Zero Tolerance

Saptsindhu

Though the handler had walked away, Ratansingh stood there with a frown, peering down at where the two bodies had disappeared.

There was something not right about this. Why would Shaurya come all the way and set this elaborate thing up when he wanted to die? Was this his twisted way of showing his love for the country? There was no doubt that he was dead, no one could survive this fall but why? It wasn't making sense. He needed to think this through.

Himprayag

It had taken Bela two days to make the trek. Crossing the border had not been such a problem since she was travelling as a horsewoman on her way to participate in the upcoming event at Himprayag's army foundation anniversary. Every year, on this day, Himprayag invited people from different countries who would come and showcase their skills in weaponry, horse riding, archery among other competitions.

Prithvi had registered Bela's application along with her fake background documents sometime back. Few days ago, his eagle had brought the confirmation papers of her participation to her residence which had previously been sent to Prithvi's given address by the organisers in Himprayag.

Bela brought her palms to her mouth and then rubbed them together to generate warmth in her hands. Winters were just setting in the Northern zilla but here, in Himprayag, it was a whole different level of chilly weather.

Pulling the fur coat even closer, she trudged on after clearing the border on the other side. The main center where the event was to be held was still far away.

"God, I am definitely old. I can feel the cold in my bones," she shuddered.

Three days later

Gayatri was decked in the full livery with the embossed symbol of Himprayag on it. The country's emblem was the rising Sun with rays emanating in all directions. In the surrounding regions, Himprayag was the first place where the Sun rose every morning. The country worshipped the Sun, seeking its warmth and brilliance to keep the snowy region in glory.

Addressing the crowd which consisted of the participants from all over the neighboring countries and their own, Gayatri said, "Welcome to Himprayag, I hope that our hospitality has not been lacking. Starting today, we will be conducting a three-day event where all of you will get a fair and equal opportunity to showcase your talent. The different categories and their venues have been put up on the board next to the registration booth. You will be allowed to check the venue one hour before the event takes place. The safety instructions and the rules of the contest have already been given to you. I wish you a fierce competition."

Her words were met with a loud cheer. The participants in these events tended to belong to the best in their fields. One of the reasons for it was the lucrative prize money which was enough to keep one in comfort for a large part of their lives. As a result, the mediocre people didn't bother participating due to the low probability of them succeeding.

The other reason was that this event acted as a scouting ground for many of these performers. A lot of people from different countries kept an eye out for that rare potential which could be beneficial for their nation.

Bela had only heard of these contests but never participated due to her need to stay low profile. Running her gaze across the various people milling around, she found most of them to be much younger. There was an air of confidence in the way everyone walked or carried their weapon of choice.

She tried not to let their projected body language affect her morale and confidence. It was imperative that she win at least one of the events if not two. The initial plan was to send her only for the horse-riding event but to increase the chances of winning, she had also put in her name in the event where showcasing of one's weapon and its effectiveness was tested against the others.

Thankfully, both her events were to take place on the first day itself and she didn't need to go through prolonged palpitations.

Bela's plan was to balance the probable superior skills of her competitors with her experience and maturity. Steadying her breath, she walked towards the stable where they were supposed to choose a horse for the contest.

A big metal pot was kept outside the stable and the chronological order of people going in was to be decided by the draw of lots. Everyone was to pull out a leaf from the pot which had a number written on it. People muttered, some even complained about not being allowed to bring their own horses to the contest.

As Bela put in her hand to pull out a leaf, a sudden spurt of blood fell on her forearm. Raising her head sharply, she registered the shrieks around her but her gaze was focused on the lean young woman standing in front of her. Her sword was still frozen mid-air while blood dripped from it.

The severed head of the man who had been supervising the pulling of lots lay on the ground. There was a flurry of steps and the army woman who had addressed them sometime back, came there along with her fleet.

"Princess Ahilya, are you alright? What happened?" she asked in an urgent voice, taking stock of her surroundings.

"Send his head to his family and tell them that they raised a cheater. Send someone to catch the person who has the leaf with number 5 in his hand. He colluded with this man to gain advantage in the contest. Make sure that you chop his limbs and bring them to me," Ahilya said in a stern voice.