Page 131 of The Burning Mountain
You are my heart, Veer.
Stab the knife into Veer.
…into Veer.
You are my heart, Veer.
…my heart.
Both her and Virat’s words echoed through him.
“Virat ordered her to plunge his knife into me,” he said, his words grave as he struggled to get them past a throat thick with tears. “And then when I admitted I loved her, she said I was her heart. It freed her of his control, momentarily. The ambiguity of his command meant she had an alternate target, her own heart. And she used the opportunity to take herself out before he was able to rectify his mistake.”
She would have been alive if he hadn’t said he loved her.
He had held on to her hand tightly, afraid she would be gone if he left her for a moment, hoping to infuse his strength into her by sheer will. The cold from her hand seemed to spread into and settle inside him, until he felt numb all over, like a thick wallexisted between him and the world that had turned gray and lifeless.
With each passing day, he lost more hope. The healing stones were not the answer. Once they had it on, she went through them quickly. And because of the heat they generated, the superficial flesh they did manage to repair sported fresh burn marks. A few days later, the edges of the wound had started to turn black.
“Her wound is a mortal one, Brother,” Vireni said, more than a hint of apology in her worried tone. “The healing stones are finite, and I shall give every single one I have in my possession. I’ve been hoarding them ever since I heard about Meru’s disaster. Thought I might need to use them to heal any injuries should it erupt. It’s apt that I should use them for her now. But I’m afraid they can only prolong the inevitable.” She paused and spoke, her voice muffled with sorrow. “I’m sorry, Brother, but unless there is a divine miracle, there will be no saving her.”
Veer had lost hope at that point, when he suddenly remembered the long-ago words of the yaksha. Calling himself all kinds of a fool for taking this long to recall that crucial information, he set out for Dandakaranya, a ray of hope buoying him all the way to the magical forest. Thanks to Vihari, what ought to be a month’s trip by land was finished in two days.
But despite entering the forest of punishments once before, Veer had no idea how to find his way back there. It seemed as if entry was only granted by the whims of the beings inside the forest.
Veer took out the last of his healing stones and replaced the one on her chest and bound it with bandages.
He had already asked Ilavu to help him, but the rakshasa,though unusually contrite, had said the same thing.
“You asked me for something similar when your friend died. I’m sorry, Prince Veer. My answer remains the same. I do nothave the knowledge you seek. Nor would I give it even if I did have it.
“I deeply regret that you are experiencing such pain. Believe me, it brings me no joy either. I can feel only a distant echo of your bereavement and even that is quite agonizing. I can’t imagine how much more gut-wrenching it is for you.”
Veer was getting tired of hearing the same answer over and over.
His eyes felt gritty from lack of sleep. He didn’t know when he last ate or slept. He had to threaten his family to stop them from following him when he informed them of his intention to leave for Dandakaranya.
He would be fine. As long as she lived. After that…well, after that, his life would not be the same.
His eyes drooped as evening fell and he slept with her in his arms, his embrace strong and steady, even in sleep.
63
THE YAKSHA’S HELP
“Well. That wasn’t the reason I asked you here,” said a familiar disembodied voice, which sounded like the buzzing of insects.
Veer woke up with a start and immediately looked for Chandra. She lay on the stone floor of a…he glanced around. This was the dilapidated temple they had stayed at before, on their previous visit to the magical forest.
The yaksha was crouched near her and seemed to be examining her injury. He shook his head after a while, and Veer knew what he was going to say even before he opened his mouth.
“Don’t say it,” said Veer harshly, hardly able to contain his disappointment. “Why did you ask me to bring her here if you knew you couldn’t help us?”
The bees buzzed closer. The yaksha couldn’t show emotions in his current form, but his voice was grave. “To see if you would be willing to put her to rest here.”
Veer gave him a dazed stare. The thought hadn’t even occurred to him.
“Don’t look at me like that,” said the yaksha, and Veer thought he detected a trace of pity in his voice. “You areexperiencing it like it’s the first time, but that’s because you have no memory of your past lives. I have watched you both, through all your reincarnations, even when you didn’t traverse my domain in the forest.”
