Chapter 43 Flight on Vihari
Chandra and Veer stood on the high ledge of a cliff face. The yaksha had dropped them off right at the edge of the Dandakaranya and they had found Vihari waiting, just like he had said. The kite flew to them and alighted on Veer’s shoulder, whose eyes glowed amber as they renewed their connection.
A regular forest lay before them and judging by the size, it would take them days to get out of the Tapovan.
Chandra glanced back toward where the yaksha had disappeared.
“Princess, the way forward is this way,” called out Veer.
“I know. It’s just…I think I’ll miss Makhadeva and the other beings in the magical forest,” she said. “Even though we haven’t been in the Dandakaranya for long.”
“Yeah, why wouldn’t you miss them?” said Veer sardonically. “They treated you like royalty the entire time you were there. One would think they were letting go of a beloved relative the way they were saying goodbye.”
“Is that jealousy I hear?” she asked archly.
Veer’s eyes shifted away. “I don’t like the way they always seem to talk in riddles. As if they know you better.”
“Right, I forgot. Makhadeva spoke to you for a while before we left. What did he say that I couldn’t be privy to?” she asked, curious.
Veer compressed his lips and remained stubbornly silent.
Chandra sighed. Ever since her revelation about his friend, Veer seemed more remote and reserved in his interactions with her.
Like he was determined to keep a distance between them.
He stopped being so sarcastic all the time and, perversely, Chandra missed their banter and wished things would go back to the way they were before.
Veer caressed Vihari and gazed contemplatively at the vista before them.
“There’s something the yaksha said that has been on my mind lately. Do you remember what we saw when we fixed the key piece to the lotus key?”
Chandra nodded. “The image wasn’t clear. That’s the first time that happened. So far, the location of the next key piece has been crystal clear. But this next image was a blur, alternating between a weirdly shaped pendant and a strangely sculpted throne.”
“Yes. The yaksha seemed puzzled by it as well, but he was confident the next key piece was in both those locations we saw.”
“How could one key piece be in both those locations?” she asked, keeping a wary eye out on Vihari, who was giving her a piercing look as usual.
“It could. If it’s been sheared into two,” said Veer evenly, stroking the top of Vihari’s head with long fingers.
Chandra gaped at him. “Split in half? But…why?”
“Who knows, Princess? I’m anxious to see our men. The yaksha told me he had them transported safely past the forest and advised them to wait for us in Thianvelli. If what he said was true, then they ought to have more information. Do you mind, Chandra, if we took a shortcut?”
“Of course not, but I’m curious. Can there be a shortcut through such dense foliage?”
“I don’t mean through the forest. I meant, over it.” He pointed toward Vihari, who had taken to air. The kite burst into flames, eking an involuntary cry from Chandra. But he seemed unaffected, and when the flames disappeared, a giant bird hovered in the air in front of them.
“It’s all right,” said Veer. “This is his original form. He is one of the divine mountain birds. He has magic of his own and can change his size. We’re going to fly.”
“What?! No! In case it escaped your notice, that bird hates me.” She wiggled her fingers at Veer. Fingers that Vihari had taken a bite of earlier when they were at the temple city. “Who’s to say he won’t throw me off mid-flight? No, I won’t climb on him. Let’s go the usual way.”
“He won’t do anything of that sort, Princess. Trust me, now come on,” he said and extended his hand.
Chandra took a step back, eyes wide. “No. You can’t make me.”
Veer frowned, dropping his hand. “Are you afraid of heights?”
“Ha! That trick won’t work. I’m not afraid of heights. I just don’t think I’ll like flying on a bird who is liable to burst into flames at a moment’s notice. And one who just happens to hate me.”
“Vihari doesn’t hate you. You’ll be perfectly safe,” said Veer patiently.
“Says you. I don’t think so,” she said, shaking her head.
Veer rubbed his chin and looked at Chandra with a considering expression. “How would you know if you haven’t tried?”
“I know without touching fire that I won’t enjoy being burned,” she argued.
“Come on, Chandra, we don’t have time,” said Veer, exasperation lacing his words.
“You go. I’ll walk, thank you very much,” she said, taking a few more steps back from the bird.
Veer gave a long-suffering sigh and threw up his hands in defeat. “All right, if you feel that strongly. Let’s go the usual way.”
They made steady progress through the morning, but it was slow going compared to what Veer had suggested. Midday they decided to take a break after Chandra tripped over a root, causing her to have a minor sprain.
