Page 59 of The Burning Mountain
Chandra dabbed at her eyes and obediently shifted her chair closer. More maps and rolls of parchment were scattered across the surface. Her uncles and cousins were skilled cartographers, and the maps spread on the table were very detailed. Veer pulled one of them close and leaned over her shoulder. It was a basic map of Saptavarsha and its kingdoms.
“Show me a place, Princess, that doesn’t share border woes with its neighbors. A place which is completely isolated.”
Chandra remained silent, her mind racing.
“There is no such country, right?” he said, as if deducing her thoughts. His fingers hovered over a large island off the coast of Sumedh as he bent closer. “Even the island of Angaradweep depends on its trade routes to keep their populace happy.”
Mint and pine scent wrapped around her, with a faint note of betel leaves. Chandra realized that was what he must’ve been chewing on earlier. It was the traditional way of sealing a deal in Sumedh.
“When Rajgarh took the solemn responsibility of emperorship of Saptavarsha,” he continued, “when my father launched therajasuya yagnamany years ago, we took it seriously. The well-being of all kingdoms of the subcontinent, no matter how small or how divided we are, matters to us. None of us can live in peace when others suffer.
“And I don’t mean this out of some naive belief. It’s a practical observation. Take the Borderlands, for example. Thianvelli’s instability had led to the rapid rise of bandit troops and emigration, affecting the trade between several kingdoms. Even if Amaravathi wanted to have nothing to do with Thianvelli, it still couldn’t escape from the many aftermaths, as you know all too well.
“The stability of Thianvelli is pivotal to the peace in Saptavarsha. That prevents us from striking out against the current rulers directly, but neither can we afford to ignore the situation and mess they’re creating with their greed and lust for power. Rajgarh would never condone it.”
Veer straightened and gazed at the distant white peaks of the sea, partially visible through a wide window beside the map he had been inspecting earlier , his voice grave. “Aditya is the hope of the people of Thianvelli, and I couldn’t let that hope be extinguished. Not on my watch. Now do you understand?”
Chandra nodded mutely, still in shock over the recent revelations, when Veer headed out. He was almost at the door when she called out. “Wait. What about Ketuvahana?”
He turned his head at her question. “What about him?” he asked, his tone a bit too even to be natural.
“The bangle seller told me what happened to him. Was that you too? Why did you do it?”
“Do you really need to ask, Chandra?” he said, his voice deepening, as his gaze lingered on the scar at her cheek. Chandra inhaled sharply at what she saw in his eyes. This wasn’t the disgust she’d thought he might be hiding. This was burning rage and torment. A conflagration that seared her with its intensity. She finally had her answer about how he might have felt about the scar on her cheek.
“I should have ripped him, limb from limb, for daring to lay a hand on you,” he said on a growl so low she strained to hear it. His hands curled into fists at his side until he seemed to consciously work on unclenching them. “If you weren’t here and I was otherwise free, I would go back and finish the job.”
Chandra didn’t know how long she sat, staring at the empty space after he left. She had always known Veer to be loyal to his country. But it wasn’t until now that she understood he extended that charge to the rest of Saptavarsha.
Veer gained nothing by doing this. He could have just fulfilled his bargain to Gauri Devi, and everyone would consider him a man of his word. But he thought beyond a temporary solution. And gambled, to give them a ruse of protection, putting aside his enmity in the interest of greater good. Unlike others who wasted no opportunity to garner admiration, Veer preferred to keep his involvement hidden.
She shivered when she recalled how unhinged and possessive he sounded when she asked about Ketuvahana.
Her husband’s reputation for violence was rightfully earned, but there were facets to his personality that drew her like a moth to a flame. Her vacillating, nebulous feelings took a sharp turn, solidifying into a soul-deep admiration. And trust. She had no wish anymore, to run away or hide from what she felt for him.
She jerked when a hand fell on her shoulder.
“Chandra? Are you all right? You didn’t return, so I came searching for you.” Her aunt took a long look at her niece’s face and seemed to have noticed the tear tracks. “What’s wrong, child?” she asked sympathetically. “Did you two have a fight again?”
Chandra shook her head, wiping her wet cheeks. “No, Aunt. I’m just realizing how much I mistook a man’s character based on rumors and hearsay. I, who should know better, made a mistake that almost destroyed my own marriage and affected so many others. All because of a blind prejudice that prevented me from seeing the person I’d married.”
26
VIVISMATI’S DILEMMA
King Pourava of Vivismati watched the desert from his tower’s ramparts. A bright shimmery haze hovered over the sands—a mirage in formation.
The solitary tower, built strategically on a hillock, was one of his favorites out of the several that dotted the desert landscape. Its location provided an ideal vantage point from which he could see the borders of Vivismati.
If he gazed to the west, he would see the white peaks of the ocean waves and the bustling harbor city adjoining the shore.
Toward the north and east rose the mighty Vindhyas and the outlier villages of the kingdom of Rajgarh. If he used the powerful telescope built inside the chamber, he could even see the spires of the marble palace of Rajgarh.
The Dwaran Hills, a chain of lesser hills, shot off the base of the Vindhyas, riding only a short distance south, forming an incomplete wall. The Solvidas, another range of hills, created the rest of the wall. This wall not only protected the rest of the subcontinent from the scorching desert winds, but it also formed an arbitrary border between Rajgarh and Vivismati.
Thus, Vivismati and Rajgarh shared border problems.
Some of the tribes, grouping together under the leadership of Surasen—who called himself a representative of random desert people—and who Pourava branded a bandit, became an issue for both kingdoms. Especially since trade was one of the major revenues. Rajgarh and Vivismati combined their military forces to combat them, and before Veer left in search of the Lotus Key, they were close to cornering them.
