Part 3: The Molten Vault
Chapter 27: Love and Friendship
Hayden
"Did it work?"
"Yes, it's all the news," Yuvan said and continued in a hurried dramatic tone of a newsreader. "Formation Samagraha under Shashi Thribhuvan's captivity. Front headline. Top story. I'm pretty sure King Aghasthya must have discussed this with Panchayat already."
"Perfect. How's the training going?"
"Smooth. Everyone's confident and positive about this. We are only waiting for you to open the floodgates. Only if you weren't too busy acting kidnapped..."
I paused, getting slightly bothered by his youthful teenage cockiness. Either that, or I was mustering up an empathetic cringe for seeing my past self through him. "I don't mean to give you any benefit of the doubt," I said. "I'll rather be direct and honest. Your plan for the upcoming war seems a little impractical to me. Not to mention, the number of days the training sessions were held...are you sure that's enough to fight against these creatures? Remember, not a single person shall die."
Yuvan scowled. "No offense, Your Majesty, but you're underestimating my fellow knights. And Hardik is a brilliant carpet. Hopefully, other carpets are as brilliant."
"They are good, by all means," I said. "Speaking of Hardik, thanks for letting it go. Leena and Pruthvi needed its assistance."
"Princess Leena's Constellia came to us at the right time."
I gave a single nod. "Right."
"When you said nobody should die," he asked, his voice now getting low. "Do you mean I'll be in trouble if anything unfortunate happens?"
The pressure was weighing on all of us, and Yuvan was only a fifteen-year-old boy. I couldn't disregard the fact that his age called for leniency, longer deadlines, and weaker objectives. "No," I said, slacking off. "The fault will be mine. I'll hold myself responsible. But I want you to be mindful, Yuvan. The margin of errors must be as negligible as possible."
Yuvan nodded sincerely and looked away. Standing against the tempered glass of the window, he watched the heavy snowfall and good cistern-filling rain beating down the empty, silent, and shivering grounds of Sharad. He bit his lip and stayed mum, a negative vibe stifled by him.
"Anything else?" I asked, suddenly realizing that the boy did not tend to speak up his mind unless pestered. "Yuvan, talk."
"We have everything," he asserted, "Bows, arrows, shields, manpower. Sharad's knights have started training our force on a professional level. They're helping us reevaluate our stand. Everything is perfect, except... we are struggling for some room. You've boarded too many people in there with us."
The nasty, slushy sleet outside felt like blowing directly into my face. "I'm sorry the place isn't sufficient. I could ask Pruthvi to make some adjustments."
"Adjustment is something we are used to. That isn't the problem." He turned around and stared up at me. "Leading a prolonged life in the basements is not quite possible. Please give this a serious thought. We want to end this, you're Majesty. We need to get out there and face the real competition." He rolled his eyes up and pointed a finger skyward.
The entire expanse of sky, hidden in the thick clouds, had degenerated into roaring chaos. The deadly creatures were lashing the country with continuous downpours of natural fire, leaving a wide swathe of destruction from Paschimgarh to Purvachand - and from Madhyakshethra to Dakshinpur. Everything outside of the castle was pulsing, dark, and immeasurably disturbing. I could only guess that this heavy rainfall was the redemptive power of art. Nazira, who was still on the road to full recovery, must be performing her magic. She was the one controlling the weather, giving a tough fight to an outraged Shashi.
"There's no way you'll be stepping out of the basement," I said, watching a creature make a roaring leap of a cannonball. "Not just yet."
"But..."
"Any kind of hastiness will cost me too many lives which I can not afford anymore. It's just a matter of time."
He let out a hard breath. "Time is something we do not have right now."
"What do you mean?"
"Food and water security issues have started to take a toll on us," he said urgently. "Ashwant is helping us with rainwater recycling, but he's still one person. We've stopped taking baths, and in a few days, toilets will be flushed only when essential." I felt a momentary chill. It was too much to endure all the problems at a time. "I eavesdropped," he continued seeing my reaction. "That's why I'm absolutely sure about it. I heard King Aghasthya insisting Ashwant bring this matter to Panchayat's attention, but Ashwant seems to be reluctant... somehow."
I shook my head. "Do not involve Panchayat. They will demand my whereabouts. They'll ask for proof of my abduction, and of course, they would want to know about my progress. From their standpoint, I've made none, and things have gotten worse already," I said, pointing at the sky. "I can understand why Ashwant is hesitant about meeting them. How long do you think you could manage with the remaining stock?"
