“He doesn’t want to marry me,” wheezed Kalpana. “He…tried to give me coin to make me go away.”
“Did you tell him you were pregnant?” she asked.
“Yes.” Kalpana was openly crying now, her being racked with sobs. “And he told me he didn’t believe it was his. Then when I threatened to tell others, that’s when he…he…”
Chandra placed a consoling hand on Kalpana’s shoulder, understanding.
“What do you have to say for yourself?” asked Chandra, incensed on behalf of her friend.
Virat shrugged and walked indolently toward them. “Today is a full moon night.”
“What?” Chandra watched his movements warily. Why wasn’t he worried? He had to know that his actions would be found out.
“Full moon night is very auspicious for rituals. Especially the ones that deal with sacrifice,” he continued in the same tone, like he was discussing pleasant weather.
“What’s he talking about?” she asked Kalpana, who cowered behind her.
“Princess, he’s a wizard. We must run,” whispered Kalpana.
“What! A wizard!” Magic users were forbidden from entering the kingdom without royal permission. Her father, in particular, loathed them.
“I’ve killed before,” said Virat, moving closer.
“Stay where you are,” snapped Chandra, but he didn’t seem to hear as they circled each other. Chandra tried to avoid getting boxed in by trees, but they were in a grove of them, surrounded on all sides.
“Innocent animals and such, but nothing beats a human sacrifice,” continued Virat. “But an expectant woman as a sacrifice would be…” Chandra’s hair rose on her arms as he smiled with imagined pleasure. She felt sick to her stomach, understanding his meaning.
Dread crept into her, insidious and thick. Wizards were said to be powerful, cruel, and obsessed with magic. They were the stuff of nightmares, nursemaids’ favorite bogeyman to make unruly children behave. She didn’t anticipate running into one of them, ever in her life, and was now confronting one. On her marriage night no less.
A drop of sweat rolled down her temple. Was Veer aware who his friend was? She was suddenly afraid, for herself and Kalpana, that they wouldn’t make it out of this situation alive.
She could fight but had no defense against magic. No one knew her whereabouts. She was supposed to meet the prince at a white marble pergola, but she had detoured off that path.
“Too bad. I’d planned to take her away once she lost consciousness, but you just had to interfere,” he said. For the first time, something other than benign enjoyment showed on his face. Rage that his plans were thwarted.
But just as quickly, he got it under control, a half-smile draping over his face, but his eyes narrowed as he observed their every movement. “Do you think Veer will be upset if I kill you, Princess? I’ll have to lie to him, of course, but it wouldn’t be the first time.
“Come now, don’t be shocked. Obviously, I can’t let this come out,” he said out as he spread his hands, as if urging them to see his reason.
Fear skittered along Chandra’s spine, seeing his nonchalance. Her dagger handle was slippery with sweat. Her instincts screamed she was in the presence of a dangerous predator, one who enjoyed their distress, one who seemed a stranger to human compassion. She felt Kalpana’s tremble as she continued to cower behind her.
“How else am I going to keep it a secret other than by silencing you?,” he continued nonchalantly. “And what better way to silence you than death. But because you have been such a pain, Princess, you get the honor of killing your best friend.”
“Tvam ayashyam cha karuthi.”
The spell he intoned arced through the air like a whip, latching onto her.
Her hand moved without her volition, and she felt the sharp edge of her dagger at her own neck. She tried moving her arm and found every muscle in her body resisted her command.
Horror drenched her in a cold sweat, as she strained her muscles to their limit. It was useless. She couldn’t break his hold.She felt a crushing pressure in her brain as she felt an alien presence in her mind.
She understood suddenly why he didn’t reach for his own sword. Why he was so calm. He didn’t expect resistance or a counter to his own power.
And because he planned to leave no witnesses behind.
Chandra’s daggered hand moved again, slashing through the air. Her eyes widened as he puppeteered her every action. Only reflexive actions like blinking and breathing seemed unaffected.
“Now, do you understand?” he said. A sick sort of delight radiated from his face. “I can control your physical actions. My magic is unique. There is no one like me. I’m destined for greatness. Did you really think I’d marry a nobody like your maid?”
