Intent on clearing his head, Veerata decided a ride through the forest would be just perfect. As the sunset gong resounded from town, he mounted his magnificent white steed and let it stroll out of the palace gates. 

Taking a side road, he rode straight past the town, spurring the animal into a thundering gallop. With the wind in his hair, the golden glow of the sunset behind him, the endless dirt road before him and the hammering of his horse’s hooves on the hard earth below, he allowed his mind to wander again.

It was some consolation that Satya never said she hated him or that she loved someone else. Perhaps he still had a chance. The thought was rather naïve, but it soothed him. If only he could talk to her again, he would try his best to change her mind.

But how?

Since she was his temporary physician, he could still visit her for a follow up at the university. But he could hardly express his feelings in that situation. Meeting her in any other capacity seemed difficult now. Talking to her outside the university was out of the question. Spending time with her seemed like a distant dream.

Half an hour later, he reached a lake in the middle of the forest. In the diminishing light, its waters appeared tranquil and mysterious. A cool breeze agitated the branches of the surrounding trees. Distant bells heralded the cows returning home for the night after a long, fruitful day in the pasture. Solitary birds flew away in the distance, their cries echoing through the darkening sky above. Scent of wet foliage drifted about the place. It promised an evening full of peaceful solitude. Dismounting near the water’s edge, Veerata stared at its inviting depths, reminded of Satya once again. He wished she was here, too.

Would she have accepted my confession in this beautiful place?

Another naïve and soothing thought.

He let the horse roam along the riverbank. The noble animal drank its fill from the lake and grazed on the bank, always staying within calling distance of his master. They had been here together many times since he arrived in Satvikshila. For little more than an hour, he strolled behind the horse leisurely until complete darkness forced them both to take a break. Sitting down on a dry spot in the grass, Veerata exhaled and called.

“Sanjaya, did I order you to tail me?”

The captain appeared from the shadows to his left.

“You did not, Senapati,” he replied with joined palms and bowed head. “Apologies! We tried to be discreet.” 

He produced a fire torch with a metal handle from his sling bag and lit the top end. A sizzling flame brightened the entire area.  

“How long have you been here?” Veerata asked. 

“About ten minutes. How did you know?”

Veerata scoffed. “Did you forget I trained you? Who else is here?”

“Just the two of us.”

A second man appeared behind Sanjaya and prostrated on the ground. Like the captain, he was skinny and dressed in camouflage colours. Trimmed eyebrows, moustache, beard, and locks of shoulder-length brown hair made him seem like a foreigner. His pale complexion stood out in the torch light.

“Harita? I did not expect to see you back from Videha so soon.”

“Pranam, Senapati.” Harita rose. “Permission to report.”

“Leave! Both of you! I wish to be alone. You can report to me in the morning at the mayor’s palace. And no more tailing! That’s an order!”

The two men remained standing in the same spot. Seeing their hesitation, Veerata scowled. “You better have a bloody good reason for disobeying me.”

“We might have a problem,” Harita responded. “Unusual movement.”

“In Videha?”

“No, Videha is strangely peaceful.”

Harita shot a knowing glance at the captain.

“Right here in Satayu, Senapati,” Sanjaya added. “In a village up north of here.”

“Approach!” Veerata beckoned them to come closer.

Swiftly, Sanjaya and Harita squatted on the ground before him.

“Is this why you were tailing me?” Veerata asked.

“We feared for your safety, Senapati,” Sanjaya admitted. “A couple of my undercover warriors met an innkeeper from the same village while on patrol. The man claims he gave rooms to a few men from Videha not ten days ago.”

“Merchants?”

“We thought so, too. But the innkeeper swore they had a fair mount of weapons and a pair of homing pigeons in their cargo.”

“Spies from Videha!”

“I summoned Harita right away. He arrived here yesterday morning.”

“Like I said,” Harita replied. “Videha is strangely peaceful. Suspiciously quiet. Almost nothing to report. Until I met Dalpati Sanjaya yesterday morning, I had no idea the Videha team had crossed the border.”

“We worked together and tracked down the men on the road to Satvikshila,” Sanjaya said. “We found only three of them. There may be more elsewhere. The innkeeper was right. They were dressed like merchants but armed like spies. One pigeon had a tiny scroll strapped to its leg.”

Harita added. “A coded note with a single name written on it. Princess Amodini.”

Veerata’s eyes blazed in indignation. “Where are those men?”

Sanjaya sighed. “We tried to question them. All three swallowed poison pellets and committed suicide.”

“Twisted loyalty,” Veerata grunted.

“Senapati, I assume Princess Amodini is still alive, and Maharaj Yusha of Videha is also looking for her.”

“Of course, she’s still alive,” Veerata snapped. “Why do you think we’ve been looking for her all this time? I’ve had no end of censure from Samrat for failing to find her. How can Videha have information that we don’t?”

Harita declared. “We will find her first, Senapati. I swear to you!”

“Sanjaya, you said there might be more Videha spies here?”

The captain shook his head. “We haven’t found them yet. But my men heard rumours another Videha merchant is making discreet enquiries about a family from the village.”

“Which family?”

“We don’t know. He spoke to some shop owners in the market square about the new chemist store that opened two months ago.”

“Satya’s store?”

“You know the place, Senapati?” Harita asked.

Sanjaya continued. “The tea stall owner heard his customers gossiping about it. The Videha merchant claimed he needed free medicine, but he looked perfectly healthy. His intentions seem unclear. He could be a spy, too.”

“His name?” Veerata’s heartbeat pounded in his ears.

“They say he called himself Charaka.”