Dark Knight [A Wattpad Featured Story]

Chapter 11: Desert Blooms (Part 1)

The successors to the first rays that had woken Aaryan were brighter and rather persistent. Siya's sleep was no match for them, and she came awake to a room bathed in the morning's radiance. A sense of wellbeing had enveloped her at some point as she had slept, and she woke under its umbrella. She turned her head to see the slight indent in the blankets from where Aaryan had been lying in what had become their unplanned makeshift bed . As wakefulness took over, she sat up abruptly, a deep blush covering her face and neck as she realised how they had slept here all night, next to one another. The impropriety of it was shocking to Siya and even more so was the realisation that it did not feel wrong. Surely she should be ashamed at her behaviour but for some reason, there was no sense of degradation, although there was embarrassment aplenty.

Siya tried to immerse herself in activity to stop her racing thoughts, wondering how on earth she would face Aaryan. As her thoughts turned to him, she looked around, wondering where he was. He must have left before her, and she speculated if he had left in the night itself, but that slight dip on his side of the blankets and some unseen instinct told her not. She rushed to freshen up, shy again as she looked at the state of her disarray in the mirror. Once hurriedly ready, she went downstairs, wondering why it felt so quiet in the Haveli. She could hear no other sounds, and Veer's usually rigorous neighing was conspicuously absent too. She strained her ears to see if she could hear anything from the chamber she believed he had selected for himself, right next to the one he had allocated to her. She hesitated at its door, reluctant to open it in case he was there. A knock yielded no response and she wondered if he might be inside and had not heard her. However, it still felt too quiet. Coming back to the central 'chowk' of the Haveli, she called out his name, softly at first, and then slightly louder. On getting no answer, she ran to the main doors, expecting to find them barred, but to her utter amazement, they swung open at her touch. Siya ran outside to where Veer would be kept stabled. The hay in which he would usually loll was disturbed and the beast was nowhere in sight. A strange panic gripped Siya.

She ran back to the Haveli, calling for Aaryan in earnest, running around the oddly empty building. She even rushed into his chamber this time, noting absently the clearly masculine touches to that room, with its heavy draperies and contrasting silk spread on the mammoth bedframe that seemed to dominate one side. She saw that his assortment of weapons lay in a bundled corner, clearly those he had not carried on his person, for she had noted that he was never entirely unarmed. She was too occupied with finding him to consider a more detailed inspection and ran out as soon as she established that he was not there.  Siya tried to grab at calm, but it evaded her. She was unable to understand why such fear at his unexplained absence pestered her. She stopped in the main hallway as it struck her that this could be her chance. He was nowhere in sight; she could arm herself from his collection, hunt for a map he must have somewhere, and strike out for the nearest settlement she could find. From there she could try to send word to her father. Her mind revolted at once, and she told herself that the reasons were entirely practical. As he had reminded her, she had no horse and did not know the terrain. Yet, she knew that this in itself was not enough to deter her. No, something else held her back.

She felt like she was coming undone; her feet moved in one direction, and almost immediately scrabbled back in the other. Resolving one minute to make the attempt regardless, especially if she found a map in his belongings, she tried to suppress the distaste called up at this thought of betrayal. Betrayal? Are you mad Siya? The man took you hostage. He stole a national security secret and is a known traitor! Yet, her heart screamed in protest, almost stunning her with its force. Something in her knew that no matter what she had seen or heard, he was not a callous criminal. You surely are not going to believe that he is innocent, are you, you stupid, moronic girl? she berated herself. You saw him shoot that poor soldier dead. And the Nagabhata Map, he took it. Why else would he do that? At the same time, her mind recalled Sushena, and his respect and almost awe towards Aaryan, the old man's words once again rang in her ears, she remembered Aaryan's agonizing grief at the news about his friend, saw those tender eyes looking down at her through the mask and him holding her hands to calm her, promising that he would make things right. Each image crashed through her mind, hurtling her feet towards the terrace. Siya knew she was behaving entirely inexplicably but she was unable to help herself.