Dhruva Nakshathra - The Game of Alliance ✔

THIRTHY-EIGHT

Gupagam Forest

Nakshathra knew it was risky to be on the other side of the hill with just two of them but if she can get closer, she could at least get some useful information. They moved in apprehension and trepidation, shielding themselves behind overly grown shrubs. A stretch of empty land ran along the perimeter of the hill, a clearing that provided them clear view of the onslaught from the top of the hill. She treaded warily from shrubs to shrubs until she could hear them.

"... tiring. I need boost." One of the men said in a different dialect, widely used on the western part of Lambodara. The dialect usage had strengthened her doubt, the abductors hailed from Durja or somewhere close to Durja perhaps Takash or Arhat and the man they had knocked out was a Kavishian, for sure. As she pondered longer, the count on missing people hasn't stopped as they thought, there were more disappearance left unaccounted. If her calculation were right, her people were now being taken away through mountains and out using a foreign port on a ship or a ratha vimana, the flying chariot after they had seized all other ports.

Nakshathra mentally scouted her possibilities of knocking them off. They were all lean and short, judging by their minimal stunt act, they were no professional. Could the two of them take them down, kill two keep one? No, it's too hasty of an action. She sat behind the shrubs and tried to thing of a way, Janardan followed suit, waiting for her order.

"How do you think we should approach them? Striking an attack right away might harm us. We are not sure how many of them are around."

"By offering them valuable gifts?"

Nakshathra glanced down at the attire she wore, a simply cotton fabric saree with minimal jewelleries. "Even if I claim myself to be a princess, they won't believe for the way I look, right now."

Janardan's eyes did a quick onceover. Her crumpled and oil patched saree could never give a royal impression, he shook his head. "You look nothing like a princess," he agreed and stifled a laugh.

She threw a dry grass that did not reach him and peered back at the men resting under a tree. She should approach them in a smarter way but what.

Approach? Yes, approach them. Lure them.

The whimpering of the victim pulled her out of her thought. There was no time, the sun had reached the peak. She had to rely on her instincts and told Janardan her plan to which she immediately got a no from him.

"Listen, we can't just throw ourselves on them and assume we can bring them all down. Between the two of us, you should know better."

Janardan shook his head and whispered yell. "No. The king will have my head."

Nakshathra ignored him. "I'm going first, let's pray they don't recognise me." A grave expression hooded on her.

Nakshathra further explained her plan and touched Dhruva's dagger at her hip, the only weapon she had with her. "Wish me luck," she said and removed her jewelleries, tying them securely in a bundle with the end of the saree, she tucked them at her waist. Although she couldn't fix her puffy eyes as Janardan pointed, she made sure the rest of her looked presentable.

"You sure about it?" The gallant yet unsure guard asked. "You never did this, Nakshathra," his voice almost begging her not to pursue her plan.

"Well, there is always a first time." Nakshathra was nervous, unsure of herself either but she had to do or they will never find a closure to the concerning number of missing people growing in the country. "Now, don't discourage me." She pushed him aside and made herself visible to her prey.

As she descended the hill, Nakshathra huffed. Two hours ago, she was crying for the man who had left her with no promise to return and now she was on her way to lure some man. Will she regret the choice she made? Nakshathra could only tell when they have accomplished their little task.