“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.”
