A Different Path

Retreat

When Vrishasena returned, Satyasena could tell by the look on his face that his brother's mind was in the midst of a terrible conflict. He gestured to Chitrasena and Satyasena to separate from the rest and follow him. Satyasena glanced at Chitrasena in worry before hurrying up after their eldest brother.

"Well?" Chitrasena prodded.

"It's taken care of. However, they have already sent out word."

"How do you know?"

"Because the arrangements in their cottage were for three men. I encountered two, but the third one was missing. I checked for footsteps in the surrounding area as well as the path down below." Vrishasena handed them a piece of cloth with remnants of pine cone seeds jutting out of it. The fibers sprung out from where the cloth was torn and jumbled up together in a mess. "Found this at the foothills, where the terrain begins to rise."

Chitrasena patted the dusty fabric, pulling at its ends. "It's certainly not ours. What are our options?"

"We must leave."

Satyasena was always a little unsettled when Vrishasena transformed into this dispassionate state of his. His eldest brother was naturally reserved and serious, but there were moments when he went beyond that and became this withdrawn and cold person who could kill with his stare.

"How much time do we have?"

"None at all. There is no way to know how far that spy went. I noticed them only a week ago. They never got close enough, so they might have their doubts, but we cannot risk it."

"Grandfather is not well. How will he travel? And Radha Ma suffers from tremendous soreness in her knees." Satyasena said. He could tell her pain had worsened over the past few days. He saw her flinch every time she had to walk the minutest distance. Of course, she hid it behind her usual chatter about old age, but Satyasena knew her too well to not notice.

"We can construct a palanquin for grandfather and her."

Chitrasena balled up the cloth in his fists and threw it away. "What do you know about the men who were spying on us? Anything that can help?"

"Their possessions reveal nothing. As for my duel with them, they were fairly good with the sword, but I couldn't identify their origins. One of them caught me from behind." Vrishasena explained and gestured to his calf, where the cloth was torn off. A few drops of blood gleamed maliciously against the saffron cloth.

"You are hurt! Let's get you some medicine!", Satyasena exclaimed, taking Vrishasena's hand to guide him to their hut.

"Don't be ridiculous," Vrishasena responded, escaping his grasp. "It's a minor scratch. Come now, we must speak to Mother regarding this."

Their mother sat stitching up one of her older sarees, humming to herself. Her eyes were fixated on the needle, and she closed her right one while putting the loose thread through the hole. Vrishaketu was fast asleep on her lap, and in the background, they could hear the laughter of Susharma and Prasena who were playing around the house. Evening was creeping up on them, and so when she noticed them come to her, she pushed aside the saree and gave them a warm smile. "I was wondering where the three of you disappeared."