Page 125 of The Burning Mountain
Veer wiped the blood off the corner of his mouth. His quick glance toward her was imbued with urgency, and Chandra shook off the stupor that seemed to have fallen over her. She wanted to use her arrows, but they were so close and couldn’t waste time fighting Virat. She needed to finish her task first, so she could help her husband.
Ignoring the aches, she got up, using the railing as support, and turned toward the mechanism once more.
Virat didn’t missthe worried glance Veer gave his wife. She was almost at the mechanism, and the hour was drawing near. If he didn’t act now, everything he had worked so hard for would be lost.
Hewould be lost.
Virat struck the ground with his spear and white lines appeared to flow from it, spreading in interlocking circles and triangles, nesting one inside the other. Theyantraof a binding circle formed around him, enclosing Veer as well.
Virat had been chanting verses while fighting, concentrating so hard he had missed seeing the critter that bit him. But it was worth the pain.
“Nibandhanam cha karishye.” With his final words, the mantra closed the last gap in theyantra, and the completed spell went blinding white.
Spectral hands made of insubstantial smoke appeared from thin air and reached toward Veer, holding him in place, strong as manacles. Surprise painted Veer’s face, but he couldn’t fight against the smoke. The binding hands were not of this world but belonged to the spectral realm.
The snow leopards and the airborne birds of prey paused as they encountered the barrier of the binding circle. Everything inside was now part of the spirit realm. Even if Veer found that he was still connected to his animals, they couldn’t approach him past the barrier.
Virat stretched his mouth wide in a triumphant grin but felt dead inside. The lack of pleasure enraged him so much that he shook from it. It seemed like all he had left was anger, in abundant quantities, enough to fill the void left by his other emotions. Now it streamed into him with all the rush of a river overflowing its banks.
“Why wouldn’t you help me with this?” cried Virat, his voice coming out like a howl. “Why wouldn’t you let me do what I need to survive?” He advanced on Veer and placed the sharp tip of his spear at his neck. “Was I not once your friend?” he whispered, unable to give up on the one genuine relationship he had before death. Even now.
Veer’s eyes, despite being a montage of shifting colors and shapes, were easy to read. He had made his decision to stand against him. His friend cared about a lot of things, but he had boundaries he wouldn’t cross. It was a fundamental differencebetween them. When Virat was still alive, he thought it was a failing. He still did.
But that concern for others was something Virat used all the time, to get people to do things his way.
Veer’s worry was now centered on his wife. He didn’t fear death. Warriors lived their lives on the edge, and courting death was something they dealt with regularly. He would give his life if it meant she could go free.
Just the thought ofher, of all people, commanding such loyalty from his onetime friend, was enough to burn him with a jealous hate. A raging inferno that rivaled the volcano around them.
“Why are you doing this, Virat?” asked Veer, struggling. “What do you gain? Meru needs to be keyed. We’re all here and if the explosion happens now, even your necromancy can’t save you this time.”
“Who said I wanted to stop the explosion?” scoffed Virat. “You didn’t even let me explain. By all means, go ahead and turn the key. But there needs to be a slight change.”
He walked backward out of the binding circle, fishing out an object tucked securely into his belt, holding it aloft.
Veer let out a curse when he saw it.
“Where in nine hells did you get that?” Veer snarled, straining against the confining spectral hands. “How many more are there? Is the Lotus key complete or still unfinished?”
Virat held up another key piece. Unlike the others, this one glowed red.
“Haven’t you ever wondered why King Amarendra had the key dismantled and the individual pieces hidden?” asked Virat, as he inspected the shifting red glow of the lotus petal, fascinated.
He had gone to considerable lengths to search for and obtain this key piece.
“The lotus is complete,” continued Virat, glancing at Veer briefly, but then returning his gaze to the red-tinted key piece, mesmerized by what he saw. “For what you intended. You see, the lotus is actually a master key. At its base purpose, it functions as a winding key—one that restores the mechanism into working every thousand years—preventing the explosion of Meru.
“But that is onlyoneaspect of what it can do. You add more petals, more key pieces, and it transforms into other keys. Ones that could open doorways into otherloka, other dimensions. It’s a portal key.”
The surrounding low rumble of rock was loud in the sudden silence. Thunder lowered to a distant growl.
“Why do you need to open other dimensions?” asked Veer quietly.
Virat felt a flicker of disappointment, but it was gone before he could properly experience it. “What kind of question is that? The Veer I know wouldn’t have needed to ask. Of course, I want to know what lies in those dimensions. Just look at that mechanism! The race of devas and danavas built something that could even halt a natural disaster. Their knowledge and skills are beyond compare. We humans have nothing that comes close. What better way to find a cure for my condition than visiting these other dimensions? I’m pretty sure they’ll have an answer.”
“And what? They’re just going to hand over that information when you ask for it?” Veer’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “If Amarendra thought to dismantle the key, then those dimensions ought to be left alone.”
“Don’t you want to know what wondrous and magical things exist in those places? Aren’t you the least bit curious about these obscure dimensions that are now the abode of these supernatural beings?” argued Virat, appealing to the sense of adventure they both used to indulge in often.
