Prithvi... [Vol 1] (Ongoing) (Winner of Wattpad India Awards 2019)

Chapter 14

Nandini sat frozen in her seat, the phone still held to her ear.  What had Sumer uncle just said… danger…. Prithvi’s life was in danger…

“Nandini, what’s wrong?” Nishi asked, alarmed at her expression.

Had she misheard something? Surely she must have…but what about everything he had said before, asking her to stop him…

“What happened? Is everything alright at home?” Vrinda asked anxiously.

“Whom do you have to stop?” Rishabh asked bemusedly.

She looked at the number again, and dialed it frenetically. But when all she got was a dull tone, she kept it on the table and leapt to her feet.

“I have to go outside right now,” she said urgently. “Nishi, keep my bag with you. I’m not sure when I’ll be back, so take it to class.”

“But where are you -”

“I’ll explain everything later,” she begged, and leaving a totally confused group behind she ran out of the college and towards the gate. She frantically scanned the crowd outside and the few people on the college road that led to the gate. There were no students making their way outside.

Prithvi had left around 10 minutes ago and was evidently already on his way to the main road. If she took her cycle, she would be able to reach him soon. She ran to the parking space and started to take it out onto the street. But a minute later she realized that the cycle wasn’t moving smoothly, and she checked the tyres. They were completely deflated.

 

Nandini felt helplessness and fear overpower her for a few moments. Then Sumer uncle’s words seemed to ring in her ears again, and she forced herself to think about what to do next. There was no time to waste…

She took the cycle to a side, parked it against a tree and ran outside with no thought but to reach him…

 

 

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Indrajit waited impatiently in the car. He had been rotting here for too long now. They had chosen this time and this winding stretch of the road that led from the campus to the main road after careful consideration. Most of the students who studied in the college were hostel students, very few were from Shamli itself. And at this time of the day, scarcely any students came this way; and if they did, they would be dealt with.

  

This lonely stretch of land was very striking, with beautiful trees lining the roads, and only greenery on both sides. But the beauty was lost on Indrajit. All he wanted now was the sword's location from Prithvi so he could get out of this terrible town.

The car, and the jeep behind it, had been parked after a slight curve on the road, so it wouldn’t be directly visible to anyone coming from the college. The car’s driver was standing at the turning, using the trunk of a big tree as camouflage, to warn them in advance of the arrival of their much-awaited guest.

“Shouldn’t we have brought some guns with us too, your highness,” Kundan Singh asked cautiously.

“No. We need to question Prithvi about the sword. If there are guns around, and any of them are fired accidentally at him, we’ll lose it forever. And besides, guns are only for killing commoners. I have something else in mind for Prithvi.”

 15 minutes more went past, and then finally, the sentinel came speedily toward the car, nodding meaningfully.

Prithvi came around the bend, and paused when he saw the car and the jeep.  Then he grinned to himself and continued to walk.