And just like that, the race started before Sachi could even make up his mind which of the two snow-white stallions he should root for. The two horses moved with speed and elegance, and the stride of their gallops was twice that of others. The horsemen steering them were as spirited as the mounts, their dark hair dancing in the air just as the horses' mane.
The stallions quickly breezed past the other horses and were soon halfway down the field while the others had not even finished a quarter of the distance. The men on the benches hooted and cheered as the horses approached the finish line. The two horses charged as if they had suddenly grown wings. In the blink of an eye, they drove past the line, and Sachi did not know which one had won it was so close.
The entire area exploded with roaring claps and drum beats, rejoicing the two winning horses.
"I wonder how much each of them cost," Vyom muttered. The maiden, Aksha, scoffed, adjusting the veil around her head.
"Priceless, I estimate," she said.
"Even priceless items can have a price, my lady," Vyom argued. Aksha met his smirk with an unflattered glance.
With the event coming to an end, the crowd began to leave the benches and walk back towards the road. The group of travelers, however, accompanied Lord Manu to where the horses were being watered and cleaned before the grooms took them back to the city. They walked up to the two winning horses, their handsome riders still stroking their manes and holding up the pales of water.
"My lords," Lord Manu greeted them.
The two riders bowed, and the horses whinnied, musically.
"I have brought our guests as you had requested," he said, pointing to the large royal party.
The two riders bowed once more and left. Like a spell, the two horses began to transform, and within seconds, two handsome men stood before them, in place of the stallions. Sachi forgot to breathe as he saw the magic unfold. The men were tall and slender, their skin bright as the summer sky, and their smile as delicate as a rose. Both had a shock of glistening, silver hair that fell to their waist like gentle sea waves.
But the most astonishing part was how similar they looked, like images in the mirror. What feature one of them had on the right side, the other had on the left. The blue stole that one of them wore on his left shoulder, the other wore on his right. Around their waists, over their white dhoti, there was an ornate pearl girdle crested with a gold horse in the middle. Sachi had little doubt now who the two men were who looked like twins.
"My lords, I suspect you hold this entire spectacle only to see yourselves win," Naga Rathi was the first to comment. The slight mock was hidden well beneath his flattering tone.
The twins laughed and bowed to the royal group. Sachi and his companions returned the greeting, and they began the quick round of pleasantries. The Ashwin twins introduced themselves to Prince Bali and his men with a daunting presence, and when it came to the maiden, their tones filled with an easy charm.
The one with his hair parted on the right and his stole hung on the right shoulder was Nasatya, and the other one standing beside him was Darsa. Sachi wanted to kick himself at how his voice shook when it was his turn to present himself. He could feel the warmth on his cheeks and rued the way Vyom eyed him with amusement.
"We apologize we summoned you out into these fields instead of letting you rest and recover from your long journey," Lord Nasatya professed, curling his mouth into a helpless grin.
The sage shrugged. "We have traveled for three days. What is an hour more?"
"Long enough to seem like a day if you are as famished as me, Sage Parasu," Naga Rathi declared shamelessly.
Lord Darsa, the twin with the left hair parting, patted Lord Rathi's slim shoulder. "In that case, we must head straight to the banquet hall for the feast."
On his way back into the city, all Sachi could think of was how tall and wonderful the palace would be, how delicious the food must be and if he would have servants take orders from him. Sachi even wondered if there would be beautiful princesses robed in exquisite gowns smelling like flowers to welcome them. Sachi's daytime reverie was cut short when he heard a blare of horns, followed by a loud announcement of their arrival. His eyes were immediately drawn to the establishment before him, and all he could do was stare in disbelief.
It was not one but two palaces, as if reflected in a giant mirror. Each was pristine white, carved in marble, standing brave and tall, crowned with a pediment of elaborate scrollwork. The two faced each other as if daring one another to a fight, and each was so large, it was a city in itself. The main city road stretched all the way to the enormous palace gates, guarded by marble stallions just like the city gates. They left their mounts at the gates, and when they passed through the gates, the most beautiful garden greeted Sachi's eyes. Even King Digvi's palace in the capital could not boast of such a beautiful wonder.
The garden path was paved with roses and hyacinths, but the plants with yellow-tipped white flowers and the ones with big red flowers that looked like baskets were unknown to Sachi. The path parted in the middle in a perfect circle to surround a three-tiered fountain with a marble maiden tipping her pot to pour the water. The path joined again to lead straight to the courtyard that the two palaces shared.
Sachi almost exclaimed when he saw the floor of the courtyard. It was printed in square boxes of black and white, and life-sized chess pieces were tidily set on either side of the board.
"Can I challenge you to a round of chess after our feast?" Vyom jested with Prince Bali, who chuckled, noting the chess pieces.
"To my father's utter and endless disappointment, I do not have much talent for chess," the agni asura prince shared with unusual frankness.
Vyom sighed. "How I miss my friends from the guild?! After all, they perfected the art of playing chess for thousands of years, a formidable opponent if there is one."