|| - Faith - ||

“Faith does not eliminate questions…”

- Elisabeth Elliot

Even during its owner’s absence Lillian’s room carried strong traces of hers. There were a few fancy bonnets with ribbons left behind in the closet, sheets of practiced calligraphy littering the corners and incomplete embroidery of perfectly angled flowers sat on the armchair with its needles sticking out like claws. The bed was plush and full of over fluffy feather pillows. It was so comfortable that Kashi hardly managed to catch a wink of sleep. She gave up the attempt after an hour of tossing and turning and decided to do something more worthwhile.

The thought let her out into the dimly lit passageway, connecting the wing the foreigners lived in with the centerpiece of the fortress. The torches were dying out and the hour of night was silent. Since she was few floors above the ground she could catch a glimpse of the equally deserted outer Chandranagara through the windows that she passed and a desert of shifting sand, lamenting wind and moonlight beyond.

Kashi let her eyes stray for a moment, to the starry velvet of the night sky and the illusion of peace beneath it and thoughts stirred in her mind. She was reminded of Khan’s gaze from earlier – it had been a look into the moment when he reached the conclusion. Her return had been noted. Where she stood now was the eye of the storm that she did not feel the vibrations rippling around her. Soon everything will fall and chaos will begin.

A sack was thrown over her head the next moment, stealing the vision in front of her eyes. Kashi swallowed the instinctive yelp rising in her throat and tried to fight her captor. By the time she managed to free herself of the relentless hold the attacker had dragged her far enough from her original standing into the ruins of the older palace.

Spitting the dust that went into her mouth from that moldy old sack, Kashi glared at the man in the darkness before folding her hands defensively.

“That was hardly the greeting I expected Satya!” She said in a stiff tone. “Explain yourself!”

“I think you too have a part to explain Rajkumari,” Satya didn’t sound breathless with relief at finding her alive or his usual respectful self. Kashi blinked shifting her gaze to hold his glare but decided to remain silent a moment longer. “Do you have any idea who you have joined hands with? And what is this Keren McLane nonsense? Who is that – where is she? Why on earth would McLane call you his daughter? It makes me afraid Kashi Bai – I’m afraid you’ve changed your loyalties simply because that half foreigner saved your life!”

Kashi held up a hand to silence him her eyes flashing for a moment.

“Do you know where we stand Satya?” She asked him then casting a glance to their surroundings. “This is the edge of chaos – soon something will fumble and break the balance. Soon destruction will begin.”

“I don’t want a lecture on karma Kashi Bai. I want to know why you pretended to die and then returned with an enemy?” Satya sounded agitated and the look of betrayal in his face was unmistakable.

“Sparks light fire and deaths invoke wars – a war is coming Satya and I could very well end up being the sacrifice which started it!”

“I don’t – sacrifice? Death?”

Knowing that she had broken through his earlier front and now had his attention Kashi bit back a smile.

“At least that’s what helps my dear Choti Maa sleep at night.”

“Gayatri Devi!” Spat Satya. “That blasted woman! I knew she was behind this! Don’t fear Rajkumari I may have failed once but I won’t let anything happen to you again!” He urged her; the earlier emotion of betrayal being overtaken by his honesty. Kashi smiled at him her chin raised and eyes gleaming.

“I would require no less!”

Satya flashed a smile at her and before he could say more his eyes caught something in the darkness behind her. His trained reflexes sprung to action even before his conscious had commanded him and Satya threw the dagger in his belt towards the stranger in the darkness. He however, easily deflected the blow and Kashi held his wrist before he could grab another to attack.

“No Satya – I owe my life too many times over to him to let you proceed with that,” she muttered in a low yet final tone and David stepped into the light.

Satya nodded at her command and Kashi removed her hand.

“So this entire charade is a survival attempt, Kashi Bai?” He asked a trace of malice tainting his tone as his eyes travelled over David’s face. David remained impassive as Kashi replied.

“It is important to mask yourself when your friend strikes you. It becomes mandatory when your own turns against you. Afreen has been tasked to kill me – although I’m not clear where the instructions came from.”

Satya took a moment to catch his breath.

“Afreen?”

