Hide & Shadow

Chapter 3

The tinkling of bells resonated around. Even without looking outside the window Rohan could imagine all the bulls shaking their heads as they slowly moved ahead making gthe bells around their necks sound off.

"I am riding freaking bullocks!" Rohan kept muttering to himself.

He was mindful of the harsh reality of places existing where even in this time and age development was still lagging and electricity had not yet reached.

However this was insane!

The seats of the carriage were comfortable but he could not relax. Rohan gripped on the edge of his seat as the carriage rocked around as it moved ahead.

Every time the carriage made a turn the walls within seemed to tilt dangerously making Rohan want to leap out of it,

Perhaps he might have done it had there not been so many other carriages moving around close by.

Too close!.

From time to time they would slow down and even stop for a few moments before moving again.

It was as though the driver or the coachman as his uncle had referred was manoeuvring traffic!

He eyed a bullock's head cautiously as it came to a halt just outside his window. Rohan subconsciously leaned forward to peer at the rest of the body of the animal an d it's partner that was yoked with it to the carriage.

The animal seemed to sense his gaze at him and tilted his head to glance at Rohan. The animal's mouth was moving a chewing motion.

Rohan was an animal lover however close contact with bullocks did not hold any appeal foe him.

He was feeling more irritated by the minute.

"How could you do this to me Chacha!" he threw the accusingly as his uncle. "You knew how this place is.." Rohans words stuck in his mouth as he stopped talking abruptly as soon as he looled in his uncle's direction.

Anuj was looking out of the window from his side of the carriage, tears flowing freely from his eyes.

"Chacha?" Rohan called out softly. His uncle was a strong man. He may have had his emotional moments in secret but he had never had never openly broken down,

"I hate that place. Years ago I had vowed never to set foot in it again."

Rohan followed his uncle's eyes and his eyes almost popped out of their sockets at the sight that met his eyes.

There stood in the distance the magnificent fort of Shaktiganj.

The photographs Rohan had seen did not do justice to the marvel in rock as it stood majestically on a slightly elevated ground from it' surrounding.

Huge fire torches were lit abundantly on the various towers on the fort illuminating it sufficiently. Light was falling on the many balconies of the fort lighting up the exteriors while the interiors were dark giving the structure an air of mystery.

Most parts of the fort were carved out of the hillock it was standing on. Only some portions of the protruding sections were built with huge slabs of stone.

In the background sky was still dark thus the back portions seemed silhouetted. The light was shimmering in the lower parts of some portions making it evident that there was a huge water body in close vicinity of the fort.

Mesmerised of the view Rohan looked on as the sky behind the structure started lightening up.

Dawn had always been a time of the day for Rohan that was a Godforsaken hour to wake up unless it was exam time and he had to wake up early to study.