The twins ran through the alleys and broken streets, their cloaks billowing behind them, breaths ragged. The hunters were close. Every sound—a rustle, a clink of armor, a whisper of movement—felt like death brushing against their backs.
They couldn't go into the crowd. That would make them easy prey, visible to too many eyes. And they couldn't stay in the open; they'd be picked off like birds on a wire. Every option felt like a trap. Every corner was a potential ambush.
They ducked into a narrow lane, hearts pounding, and pressed against the cold wall of an abandoned house.
"We have to make it to the Lohitpuri border," Raghav whispered. "It's the only place Sarthak's reach might hesitate."
Rudra nodded, his breath misting in the night air. "Three of the five Whisperers are already dead. The other two—no word. We're alone."
The network of Chorpatta was in disarray. Communications were broken. No allies remained in the heart of Padmapur. And Sarthak's men were closing in, scouring every street, every home, every shadow.
Their only option was to disappear into the borderlands.
Elsewhere, Sarthak sat in a stone chamber, lit by a single oil lamp. His fingers were locked together, pressed lightly against his lips. He had dismissed his guards. Silence hung heavy in the room.
His mind churned.
"Why would they come to me?"
His voice was quiet, almost a whisper.
"Arya is with Rankriti. If they wanted to rescue him, they would go to Suryagadh. But they've come to Padmapur. They've come to my doorstep."
He closed his eyes.
"This isn't a rescue mission. This is misdirection. They want me to chase them. They want Rankriti to focus on them. That means... someone else is inside."
He stood, the weight of the realization settling over him.
A week ago, in Lohitpuri...
The chamber was warm with torchlight. Savignya stood with arms crossed, her face half lit by the flame. The twins sat across from her, tense.
"Why do you want to be in Jangal Mandala exactly?" she asked, her tone clipped.
Rudra looked at her evenly. "We need to go to Aghorvan. At least get a look at the city."
"Again, why?" she snapped, frustration leaking through her words.
"Rankriti won't let Arya go. But she doesn't go to Aghorvan herself. She's left that region in Sarthak's hands," Raghav explained. "If we can infiltrate Aghorvan—and make sure she knows—we force her to focus on us."
"And Sarthak chases you," Savignya said slowly.
"Exactly. Which means Rohak, who you helped place inside Suryagadh, has a narrow window to extract Arya."
Savignya looked at them incredulously. "That castle is not penetrable. I've met that boy—Rohak isn't a shadowstep assassin. You think he can sneak Arya out from under Rankriti's nose?"
"That's where we need your help," Rudra said. "Not weapons. Not soldiers. Just information. We need to know how to get out, once Arya's in motion. Exit paths. Underground routes. Anything."
Savignya's expression tightened. "I'm not risking my people inside that fortress. I don't want to die yet."
Rudra leaned forward. "Then why did you even help Arya in the first place? Why did you make the effort to get Rohak inside? If you're afraid to act now, what's the point of all that?"
Savignya faltered. No sharp retort. No clever evasion.
"You'll know in time," she muttered, eyes flicking to Ashvapati.
He stood behind her like a mountain. Silent. Watching. Loyal.
He didn't speak. He didn't need to. His presence alone reminded Savignya of the stakes.
She sighed, then looked at the twins. "Fine. If anything happens to my people, I vanish. No help. No more contact. We're done."
The twins exchanged a glance. The door had opened.
"Deal," Raghav said.
Now...
The border of Lohitpuri lay ahead. The canopy thickened. The air grew damp. Rudra dropped behind a fallen tree to catch his breath.
Raghav crouched nearby, scanning the tree line. "Now?"
Rudra nodded. "Now."
Raghav whistled—low and sharp.
From the trees, silent as mist, the Vanmargis emerged. Bow-wielding, they blended into the forest like shadows come alive. One of them stepped forward and handed reins to two horses.
The twins climbed atop them, faces still smeared with dirt, eyes bloodshot with exhaustion. Behind them, more Whisperers arrived from the trees.
From deeper in the woods came a few armored riders—the Lohitpuri soldiers Ashvapati had quietly sent.
Without a word, the convoy began to move.
No banners. No sound.
Through the trees, past the edges of Padmapur, into the forbidden silence of Aghorvan.