The sun had begun its steady descent below the tree line, taking any vestiges of safety and comfort with it. Trekking through the base of the mountain last night seemed like child's play compared to the eerie and frightful creatures that lay deeper in the jungle.
They had stuck close to the creek for most of the day, and Arjun was grateful for the endless supply of fresh water on what had been a stifling and humid afternoon. Despite this, however, his tunic was drenched in sweat, and his face hummed under the intense heat.
Vidya's guess had proven correct. Though the princess and her team had moved deeper into the jungle in an effort to hide, one of them — judging by the size and deep imprint of the footprints, a heavier man — had returned to the creek to refill their flasks.
That had been their last stroke of good luck. For the past two hours, they had followed broken twigs, trodden vegetation, and split cobwebs only to arrive at dead ends. Each time they picked up a new trail, Arjun convinced himself that this was the real one. Each time, he was disappointed.
"This is hopeless," Rahul groaned, perspiration dripping into his dark eyes, as the trail went cold yet again.
Rahul had not stopped complaining for the past half hour, and it seemed Vidya had reached the end of her rope.
"For the Gods' sake, shut up!" she screeched, glaring daggers at him. "Nothing you say is helpful. I don't understand why you talk so much!"
"What? Am I supposed to thank our trusted scholar for leading us in circles around a mountainside that actively wants to kill us?" Rahul jeered, pressing his palms together in mock adoration. "Oh, praise be to Vidya, she who knows nothing!"
"That's ironic," she hissed, her nostrils flaring in unmitigated rage. "Coming from the man who does nothing else but drink our water, eat our food, and whine more than a petulant toddler!"
Arjun decided now was the time to intervene, before they said anything else they would regret. Though he doubted either would have any.
"Enough," he said firmly. "The both of you have to get along." Both of them grumbled under their breath, Vidya scuffing the earth with her sandals. "Rahul, you know we would die out here without Vidya."
Vidya smirked at his cousin. "Listen to your King, you ass—"
"And Vidya." He turned his gaze to her, just as stern as he was to Rahul. There would be no favoritism here, even if he was annoyed by his cousin's whinging as well. "When one of those scary animals comes after us, you'll be glad Rahul is here."
She huffed, folding her arms across her chest, but — and Arjun thanked the heavens for this — said nothing.
"Now, how could he be doing this? This mountainside may not be vast, but it's certainly not small either." Arjun pretended to posit the question to the entire group, hoping to spare Rahul's ego.
The Crown Prince refused to give up. All his life, he had worked twice as hard, trained twice as much, and studied twice as long. What he lacked in innate talent, he more than made up in determination and grit. He was not going to be outwitted by a thief.
Not again, anyway.
She sighed, rubbing her temples in frustration. "Nandini. No one, not even me, knows these mountains better than her."
Arjun could barely see the sun now. Still just the late evening, already strange animals were rising from their slumber. A lizard scurried into his path. Dark green, it blended into the earth, until its tongue darted out and its entire body turned into a bright blue, illuminating its path. Arjun could see the outline of the lizard's bones and the reptile's heart pumping through its thin skin.
"Its tongue secretes a poison when it's glowing like that." Vidya tugged him away from the scaly reptile. "It won't kill you, but it won't feel nice either."
"Why are we even chasing them?" Rahul ran a hand roughly through his hair. "This wretched mountain is going to kill them anyway."
Arjun ignored him. "What do we do now, Vidya? You have to have some idea of where they are."
His cousin scoffed, kicking a rock and sending it skittering down the incline. "We've wasted the afternoon chasing our own tail. They must be in the caves by now."
"No, I don't think so." Vidya looked thoughtful. Arjun could see the wheels churning behind her light eyes. "Nandini is too careful and too slow. She would never risk travelling at night. They must be camping somewhere."
Arjun considered fear to be one of the easier weaknesses to exploit. Fear made you predictable, reduced you to your base instincts. And the Mauryan scholar appeared to have an endless supply of fear.
Good. Another advantage.
"What's the safest place to camp, then?" Rahul asked, arriving at the same conclusion, a helpful reminder that his cousin had some brains, no matter how hard he tried to prove otherwise.
Vidya broke into a broad smile, her dimple making an appearance for the first time all evening. "There is a clearing, said to be where Yashoda stayed, surrounded by purple flowers. It's about an hour's hike from where we are."
The skies had blackened now, and the moonlight offered little in the way of guidance. But the depths of the forest had grown alive with the sun's passing. Fireflies pulsed around them. Nightflowers blossomed under the stars, illuminating the mountainside. And strange, unnerving creatures glowed bright blues and greens.
Where last night had been as black as the endless space, here, closer to the caves, there was only light.
Arjun grinned, realizing just how lucky he was to have Vidya and Rahul by his side. As annoying as their inane bickering was, they were fearless, and they would march through these mountains in the dead of night with no hesitation.