“A fire staged to leave no evidence – undoubtedly aided by Rani Gayatri,” David filled in, his eyebrows knotted as he pondered over it.

“She associates herself with Kuwar Shivjit,” Kashi elaborated. “It’s hard to predict her plan of action.”

“The last I heard from her she was acting under the orders of Shehezada Usman and Nawab Khan. Yes, they have reached a temporary truce,” informed Satya.

Kashi turned to exchange a look with David.

“The day I get my hands on Afreen – I will kill her!”

“That won’t be necessary,” cut in Kashi. “There are things more pressing than Afreen.” She gave Satya a pointed stare. “My mask could slip any moment and we have precious little time before that to act. I need you to tell me about Noor Banu and Nadira Begum.”

**

“You don’t owe me your life Kashi Bai,” David said in a small voice as soon as the door leading to their common area shut behind them. Kashi stopped midway and turned to look at him, her eyebrows slightly raised. “Just like Satya I failed where it mattered. My father should not be pulling the strings over you right now.”

“Hmm – I will not say it’s not maddening.” Kashi replied frowning slightly. “But both of us were aware that lord McLane runs Madhavgadh Dev. We knew he would hear it if something goes amiss.”

“I didn’t break your curse so that you could be a weapon to his cause.”

“Your problem is that you plan too much Dev,” Kashi nodded, setting herself in one of the armchairs after removing a pile of maps Andrew had left on it. “And in the process you forget that the opponent perhaps has an inkling of your targets. I don’t, for a moment, believe lord McLane did not know that you had a purpose of your own in aiding his schemes; a goal that did not lead to Shivjit’s throne. Admit it – he had fanned your revenge and used it to burn down his obstacles.”

Her gaze met his stormy one and Kashi knew the understanding was mutual. David nodded slightly before moving to take a seat across from her. As he did so, he fished out a piece of paper tucked inside his folded sleeve and smoothed it out on the table. Kashi instinctively reached out for the candle and lit it, immediately illuminating the writing upon it.

“Andrew gave this to me earlier,” David explained. “His investigating had managed to pull some information about the dead body that was passed off as yours after the incident. To say the least Hussain is not your ideal Bakshi. This symbol was tattooed into the shoulder of the deceased.”

“That could have been evidence that it wasn’t me,” remarked Kashi. “The hawk looks familiar.”

“Hawk is a mark used commonly by a sect of assassins,” Andrew walked in trying to flatten his unruly hair into submission. “She seems to have been a professional.”

Kashi eyed the mark thoughtfully and the two young men waited for her response.

“Kashi Bai – have you seen it before?” Andrew asked in the end. He sounded oddly excited that David threw him a dark look. Andrew grinned at him sheepishly.

“Sorry – It’s just that I’ve heard so much about you – the cursed princess of Chandranagara that talking to you in person is unsettling!” He confessed running a hand through this hair nervously.

Kashi widened her eyes at him and looked at David who shook his head at her.

“Well I assure you I breathe the same air as you do and eat and sleep like all the other mere mortals Mr. Kent,” she said then. “I’m so similar to them that I sometimes forget I am the cursed princess of Chandranagara.”

Andrew nodded his expression serious.

“I am sorry. I understand you don’t wish to talk about it.”

“Now that we’ve addressed that –“ David pressed on. “What do you know about the hawks Kashi Bai?”

“This particular mark is not simply associated with assassins,” Kashi said with a frown. “It is associated with a temple.”

“Why do I feel I’m not going to like the rest of your information?” Andrew attempted at a faint smile.

“Because you probably will not... This temple was supported by Rani Gayatri once upon a time.”

“The dark queen –“David mused. “Things often circle around her, do they not?”

“What could Noor Banu possibly have to do with Gayatri’s temple?”

Kashi’s frown deepened at Andrew’s question.

“Since Noor Banu will not answer that – we will have to find our answers at the temple ourselves.”

**

Do you feel it? That we are closing in on the conclusion? Well, I do, for we have taken our first step in the crooked route that leads to the end. Don’t worry there is a long way to go still.

Are you confused? Are you dying to know what happened in Madhavgadh? Tell me in the comments – it will surely boost my writing speed! And don’t  forget to vote! Until next Monday!

Thank you for reading!