Chapter 160 - Secret Of Time

"You!" Ishit looked startled, seeing Ursha in his

forge. "What the hell are you doing in my forge?" He turned to Viswa, for without his permission no one could step in. 

"It's all my fault master!" Viswa

hurriedly said, waving Ursha away. The casual motion of his hand sent the Sursenian flying. He crashed into the pile of metal.

The boy moaned with pain. But no body paid him any heed. 

"I forgot to lock the door. And by mistake I let him in. But don't worry, I will teach him a good lesson. He wouldn't dare to

burst in any forge after today," Viswa explained. He was afraid it would enrage the little demon. And his lesson would end here. He cursed himself for being so foolish to leave the forge on its own. 

But again, could it be helped?    The new astra had surpassed his imagination. He had never heard or seen such a thing.  It was not mere an astra, but the tangible form of curse. The fierce face was still vivid in his mind. In his life, he had never seen a flame taking the form of a human face. Did the elements really have sentience? 

Viswa became so engrossed into the new weapon that he let his subconscious mind control the smithy. 

"Why are you here? " Ishit ignored the smith as he asked Ursha. His face turned grim. Ishit hadn't forgotten the screams of Ajaya. 

"Let me deal with him ..,." 

Ishit raised his hand, beckoning the smith to keep quiet. 

Ursha picked himself from the rabble of metal chunks. The blood was dripping from his cherry lips. He didn't try to use spirit. Maybe he had realized his spirit fluctuations were activating some sort of array of the forge. 

"I didn't know this forge belongs to you." Ursha said, looking straight into his eyes.

"He is lying, master. " Viswa cut in, glaring at the Sursenian. "He is an accomplice of your foe, Durjaya. The  fool had seen me buying Ghost Flame. 

No wonder! Ursha was so eager to break Ajaya's legs. 

Ishit shook his head. It seemed Durjaya would never bury the deads.

"So why did he send you here?" he asked.

"No body sent me here." Ursha replied. "I just... Ouch! " 

"Lad, stop lying.  You just said Durjaya sent you here. " Viswa flicked his hand Ursha cried out in pain. 

"I'm not lying...I just wanted a smith to repair my natal astra. " The Sursenian spoke, his face red as lava. 

"Master, let me handle this little punk. Or he will keep lying." Viswa said, rubbing his hand. His eyes were gleaming with excitement. 

A shiver ran down Ursha's spine. There was something odd with the old man. His violent aura was one thing (which was rare for a smith), the unusual reaction of his bloodline was another. 

After seeing the grizzled headed man, Ursha's blood was getting cold, a rare response. In his thirteen years of life, only once he had this sensation. The horrendous experience had left a deep impression on his mind.  Even after two years later, Ursha could recall that deathly glare in the valley of dead kings. 

"Okey! " After a little reflection, Ishit conceded to his apprentice's request.  Anyway, he had more pressing things to attend than to care about the childish plans of Durjaya. 

"Don't go overboard. I want no trouble." Ishit said as he turned to his newly forged Astra. The ghaat was ready to lunch. He just needed to add the soil in it. 

"Thanks, master. Don't worry, I know what to do with these thieves, "Viswa flicked his hand and glowing ropes as long as ten feet appeared out of thin air. They rushed towards Ursha like poisonous serpents. 

Ursha face fell, as the despair engulfed his heart. He cried out, 

"Please trust me. I'm not a thief. I've nothing to do with Durjaya. Look here is my damaged sword." 

Ishit didn't pay the boy any heed. If Ursha really wanted his astra to be repaired, he would have gone to the receptionist first. 

"Stop squealing! You little rodent." Viswa growled. The scalding hot ropes began to coil around Ursha's legs. He tried to fling them off, but to no avail.  The Sursenian fell on the floor. 

"Hahaa! " Viswa's menacing laugh echoed into the forge. Ishit sook his head. The old man was really maniac. 

"Ishit, my father will never forgive you," Ursha shouted, his eyes red with tears. "If you dare to give me to this freak. " 

Strangely, it was not Ursha's voice.  The sudden change in prisoner's voice startled both master and disciple. They looked at the boy struggling with the ropes on the floor. 

