Here, we shall recount the story of that pond which has been mentioned several times above—the pond into which the yogini and vanchari had leapt in order to capture a woman, or by the banks of which our ayyaars had sat and devised their plan to capture Madhavi's minister, the Kotwal, and the commander.

This very pond was the path leading to that enchanting place where Kunwar Indrajit Singh was imprisoned. Its other opening was the same water-filled tunnel into which Kunwar Indrajit Singh had entered, only to return after finding it filled with water a short distance in, or which Tilottama had now blocked with heavy stones.

On the other side of the hill beneath which this pond lay was the secret place where Indrajit Singh was held captive. It was difficult for just anyone to reach there by this route; yes, the ayyars—those whose breath was well-trained and who were expert swimmers—could certainly go, but even for them, the artisans had made a convenience for reaching that place through the pond. From the tunnel to the edge of the pond, a strong chain was fixed inside, which made it much easier to reach by holding onto it.

After the arrest of Kotwal Sahib, Chapla had tried several times to reach Indrajit Singh through the pond's path to inform him of the situation here, but she could not succeed, for Tilottama had blocked the tunnel's mouth. Now our ayyars were certain that the enemy was on guard and had become aware of their presence. Meanwhile, the arrest of Kotwal Sahib and the discovery of his soldiers' corpses had caused a commotion in the city. Diwan Sahib and others were troubled, searching for the mysterious enemy who had managed to make Kotwal Sahib disappear.

Several days later, one night at midnight, Bhairav Singh, Tara Singh, Pandit Badrinath, Devisingh, and Chapla sat by the pond, consulting with one another and pondering how they might reach Kunwar Indrajit Singh and what strategy they should employ to rescue him.

Kamla: "Alas, I brought with me the key I had prepared; otherwise, Indrajit Singh would surely have found some use for it. Now it has become very difficult for us to reach him."

Badrinath: "Indrajit Singh is just beyond this hill! No matter how rugged this hill may be, we can certainly make a way to climb over and descend to the other side."

Bhairav Singh: "But this work will take several days."

Tara: "First of all, we must ensure that no man can reach the place where Madhavi has imprisoned Indrajit Singh and torment him. Even if there are five hundred women, they can do nothing to him."

Devisingh: "Kunwar Indrajit Singh is not so naïve as to fall into anyone's trap so easily, but still, we must remain vigilant. If we do not get a chance to reach him in the next few days, we will lay waste to this house and send Diwan Sahib and the others straight to hell."

Bhaironsingh: