---
The Whispered Poison
The fortress of Nandigram was never so silent.
Servants tiptoed through the corridors, their eyes downcast. Guards stood stiff at their posts, glancing at one another with unease. The black scroll's threat had bled into every corner—one among you is ours.
Shaurya sat at the council table, the serpent's letter lying open before him. The candlelight painted shadows across his calm face. Rajnandini stood at his side, restless, her hand on her sword hilt.
"This is how serpents strike," she muttered. "They do not need fangs—they let doubt gnaw through the walls."
Shaurya's voice was steady, low but firm.
"Then doubt must not command us. The Circle hides within fear. We will not give them that throne."
---
The Circle's Coil
Far beneath the city, in a cavern lit by sickly green torches, the Serpent Circle gathered.
Their leader, veiled in a hood of bone-white silk, traced a serpent sigil across the ground with ash. A dozen acolytes knelt in silence.
"The prince claws too deep," the veiled figure hissed. "Dharan, Ashvat, Kanta—all unmasked. Soon the people will see that their lords were nothing but hollow shells."
A masked acolyte leaned forward. "Then let us unleash the venom. Strike him now, before his roots take hold."
But the leader shook their head. "No. Blood would make him a martyr. We must rot him from within. We already have a tongue in his court… a hand on his table."
The circle hissed in unison, a chilling sound that echoed through the cavern.
---
The First Suspicions
At the morning council, Shaurya entered with quiet poise. Around the round table sat his ministers—Treasurer Raghav, Commander Bhavan, Chief Scribe Devadatt, and others whose eyes flickered nervously at the prince's calm presence.
Unspoken tension coiled between them. Each wondered: Does he suspect me? Does he already know?
Shaurya allowed the silence to stretch before speaking.
"The serpent cult claims one among us drinks their poison."
The words fell like stones. Some ministers gasped. Others stiffened.
Treasurer Raghav sputtered. "Surely, Your Highness, this is nothing but their venomous lies—"
"Lies or truth, the people now believe it," Shaurya interrupted, his gaze level. "And so we must prove by action that our council is untarnished."
He rolled out a scroll. "Each of you will oversee a purge in your district. Evidence will be weighed, suspects brought to trial. If any hand falters, we will see who bleeds fear."
The council shifted uncomfortably. Commander Bhavan scowled, Scribe Devadatt adjusted his robes. The test was not hidden—it was public, merciless.
Rajnandini's lips curled in the faintest smile. Shaurya was not chasing shadows—he was drawing them into light.
---
An Uneasy Night
That evening, as Shaurya stood on the palace balcony, Rajnandini approached, her brow furrowed.
"You play a dangerous game, making them all carry the blade. If one of them is a serpent…"
Shaurya did not turn. His eyes remained on the city below, where torchlight glimmered through streets restless with rumor.
"Then they will expose themselves. Fear is a mirror, Rajnandini. A loyal man sees his duty. A serpent sees his doom."
For a moment, the torchlight reflected in his calm, unblinking eyes, as though fire itself bent toward him.
---
The Fracture
Late into the night, one minister slipped away from the palace. Hood drawn, steps hurried, he crossed through alleys until he reached the old stone cistern at the city's edge.
There, a hooded serpent acolyte awaited.
"You should not have come," the acolyte whispered.
The minister's voice trembled. "The prince watches us all. He sets trials… I cannot endure this scrutiny. You promised protection."
The acolyte's smile was hidden, but their voice dripped with satisfaction. "Protection, yes. But only for those who prove loyal to the Circle. Do not falter, or you will be offered as sacrifice instead."
The minister bowed, torn between terror and guilt.
And above them, unseen, a shadow crouched upon the rooftop—one of Shaurya's spies, eyes burning with the knowledge of betrayal.
---
The Calm Before the Storm
When dawn came, the spy's report reached Shaurya. He read it in silence, his face as unreadable as stone.
Rajnandini slammed her hand against the table. "We have the traitor! Give the order, and I will cut him down where he stands."
Shaurya's voice remained calm, deliberate.
"No. Not yet. One serpent's head means nothing. We must draw the Circle into the open. When the traitor believes he is unseen, he will lead us to the nest."
His eyes flickered, cold yet resolute. "And then… the Circle will learn what it means to awaken the wrath of a king in the making."
---
Foreshadowing
Far away, in the deep cavern, the Serpent leader stirred as though sensing something in the air.
"The prince moves like a hunter," they whispered. "But even hunters bleed when bitten."
They lifted a chalice filled with black venom and raised it high. "Let the Festival of Night be prepared. Let him think he cuts the snakes… while we sink our fangs into his heart."
The acolytes hissed in chorus, the cavern trembling with their oath.
The game had shifted. Both sides watched, both sides waited.
And in the silent halls of Nandigram, the venom crept closer.
To be continued....