The musty air inside the chamber felt heavier now, as if the walls themselves were suffocating under the weight of secrets buried for over a century. Satya's fingers tightened around the decree, his heartbeat pounding in his ears.
Saanvi's whisper barely broke the silence. "The king himself… accused Veer of treason. But why?"
Professor Raghav rubbed his temple, deep in thought. "If Veer was only a royal artist, there's no reason for the Maharaja to be personally involved. There's something more. Something we're missing."
Virendra took the parchment, scanning it with a furrowed brow. "This wasn't just about Meera. Veer was accused of 'conspiring with an unnamed enemy.' Who was that enemy?"
Before Satya could answer, a faint noise echoed from outside the chamber. A soft click—metal against metal.
The hairs on the back of his neck rose. The door.
Someone was outside.
Saanvi's eyes widened. "Did you hear that?"
Professor Raghav gestured for silence, his hand moving instinctively toward the lantern. Satya quickly shut the book and pocketed the decree, his muscles tensing.
Another sound. This time, it wasn't just a soft click. It was the unmistakable creak of the door handle turning.
Virendra's hand shot to the dagger he carried—a relic he always kept with him, but tonight, it felt more necessary than ever.
The handle twisted.
And then, the door locked from the outside.
A slow, deliberate clang followed.
They were trapped.
Saanvi gasped, rushing toward the door, but Satya caught her arm. "No sudden movements," he whispered.
The faint shuffle of footsteps faded into silence. Whoever had locked them in had done so without a word, without a threat.
Which meant only one thing.
They didn't intend to let them out.
Professor Raghav's voice was eerily calm. "They knew we were coming."
Virendra gritted his teeth. "And now they want us to disappear in the same place Veer did."
Satya exhaled sharply. "We need a way out. Now."
Saanvi turned to the dimly lit chamber, scanning the walls, the bookshelves, the cracked stone flooring. "There has to be another exit."
Satya's pulse quickened as his gaze landed on a faded inscription near the bookshelf. The carvings were old, barely readable—but he recognized something.
A symbol.
The same symbol from Veer's last sketch.
A pair of intertwined rings.
Saanvi saw it too. She pressed her hand against the carving. "This has to mean something."
The moment her fingers traced the engraving, something clicked.
A hidden mechanism.
The bookshelf groaned, dust spilling from the edges—before it slowly shifted open.
A hidden passage.
Virendra let out a breath of disbelief. "Veer must have known about this…"
Satya grabbed Saanvi's hand. "We don't have time to think. Move."
Without hesitation, they stepped into the darkness.
Behind them, the chamber remained still, as if it had never revealed its secrets.
And outside, in the corridor, unseen eyes were watching.
Waiting.