"Sharad used to lend us a good deal of resources every three months in return for our business supplies. Thanks to our elders for being foresighted. Had they not advised us to stock things up..."
"I know all of this. Just tell me how long you think you can manage. A month? Two months?"
Yuvan scoffed. "Perhaps two weeks."
He flinched at my incredulous look. "Two weeks?" I asked.
"I told you - we're too many people."
The dryness in my throat suddenly felt like unslaked lime. Anxiety welled up inside me. What good can come from stacking up the dynasties to keep them safe and hidden if the basic needs were not met? If this was the case here, then the entire country must have been plunged into the same situation. How were the other kings managing? What must be going on in the Panchayat? My inexperience as a ruler kicked in, but that did not mean I might not overcome the barriers. What do I do? What should I do?
What if I engaged in an open discussion with other kings? I took a moment and fully assessed all of the collateral consequences that my friends and I might have to deal with if I revealed myself to the Panchayat. What could possibly happen that could be worse than two dynasties dying of starvation and thirst? Tyrell shall have to leave? The chief minister of Purvachand would seek this as a fair opportunity and trade a supply in exchange for Pruthvi? Thinking of the chief minister reminded me of the flying carpets. Gosh! I still need to find a way to take possession of them.
The creatures relentlessly glid and soared. The snow, rain, and flames thundered in grey clouds and mist. I kept watching, beginning to feel like I was getting caught like meat in the sandwich. Taking Yuvan's flack with dignity and putting up with all the hurdles that were suddenly confronting me on minute to minute basis...I could kill the person who said that the king of the castle is in an extremely advantageous position of comfort and well-being. "You can not do this alone." Singh had said, and thoughts of her began spilling into my mind. " You need an anchor by your side."
"Clan of Maya," I said, searching for the words to relate my meaning. "Only magic can help us maintain the balance we are looking for."
Yuvan gaped. "You're suggesting dark magic. Will Tyrell Kissler be able to help us?"
"I'm gonna do what?" Tyrell came in, stuffing a piece of bread roll into his mouth and tossing another to me. He looked a tad bit sad but healthier than the day before. His odorous secondhand garments were tattered, ragged, and drenched in water. His hair was plaster to his head and soaking through his thin shirt and trousers.
I sighed with relief, watching the Sharad palace's private cabinet room filling up with people. B Celina and Leena followed Tyrell, striding light-footedly and whispering discreetly, seemingly in low spirits. Pruthvi, however, was not with them. He must be busy, I thought, otherwise engaged with his sister, seeking a volley of explanations that he deserved.
Not to mention, I was glad that their memories had returned. Pruthvi had brought Nazira to accede to his demand, and so she'd reversed the magic.
"If you wanted to leave, then you should've just gone," Pruthvi said, smoldering with anger. "This is your life. But you had no right tamper with my mind like that."
"I did it for your good. You won't understand it now, but one day you will."
"Yeah? I bet Lady Chandrika must have said the same thing to Haimavati. Did it for your own good, my foot!"
"That will be all, Yuvan," I said. "I'll take it from here."
"Er..before I go," he said in a hushed pleading tone. "Please find a way to protect my grandfather. It's important for me to clear his name."
My throat grew tight, and I suddenly had the strong urge to reveal that my hands were tied, and unless the Clan of Maya helped me to help Yodhin Ojha there was nothing I could do. But then I'd have to tell him everything. "I'll take care of it," I simply said. "Dismissed."
He nodded and bowed a little before he waved a greeting hand to my friends and walked away from the room.
"What was that all about?" Tyrell asked, sitting on a chair placed near the doorway, directly across from the girls.
"Nothing that concerns you," I said casually, taking the chair next to him. I looked down at the bread roll in my hand and that reminded me of the people who were going to lose their lives to slow, agonizing, foodless days in the extreme weather if no progress was made in the next two weeks. I put the roll back on the table, allowing one of my friends to have it instead. "Nothing unless you get back to learning magic and use it for my benefit."
"Sorry, Your Majesty, your terms are unacceptable," he said, with a slight underlying quiver in his tone, very much un-Tyrell-like. "Go look for someone else who is willing to do your dirty work. Anyway, the job was a bust."
That wasn't surprising to any of us. Celina shook her head in disappointment, and Leena sat back with her hands folded. Shashi wasn't a fool to leave the tomb in the same location, was he? Why would he leave it there for us and receive the damaging blow so quickly? We had talked about it, fully discussed it, and insisted upon that point for a considerable time. Had Tyrell not been so adamant about going back into the basement for confirmation, we would be saving time and energy and not having this conversation anymore. "He relocated his tomb, didn't he?" I asked.
