Gandikota

The Plot

The man who was ushered in,  was of a medium height, well built, with a thick moustache hovering over his lips,shifty eyes that darted constantly. Dressed in a tunic of green and gold, with an ochre colored dhoti, tucked neatly in folds.

"Erra Timma, the brother of the great Ramalinga Nayaka, so what brings you here, against your own brother"

Veerabhadra Gajapati, at his sardonic, sneering best again, sizing up the man in front.

"That low born is not my brother, don't you even call him one. It rankles me no end, that this man born to a lowly temple dancer, would be ruling over Gandikota, soon".

The scorn and contempt in his tone, was clearly unmistakable. 

"You are willing to betray your own brother, how do you expect me to trust you"

"Because of the pain I experience every moment, when they hail that low born and sing his praises.  When I see them hailing him in victory after he returns victorious from every campaign. When I feel helpless in the fact that I could never oust him in a fair fight. Every day of my life I have been living a lie, pretending all is well,when the pain gnaws every fibre of my being."

Veerabhadra observed the mix of disgust, and helplessness on Erra Timma's face, emphathizing with him, as he had been living a similiar life from quite some time. But he was still wary of trusting him.

Reading his thoughts, Sadashiva interjected with a gentle, but firm tone

"I sense your lack of faith, Veerabhadra, and I would not blame you. But if there is any one Ramalinga Nayaka trusts more than any one in this world, it is Erra Timma. He would be wary with you and me, considering our past spats, and Mareppa, is some one he would never even allow at a close range.  Now quite often a very close trust in someone can often be more fatal than an open attack"

Mareppa added in that rather thick voice of his

"Ramalinga would let down his guard against Erra Timma, making him far more vulnerable than when he is on the battle field.  And when he discovers the betrayal, the shock would kill him from inside."

"All this looks fine, so what exactly is the plot here"

"Walls have ears Veerabhadra, there is a place to discuss it"

As Sadashiva kicked away the fine Persian carpet, a thickset trap door,with a large iron ring, revealed itself.  Pulling up the trap door, it revealed a flight of stairs down into the darkness. The four of them descended down, one by one, with Sadashiva leading up the rear.

The chamber was dark, with no windows, lit only by flaming torches, that threw dark, sinister shadows on the walls.  The sparse room,had one large table made of teak,in the center, with no chairs  to sit either. The chill in the room perfectly matched the devious minds of the men.

"When we plot,something so devious, and sinister, the atmosphere has to be as dark and foreboding too. Sunlit,spacious rooms can never ignite such thoughts.  Shall we begin gentleman"

The face of Sadashiva, lit in half by the flickering light of the torches, , with a twisted wicked grin, and eyes that bore hatred, was a display of sheer malevolence. And that voice, absolutely cold, unfeeling, just sent shivers down the spine of the other three.