Page 40 of The Burning Mountain
Any tiny movement sent rippling pain through her shoulder blades. She was chained to the wall, with her wrists hauled up and manacled, allowing her to stand barely on tiptoes. She had long since lost any feeling in her fingers. Pain was her constant companion.
After the events of last night—or was it early morning?—she had been left alone, chained like this. No one had come in. She had drifted in and out of consciousness through the day but was a little more alert now.
She was glad that Ketuvahana needed to abruptly leave the palace. It provided her a temporary respite, but knew she could expect a continuation of his torture when he returned. She was well aware of how she’d fare after another round of interrogations. Dead.
Her mind supplied the memories from earlier and she dived into fresh anguish. Matangi’s last words before her death played in a continuous loop in her tired brain. Everything that could have gone wrong with the plan did.
A woman had died because of her carelessness, her blind pride, and her desperate drive to show she could do a difficult task. She had never loathed herself more, not even when her father said he was too disgusted to speak to her anymore.
Chandra raised her head at the sound of the key turning in the lock. Nausea rose in her throat at the thought of Ketuvahana making a return appearance. She had thought her reprieve would last at least until tonight.
Through her blurry vision, she observed a dark figure carrying a torch, slip into the room. It took her a while for her to recognize the person standing in front of her.
Namata Devi put a finger to her lips and, from the folds of her saree, drew out a long iron key and set it to the manacles. They clicked open.
Chandra dropped to the floor, an avalanche of agony tore into her at the sudden return of circulation to her limbs. Her eyes filled with tears. She tried to muffle the scream, but all that came out of her mouth was a whimper. Calling on her training, she breathed through her nose and waited for the pain to pass.
“I hadn’t thought to bring medicinal supplies,” said Namata Devi apologetically, examining her injuries with a gentle hand, her touch welcomingly cool on the burning flesh of Chandra’s face. “I didn’t think he would go this far,” she said, her face grave.
“Here, hold on,” she continued, tearing a piece of cloth from the edge of her saree and then tying it around the still seeping wound in Chandra’s arm, twisting it into a tourniquet. “You need a physician,” she said, wincing while inspecting the wound on her face more closely. She tried fashioning a bandage butcouldn’t seem to keep the wound closed. “This is beyond my skill.”
Chandra attempted to ask something and realized she was lisping because of the facial wound. Namata Devi laid a hand on her shoulder, halting her speech.
“Billadev is going to be here in a few moments. He and Shota approached me as soon as they knew about you being Ketuvahana’s captive. They’ll take you to safety soon.”
Chandra had a million questions, but her head was feeling fuzzy again.
“You must’ve made him exceedingly mad, for him to have lost control like this,” she heard Namata Devi’s voice as if from a distance. “It usually takes him at least a couple of days for his victims to get to this state.” Her voice sharpened. “Did you tell him your real identity?”
Chandra shook her head and attempted to smile through the pain. “I bwing out the besth.”
Namata Devi shuddered. “Please don’t smile. Your face is ghastly enough as it is.” Her hands, however, were exceedingly careful as she mopped the blood that dripped down Chandra’s chin.
She cleared her throat and asked, “Are you hurt elsewhere? Did he…?”
Chandra understood what she was asking. “No. I injured him with Amarendra’s mark,” she said, showing Namata Devi her palm. “Afther that, he didn’t seem all thath interesthed. And then he hadth to leave.” She paused a beat. “Hope ith hurts him like hell.”
“I’m glad that you didn’t have to bear that at least.” Something in the tone of her voice made Chandra peer at her closely.
“You know whath he doeth?”
Namata Devi gave her a sad nod. “I lost my best friend to him. He took her and kept her imprisoned for days. She was never the same.”
“And yeth you supporth them?” Chandra couldn’t help but ask.
Namata Devi was quiet for a long time and then spoke, her mouth tilting into a familiar, ironic smile.
“I see you must’ve gotten the gist of what people have been saying about me. Let me ask you, Princess, what does the symbol of Resistance you presented earlier stand for?”
Before Chandra could open her mouth, Namata Devi said hastily, “Never mind, let me answer my own question. The panther is for those among the military who still support Harideva, the elephant for the grain merchants, the silk moth for the textile traders, the fish for the sea traders, and the peacock for the wealthy nobles who own several businesses. Am I accurate?”
Chandra stared at her mutely. She had gotten the impression that Namata Devi wasn’t interested in the particulars about the Resistance.
“Did you know, Princess, that before Samyukta was appointed a judge in Harideva’s court, he owned several loom houses?” she asked as she gently dabbed at Chandra’s chin. “His family is still heavily involved in the textile industry. His only son, before his death, was the head of that guild and he chose Dhatri as his daughter-in-law because of her abilities as a seamstress beyond compare.
“The Resistance is comprised of businesses, and they joined in the cause because of how they are being unfairly taxed by the new regime.
“What good could such a resistance, as it is now, do to my country? My nephew is still too young to ascend the throne. My sister is too swayed by whoever speaks in her ear. The rebellionor resistance or whatever they call themselves is being fed by the guilds who will help their own. They support my sister today because they wish to be free of the yoke put on them by the new regime. The downtrodden, the poor, and the helpless still don’t have a say. They do not care for everyone—like a true rebellion should. And despite their ties to the military, they still don’t have the entire might or support of Thianvelli.”
