When the sword slipped from his hand and fell to the ground, the sound mingled with the soft laughter of Nandini, a laughter brimming with sorrow.

In a flurry, she said, “Sir! The will of the gods is otherwise. Let the sword remain here. You must leave at once and hide yourself!”

Vandiyathevan, paying no heed to her words, bent down to pick up the sword. He tried to lift it by grasping its sharp tip. At that very moment, Nandini pressed her foot firmly on the hilt of the sword.

“No! The prince may have heard the sound of the sword falling. If the sword is missing from here, it will arouse his suspicion. Already, he harbors doubts about you. Go! Disappear from here as you did once before—vanish without a trace this time as well!” she urged.

In his attempt to pick up the sword by its tip, Vandiyathevan’s hand suffered a small cut. He let go of the sword and straightened up. Nandini noticed the thin trickle of blood oozing from his palm.

“I will fulfill the promise I made to you. By my hand, I will not kill my own brother. You will escape. But if he finds you here…”

“Go! Go at once!” Manimekalai pleaded, joining her voice to Nandini’s.

The sound of approaching footsteps grew louder.

With reluctant annoyance, Vandiyathevan hurried toward the storage chest of the veenas and other musical instruments. He opened the chest, slipped inside, and concealed himself. The footsteps now sounded very close, right by the entrance.

Nandini glanced at Manimekalai, who was staring in astonishment at the place where Vandiyathevan had hidden himself.

“Sister! You must hide as well! Conceal yourself behind the curtains of the bed! When we are speaking, slip away from here without his notice!” Nandini whispered urgently.

The very next moment, as Manimekalai hid herself behind the bed’s curtain, Aditya Karikalan and Kandanmaran entered the room. Karikalan, all the while glancing around him, drew closer to Nandini. He noticed the movement of the curtain draped over the bed, but he did not let on that he had seen it.

When he reached Nandini’s side, he looked at the sword lying on the floor, half-hidden in the shadows. Then, he fixed his gaze intently upon Nandini’s face. Unable to withstand the piercing intensity of that look, Nandini bent down, pretending as if to pick up the sword. Sensing her intention, Karikalan was quicker; he picked up the sword himself. He examined it closely, from the hilt to the sharp tip. He noticed a fresh bloodstain at the tip.

Then, turning to Nandini, he said, “Devi! The sound we heard as we entered—was it not the sound of this sword? It must have slipped from your hand and fallen to the ground! It seems you were ready to welcome us with sword in hand.”

“To receive valiant young tigers and lion-hearted youths, is that not the proper way?” replied Nandini.

“Wild tigers and lions need sharp claws