Chapter 216: Double agent
Aditya was horrified as the Gurkha princess got shot by an unknown assassin in his own palace. He saw the figure jump from the branch and flee towards the outer courtyard of the barracks.
He wanted to give chase, but the wounded princess in his hands clutched his kurta. Her eyes were almost closing, yet she managed to utter, "D-don’t... lea-ve."
He felt helpless at the moment as the princess lay in his hands, bleeding with an arrow in her back. The priority was for the princess to live first.
He screamed his lungs out, "Guards! Guards!"
The guards nearby in the corridor rushed forward. Bheem, his royal guard, who was also nearby, came along in haste. He was horrified by the sight of the wounded princess and rushed to help.
"What happ... who did this to her? Are you alright, Your Highness?" Bheem asked in panic.
The nearby three guards also came and surrounded them, unsheathing their swords and forming a protective circle around them.
Aditya pointed in the direction the assassin fled, "A masked assailant in black and red lining robes, armed with a bow, went that way. Go after him!"
Bheem was about to rush off with the guards, but Aditya called him back, "Bheem, take the princess to the infirmary. Summon Acharya Raghunath to perform the operation. Make sure no one comes near her until I return, and protect her with your life."
Aditya gently laid the princess down and stretched out his arm, "Give me the sword."
Bheem handed over his sword without delay. Aditya dashed off in the direction the assassin had fled, passing through the palace garden. Soon, he caught up with the three bodies of guards lying near the crossroad, where there were clear signs of struggle but no bloodshed. He checked their pulses, and they were thankfully alive but unconscious.
This crossroad led to the barracks on the left, the bath chamber straight ahead, and the administrative chambers on the right.