Loose Ends (Part 5)

Royal Palace, Saptsindhu

Princess Avantika thought that he would want her to take him to the treasury and said, "Neither do I know the way to the vault nor do I hold any power there."

Shaurya gave her a mirthless smile and replied, "Don't worry your pretty head about the where and what. Just do as I ask and your life will be spared. That's all what you should concentrate upon!"

He picked up a fruit knife from the platter kept on a table in front of him and brought it to her jugular vein, "Let's go for a walk, Princess!"

Avantika wondered how would he overcome the guards once they saw him with her. Was he stupid enough to think that he would be able to fight so many of them. But, much to her surprise, he didn't walk towards the main door. Instead, he dragged her along to the interior most room of the chamber. Holding onto her with one hand, he tapped on a few tiles before pressing an invisible lever. A small portion of the stone wall moved inwards. Suddenly, a dark passage was visible in front of them.

After spending her entire childhood in this room, Princess Avantika had never seen this happen. In fact, she didn't even know of it being existent. How did this stranger get to know about it?

Where were they going?

Avantika didn't know how much time had passed when they reached the end of that dark passage. During the entire time, Shaurya didn't have to use any force to keep her in check. She was more than willing to stick by his side. Without any light, she didn't know how they managed to not bang into any place.

She felt Shaurya move his hand on the wall in front of them.

"Close your eyes," he whispered in her ear.

She did so obediently without wondering how and why of it. There was no point fighting in such a situation. A few seconds later, she felt the earth move and Shaurya placed his hand on her lips and walked ahead.

"You can open your eyes now. Start walking ahead slowly, your highness," as Shaurya said it, he moved behind her and she could feel a sharp edge on the middle of her back.

The fruit knife had sliced through the first layer of her skin already. She dared not make a wrong move and started walking in the unknown corridor. This area was dimly lit but about 100 metres later, the whole topography changed. Now, she was in the most familiar area. Though she hadn't visited this place in a long time, how could she not recognise the passage which led to her father's chambers. A cold feeling was snaking up her neck.

Suddenly, Shaurya pushed the knife further into her skin, reminding her to keep her expressions neutral. Avantika had started to sweat badly. All this while, she had taken the person to be a thug. But now she realised that he was an assassin, with the deadly intent to harm her father.

No! She had to do something. By the time she realised this, they were already standing in front of the big door which opened into her father's set of rooms.

If she didn't act now, it would be too late. Without caring about her condition, she raised her voice and looked at the two guards outside the door. She screamed, "Father… dang…!"

Her mouth was clamped shut from behind and she felt a sharp pinch on her neck. Avantika looked on in horror as the guard standing in front of her announced her arrival in a normal manner. Didn't he see her getting attacked by the eunuch behind her ? What was happening? She tried shouting again but, much to her dismay, no voice escaped her throat. She clutched it in panic and turned to look at her captor. Shaurya gave her a lazy smile and took her cold hands in his own, as if comforting her.

The next moment, the two doors opened and the king's personal attendant looked at Princess Avantika in polite enquiry.

"Greetings, Princess Avantika heard about her brother's victory and despite feeling terribly unwell, she came here to offer her congratulations to the king. She is dizzy, has a bad throat and is unable to speak but she was overcome with happiness and couldn't hold back," Shaurya was in his full eunuch mode as he made exaggerated gestures on his face, while saying this.

The attendant squinted his eyes at the eunuch. Why did the face look so unfamiliar. But before the thought was completed in his head, he fell down on the ground.

"You are so slow," Ahilya's grumble sounded funny coming out of a moustached man.

Along with Abhirath, she had 'replaced' the guards standing outside the king's door. But they couldn't have gained entry into the chambers without the help of Princess Avantika and hence this elaborate ruse.

Half hour later

All the people in the palace came to a standstill when a loud conch shell resounded from the palace's rooftop. People were confused about the timing of this. Why would someone in the palace do this in the middle of the night? The palace guards came alert and tried to secure all corners of the building but within fifteen minutes, the entire place was surrounded by fierce and ruthless soldiers wearing the armament of Himprayag. After a brutal battle between the two sides, despite being more than twice in number, the Saptsindhu soldiers were badly defeated. The Saptsindhu prime minister looked on in horror while he tried to wrap his head around the fact that they were attacked and defeated by the peace-loving Himprayag. Hadn't the two countries been collaborating?

He waited for the soldiers' leader to come out and make their claim but instead, his gaze was drawn towards the group of people coming from inside the palace.

Huh! An eunuch, two guards, two kitchen workers… and they seemed to be carrying something.

Oh no!!! Was that the king's head?