Chapter 21
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"What?" her siblings synchronized in disbelief, leaning forward in their seats.

"Have you stepped out of your sane mind and into the realms of idiocy? The King was many things, but he was never a thief! He would never steal a gem from his own heirloom and sell it for money." Suruchi laid her elbows on the table, interlocking her fingers and resting her chin on them.

Dipankar leaned back, laying a hand on the arm of his chair. "Exactly, Father would never betray his own kingdom! How could anyone really?"

A tense moment followed as the sisters looked pointedly at him. Half a minute later,

"Oh," he realized.

"Yes," Suruchi turned towards the unofficial queen. "Revati, just tell us how you came to this utterly stupid conclusion?"

"It was a theory in the beginning, but I'm sure now. And hey! It isn't stupid!" Revati replied defensively, holding her hands up. She looked at the two of them who were shaking their heads at her. 

"The late King would steal the gem his own family gem for himself and loot his own kingdom? This sounds beyond ridiculous, Revati." 

Revati shut her eyes in annoyance. Why won't they listen before unbarricading their mouths!?

"Jus-just tell us why you think so," Dipankar said.

"No." Now Dipankar was confused.

"No?"

Suruchi mumbled something along the lines of, "First she's oozing with eagerness to spill the beans, and the next she says that she won't. I can't understand this girl. Either she is being very stupid or too smart for us to comprehend."

"I mean, I'll show it to you two instead. Come on!" 

She got up, pushing the chair and practically running towards the door, leaving them behind, to get up lazily and follow her slowly.

"Any idea what she means?" Dipankar asked his elder sister.

"Not a clue," Suruchi replied, shaking her head.

* * *

The doors thudded close as they stepped in nonchalantly. All source of sunlight was barricaded by thin red curtains, hanging idly except for the occasional swaying along with the breeze. The throne room was illuminated by a light, morning glow so they could see, but not enough to make them clear. A sunbeam escaped through one of the windows left aja,r pouring on the throne, making it glisten.

There lay the jeweled ceremonial sword of the kingdom in all its glory, on the cushioned-velvet- seat of the magnificent throne. It held itself regally, with no ruler to keep it company, with no Raja Ram Verma to hold it by his side with pride as if it were his blood relation. Revati picked up the sword, her hands thinking it a delicate flower petal, and brought it down the platform.

She held it out to her siblings to praise its excellence with their eyes. "Here lies the answer,"

Suruchi cocked her head to the side. "The sword? I'm a bit confused, princess."

Her slender fingers grazed the hilt of the sword, resting on an iridescent diamond stone. She hesitantly, but firmly, plucked it free from the gold metal, drawing two audible gasps from her siblings.

"Revati! How could you... that's the royal sword! You can't just- you can't just pluck it off like a flower-" Suruchi fumed, struggling to put her livid predicament into words.

She held up her other hand to quieten them as she placed the gem into the empty valley of the NavaRatna pendant. It fit perfectly as she pressed it in so that it wouldn't fall out. Suruchi and Dipankar were speechless, gaping at the pendant. Revati was only surprised a little, for it was far thrilling to do it that assume that it would be possible.

"To keep outsiders from the Vault of Rahasya."

"What a fool-proof plan! I would've never thought of this. But... where is the vault of Rahasya?"

"I'm not sure myself," she admitted. "But I might have an inkling as to where it could be. It's in the throne room, that's obvious, but the exact location and how we find it... well, that's not everyone's cup of kashaya."

She spun around and walked towards the door.

"You're leaving?" Dipankar asked, thoroughly confused. This was a bull race, alright. Shock after confusion then the same thing all over again. All the three were beyond astounded by the turn of events, but Revati was mindful as to not lose practicality in the spur of emotions.

"Leaving? Heavens, no. We've only gotten started on this and I'm not going to give up. I'm going to search the walls for any hollow spots that have the chance of giving way to some secret keyhole or something."

"But Revati, how are you sure it's in the throne room?"

"Well, the Vault of Rahasya was around or more than three hundred years old. The only spot it will be situated is the oldest part of this castle. That is, the throne room!"

"That is smart." He complimented.

"I know," she said cheekily, grinning from one ear to another.

Everyone spread out, tapping on this tile, tapping on that.

Tapping high, tapping low. Tapping to the right, tapping to the left. 

Oh alright, that was enough tapping. Basically, to put it into a simpler form of non-complex words: they tapped on every wall to feel for a hollow spot.

"I swear even if I manage to locate a hollow tile now, I won't be able to distinguish between that and a normal tile."

"Me too, it's messing with my head. Tap, tap, tap!" Revati groaned flopping cross-legged on the floor, glaring at the wall. Her elbows rug into her thighs, chin resting in the hollow of her cupped hands.

"You are the one who suggested this." Suruchi accused, eyebrows raised at her.

"Yes Suruchi, but you two followed my actions. Can't blame a princess for trying." She shrugged.

They stayed still for some time, racking their brains for something. 

"How long has it been? Our search, I mean." 

The eldest one frowned. "I'm not sure. I usually keep track, but I've forgotten now. getting back to the mystery, what if it isn't the throne room at all? What if there was an older place?"

"Suruchi, then you must be knowing about it, you're the only one who has properly studied all the tunnels that run through the kingdom-"

"Tunnels? There are tunnels in Vaibhavgargh's palace? Why do I end up being the only one who doesn't know anything?" he scoffed, mumbling the last part to himself.

"You were always the least involved one. Even years ago, I remember you complaining to me about it when we were kids." Revati said, with a knowing look, but moved past it quickly. "So, Suruchi, I did say this room was the oldest. But for something to be hidden does not necessarily have to be the oldest. What about the treasury? What if it is somewhere there?"

"No," Suruchi answered after contemplating on it. "I don't think that the ancestors of Vaibahvgragh would be so dim as to do that. In an invasion scenario, where would the invader look for wealth? The treasury. Hence, I think not."

"You've got a point there. But where could it be? The throne room itself?"

"Wait a moment, what about behind the throne?" Dipankar suggested, his eyes showing the gears turning in his head.

"The curtains?"

"Behind the curtains."

"Oh yes! Whyever did we not think of that before?" Revati smacked her forehead. "But I think it might not be there if this is not the correct room we're in. Worth a try, though." 

She walked up and towards the wall behind the throne. She swept the velvety curtains aside to reveal a decorated brick wall. Her fingers fumbled for something, a lever to pull, a keyhole to unlock, something. And then she found it: a loose front tile.

"Brother, you were right!" she yelled over her shoulder to which the duo rushed up to her. Revati held the NavaRatna pendant in her hands, turned it over, and pressed it into the deep notch of the brick. Then...

Nothing.

A few minutes passed by, but...

Still nothing. Absolutely nothing at all.

Revati threw her hands up, exasperated. "Bloody tarnation! All this effort for nothing?"

"There must be something wrong, we inserted the pendant, is there anything else we had to insert? Another lose tile? Or are the gears too old to open up? No, that's not possible..." Suruchi mumbled, her eyes running all over the wall in a frenzy, her hands moving along the tiles helter-skelter.

"Don't lose hope yet," Dipankar said from where he was standing, beside his sister. "Look here! There's a hollow here. I think there should be some kind of jewel placed here."

Was he right? Yes, yes he was. But the mold was far too big to hold the jewel, and the shape was nothing like it or even the other gems from the sword, the Nava Ratna pendant, or from the throne. 

The Maharani bit her lip, weighing out all logical options.

"I know!" Revati exclaimed as she practically ran towards the door. "I'll be back as quick as I can." She assured them.

Her feet barely touched the ground as she sped up and into her room. The princess had a dark-colored satchel in her hands when she arrived back. Suruchi immediately recognized it. "Are you sure?"

"What is -oh," Dipankar said.

She took the item out of the bag carefully, holding it cautiously. It was her father's crown. Gold plated, with several sparkling gems littering over the surface, a single white feather sticking up proudly in the front with a large ruby stuck in the center of the crown. It sparkled under the sunbeam, looking as if it were crystallized blood.

Revati held in a breath as her trembling fingers removed it and placed it in the empty place on the decorated brick. An anticipating moment passed by and before they knew it, there was a deep, rumbling sound from within the stone wall. And slowly, the wall slid to the side, inch by inch as it revealed what lay behind it with agonizingly slow movements. 

Neither of the siblings spoke, they parted their lips to voice their emotions but sound refused to help. They didn't speak because they couldn't. Waves of shock and awe rippled through them endlessly.

Revati placed the crown down on the throne without taking her eyes off the vault and took a step in.

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Glossary:
Kashāya - Herbal tea
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Ooh, well this was shocking, wasn't it?
Stay tuned for the next update!

Take care,
-Chinmayi, 14