After walking in the forest for a while, the duo of Harsha and Viswa came across a small stream of water that reflected the night sky. The stream flowed silently; the slight, occasional water splashes against the rock broke the eerie silence. The water gave them a soothing, cold touch as they drank from the stream.
Drinking some water, they trekked through the deep forest under the silvery glow of the midnight moon. The only noise was the distinct howls in the distance and the occasional rustle of leaves due to the breeze.
Viswa was walking closely behind Harsha, scanning the surroundings for threats. He looked back at the camp, watching the flickers of flames wandering in the forest.
"Your Highness, they have already caught on."
Harsha kept his stride up without looking back and answered with a quick nod.
"Keep Moving!"
After a grueling hour of trekking, they finally decided to catch their breath under the shade of a huge tree, which also offered a cover wide enough to not get shot by archers from a distance.
"In case we get caught, abandon the weight and start running. We will not engage until I see we have an advantage."
Viswa took a deep breath to calm his nerves. It was his first time in such a situation, and the potential of a battle also made him nervous.
"Understood, Your Highness,"
After a brief break, they began walking through the forest. Harsha planned to get into Bidar using this forest cover. If he can reach Bidar, he can use the base to send a message to the Nayakas or Patwardhans.
After jumping down a small boulder in their path, Harsha froze in place momentarily, as if he had seen a ghost. It was an archer aiming an arrow right at him.
"DUCK!" he yelled, pushing his and Viswa's heads down as the arrow whistled past his head and was stuck on the boulder.
Harsha began to run straight into the forest covers. Viswa, who was visibly startled, quickly calmed his nerves and followed behind. Harsha mumbled, controlling his breath while running.
"Keep running. Not everyone should be catching up now."
"Your Highness, In fron-"
Harsha, with a flick of his wrist, quickly took the dagger strapped to his thigh. He quickly slowed down and stepped aside to avoid the swing of the assassin suddenly appearing in front.
Taking advantage of the momentum of his powerful swing, Harsha grabbed his head, plunged his dagger right into his neck, and took it out in a swift motion. Then he turned around and kept running.
"Viswa, How many did you see?"
"I saw six approaching and judging by the footsteps, close to ten."
They jumped down from a small elevation, landed on their feet, and kept running away from the assassin. Another assassin emerged from the shadows, startling Viswa for a moment. He charged at the assassin before he could swing, effectively throwing him back. The assassin hit his head on the hardwood of a tree, knocking him out cold.
A small flicker of fire could be seen in front of them as they kept running, with assassins following closely. The faint murmurs of conversation could be heard as they approached the fire from a distance.
Meanwhile, a few minutes ago, in the forest,. The Prince of Yadava, Anirrudh Seuna, and his group were camping under a small bonfire, having lentil soup for dinner. Even though they had made camp for rest,. They were extra vigilant of their surroundings, as they never knew when or where an attack could arise.
Naiki looked over the shoulder of Sachin, her gaze directed at the prince, blowing the lentil soup to cool it before eating.
"Your Highness, When will be returning to the Kingdom? It's been ages now."
Sachin looked back at Naiki with a shrug.
"Come on, Naiki. Things will take time, and isn't that old man about to complete the preparations soon?"
"Shut up, you dumb monkey. You don't know anything."
"NAIKI, how dare you call me that?"
Naiki and Sachin began squabbling, pinching each other's cheeks and calling each other names, while Sachin's brother, Hansraj, looked at them and giggled under the warm light of the fire.
"Don't worry, we will be departing to the kingdom in a week or two."
Naiki and Sachin froze in place, looking over at the prince. Their hands were still pinching each other's cheeks, and their eyes filled with excitement as they both said it in unison.
"REALLY!!"
The conversation came to an end when a loud rustling of leaves was heard and footsteps were getting louder with each passing second. The group becomes viligant, their hands on their weapons, waiting for the target to arrive.
To their dismay, two individuals, their faces barely recognizable under the midnight glow, jumped out of the bushes and ran past them swiftly. One of the individuals yelled and pushed Naiki down.
"Get out of the way."
The other guy hopped away from a swing from Hansraj and ran past them.
This wasn't the end of their confusion; six people dressed in black were approaching quickly from a distance as they composed themselves from the initial frenzy.
One of the men saw the group and barked some orders to his subordinate, audible to Anirudh.
"Kill them as well. They saw the prince."
"Follow both of them," Anirrudh swiftly ordered.
They began to run deeper into the following two individuals, abandoning their camp and most items. The group led by Aniruddh was well trained for these situations and experiences. They quickly caught up with the two individuals.
Harsha, who had just passed a couple of people camping in the forest, looked back to find they had caught up to them.
Viswa quickly glanced back at the group of four.
"Now, who are you? Don't follow us, you bugs."
Naiki, her face set in a scowl, shifted her gaze to Viswa.
"This is your fault, not ours. You bastards, why did you have to include us in your chase?"
Harsha's cold, chilling voice cut through the argument.
"SHUT UP!, Concentrate. We need to take care of them first."