In the prison cell,
The night passed without any major incident. The guards came on their regular rounds. The day watch replaced the night. By this time, Narasimha had started recognizing a few of these men; the guards who did the night duty, and the guards who served during the day. There hadn't been an occasion to summon The Chest of the Ancient Masters. He had been managing well-enough without it. He had the capacity to survive without food, water or sleep for days together. Vinayak was also sharing a portion of his food and water with him.

When there was a momentary lull, Narsimha removed the brick from the wall. He looked around and tapped the wall softly, "Hey friend, do you know anything else about the rescue mission? It would help if we are prepared."

Vinayak replied, "I don't know much except that the rescue mission will be personally led by Mrithyunjay, Princess Bhagiradhi's husband. And it will be this night."

Narasimha sat down shaking his head, "No, this cannot happen. We have to stop it at all costs."

Vinayak's eyes widened with confusion and surprise, "But why? Mrithyunjay is the best on our side."

Narasimha caught hold of the aperture and got up, "I know. I have personally seen his prowess. But when I say he has to be stopped from coming here, I mean it. It is alright even if we aren't rescued immediately."

Vinayak did not question any further. He composed the message, "Abort mission immediately."

His hands were unsteady as he tied the thin strip of black cloth to Mooshak's feet. He gently lowered his pet on the ground and watched him with unblinking eyes as he made his way through the long, deserted corridor.

The oil merchant was at his counter behind the barrels and pots. He checked both the feet of Mooshak. Nothing was tied to either of the feet. He fondled the rat and offered wheat and barley grains mixed with jaggery. The rat nibbled and licked its favorite treat from the oil vendor's hand. After completing its treat, Mooshak sped away towards the dungeon.

The oil vendor had attached a tiny pouch with powdered husk to Mooshak's feet while he was feeding it. There was a very small hole in the pouch. It left behind a thin and imperceptible trail of the path it took to reach the dungeon. The task of Mrithyunjay and his companions to free the Prince and Vinayak would become easier. He smiled to himself at the apparent brainwave.

Narasimha paced about his prison cell. He knocked his toes occasionally. The walls of the cell were turning up too close for his comfort. He bit his nails and gritted his teeth. He clenched and unclenched his fists. At last, the prison cell felt like prison. He felt caged and constrained.

Several hours had passed. Narasimha knocked the weakened part of the side wall. His ears were plastered to the wall waiting for Vinayak's response. Vinayak said scratching his head, "Mooshak returned but with this empty pouch tied to his feet. I don't know what it is supposed to mean."

"Can you send Mooshak into my prison cell through the ventilator? I will examine and tell what I think", Narasimha said.

A few minutes passed and Narasimha could hear the tiny pitter-patter of the mouse's feet invading the quiet silence of his prison cell. Narasimha picked up the mouse in his hands. He touched the pouch tied to its feet and dusted it gently. He smelt the powdery and dusty remnants of the pouch that had been clinging to it. Husk. A tiny hole had been punched to make the husk drop in a fine line.

Narasimha gasped, "Our message never reached them. They tied this pouch of powdered husk to find out our exact location. This means they are still planning to rescue us this night."

The black strip of cloth lay crumpled at the end of the winding corridor. The shoes of the guards stamped over it every time they passed. One of the guards bent down to examine, "What's this black strip of cloth doing here?"

His companion replied, "It must have been a part of somebody's uniform. This piece must have got torn. Here, I have trashed it."

He summarily tossed the black cloth into a huge bin of garbage.

Vinayak asked, "You weren't so disturbed until you heard Mrithyunjay's name."

Narasimha said, "You remember the war that was fought between Mahishmati and Vijayapuri? Mrithyunjay was attacked by a very rare kind of poison."

"I heard he was saved by a siddha purush with occult powers", said Vinayak nodding his head in the affirmative.

"That great siddha purush was my guru. Around the same time, just before the war with Vijayapuri, Maharaj Subahu was severely wounded in a military coup. He was also attacked with the same poison. There is no antidote or treatment for this poison except localizing it in a particular portion of the body."

"What does that have to do with Mrithyunjay leading this rescue mission?" Vinayak asked, still not convinced with this explanation.

"By the time my guru treated Maharaj Subahu, the poison had already been in his bloodstream for a long while and had started affecting several parts in his body. Even though he recovered, he had a permanent limp to his feet. Mrithyunjay's was a much easier case to treat. Its effect remained behind as a blue scar. But before my guru left, he warned me that two people who were attacked and have recovered from the same poison should never come into direct contact. This means Mrithyunjay and Maharaj Subahu should never come face to face."

