Page 56 of The Burning Mountain
Samudra’s face became stonier. “And what business does Prince Veer have roaming incognito in my kingdom so far from Rajgarh?”
“My business has nothing to do with Sumedh. The only reason I’m here is because Sumedh is closer than Vivismati. I much prefer to conduct my business there.”
“And yet, I find you here,” said Samudra archly.
Veer inclined his head in acknowledgment of that.
“Sumedh has always striven to have cordial relations with its neighbors,” continued Samudra in a low growl. “It’s the only reason I’m not having you clapped in irons for deceiving me.”
Veer’s lips tilted in a sarcastic smile, which only served to inflame the sea king further.
“I’ll not have you questioning my authority in my own kingdom.” Samudra’s words came from a mouth clenched in anger. “No matter if you are the son of the emperor of the Saptavarsha.”
Veer held up his hands, his demeanor somber again. “I have no quarrel with you, Your Majesty. In fact, I would be happy to answer your questions, because I really do need theGajagamini.”
Veer’s stance pacified Samudra, but only mildly. “I need to know a lot more before I give you that ship,” he said shortly. “If I indeed decide to do that. But this is not the right place to discussall this. I would like to invite you to stay in the royal palace. The princess is welcome as well.”
Veer took in the crafty gleam in Samudra’s eyes. Of course he had welcomed them to the palace. He would have more control of the situation there, and there was no way Veer could refuse a royal invite without offending him. This was more a summons.
“I accept your invitation,” he said.
25
WHAT HAPPENED IN THIANVELLI DIDN’T STAY THERE
Chandra rapped at the heavy doors of her uncle’s business office. The doors opened and a tall, striking man stood at the entrance. His sea-green eyes widened in recognition.
Chandra jumped back in surprise.
“Oh. I apologize. I didn’t realize I was interrupting.” She stepped to one side and craned her neck, trying to peer past him into the room.
“No worries. I was just leaving anyway.” The stranger bowed. “Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Princess.”
Chandra bowed back. “Likewise,” she said, more by reflex than anything. She racked her brain trying to recall if he was someone important, if so, she ought to have remembered. The man seemed to wait for her to recognize him. But after a moment of awkwardness, when she gave no further response, he gave a wry smile and left after another bow.
Veer appeared at the door just as the man left. Her uncle shouldered past them, muttering about needing to escort his guest to the gate.
Still deep in thought over the person’s identity, Chandra followed Veer into the room. “Who is he?”
“Don’t you know him?” Veer watched her carefully. He seemed to be chewing on something and swallowed, pulling a face.
“If I have, I don’t remember,” she said.
“King Samudra.”
Chandra was momentarily distracted from her mission. “What business did you have with the king of Sumedh?” she asked, surprised.
“We need a ship for retrieving the next key piece,” said Veer, moving to the driftwood meeting table.
The lotus had revealed the next location. It was mounted on the head of a monstrous serpentine creature that spent its time in the depths of the sea, surfacing occasionally to strike terror in the hearts of sailors. The locals called it the Makara due to its strong similarity to a serpent, a crocodile, and a scaled fish.
“I thought that was the reason we came here,” she said, frowning. “So that my uncles can help you?”
“And they did. It is through them I could meet Samudra. I asked for his largest ship. It rivals any other in Vivismati’s fleet.”
“And he agreed to help?” she asked, brows raised.
“He asked us to the palace for further discussions,” he said.
