The night grew darker, but the chaos remained. The music and dance had enchanted the palace to a new level. Nandani didn’t send anyone to call me. Maybe she knew I was with Daadi-sa.
And I didn’t encounter him after our minor incident, which wasn’t small at all. Strangely, I felt something different in my gut.
It was an auspicious moment in the palace, yet a kind of war roared in my head. I didn’t feel hungry; instead, I sensed that something was wrong.
Did he go somewhere? He behaved strangely before leaving. There was an unusual silence on his face. It seemed he was worried about something.
I couldn’t rest amidst the rustling thoughts and stepped out of the room to keep myself busy with various tasks. The more I occupied myself, the more I thought I would find peace.
But, moment by moment, my peace morphed into worry and panic as I searched for him throughout the palace and couldn’t find him anywhere. I even tried asking a few attendants on Ranaji’s behalf, but nobody had seen him.
Where the hell had he gone?
?????
16. Agastya
Iwatched the orange hues of the early morning blend into the bright sunlight with each step we took as we figured out the directions to Suryagarh. We were covered in mud, our clothes soaked.
We had walked several miles away from the river opening we had discovered. The mountains were close by, and so was the threat.
The sound of the flowing river was prominent, and we walked toward it to catch a glimpse.
“There it is,” Eklavya pointed his finger in a particular direction, and I swallowed to moisten my throat.
I was hungry. But we kept climbing the small mountain until we finally spotted the sparkling fresh water running through the hills.
I sighed deeply as my heart sank with fear.
It was a wide river that could accommodate many boats without issue. The water passage was expected to be safe for travel, as the rainy season was still three months away.
“We are done,” I said, sitting on the muddy hill against the tree, taking in a view that could soothe many but felt like heartbreak to me.
I didn’t know what to do anymore. It was far more significant than I had anticipated.
Overwhelmed, I shut my eyes, unable to comprehend it all. My chest felt tight, and I felt a sudden chill.
Amid all this, only two good things had happened in my life: my niece and my wife.
I thought I’d spend time with them, but it seemed we had little time left. The threat turned out to be more dangerous than I had envisioned.
“We should head back home,” Eklavya said, catching my attention.
I looked at him with a faint smile.“Yes, we should.”
“And we need to discuss it with everyone so that they’ll be prepared,” he added, and I stood up, offering him my hand.
“We will. Everyone is in Suryagarh, and despite it going against my heart, we still have to shatter everyone’s cheerful facade,” I said as we turned back to find horses tied around the Mehrangarh in someone’s grass fields, ready for a feast.
It was the afternoon when we finally found them on our walk.
Wasting no more time, we began our journey back home.
Darkness overtook the bright sun, turning it into midnight when we arrived. We quietly left our horses in the stable, and I walked back to my chamber, drawing no one’s attention.
After taking a long bath, I stepped out to sit in my private garden attached to the chamber, hoping to shake off the cold.
I gathered some wooden pieces and lit the fire before sitting in silence. There was a different kind of peace—a silence akin to the tiring sleep that follows a grand celebration. Everyone had retreated to their chambers, and I noticed an attendant walking in.
