The stillness of the cave was broken by her staggering steps. She fastened her grip on the baby and raised the torch as she reached the opening. Outside the majestic falls were a sight to behold even in the darkness of the night; their incessant descent filled the air with a royal clamour.
Sivagami stopped, gasping for breath and looked up at the legion of falls and at the baby. He somehow seemed to understand the predicament of the moment and his wide eyes, looked at her with wonder, his tiny hand caught one of her fingers, infusing into her some providential strength. The simple gesture tugged some painful chords in her heart. She held him tight to her bosom and trudged forward.
Was that footsteps she heard?
The arrow that pierced her back clung with tenacity, the pain had long numbed. She wrenched it out and hid behind the blind-spot. Soon enough, two of the King’s guards came about. One of them found her blood on the ground.
Sivagami knew she had to act quickly. Summoning up energy she did not possess, she struck one in the neck. Picking up his sword as he fell, she parried the other’s attack and stabbed him. The effort drained her, she clung to the sword for support. As she gathered her breath, she saw lights high above in the hills, where the tribals lived. With renewed hope she carefully moved towards the other side.
The current from the Falls washed her feet as she stepped gingerly into stream. The cold water gave her the chills. She could feel the force; the full moon abetted the currents. Unwittingly, she stepped on a slippery stone and tripped. The flowing water carried her as she frantically tried to get in control. Spotting an overhang of a branch, she steered against the stream, holding the baby above water.
A sense of desolateness washed throughout her as the waves lashed against the faraway bank.
No! She mentally willed herself into action.
She looked back at the falls, they seemed to fall from the skies. The water gained around her. The baby in her arms, to her amazement still was calm.
“Parameshwara!” she cried out in emotion, invoking the Lord who would seal her fate.
“Take my life as retribution for the sins I have committed,” she said holding the baby above her head. “But this child must survive!”
“He must live for the mother who yearns for him!”
“He must live for the throne of Mahishmati!”
The treacherous stream seemed to undermine and engulf her.
“Mahendra Baahubali will survive!” she roared before yielding to the unrelenting flow.
The first rays of the morning sun lit the horizon as a lone hand held a baby up in the river, carrying him towards an elusive safety. He cried ceaselessly as he sensed her life ebbing away. His cries no longer reached her ears but she held him tight.
Suma Mandalapu 