Beheading Chapter 4

"The laziest bunch of pigs in this country have already woken up and gone about their businesses. If ya'll did not pull yourselves out of your beds on the count of three, it would be the last time you sleep here." The woman screeched in a strong voice.

She was tall for a woman, with wide shoulders, and the way she held herself was similar to a military general. The scream was so loud, it almost cracked the windows a bit.. The sleeping girls sprang out of their beds, looking around as if they were attacked, but the three girls were still fast asleep.

''TWO...."

''It almost sounds like my mom,''Nat muttered in her sleep.

''THRE-..''

"MOM..!'' Nat woke up with a start, sitting with her eyes wide open.

''Mom...?'' Mary asked incoherently.

''Your mom..?''Jenna asked, still asleep, and then it clicked in her head. She was out of her bed in half a second.

''Good morning, Mrs Vardana. You are looking so radiant this morning..'' she added with a big smile, contrasting with her very being at the moment.

'Mhm hmm, Miss Amla,' the woman nodded discreetly, knowing her intentions to the bones.

''It's 7 a.m. right now. Shouldn't you be up by now and doing your duties to the academy and to the nation?'' She said to all of them and then leaned in to hiss at the three, 

''Based on this behaviour, you want to join the warrior ranks?'' Her voice had pure venom.

Nat was trying to make herself look small. Apparently, the only thing she feared was her mom.

"'And you!' her mother added, looking into her scared eyes. ''We need to have some serious talk, Natalia. I have heard some bizarre things about you from your masters here. They did give me a report on your behaviour, and I am disappointed, to say the least..''

Nat was regretting every single one of her choices after coming here. 'How hard is it for these masters to lie? Can't they cover for her a bit? She is trying to save everyone's life, dammit. What's the point in being a hero if you get yelled at constantly?' Nat thought furiously.

"What are you all still doing here? Staring at me like statues!" The woman screamed.

"Get up, get in line, fix your appearances and your bed. And be in the dining room in ten minutes, or there will be no breakfast for you!' She drilled them like a military sergeant.

"We are so fucked.." Nat mouthed at Jenna, who huffed defeatedly.

At noon, their master finally returned and nothing could stop them from reaching his chamber at lightning speed. They knocked hurriedly, and then, let themselves in without hearing permission, blame it on the nerves.

The master was facing the wall, discarding his various satchels in which he kept precious healing stones. In the central monastery, there are energized chakras in which these stones are charged. 

He never forgets to take them with him whenever he frequents the central monastery. One of his many rituals that cements his reality as a master and disciple of the Great Master of the Soul.

The three of them lined up inside the room, with their neat uniforms, excellent posture, eyes sparkling with mirth and bewitching smiles in place. The man sighed without even turning, acutely aware of the scene unfolding behind him. He looked to be in his forties, he seemed agile and strong, his long floor-length clothes never showed any muscles, but it would be stupidity to assume he lacks any of them.

He turned towards them, still in his traveling attire, with a stoic expression he questioned,  "Did I ask you to come in?'' He wanted to be angry at them, but it was easier said than done..

He realised he can't be angry at these girls; not for long anyway.. especially with Jenna. He found he could never get angry with her, it was probably because of her smile. It had a soft conviction that had enchanted him from day one. The little Jenna who can accept a challenge with a smile, but not food with pity..

''Master..''She dragged, coming closer and smiling with the same quirky conviction.

''I could not sleep all night, please don't torture us anymore and tell us what happened.''

''Yes, master, please,'' Mary urged.

''You are the best master in the world,'' added  Natalia 

''OK, stop. You three are becoming more and more mannerless by the day, every teacher complains about you, do you think I don't know?''

''We would never say that, master. I believe you know everything about us.'' Always the diplomat, Jenna smiled sweetly at her master.

At that, her master finally cracked a smile. ''On one hand, I'm very happy with your progress, on the other hand, I'm very worried.. the national academy is unlike ours, there are more rules, and you can't sneak around these rules and find loopholes. You would be under direct supervision of the council of masters, one wrong move and you would be expelled. I wouldn't be able to help you.'' He said with a hint of tiredness.