"Looks like it," he said, wiping his forehead and running a hand through his wet hair. "You were right again, and I hate you for that. Now, I'm not even sure if the tomb is in the basement at all. Shashi could have hidden it anywhere in the country. Right?"
"You have full freedom," I said. "As long as the rumor stays persistent, do as you must. Do anything, just fetch me his tomb. We will have to show it in the Panchayat and clear Yodhin Ojha's name. That's important we well and the tomb is the only proof. But...Tyrell, it will be easy and quick if you use magic."
"I'm not using my magic," he said firmly. "I won't continue Jyran's legacy, even if the world stops spinning."
"Then team up with Pruthvi this time. Perhaps his alternative kinetic power will help you figure out the location."
"He is going to sniff it away, I guess."
"Not that! Well, er, here's some news for y'all. Pruthvi means to become the leader of the Clan of Pradhans."
Celina and Leena sat alert, and Tyrell shot me a questioning look. "He told you that?"
"Not per se. But he has been hinting about it all day yesterday. I guess it's bound to happen sometime. So, take him with you. Get hold of the clan, especially the impelled dudes, and give them a third degree until they blurt out the tomb's whereabouts."
Celina shrugged. "Is it that easy to extract information from them?"
"No. Not really. But everything has a starting point. So why not start from Shashi's goons?"
"Any idea about what to do about Agnidaanav?" Leena chimed in. She looked leaner, losing all the weight she had gained in the past year, but also over-trained and undernourished.
"Agnidaanav, hmm, still alive and strong, huh?"
"And angrier," she added, twisting her face as malevolent as fury. "stuffed with a vengeance. I'm positive it's waiting for my return to settle scores. The way it attacked me... I wonder why it hasn't found me living here and barge right through the walls to deal with me once and for all."
I frowned. "What do you mean? Are you saying Agnidaanav never leaves the cave on purpose?"
"Yeah! It's guarding the Molten Vault and it does seem to be doing a pretty decent job."
"So we need to take it as far away as possible from the molten vault first. Take its mind off it. And then kill it."
"We don't know how to kill it. That's the point."
"Haimavati does," Celina said quickly and twisted her jaw. "She created it, didn't she?"
Tyrell cleared his throat and looked at each of the young ladies in turn. There was a moment of awkwardness in which none of us barely budged an inch.
"It's Nazira," I corrected, "Yes, she is going to feed us with the information. She will have to. But we need to wait until she's ready to talk."
"Ready to talk? Really, Hayden?" she said, daze registering in her eyes. "We need to go to Molten Vault as soon as possible before Shashi strikes again. Climate needs to be controlled. Dynasties are cramping up underground because, poor them, there's no place to live overground. Thanks to creatures that she introduced to this world. She could give us information about Shashi's plan and about how to kill these creatures. She could even help Ruchin and others, too. That pretty little witch thinks so high and mighty of herself. Why doesn't she get back to health at once?"
Leena rolled her eyes. "Oh, please! We're not able to deal with ongoing crises. Do we really need one among ourselves?"
"You were about to go through Almourah too. How can we take her side?"
"Stop it. Not this again. You're acting like a kid!"
"Excuse me?"
"What about you, Hayden?" Tyrell cut in, widening his eyes and pleading with me to change the subject. Celina let out a loud dramatic huff. "What do you plan to do while we burst some answers from Shahsi's lackeys."
That was the thing. My mind had been too restless even for sleep, racing one hundred miles an hour and flitting from one important assignment to the next. Perhaps this was another definition of being a king. "Breaking Samagraha need to get their stones back," I said and sighed, expelling the mounting tension in my body. "Ashwant believes, and I quote Yuvan that they are to suffer more dire consequences if they don't come in contact with their stones in the next couple of days. Tyrell, mind explaining to me in detail about the role of Third-Eyes in creating the creatures and everything it has to do with Lady Drishtika's spirit?"
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For the next couple of hours, Celina showcased all the symptoms of a distracted mind.
The fact that Haimavati Roksana had nursed herself back to health and now resting in Lithika's room didn't seem to settle quite well with her. She was secretive about her feelings, though being highly melodramatic, infusing all those silly melodramas with signs and meanings. She peeked inside her bedroom now and then. Gave inquiring glances at Pruthvi and Leena every time they checked on her. Amidst our preparations and planning for the upcoming jobs, Celina would include the name 'Haimavati' one way or the other only to remind us that her contribution was necessary. It was totally out of character for her to do such things on a whim. Her curiosity to have a meet and greet with Nazira was raging, although she denied any truth in the obvious fact.
