Chapter 6

The masked trio entered Sar's holding cell. Sar did not get up from where he was seated. He looked at the warily. A moment of silence issued. For some time the only sound that could be heard was the dripping of water from above. The throbbing in Sar' s head increased due to the silence. But Sar mustered his courage and stared back at the pair of black eyes that was boring holes into him. Beautiful eyes, he thought absently. Too bad it belonged the one who held his life in her hands.

Kira was surprised at the prisoner's attitude. Most of the prisoners would have been begging for a release. When she looked at his eyes she could see confidence and courage along with something else. An elegance. Such elegance was rare. She had yet to master that. Somehow she trusted that man. She signalled Val. Val looked at her in surprise and she cautiously moved forward towards the man. Joey mirrored her and kept close to her. She slowly opened her kit.

Sar saw Kira's signal. Mentally preparing himself for the worst, he was surprised to see that instead of the giant , the small and graceful one had stepped towards him. She slowly opened her kit. It was filled with vials and herbs. She stepped towards him and slowly touched his head where it hurt the most.

Sar did not expect this and he flinched. Suddenly the room echoed with the sounds of drawn daggers. Sar felt the points of two daggers on his throat. He looked to see that both the giant and Kira had pointed their daggers at him. The girl hurriedly said, " No. It is my fault. The wound is deep. I accidentally pressed it too hard. " Kira nodded at her and sheathed her dagger. But the giant still held the dagger in his hand. Val slowly applied herbs and tied and a length of cloth around his head. The girl's hand were quick and experienced. The throbbing in his head dissipated. She gave him one cup filled with a murky liquid. "Drink it all. It clears the head." Sar took the cup and looked at the liquid. " I assure you it is not poison or any other tonic. It will also help in fast recovery", she said. Sar drank the tonic. He felt renewed. He was assured that they would not kill him any time soon. If not they would not have tried to cure his wound.

Sar smiled at her in thanks. Even though she wore a mask, Sar could tell that she was smiling back at him. Even the others in the room could tell that. The giant scowled. Sar could see that the giant was in love with her. So even giants have a heart, he thought dryly.

Kira frowned. It seemed that Val also trusted the man already. If both of them had the same instincts to trust him, he was trustworthy, she thought. Still they had to know his story. She slowly grabbed the mask and pulled it off her. She shook out her hair. Joey and Val looked at her in surprise. In Val eyes she could see that Val was pleased with her choice, on the other hand in Joey's eyes she could see betrayal. Kira signalled again. Both of them removed their masks.

Sar looked at the three people. The slender and tiny girl on the left must be Val, he thought based on the conversations he had overheard. She was so delicate, it was no wonder the other two protected her so much. The one in the right , the giant was Joey. Sar could see that he was handsome inspire of his size. The last one, was Kira.

.....

Kira saw him sizing all of them up. She came towards him and ordered in a cold voice, "State your story."

Sar looked at her and fearlessly he recounted all that happened to him after reaching the capital. He had intentionally left out two things. One, his life before the capital and two, the lady who saved him at the wedding. He could not being himself to talk about her to strangers. Just thinking about her made his heart race.

After his story, Kira looked troubled. "So the Kin's story was true. You entered the capital through the caravan. How did you escape the goods checking at the gates?"

"I don't know. The stationed soldier did not even check the goods before allowing it into the gates" ,he said.

Kira saw that he was sincere and she believed him. Then she had another doubt, "How did you escape from the wedding?" , she asked.

"I..I jumped out of a window" ,he said. But he could not hide the blush rising in his face. "That's it?" , she asked.

"Yes",he replied not missing a beat. He was hiding something. Something to do with a girl, she thought.

Being the leader of a rebellion, she was good in reading the body language. She knew almost exactly what a person thought.

She decided to let it go as he had been very truthful about all the other things. She then said," I'll be locking this door for now. I'll give your story some consideration and I'll decide whether to kill you or not. See you later tonight. " After locking the cell, all three of them went up the stairs.

Sar looked at the backs of the three of them . He was both sad and glad. Sar that he had to spend more time in that prison and glad that they did not kill him still.

.....

Kira paced her room. She had replayed the entire conversation in her head. The more she thought the more she felt that he was trustworthy. She would release him,bshe thought. She recalled how he had blushed when she asked him how he escaped from the merchants merchant's house. He definitely had the help of some girl. A beautiful girl. Sar, she thought, it was an unusual name.

The thing which had surprised her the most was the sudden pang of jealousy she felt when she saw him blushing for another girl.

...