Lies are not always bad

 "You cannot save the child by postponing the date of his departure" the Vishwamitra snapped at Satvik.

The six orators were standing in the empty Sanctum Sanctorum of the temple of oracle.

"I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU WERE THE EMPEROR ONCE!!" snarled Shivani " How could you live with yourself. Planning to kill a baby, what has she done to deserve this."

"I was chosen as the emperor because unlike you I was not driven by my emotions for one individual. I was not under the illusion of having something which was not mine Shivani." Vishwamitra replied calmly.

"Enough" Dharmeshnath stopped both his fellow orators before addressing Satvik "You know high priest it wont change anything, yet you delayed the emperor's journey and lied about  it being the command of the oracle. Why would you do that?"

"Because I feel, this may not be the child the  prophecy spoke of." replied Satvik.

"Which implies that, since you all have developed love for this child, you don't want her to be the one to be sacrificed. Rather you want them to have another child and want her to be sacrificed. Am I right." VeerBhadra said in mock amusement. "Save this one so that we can slaughter the next one."

Satvik was stung by his words yet he didn't loose his composure. "Yes brother Veerbhadra, that is what I intend to do. Let Ajeenkya live and let the second born be the one to be sacrificed.

"How do you know it will be a daughter ?" inquired Vishwamitra.

"Maybe we will have to take a chance." said Shivani.

"Don't forget that delaying the voyage, may affect the empire. I have heard that Nazan and Zaidee have registered their disapproval for the delay. An emperor is required to make this voyage within a year of his coronation. It is true that Vayu's little antic could have drawn attention for which the oracle required us to delay it by another year. But we cannot make him wait for five more years." said Dharmeshnath.

"I agree with him. We cannot be clouded by our emotions. Vayu should leave for his voyage after one year."

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He looked at the pile of bloodied cloth. It didn't make sense. The body of the desert guards were nowhere to be found, only their torn clothes were left. Elixir knew he need to inform Vayu about this. He had already heard about the warning of the Oracle. Yet he also needed to have evidence that it had something to do with the warning of the Oracle. May be the guards were mauled by some animal. But in the desert no animal has ever survived other than the camels, and camels could not have done this.

"Mikhail give him 10 Aurs and tell him to report if he sees anything unusual."  The nomad took the ten gold coins and left bowing in gratitude at the head of the states generosity.

"My lord," Mikhail spoke after the nomad had left the room "shouldn't we inform the emperor?"

"He already has a lot on his plate," Elixir replied thoughtfully, "I donot want to burden him with more. May be the guards had a fight, you know the drunken brawls." "But nonetheless we will investigate this incident, in the mean time deploy twenty Kshatriya's to fill their place. If it had been something unusual Alexander or Stephan would have lit the green flame. May be we are overthinking, because of the High-priest's revelation of the Oracle's warning."

"Yes my lord" said Mikhail as he turned to leave. 

"Give the clothes  to their family, and tell them they died while fighting with each other."

Mikhail understood the meaning of such instructions. The head of state did not wish to create panic amongst the subject. The subjects were already starting to show discontent over the delay in the emperor's visit. Elixir unlike the other head of states of Zaidee and Nazan had not informed about the people's indignation to the Emperor. It was in the best interest of Kaivalya, that the news of the unusual disappearance of the desert guards be kept secret.

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"May I be allowed to enter the room?" Asked Satvik.

"I know you are hiding something, aren't you Satvik."Replied Dharmesh Nath without looking up from the scroll he was reading.

"Dharmesh ji you are aware of the child's power. Ajeenkya is blessed with the power of air just like Vayu." Satvik said as he slowly walked into the room.

"You saw how she manipulated air on the day of the naming ceremony?"

Dharmesh Nath sighed and nodded slowly. "Do you think Vayu has figured it out yet, that his daughter is gifted?"

"Maybe." Replied Satwik "we cannot forget that he is more intelligent than any of us."

"So you think she can defeat Eaval and his vessel as well" asked Dharmesh Nath

"We know one thing for sure the destroyer of Evil has the Bloodline of the great operator, so it can be any one of them Vayuvijay or Ajeenkya."

"Or maybe Manyata." Dharmeshnath told himself. Not everybody knew that his daughter in law could manipulate water.