“I’m all right. I can still walk and climb down,” she said, wincing and massaging her foot.
Veer watched her hobbling around and didn’t say anything. They packed up and started again after a brief rest. This time, they needed to climb down another cliff face. Veer offered to let her go first.
Chandra bent down to grasp some vines and lowered herself, her feet finding a foothold across the rock face.
Her ankle hurt, but she was careful not to put too much weight on it.
She was midway down when she realized Veer was nowhere to be seen.
She looked up and his face appeared at the edge of the cliff. He had his machete drawn.
“This is going to be dangerous, Princess,” he called. “But I want you to remember. Trust me.”
“What are you doing? No…” Too late, Chandra understood what he intended. She ought to have remembered this was Veer, the most cunning man she had ever met. And she had put herself at his mercy.
He cut the vines.
She fell like a rock, a scream lodged in her throat.
She shut her eyes, cursing Veer for his deviousness and cursing herself for being so gullible, then mentally braced herself for the landing that was sure to kill her.
She landed with a thump on a rocking feather bed.
“Would you stop screaming now? My ears hurt.” Veer’s voice broke her terror. Her scream died. They were airborne on the kite. She felt the solid strength of her husband behind her.
She listed sideways and took a death grip on the feathers, eyes scrunching shut. Vihari gave a cry.
“I’ve got you, Princess. You can let go. You won’t fall,” he coaxed softly at her ear. “Look, open your eyes, see how beautiful it is.”
She cautiously opened her eyes. They were high above the forest. The distorted shadow of the bird on the canopy kept pace with them as they flew swiftly, heading south.
“See, you are a natural, Princess. You were afraid for nothing,” he said sounding smug.
Chandra was too caught up in the beauty of the world above to take him to task about his underhanded tactics. Wind whistled in her ears. Strands of hair blew into her eyes. Secure in the cradle of her husband’s arms, she felt the inevitable exhilaration of the flight seeping through her veins.
Chandra extended her arms suddenly. The balance shifted, and they wobbled in the strong air currents. Vihari gave a warbly cry of warning.
Veer cursed as he struggled briefly to control the kite. “What are you doing now, you crazy woman?”
Chandra pulled in her arms, contrite. “Sorry…sorry. I forgot myself for a minute.”
“Huh? What were you doing, anyway?” he asked, adjusting the bird with no great effort. “You’ve been amusing yourself by moving your arms this way and that.”
“I can show you…if you’d like.”
“Go on.”
Chandra extended her arms again cautiously.
“There! Do you see?” she said, indicating the shadow under them. “That’s the shape of a swan.”
Chandra moved her arms again, and the shadow shifted. “And there’s a horse.”
Veer looked bemused.
“Shadow animals?” he snickered. “That’s what this is all about? A child’s amusement? Maybe I am confused about your age. I thought you’re a woman, not a nine-year-old.”
Chandra dropped her arms with a huff. “You don’t need to be nasty. It’s pretty fun when you get into it. Sarun, when he was young, used to pester me every day to make shadow animals for him. I can make almost a hundred and fifty such shadow figures.”
“What a useful skill to have,” he teased.
Chandra twisted in her seat and scowled at him.
There was something different about him today. Before, when he made sarcastic comments, his eyes stayed cold and remote, but now that ice seemed to have thawed.
He blinked, breaking the spell. Clearing his throat, he asked, “Tell me about Sarun. I want to know about him.”
“He’s a happy, well-adjusted child who is fond of getting into scrapes.
You saw him that day.” Chandra hesitated.
“He doesn’t know anything about his father.
You recall Girish, right, my bodyguard?” When Veer nodded, she continued.
“Girish’s been the male figure in his life.
Kalpana and Girish are planning to be together as a family. ”
“You should’ve told me everything…but at least about Sarun before. Why didn’t you?” he asked quietly, sounding sincere.
Chandra gathered her thoughts. “I was afraid of how you’d take it, and I didn’t know you well enough to think that you’d pardon Kalpana for a crime of this magnitude.
” Chandra peered back at him briefly, wondering what he was thinking.
It seemed like he was slowly accepting the truth about the past.
“I want him in Rajgarh’s royal palace where he’d be provided the best education. It’s the least I can do for a man who I once called a friend.”
Chandra panicked. This was another of her worries. “You can’t take him away!” she said, twisting to face him. “He needs his mother. Especially now that he’s sick.”