"Didn't he specify what would exactly happen?" Vinayak asked.

"He said the poison would get temporarily reactivated in some sort of way. I don't know much more than this. My sister, Princess Bhagiradhi wouldn't thank me for putting my brother-in-law into danger once again, would she?"

The reason was evident to Vinayak now. He extended his fingers through the hole in the side wall, "You're thinking too much. Even if Mrithyunjay comes, there is no reason for him to come directly face to face with Maharaj Subahu. He is just going to sneak us out before anyone realizes what is happening."

Vinayak's words were like soothing balm. Narasimha convinced his erratic heartbeat that it was indeed going to be so.

It seemed like the longest evening and night to Narasimha. The minutes and seconds weighed upon his mind. One of the guards peeked in the cell, "Hey, are you feeling hungry or thirsty?"

"If I say 'yes', are you going to give me food or water?" Narasimha asked, his irritation and exasperation getting the better of him. "Just get lost."

"Watch your words, young man. We aren't answerable to you anymore", the guard retorted.

The doors were thrown open. Narasimha's eyes were momentarily blinded by the torch the guard held in his left hand. The loose end of his turban was draped across to hide his face. He held a huge key in his right hand.

Narasimha squinted a couple of times before his eyes got accustomed to the light. The guard signalled him to follow him without saying anything. Narasimha scratched his head trying to remember where exactly he had seen those eyes. He pulled the guard's sleeve and exclaimed, "Bhava!"

"Of course! Who else did you think it was?" Mrithyunjay said. "I told you I was coming. So here I am."

Narasimha blinked, breathed and exhaled multiple times, "You shouldn't have come. After everything I did to hurt you and Akka, you should have left me."

Mrithyunjay patted Narasimha's back, "Let you rot here all alone and not do a single thing? Come on. Don't be so hard on yourself for the past. We'll talk later. We have to get out from here fast."

Narasimha glanced at the key in Mrithyunjay's hand and asked, "How did you get this key?"

"I bribed the locksmith who makes locks and keys for the palace to make the master key for the dungeons", he shushed Narasimha pointing towards the sound of steps.

Both of them withdrew into the shadows. The guards of the night watch ran up to the open door of the prison cell. They were examining it when Mrithyunjay and Narasimha sprang upon them from behind. They held their mouths and throats in an iron grip. Both the guards kicked and flailed before they stopped moving.

Mrithyunjay shoved both the guards within the prison cell and locked it behind them. After this, Mrithyunjay and Narasimha freed Vinayak from his prison cell. All three of them sneaked out, turning round every corner of the dungeon in a highly wary fashion.

Mrithyunjay closed his fingers over his mouth and muffled his voice. He produced a sound like the hooting of an owl. Three times, followed by a short break, and then two times.

"I was giving the signal to my companions that we have escaped", Mrithyunjay explained.

At that precise moment, Narasimha dragged Mrithyunjay aside and tackled a guard who was crouching towards them from behind. He punched his midriff and Vinayak's fingers closed round the fallen guard's mouth to prevent his cries from being heard.

"Wrap these clothes around yourself. Quick", Narasimha said.

He tore the guard's clothes and threw them towards Vinayak. Vinayak had finished changing into the guard's uniform when two more guards lunged in their direction. Mrithyunjay bent down and pulled their feet. They landed on their backs, knocked out.

Narasimha and Vinayak took away the weapons from the unconscious guards. Narasimha removed the clothes of one of those guards and wore them. They sprinted ahead. At one point, Narasimha held his hand gesturing Vinayak and Mrithyunjay to stop. He turned left and sneaked upon four guards who were sitting and playing a battle strategy game with tamarind seeds. The lines had been drawn using white chalk.

Before they could react, Narasimha and Mrithyunjay stunned and silenced them by bringing down the handle of their heavy swords in a knockout punch. The four guards collapsed in quick succession on top of the lines of their own battle strategy game. Vinayak dragged the soldiers and hid them behind the curtains leaving the lines a blurred and confused mess of white.

The horns indicating that the drawbridge to the moat was being drawn blared from afar breaking the silence of the night. The creaking of the wooden plank in its hinges and the clanging of the chains which held the drawbridge followed. A large troop of soldiers marched over the bridge in rhythmic steps.

Narasimha hissed, "I recognize that signal. Maharaj Subahu is returning from somewhere along with his royal troops. It means he hasn't been here all this while. We've to hurry."