"Well, it's a good thing the dark never scared us," Arjun said, before following Vidya deeper into the perilous woods.
♛♛♛
An eerie chill lingered in the air, sending goosebumps up his arms. Unnatural, after the heat of the day, but Arjun supposed he would have to get used to the extraordinary in the Purti Mountains.
Shrouded behind the trees and foliage, the trio had a direct line of sight on the Mauryans. Nandini, a tiny wisp of a woman, pored over a leather-clad book, her bottom lip jutted out in concentration. A man, likely the one who led them on a wild chase around the mountainside, sat away from her, sharpening his sword against the edge of a rock.
While they were hard at work, their future queen lay on the ground, her hands and feet spread askance as she stared up at the sky.
Though he was certain the sounds of bugs chirping and leaves rustling would drown out his voice, Arjun whispered under his breath. "Remember the plan. This isn't an ambush. It's a play at peace. Divide and conquer."
It was a simple enough plan. Vidya's presence would be sure to startle Nandini, and the Yadavan scholar was confident she could scare Nandini into quitting.
"She's best suited for libraries, and she knows that," Vidya had said, an unmistakable reluctance evident in her tone. Arjun could understand. The academic clearly had some unresolved feelings, and exploiting her former lover's intimate secrets was less than honorable, but they had little room to maneuver.
Arjun gripped his dagger, his knuckles white. He vastly preferred his sword, a gift from his Father, and its longer reach, but this weapon would have to do. Besides, in a few moments, he would have his blade-of-choice back at his hip.
He slipped closer to the clearing, iridescent purple flowers lighting up his path. Arjun took his time, placing his feet with the utmost care so as to not alert them of his presence.
He stood at the edge of their camp now, his back pressed against the bark of a large tree. Despite the cool night air, beads of perspiration slipped down his neck. Nervous energy zipped up and down his limbs.
This was always the part he hated most. Those brief moments before the fight began. Rahul, he knew, thrived on these fleeting minutes, loved the building anticipation and the long-awaited release. He, on the other hand, became a self-doubting wreck, sure that his plans and his training would fail him.
He swallowed, his mouth as dry as the parchment in Nandini's diary. Arjun could hear them now, chatting idly amongst themselves. They did not seem burdened with incessant arguing as he was.
"I've never seen this many stars before." Alia marvelled up at the sky, her mouth agape in awe.
The man followed her gaze, a soft smile playing at his lips. "You forget how beautiful the world is in Toshalwar, don't you?"
Alia furrowed her dark brows, lines running up her forehead, as she propped herself up on her elbows and shot the man a scathing glare. "Toshalwar is beautiful," she snapped, her eyes narrowed in disgust. "How could you say otherwise?"
Toshalwar. Arjun kept that nugget of information away for safekeeping. From what he recalled about the city, it was a main port for Maurya, filled with merchants and traders. Even more crowded and impoverished than Purti.
He could not understand how Alia could find it beautiful.
Having eavesdropped enough, Arjun ducked out from behind the tree, twirling the dagger between his hands. He needed to appear nonchalant, unthreatened.
"It appears you have something of mine," he said, nodding to his sword that lay cast aside.
Alia scrambled to her feet, grabbing the sword. She held it awkwardly, both hands gripping the hilt. The soldier held his weapon steady, angled slightly in front of Alia in a protective stance.
The man was larger in person. He had a couple centimeters on Arjun, easily, and his shoulders were as broad as an elephant's. His arms were so large that Arjun was convinced he could crush watermelons between his bare hands.
"Back so soon? Honestly, yuvaraj, you must enjoy being robbed." Though Alia's tone was taunting, her eyes betrayed her, flitting to the edges of the clearing. She was either plotting an escape or searching for his friends.
Rahul dropped down from his perch in the trees, a healthy saunter in his step. If his entrance surprised Alia, her face showed no note of it. But the soldier was easier to read. He had dropped down into a fighting stance, his mouth pressed in a tight line as he analyzed the situation.
Arjun glanced at Nandini, who had stuffed her papers into her satchel and stood to her feet, a few meters away from Alia and her soldier. She looked like a statute, struck silent and unmoving, frozen in time by her own fear. Good.
"I must say I'm disappointed." Rahul smirked, his weapon still sat on his hip. "I thought the fabled Lost Princess of Maurya would be prettier."
"I hope you didn't come here just to hurl insults," the soldier replied, one arm out in an effort to prevent Alia from charging.
Arjun shook his head. "I told you. We came for what's mine." This was it. "Tell you what. We'll trade for it. I have a present for you that I think your little scholar here may enjoy."
Vidya appeared beside him, unshed tears making her eyes glassy. Still, her shoulders were squared, as if she were readying for a performance. Perhaps that was what she considered this. An elaborate act.
"Hey, Nandini."