Page 44 of The Burning Mountain
The left side of her face was on fire. A weight sat on her throbbing cheek and as she put a hand up to it, she discovered it was the healing stone. That explained the heat, and now that she was awake, that warmth was now edged with pain. She must have made a noise, because the next moment, she recognized Dhatri’s gentle touch as the stone was carefully removed. She helped Chandra sit up and offered her some water in a copper mug.
Memories slowly returned. The throne room in the treasury. Matangi’s death. Chandra’s torture at Ketuvahana’s hands. The return trip back to Samyukta’s house in the dead of the night—Billadev carrying her most of the way. Dhatri patiently sewing the gaping wound on her face, and then…blessed blankness.
She felt her face being tilted as Dhatri examined the wound.
“What happened?” asked Chandra, her voice scratchy with sleep. Her lisp was better, but it was still a struggle to speak.
“Your wound is better, Princess. But I had to dose you with something strong because the burn from the healing stone would be too much otherwise, and I needed you to stay as still as possible.” She sighed. “I did my best, but I’m afraid you’ll still have a scar for the rest of your life.”
It took her a moment for Chandra to register the swollen heaviness of Dhatri’s eyes—evidence that she had been crying.
The door opened just then, and Veer walked inside. His gaze found her and Chandra felt a jumble of emotions. Relief that he was here, unhurt and alive. Guilt that she was here, when a woman had died on her account. And a resigned sadness that Prince Aditya had died.
Yes, even she, who had mostly been in and out of consciousness, heard the news of what happened to Prince Aditya. The entire household was so deep in mourning that you would be hard pressed to find a dry eye.
They might have recovered the key piece, but they were unable to get Aditya out of his prison alive.
Veer came to sit by her side and held her hand silently. She wished she could make sense of his expression, but his face was blank as a board, revealing nothing about how he might be feeling about his failure to fulfill his promise.
Moisture pooled in her eyes, but her husband still didn’t say anything except raise her chin and wipe the tears that silently trickled down.
His eyes lingered on the linear scar across one cheek, and she finally felt a hint of anger coming from him. The wound was healing, but she knew it likely was still ghastly and red.
“Say something,” she whispered, unable to take his silence anymore.
“Why, Princess? When you self-flagellate better than anything I do or say?” His words were harsh, but the tone was soft as he squeezed her fingers. “But even I can’t be so heartless when I see you hurt like this. I suppose I should be grateful that you are alive, at least. Unlike Matangi.”
Words rushed her but Dhatri placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Please don’t speak too much, Princess, you’ll rip your stitches.”
Chandra nodded and noticed Shota and Billadev hovering uncomfortably at the edge of the room.
She glanced beseechingly at Billadev and moved her fingers in sign language. He understood immediately and translated. “She wants to speak to Matangi’s brother, Maruthi and apologize personally.”
Veer sighed deeply. “I’ll take care of it, don’t worry.”
Chandra protested, but Veer placed a hand on her shoulder. “Trust me, Princess. You don’t want to meet him now. Not in his current state. It wouldn’t be easy for either of you. Matangi was the only family he had left.”
Shota followedVeer and Billadev as they left the room shortly afterward. They passed a room where Samyukta was holding a conference with several people. Shota observed some silent communication pass between him and Veer. A subtle flicker that he would have missed if he hadn’t been focusing on Veer intently.
They reached a private deserted storeroom. “We should get a move on,” said Shota, closing the door. “The sooner the better. These people owe us nothing. More than a few likely will blameus for Prince Aditya’s and the queen’s deaths, once the initial shock fades.”
Veer nodded in agreement. “How soon before we can move Chandra?”
“Dhatri mentioned the stitches might come out tomorrow, thanks to your healing stone. Pity we couldn’t use it longer, but it was starting to leave a burn mark,” said Shota.
“Best we can expect, I suppose. Shota, have you made arrangements like we talked about before?”
“Yes,” said Shota. “Maruthi agreed to be an escort. They’ll leave tomorrow evening, making their way toward the Borderlands, and then take the northern road to Rajgarh. Kalpeet should provide them with an ample resting place on the way. They have your insignia and will not experience any trouble from people who have sworn allegiance to our kingdom.”
“Good. Billadev, keep an eye on Chandra. She’ll try to meet with Maruthi to apologize personally. That can’t happen. It’ll blow their cover. She doesn’t even know about Gauri Devi’s sacrifice yet.”
“I understand. I’ll inform Maruthi as well,” said Billadev. His voice sounded scratchy and quiet, unlike him. “Veer there’s something you should know.” After a pause, he spoke again hesitantly. “When I was on thepanch-pashuthrone, it triggered a…vision. It’s about the princess. And I think…no, I strongly suspect, it was a past event.”
“What did you see?” asked Shota curiously, while Veer went extremely still and listened with a frown, giving him his complete attention.
“There was a man who appeared to be strangling a woman and then I saw Chandra interfere…”
Billadev quickly explained what he saw, and it roughly matched what the princess had told Veer.
