Loud continuous bells woke Jaya. She squinted her eyes and slid the window curtain to see four bullock carts slowly marching on the tiny street of Ankottai. The bulls were the largest she had ever seen, their necks adorned with heavy strings of bells. She took the boy who was sleeping in a saree cradle and walked out to see.
A man with silky white hair, broad shoulders, muscular and thick white eyebrows with a big sindhur red dot on his forehead and wore a white silk cloth draped similarly to a saree and held the pallu on his arms stood straight firmly balanced on the bumpy road.
The second bullock was closed similar to a chariot but locked on the outside and couldn't see who was in it.
The third bullock carried long spears and water and rice bags and vessels and logs of wood.
Jaya's eyes widened in shock as the fourth bullock crossed her house. This grand Bullock had steel wheels and in the middle of it it had the flying eagle sigil. It's a sigil not used in the Ankalan Empire. It is the Sigil of the Sathyeran Empire.
People started to bend their knees for someone who was walking behind the fourth bullock. Women were shocked and pitiful while the men cried and bent the knee.
As the fourth bullock crossed. Jaya's eyes trembled and sat on the foyer as she saw the king of kash made to walk. Disrespected and made to look weak. He was helpless and seeing their king walk and follow made him look like a prisoner.
The king turned aside and looked at Jaya for a brief moment and kept his head down and followed the bullock cart with shame and finally followed by twenty marching golden cloaks.
The bullock carts halted and everyone gathered around in the center and the golden cloaks were forming a perimeter and maintained safe distance to protect the man with the white hair.
He jumped from the cart and his feet landed firmly and bunned his hair and a sharp look at one of the golden cloaks. The golden cloak nodded and walked towards the king of kash and pulled him near.
Jaya seemed to understand what was going on and she looked at Malla while holding the boy. Malla with a reassuring smile signaling he will take care of things.
The man with white hair hasn't spoken a single word but the entire village is terrified and shocked to see their king treated like a prisoner. After a long wait he clapped his hands. Two golden cloaks walked to the closed bullock cart and opened it. A swarm of dogs six to be exact started running around the village sniffing around and barking. A black dog came near Jaya, sniffed her and ran away and every dog ran towards bushes.
Jaya and Malla knew exactly what the dogs were looking for. A big man came with three horses. It was Elaya, the minister from Dhira. He walked to the man with white hair and smiled and hugged him. Elaya was about to say something but he was paused by the man and he saw the dogs digging.
He instructed the golden cloaks to go dig there by pointing his eyes in the direction of the dogs.
Elaya took some steps back and saw the villagers with a surprised face waiting for evidence before he could talk. He went near the king and shook his shoulders and smiled further insulting the king before his people.
The golden cloaks dug out the four corpses of the missing golden cloaks and placed them on the side for inspection
Elaya addressed the village
“Who did this? You starving slaves!. Did you grow a spine over night to touch Dhiran forces? You thought you would have no consequences after killing the men who were trained by Uji, a member of the Great Council of Sathyera?”
Jaya leaned back hard. The man who wore a saree and has long hair is Uji of the great council of Sathyera.
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Uji flipped his pallu and raised his hand to keep Elaya silent and walked to inspect the fallen golden cloak. After a few steps he looked at Elaya and he followed.
Elaya pulled the king of kash and walked near them. Elaya couldn't stand the smell 20 feet before while Uji was checking the fallen golden cloaks. He pulled the black dog, patted his head and let him sniff a piece of cloth from the fallen golden cloak.
The black dog started to bark in front of Malla and other dogs followed. Jaya saw Malla, her eyes running in tears he didn't look back. The golden cloaks held him from behind and waited as Uji walked toward him swaying his hips.
Uji, smiled at patted Malla's cheeks and looked at the king.
King kept his head down
“He is a guard at the checkpost”
Uji laughed hard while the entire village remained silent and spoke for the first time
“Hmm, I never knew Kash has such a strong man who is capable of taking out four of my students” he bite his lower lip
“Did you take them all by yourself!”
Malla nodded yes
Uji, held the king by his throat lifted him in and with anger he looked at king, who was gasping for air and trying to get rid of Uji's hands
“Do you want me to believe this? Do you expect me to believe this village dog tore through four of my wolves?”
The king's face turned red and nodded No as Uji dropped him. He was on the floor gasping hard.
He kept his hands on Malla's shoulders and leaned his hips
“Tell me who it was!”
