Enchanting beauty

chapter 19

Throughout the night...

Far beyond the state border, nearly fifty mounted horsemen rode without stopping.

Neither the darkness nor the rough terrain slowed their pace.

Their horses thundered across forests, narrow trails, and rocky paths, driven by a single purpose.

At their head rode Abhimaan.
His sharp brown eyes remained fixed on the distant horizon.

"We're close, Maharaj," one of his commanders said.
Abhimaan merely nodded.

---

The first rays of dawn spread across the eastern horizon as Abhimaan and his men finally arrived at the place.

where the Amber camp had stood the previous night

As Abhimaan and his men finally reached the place where the Amber camp had been set up...

Their horses came to a halt.

Only silence greeted them.

The tents had already been dismantled.

The royal standards no longer fluttered in the wind.

Only dying embers of extinguished campfires, deep wagon tracks, scattered hoofprints, and a few forgotten pieces of firewood remained to prove that hundreds of people had camped there only hours earlier.

The vast ground before them was completely empty.

One soldier dismounted and examined the ground carefully.

"They left before sunrise,Raj Kumar."
"Not long ago."

Another guard pointed toward the fresh wheel marks stretching into the distance.

"The tracks are still fresh."
"They cannot be more than three or four hours ahead."

Abhimaan looked silently toward the road stretching into the distance.

"So..."

"They slipped away."

Ummag rode beside him.

"Shall we continue the pursuit immediately?"

Abhimaan glanced behind him.

The horses were breathing heavily after riding the entire night without pause.

Several soldiers struggled to remain awake in their saddles.

Even Suraj looked exhausted.
He shook his head.

"No."

"The scroll has remained hidden this long."

"A few more hours will not change its fate."

His gaze swept over his weary men.

"But if I continue forcing exhausted soldiers and tired horses..."

"...I will lose both before reaching Amber."

Turning toward Ummag and Suraj, he ordered,
"Take few men."

"Find a suitable place nearby."

"Arrange food for the soldiers."

"Water for the horses."

"And allow everyone to rest."

"We resume our journey after everyone has recovered."

"As you command, Rajkumar/bhaisa"

The two men immediately rode ahead with a small group.

Not far from the abandoned campsite they discovered a grove beside a clear stream.