The room grew silent at his words. Jenna was looking at him, with her mouth slightly parted in surprise, Mary's eyebrows had reached her forehead in shock, Nat was standing like a statue at a loss for words.. and then the scream of excitement was heard.

'Yeessss..!'

'Finally.... wohoo!!'

'You mean we are in!'

'Master, if you bring out our yellow acceptance letter right now, I might faint,' Mary exclaimed. 

"Quiet!'

And just like that, the room grew quiet again. They were waiting for their verdict with bated breaths.

''Do you think it's that easy to get admitted to the national academy and join the national young warriors rank without qualifying any exams?''

''We know it's unheard of, but our case is different.. they know it,''Jenna argued.

''Sit down first, what I'm going to tell you is very important.'' Their master gestured at them to take their seats. 

''The council has decided to make an exception for you, after hearing the feat you have achieved on your own.''

''I'm sensing a "but" there..''Jenna spoke with an unknown emotion. 

"But, you have to pass a test first. If you pass, you will be the first three female students to join the national academy of young warriors. And if you fail, you'll continue your training here,''Master explained.

''Why a test? They don't believe us?'' Nat asked, getting furious.

''Your last mission was unprecedented, unsupervised and unauthorized. You can't blame them for not trusting you completely. They want to see if you can achieve such a feat on your own, or if it was just a stroke of luck.''

''What bullshi-''

''Natalia..''

''Sorry, master, but this is-''

''What's the test?'' Jenna asked, cutting Nat off.

''You know it,'' he answered, looking at her. 

''Ohh.. finally,'' Jenna said with a smile.

''Hello, we are also here. Care to enlighten us as well?'' Mary asked, done with their inner conversation.

''Ok, you girls are aware of what is going on in Yavat right now?'' Their master said, addressing the three of them.

''Probably a big celebration over what they did to our central granary,'' Nat answered, grumbling.

"I heard they have a trade deal coming along," Mary answered.

"Both of you are right, but it's much more than that. Yavat has been in open trade with a lot of the countries of the world after the partition, going after a lot of our long-time trading partners and ruining various of our trade connections. Yavat imports a lot of their military equipment, always dependent on foreign technologies much more than their own. You do know who is the biggest trader of arms?"

"Ah, it's that leader with the fancy hat," Nat guessed.

"Mir Gafoor Khan," Mary answered.

"Yes, he is visiting Yavat in 15 days. There's a big celebration planned for his welcome. After all, he's their biggest trade partner. They'll conduct their biggest trade yet, he's bringing with him the biggest fleet of weapons this island has ever seen. If this deal goes through, Yavat's defence will likely become impenetrable."

"That's not good," Mary thought aloud.

"So, we have to sink his ships?" Nat asked with excitement.

"No, if the Grand Master has planned this, he must want this deal to not go through because of Yavat falling short in fulfilling their end of the bargain, without any outsider influence," Jenna continued.

"He must want the trade world's trust in Yavat to come to an end. We must make Yavat isolated so they can't rely on any of their allies at the time of a full-fledged war. We would not only get revenge but also humiliate them in front of the whole world." She finished.

"Oh, I like this plan," Nat voiced aloud.

"Is this true, master?" Mary asked, taking it all in.

"Yes, that's the whole plan. We have to stop this deal from taking place at the last moment. On the 21st there would be a full moon in the sky. It's the birthday of the Khan and that day the deal would officially take place. In exchange for some of the world's best weapons, Yavat would offer 50 tons of gold."

"Woah, that much?" Mary asked, flabbergasted.

"Weapons cost a lot, Mary."

"So, how are we supposed to stop this?" asked Natalia.

"The gold has to go. Imagine the horror when they are closing the deal and find that the gold has suddenly evaporated from their palace. A country as rich as Yavat suddenly doesn't have the gold to pay for the weapons they asked for," Master finished.

"But evaporating 50 tons of gold from their palace sounds a bit unrealistic, doesn't it?" Mary questioned.

"It would be hard, but I guess we can throw it in the sea, if only we can figure out a good way to transport it from the palace," Nat thought.

