Page 128 of The Burning Mountain
“Because of her, it’s too late,” continued Virat. “This mechanism can be keyed only at the right time, with the right key piece in place. Time which is now passed.”
When she reached their binding circle, Chandra dropped painfully to her knees. Her head struck the ground with force. She reared back and did it again. And again. Blood trickled into her eye and yet she couldn’t stop herself from obeying his every command that rang through her brain.
Vihari suddenly appeared in the air, soaring above. He screeched and a ring of fire burst around Virat and Veer, enclosing the bindingyantra. The spectral hands holding Veer immobile, vanished and his eyes blazed a brilliant gold as he connected with Vihari. The binding circle splintered under the influence of the divine kite’s fire; its power spent.
The waiting birds exploded like dark fireworks, taking to the air at the same time, talons outstretched toward the wizard.
Veer reached for his sword, arcing it through the air, the blade heading for Virat’s neck but before he could strike, Chandra found herself moving in between them, shielding Virat.
A dagger found its way into her hand and she held its sharp edge to her neck.
Everything halted. The birds stopped, suspended in the air. Veer froze. Vihari paused his descent.
The dark intensified as the storm clouds rumbled with thunder and lightning. The eye sockets on Virat’s four-skulled staff glowed crimson, matching the still-fading red tint of magma around them.
They were at an impasse. Veer couldn’t hurt Virat without injuring Chandra. The minute he tried, she would kill herself on Virat’s command. The moments ticked as they stood staring at one another.
Suddenly, lightning zapped Veer, who was thrown a few feet into the air and then crashed down. An involuntary scream left Chandra’s throat, as her heart galloped in sudden fear. Fortunately, he fell back onto the metal bridge.
He lay still for a while. Then his eyes opened, and he coughed, clutching his chest. His arm now sported a nasty electrical burn.Her relief was short lived, because Virat spoke again.
“Don’t make me angry, Veer,” he snapped. “I could have seriously injured your body with my flash.”
Veer stopped coughing. “Let her go,” he wheezed. “She is a nobody. Not worth your time. Your main focus should be me.” She heard the rasp in Veer’s voice and prayed his injury wasn’t serious.
Virat’s mouth twisted. “Nice try, Veer. But your attempt to save her is very transparent.” Chandra stumbled to her knees in front of Virat at his command, her knife clattering to the floor. Virat grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled, bending her neck until it was tilted at an awkward right angle. Virat’s face loomed across her vision, more ominous than the angry clouds in the sky behind him.
“I am so tempted to end her here, Veer, right before your eyes while you watch helplessly,” he said, his teeth bared. “But I have a better idea.” He licked his lips. “I need another body. What better way to help me, Veer, than give me yours?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I never explained how I switch my soul once the body I inhabit degenerates, did I?” Virat’s twisted smile filled her with horror at the implication behind his statement, a sentiment she heard echoed in the shocked silence from Veer.
“Oh, yes, I can see you are rightfully horrified, Veer,” he continued. “But your guess is right. I must kill to survive. I suppose I can transfer to a dead body, but I loathe any carrion but a freshly killed one. I have found, if I use my bone dagger, it is easier for me to complete the transference of souls, and it allows me to experience, however briefly, the fresh breath of life, the first taste of emotions. Now, because of her, I am forevercondemned to live this way. She needs to pay for every single misfortune she has brought me.”
“Get up. I have another task for you.”Virat’s command rang through Chandra’s brain, her muscles obeying without any resistance. From the depths of his tattered robes, he pulled a femur bone dagger and offered it to Chandra, speaking the next words aloud.
“Stab the bone knife into your husband and kill him with it.”
Chandra watched in horror as her hand reached for Virat’s bone dagger. Revulsion crawled up her arm at the damp osseous feel of the bone in her fingers.
“Maybe for a short while, I can get to be the crown prince of Rajgarh,” mused Virat, as he moved leisurely around them, confident in his upper hand. “Do you think others will realize who I am, when I appear wearing your body? I hadn’t really thought too much about it. I was sure I could get her to open the portal using the Lotus Key. I sacrificed so much to discover the whereabouts of that red petal.”
Rage once again appeared to overwhelm Virat. “All of it is gone. And you want me to forgive her? Did I not say I wanted to kill her many times? I wasn’t lying about that,” he snarled.
An unexpected blow from her own fist made Chandra see stars. Blood sprouted at the corner of her lip and yet she couldn’t even lift her hand to see if she had broken something.
“This will be a temporary solution. But perhaps your demon and I can come to an agreement,” said Virat, calming down slightly. “Since we both are similar in certain ways—dependent on a physical body to exist. What do you say, Veer? You can finally help me. Not in a way I envisioned, certainly. But since you were so reluctant with the other idea I proposed, this must be better.”
“Don’t make me kill my husband,” pleaded Chandra. He seemed to allow her to speak. “Anything but that…please.”
“Isn’t it fitting, Princess?” asked Virat, his eyes gleaming. “Everyone believes that you tried to kill your husband all those years ago. You even got punished for it. And now you can make it true.”
“No. No, please no.” But despite what she was saying, Chandra found herself moving toward Veer lying on the bridge.
“You were ready to let him die a moment ago, Princess. What’s the difference now? See, Veer? You made the wrong choice in choosing to believe her—she was ready to sacrifice you for the good of people. Is this what you wanted in your wife?”
“I am so-sor-sorry.”