Tyrell couldn't let go of this opportunity and teased her by reciting Celina-like poetry.
"Twinkle twinkle little star,
The mental hospital not so far."
"Shut up!" She roared at him and walked away with a temper.
The air was pervaded by a sickening tension and it had nothing to do with Celina's odd behavior. The screams of the creatures had increased and with it came an over-empowering stench resembling burnt wood and flesh. The counterattack was similarly fierce. With every passing hour, while we waited for Nazira to get back to health, the intensity of rainfall gradually increased. Rainfall then slowly began to fall in torrents, accompanied by thunder and lightning with a loud resounding noise enough to scare the creatures.
"She's able to communicate with the touch," Pruthvi said, sounding terribly astounded as if he had discovered the insane magic of the country for the first time. "I literally felt her power so profound, you know, like hitting me deep in my gut? Kinda scary, but...alright, I guess. Can't believe King Harsh was right about her all along. I wonder what else he was right about."
"Did you talk to her?" I asked, ignoring the last comment. "Really talk to her?
The pebbles and rocks were in the way. I inched forward, pushing random pieces of rubble out of the way with my foot until I came upon a piece of blackened, scorched ground. The blast had taken a huge toll. I knelt and ran my hand in the dirt. It felt decayed, scarred for life as if the bit of ground would never hold anything anymore.
Pruthvi was using his spare time to make more room for the six of us, just in case we lived here for a long time. He chose to slightly fix the flex room in Sharad's palace affording a perfect view of Lithika's room. Whereas I bore him company and endured all the filthiness with him.
Hardwood floor creaked, floral wallpapers were stained with water leakage, roof right below the verandah where my friends and I had partied many times sloped weirdly inviting geometry lessons. It was sad to see the former grandeur of the palace crumble the way, and about to join the list of destroyed heritage. None of us could do anything to stop that and just shut down the fact that this was actually happening.
"Not talking, as much as how loud I yelled at her," he said and pointed at the roof to gather up the thick masses of rocks together. His eyes were inscrutable behind the broken rims of his glasses but he groaned impatiently. His expression stated that he should have never started on this fool's errand. "Forget about our brother-sister bonding. You tell me, is she in trouble?"
I frowned. "For being a mage? No, of course not. Nobody remembers who Nazira is, and I assume Zarina Khan's predictions about her are all forgotten as well. I must say, she cleverly took good care of that for your sake. But I'm afraid she still has to get registered in Panchayat. Even if she refuses to use her magic in the future."
He stopped working and turned around to look at me, his head slightly hung down and posture visibly stiffen. "I meant for stabbing you. What she did was not cool, even if it didn't cause any fatal impact on you. She had no authority to do that...right?"
I sighed to myself, feeling the weight of worry in my stomach growing steadily heavier. "I don't know yet. Shashi is the only stumbling block I want to get rid of. Everything else seems lame and unnecessary in comparison. But one thing is for sure, I will not disobey my laws. It applies to everyone, including me."
He smiled a passive, most placable smile I'd ever seen on his face. "It's easy to fall in love with a particular person, even mediocre ones, but with time it also becomes important to winnow the wheat from the chaff."
Another loud crack of thunder rumbled outside the window as if in support of his words. "What would you do, if you were in my place? How would you have worked things out if Leena had been the one who stabbed you?"
His gaze lingered on me for a moment, before he shrugged. "I think we need to stop thinking like normal people. Because I know what is the right thing to do in this case. But, Hayden, we're not normal, our lives are not normal. After all that we've lost, and all we've given, it seems right to allow ourselves the chance to make peace before we really started to live. Leena's ability is frankly a massive unhealable wound in my chest, but I did try to make peace with it...in the form of Viraj."
Spoken like my father, Pruthvi. Feeling a strange flutter in the pit of my stomach, I looked away from his concerned gaze. "What bothers me more is that she had no problem stringing me along for the entire time we spent together in Uttarameer. Perhaps she would make a better politician."
A frown passed his brows but before he could ask the meaning of my statement, from inside the room where Nazira was resting Celina's voice rang aloud like a knell in my reeling brain. "Stop! Both of you, stop! Let me do the talking. I have been waiting for this moment for so long."
Pruthvi and I stood alert, staring at Lithika's door wide opening, "What is she up to now?" Pruthvi grimaced, irritated.
"I'll take care of it," I said, walking away. "Talk to you later."
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