Page 59

“Off with Sharan… but who are you nowadays, Samarth?” Rani saheb smiled conspiratorially. “Interim Rawal in Siddharth’s absence, international polo star or the swimming sensation of Gwalior?”

He stilled. All the videos from that night had been confiscated or deleted. Kresha and he had made sure of that. Had something leaked…? He would have to check. For now, he schooled his features and pasted his earlier smile back — “That was just some old school friends one night, Bhabhi.”

“Hmm mm… if you say so.”

Maarani got to her feet — “Lunch will be served in half an hour. Why don’t you get settled in your chambers and freshen up before that?”

Before Rani saheb could even get to her feet, Ajatshatru Kaka ran into the hall.

“Maarani, Kunwar.”

Samarth turned.

“There is news from Antarctica,” he panted, his eyes wide. “Rawal is gone.”

Gone? Gone where?

Samarth began to open his mouth but Maarani beat him to it. “Gone… Gone as in lost? Did they send search teams? Call the Ministry and…”

“Gone, Maarani,” Ajatshatru Kaka croaked. “Passed.”

“Passed?” Maan bhai stepped closer. Samarth felt his hand come to his shoulder, felt himself collapsing to the ground. He glanced down at his knees but they were rock hard. He was standing firm.

“Tara!”

His eyes whirled to Maarani and she was on the floor, half in Samriddhi bhabhi’s arms, eyes rolled back into her head. Samarth rushed to her, helping her up and to the sofa.

“Take her to her chambers…”

“Contact the embassy…”

“We are already in touch, the news has been in and out since this morning. Got confirmed now…”

“Where is Sharan? Call the kids in! Don’t let anything fall into their ears yet…”

“Get me the Foreign Affairs Minister!”

“Sid…”

Samarth focused on that one word out of Maarani’s mouth.

Her eyes were half closed, her mouth muttering that word.

His breath came out in a sharp gasp. He gathered her up in his arms and started to walk, through the alleys, down the maze, with heads bowing to them, concerned questions murmured, calls for the doctor, guards holding doors open. Harsh met him in the East Wing.

“Take Sharan and the kids and don’t let anything touch them,” he ordered. “No news, nobody else. As soon as the petitioners leave, bar the palace for any visits. Do it quietly.”

Harsh passed him in a blur as he continued with Maarani in his arms. Her chamber doors were thrown open and her mother, Meena Kaki, found them.

“What happened to Tara?!”

Samarth walked through the doors and lay her down on her bed, her body now gone slack.

“Kaki,” Samriddhi bhabhi pulled a sheet over Maarani and took her mother to one corner. Samarth turned on his heels and marched out to the sitting room, the men already gathered there.

“Rawal was travelling for a drilling mission to Coats Land. He and four other team leaders. Their boat capsized three days ago,” Ajatshatru Kaka relayed.

“The search operation started 24 hours later when they did not return. It’s just been concluded and we got the call from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Environment. ”

“How are they confirming that Siddharth did not survive?” Maan bhai asked.

“Rawal’s DNA samples have been verified, they have found parts of two dead bodies already. They had to call off the search because a winter storm is blowing.”

A knock — “Bhogibhai Kothari saheb ane Nanubhai Mehta saheb padharya chhe,” the guard announced.

Ajatshatru Kaka looked at him. Samarth didn’t have time to even orient his head. He just took a deep breath. If they were to find Rawal, they would need to tell some of his courtiers. These were the most reliable. He nodded.

“Aava do,” Ajatshatru Kaka hollered. The two old men walked in, concern and a steadfast will to work through this on their faces. That gave Samarth hope. He would find Rawal. Rawal wasn’t gone yet even if some DNA samples were found. It could be blood and sweat.

“Kunwar,” they folded their hands to him. “Is it true?”

“No,” Samarth announced. “Nothing except DNA samples have been found. They are not enough. If the authorities in Argentina do not launch another search operation, the Indian Naval Command will do it. These are international waters. Kaka, get me in touch with the…”

Ajatshatru Kaka’s phone rang. “It’s our embassy in Argentina.”

“Take it.”

The room fell silent. Ajatshatru Kaka just listened. His eyes blinked. His face remained steady, eyes fixated in the distance. Then — “Thank you for calling.”

He locked his phone and cleared his throat — “Kunwar, flesh pieces have been identified. It is Rawal. The water was -4. They are saying nobody could have swam in that water, forget survived beyond a few minutes.”

“We cannot take these snippets sitting here like this!” Bhogi Saheb argued. “Call the Argentinian embassy directly.”

“But our embassy is in touch with the Argentinian government.”

