Warrior Princess; Her Quest to the throne

0Abhirath didn't wait to look at the teacher. He bowed his head in his direction and took Mriga out of the door.     0

"Stopping at the stairs, he looked her up and down and asked, "What is wrong?"     

She dragged him by hand and said, "I will tell you everything on the way. Just come with me now. There is no time to lose."     

Abhirath's heart was hammering looking at the state that she was in. It was as if she had been in a scuffle. Had that boyfriend of hers tried to…     

"It's Shaurya… I found him unconscious at the ground behind the Admin building. I have left him there with the Vaidya. I didn't know who else to turn to. He doesn't look good. I don't know how to reach either of the Gurujis," she panted while narrating the incident.     

Abhirath didn't slow down his pace but a part of him relaxed infinitely knowing that there was nothing wrong with Mriga.     

"Don't worry. You did the right thing," he assured her as they reached the Admin building in no time.     

Mriga was surprised to see no sign of Shaurya in the reception area. She had left him with the old doctor right here. The Vaidya was sitting with a confused expression on his face.     

"Oh! It is the both of you again," he exclaimed looking at Abhirath entering with Mriga.     

He was probably thinking of the time when Mriga had taken Abhirath to him post the sports meet.     

Mriga bowed her head in apology and said, "I am so sorry to have left you alone here with the patient but I had gone to call reinforcements. I am really sorry. How is Sh… how is the person now?"     

The man smacked his tobacco stained teeth together and replied with a hint of disdain, "Had you stayed back, I suspect you would have been a hinderance than help. I can't stand people who faint at the first sight of vomit or blood."     

Mriga's body bristled at the unfair, unwarranted accusation but Abhirath's touch on her forearm made her hold back her words. The man had been the medical practitioner for the Gurukul for a very long time now.     

"We are truly grateful for your help at this hour. How is our senior now? Uh, where is he?" Abhirath asked politely.     

Looking from one to another, the Vaidya suddenly grinned and said, "Seeing that both of you seem to know him, it is safe to assume that you are the newest part of the network. Where did you find him, not that it matters right now? Well, he is not going to die anytime soon though he may experience pain and high fever till the poison's lingering effects remain in his body. I have drained the infected blood as much as I could without letting him slip into danger. He is in his room. Had I performed the treatment here, that irritating girl would have made my life hell for dirtying the floor. Though the way she keeps it currently is not exactly the cleanest. I can't imagine that she is my daughter! Not cut from the same cloth, she and I."     

Abhirath and Mriga were dizzy with the number of revelations being thrown in their faces right now by the man, so casually.     

"His room? Shaurya had a room here?"     

"Poison? He had been poisoned?"     

"Wait, so that means Saraswati is the Vaidya's daughter?"     

"The Vaidya is a part of Suraksha Chakra?"     

They both stared at each other while these questions went round and round in their heads.     

"Why are you still standing here? There is a bloody mess in Shaurya's room right now. Do I have to spell it out to you to go clean it? In the meantime, I will go wake my daughter up. She knows how to contact Prithvi," he rattled off the instructions.     

"Umm… that is, we don't know where exactly is the senior's room," Abhirath said sheepishly.     

"Oh! Not been given a tour of the facility yet? No need to feel so bad. You guys are still probably in your first year of internship. Follow me," he replied and got up with a grunt.     

Mriga's head was reeling under the impact of the information which was flowing her way. But she stayed quiet, following Abhirath's example. Taking the burning torch in their hand, they entered the room where Prithvi normally interacted with them. The Vaidya walked to the rear end of the room which usually remained dark even during the morning hours. That area had a few racks of overflowing, dusty books and a few cobwebs as well.     

Bringing the torch close to the ground, the man pressed a lever and the ground yawned open. Mriga and Abhirath jumped back in surprise and then gave one another a weak smile. Peering down, they saw a small gap and a platform below it. Stepping in gingerly behind the old man, they landed on the dusty floor and then suddenly the man vanished.     

"Huh! Where is he?" Mriga's voice echoed in the dark space.     

"Are you sure that you guys have been chosen to be trained as spies? Your abilities have failed to impress me terribly up until this moment. Maybe Prithvi isn't as sharp as he used to be," the Vaidya's voice floated from somewhere below them.     

Peering down in concentration, they found a narrow staircase on one side of the platform, going downwards. Abhirath and Mriga climbed down quickly and reached a large hall. The place was well lit causing Mriga's gaze turn upwards in confusion. Why hadn't the light shone on the darkened area above?