Page 45 of The Burning Mountain
Billadev’s eyes were out of focus as he recalled what he’d seen in the trance. “I think she was somehow…coerced. Chandra, I mean. Her movements were disjointed, weird…forced. And there was some mention of mind control.” He held his head as his brow contorted. “It’s difficult to explain… I could see and hear this play out as if I were there, as if I were an invisible presence.”
He stopped speaking and stared at Veer for answers. “Do you know what it was about? Or why I saw it?”
Veer gaped at Billadev. His shoulders rounded, limbs slack, and he appeared to shrink. Something close to anguish and realization made his eyes glisten. The last time Shota had seen Veer this ashen was during the princess’s trial.
Shota answered Billadev’s question instead. “Perhaps it was a past event, like you’d suspected. The throne is magical after all.”
“But—”
“It doesn’t concern you, Billadev,” rasped out Veer. He appeared to struggle to gather the shreds of his composure. Shota recognized the effort Veer was expending to keep a lid on his rage—ever since they came to know about Chandra’s torture. But now he couldn’t quite hide the storm cloud of emotions that threatened to break into a hail of rain. “It happened long before you and I met. It’s best if you forget about it.”
“But, if it concerns the princess, you should?—”
“Do not tell me what I should or should not do when it comes to my wife,” interrupted Veer with a low growl. “When you have successfully completed the task I set you, then I’ll listen to your advice.”
Billadev flinched. “I know I haven’t done a good enough job of protecting the princess and that I give the impression that I don’t care about anything, but I swear I’ll not allow her to come to harm in the future. Please believe me.”
“Well, you’ve failed, haven’t you? There isn’t a scratch on you while she lies there injured.” Loathing laced his voice, giving it a sharp-edged inflection. “And another person you were supposed to protect has died.”
“Veer! How could you say that? You’re not being fair to Billadev,” said Shota angrily. “The plan was Chandra’s. Both successes and failures are to be laid at her feet. Billadev was against if from the start. And he does feel bad. He took a risk going back to fetch Matangi’s corpse so she could be given death rites. Or is this misplaced guilt speaking?”
Shota’s reprimand seemed to have struck a nerve. Veer glanced away, a muscle bunching in his jaw. “I could wring her neck. She put herself in danger when I expressly told her to leave that evening because I feared something like this would happen. Sending her into the palace, into Ketuvahana’s clutches was a bad idea I wish I had never agreed to. Doesn’t she understand she is the only one who can operate the key?”
There was a beat of silence.
“Are you sure that is the only reason you’re upset?” asked Shota, challenge in his tone.
Veer whipped his head toward him, disbelief and hurt swirling in his eyes that Shota was choosing to take potshots at him, now of all the times.
But he recovered quickly, concealing his thoughts and narrowing his eyes to slits. “I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean, Shota. Why don’t you speak plainly?”
“Ever since the princess told you her version of events, you’ve gone soft on her,” said Shota, crossing his arms, hardening his heart against the suffering he had seen earlier in Veer’s eyes. “Instead of seeing her as a tool, as a means to an end—as you once said—you’re giving her more importance. Don’t forget that Rajgarh’s safety depends on the success of this mission.”
“Did I ever give the sense that I forgot about our mission?” Veer’s voice took on a silky tone that usually denoted simmering anger.
“You’ve told me to investigate the events that happened seven years ago. But you behave like you have absolved her of her crime. Do you still really want me to investigate the past?” said Shota, doubling down on his point.
“Billadev’s recount of the past is more than whatyouwere able to gather about the past. If you are having trouble finding evidence, you can state that plainly instead of giving excuses like this.”
“I’m having trouble finding evidence,” admitted Shota. “The incident happened many years ago. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that you’re starting to have feelings for her. You are well within your rights to do so, but you’re lying to yourself if your think your obvious liking toward Chandrasena won’t be noticed or commented on.”
“Enough!” Veer roared, his hands slashing through the air decisively. “I’ve heard enough from you.” He took a deep breath, as if trying to get his anger under control, and then he spoke, his words soft as a hiss. “All this is extremely amusing to hear from a man who forsook the only woman he has ever loved as penance for wronging his adopted family. So, excuse me if I don’t take advice from the likes of you.”
Shota blanched as Veer opened the door and stalked away.
“Where are you going?” asked Shota, his words emerging shaky.
“To tie up some loose ends.” Veer bit out of clenched teeth.
Shota stood staring at the doorway Veer had walked through. His chest hurt.
“That was Virat, wasn’t he?” asked Billadev quietly. “The man who died in my vision?”
Shota nodded as his hand rubbed at the sore spot, trying in vain to get rid of the feeling.
“Then…it means the princess is innocent,” said Billadev slowly.
“We suspected the truth wasn’t so cut-and-dried as we had believed,” admitted Shota with a sigh. “Veer asked me to reopen the investigation when we started on this quest.”
