chapter 6

Chapter FiveSmoke and PromisesThe ruins were still burning when Rani arrived.The valley reeked of gunpowder and betrayal. A thick trail of smoke climbed into the night sky, a black flag announcing her defeat. Or trying to.She didn’t flinch.Didn’t speak.Just stood there, a silent silhouette against the firelight, watching her empire smolder.Dev stood a few feet behind her, hands in his pockets, eyes on her profile. She hadn’t said a word since they got out of the car.She didn’t need to.Her silence was louder than the blast.Maya stepped forward, quietly. “No bodies, Saheb. They cleared it before the detonation. It was personal.”Rani’s voice was calm. “Of course it was.”“This was a warning.”“No,” she said. “This was a message.”She turned slowly, her gaze locking with Dev’s.“Sircar wants me off balance. He thinks this will shake me.”“Did it?” Dev asked.She smiled. Cold. Sharp. “No. It just gave me permission to play.”---Back at the haveli, the tension shifted from silence to steel.Rani sat in her office, a glass of dark rum untouched beside her. The lights were low, the air thick with the scent of sandalwood and scorched paper. The intel report from the blast zone lay open in front of her — photographs, maps, half-burned schematics.Dev leaned against the doorframe, watching her. It's the official job of him to watch her. He did love it.“You haven’t asked,” she said suddenly, eyes still on the page.“Asked what?”“Why I haven’t killed you yet.”He smirked, stepping closer. “I figured you’re saving me for something special.”“I don’t keep men, Dev.”“Could’ve fooled me.”She looked up, eyes hard.“Tell me something real,” she said. “Just one thing. Not charm. Not performance. Truth.”He hesitated. Then: “I buried my brother. The man I trusted most. Because he trusted the wrong side.”The air shifted.Rani looked at him, something unreadable flickering across her face.“You blame yourself.”“I do.”“Good,” she said softly. “That means you’re not a liar. Just broken.”He moved closer.“So are you.”She didn’t deny it. Rani did a astonishing move. She got up from her chair and came closer to Dev. Then she put his one hand on his shoulder. Dev was crying. He was just about to hold her hand and to pace up his crying but he couldn't. Rani went away before he even tried to do that.---Later that night, she took him to the underground vault.A place few had ever seen. No throne. No silk. Just stone walls, locked cabinets, maps, and war plans.And one mirror. It was  a unique one. Dev didn't see that kind of mirror in his life. It was a antique one. Anyone could say that it was old enough. Cracked, old. Untouched too for a long time.She stood in front of it for a moment before speaking. Dev felt she was preparing herself.“My mother used to sit here. Before she was arrested. Before they took everything from her.”Dev said nothing. He could feel the weight in her voice.“I promised I’d never be powerless again,” she continued. “That no man would ever get close enough to undo me.”“Am I close?” he asked in a funny manner.. actually he didn't like to be serious for a long time period. He found is boring. She turned, slowly towards him. “You’re getting there,” she said.Then she walked past him — brushing his shoulder, her scent staying behind.Dev stood alone, staring at the mirror. He didn’t know whether it was cracked from time……or from memory.---Across the city, Sircar lit a cigar and stared at a new photo.Rani and Dev. Together. In the vault. A hidden camera feed no one had noticed. Yet.“She’s letting him in,” his associate said.“No,” Sircar replied. “She’s testing him.”“And if he passes?”Sircar smiled. "Then he’ll be the weapon that brings her down."---Back in the haveliRani lay awake. But her eyes are open.A thousand thoughts in her mind, but one louder than the rest:He doesn’t want to destroy me.But he will!And across the corridor, Dev sat on his bed, staring at the closed door between them.Wondering how long he could walk this line……before he fell.(Nxt)