Prologue (Part 2)

The five of them washed up the best they could in the cold stream water after removing their long flowing robes which they had been wearing. Now all that was left on their bodies were thin, long sleeved black muslin shirts. Underneath these shirts were beaten metal armors covering their chests and abdomen. These were thin and flexible, almost impossible to detect by the opposite person.

Thankfully the heavy cotton layering had soaked in most of the milk and the current clothes didn't stink as much!

"Let's leave now," whispered Elder Three, looking at the sky which was beginning to lighten up.

Moving stealthily, the five of them made their way to the place where the target was currently residing.

His name was Gangadhar and he was a native of Adra.

Gangadhar was a mathematician who had recently caught everyone's attention due to his inventions of a series of gadgets. These contraptions were something that people had never seen or heard of, before. One of them was an 'earthquake weathercock', something that captured even the slightest tremor underneath the earth.

Since Adra was a heavy mining zone, this gadget had received a lot of praise from the authorities. He was scheduled to go to the royal court soon to receive an award and recognition for the same.

Due to his recent accomplishments, he had attracted unwarranted attention as well and this group of mercenaries had been commissioned to 'invite' him to Bharani, the Southern Kingdom.

Their mole in Rusi, the capital city of Adra, had already sent them details about Ganghadhar's residence and its security measures. This girl, who was the informant, was currently employed in the house of Gangadhar as a maidservant.

Since no one had attempted to abduct a mathematician till now, the concept of heightened vigilance hadn't occurred in the case of Gangadhar. This was the loophole which these five were depending upon.

"Two and Five, find and neutralise the guards on the back of the residence. Three, you will enter through the last chimney on the right side of the place. The girl is waiting for you near the fireplace in that room," Elder One started in a low voice.

"Six, you will keep vigil here on the treetop. You know the different signals when someone approaches or when you see anything suspicious. Make sure to whistle loudly. Everyone, let's go in. Irrespective of the situation, we have to be out of this place in twenty minutes," The instructions were being rattled off by Elder One to the others, while they sat hidden among the trees in front of the residence.

Little Six, who had been left behind on the lookout duty, thought back to the earlier mission which had been successfully accomplished by Elder Three and her before meeting the three mercenaries.

Though the meeting went smoothly, she didn't know whether to trust the person whom they met last night. Unfortunately, she didn't have much choice in hand except to take this leap of faith. After agreeing to each other's terms, they had become the grasshoppers on the same rope!

Her grey eyes were unfocussed thinking about the past but the next second she became alert and paid attention to what was happening in front of her. From her vantage point, she could only see Elder One who had felled the four guards in the front without any problem. He was currently dragging them to the corners, so as not to attract the attention of outsiders.

Anyways, she wasn't much worried about this assignment. Her role in this plan was yet to come. Moreover, her motive for coming on this mission was to observe, not help...

The residence remained quiet and dark, which meant that the others had managed to infiltrate the place smoothly. Fifteen minutes later, four shadowy figures ran out of the place, carrying a burlap bag between them.

Little Six grinned and leapt off the tree without any hesitation. The nearest house on either side of this residence was a few metres away due to the experiments and noises conducted in Gangadhar's residence.

This helped their cause and soon, the five of them, along with a comatose mathematician rode out in a cart which had arrived at the backside of the residence.

As per the plan, the 'poor maid' had been tied and left to misdirect the authorities when they arrived later.

The driver was the same ox cart puller who had brought them into the city earlier. As all of them wiggled inside the damn wooden barrels again, the thought at the top of their heads was - thankfully no milk in these!

Two hours later

Everyone had managed to bathe and change clothes at the inn where they had left their horses and cloaks earlier. Though there wasn't any hot water, at least they weren't smelling like new born babies now.

Moreover, all of them were carrying a 'mud-pack' with them. This was a dry, flaky powder that could be applied on the face. After mixing it with water, it became a thin membrane which was then pasted on the face. The thin membrane was skin friendly and easy to stick on the face due to the presence of a special kind of algae in it. Not only did it hide the real complexion of a person, it also distorted one's features.

The packets came in different varieties - creating a dark complexion or having pockmarks all over the face or displaying a scab prone skin etc.

The only downside was that this pack couldn't withstand the onslaught of water and quickly dissolved when exposed to any sort of liquid. This was why the five of them had donned on the masks before entering the milk barrels.

Soon enough, Elder Five was dressed as a new bride with her veil pulled down to cover her face. Gangadhar had been converted into a drunk and happy groom, with fake beard and moustache sticking to his face.

Elder One was going to drive a carriage which had been arranged by the old innkeeper. Elder Two, Elder Three and Little Six were the attendants following the marriage procession.

Though everyone's masks had come off, no one was worried about their identities being exposed in front of one another due to the 'mud-pack'.

"Three, are you sure that Six should be the one riding out instead of Five? After all, Five's abilities to defend and attack are legendary," Elder One reconfirmed the arrangement with Elder Three.

After all, Little Six was the newbie, and her abilities in the field remained untested.

Elder Three replied confidently. "Exactly! Since Five is so good, she should be the one protecting the 'prize'. Stop worrying about Six. You are doubting my judgement by doing so."

"Ok! Let's go then. The riders will follow the carriage closely. Everyone, let's get this groom to visit his in-laws!" said Elder Two, winking at Elder Three.

Border between Adra and Mandhaar

"Stop! Show us your travel permit!" said a booming voice at the checkpoint.

Elder Three pulled out a folded thick parchment and handed it over to the soldier who had demanded to check their identity.

Little Six was at the back of the procession and kept looking around with interest.

"Are all of you travelling together?" After a minute of scrutiny, the young lieutenant looked at the gaily decorated carriage next to the rider.

"Our master got married last evening and is now headed to his in-laws' family for rituals. Please be a part of our happiness," saying so, Elder Three extended a bag full of laddoos* towards the stern-mouthed guy.

The lieutenant gestured to a soldier who went behind the horse carriage and pushed open the curtained door. The 'bride' raised her head and looked at the intruder. Her limpid, watery eyes stared at him through the veil and she pulled the red dupatta* further down, shyly.

The sixteen years old soldier couldn't help but blush in awkwardness and immediately dropped back the curtain. At his nod, the lieutenant gave the papers back in Elder Three's hand. After a second's hesitation, he accepted the outstretched box of sweets.

Elder Three tucked the papers inside the pocket of her cloak and raised her hand in a happy farewell. The procession moved away leisurely, as if they had all the time in the world.

"Did you get a good look at the bride, soldier? Was she very pretty? Hmm..." The lieutenant ribbed the red-faced boy with a cheeky grin.

"I… it wasn't intentional. I didn't get a proper… I was only…" His embarrassed sentence was interrupted midway by the arrival of an eagle.

Immediately, the lieutenant, Vibhorarth, turned serious and pulled the hidden message from under the eagle's wing. He handed over the eagle to the young soldier to feed it.

Without opening the folded scroll, he hurriedly took it to the small hut which stood on the right side of the border post.

"General, this just came in from Adra!"

To be continued…

* Laddoos - An Indian sweet made from a mixture of flour, sugar, and shortening, which is shaped into a ball.

* Dupatta - A long piece of cloth worn around the head, neck, and shoulders by women in some parts of Asia