Morning came quietly to the mountain camp.
Mist still clung to the slopes, and the cold air carried the sound of horses being prepared outside.
Inside the main planning tent, the large map had been spread across the table once again.
Tara stood at one side.
The three ministers sat around the map.
Their personal guards remained behind them.
Satyadhara stood near the entrance, watching everything.
And across the table stood the two supposed Katyuri escorts.
The taller one pointed toward a winding mountain route marked on the map.
Guard: "If you continue along your current path, you will have to cross several difficult sections before reaching the main road."
He moved his finger farther north.
Guard: "This route, however, will take you through a wider valley."
The Trade Minister leaned closer.
Guard: "The road is easier for large carriages and supply wagons."
The Foreign Minister nodded.
Guard: "There are also several settlements along the way where you can resupply."
The Trade Minister smiled.
Trade Minister: "That sounds considerably better than what we're doing now."
The guard gave a polite smile.
Guard: "It should save you several days."
The Foreign Minister looked toward Tara.
Foreign Minister: "Devi, this seems like the better option."
Tara stared at the map.
The route looked perfectly reasonable.
Too reasonable.
It was exactly the sort of route that would make sense for a large imperial expedition.
Tara knew that.
And that was precisely why she disliked it.
Tara (thinking) : "So this is the route they want us to take."
She glanced at Satyadhara.
He was already watching the two men.
Satyadhara (thinking) : "They're pushing it again."
The Trade Minister traced the route with his finger.
Trade Minister: "And you said there are settlements along this entire stretch?"
Guard: "Not the entire stretch, but enough that your supply wagons will have little difficulty."
Trade Minister: "Excellent."
The Foreign Minister nodded.
Foreign Minister: "And if the road is wider, our carriages won't have to move so slowly."
Guard: "Exactly."
The two men exchanged a brief glance.
A small smile appeared on their faces.
It was almost invisible.
Almost.
But Tara noticed it.
Tara (thinking) : "They think we've taken the bait."
The Trade Minister suddenly laughed.
Trade Minister: "You know, Devi Tara..."
Tara looked at him.
Trade Minister: "These two guards seem to be better at finding routes than you."
Silence.
Tara stared at him.
The Foreign Minister chuckled.
Foreign Minister: "Perhaps we should have taken them from Kannauj itself."
The Trade Minister laughed again.
Trade Minister: "Indeed! We might have reached the capital days ago."
The two supposed Katyuri guards lowered their heads slightly.
Their expressions were respectful.
But as they looked down, their mouths curved into faint, satisfied smiles.
Guard (thinking) : "They're completely convinced."
The second guard glanced toward Tara.
Guard (thinking) : "And the minister even doubts their own route planner."
Tara's eyebrow twitched.
Her teeth pressed together.
Tara (thinking) : "Better at finding routes than me?"
She stared at the map.
Tara (thinking) : "I designed the entire route."
Her fingers tightened slightly against the edge of the table.
Satyadhara noticed.
For a moment, his eyes moved toward Tara.
Tara looked at him.
Neither said anything.
Satyadhara (thinking) : "Don't."
Tara (thinking) : "I know."
She slowly relaxed her hand.
Then she smiled.
It was a perfectly polite ministerial smile.
Tara: "Yes..."
She looked toward the two supposed escorts.
Tara: "You're right."
The Trade Minister smiled proudly.
Tara continued.
Tara: "We will follow the route suggested by these two Katyuri escorts."
The two men bowed.
Guard: "A wise decision, Devi."
Tara's smile remained.
Tara (thinking) : "Enjoy that smile."
Her eyes briefly met theirs.
Tara (thinking) : "Because you have no idea what you've just agreed to."
The Trade Minister looked pleased.
Trade Minister: "Excellent! Then we can finally make up for the time we've lost."
Foreign Minister: "And if their information about the settlements is accurate, we won't have to worry as much about supplies."
The two guards nodded.
Guard: "You will find the route much easier."
Tara: "I'm sure we will."
Satyadhara remained silent.
His eyes never left the two men.
Satyadhara (thinking) : "They believe they've won."
He looked briefly toward Tara.
Satyadhara (thinking) : "Good."
The taller guard rolled the map slightly so the route was easier to see.
Guard: "If you depart before midday, you should reach the first settlement by tomorrow evening."
The Trade Minister nodded enthusiastically.
Trade Minister: "Then there's no reason to delay."
Tara smiled.
Tara: "None at all."
She looked toward the entrance.
Tara: "Prepare the convoy."
One of the officials outside immediately acknowledged the order.
The two guards exchanged another satisfied glance.
They had successfully convinced the expedition to abandon its original route.
At least, that was what they believed.
Tara turned back toward the map.
Her expression remained calm.
Tara (thinking) : "Now show me where you're really trying to take us."
Several hours later, the camp had begun moving.
The convoy divided itself according to Tara's orders.
At the front, scouts moved ahead.
Behind them came mounted guards.
Then came the large royal carriage.
Behind it followed several supply wagons covered with thick cloth.
More official-looking wagons followed.
From a distance, it looked exactly like the main imperial expedition.
But it wasn't.
Inside one of the larger wagons sat the two supposed Katyuri escorts.
Their hands were bound tightly behind their backs.
Ropes secured their arms and legs.
Cloth had been tied over their mouths.
They struggled against their restraints.
The wagon rocked as the animals pulled it forward.
Neither of them knew where they were being taken.
Neither knew how long they had been deceived.
Outside, guards continued riding as if everything were completely normal.
The convoy moved toward the route the two men had suggested.
The route they had wanted the expedition to take.
The route where the Raksh tribe was waiting.
Far behind them, however, another convoy continued through the mountains.
That was the real expedition.
Tara was there.
The actual ministers were there.
The real supplies were there.
Satyadhara rode alongside Tara's carriage.
No one in the decoy convoy carried anything that the Raksh could truly afford to capture.
Tara had made certain of that.
Tara (thinking) : "Let's see if they take the bait."
Satyadhara glanced toward her.
Satyadhara (thinking) : "They will."
The decoy convoy continued deeper into the mountains.
Hours passed.
The road gradually became narrower.
The mountains rose higher around them.
The scouts at the front suddenly slowed.
One raised his hand.
The others stopped.
They looked toward the rocky slopes.
Nothing.
Only trees.
Rocks.
Silence.
Then—
An arrow flew from the mountainside.
It struck the ground beside one of the horses.
Another arrow followed.
Then another.
The scouts immediately shouted.
Scout: "AMBUSH!"
A thunderous crash came from above.
A massive boulder rolled down the slope.
It smashed into the road ahead, sending dust and stones into the air.
More boulders followed.
Arrows began raining from both sides of the mountain pass.
The guards immediately reacted.
Guard Captain: "RETREAT!"
The mounted soldiers turned their horses.
The scouts followed.
They did not attempt to fight.
They did not attempt to protect the wagons.
They simply retreated.
Exactly as Tara had ordered.
The Raksh warriors watching from the mountains were surprised.
Their ambush had worked perfectly.
The imperial soldiers were fleeing.
The leader of the attacking force watched the retreating guards disappear around the bend.
A large grin spread across his face.
Raksh Leader: "Hah!"
He laughed.
Raksh Leader: "These imperial Pratihara soldiers are such cowards!"
His warriors cheered.
Raksh Leader: "They left the scene immediately!"
He pointed toward the wagons.
Raksh Leader: "And they have abandoned their officials and ministers!"
The Raksh warriors began descending from the mountains.
Raksh Leader: "Capture the wagons!"
The warriors rushed forward.
The road was now theirs.
No soldiers remained.
No resistance.
Only the abandoned convoy.
The Raksh leader smiled.
Raksh Leader: "Today, we finally strike the heart of the Pratihara expedition."
He walked toward the nearest supply wagon.
Two of his men pulled the cloth aside.
The leader looked inside.
His smile disappeared.
There were boxes.
Dozens of them.
But they were empty.
Raksh Warrior: "Leader..."
The Raksh leader grabbed one of the boxes.
He threw it onto the ground.
It was completely empty.
He opened another.
Nothing.
Another.
Nothing.
Only grass and straw had been placed inside.
Raksh Leader: "What...?"
He moved toward another supply wagon.
It was the same.
Empty boxes.
Grass.
Nothing else.
His expression darkened.
Raksh Leader: "Check the others!"
The warriors rushed to the remaining supply wagons.
One after another, they opened them.
Empty.
Every single one.
The leader's breathing became heavier.
Raksh Leader: "The official wagons."
His men immediately ran toward them.
One opened a wagon.
Empty.
Another.
Empty.
