Page 111 of The Burning Mountain
“Why would Guruji help you?” asked one general, his brow furrowed. “Isn’t he said to be loyal to the throne?”
“I never said he did. I saw this on his desk and, er…filched the information.”
“Still, it doesn’t seem like Guruji to leave sensitive information lying carelessly around. Are you sure he didn’t mean for you to see it?”
Sameera was forced to admit he had a point. The same thought had occurred to her when she was on the road, fleeing from Amaravathi under the cover of darkness. Maybe he was playing both sides. But there were some things you just trusted with your gut. After living the last few years under the constant threat of discovery, she had developed an ability to discern who to trust and who to doubt.
Weird as it was, she trusted Guruji. There was an innate core of rightness about him.
“Yes. That is a valid concern.” The general gave her a side-eye, rubbing his beard. “You’ve been in Amaravathi for the past er…four…five years, isn’t that right? You’ve been close to their princess all these years.”
Sameera stiffened at his tone. Exactly what was the general implying?
“What are you saying, General?” said Shota sharply before the queen could even open her mouth to support her employee. “Are you calling Sameera’s loyalty to Rajgarh into question?”
The general looked abashed. “I’m just saying that distance and time can have a weird effect on perspectives.”
“Be that as it may, Guruji would have garnered no benefit from warning Rajgarh of Amaravathi’s plans,” said Sameera.
“That’s not exactly true,” said Veer, moving toward the diorama map of the Saptavarsha, the others following him. The circular rosewood table, with its curious assortment of small mirrors, showed Rajgarh and all the territories under its control, including Kalpeet. It used to show Vivismati too, Sameera recalled, from a previous visit.
The giant mirrors placed along the trade routes, stretching across both Rajgarh and Vivismati, fed their captured images tothe smaller mirrors that ringed the table, creating a picture that resembled real-world events.
But roughly half of the small mirrors were cloudy. Sameera wondered what happened. Was Vivismati no longer on friendly terms with Rajgarh? She shot a look toward Shota who was watching her. He gave her a brief nod, confirming her suspicion.
“This could be to weaken us,” observed Veer. “We are divided as it is. The northern villages close to Meru are being evacuated. We are working to shelter all the displaced people. Vivismati has withdrawn its support, leaving our western borders without adequate protection. Surasen and his troops are temporarily filling the gap, but their numbers are low.
“The secret of Meru is out,” he continued, “and our neighbors know about this impending disaster and are probably waiting to see if our kingdom will withstand or fall. Rajgarh is vulnerable right now. We are stretched thin.Reallythin. We cannot spare troops for engaging in a war with Amaravathi at this time. Not unless we divert our troops from other important tasks.”
Anger swirled in Veer’s eyes, dropping his voice to a low hum. “Amaravathi shows its true colors finally. We need to call on our allies, such as they are.”
54
FRIEND NO MORE
Chandra trailed behind the maid assigned to her, trying to take everything in at once. Latticed panels set along the windowed openings threw detailed shadows on the marble floor. As they turned the corner, the hallway opened to a large airy chamber.
Massive columns supported the high-arched ceiling. She craned her neck, spotting the decorative corbels adoring the top part of the columns. The red lac-coated brackets were elaborately carved into animal motifs that spread into branching leaf patterns on the ceiling. As she studied them, a quicksilver shimmer came and went. Chandra realized they were probably magical and wondered about their purpose.
Bay windows looked out into the bustling city with its mountainous scenery. She was developing a habit of glancing out every window she passed. Having never seen the mountains before, Chandra was fascinated at the majestic landscape in front of her eyes.
A parchment letter crinkled in her hand, turning her thoughts to its contents. No sooner had word spread that she was here, than a letter from Kalpana arrived. She had reachedhere safely with Sarun and Girish months ago and was staying with Virat’s parents. Chandra didn’t know how good of an ideathatwas, but Kalpana promised she would visit her soon, and Chandra figured those questions could wait. She was impatient to see her in person. The only thing that slightly dimmed her happiness was that Sameera wasn’t here.
A movement at the corner of her eye made her turn. She spotted a familiar figure coming out of a room. “Sameera!”
The figure froze and turned reluctantly. Chandra walked swiftly toward her. What were the odds of running into her when she had just wished for her friend? Happiness blossomed inside her as she went to hug her friend. “What a surprise to see you. But what are you doing here?”
“Princess,” greeted Sameera, but otherwise remained silent. There was no welcoming smile on her face and, on the contrary, she looked dismayed. Her answering hug back was loose, and there was a strange reticence about her person.
“Did you come with Kalpana?” asked Chandra, looking past her and into the room she had exited. “But no, why would she send me a letter if she were here? And she would have mentioned if you had come with her.”
Sameera’s expression fell even more. Her eyes shied away.
If Chandra were a guessing person, she would have said she appeared guilty. Her own grin faltered in response.
“What’s going on?” she asked, finally understanding something was amiss. Her mind raced with possibilities. “Is it my father? Is he all right?”
“Sameera,” said another voice. “You might want to go via the secret entrance. The princess may be coming this way—” Shota stopped short seeing her. His face as usual gave away nothing, but Chandra didn’t miss the way his eyes slid over to Sameera.