Malla with a straight face knew that his death was inevitable like a true warrior kept his promise and spat on Uji's face
Uji laughed hard, turned back and walked near the golden cloak and wiped his face and his hands reached the throw knife of the golden cloak which was in the holder in his hip belt.
He stopped smiling and sliced Malla's throat. The golden cloak left his body to fall and the villagers rushed to save him. The blood gushed out of his neck and limped till he rested for ever.
Jaya went inside her home, closed the door and sat behind it and cried holding the baby boy. Every incident came before her eyes. The way he served her food, the way she mocked him, the love in his eye made Jaya freeze.
Elaya, walked near Uji who was now washing his face and asked
“Great commander, how will we find it now?”
Uji, now anger with rage walked to the king and shook him
“Logawara” and spat on the side. The villagers were shocked as he called their king by his name
“You are unworthy of the name nor the title king I won't ask you again tell me !”
His eyes wandered behind and saw the armor taken out from one of the fallen golden cloaks.
He pushed the king aside and took the armour and laughed hard.
“Logawara, come here see this!” He mocked the king as he held the armor.
“Do you know a blade which is strong enough and slim enough to cut a steel armor like this”
King's eyes widened and he slowly murmured.
“Wutz steel”
Uji laughed and threw the armor away and pulled Elaya by the neck
“The man you are searching for is neither a eunuch nor a guard” and shook him vigorously
“Come on, let's head to Dhira. The empire is about to get a new emperor!”
Jaya was weeping holding the baby closer and kissed his forehead. She heard the horses left followed by the bullocks and the baby started crying and stood up and opened the door and faced the king who was standing alone.
The king with pain in his eyes
“We wish to get separated from Ankala. Pass this message too”
He turned back and left. Jaya knocked on Devi's house,Devi the village's medic who had never married and handed over the kid and asked Devi to take care of him till she returns back. Devi nodded with a confused face and Jaya crossed Malla for one last time as she heard the villagers talk bad about Malla and accuse him of helping the enemy. She walked behind her home and walked deep into the bushes. After 30 mins she reached the tent where she had armor and her horse was tied up.
She wore the disguise and looked exactly like an Ankalan soldier and rode to Chendurai. She reached the crossroads and saw the Ponni devi statue carried on by oxcarts. Ponni devi statue is 30ft long made from a single rock and the labourers were resting on the stone bench.
Jaya for a brief moment prayed and rode past to Chendurai and looked at the fort.
Sikala was at the minister's chamber with Thiran and Yoni discussing the governance during her absence. Yoni was given incharge to conduct the court activities and Thiran will be overseeing the governance.
Thilagan, 10 year old brother of Sikala ran into the minister's chambers and sat on Sikala's lap and she played with him.
“In 5 years all of these responsibilities are yours!”
Sagaya walked in and whispered in Sikala's ears.
“The Kuriyan woman from Kash is here!”
Sagaya nodded and she stood up and handed Thilagan to a servant and walked into Jasmine chamber.
Jaya stood there holding her helmet in her hand and her eyes filled with sorrow.
Sikala looked at Sagaya and he left the room
Jaya was holding on to her sorrows and delivered the message she came to deliver
“King Logawara wanted to leave the Ankalan Empire after today's events”
Jaya couldn't hold herself anymore; she started crying and Sikala hugged her
“They killed Malla!”
Sikala, got furious and assured
“They will answer for their atrocities!”
Sikala was hesitant and Jaya figured out what she was thinking
“The boy is safe, empress!”
Sikala held her hands
“I know how much you have sacrificed for me Jaya. No amount of assurance will console you all I ask is you to trust me and I trust you. Assure the king of Kash that his mistreatment will not go unanswered. I will summon Elaya and Nakalan to the court and deal with this when I am back!”
Sikala summons Havi, A royal messenger to bring Elaya and Nakalan to Chendurai
A day later in Chankran fort Adhiyavan gets two letters from the Gandar squad.
“The old lion and his fleet are still untraceable hmm ask them to stay a little longer in Dhiran's shores”
Adhiyavan reads the second message, his eyes filled with rage and clenched his fist and breathed in anger and it took some time for him to get back to normal.
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“Ankala has no need Golden Men anymore”
Three days later Havi, the messenger from Ankalan court reached the Dhiran border and his horse stood near a cliff and saw the Dhiran fort, a secluded palace far away from the commoners was burning. Commoners didn't care, the remaining warriors were burying the dead. He descended, confused, carrying the Empress's message.
