Dark Knight [A Wattpad Featured Story]

Chapter 16: Perilous Revelations (Part 1)

SANYOGGHAD, NORTH OF SHIKHARPUR BORDERS

The mounted man looked keenly at Aaryan, his eyes narrowed against the sun. He took in the rest of the surrounding scene and when his eyes alighted on a visibly distraught Siya, they rested on her for long moments. He turned back to Aaryan but demanded an explanation from the man Aaryan had lashed in retaliation. The man shakily recounted the events preceding his Captain's arrival, embellishing matters to make Aaryan seem like an insolent rebel challenging their authority without just cause. The man listened without comment or much outward reaction. He was boyishly handsome, not very tall, but slim and quite dapper, despite his soldierly garb. However, his eyes were odd. They were a very pale hazel, and so cold that they resembled frost-drenched ferns on a winter morning. His features, whilst fine enough, had early traces of dissipation marking them, particularly under his artic eyes and around the almost too smooth planes of his cheeks and chin. Something about him hinted at his enjoyment of over much of the finer things, and perhaps the not so fine, in life. Still refusing to acknowledge Aaryan, who stood similarly impassive, he spoke to his men.

"Bring him to the camp. I will question him there." His voice was like his eyes - it had a biting quality to it, but was underlain by a subtle clarion quality, hinting at shrillness in moments of extreme agitation. Aaryan shot Siya a warning look, as if to tell her not to react, and as more men with drawn swords surrounded Aaryan, he stepped forward himself. The newcomer turned to the man holding Siya.

"And the lady too of course."

Aaryan interjected at once, "She cannot help you. I am willing to come and answer your queries but an army base can hardly be fitting for an innocent woman?"

The man had a slight twist to his thin lips and a speculative gleam in his eyes as he looked between the two.

"But she travels with you, no? So she must come, I am afraid. As for innocence, I can only establish yours, and hers by association, after we speak and I satisfy myself. You need not worry, I will take very good care of her whilst we speak to you."

Anger simmered in Aaryan's eyes but he knew it was futile to protest. As Siya tried to shrug off the guard holding her, the rider spoke again.

"And how did this man arrive? Where is his horse? Please fetch him too."

Aaryan once more spoke, "He probably ran off as I was distracted by the commotion and left him unattended whilst feeding him."

His captor was not dissuaded. "Well, let us see, shall we. You fed him, you say? Where were you? My men might have to search the village to find this horse and of course the more we stay and search, the more things we may discover." He flung that with a significant look at the gathered crowd, who were all sullen faced and mostly looking away in fright. "Does anyone know the whereabouts of this man's horse?"

No one replied, despite the man Aaryan had bought the fodder from being part of the assemblage. The man raised his brows.

"Very well, then". He directed his men to search and bring him any horses they saw, causing some of the townspeople to look at each other in concern. In hardly minutes, an angrily neighing Veer was dragged along by two men trying to keep away from his hooves. Seeing Veer, the man's gaze sharpened and he carefully looked at Aaryan. As the men passed Aaryan, Veer reared with his ears flattened, and caught one of the soldiers squarely in the chest, raising shouts of alarm and some of the armed guard to rush forward, but they were checked by a command from the mounted man. Aaryan was by Veer in a trice, patting his neck and speaking softly to him, whispering something to him. Aaryan wondered if he could mount quickly enough and draw his bow or sword, but there were too many with swords at his back and besides Siya was being held. Aaryan softly directed Veer to be led by a few more nervous looking soldiers, the leader looking on with a slight smirk. When it seemed they would set off, he had one more instruction. Indicating Siya, he asked for her to be mounted on his horse.