Page 149 of Twisted Sins

Less than thirty minutes later, Nandini and Uma stepped out of the Kabali mansion.

Every step she took reminded her of the demon. Cursing him even as her cheeks heated, she walked along the long corridors on the other side of the mansion she had been to the previous day. The other side had a school for older children and a temple. The seer’s place was supposedly next to the temple.

She passed by the school for older children. Right next to it was an open area where several children fought in pairs using weapons. She knew they must be training and was amazed at their skills, even at a young age.

Although the children were tall, she knew they must be quite young.

“How old are these children?” she asked Uma.

“They are eleven years old,” Uma replied.

Nandini was shocked. She thought they would at least be fifteen or sixteen. Her eyes fell on a pair who fought more aggressively than the others. She frowned when one of them drew blood, but the fight continued.

Several adults were watching the fight.

Why are they not stopping the fight?

The kid who drew blood continued to attack and drew more blood. The body language wasn’t that of a sport or professional training.

She took a step towards the training area and stopped.

Maybe this is how the Kabali clan trains the children to become warriors.

Just as she wondered if she would cause disruption by intervening, she saw a woman rushing towards the kids and breaking them apart.

There was a lot of shouting from the fighting children and the adults watching the fight. But shockingly, they were shouting at the woman who stopped the fight.

Nandini had no idea everyone was ganging up against one woman. And the way they all shouted made Nandini go towards the training area.

“Who are you to stop the fight!” someone shouted.

“I’m their teacher,” the woman said in a calm, dignified tone. “Linga and Vara drew blood and weren’t fighting according to principles of training.”

“A traitor wouldn’t know about principles!” another person shouted.

The woman stiffened, but she maintained a dignified calm.

But people continued to insult her.

“You are a disgrace and are only here because—”

Nandini had seen and heard enough.

“Tham!” she commanded, asking them to stop.

They all turned and looked at her. A sudden silence fell over the small crowd. Although there were hostile faces, no one said anything. She knew they all recognized her by her clothes and jewelry. And many of them must have seen her during the feast.

“I saw what happened,” she said, using the Kabali language. Although she wasn’t completely fluent in the language, she spoke in a tone that conveyed her displeasure. “The fight was getting out of hand, and the woman was right in stopping the children before they lost control and one of them got seriously hurt.”

Nandini looked at the two children. “Apologize to your teacher,” she commanded in a soft yet firm tone.

The children looked angry, but they didn’t argue. They turned to the woman and muttered an apology.

The woman nodded, accepting their apology. “It’s okay,” she said. “I just want you to be careful and not deliberately hurt each other.”

Soon, a bell rang. The children began dispersing. The adults glared at Nandini and the woman before leaving and going towards the school.

Nandini stood with the woman along with Uma, who was watching everything silently.

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