Warrior Princess; Her Quest to the throne

It was definitely a trained bird. The vulture sat perched on one of the branches a few trees ahead, as if waiting to be followed. Mriga got excited and started to descend but then a thought struck her.     

Should she dare?     

With a grin, she tossed her head back and told herself that life was boring without adventures in it. Mriga stood up gingerly on the tree whose shoots were swaying gently in the breeze. She grasped it with both hands tightly and checked its strength before leaving the safety of the branch and hang on the rough and sturdy shoot of the tree. Swinging her body to gain momentum, she went onto the nearest tree and oops… she nearly lost her grip!     

Trying again, she finally managed to get her hands on a thick branch of the tree and swung herself up.     

Sensing the movement, the vulture turned its neck. It felt as if it was staring right at her in that moment. She winked at the bird, as if asking it to carry on while she follows.     

The vulture hissed and took a flight, only to land a few trees away. Mriga was surprised at how easy it was to follow its movements as long as she stayed up on the trees. Making sure that she didn't lose her footing and break her neck, she followed the bird as it took her into the deeper, denser part of the forest. If someone asked her about the direction in which she was travelling at the moment, she would be lost because all her energy was only focused only on the bird and its movements.     

She could smell it. The stench was unmistakably strong now. Mriga came down the tree and started following her nose.     

There! A dead deer lay under one of the trees. By the looks of it, it had been quite old. The vulture was now flying really low and circling around the animal, making smacking sounds. Mriga looked up at it and bowed her head gently before whispering, "Thank you for helping me."     

Right then, Chiranjeev reached the spot in hurried steps. He looked surprised and disappointed to see Mriga already there.     

"Good job!" He said before turning back.     

Mriga jogged to catch up with him and asked, "How did you reach here?"     

He smiled and replied, "I will share if you do, too."     

She grinned and nodded her head.     

"Vultures have a specific way of communicating and though I didn't know it well, I followed the noises it made but was still late," he said modestly. \     

Mriga looked at him, impressed. One more thing to learn.     

Saptsindhu     

Exhausted, Shaurya stumbled into the tavern. He had been tempted to stop at resting points on the way but he dared not do that. He didn't want to be associated with the direction that he had originally come in from.     

As it is, it had been a task to avoid the few sentries near the mountain, but the night's cover had helped. He walked on, relying upon the map which he had memorized back at Bela's house. He had come in from the North where there was hardly any security thanks to the steep mountains.     

Instead of going towards the nearest town there, he trekked instead in the direction of the port which received traffic from the Western zilla of Chandragarh into Saptsindhu. He made sure that he hung around in the area long enough before finally reaching the place which had been identified as the rendezvous point.     

His clothes had dried long back, only leaving a stink around them. Thankfully, due to his sweat and the dusty path, he smelled no different from various other travelers who were there. He sat down and ordered a large portion of rice and vegetables alongwith a jug of ale.     

"I see that you haven't lost your appetite after losing your job," a voice mocked him as he drained the mug of ale down his throat.     

Turning and getting up, Shaurya bowed to the person who had spoken. Ratansingh, few years his senior and fellow spy, had been stationed in Saptsindhu during the past couple of years. Even though he hadn't been home during this time, the spy network was strong enough for the information to travel across it.     

"How are you doing, senior? The Saptsindhu air seems to suit you," Shaurya said with a smirk as they sat down.     

"Still so cocky after getting caught by the enemy. Shameless!" Ratansingh remarked lazily.     

"So, how did you reach here and more importantly, why are you here?" he asked.     

"I came on one of the boats from the Western zilla. And I am here to DEFECT," Shaurya said with a casual air.     

Water spurted out of Ratansingh's mouth and he looked at the guy in front of him in shock. Lowering his voice, he looked around if his action had attracted attention.     

"Have you gone mad? Why would you even think like that? Aren't you… haven't you been a staunch loyalist of the country, always?" he whispered.     

Shaurya shrugged his shoulders and replied, "I was and I gave it my everything. But what did the country do in return? Throw me out at the first possible opportunity? Am I the first or the last agent whose cover was blown? So, what if my identity was discovered? You will throw me out like useless peel of a fruit now that I am not needed? How convenient! I am not even twenty years old. I have no skills apart from how to be a spy. Am I supposed to stand in a queue every month and collect an unemployed person's allowance from the queendom?"     

Ratansingh's eyes had turned speculative while he heard Shaurya out.