Vandiyathevan listened carefully, his ears alert. For a moment, it seemed as if he could hear the sound of footsteps. Suddenly, the sound stopped. Then, it was heard again. Now, the sound seemed to be receding, growing fainter as it moved away.

“Sir! Must we really go further up? Wouldn’t it be better to turn back?” asked Manimekalai.

“Princess! It is not my habit to turn back once I have set my foot forward!” replied Vallavarayan.

“If you wish, you may call it a monkey’s grip!” she said.

“Didn’t your friend Chandramathi once describe me as ‘monkey-face’? Wouldn’t the grip suit the face?” he retorted.

Exchanging such words, Vandiyathevan, who had until then been following behind Manimekalai, now tried to overtake her and go ahead. Manimekalai tried to prevent him.

The two jostled against each other. The lamp in Manimekalai’s hand slipped and fell with a thud. It rolled down two or three steps with a clatter and went out. Darkness engulfed that uneven, sloping pathway.

“Princess! What have you done?” exclaimed Vallavarayan.

“Why did you try to overtake me and go ahead?” asked Manimekalai.

“It is not my habit to let women go ahead when danger is near!” said Vandiyathevan.

“It would be good if you clearly told me what your habits are and what they are not. I shall conduct myself accordingly.”

“Very well, my lady! I shall tell you when there is time.”

“What is lacking in time now? Come, let us turn back to the garden. There, we can sit and you may tell me at leisure.”

“If you are afraid to walk in the dark, you may turn back!...” “When a brave warrior like you is by my side, what have I to fear?”

“Then come along, let us go! What use is there in standing here on the path?”

So saying, Vandiyathevan tried to walk ahead, but his foot slipped and he nearly fell. Manimekalai caught hold of him, preventing his fall.

“Sir! There are many rises and dips along this path. In this darkness, it’s impossible to tell where the steps are, or where the level ground lies. I have walked this way countless times. I know well where the steps and turns are. So, no matter how valiant and daring you may be, it is best if you take my hand and follow behind me. Otherwise, you will never reach the hunting lodge. You’ll trip and fall somewhere along the way!” said Manimekalai.

“Princess! I shall walk as you command. My respects!” replied Vandiyathevan.

In the darkness, Manimekalai took hold of one of Vallavaraiyan’s hands. She noticed that Vandiyathevan’s hand was trembling. ‘He fears neither enemies nor conspirators; why then does he seem afraid to hold the hand of this foolish girl?’ she wondered to herself.

For a while, the two walked on in silence. Vandiyathevan stumbled often, nearly falling each time. Each time, Manimekalai had to grip his hand more tightly to keep him from falling.

“The road to hell must be just as dark as this!” said Vandiyathevan.

“Oh! Have you already been to hell and returned?” Manimekalai asked.

“I have never been to hell, nor to heaven. That’s what the elders say!”

“Their elders must have told them so!”

Vandiyathevan pondered how this girl, who until recently would have been shy even to come before four people, had now become so bold and outspoken.

“If the road to hell is dark, how must the road to heaven be?” asked Manimekalai.

“They say it is filled with a single, all-pervading radiance; that it blazes with the brilliance of a million suns!”

“If that is so, then I would prefer the path that leads to hell! Even a single sun dazzles my eyes. The light of a million suns would surely blind me!” said Manimekalai.

“If you take the path that leads to hell, won’t you end up in hell in the end?” asked Vallavarayan.

“If I follow a heroic man like you, perhaps even the road to hell might lead to heaven!” replied Manimekalai.

“If I could take the hand of a princess like you and walk, even hell itself would become heaven!” said Vandiyathevan.

At once, he bit his lip in regret. “What have I said? What if this maiden misunderstands my words?” he worried.

“Seeing how your hand is trembling, it does not seem like you are on your way to heaven. Your whole body is shaking as if you are heading to a battlefield!” said Manimekalai.

“Princess! Who knows if, at the end of this journey, a battlefield awaits me?”

“You are the one who insists on never turning back once you set your foot forward, aren’t you? Who knows how many murderers are lurking in the hunting pavilion?”

“Let there be as many as they wish; I am not afraid of them. What I am thinking about is—if Kandhamaaran were to see you and me walking hand in hand through the darkness like this…”

“Oh no! As long as I live, my brother will never harm you. Half of what I saw in my dream has already come true; perhaps the other half may become reality as well. Who can say?” said Manimekalai.

At that moment, hearing the sound of a door being bolted somewhere, both of them started and stood still.

“We are very close to the hunting pavilion now!” whispered Manimekalai in a soft voice.

By now, a little distance ahead, a faint light became visible. Gradually, the light grew brighter and seemed to be approaching them. Manimekalai let go of Vandiyathevan’s hand and stepped slightly aside.

In the next moment, Idumbankari appeared before them—one hand holding aloft a lamp, the other gripping a twisted, intricately wrought, sharp dagger.

Upon seeing them, he stood as if struck dumb with astonishment. But both Manimekalai and Vandiyathevan could tell that he was merely pretending.

“Amma, Ayya! What is this? Why are you wandering alone in the darkness like this? If you had told your servant, wouldn’t