APRICITY

20. Clandestine

"What shall be our next step?" Ira whispered as lightly as she could. I noticed the poor children, bones coming out of their lean limbs as if the hunger was evident on their bodies. Anger coursed through my veins. 'Incorrigible brutes', I cursed the unknown faces.

Nonetheless, the situation was extremely tight. The rustle that made in the leaves while moving alerted those on guard. One of them again threw a boomerang towards the source. At this rate I would chop off the family of boomerangs, I swore. Thankfully, we bundled up behind a mulberry bush. With no more sound coming from the source, the guard men and women turned their backs and continued patrolling.

On regaining our whereabouts, I found Ira grasping my arm and me her waist with her hot breath fanning in front of my neck. The twinkle in her eyes revealed how thrilled she was on our little clandestine mission.

We made our way quietly, sometimes crawling on fours or putting the lightest footsteps. As we approached towards the west of their colony, we caught sight of the Shiva Temple.

Ira squealed in delight and instinctly I shut her mouth pressing my palms on her mouth. With a glare of disgust, she pinched my right arm and I groaned in displeasure.

"You moron!" Ira snorted.
"Don't you know how to shut up!" My anger was evident in the whispers.

We reached our destination but how should I save the children? Plus, some of the cannibals can be seen entering and leaving the temple.

"Earth to Vishnurata. Are you going to admire the architecture of the temple or put your mighty hands onto some work?" She grumbled snapping me out of my thoughts.

"You know what! The only thing you can perfectly do is to make me go mad. I am thinking of something. Strategy is important before action." I said.

"Will it vex you to share your great strategies with me too? Those children are trapped, you dummy!" Her scrunched up face with traces of mud and dirt was....breathtaking?! Her braided hair had loosened by then, stray strands came curling around her neck and shoulders.

Oh, Good Heavens. In such a dire situation like this, I was thinking how serene and rustic she looked. What exactly you think you are doing to me, Ira? Pathetic me.

I quickly shrugged off all such insolent thoughts from my head. Maybe, just maybe this was what love felt like. How Bhrata Aniruddh felt for the mystery lady? The queer feeling of admiration admidst a spite full of anger and disgust? Was that it?

Anyway, as we came near to the colony, faint noises of chains and cries travelled to our ears. They came from the huge pit on the right.

"Ouh!" Ira hissed sharply. My breaths spiked up in horror. A weapon I never saw, cut right through the skin above her ankle. The blade looked like an amalgamation of a walking stick and a dagger, tapering at the ends which I was a cent percent sure, was poisoned.

My eyes shot up to the see the masculine figure. My hands instinctively reached up to my arrows to shoot him right in the bridge of his brows. How insolent of him to make her bleed.

Ira stood up to gather her sword as well. That meant the poison was rather weak or slow and lethal. We ran towards the back of the Shiva Temple, several footsteps followed us. Ugh! They caught us trespassing.

I will try to make a longer update the next time. Please bear with me. The writer's block sucks sometimes.