80 The saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies.

Bhadrak didn't exactly know the reason behind the master's command to suddenly redirect his entire network from their usual tasks and concentrate only on his two sons and their associates.

Even though Kirtidev didn't have a large group of people giving him information, his sources were really old, loyal and well-placed in critical but obscure positions. It would be incomprehensible for an outsider to ever glean that these people were informants for a retired, neutral minister. The focus of these people was mostly on the matters related to the kingdom of Mandhaar as instructed by Kirtidev.

Kirtidev exhaled loudly and said, "As they say, it's the darkest under a brightly burning lamp. I have been feeling smug all these years for being abreast with information about the happenings in the royal court and other provinces. I forgot that I could have a few snakes hiding in my own sleeves."

Shaking his head, he pushed away the tray with hot milk and dry fruits on it. He spread the big scroll containing the royal family tree of Mandhaar, which listed all the queens and princes belonging to Raja Indraneel, on the table.

"I have to figure it out before it's too late," he muttered to himself in distress.

Bhadrak looked at his master with some heartache but he was well-aware of his stubborn temperament and didn't say anything.

"Oh, before I forget… send this letter through one of your most trusted men to the General. He needs to know about this matter as well," with that, he gave a thin, sealed envelope to Bhadrak.

Bhadrak had kept the study door tightly shut since the afternoon, not even allowing the cleaning staff to collect the dishes or refill the wood in the fireplace.

As he stepped outside the study with the letter, he looked back and shook his head.

There was enough material haphazardly lying in the room which if seen by a third person, could lead to Kirtidev being accused of plotting something nefarious against the royal family.

But Bhadrak had seen enough waves while serving Kirtidev as a close attendant and was extremely careful when it came to handling such matters.

Otherwise, why would Master choose to keep him employed out of the entire team after his retirement and that too, on a really hefty salary!

Hence, his first and foremost duty was to safeguard his master.

A few hours later

"Master… master, the moon is going to be replaced by the sun anytime now. Your birthday celebrations will start within the next few hours as per the auspicious muhurat*. I beg you to rest for just a bit. By tomorrow evening, we should hear back something substantial from our people, as well," he cajoled again.

Kirtidev had a despairing expression on his face but he realised the futility of his behaviour and nodded slowly. "Help me go to my room. No one is allowed to enter the study without my permission."

Bhadrak helped the old man lean against his shoulder and said, "Don't worry about it, Master. I will personally lock it and keep the key with me at all times."

Military camp in Nildiri Hills, 4 a.m.

Dushyant waited impatiently for General Chandraveer to arrive from the capital. He had wanted to leave the Northern Army camp earlier but the general's message reached him before he could do so.

Ashmayu was duelling with Dushyant, who had tied one of his hands behind his back. Holding the heavy cold iron sword in his left hand, Dushyant grunted heavily when Ashmayu attacked him with his sharp, long sword and shield.

Apart from having tied his hand, Dushyant's feet were also chained to the sturdy trunk of the pine tree behind him.

Thunk! Thwack!

The swords clashed mid-air, causing both their arms to reverberate as an aftereffect. A small hourglass was tied to one of the branches and had been upturned five minutes ago. Dushyant had five minutes left to untie the metal chains around his feet and defeat Ashmayu.

After a few impactful clangs, Dushyant pretended a feint attack on the right side. While Ashmayu reached out to counter him, Dushyant swiftly bent down and shifted his weight to the left, making Ashmayu's sword bang against the tree trunk behind him. The sword landed with a forceful bang and ended up getting stuck in the tree.

Ashmayu was now within Dushyant's bodily range as he tried to pull out his sword from the tree trunk.

Moving speedily, Dushyant hunkered down and drove his head straight into Ashmayu's midriff, making the other guy double up in pain. Early in the morning, they were not wearing any kind of armour and the hard skull banged painfully against Ashmayu's rib cage.

Dushyant didn't waste time in straightening his body. Instead, he hacked the binding around his right hand and dropped his sword next to his foot. With one eye at the hourglass, he pulled the shield out of Ashmayu's hand swiftly.

Dushyant slid his right forearm through the shield's strap and raised his hand up, just in time to evade Ashmayu's incoming attack. At the same time, he started hitting on the metal chains on his feet with his own sword in his left hand.

For a few seconds, there was a dodge game being played between the two men as Ashmayu tried to move past Dushyant's shield while the latter swayed his body, trying to evade the incoming sword attack.

Clang!

Fifteen minutes later

"Master, did you have to hit me so hard? We were just training, right?" Ashmayu's throat was hoarse against the cold wind.

Dushyant gave him a stare and said, "It seems that you have gone soft in my absence. Don't worry. The next two months should be enough to bring you back into shape."

Ashmayu paled the minute he heard those words. He was sure that his master had developed a new set of killer skills in the past few months while he was away. Otherwise, why would his words have such an ominous ring to it!