"Trishan, Rankriti doesn't like to wait. You might have just angered her more with your words," Vayodhara said sharply, standing near the window as the torchlight flickered across the stone walls. Her arms were crossed, and her tone carried the faintest edge of warning. "She told me to go and I plan on going."
"I know you can bring him down," Trishan replied, his voice calm, barely above a whisper. He was surrounded by scrolls, letters, and worn parchments. His eyes never left the papers. "I trust you and your loyalty toward Rankriti. But wait for me to verify a few things."
She said nothing but remained in the chamber, her posture tight, her eyes following his movements.
"Call that boy. Rohak," Trishan instructed one of the guards standing at the door.
Within minutes, Rohak stepped into the room, clearly hesitant. His shoulders were hunched; his eyes shifted between Trishan and Vayodhara. He looked like he wanted to disappear.
Vayodhara smiled—a cruel, mirthless smile. Rohak quickly looked down, not daring to meet her gaze.
"Come here," Trishan said without looking up.
Rohak stepped forward slowly, his heart pounding, the silence of the room suffocating.
"Pack your bags. You're leaving immediately," Trishan stated, rummaging through a stack of scrolls.
"Where am I going, my lord, if I may ask?" Rohak asked, his voice barely audible.
Trishan handed him two papers. "Here. All the details are in these. You'll be riding to Jangala Mandala. You will return within two days."
Rohak froze for a second, his mind racing. The Jangala Mandala? It was a place wrapped in myths and warnings. A place people avoided.
"Your objective is to find this," Trishan said, pointing to the centre of one of the papers. A symbol was sketched there—a double-headed eagle, old and faint.
Rohak squinted. "I am sorry, my lord. What am I looking at here?"
"A sigil," Trishan said. "Of someone extremely powerful. Your job is to locate this symbol. It might not be out in the open, so you will have to look for traces—ruins, carvings, hidden banners. Use your brain. Find it and report back immediately."
"Why in Jangala Mandala, my lord?" Rohak dared to ask, still trying to comprehend the enormity of the task.
Trishan slammed the scroll down on the desk. "Do you think I'm going to explain everything to you? Just do what you're told. And listen carefully—if you die, I do not care. If you are caught, you don't know us. You will not speak a single word about where you came from. No one will save you."
Rohak nodded quickly, swallowing the lump in his throat.
"Wait," Trishan said just as Rohak turned to leave. He pulled out two sealed letters and extended them. "Deliver these. You'll know whom they belong to."
Rohak took the letters, bowed, and turned again.
A sharp throat-clearing sound stopped him in his tracks. Vayodhara.
He turned toward her slowly, then gave her another bow, this time deeper. She watched him with unblinking eyes, her smile thin and dangerous.
When the door shut behind him, Trishan leaned back in his chair.
"Cut him some slack, will you?" he said without looking at Vayodhara.
"Haha... I like them scared," she said, still staring at the door. "I knew that boy was not just a squire. You had him here because you want to use him. He'll die serving you, and he won't even know it, isn't that right?"
Trishan finally looked at her. "He is serving me, and he will do whatever I ask him to do. I like them loyal and obedient."
"And expendable," she added with a smirk.
Trishan didn't respond. He picked up the sketch of the double-headed eagle and studied it under the lamplight.
"Are you sure it's him?" Asked Vayodhara.
"We will know soon." Replied Trishan, torch's fire reflecting in his dark eyes.
"What if it is him? What if it's not him?" Asked Vayodhara.
"In both the cases, we need to be ready. I know Sarthak isn't alone. The last time someone entered that place, they made sure normal humans could not enter the place." Trishan remembered the past events.
"Do you think it was him the last time too?" Vayodhara asked looking at her sharp blade.
"No. Otherwise we wouldn't be here." Replied Trishan with a smile.
Both laughed and talked about the past events. Their conversation and laughter filling the entire chamber. Outside, the city prepared to finish the day in the moonlight.