Page 146 of The Burning Mountain
“Maybe. But you can rest assured, Chandra, that even if I don’t know the answer to the problem of Virat now, I promise you, I will find a way.”
“I know you will.” She paused. “Are you sorry about him?” she asked softly.
Veer snorted in disagreement. “Shota asked me the same question. I’m only sorry that I don’t know for sure if he is truly gone. Virat is a criminal and nothing more in my eyes. I would be happy to dispatch him to the afterlife, permanently. You needn’t worry, Chandra, that ship had sailed long before.”
Chandra sighed and rested her head back down. “You don’t need to convince me, Veer. I know how you feel. And…it’s okay to grieve a person. Virat may be evil, but he was part of your life once. For good or bad, he had an influence on the kind of person you became. I’m not going to forgive him, but I’m going to make my peace with the past. I think, you should too.”
Veer said nothing but hugged her tighter as if in gratitude for not holding his friend’s actions against him.
“Why did you wake up? Was something bothering you?” he asked later, as they climbed the stairs holding hands, Veer leading the way.
“Oh. I was hungry. Couldn’t find the kitchens.”
“Then allow me to show you. I wonder if we have honey,” he said in a voice, that made her think of wicked things.
“But I don’t need honey.” She gave him a confused frown. “Anything would do. I’m not particular.”
He looked at her over his shoulder, his mouth tipping into the beginnings of a grin. “Trust me, Princess. You will be fond of honey by the end of our stay if I have anything to say about it. And it’s not for eating. Well, not really.”
Chandra gave him a suspicious look and followed him.
70
THE HOT SPRINGS
Veer and Chandra had trekked the short distance from Manasarovar Lake to see the natural marvel of a hot spring feeding into the shallow pool.
A hazy vapor covered the surface of the lake. Veer watched as Chandra cautiously dipped her toe in the warm waters. Their days in the remote wilderness of the mountains were such bliss.
They had met a couple people from the nearby village, but other than having servants prepare their meals, their time together was uninterrupted. Veer was grateful for this brief respite, as they would soon need to return to Rajgarh where their days were going to be busy. He wanted a lifetime worth of memories here.
“Did the goddess really appear before you?” asked Chandra. Veer leaned against the edge of the pool, while she went exploring around the springs, looking for thesangrahastones that could store powers. He had mentioned they had found the stones that eventually became the farseeing stones and the healing stones in hot springs like these and that had piqued her curiosity. She had begged him until he relented and brought her here.
Veer watched her for a while before replying. “Yes. My recollection of that time is hazy. I was so exhausted. But yes, she appeared to me. In a dream. I think.”
“What did she say?”
“She said it was our destiny to find each other.”
She stopped her exploration and looked up at that. “You do realize that she didn’t grant this blessing because she wanted you to build a temple in her honor?” she asked.
“I understand that. I don’t exactly knowwhyI am doing it,” said Veer, frowning, but then shrugged away his bewilderment. “It just seemed like a good idea. Besides being a place of worship, it can provide shelter for those who need it. A place of serenity and succor to our people.”
She stared silently at him.
“What? What did I say now?” he asked.
“You saidourpeople,” she said, a smile breaking out over her face. “It feels nice.”
Veer gave a self-conscious shrug but made his way toward her, gliding through the water. “I’m just stating the truth. Everyone knows how much you helped Rajgarh. I was afraid for a while how our people were going to accept you because of the perceived events of the past. But now I’m afraid they’ll come after me if I don’t treat you well. You’ve won their hearts.”
She ducked her head, flustered at his praise, slipping out of his reach as she headed toward some rocky outcrops.
Chandra’s question about the goddess made Veer think back to that day when he thought he was signing away her life with his choice not to pursue the gates of other dimensions. It was darkest moment of his life, when his morality and humanity hung in the balance. Sometimes he wondered what would’ve happened if he had chosen otherwise. Would they have been cursed again, until they learned their lesson?
Who knew that a wrong choice was the right one.
“I thought you would ask me where I hid the Lotus Key,” he called when she disappeared from his view. He craned his neck, trying to find her amid the vapor clouds and dark shadows of rocks, loath to let her out of sight, even for a moment.