"Why would we throw the gold in the sea? It's expensive. Do you know how much it will cost to repair the granary? You are ordered to bring every bit of gold back here. Safe and sound."

"You just made the mission more impossible," Mary voiced.

"All 50 tons of it?" Jenna asked confidently. There was no shadow of doubt on her face, it was as if she knew she could pull it off.

"No, just 25 tons. The other half would be taken care of by the young warriors of the central academy. Their best team is also given the same task. They want to test you, otherwise this whole operation was to be taken care of by them only."

"We are not losing to some boy scout team," Nat scoffed.

"It's not a boy scout team, they are some of the best warriors of our country," Master answered.

"Whatever," Nat said, inspecting her nails, imagining how fast she could cut these so called warriors with her sword.

"I'm not going to help you with this task. You'll have to figure out a way to do this by yourselves. And you have one week to prepare for it. Best of luck." 

"Thank you, Master." They all said in unison.

"25 tons.. that sounds like a lot," Mary thought.

"That's almost as heavy as a ship," Nat answered.

"Don't worry, they wouldn't give us a task that's not achievable," Jenna said with optimism.

"Achievable for them maybe, but for us the chances are slim," Nat shrugged.

"Don't worry guys, I have a plan," Jenna revealed with a smile.

"You do?" Mary questioned.

"You know me, I always have a plan. Pack your thickest clothes, we are going hunting." The two confused girls followed their slightly unhinged but remarkably skilled friend to their new adventure. 

The day of their parting came all too soon, and there they were, wearing ill-fitting clothes over their fighting gear, holding big rucksacks. Their master, who still saw them as little girls, was experiencing some second thoughts, but he tried his best to conceal it. It wasn't good to get attached to anyone or anything, that was their motto after all.

Mrs. Vardana was also there to bid them farewell. She was dealing with her emotions far better than the master.

"Girls, this will be your first real mission. You have to take this seriously. Always remember, on that side of the country you are alone, you can't trust anyone. And if things go really bad, help is just one whistle away." She finished, pointing at a wood-carved whistle attached to her satchel.

"We'll remember, mother," Nat answered.

"Best of luck, I know you can do it." The master finally said with a smile. They exchanged farewells and took off on their horses.

There were four hidden ways to enter the kingdom of Yavat as spies - through the cave, the lake, the hidden forest, and the silent wall. They chose the lake for their commute; after all, it was the closest exit to the palace.

At around six in the evening, they were finally inside the palace gates and all it took was the knowledge of secret tunnels, Patrick's help, change of clothes, some sedatives and more of Patrick's help.

"This is so uncomfortable," Natalia complained.

"Can you help me with the lacing?" Mary asked her.

"Why does this have so many stones?" Natalia grumbled again.

"Girls, pull yourselves together. We have two minutes before we have to go out on that stage," Jenna told them as she fixed her headpiece.

"Is everyone ready!!?" A girl asked in an awfully chirpy voice. The three girls inwardly cringed. They had made a long journey last night and hadn't slept a wink. Any kind of loud voice was torture for them. But sadly for them, everyone in Yavat was awfully happy and chirpy today.

And why wouldn't they be happy? There was a huge celebration going on. Not only inside the palace walls but also outside for the common people. It was a big deal. Yavat was very close to becoming an indomitable fortress.

But I guess it had some plus points as well. Because of the hustle and bustle, it was easy for the girls to sneak into the palace and join the dance group that's going to perform next in honour of their esteemed guest's birthday.

"I hate her," Nat said, glaring at the girl in the front.

"Shush, it's good they are so excited. It's easy for us to blend in and not get noticed." 

"As long as we follow their steps, I don't think it's gonna be easy," Mary said worriedly.

"Mary, stop fretting. This dance is the easiest part of our plan, we can't afford to mess up here. And why are you even worried? You are the best dancer among us," Jenna told her.

"I'm not worried about myself, I'm worried about you guys. It's belly dancing," Mary told them.

"What's that?" Natalia questioned.

"My God, Nate, see that's what I was worried about."

