I clutched at Zaroon's arm waiting for the castle to stop shaking.
"Where is everyone? Were those..."
"Someone attacked the castle." He confirmed, his arms around my waist. I stared at his jawline as he looked towards Elena. Slowly, the rumbling came to a halt and we breathed a collective sigh of relief. It had only lasted for a few minutes but I felt as if my whole world was coming to a halt.
"Check if everyone is okay... Ammi, Uncle EJ"
"Are you okay?"He asked, his hand steadying me. I looked into his eyes, they were filled with concern. My heart did a strange leap and I nodded, not trusting my voice.
"I'm fine...Rania?" I called out moving away from him. She nodded, her face betraying the terror she was feeling. "We have to go in and calm the guests down. We continue, as usual, we'll say that we have some foundational work happening which is why the castle rumbled. Heavy machinery and all that" the three of them nodded. Rania and I went to the reception hall, our fixes fixed in pleasant and warm smiles.
It was easy to convince the guests. We all wanted to be in denial. Acknowledging that something was wrong often led to pointing fingers and no one wanted to point fingers at the hosts. Izhaan and Hania made their entrance, their game faces on and everyone continued with the partying.
I caught Izhaan's eye and he nodded at me, checking to see if I was okay. I reassured him with my eyes. Ammi Jaan stood with Aunt Laila, meeting someone from the central provinces. Aunt Mamo and Farishta stood on the other side, having a meeting with the representative of the northern legislature. Rania and I stood in the middle trying to understand this divide.
Gulzar Mahal was founded by Muhammad Gulzar Saeed Khan, a Persian warrior. He had conquered the small fort from the then ruler, Vikram Singh. Vikram Singh had been an astute warrior and politician and had made alliances through marriage. Gulzar had decided to do the same to hold on to his seat. He manipulated and plotted to get his children married into the most prominent houses in every possible direction. Over the years, that practice was continued and as Gulzar Mahal grew, so did its influence.
The whole room was filled with first, second cousins and distant relatives. Every single one of them was in a position of power or affiliated to one. Seeing the two camps, the north and the south, had me feeling edgy. Aunt Mamo was Ammi Jaan's cousin, so she would not move against her.
"But Naila would," Rania said as I voiced my observation to her.
"You mean her father?" the notorious Kingmaker. Naila's father, Jamal, was known to manipulate elections in whatever direction that he chose. He had old family money and a lot of smart investments that he used to pull different strings. Rania nodded, her mouth pressed into a grim line. Aunt Mamo was here for Feroze. He needed support if he had any hope of standing against Naila's father and maintaining his integrity.
"Rania! It's lovely to see you. You look stunning" A tall man, dressed impeccably in a charcoal suit, approached us, his face lighting up with a smile. I recognized the features and guessed him to be Hassan's brother, Hussein. Rania smiled, switching to her hostess persona.
"Hussein, it's lovely to see you. Meet my sister, Elena"
"I've heard so much about you, it's a pleasure to finally meet you, "I said with a genuine smile.
"The pleasure is all mine. I must say, you look beautiful tonight" I laughed at his flattery and he smiled, all charm. "Rania told me you work at a firm in London?"
"Yes"
"Is it Hendricks and Smith?" I nodded, amazed he had remembered that detail. "Lovely, I've heard it's one of the best. Will you be heading back soon?"
"As soon as possible. You know how work is"
"Ah, but one must take some time out to play," he said with a conspiratorial wink. Rania laughed. The guy was charming and I definitely saw his interest in Rania, but there was something off about him.
"Begum Sahiba" I heard Zaroon's voice from behind me.
"Major Zaroon! You're back in your hometown?" Hussein exclaimed. Zaroon smiled and reached out to shake his hand. Hometown? Hadn't he lived in the north, with his mother?
"You know each other?" Rania said, her voice carefully modulated to conceal her surprise.
"He was posted in our area. Had to deal with some...rebels. He's one of the best" Since we had been attacked twice under his care, I doubted that statement.
"You're being too kind" he really was. "Will you excuse us?" Hussein nodded and I followed him to the foyer.
"What is it?" I said once we had found a suitable spot. Servers milled about preparing for the dinner.
"There is a message"
"From?"
"From the 'new revolutionaries' " Uncle EJ said from behind me. I squeaked at his sudden appearance.
"Where... what is it?"
"They want to negotiate"
"After what they did? Where was this 'message?' "
"It was sent to Murad. Texted to him" Uncle EJ said showing me the screenshot. I chewed on my lip.
"Negotiations for what?"
"We don't know"
"Where? Do we go to them?"
"No" both Zaroon and Uncle EJ growled at the same time. "I will not have you risking your life Elena" Uncle EJ whispered, his gaze fierce.
"Then what? We send Murad?" We fell into deep thought. "We'll discuss this after all this is over. Has there been any media contact? Any social media presence?" Uncle EJ looked at me, his gaze was thoughtful.
"Surprisingly no. Maybe they're counting on us to respond? That might be their last card."
"What does the expert think?" I said, giving Zaroon a questioning look.
"Urban rebellions are different than rural. This seems to be purely political or economical"
"Any progress on what had happened?"
"Exactly what you said" Zaroom muttered, moving as a tray full of canapes was brought in.
"What?" I said surprised.