Another.
Empty.
There were no ministers.
No officers.
No treasure.
Nothing.
The Raksh leader stood completely still.
His face slowly twisted with anger.
Raksh Leader: "Where are they?"
One of his warriors looked frightened.
Raksh Warrior: "Perhaps they escaped before we attacked?"
Raksh Leader: "Impossible."
He looked around.
The entire convoy had been surrounded.
There had been no way for anyone to escape without being seen.
Then his eyes fell upon the largest wagon.
A ministerial wagon.
It was larger and more decorated than the others.
The Raksh leader marched toward it.
Raksh Leader: "Open that."
Two warriors stepped forward.
They opened the door.
The leader looked inside.
His expression froze.
Two men were lying inside.
Their hands and feet were tied.
Their mouths were gagged.
Their clothes were disheveled from struggling.
The two supposed Katyuri escorts.
The very men the Raksh leader had sent to infiltrate the imperial expedition.
The leader stared at them.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then his face turned red with rage.
Raksh Leader: "YOU!"
One of the tied men struggled desperately.
The leader grabbed the cloth covering his mouth and tore it away.
Guard: "Wait—!"
Raksh Leader: "Explain!"
He grabbed the man's collar.
Raksh Leader: "How did this happen?!"
The disguised man struggled to breathe.
Guard: "We—"
Raksh Leader: "You were supposed to lead them here!"
The man shook his head frantically.
Guard: "We did!"
The leader froze.
Raksh Leader: "Then where are they?"
The man looked terrified.
Guard: "They knew."
Raksh Leader: "What?"
Guard: "They knew we were fake!"
The Raksh leader's eyes widened.
Guard: "They knew from the beginning!"
The leader stared at him.
Raksh Leader: "You're lying."
Guard: "They trapped us!"
The leader looked around at the empty wagons.
His anger turned into realization.
The convoy had been a decoy.
The imperial soldiers had never been here.
The ministers had never been here.
The real expedition was somewhere else.
Raksh Leader: "No..."
He looked toward the wagons.
Then toward the mountains.
Then back at the captured infiltrator.
Raksh Leader: "No..."
He grabbed the man's shoulder.
Raksh Leader: "What did they put inside these wagons?"
The man stared at him.
His face suddenly changed.
Guard: "Wait..."
A faint sound reached them.
Hissssssssss—
The leader's expression changed.
Raksh Leader: "What is that?"
The disguised man looked toward the floor of the wagon.
His eyes widened.
Guard: "IT'S A TRAP!"
The leader stepped backward.
Guard: "THERE ARE BOMBS INSIDE!"
The leader's face went pale.
Raksh Leader: "What—"
Hissssssssss—
The sound grew louder.
The leader looked beneath the wagon.
A small flame disappeared behind the wooden structure.
His eyes widened.
Raksh Leader: "RUN!"
He turned.
Too late.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The entire decoy convoy erupted.
A massive explosion tore through the mountain pass.
Wooden wagons were thrown apart.
Horses were hurled into the air.
Boxes and debris flew across the road.
The blast ripped through the surrounding warriors before they could escape.
A second explosion followed.
Then another.
The mountains shook.
The enormous boom echoed from one cliff to another.
The Raksh warriors who had surrounded the convoy were completely caught off guard.
Within moments, the ambush had become a massacre.
The smoke rose into the mountain sky.
Silence slowly returned.
Only burning wreckage remained scattered across the road.
Far away, along the real route, the imperial convoy continued its journey.
Tara's carriage moved slowly along the narrow mountain road.
Satyadhara rode nearby.
Then—
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The distant sound rolled through the mountains.
The horses became restless.
Several guards immediately looked toward the horizon.
The officials turned around.
Tara stopped.
She looked toward the distant mountains.
Satyadhara looked at her.
Neither spoke for several seconds.
Then Tara slowly smiled.
Tara (thinking) : "They found the decoy."
Satyadhara looked toward the smoke barely visible beyond the mountains.
Satyadhara (thinking) : "And they took the bait."
Tara's smile disappeared.
She calmly turned forward again.
Tara: "Keep moving."
The guards obeyed.
The convoy continued north.
Behind them, the mountains still echoed with the remnants of the explosion.
And somewhere far behind, the Raksh tribe had just learned a painful lesson.
They had not trapped the imperial expedition.
They had walked directly into Tara's trap.