He arrived at his lair. Nothing much, that lair. Nothing much, for he possessed little, and had discarded most of that. He had prepared his lair carefully, making sure it could never be found.
He squatted, moved aside the stones and twigs which disguised his little campfire, and began piling up a small mound of kindling. There was not much to eat, but he would have time to cook it. Time to plot, and space to do it. A safe, perfectly hidden lair. Where he could become lost in his thoughts without fear of discovery.
The voice which came from behind him was the first knowledge he had of the ambush. He would have never believed it possible.
Speaking in Maratha. With a pronounced accent.
“You are very good, Raghunath Rao. Not as good as me, but very good.”
The panther turned, slowly. Stared back at the foliage from whence the voice had come. Still, he saw nothing.
Until a flash of white appeared, in the darkness. A quick gleam, nothing more.
The panther could make him out now, barely. The man was so well concealed that his shape was nothing but black against black. Slowly, imperceptibly, the panther gathered up his haunches.
An object was flung from the darkness where the hunter lurked. It landed not more than a foot away from his feet. A small bundle. Slender, about a foot long. Wrapped in a cloth.
The voice came again:
“Examine the gift, first, Raghunath Rao. Then, if you still wish to be foolish, you will at least be a well-armed fool.”
The panther hesitated for only an instant. He reached out his left hand and swiftly unfolded the bundle. The—gift—lay exposed.
He knew what it was, of course. But it wasn’t until he withdrew the thing from its sheath, and examined it, that he understood what a truly excellent gift it was. With all the understanding of a great student of daggers, and their use.
Another packet landed by his feet.
“Now, that,” came the voice.
The panther used the dagger to slice open the rawhide strip binding the small leather roll. Opened, the roll proved to contain a few sheets of papyrus. Upon them was a message, written in Marathi.
The panther glanced at his stalker. The hunter had not moved.
Strange ambush, he thought. But—he began to read the message.
Impossible to catalog the emotions which that incredible message produced in the panther’s soul. Hope, again, in the main, like the sky behind a rainbow. Hope, produced by the body of the message. The rainbow, by the final words.
Half-dazed, he slowly raised his head and stared at the hunter in the shadows.
“Is it true?” he whispered.
“Which part?” came the voice. “The beginning, yes. You have seen yourself. We have cleared the way for you. The middle? Possibly. It remains still to be done, and what man can know the future?”
A rustle, very faint. The hunter arose and stepped into the small clearing. The panther gazed up at the tall man. He had never seen his like before, but did not gape. The panther had long known creation to be a thing of wonder. So why should it not contain wonderful men?
The panther examined the man’s weapon, briefly. Then—not so briefly—examined the light, sure grip which held that enormous spear. The panther recognized that grip, knew it perfectly, and knew, as well, that he would be a dead man now, had he—
“How fortunate it is,” remarked the panther, “that I am a man who cannot resist the pleasure of reading.”
“Is it not so?” agreed the hunter, grinning cheerfully. “I myself am a great lover of the written word. A trait which, I am certain, has much prolonged my life.”
The tall hunter suddenly squatted. He and the panther stared at each other, their eyes almost level. The grin never left the hunter’s face.
“Which brings us, back, oddly enough, to your very question. Is the last part of the message true? That, I think, is what you would most like to know.”
The panther nodded.
The hunter shrugged. “Difficult to say. I am not well acquainted with the—fellow, let us call him. He is very closely attached to the one who sent you this message.”