The young general’s personal guards stood in the corridor outside. 

Tall, muscular, dark-skinned, and dressed like their leader, they listened to Satya in silence as she asked for the physician. She thought they’d drag her out of the room and tell her to be on her way. 

Instead, the sight of Veerata’s personal emblem was enough to make them spring into action. Nodding their massive heads, their top-knots bouncing in sync, they hurried down the corridor. 

As she shut the door behind her, a low moan called her attention. She returned to the young general’s side. 

His entire body was covered in sweat. Moans of agony escaped his parted lips at brief intervals. 

He can’t just stay on the floor. Maybe I can move him to the bed?

She tugged at his arm in vain, and then she tried pulling his foot. Even in his weakened condition, he was too heavy for her. When Vidyuta arrived, Satya had already given up on her overtures. 

The young doctor’s face turned stormy seeing Veerata lying on the floor. At first, he asked the guards, “What happened to him?”

“We don’t know, doctor,” one guard replied. “The girl told us to call you.”

Satya opened her mouth to speak. 

Vidyuta ignored her. He knelt on the floor and held Veerata’s wrist, checking his pulse. “Why is he on the floor?”

“He collapsed,” Satya explained, when the guards remained silent. “He’s running a fever, too.”

Vidyuta instructed the guards to move the young general to the bed. One guard lifted his shoulders while the other held up his feet. Next instant, they set Veerata down on the silk sheets.

With the guards dismissed, the young doctor turned back to Satya. “Did he speak at all? Did he say anything to you?”

Satya nodded. “Yes, he opened his eyes once, but I don’t know what he said. I couldn’t hear him at all.”

Vidyuta cursed under his breath, and sat down at one side of Veerata’s bed. “I knew it,” he muttered, removing various items from his medicine bag. “The banquet was too much for him. He must have been in so much pain all along. I should’ve attended to him right away… should’ve ignored his refusal. He’s always thinking of others first. Never of himself.”

“What’s the matter with him?” Satya asked, kneeling down on the opposite side of the bed.

Interrupted in his self-deprecating monologue, he looked at her and frowned. His gaze rested on her upper garment. “What are you wearing?”

Satya gulped down her embarrassment. “Senapati gave it to me.”

He blinked. “Why?”

“Because I lost my uttariya.”

His eyes narrowed. “Who are you, and what are you doing here?”

Satya flinched. The young doctor seemed very skeptical and blunt. 

“My name is Satya,” she said, choosing her words with care. “I’m a day scholar at the university, and I live in the village.” For the second time in the same night, she narrated the events that brought her to Veerata’s room. 

Vidyuta’s eyes widenened in shock. “Brahmadatta’s men kidnapped you and brought you here to this room?”

“Yes, I’m sure I heard his voice. They called him ‘Adipati’.”

“And there are five more girls?”

“Somewhere in this mansion.”

“Did you tell all this to Senapati?”

She nodded fast. “He was trying to help me. He promised to help the other girls, too. That’s all. I didn’t know he was sick.”

Vidyuta exhaled, his brow knitting again. “You can leave now,” he said. “Senapati has already dismissed you, hasn’t he? Why are you still here?”

“Doctor!” Satya took a deep breath, drawing up all her courage. “I can help you treat him. I study medicine at the university.”

“There’s no need. I know what to do.”

Satya persisted. “Acharya Dhanwantari is my teacher.”

“But, to me, you are a stranger.”

“What about this?” Satya showed him the scroll. “Senapati gave it to me.”

“Don’t you understand? This man is Senapati Veerata of Satayu. I cannot trust a young girl like you with his health.”

“Please, let me help. I promise I’ll only follow your orders.” 

Vidyuta scoffed. “I do need help, I admit. None of the mayor’s staff know of Senapati’s condition and we must keep it that way. We can’t expose his condition under any circumstances.” His eyes locked on her again. “You say you’re a medical student?”

“Student physician… I study general medicine.”

Vidyuta hesitated for a brief moment. “Satya,” he said at length, “to be honest, I could use your help, but you’ve had a difficult time tonight. Your family must be worried about you. Are you sure you don’t want to go home?”

She smiled. “If you know I can help, please allow me.”

Vidyuta features softened into a slight smile. “Very well! Go tell the guard outside to get me some hot water from the kitchen.”