A warrior's heart

part - 12

When Hardik arrived at their shared room later that evening, he found Rohit pacing the floor, his face etched with worry.

"What's wrong?" Hardik asked, his voice gentle as he closed the door behind him.

Rohit whirled around, his eyes wild. "Virat knows," he blurted out. "He knows about me. And he's playing games with us."

Hardik's heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean?" he asked, his eyes searching Rohit's face.

"He said it was all a test," Rohit said, his voice tight with anger. "He knew all along, krunal told him. "

Hardik's eyes widened in shock. "What? How could he?"

"He said he had to know where my loyalties lay," Rohit spat out, his fists clenching at his sides. "But he's promised to keep it a secret, for now."

"But why?" Hardik whispered, his mind racing. "What does he want from us?"

Rohit took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. "He wants us to work together to find the spy," he said. "And in exchange, he'll keep our secrets."

"That doesn't sound like Virat," Hardik said, his brow furrowed. "What's his angle?"

Rohit's eyes searched the room, as if looking for answers in the shadows. "I don't know," he admitted. "But we have to be careful. We can't trust anyone."

The wizard's words hung in the air, a heavy silence settling between them. They knew that the stakes were higher than ever before, and that they had to tread carefully.

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The next day, they sent for Krunal, their nerves stretched taut like a bowstring. When he arrived, they wasted no time in demanding answers.

"What have you done?" Hardik's voice was low, but the fury in his eyes was unmistakable.

Krunal held up his hands in a placating gesture. "I had no choice," he said, his eyes darting between them. "Virat is my friend, and he had his suspicions."

"So you just handed us over to him?" Rohit's voice was laced with accusation.

"I had to protect you," Krunal said, his own eyes flashing with anger. "You think I wanted to do this? But he's the only one who can help us now."

"Help us?" Rohit scoffed. "Or is this all just a ploy to control us?"

"No," Krunal said firmly. "He wants the same thing we do - to find the spy and protect the kingdom."

"But at what cost?" Hardik's voice was strained.

Krunal's expression softened. "You know I didn't want it to come to this," he said. "But we're in a dangerous game now, and we have to play by his rules."

The three men stared at each other, the weight of their situation pressing down on them like a heavy blanket.

Finally, Rohit spoke up. "Fine," he said, his voice tight. "We'll do it. But we need to know more about Virat."

Krunal nodded, his expression solemn. "He's not like other princes," he said. "He's cunning, and he's playing for keeps."

"But he's also loyal to a fault," Hardik said, his voice a little softer. "If he says he'll help us, he'll do it."

Rohit nodded, his eyes still on Krunal. "But what does he get out of it?" he asked, his voice skeptical.

Krunal sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Virat is... ambitious," he admitted. "He sees this as an opportunity to prove himself. To show that he's more than just a prince from a distant land."