader and the history of Belgarath's doom started repeating again. Many children born to the Belgarathian women to foreigners were forcefully dragged out of Belgarath by Owais and his men. They were said to be send to Bayadar, but nobody knew the truth of what happens to those kids.

Kaidan and his group tried to rescue many of the kids from Owais, but there was no one else to support them as the police and the government, as always, turned their heads away from what’s happening in Belgarath. Owais soon grew in power as more and more people joined his idea of getting rid of the mongrels from the land and regaining it’s purity. Belgarath was again going back to it’s olden days of miseries, but the only difference was that they now didn’t have col. Barnes to save them from Owais.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kamran rushed to his daughter’s room from the kitchen and Aisha knew she had done a terrible thing by telling her husband about her daughter’s pregnancy. Kamran's eyes were red and his lips and hands were trembling out of anger. Busting the door, he dragged a sleeping Tamina out of the bed by her hair towards the kitchen. Tamina had no idea what was going on and Aisha was trying to stop a half mad Kamran from killing his daughter.

‘ You Wench!!!!! How dare you!!!!! Kamran roared and the next thing Tamina knew was a sting on her cheeks. Tamina fell down due to the power of the slap and tears filled her eyes.

‘ Is this why you went every day to the hospital? To sleep with a foreigner?. ‘ Kamran roared again, his voice causing Tamina's heart beat to speed up.

‘ Please stop this, She is our only daughter, forgive her. ‘ Aisha begged her husband who was now deaf and blind because of the anger.

‘ Forgive her? This bitch? I will change my name if I ever forgive her. You have brought shame to my name and your late brother's name. I don’t have a daughter anymore. You are dead to me from today onwards. ‘ Kamran’s words reflected his hate for the foreigners.

Tamina sat on the floor clutching her cheeks which stung like hell. Tears flowed from her eyes and she sat there like a statue, unable to cry.

‘ Ahhh!!!! I am going to kill you today’. Kamran said and advanced towards Tamina, but suddenly Aisha placed herself between her husband and her daughter.

‘ Kill me first then. I have already lost my one kid and I will not lose the other. So if you are going to kill your only daughter, you have to kill me too, because you are trying to destroy the reason why I am still alive and that’s my daughter. ‘ Aisha said in a daring, yet low voice. Kamran, for the first time saw a different side of Aisha, which he never knew existed. Aisha stared straight into his eyes with a determination to do anything to protect her only daughter and it somewhat scared Kamran.

‘ I truly wish you were dead instead of your brother in that bomb blast.’ Kamran said to Tamina and then left the house, mad like a bull.

Tamina had expected this and had already prepared for her father’s outrage, but it still hurt her. Aisha hugged her daughter who was holding her swollen belly, sitting on the floor like a statue.

‘ The world is going to be more cruel than this. So, if you want to have your baby, be strong. You won’t survive if you are weak like this. Stop crying, and stay strong for the kid'. Aisha said and hugged Tamina.

Aisha's words slowly swept through Tamina’s mind and she knew that her mother was right. Tamina ran her hands through her belly.

‘ Whatever happens mother, I am going to have this baby.’ Tamina said in a voice full of determination.

‘ Then be strong to fight the battles of your own instead of crying like a child. This stage is very important for you and the kid. Remember that. ‘ Aisha said and then getting up from the floor, left her daughter alone with her thoughts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The news of Tamina’s pregnancy slowly spread through the neighborhood. Kamran rarely went home and spend most of his time outside the house. Farah came to Tamina’s house frequently to keep her company. The news of Tamina having a child reached Kaidan's ears too. What surprised the Belgarathians were that she carrying Col. Barnes's child. Kaidan was really surprised to find out that it was his friend col. Barnes’s kid Tamina was having. An unknown concern soon developed in his heart for the kid and it’s mother, because Kaidan valued his friendship with col. Barnes the most. He vowed himself that he would protect the kid no matter what, from the clutches of Owais.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The news of a Belgarathian women having col. Barnes’s kid reached Owais’s ears too. The sparks of vengeance and pent up anger soon burned like a wildlife in his heart. He could not have his revenge on col. Barnes but Owais now felt like God was giving him a chance for that. Col. Barnes was the reason he lost his daughter, now it was his turn to take away col. Barnes’s kid.

‘ Bring that girl’s father to me'. Owais said to one of his men. Kamran was soon brought in front of Owais and seeing Owais, Kamran remembered all those things he had done to him. Owais was also flustered to see that it was Kamran’s daughter who was carrying col. Barnes’s child.

‘ Long time no see, Kamran. ‘ Owais greeted him as they were friends.

‘ Heard you were back, Owais. ‘ Kamran said in an uninterested tone. Suddenly Owais kneeled down in front of Kamran.

‘ Please Forgive me my friend, for everything I had done to you. I now it’s hard, but give me a chance to redeem myself, Kamran. ‘ Owais said in a begging tone.

‘ It’s okay. I am deep in my own troubles and I don’t want to be burdened by you. What had happened, has happened and I had put it in my past. So, that’s it Owais. ‘ Kamran said.

‘ Kamran, I have always respected you because you are a true Belgarathian, upholding the purity of our land and a true man who value his ancestry and bloodline. You are more worthier than I have ever been, and I cannot ever compare myself to you. You are a proud Belgarathian and our ancestors will be very happy with how you upholds our bloodline. ‘ Owais said.

