Page 70 of Twisted Sins

His grandfather didn’t retort or joke as usual but continued to look towards the pond. Rudra’s heart twisted, knowing how his grandfather felt right then.

“All these years…” his grandfather said softly. “Whenever I saw you having fun with your cousins, throwing parties, driving your favorite sports cars, or working on the latest gadgets… I was happy you were attuned to the life here.” There was sadness in his grandfather’s voice. “I thought you had forgotten about the past and what we had talked about when you were barely seven years old.”

Rudra had never forgotten the past.

Along with the beautiful, cherished memories of his father and mother, he also recalled the dark ones when he had watched his mother getting killed. The memory of it was burned into his mind. Even at the age of nearly twenty-one, he often had nightmares because of that night.

His mother held a boy in her arms, shielding him from an attack.

But the group of men who came into the room hit the back of her head with a weapon. His mother didn’t let the boy go and continued to shield him with her body. The group of men stabbed her in the back multiple times before dragging the boy away from her. They killed her and then murdered the boy next.

Rudra still remembered the feeling of shock and helplessness he felt as he watched from a distance while his mother was brutally killed.

He was seven years old when he was taken away from Singoor and brought to London. Although his mother’s family was loving and affectionate, he had run away several times from the palatial estate, wanting to return home to Singoor. He wanted to avenge his parents’ murders.

On his fifth escape attempt, his grandfather sat in front of him.

“Your mother’s last wishes were to keep you safe,” he said. “If you return to your father’s land now, you will be killed. I promise I will help you return to your father’s land when you are old enough… when you turn twenty-one.”

Rudra had honored his grandfather’s wish and didn’t try to escape again.

But now, in a week, he was going to turn twenty-one.

“You are going to make me honor my promise, aren’t you?” his grandfather asked softly, turning and meeting his eyes.

“Yes, Nana ji. I need to go back home. It’s where I belong.”

He wanted to not only avenge his parents’ murders, but he also wanted to fulfill his father’s dream.

His grandfather’s eyes closed as he nodded. “It makes me proud that you are so driven, but it also tears me apart that I won’t be able to hug my grandson anymore.”

Rudra reached for his grandfather’s hand and held it in his. “Nana ji, I’ll always be your grandson,” he said. “But it is time for me to claim my birthright.”

His grandfather gripped Rudra’s hand tightly before pulling him into a tight hug. “Go Rudra… take your rightful place as the heir of the Kabali clan. You have my blessings.”

***

Present…

“Are the warriors ready?” Rudra asked as he went towards the horses after bathing and getting ready for the day.

“Yes, Rudra.”

Rudra and his men were going to check the northeast borders to see if the Thakvars or other clans outside the north Singoor were planning an attack. Suspicious activity has been found.

“Your wound is bleeding, Rudra.” One of his men pointed to his shoulder.

He looked down and saw that the bullet wound in his shoulder was bleeding. He hadn’t rested long enough, and the stitches had come open during the training.

“I’ll have the seer tend to them in the evening.”

Wiping the side of his cheek, he smeared the ash on his injury to temporarily stop the bleeding.

“You lost a lot of blood with your injuries, Rudra,” another warrior stated. “We have enough men. We can check if there are intruders while you rest for a day or two until you are properly healed.”

“No.”

His men didn’t argue because they knew Rudra quite well. Rudra always chose to be in the forefront when they attacked an enemy. And right then, there were too many known and unknown enemies. He couldn’t afford to drop his vigilance even for a day.

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