Veer’s subtle threat silenced Queen Rathi Devi’s protest, and she stared wide-eyed at him. The mixture of loathing and fear on her face was unmistakable to everyone.
“And as for the princess. I need some confirmation that she canindeedoperate the key before I agree to take her with me on the journey. Will you please step forward, Princess?”
Chandra looked at Guruji, silently asking for his permission.
Guruji shook his head minutely.
“Princess…” called Veer again and this time there was enough warning to tense up her neck muscles.
Their rules and customs dictated that she obey her husband. At least in front of the assembly of the most important people in Amaravathi, she was duty bound to submit to his command. But…she didn’t want to go against Guruji, either, who, as the teacher to the royal family, commanded an equal respect.
And the Prince knew it.
Seeing no choice, she picked up his dagger lying on the ground and went toward him under the pretext of returning it.
A sarcastic smile played on his lips. He was enjoying dragging her into one of his sick games of domination.
“Pity if you had forgotten a clever knife such as this. It seems to have gone blunt, though,” she said softly, offering it to him hilt first.
“How clever of you, Princess. I am impressed,” he said, but his eyes conveyed the opposite meaning. This close, his hatred was hot enough to scorch stronger than the sun.
The prince’s eyes flicked to the cut on her forearm, with its steady trickle of blood.
From the folds of his garment, he brought forth a lotus bud made of an onyx-sheened metal and offered it to her.
A blue iridescence began on the edge of the petals as her hand drew near. When she touched it, it burst into bloom, revealing the interior. Brilliant blue completely enveloped the flower.
A soft gasp escaped her, and she almost dropped the lotus.
It was surprisingly warm and light in her hand, as if she were really holding a live flower instead of a metal imitation of it.
The inner row of the petals had six prominent empty spots. In the center was an inverted cone-like receptacle, surrounded by delicate stamens.
The surface of the circular receptacle rippled and formed a clear, reflective surface.
“How strange! It’s showing an image of this hollow,” she remarked.
“That’s because the next key piece is right here in this hollow,” said Shota. “Will you please add that lotus petal to the key, Princess?”
Hesitantly, Chandra walked toward the key piece resting in its box. Everyone seemed to have forgotten the arguments that had taken place moments earlier, too spellbound by the lotus key’s enchantment.
“It needs blood to recognize you and activate itself,” called Shota.
She nodded and squeezed a drop of her blood onto the key piece. It was absorbed without trace and emitted a blue light.
The lotus petal floated through the air and seamlessly inserted itself into a gap in the key, changing its golden color to the same black hue as the rest of the lotus. The image in the center of the receptacle rippled and changed to that of a warren of caves.
She took a sharp breath, recognizing it instantly.
“Do you know the place, Princess?” asked Veer.
She nodded. “The caves of Amaravathi. But what does it mean?”
Veer gave her a considerate look.
“It means you are coming with me,” he said.
Chapter 8: A Dressing So Richly Served
