The Battered Crown

Chapter 17: The Black Enforcers

Viaan slowly turned around and jerked his head towards the right so his face would be in shadows of the outpost building. That motion also served to displace his hair and it fell in his eyes. Eyes smarting with tears, Viaan answered the head guard.

"The trainee sent for some, I don't know which trainee. The desk manager gave me this to give to you," he said indicating the small bottle, "before leaving to get supplies, sir."

Viaan bowed his head remembering how Rudra talked to him. The guard bought his act and dismissed him.

With a slight spring in his step, Viaan walked briskly to the mansion. He was quiet proud of his accomplishment when he was tackled from behind. He tried turning his head but he was kept frozen. He was standing below the tourist attraction, the waterfalls which were allowed entry for only two months. And as he was trespassing, no one knew where he was.

He tried to open his invisible bindings but they were fastening around him and squeezing hard. Viaan had little time to free himself and he tried to remember his training. He focused his mind on the bindings and searched for a little crack. When he found one, he made it bigger and bigger till there was a snap and he was free. He whirled back and saw those black robed warriors. They were like the ones he fought with Nairiti. He now knew how to felt when his magic was being pulled away from him. But their magic didn't work on him. They also realised that and then advanced on him. Viaan knew how to fight. He was taught that before he could learn how to read.

Viaan dodged the left one's hand and parried the right one with his extendable sword. He added some lightning so that the person could get a shock and get unconscious. It worked and soon the two guys were dozing. He didn't know why they attacked him. If they knew when to attack, they were keeping a close eye on him. Viaan left them there and nearly ran back to the mansion.

"You are back, so early," Vidyut gasped after looking at him properly," Why are you bleeding?"

Bleeding? It was a small cut, Viaan thought. Vidyut carefully wrapped a cloth on Viaan's forehead.

"You fought the Black guards, huh?"

"Who are they?" Viaan asked.

"They are the supreme dark users, I can say."

Something dark clouded Vidyut's voice and Viaan didn't like it. His friend was sunshine personified not darkness representer.

"And what do they do?" Viaan asked him to bring him out of his powerful dark thoughts.

"They recruit magic users in their swarm. They like to be forceful about things. They are the law enforcers and pretty much brutal."

"How can the enforcers be brutal?"

"They are hardened people, you see. They only want to see justice served at any cost. But they are going wrong about it. You are a prince, let me ask you something? What punishment would you give a kid who was caught stealing?"

Viaan thought for a moment.

"I would tell him not to do it again and give him food."

"That's the difference. They will send the kid to fight with a skilled magic user. A defenseless kid to fight a magic user. To harden and toughen him up for something he did because he was hungry and no one cared for him. I agree that sometimes hard punishments must be given. But they believe punishments make people better. I think it is pure non sense."

Viaan could see Vidyut's point but he felt like something was off with those magic users.

"Then don't they get hurt by using magic to hurt others?"

"They believe they are doing the world right, so in their mind, they are right. Why would they torture their mind at night when they spend their days doing the world good?"

Vidyut's tone was bitter and icy. Viaan knew those people and Vidyut had a history.

"How many people are they?"

"Only a couple thousand!"

"Whoa!"

Viaan thought it was a kingdom by the way Vidyut reacted. But if it was a kingdom, Viaan should have already known about it or his geography teacher would be mad at him.

"You are hurt!"

Both of them turned towards the right where Nairiti was standing with Rudra. She looked at him with a worried stance and Viaan felt sheepish. It was nothing. He had falls way worse than the cut on his forehead.

She demanded a thorough second by second narration of his field trip. She didn't interrupt and neither did the others. After he was done, she exploded at him with anger.

"You were almost caught. Do you know what could happen then? I can't break you out again. And then you got almost strangled by the Black Squad. Why won't you listen to us?"

Viaan interrupted her before she could point out other flaws in his plan.

"I'm here, aren't I? I didn't know about the Black guards. But I got out without anyone knowing I was in. I can be safe. I'm here. Be calm."

She glared at him for a few seconds and then her expression softened.

Viaan produced the paper strips he found and gave them to Vidyut for his analysis. Then Ridra informed about five of his friends who wanted to work for them. They didn't tell anyone of their complete plan so it was good, Viaan thought.

Viaan then fell asleep on the chair which he realised when he was woken up by Rudra. He opened his tired eyes and saw the pensive look on Vidyut.

"Based on what food materials you saw, they are being fed with slow drugs. The spices and everything are not what we think. If they are added more in the food, everyone in the palace will fall asleep. It's like a sleep spell. For those ingredients to work, some ingredients are to be given in small doses for few days. And you say that you saw unopened packets, so I say we only have twenty days to work."

Twenty days later, the people will be blissfully asleep and Mihira will be conquered by a foe if Viaan didn't do anything.

Author's note:
I'm on fire. Two updates back to back. Readers make me write more and think more! Thank you jyothi89 for your support which made this possible.

Theories, theories, theories, people! I'm waiting ;)

Thank you for reading !