The Haunted Fortress of Bhangarh: Book 1

14. The locket

Rudra ambled through the meandered paths of the parking area, walking down the sloping hill to get closer to the white SUV Aman owned. A jumbled morass of thoughts, each scrambling to reach the surface of his mind, played tricks with his brain, and he was barely cognizant of which direction he was heading towards. The antiquated fort peeked from behind his head, and he certainly missed the expression of relief washing over the faces of all his friends as they darted down the winding roads to reach him.

"Where were you?"

An infuriated voice accompanied by the raucous squeaking of shoes fell on his ears, and he swiveled at his spot. A mass of black hair flew towards him at an enormous speed, and though her nose was scrunched up and a scowl was marring her features, her eyes held a pool of solicitude as she strode ahead of the rest of the clique in the pursuit of catching up with Rudra first.

"Where the hell were you?" Ishita smacked his chest with her tiny palms before grabbing his collar and shaking him up. "Gone for over an hour! Not picking up calls! Not replying to texts. Crazy!" Her red nose and dampened eyes swirling with fury were evidence of the hyperventilation she was experiencing. "Answer me!"

He cast a furtive glance at the others still ambling towards him with as much celerity as they could muster, but they were still out of earshot. Grasping Ishita's palm over his collar, he whispered, "I don't know what happened. I nearly sleepwalked, and I am completely blank."

Her anger declined, and her gaze softened. Her hold around him loosened, her arms falling by her side. "What do you mean by that?"

He gulped as Ranvir and Ayush were very close to him. "I will tell you later on," he muttered.

Though there were a series of questions from all his friends regarding the purview of activities he had undertaken in the past hour, he successfully dodged all of them by making excuses regarding having lost his way after being too engrossed in exploring the ancient citadel. He disclosed to them that his phone had died because of which he missed all the calls and the texts until he borrowed a charger from a passerby and had his phone rejuvenated. In the meantime, he surreptitiously shook his head at Ishita, telling her not to blurt anything out. She complied, and though she was confounded after his declaration, she kept her mouth sealed.

Sated with his response, however faux, they crawled inside the car before Aman revved the engine and whooshed the car back to Jaipur.

Perched on the back seat next to Ishita and closer to the window, Shravani peered at the fortifications and ramparts sprawling for miles upon miles. A small smirk developed on her features, but then her gaze fell on the way Ishita was fiddling with her fingers, and rage pooled in her eyes.

***

Back at the resort the group was staying at, Rudra found himself cerebrating over the multiple queries fogging his brain, and in his stupor, he didn't realize when he egressed the main entrance of the edifice and ambled to the trimmed and well-kept garden at the front. Greenery stretched for an acre around him, and the three-storied structure painted in white appeared ethereal against the backdrop of the azure skies and gliding birds.

His gaze went around the garden. Rows upon rows of majestic blossoms in full bloom, chaperoned by the thorns and standing tall, swaying with every blowing zephyr. The sweet fragrance and fresh leaves embellishing the different hues added onto the aesthetics, and he was unable to glance away. He began wandering in the park, admiring the beauty of the petals.

Until he reached a bed of roses. Pink roses. The gentle aroma that he had come to relate to Shravani and Ishita hit his olfactory ducts, and all his muddlement melted away while tranquility reigned. His mind went to the series of illusions he had been receiving for the past couple of weeks. Newer ones. As if telling a different story of the warrior who was probably christened Raghuveer. As if all the hallucinations and nightmares were from the point of view of the man.