The feast was everything Sachi ever dreamt of. The goat meat was tender and fell off the bone, and the rice was aromatic. The spinach with fish head was something Sachi had never had before. Although he wanted more, he was too shy to ask. Luckily the servants were offering as many helpings as the guests could eat.
And the men in the royal party had begun to warm up to Sachi as well. Veebhi, a large himasura who had frequently jeered at him during their travel, let Sachi sit beside him and asked what he made of the city. Young Lohajit, old healing god Dhanvantari's grandson and the medic in Prince Bali's entourage, filled Sachi's glass with Soma. And Lord Narsingh cheered when Sachi emptied the glass.
Sachi was drunk on both the liquor and wondrous joy when he left the banquet hall. His head spun from walking the endless maze of walls and corridors, twisting staircases, and meandering passages until he found his guest chamber. The entire chamber was his to rest. Yet, he was too excited to nap. So, while his guru and the other lords were busy in a council meeting with the Ashwin twins, the city's guardians, Sachi decided to go for a tour of the city, visit its markets, buy some necessities.
Sachi left his chamber and ambled his way down several hallways until he came to a corridor that ran through a garden. At the other end, there were two passageways, and Sachi was very sure he had taken the left one. So, he took that again and came upon a plain wooden door with ornate round metal handles of old iron. He wondered if he had passed through that door before, but his hands were quicker. He grasped the handle and gave it a firm shove. It gave way with a slight creek the second time and opened to a narrow, dimly-lit staircase. Sachi hesitantly stepped on the stairs. Even in that darkness, he knew those steps were of mud and brick instead of marble like the rest of the palace.
Sachi carefully descended the stairs, using a hand on the wall to guide himself, the brick grains sticking to his palm and fingers. The further down he went, the darker it turned. He was about to give up and turn around when he heard voices in the distance. A curious daring took hold of his heart. For once, Sachi wanted to be brave and face his fear, see what was on the other end of this forbidden venture.
When Sachi reached the footing of the stairs, a long dark tunnel lay before him, a musty smell of forgotten things as if it had not seen the light of the day for ages. At the far end, where the tunnel had taken a sharp right turn, there was a faint glow of torch spilling onto the wall. The light was coming from somewhere in the dark passageway hidden by the turn. Sachi stepped cautiously onto the floor. It was dirt and gravelly, so he took the next step even more carefully, not to make even a tiny noise. His hand found the wall again and stuck to it like a shadow. His skin broke into gooseflesh, more from the thrill of the adventure than the cold dampness of the tunnel.
Sachi crept along the wall. The further Sachi dared, the clearer the muffled voices grew until he recognized one of the voices. Naga Rathi. Sachi stopped dead in his tracks; his momentary bravado was quickly overshadowed by fear and worry. When Sachi heard the second voice, his breath caught in his chest. He had heard it before, not too long ago.
"My king, they made a run for safety, and we could not risk chasing them into the serpent tribe territory," Naga Rathi swore, between hesitation. Sachi stood midway in the tunnel, frozen, one hand on the wall, breathing as quietly as he could. If there ever was regret, he felt one at that moment.
"You call that a risk?!" King Digvi's low voice hissed at Rathi. "That serpent tribe is no more than a group of selfish, feeble creatures, and you shiver at their name?! Even my useless son had the courage to take cover in that forest, and your wretched men could not dare inside?!"
Naga Rathi mumbled a word of apology. "There is little to worry, my lord. I have my eyes on the map and in no time, it will be in my possession."
"Your words are useless, Rathi and my patience is running short," the king growled, "Do not forget what happens to you if you fail in this mission."
The light splashing on the wall flickered a little as if someone moved the torch in the passage. "Failure is out of question, my lord," Naga Rathi reassured, his usual cockiness back in his tone. "They are prepared for an outside ambush, but little do they know their greatest threat is traveling with them. And the sage has begun to let his guard down."
"Good, and when you return, don't forget that lost son of mine," King Digvi ordered, "he has caused enough trouble, and I cannot have him upset our plans."
"The prince barely listens to me, my king. I can ask Bhringi, but he detests me," Naga Rathi argued, "If you summon the prince, he would immediately return to the capital."
"Do not tell me what I must do," King Digvi barked, and there was a clatter of something wooden falling to the ground. For several moments the shadows on the wall danced, and then they went still.
Naga Rathi cleared his voice. "I will work a reason for him to return."
"Good," said the king, and then he paused. When King Digvi spoke again, his voice was even lower than before, but it was enough for Sachi to hear, "And, there is someone listening to us, right behind this wall. Make sure he never speaks of this."
Sachi's heart dropped. His chest went cold all of a sudden, but he found the strength to turn around and dash towards the exit. Even in that blind rush, his feet knew where to go, and soon he was taking the stairs, two and three at a time, till he was at the very top. He threw open the door in one shove and bounded across the corridor, quickly making his way towards his chamber even with a vague memory of the path he had taken.
His chamber would not be safe with the threat looming over him and, even in his fear, he knew Sage Parasu and the rest needed to know what he had just overheard. Instead of turning towards the palace wing where the guest chambers were, Sachi ran towards the council room, the warnings and calls of the palace sentries like a distant voice behind him. His heart pounded like the gallop of a horse, and his rapid breathing burned his chest. But he did not stop until the great council chamber was before him.
Before the guardsmen there could stop him, Sachi flung open the door and rushed inside, stunning the seven men sitting there at the table. His guru ran to his side. Sachi began to speak, but to his horror, his throat closed as if something was choking the air out of him. The brightly lit chamber began to darken, and the gasps and exclamations of the men were drowned by a loud ringing in his ears. Suddenly, he felt the floor beneath him giving away. He was floating in the air for a second, and the next moment he hit the ground with a loud thud.