Page 148 of Sumanika

I was brutally tired and sleepy and dizzy.

But a war awaited my leadership, and I needed to do it for everyone’s safety.

To keep my blood warm, I thought of my family, whom I had to see upon returning. But not Suman. I wasn’t sure why, but I didn’t want to talk to her. I didn’t have the courage.

You know what the other person thinks about, and if it’s not what you expected, then you might not look into their eyes.

I am unsure how I feel about her at the moment, but it is certainly not a dreamlike experience. She mentioned I was bothering her, that she didn’t want to see me, that she didn’t trust me, and that she didn’t even want to talk to me.

And I didn’t know what the hell I had done wrong.

Honestly, if her past was like mine or worse, I would never have questioned it or made her feel ashamed, even if I didn’t want to stay with her.

She said‘No’without even hearing me out. I would never turn that into a‘Yes,’even if the world blackmailed me into stopping before it.

Finally, after a long, long time, a light flashed before my eyes. I inhaled a deep breath, noticing the rope hanging.

I swam faster.

Grabbing the rope’s end, I screamed at the top of my lungs. "Pull me up,"

No one responded from the other side, and I closed my eyes in exhaustion. I didn’t realize my voice wasn’t coming from my throat. It burnt.

My whole body burnt.

"I said, pull me up," I yelled again.

No one listened. My body felt weak, and the rope slipped from my hand.

No one replied, and I could feel myself being drowned in the water.

Using the last ounce of energy, I pulled the rope down and felt the restraint tied to the tree.

"Pull me up!" My scream was shaky, and I finally felt the soldier responded, pulling me up.

I curled the rope around my hand. The wound of the cut from the other day opened again, sending waves of brutal pain through me.

Finally, I felt a pair of hands holding me and taking me out.

“Agastya,” I felt gentle slaps on my cheeks, but I couldn’t see anything. Everything was a blur, and I didn’t know what happened next.

I found myself awake; my eyes met with Eklavya’s.

"Are you okay?" He asked, helping me sit up.

I nodded and looked around to realize I was in one of the soldier’s tents.

"War?" I asked, my head bursting with the unbearable pain.

"Our men noticed the invaders coming through the river. They will be here tomorrow," his words widened my eyes.

I thinned my brows as I stood up.“What?” My headache subsided.“We can’t wait for tomorrow.” I glared at him and immediately fell back, unable to keep my feet steady on the ground.

“You’re injured, Agastya. You have several wounds and cuts. You need medicine,” Eklavya said, holding my shoulders. I shook my head before I realized I was wearing different clothes.

"If I think about my injury, the entire Hind will get injured. And who the hell changed my clothes without my permission?" I roared, glaring at Eklavya.

His face was confused and flushed.

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