"They actually had heavy machinery deployed, under the castle, in the old tunnels. That's why the castle shook. They made you look truthful. The surprising part, however, is that they're using government machinery but no cleaning or maintenance had been scheduled for today"
"Someone... there's someone on the inside. Someone who knows, who's smart" Uncle EJ voiced the thoughts in my head. We all stood, silent and deep in our thoughts. Eventually, Uncle EJ was called to meet a guest leaving Zaroon and I standing in the corner. I looked at him, looking sharp in a black suit, with a white dress shirt and no tie. He seemed to be lost in his own thoughts.
"You told me I did not know this city" he looked at me, surprised. "I want to go to the city tomorrow" and see for myself if there was anything worth rebelling for. He gave me a measured look. "Obviously, no one can know about this, or I'd be stuck behind these walls" silence greeted my words. "Look, if you don't want to take me, I'll find someone else" or sneak out on my own.
"I'll take you," he said as if he'd heard the last thought in my head. I smiled, feeling a bit better about this whole situation.
"Tomorrow morning..." everyone would be asleep till noon or later, tired from the wedding festivities. I had to aim to come back before my absence was noticed.
I went back to the reception hall where the party was in full swing. Izzy and Hania were dancing in a corner, Rania was still in deep conversation with Hussein and Ammi Jaan was now arguing with Aunt Mamo. I shuddered as the two women engaged in a fierce battle of who could sound the scariest while whispering. Picking up my glass of water, I observed the party with a sense of relief. We were all safe, for now.
The sun's rays entered my room as I woke up to dress up in my plainest outfit. The goal was to not be noticed. Applying a light layer of makeup, I grabbed my purse and ran downstairs to meet with Zaroon.
He was waiting in the foyer, his eyes bright despite it being 6 in the morning.
"Are you sure about this?" I nodded before I could say anything. I had weighed the consequences of my decision and had arrived at the conclusion that the pros outweighed the cons. With excitement curling up in my stomach, I followed him outside to the car.
"There is no car?" I said, dismayed.
"If you want to see the city...we'll have to take public transport"
"But... I have no money" I realized, thinking about my wallet. I had given all the cash to the woman in the hospital. I had not bothered to get any more. He sighed and gestured to himself. I nodded and followed him to the main gate.
"Where are you going Begum Sahiba?" the guard asked, his voice laced with concern.
"Just for a walk... I was anxious"
"With him Begum Sahiba?" They gestured towards Zaroon. I nodded.
"He'll make sure I'm safe" they still seemed to be unsure about letting me go out. "The gardens here have been prepped for the luncheon today, I don't want to ruin anything" I added. They nodded at the logic and let us go.
"Nicely done," Zaroon said once we were out of their sight.
"You could have helped" I muttered.
"I wanted to let you think about what you were doing. Going out, into the city, by yourself"
"No one knows who I am. Besides, I have learned this is your hometown, who better to give me a tour than you?" He gave me a sharp look, trying to see if I was joking. I jogged ahead.
We found a small taxi at the bottom of the hill, a few kilometers away from the castle. The walk had left me winded and I plopped down on the seat, grateful to be seated.
"Where are the two of you from?" the taxi driver asked.
"We're from... "
"Hasanabad" Zaroon answered. I looked at him with gratitude.
"Ah.. my sister lives there with her in-laws. Lovely place. It used to be an orphanage, I'm sure you know of that" I nodded, riveted. "They've built new housing there... the orphanage was destroyed"
"It was destroyed. Who would do that?"
"Some bigshot. They don't think about us Baaji (sister). They think about themselves. The poor children... wonder what became of them" he paused for dramatic effect. "But it's all good. New construction. Middle-income housing. People like us could not afford to live there, but some people with good jobs can"
"Are there any good jobs?"
"Do you live in the city, Baaji? Haha, never mind, you're a woman. No, it's been pretty bad. The port used to have the best jobs but with the new machines, most of the laborers are out of work" he said, craning his head to take a turn, not using the indicator. The car turned to the right and I almost ended up on Zaroon's lap. His arm came around me to make sure I did not fall off the seat. Readjusting myself, I ended up on my side of the taxi, my face red.
"Here we are... " he said stopping in front of a very colorful bazaar. I knew about this place, it was the hub of the city. No wonder Zaroon had brought me here. Zaroon paid the driver as I stepped out looking at the stalls being set up.
"Come on," he said leading me in the opposite direction.
"But...the bazaar is that way" I objected.
"Breakfast first. I don't want you to faint" oh, right. None of us had eaten breakfast. We walked towards a small roadside cafe.
"What do you want?" he asked, a slight smile on his face. I looked around. The place looked to be perfectly serviceable.
"I take it this place does not have toast?" he shook his head. I sat down on one of the plastic chairs and looked around gingerly. The customers were busy eating their breakfast. "Order whatever you think is best"
Zaroon gave the order to a young boy who ran up to us eagerly. He stuck the pencil back at the top of his ear and ran off to relay the order to the cook. Ten minutes later, our breakfast was placed on the rickety table. We ate our breakfast in silence under the morning sun. The tea and the curry were delicious. Apparently, people had curry in the morning. Warming my hands on the small glass cup, I watched Zaroon pay the boy and ruffle his hair.
"To the market now?" I asked, watching him smile as he gave the change back to the boy.
"Aren't we eager to shop"
"I don't want to shop... oh, you were joking" He smiled again and offered his hand to help me get up. I took it.
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Something's happening. :D
Hussein: