Chapter 25 ; killing the traitors
Keshav, always warrior, cracked his knuckles. "What orders, my lord?"
Ayush spun to regard him and the rest of the elite guards, voice cutting like a blade. "We will take care of the blacksmith spies tonight. The noble spy, we must investigate further before we act."
As the moon climbed over Garha, there was a patrol of dark-cloaked men who crept silently through the blacksmith district.
Keshav commanded the finest soldiers, their footsteps softer than spirits. Ayush kept the rear guard, clad in dark robes so that he became one with darkness.
Both traitor blacksmiths had been apprehended—Rafiq and Basheer, having been caught late at night slipping around the gun shop. The system had affirmed their treachery.
Ayush gestured to a wrist to Keshav. "Split up. Be quiet. Make it an accident."
Two guards and Keshav headed to Rafiq's residence. The others went with Ayush to Basheer's forge.
Basheer was in his workshop, taking notes by candlelight. Blueprints and a materials list were on the floor in front of him; proof he was pilfering designs for the weapons.
Ayush stepped forward, his voice as cold as ice. "You seem to be very dedicated to your work, Basheer."
The blacksmith's hand instinctively moved to a dagger hidden under the desk.
Ayush sneered. "Don't even attempt it."
Before Basheer could take a step, an elite guard slit his throat with a dagger, swift and silent. Blood sprayed onto the parchment as his body crumpled forward, dead.
Ayush pocketed the stolen documents, his expression unreadable. "One down."
Around Rafiq's house, Keshav and his soldiers had closed in through the district. The spy was more intelligent than Basheer; he had guards, most likely hired mercenaries from outside Garha.
Keshav stepped forward to his soldiers and spoke in a low tone, "Kill the guards first. Then we kill Rafiq."
The top soldiers advanced with deadly accuracy. In a matter of seconds, the mercenaries were quietly killed, their throats cut before they could even let out a scream.
Rafiq realized something was amiss and took a pistol from under the bed, too late.
Keshav slammed the door open and shot him in the head before he was even able to shoot. The corpse fell, blood spreading out around it.
Keshav walked through the room and spotted letters to an official of Bijapur—evidence of his betrayal.
He smiled. "That's two."
The next morning
By morning, the blacksmith district was silent as if nothing had happened. The spies were dead, their bodies disposed of without a trace. Only Ayush, Gaurav, and the elite soldiers knew what had occurred.
But there was still one more spy—the noble working under one of Durgawati's ministers.
Gaurav scowled at them as they debated what to do next. "Assassinating a noble is not as easy as assassinating blacksmiths. If we do one thing wrong, we'll create political uprisings."
Ayush drummed his fingers on the table. "We're not going to kill him now. We expose him first."
He gazed at Gaurav and Keshav. "Bait him. We give him false information and we'll see what happens."
That night, Ayush called the suspected noble, Vikrant Sen, to a secret meeting.
Ayush reclined in his chair, talking loosely. "Minister Vikrant, I have a job for you. I need someone I can trust to be in charge of the transportation of gunpowder materials to our secret depot in the eastern mountains."
Vikrant straightened ever so slightly, a telltale sign of nervousness.
Ayush smiled to himself.
Got you.
He handed Vikrant a forged letter, stating a fictional location of the gunpowder depot.
"If there is an enemy spy, he'll give this false intelligence to the enemy," Ayush told Gaurav later. "Then we'll see who shows up at the phony location."
Two days passed before Keshav and his scouts returned in a hurry.
"A team of Bijapur spies were apprehended on their way to the phony location. They carried Vikrant's letter."
Ayush smiled. "That confirms it. Vikrant Sen is the traitor."
Though Ayush knows from the help of the system, he needs to verify for others.
Gaurav's expression turned solemn. "So, then what?"
Ayush's eyes gleamed with evil intent. "Now… we make an example of him."
.
Elsewhere.
Vikrant Sen sat in his private chamber, a sense of restlessness claiming him. Since Ayush had given him the secret documents on the gunpowder storage facility, he'd been wired.
The instant he heard the news, he had already dispatched a messenger to the Sultanate of Bijapur. He still thought he had not been discovered, a dagger hidden in the kingdom of Garha.
This night, however, something did not feel right.
His candle flickered and a cold draught ran through the room. His guards at his door were strangely silent.
Then, his door creaked open.
Vikrant's breath stuck in his throat. Behind him, in the gloom, stood Ayush Chandra Mourya. Behind Ayush Chandra Mourya stood Keshav and two of his best guards, their weapons glinting under the moonlight.
