“You realise that this entire palace could go up in flames?” He put his hand on my shoulder, his eyes wide.
“Then what do you want? Would it be better if my brothers, my family, your family, the people of Pratapgarh and Mahabaleshgarh, all the princely states, and the entire population were at risk? Try to be sensible, Eklavya. We can’t combat these monsters with swords and spears alone. We either need this gunpowder and these machines, or we fight until we’re all dead. If we don’t stop them, they will capture Mehrangarh first, then move on to capture all the kingdoms individually. So it’s better if we blow them all up before they can even strike,” I concluded, trying hard to make him understand, but he tightened his jaw and shook his head.
“There are people in Mehrangarh, too. We don’t know how dangerous they are. Maybe we’re only considering the palace, but what if a large population gets harmed, too?” he said, and I took a deep breath, acknowledging his perspective.
“Then we’ll have to wait until they take them out into an open place where we can destroy them,” I replied, and he nodded.
“Yes, that would be better, and we still need to find out where they’re hiding the explosives, like that gunpowder,” he stated, and I gulped, scanning the surroundings.
“We should walk through and see what else is here and where this place leads,” I suggested.
He nodded, but suddenly stopped me.“But, Agastya, what if this place doesn’t open nearby and leads us far away from here?” he asked, and I bit my lip, considering it.
“I don’t think so,” I replied, walking toward the nearest wall.
The temperature was colder here than outside; it wasn’t just freezing but watery cold, and there was moisture in the air.
I confirmed it by touching the damp stone wall. This cave didn’t have mud, but stone walls.
“It doesn’t seem like a man-made space. It feels more natural. Look at the stone walls, the uneven floor, and the packed mud and stones. It’s like a vast compound here, sloping upward,” I remarked, furrowing my brows, and he followed my gaze, agreeing with me.
“You’re right. What do you think then?” he asked.
“I believe it’s a groundwater channel that has now dried up. An opening must be nearby, perhaps a large dig for a well. They likely discovered this place because of that. Additionally, this passage isn’t too long since labourers can’t work and push for long periods in these dark, unventilated conditions,” I explained, and he nodded.
“I agree; we should find the well or the place where they could take them outside, since it’s hidden,” he added, nodding.
“I believe they can’t get these out without the help of the soldiers of that army. If Mehrangarh’s labourers were involved, the news would’ve leaked eventually, but if that army deployed their soldiers, it could stay a secret,” I added, and he shook his head in confusion.
“But wouldn’t they recognise those people? I mean, thousands of people are in their territory, and no one would notice?” And I shook my head.
“No, if they’re wearing what we are wearing—Mehrangarh’s army uniform,” I said, and he sucked his lip, nodding thoughtfully.
Honestly, it was all overwhelming at this point. I couldn’t believe they orchestrated all this under our noses while making us feel confident about marrying their daughter, Rashmika. I could barely wrap my head around it.
Seeing its scale, I felt compelled to alert all the kingdoms to keep their armies on standby, because anything could happen. However, notifying them too soon would’ve been unwise; they wouldn’t have understood the gravity of the situation—the extent of the destruction and the lives at stake. We had to be strategic rather than emotional.
Eklavya and I started walking down the passage, deciding which side to take.
The air was low here, and I could feel it pressing against my chest. The oil burned as we stepped forward, slowly taking in the surroundings and the uneven ground beneath us. The temperature was gradually rising, indicating that we were nearing the surface.
I didn’t know how long we had been walking. The darkness deepened, making it increasingly difficult to see. It was a vast, hollow space, and even the slightest noise echoed around us.
Thankfully, we came here at night; otherwise, people would have caught us.
We kept walking and felt a refreshing breeze.
“The opening is near,” I said, and we both looked around. But there was no passage in sight.
I glanced upward.
“Look,” I said, catching his attention. We both stared up at the empty, round, dry well.
“So, you were right. It’s a dry well,” he said, and I nodded, swallowing hard.
“But I think there must be an opening for a dried-up groundwater river. This area is close to mountains, which typically indicates rivers. There’s a possibility they’re using that opening to remove those massive objects,” I explained, and he nodded.
“Right, I agree with you,” he said.