"Don't worry, Mary. We will just follow everyone else's movements. Me and Nat are good at that sort of thing," she said, winking at Nat.

They were good at blending in and copying others' movements, but it also helped that they were standing at the very back. Once the performance ended, their real mission began.

"So, this is the map of the palace. We are currently at the eastern courtyard where the function is being held. But our treasure is all the way back in the western great hall," Nat said, looking at the map.

"And according to Patrick, only some special-ranked soldiers can go there," Mary added.

"Sounds like we need more costumes," Jenna answered, pulling out three heavy military uniforms from her rucksack.

"Well, now we are talking," Nat grinned.

"I hate heavy costumes."

"Just roll with it, Mary," was Jenna's reply.

Time was a matter of concern for the girls when they finally reached the grand hall. The night was reaching its height; soon it would be midnight, the cake would get cut, and the deal would be sealed.

They had to wipe the gold treasury clean before it. And the guards at the great hall didn't look the type to get beaten down easily. The clock was ticking in Jenna's head. And then there was smoke.

"Aahu.. aah.. what's that?"

"Where does this smoke come from, ahh.. hh.."

And then with a thump, their bodies hit the ground. And with expert lock-picking abilities, Jenna led the trio inside. For a moment, they got blinded by the light. All the gold piled high in an equally magnificent room. The chandeliers were making the gold sparkle like golden stars.

"Woww."

"Damn.."

"Don't move."

"What?" asked Mary.

"That was way too easy, there has to be something else. Another layer of security."

"Are you sure?" asked Natalia.

"Yeah, those soldiers were way too relaxed. It was as if they knew even if they got taken down, the gold would be safe. And this room is way too decorated for it to be just a safe."

"But hello, we are in a palace. Isn't it supposed to be overly decorated everywhere?"

"I have a gut feeling, just don't move. Let me check." Saying that, she crouched down and took out three marbles from her pocket and flicked them towards the gold from different directions, but they didn't make it far. They were instantly shot down by arrows that seemed to come out of the walls.

"Shit."

"Yeah, shit, we don't have time for this."

"We don't," Jenna sighed.

"Who knows how many more of those are still here, we can't risk it," Nat reasoned.

"I think there were only three, but just to be on the safe side..." she didn't finish her sentence, instead jumped from her position and landed on top of the pile of gold.

"JENNA..!"

"ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE"

"Relax guys, nothing happened. See, my gut is never wrong. Now move it, we have to pack this gold."

"You gave me a heart attack," Mary complained, hitting her on the shoulder.

"How did you know there would be only three traps?" asked Nat.

"I didn't know, I guessed it. These people are arrogant, they would never imagine that we can loot this gold from under their noses. That us Amarati would ever try something like that. I guess that's their biggest weakness, they are arrogant."

"Let's hurry up, we shouldn't dawdle when we have the advantage."

The palace kitchen was on the ground floor. And way too busy at this point for anyone to notice three shabby-looking figures with high-piled garbage bags. The head cook just looked at them and yelled at them to move quickly.

"Ohh fuck, that was easier than I thought," Nat sighed, wiping down the sweat from her forehead. 

"I can't believe we pulled that off," added Mary.

"Guys, I need to do something. You guys have to get across without me," said Jenna, disrupting their moment of peace.

"Wait, what?"

"Not again, Jen."

"Look, I'm sorry. This is not part of the plan, but it's important for me to go back and do what I have to.. If you trust me, you would let me go."

"How can we say no to that? But you have to make it up to us," said Mary in a decided voice so unlike hers.

"Thank you guys, keep my rucksack with you. This shouldn't take me more than 10 minutes. But if it does, you go straight to the academy without me and tell Master everything. I'll take all responsibility."

"Got it, captain. Good luck, kick some ass," Nat said with a smile.

"You know I will."

And she was gone. In a blink.. one thing about Jenna, she was fast. While her friends made their way through the hidden complex cave that connected the two nations, Jenna climbed the palace walls like a ninja. Time was ticking, she couldn't take the normal route.

