The Commander fell on his knees, the Prince pointing his sword at his neck. His eyes had grief, but only for the guilt of the sin he was going to commit. The guilt of being the death of his own teacher. It was eating him up from inside. He wished to bid him goodbye with a smile, so he painfully twitched his lips to form a small smile.
"I-... I'm sorry, my Guru."
He lifted his sword and scream loudly. But, his sword was stopped by another sword placed perpendicular to the Prince's sword.
It was the "Man in black."
Dressed in a black armour, the face covered in a dark cloth, the sharp eyes and the sturdy and experienced hand that held the heavy sword.
As my gaze fell upon Sheetal's house, I saw an enemy soldier had entered in there. I took in a deep breath and recalled the things that Sheetal had done to show that there was no living being in the house. I stressed on my mind because I didn't want to lose her, at any cost. All the arrangement was enough to deceive a soldier because that was what Nishant told us, the one who is the Queen's right hand. The King probably promoted his most trusted person Nishant, to save his kingdom from becoming a lifeless piece of land. He probably knew that the Queen was the next target, but now that she was assassinated indirectly by her own son, it was an inevitable situation. The storm was ought to come, with Nishant and the Army Commander role playing as the leaders to stop the storm.
They were on the edge of a knife, optionless, yet patriotic and strategic.
Sheetal's ear caught the approaching footsteps and stayed as still as water in a pond. She took in shallow breaths and didn't make a single sound.
The soldier looked at the broken pot, the blood stain on the wall, and realized that his peers have already invaded here. His peers had probably come here to wait for a while as it felt safe from the Commander's men. He found that the house was now empty, but still maintained caution, because he knew that the old hag's men know every corner of the Queendom, unlike him.
My mind rushed and stressed on every detail in the house. Food wasn't cooked because the war began at the moon rise. My thoughts were flowing quickly, until that one detail appeared, which stopped whole flow of thoughts. I took a sharp breath in, realizing the one missed detail.
The pot of water.
Sheetal always keeps a spare water pot if she can't get water in the well early in the morning. The life-giving water, if noticed by him, was going to take a life.
The soldier was now a little relieved, finding the empty house. He touched his wound on his thigh, and sat down, remembering someone. He inhaled, and muttered,
"I'll surely come back for you."
His lips twitched to a little smile. He leaned back a little and felt something heavy kept behind him. He found a pot filled with water. His eyes changed. Even if his peers were here, there was no way they would have water and leave it here. Reality hit his mind. He got up, observing every place, bracing for enemy attack. He said loudly,
"Oh! So there is NO ONE in this house...?"
Sheetal took a sharp breath in.
The realisation of the water pot left me impatient. I moved my eyes to and fro, breathing heavily.
"No."
"No."
"No, damn it!"
I mindlessly sprinted to Sheetal's house. While I ran, a strong hand held my wrist and pulled me behind. The armour made metallic sounds. I turned back to find a familiar face that calmed me down a little.
He said,
"This is not a way to enter when a soldier is in there."
I replied,
"The water pot, Sahil! How did I forget it?"
Until then a soldier came from behind Sahil, almost flying. Sahil calmly inserted his sword in his leg like he was cutting meat, without turning back. The soldier sat down holding his leg.
YOU ARE READING
The Mystery Girl
Mystery / Thriller"It was dark, darker than black. Spider webs all over, clinging down the slim lane. There stood in front of me, a grey painting of a grey Queen. Only her crown shining in vibrant colours. I looked at it, around it, and above it. As my steps reached...