‘ Well, I am not a proud Belgarathian anymore. My daughter, she had brought shame upon our family and my ancestors by getting involved by a foreigner. I could never forgive her for that. ‘ Kamran said hanging his head. A small smile appeared on Owais's lips.

‘Why blame your kid?. Col. Barnes is the culprit. He was the one who made your daughter pregnant and then left this land abandoning his kid. How cruel!!!!! He was also the reason why my Rabia died, Kamran. I couldn’t even get to see her for the last time. Yes, I have committed sins, but my daughter was precious to me and I lost her, forever. ‘ Owais said crying. He was playing the sympathy card and Kamran was falling for it.

‘ Bastard!!! I would kill him with my own hands if he ever appear in front of my eyes. ‘ Kamran said gritting his teeth.

‘ Kamran, let me help you. You know what we do, we are supporting the protests and the wise elders have come to the decision to get rid of all the mongrels out of our lands. We invite you to join us and be that proud Belgarathian who always upholds his race and bloodline. I have been a sinner and I am trying my best to make my ancestors proud and since your girls had brought shame upon your name and now it’s your turn, to redeem yourself, Kamran. Join us.’ Owais said in a promising tone. Kamran stood there thinking for a while, but his anger got the best of him. Kamran was unable to think properly as he was consumed by his anger and shame. Owais thoroughly knew that Kamran's anger and pride was making him irrational and he was using it to turn Kamran into his favour. Seeing his friend Sartai among Owais men made Kamran decide faster.

‘ Fine, I will join you. I don’t want a mongrel to be my grandchild. Take it away from my daughter as soon as it’s born. The sooner the better. Eventually, she will forget about it. ‘ Kamran said unable to sense that he was becoming a monster.

‘ And then you can marry her off to one of our own men. She is still young, Kamran. She will sure get over this. ‘ Owais said.

‘ Inform me as soon as the baby is born and we will take it away. ‘ Owais said patting Kamran’s shoulder.

‘ What are you going to do after that.? ‘. Kamran asked.

‘ Don’t worry, I am not that old Owais, Kamran. You can trust me.’ Owais said with a small smile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was really hard for Tamina to stay in that house with her parents as months passed, especially with Kamran who pretended like she didn’t exist. She was mentally and physically worn out, but she kept on fighting to survive. All the pain and sufferings had made her numb and emotionless. Her father had disappeared two days back and haven’t came back yet. Tamina was nearing her delivery and each day she grew anxious. She had heard the rumours about Owais's return and him taking away all the kids of foreigners. She was worried and scared for her baby. During all these nine months, Tamina never left her house unless to visit a local doctor. Whenever she went outside, people looked at her with disgust and shame and always tried to avoid her like she was a bad luck. Tamina tolerated every insult, every malicious comments and every penetrating gazes just for her unborn child. All that mattered to her was her baby and she would go to the end of the world for its safety.

Tamina was in the kitchen, sitting on a chair and watching her mother cook. It was almost nine at the night. Farah was with her, slicing the vegetables and helping Aisha. Suddenly, Tamina felt a sharp pain starting from her lower abdomen and radiating towards her belly. She clutched her belly and screaming, tried to stand up.

‘ Ahhhh!! Mother, I think it’s time. ‘ Tamina cried.

‘ Farah, you know what to do. ‘ Aisha said to Farah and nodding, Farah ran towards Tamina's room to prepare everything for childbirth. With the help of her mother, Tamina lied down on her bed and the pain was getting stronger by each minute. In that chaos, Tamina saw Farah dashing out of the room in a hurry and came back after a few minutes with a midwife.

‘ Her contractions had only started, we have time.’ The midwife said. Tamina felt the pain of giving birth for the first time and it was unbearable.

Farah stayed next to her cousin, occasionally wiping the sweat from her temple. Tamina’s cries echoed through the house as the contractions becomes frequent. Hours passed and it was almost midnight, but Kamran still haven’t returned back home.

‘ Ahhh!! I can’t do this anymore. ‘Tamina’s words faded away as she was beginning to lose her consciousness.

‘ No, she had to stay conscious to deliver the baby. Otherwise it will become complicated.’ The midwife panicked.

‘ Tami, stay strong, please. You had made this far, please stay with me. For the baby. ‘ Farah said in a panicking voice. Aisha came towards Tamina and sat beside her daughter. She was calm and composed unlike Farah as she had gone through childbirth twice.

‘ Tamina, you might think giving birth is painful, but you know what, losing one’s child is more painful than this, my daughter and you won’t survive that pain. So keep fighting and stay sane. You can have your baby in your arms, if you hold on like this, a little bit longer. ‘ Aisha said to her daughter and amidst that excruciating pain, Tamina heard those words.

‘ Yes, I have to fight. I have to fight for my baby’. Tamina half consciously mumbled.

The prayer from the mosque was heard at three in the morning and Tamina with the last drop of energy left in her pushed with all her might. Amidst her cries, she heard another one, the cry of a baby, with that Tamina collapsed on the bed.

‘ It’s a boy. ‘ That was the last thing Tamina heard before completely blacking out.