Page 83 of Sumanika

We quickened our pace as we went down the steep slope, but suddenly we both slipped in the muddy ground.

My heart raced as I tightened my grip on his hand. We fell, losing control of our bodies. Uncontrollable screams escaped our mouths as the lamp slipped from my fingers, landing in the water ahead. This wasn’t just a river; it resembled a vast ocean. It was terrifying.

I couldn’t think clearly. I quickly drew my dagger from its sheath and drove it into the solid ground, gripping the handle tightly. We slowed our descent and panted heavily.

We were terrified, and death seemed imminent.

“I need to go home,” Eklavya exclaimed, causing me to chuckle.

“You’re the head commander of Suryagarh’s army,” I reminded him, and he shook his head in response.

“This isn’t a battle or a training exercise,” we both smiled at each other, calming our breaths as we leaned our backs against the sloping surface.

The sound of rushing water sent chills up our spines.

“This wouldn’t be the opening for those machines. The water flow is heavy, and it doesn’t seem like its passage can be changed,” Eklavya said, and I nodded in agreement.

“You’re right,” I panted.“We should walk back to the spot where we had two choices,” I suggested, and he nodded. We slowly crawled back, our clothes becoming caked in mud. My fingers were shaking now. We had narrowly escaped death.

My lips dried out, and our lamp was out, too. However, it felt like morning now as a faint brightness illuminated this place.

We continued back and selected another spot. The light grew brighter with each step, and after a long, exhausting, cold, and perilous walk, we finally found the large opening of a dry riverbed.

Clearly, it was dry because the ground sloped upwards, unlike a living river, which slopes downwards.

Wait a moment! That meant a river was coming from above, which could only mean one thing: this river was flowing down from the mountains. We were close to the mountains.

This location was perfect for delivering the gunpowder and those enormous, destructive machines.

Although I didn’t know why, an idea clicked in my mind. The possibility of this river going underground after it came from the mountains suggested a river was running through the mountains. It wouldn’t be surprising if the army used this river to traverse the mountains.

"Fuck!" I muttered, and Eklavya stared at me in disbelief.

"What?" he asked as we stepped out of the dry riverbed passage.

"We should head back home," I said gradually.

Suman

With my flushed cheeks, I looked back at the mirror to see myself again before heading to the door. But my gaze lingered on the faint red bruise on my neck. My fingers brushed over it, rubbing my skin in anticipation, which made me inhale sharply in confusion.

This was unexpected.

Did something happen?

I lowered my gaze to check my hands, legs, back, and shoulders, and aside from this bruise, there wasn’t a single mark on me, triggering a memory that clouded my mind.

His lips were on my neck.

The intensity of his breath, the grip of his hands, and the warm moisture between my legs—everything felt both too fast and too slow. It seemed like we had spent just a few moments together, yet my memory captured every detail in thousands of images.

His swollen lips, lustful green eyes, the touch of his fingers on my core—everything was overwhelming.

"Suman!"

Daadisa's voice pulled me from my thoughts. I gulped nervously and moved towards the door. I draped my Dupatta over my head, trying to cover the bright red mark with the hem.

Inhaling deeply to muster courage, I placed my palms on the handle and opened the door.

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