And she had to be somewhere high to have a good aim at her target. And there he was, clapping and smiling as his father cut the cake. The drums were echoing, the dancers' moves were defying gravity, and every noble had raised their glasses in honour. The prince of Kharjat was young and handsome, too bad he was her target. As she let the arrow slip from her fingers there was but only one thought in the back of her head 'conquest.'

An attack on the foreign prince on Yavat soil. Yup, those would be the headlines, Jenna thought with glee as she jumped from another arch. The soldiers were behind her, not only Yavat's but also Kharjati soldiers who were constantly firing at her, not ideal. But she had to make do with what she got. It helped that she knew the palace like the back of her hand, but even then it was a matter of time before she got surrounded.

So she hid quickly in an empty room and started changing her clothes. That would throw them off and buy her some time. She needed to leave before the whole palace shut down, as was customary in such situations. She was halfway done with her clothes when she noticed something, a crack in her grand scheme. 

The window was opened slightly, and someone was staring right at her. Big, electric blue eyes. Now any other girl in such a situation might get a little shy being half-dressed and all, but Jenna was not such a girl. She threw her dagger faster than the guy could blink, and it hit. While running, Jenna's only regret was that the dagger didn't hit that deep, the distance was too much and she had to run. But she swore she would come back and kill him. After all, her nation is always her first priority.

When she joined the girls on the other side of the cave, she was out of breath and injured, but alive nonetheless.

"Oh fuck Jen, you scared us. The alarms were blaring. What did you do?"

"Mary, for the love of God let her breathe first."

"So, what happened?"

"I just shot down the crown prince of Kharjat," she said out of breath.

"You didn't," gasped Mary.

"I did," she deadpanned.

"I'm cool with it, as long as you explain this to our master," said Nat.

"I plan to, let's go."

The girls arrived at the academy gates looking like literal death, but at least they were still alive. Their master, Mrs. Vardana, and other teachers were already at the gate waiting for them. They were informed ahead of their arrival. And with them there were also the local goldsmith, someone had to count all that gold. But surprisingly the girls were not carrying any, that surprised everyone.

"Where's the gold?" asked the master in a serious tone.

"Woah.. master, no hii, hello, how are you doing..? You started interrogating us at the door," said Nat.

"Natalia Vardana. You stop with that nonsense right now or I would really show you how an interrogation with the council really looks like."

"Sorry, mother," was her quick response.

"We have the gold, master," answered Jenna, "just give us a moment."

And then the three of them went around the campus ground. There behind the line of trees they had built a makeshift shed, and inside was a round cement tank almost as big as the hut itself.

"Don't tell me you were building a secret bathhouse," asked Master Devan.

"Oh no, that's not water. I know it resembles water but it's not," answered Jenna, getting a vial out of one of her pockets and adding it to the tank. Soon the water started smelling weird.

"It's ready," said Jenna, and the girls started opening their heavy rucksacks and started pouring a white-golden powder into the tank. After they were done they took some steps back and told everyone to do the same. 

Soon the water started changing color and there were bubbles forming at the surface. Within minutes it started solidifying and resembling gold more and more. At the end it was a frozen tanker of gold. The gold had taken the form of the circular tank. The goldsmith quickly tested the authenticity of the solid gold and confirmed it was real.

"Sorry for the inconvenience, master, the goldsmith will have to do a bit of work to get this out. The tank is a bit deep. It was 25 tons of gold, but I guess some chisel and hammer will do it," said Jenna apologetically.

"I have never seen such a thing in my thirty years working as a goldsmith. How did you do it?" the goldsmith asked, his voice full of wonder.

"Ohh, just used a bit of alchemy. After all, Amarat is famous for its alchemy. We have to live up to the reputation," she answered cheekily.

"I expected you would do something like this. But even I didn't imagine such an execution." Was the answer of their master. He looked proud. "You have done well."

"About that, master..."

"We had nothing to do with it, master," said Nat and Mary in unison. Taking a step back from their best friend.

"Of course, how can you just do as you are told," he sighed and directed his question at Jenna. "What did you do?"

She looked down, smiled awkwardly, and said, "I might have shot a foreign prince."