“Our High Commissioner is already there at Ushuaia or no?” Nanu saheb questioned.

“And what about the body?” Bhogi saheb asked the most relevant question. Samarth’s head was spinning but he held his body in check, standing straight and keeping his burning eyes open.

“No remains are found yet but blood and flesh samples have been identified,” Ajatshatru Kaka repeated.

It was the same thing. All over again. “The search operations have concluded. The capsized Zodiac is found in tatters, body parts of two out of five researchers were recovered. But a storm is blowing, they have called everyone off.”

Maan bhai finally spoke up — “Is there no way there are survivors? Is Siddharth’s body among those found?”

“No,” Ajatshatru Kaka repeated all over again. The repetition was calming Samarth’s turmoil. He took a deep breath, listening to those same words again. And again. And again. What if he had to believe them? Make Maarani believe them? Make Sharan believe them?

Maarani staggered out of her bedchamber and all conversation ceased.

“Tara!” Meena Kaki pushed towards her, grabbing her arm. “Sit down.”

“No!” Maarani shook her head violently. “No. Where is Sid? Call his mobile.”

“Tara,” Samriddhi bhabhi went to her.

“No!” Maarani asserted, pushing her arm off. “No. He knows all the survival tactics. Tell them to search again. Tell them to search again!”

“Tara!” Kaki tried to take her back into her bedchamber but she resisted. Finally Samriddhi bhabhi grabbed her shoulders and held her steady — “Shhh, breathe. Tara, breathe…” she scolded through her own sobs. The first sob since this news had blown, Samarth observed impassively.

“No! You are crying! No, Rani saheb. Rawal saheb? Just…” Maarani trailed. Her eyes came to him and Samarth lowered his gaze. He had no answer to her questions.

“Sitting here and talking will do nothing!” She yelled. “Ajatshatru, book my ticket to Ushuaia.”

“I cannot do that, Maarani.”

“Do as I say. Book my ticket or I will book it myself.”

“Tara,” Samriddhi bhabhi called out — “It has been confirmed. Blood DNA samples have been identified in the remains. The water was -4 degrees. Nobody could have swam or survived.”

“It can’t but… he couldn’t…”

Samarth glanced up and she was pulled into Samriddhi bhabhi’s arms. Maarani did not cry. Samarth saw that, but he did not cry either.

————————————————————

It came in trickles — the news. The confirmations.

Reports of DNA. Pieces of samples identified.

Pictures of the boat in tatters. Video evidence of those already declared dead.

Another search operation was launched, this one led by the Indian Ocean Naval Command in tandem with International Patrol.

An independent search operation was launched by NATO for their own lost scientists. Nothing.

Samarth absorbed the reality in breaks of hours. In gulps of water pushed his way by someone or the other between calls or reports. His own phone had not stopped ringing and he had, after checking every time if it was Papa or an international number, handed the thing over to Harsh.

“Where is Sharan?” He asked now as the day fell to night and the calls from Ushuaia were still on.

Harsh mimed eating.

“Does he know?”

Harsh shook his head.

“Maarani is in her chambers?”

He nodded.

Samarth took a deep breath, then began to stride towards the dining room.

“Samarth!” He glanced up from the shadows of his footsteps to Indranil Kaka.

Papa’s first cousin. His mother was Dada Sarkar’s older sister and ever since the Women’s Inheritance Bill a decade ago, had been hovering around the administration and the court to try and weasel in.

Her son was worse, but Papa had fought a final appeal in the Supreme Court immediately after Dada Sarkar’s passing and secured the line from their petty attempts.

“I heard and came running,” he embraced him, squeezing his shoulders. “Beta, you are not alone. Sharan is not alone. We are all here.”

Samarth nodded, patting weakly and pulling away.

“Now you will not take the throne, so get Sharan ready. I will stand behind him and serve this throne of Nawanagar with all that is left in me. Don’t worry.

You both are young, but I am here. Siddharth hasn’t left you both without a roof over your head.

” He patted his head. Samarth folded his hands, on autopilot.

“Where is Tara?”

“Maarani will not be taking any visitors.”

He nodded. “I understand. Mummy will be coming to meet her when she is ready. Where are you going? To durbar?”

“It’s night now. Everybody is tired. Thank you for coming, Kaka. But everybody is disbanding. Come, have dinner.”

As Samarth had expected, his face fell. But he patted his shoulder — “I ate. You go and eat. In the meantime, I’ll go find out if we can retrieve Rawal’s body.”

He began to walk down the palace alley like he owned it. Samarth looked at Harsh, flicked his eyes, and Harsh quietly turned and fell in step behind his uncle. He would know how to keep Indranil Kaka away from where the action was.