"Who the hell are you?"  asked Ishit. 

"What is your gender?" asked Viswa. 

"Let me go, at once " Ursha glared furiously. Surprisingly, his voice was a female voice. 

Ishit glanced at the master smith, who nodded and the ropes stopped tightening. They vanished as if it was just an illusion. 

Ursha sobbed as he picked himself up from the floor. 

"You will regret this," he said in his female voice, shaking off the dust from his clothes. 

"We will see it later. First, tell me who you're." Ishit's voice had steel. The sharpness in his dark eyes told Ursha he'd better not tell more lies. 

"I'm Sursenian warrior from Lyasha," replied Ursha, not daring to look into Ishit's dark eyes. 

Viswa tried to cut in. But Ishit stopped him. 

"Then why did you disguise yourself?" asked he. 

"What is it to you?" Ursha looked away. Ishit didn't know how he hadn't noticed the feminine feature of Ursha's face. 

"Of course, it was none of my business. But now it is. You'd better not check my patience,"

"Or if I don't tell you , what will you do? Will you kill me, too, like my aunt?"  Ursha shouted all of a sudden. 

Tears rolled down on his charming face.  Ishit was dumbfounded at her strange reaction. 

His eyes widened as the realization struck him. 

"You ...you are Sursenian princess, Urvi" he stammered. It couldn't be blamed on him. Along with Drona, he had fantasized visiting Sursena. After all, Lord of Sursena was Drona's maternal uncle. The only living relative his mother's side. Though Drona never expressed the pain that had been haunting him since years, Ishit was sure, he did want to visit his mother's homeland.

However, Lord of Sursena had cut off all the chords with them, making it impossible for the poor boy to visit the castle that once cradled his mother. 

Urvi felt silent.  Ishit looked at the pearl of Sursena. He had never imagined they would meet like this. 

"I'm sorry." He said. Though everything was the girl's doing, he did feel guilty. The reason was the thing still prisoned in the castle.  Ishit would never forget the heart-wrenching sight he had seen that day. 

"You can go now,"  he added, looking away. "And my father didn't kill your aunt. " 

Urvi glanced at Ishit. She could feel the pain  in his voice. 

"Then why her heart was ..." her words choked into her throat, for Ishit's glared at her. His eyes had rage of a tiger. 

"If you really want to know the truth, be our guest, but don't spout nonsense in public." Ishit  said as he turned to his astra. The tasting had to be postponed now. The encounter with the girl had evoked some bad memories in him. 

"Viswa, take care of this. We will test it tomorrow. and don't mess around with it. Trust me it, the ghaat is not something you play with. "

"AH! master. We still have time. I have brought the soil. We can finish testing in no time. Moreover don't they say tomorrow never comes?" Viswa said hurriedly, giving the girl a furious look. 

"No! I can't. Launching the ghaat requires a calm mind. and right now peace is miles away, from me. So don't touch it. I'm leaving." Ishit said, shaking his head. 

Urvi didn't leave immediately. Emotion played on her charming face. Though he was still disguised as a boy, it didn't conceal her loveliness.  She continued watching Ishit's without blinking. When Ishit was about to climb the stairs leading to the main hall. She spoke up,

"What's about my sword? Please fix it."

"How shameless! " Viswa murmured as he guided the forging material to their right places. Ishit halted in his tracks. He didn't reply immediately. He glanced at Urvi, as if trying to find something in her face. 

"Why?" all he asked after a long pause. He could understand why they hated his father, but Lord Senjit had caused a great agony to his brother, Drona , for no reason. He still sobbed at nights. 

The unexpected question baffled Urvi. 

"Because you're a smith and it's your duty to repair astras."  Urvi replied after a pause. 

"Not a good reason! Please seek out another smith. " Ishit said as he started to climb the stairs. 

"I'm your kin," Urvi knew what the boy wanted to hear. And sure enough, he stopped his steps. 

So they were right. Southerners were highly emotional. 

Was this the reason for which her aunt had garlanded Lord Ayaan?