The Haunted Fortress of Bhangarh: Book 1

79. Treachery

Rudra jumped inside the entrance, followed by Rishabh, and both of them landed on their feet. In the absolute darkness, a lighter flickered to flames when Ishita struck it, and she scowled at Rudra before glaring at Rishabh.

"He pushed me."

Rudra rolled his eyes. "The problem is you don't trust me."

Ishita twisted her lips. "Yeah, okay. It's not that deep, but the pebble... I couldn't hear it... so..."

"The architecture was such," Rudra mumbled.

Ishita allowed the circle of light to recede and die, for they needed to conserve the remnant energy of the trinket for situations of dire need. From what she could tell, Shankar's relic was going to hold the lady in red back for at least a few more minutes.

Once Shankar also safely landed on his feet with the tin canister in one hand and the raging flames on a torch in the other, Rudra stared at the lashing fire. It was not with him only moments ago, and Rudra wondered what kind of powers the man was in possession of. But then there was no time to ponder over anything as Kalavati's bloodcurdling screams were perceptible clearly. Muffled but distinct. So, the four of them began striding down the labyrinthine corridors and galleries under the ground. Utter darkness prevailed inside, but the light from the fire aglow on the torch assisted them in finding their way.

Mossy and dark floors, humidity in the air, the dank odor, and the massive cobwebs hanging from the arched stone ceilings and walls kept them company as they strode ahead. So did the stench of bats and their refuse. They had to scrunch their noses and resist the urge to puke throughout the time they wandered via the meandering path at an accelerated pace. Apart from the screeching of the bats and the occasional squeaking of rodents, they couldn't catch a single sound. Kalavati's shrieks had either stopped altogether or they were at a far enough distance for her to be audible.

They had been jogging for almost a minute in utter silence when Rishabh was the first one to slow down as he gasped and wheezed, leaning his spine against the nearby pillar before arriving at a halt.

"One minute please." He wiped the perspiration on his forehead.

Rudra pursed his lips. "We shouldn't waste a moment. Let's get going."

The young man gulped and panted hard. "Just a second."

Ishita was about to walk up to him and pat his back, but a shrill shriek left her mouth. Clammy and ashen arms came out of the wall behind Rishabh. Before he could realize a thing, the arms encompassed him from both sides, embracing him so harshly that the boy was left a gasping mess again as his throat remained constricted.

Rudra and Shankar were alerted by Ishita's scream too, but before they could move ahead to assist Rishabh, scores upon scores of scabby and scrawny hands began to sprout from the moss-ridden floors, pushing them away from Rishabh and coercing them into retreating to a corner where the walls met the ground. Ishita could only whimper and cry as she watched Rishabh struggle for every breath and desperately trying to wriggle out of the stronghold.

Until her own hollers died in her throat because one of those cold and dank hands sought hold of her ankles, and she fell face first on the ground. She had to wiggle furiously in an attempt to get away from the numerous wrists jutting out of the ashen fingers trying to grasp her hair, but as soon as she made a desperate bid, the jagged edge of a rock lacerated her skin. Fresh beads of blood cascaded out of the new wound, and the dead wrists began dissolving in a puff of black smoke.

"Your blood!" Shankar bellowed. "Use your blood, girl."

Ishita gasped and used the sharp edge of the rock to scrape along her palm, and as she drew enough red droplets to suit her needs, her instinct was to spring to her feet and rush to Rishabh. One firm hold on the hands harshly clutching the boy's throat caused the same effect as from moments before. Rishabh doubled down and fought for air in successive seconds while Rudra watched in shock and surprise as black smoke engulfed them from all sides.