A cold chill ran down Satya's spine as the footsteps echoed through the narrow passage. The sound was slow, deliberate—whoever was there wanted them to know they weren't alone.
Saanvi reached for his arm, her grip tense. "We need to move."
Virendra extinguished the lantern, plunging the room into darkness. Silence fell.
Then—another sound. A faint scrape, like fabric brushing against stone.
Satya's heart pounded. The passage had two ways. If someone was coming from one end, there was no telling if another waited at the other.
"Whoever it is," Aryan whispered, "they've been following us for a while."
Satya tightened his grip on Veer Meghawal's journal. "And they're waiting for us to make a mistake."
A soft click broke the stillness.
The door at the far end of the passage locked from the outside.
Saanvi gasped. "They're trapping us in."
Virendra cursed under his breath. "Move! Now!"
They sprinted toward the only open path, the one leading deeper into the hidden tunnels. Satya's mind raced. Someone doesn't want us leaving. Someone doesn't want Veer's truth uncovered.
The passage twisted and turned, the damp air pressing against them. Then, abruptly, it split into two paths.
Satya and Saanvi exchanged glances.
"One leads out," Aryan said. "The other…"
Satya's gaze landed on the passage veering right. Faint candlelight flickered at its end. Someone had been living there. Searching.
"This way," Satya said, stepping forward.
The room inside was small but filled with clues. Stacks of old letters, maps with markings, sketches eerily similar to Veer's. Whoever had been here was piecing together the same mystery.
Saanvi picked up a rusted key. "Someone was looking for Veer… and they were close."
Then—a soft creak.
Aryan turned sharply. A shadow shifted at the entrance of the passage.
Satya's pulse roared.
"The door locked itself," Virendra whispered.
"No," Satya murmured, his throat dry. "Someone locked it."
And that someone… was still watching.