Princess of the dawn

Chapter 30

Mankot

It was early in the morning. The sun rose slowly, displacing the dark night shadows. Today they would leave for Mankot Fortress. But first he had to send the letter to Jodha. He thought of the wild race and his lips curled up in a grin. How comfortable he had felt around her! The vision at the festival in honor of the birth of Khan Baba's son crossed his mind. Beautiful hazel eyes crowded into his thoughts and held him captive. He smiled thoughtfully and looked at the ring on his finger. Would she confirm his suspicions? Carefully he attached the small tube with the scroll to the leg of one of Jodha's pigeons. He gave her a few more grains and carefully took it in his hands before stepping in front of the tent and slowly walking to the edge of the camp. There he stroked over the pigeon's plumage and whispered "Fly my beautiful! Get my letter to its destination!" He tossed the pigeon into the air and watched it go until it was out of his sight.

A while later the Imperial Army started moving towards Mankot Fortress. Some of the troops stayed behind in Dahmiri. The cannons had to be left behind for the time being because of the difficult terrain. On the way, Sikandar's men tried again and again to lure the army into remote ravines to take advantage of their advantage and attack them. Bairam Khan and Jalal did not allow themselves to be misled but marched directly to the fortress. The troops made slow progress through the difficult terrain. When they reached the foot of the fortress, they were faced with an imposing sight. The brick fortress was perched on a rocky hill in the forest. Blood-red flags fluttered in the wind on the battlements of the fortress. Red flags of valor! Muskets were fired and arrows were shot from the walls of the fortress. Diatribes could be heard, which made Bairam Khan blush with anger. Angrily, he probed the area. Barking, he gave the order to set up camp as best he could in the wooded area. Suddenly the screams got louder and drew attention back to the fortress. A gate of the fortress opened and a great number of brave Afghans poured out. Holding their scimitars proudly high, they paced arrogantly up and down in front of the gate. A show of power! Bairam Khan was seething with anger. Jalal watched with amusement. As luck would have it, Adham Khan and Sharif-ud-din were nearby. When Adham Khan saw the arrogantly pacing warriors, his quick temper went away with him. He found the behavior of the Afghans to be a shameful insult. Without thinking, he spurred his horse and rode straight towards the Afghans. They were not prepared for this and were paralyzed for a brief moment. The surprise effect was enough for Adham to ride some of them down. He brandished his sword mercilessly and the blood spurted as he butchered some of the men. As quickly as he had ridden under them, he turned his horse around again and rode back. The soldiers greeted him with loud cheers. Bairam Khan looked at him thoughtfully. He appreciated courage. But did it have to be Adham Khan of all people, Maham Anga's son? On the other side, the shocked Afghans dragged their dead and injured comrades into the fort and quickly closed the gate behind them. The diatribes had ceased.

The army had slowly spread across the area and began to build up the camp. Trees were felled to create a clear view of the access to the fortress. As construction progressed, the leaders gathered in Bairam Khan's tent. The insults and the arrogant show of force by Sikandar's men was heatedly discussed when Adham Khan entered the tent with slight hesitation. Bairam Khan waved him over. Reluctantly he had called for him.

"Adham Khan, you showed a lot of courage today when you rode up to the men alone," he said appreciatively. "You cropped the rooster combs of the proud Afghan roosters. For your brave efforts you will be given command of a small part of the infantry. Get in touch tomorrow and you will be given the relevant papers. Brave men like you are always welcome in the army." He slapped him on the shoulder. Adham Khan's mouth twisted in a triumphant grin. Its use was successful. His short-term enraged plan had worked.

"Shukriaa, Khan-i-Khanan," he said submissively.

"You can stay right here and attend the briefing," he heard Bairam Khan say. With these words he turned back to the commanders present.