Page 100 of The Burning Mountain
“No. But this is…”
Guruji sighed as he got up, setting the swing to a gentle motion. He clasped his hands behind his back and started pacing. “Extremely concerning? Borderline treason? I know. And I’d hoped for a while that we may not come to this moment.” He felt weary beyond his years, which was saying something, since he was already pushing eighty. “But things will change now.” He nodded at the parchment in her hands. “And you know why.”
“You will be branded a traitor if it ever came out that you gave me this information,” said Sameera, biting her lip.
Guruji stopped in front of her and squinted. “What information? I didn’t give you anything. You happened to find this on your own, lying on my desk when you came to visit. This is to be your story if someone questions how you obtained this information. Do you understand?”
Sameera nodded, her eyes still clouded. “Is this why you want me to leave immediately? Not because I’m discovered?”
“Yes. No one knowns your true role, Sameera. I made sure.” His voice softened. “I have complete faith in your abilities. You’ll make sure this information gets to where it’s needed.”
Sameera’s mouth firmed in determination as she nodded. She got up, rolling the parchment.
“Thank you, Guruji. This extends beyond the help you’ve given me by keeping my identity a secret. Rajgarh is indebted to you. I shall be sure to mention this to my employer.”
“You should know this, Sameera. Amaravathi is my home. My motherland. One doesn’t betray one’s mother. The kingdom comes first. Always. It’s the center of all my actions as theraja-guru. Now that we are parting ways, I want you to remember that. This,” he said, waving a hand toward the incriminating parchment in her hands, “doesn’t change anything.”
Sameera stood with her brows pinched. She seemed to understand what he was saying. “Of course. That never occurred to me, Guruji. It just makes me more thankful that Rajgarh doesn’t have someone like you against them.”
“Stay safe, Sameera. Good luck and godspeed.”
Guruji watched Sameera leave and slumped on the swing. He gave a deep sigh, sincerely hoping that what he had done, what he set in motion, would yield the desired results. But a lot of it also depended on luck, and he long ago had stopped believing in certainties.
As he set the swing to a creaking motion, his mind wandered to the past. Contrary to what most believed, they didn’t need an antidote for King Chandraketu’s sickness.
A year ago, to be exact, Raja Chandraketu had called for a meeting with him and the royal physician, sworn to secrecy.
“What’s this?”Guruji had asked as he sat down at a white stone table. He was escorted into a private bower in the leafy part of the garden, where they were guaranteed not to be disturbed. Guruji glanced between the royal physician, who sat ramrod straight and unsmiling, to the guard who stood a ways off at the entrance, his hand ready on the sword, eyes darting around.
Raja Chandraketu, who had been waiting for him, slammed a small copper vial on the table. A small tray with wine and two glasses, along with a pitcher of water, stood beside it.
“This contains the distillate of thepaushapiflowers.”
Guruji glanced up sharply. “Why? Who are you trying to poison?”
“Myself,” answered Raja Chandraketu.
Guruji tried to hide his surprise and failed.
“Not to kill myself, obviously,” said Chandraketu, sitting at the table. “But enough to make myself sick. That’s where the physician comes in.”
“Why would you do that to yourself, Raja Chandraketu?” asked Guruji, sensing he wasn’t going to like whatever his king had to say. His use of the honorific was therefore deliberate.
“Meru will explode early next year,” said Chandraketu, lowering his eyes.
“So? This is old news to me.”
“Well, this way, I won’t have to answer any uncomfortable questions Rajgarh might have,” blustered Chandraketu.
“You would go so far just to avoid having someone point fingers at you?” asked Guruji incredulously. His voice softened, understanding the king’s dilemma. It couldn’t be easy to admit to a wrong. “It isn’t entirely your fault this plan was hatched a long time ago without your knowledge, you know.”
“That excuse won’t stop those barbarian hordes from accusing us,” said Chandraketu, his hands clenching into loose fists on the table.
“The head of those barbarian hordes is your son-in-law,” reminded Guruji.
Chandraketu shuddered visibly. “A fact I’d like to forget. I didn’t want him marrying any of my daughters, but it was your idea and see how well it turned out.”
Guruji tried another tactic to change his mind. “Have you considered, that if you are unavailable for answers, the burden falls on your son, the crown prince?”