Vikrant went pale. By reflex, he attempted to grab a dagger which was hidden under his desk.
Thud!
Before he could do anything in the split second, Keshav struck like lightning, holding Vikrant's hand down on the table with a dagger.
Vikrant screamed in abject horror. Blood oozed through his palm, his body writhing in pain.
Ayush stepped forward, his face calm but cold with a ring of terror.
"You believed you could betray me and survive?" Ayush's tone was abnormally low, but it was charged with an air of destiny.
Vikrant swallowed hard, attempting to conceal his fear. "W-what are you talking about, Lord Ayush? I have always been faithful—"
Ayush tossed a parchment onto the table.
Vikrant's own letter, the one that he had written to the Bijapur spies, was placed before him.
His face went pale as a ghost.
Ayush leaned forward, his golden eyes blazing with fury. "Your men were apprehended. They confessed."
Vikrant stammered, frantically searching for an excuse. "I… I was threatened! I had no option! If I didn't do it, my family would have been murdered!"
Ayush gave him a hostile stare, shook his head afterwards. "You should have come to us. You should have sought our aid. And for that, you opted for treason."
"Mercy! Oh, please spare me mercy!" Vikrant clutched the ground, wounded hand shaking uncontrollably. "I promise, I'll do anything! I'll work as a spy for you! I'll—"
Shhhh!
Ayush put up his finger to suppress him. He looked at Keshav, and the other knew instantly.
With one quick stroke, Keshav pulled out his sword and cut Vikrant's throat.
Vikrant's body hit the ground as a gurgled grunt escaped his lips, his blood gushing beneath his body.
Ayush moved out of the way, rubbing his hands together as he addressed Keshav. "Get rid of the body. Make it look like an accident."
Keshav concurred. "Yes, my lord."
Ayush was not going to let the issue drop. Even if Vikrant was murdered, his murder must have been a threat.
The market square of Garha was in commotion the next morning. There had been constructed a gigantic platform in the town square, and already there was a throng of people. The soldiers in armor stood in rows.
Queen Durgawati sat on her throne with Rajeshwari sitting beside her, both faces gravely regarding the affair.
And then Ayush emerged.
Wearing his dark warrior attire, he stood at center stage. Behind him stood three of the other captured spies, bound in chains, their battered faces somber from questioning.
The audience fell into awed silence when Ayush lifted his hand.
"Oh, citizens of Garha!" His voice rang out across the square. "We are on the brink of war. The Bijapur Sultanate and the Mughals wish to annihilate us. But our greatest worst enemy is not outside, inside."
Rumors spread through the crowd. People gazed at the captives with amazement and interest.
Ayush's gaze raked over the crowd. "These men were traitors. They gave away secrets to our enemies. Due to them, innocent citizens and warriors could have been killed. I ask you—what do we do with traitors?"
"DEATH!" the crowd thundered in response.
Ayush stood in front of the prisoners. "For your crime, you will be judged by Garha's justice."
He took a step back as Keshav and the soldiers lifted their swords.
One by one, the traitors were beheaded.
The crowd clapped, their allegiance to Garha and Ayush cemented.
Queen Durgawati smiled in affirmation. "He knows power," she whispered to Rajeshwari.
Rajeshwari, however, was observing Ayush intently. There was something about him, his power, his clinical efficiency, yhat intrigued and disturbed her.
Later that night, Ayush returned to his private chambers. Gaurav Rajput was waiting for him.
"With the spies eliminated, we can now concentrate on weapon production," declared Gaurav.
Ayush nodded. "How many blacksmiths have been recruited?"
"We've managed to recruit 50 experienced blacksmiths," Gaurav told him.
"Our finest soldiers will start imparting gun-making skills to them right away."
Ayush's lips twitched into a faint smile. "Great. I want 1,000 guns ready for battle within three months."
Gaurav hesitated. "That will need more iron and sulfur. Do we have enough supplies?"
Ayush looked at him, his golden eyes glinting. "We will. I have provisioned for that also."
Whereas the expulsion of spies had been necessary, Ayush recognized that resource acquisition was no less critical.
Gunpowder and guns required iron, sulfur, and charcoal. But Garha did not have adequate reserves.
Ayush asked Gaurav, "We must buy iron mines. Whose are the nearest ones?"
Gaurav paused. "There are richer iron deposits along the Narmada River. But they belong to a local warlord, Rudra Singh."
Ayush smiled. "Then it's time we invited Rudra Singh to join us."