Veer had wondered often since arriving, if these caves were inhabited long ago. And although their group could’ve done with better information on these caves of Amaravathi, they had to be content with the basic knowledge provided to them.
So far, they restricted their search efforts to the airy upper and middle levels. For a good reason. The lower levels may have been dry and passable a long time ago, but that was in the past. Now, they were submerged beneath the ocean at high tides, making it impossible to traverse.
Dawn was just breaking over the horizon, though the sun had yet to rise.
The princess stood on the short ledge. Bending her leg at the knee, she planted her foot flat against the opposite leg andthen joined her hands together high above her head in a classic pose ofsurya namaskar—the sun salutation.
Light broke, brushing over the inky tones of the night with brilliant ochre.
Arudrakshabracelet he never saw off her wrist lay on the wet stone. Veer counted sixrudrakshabeads as they separated themselves from the bracelet to hover in the air in front of her, one by one. All but the last one, which adamantly stayed on the ground.
Chandra stood still, her breathing slowed, until she was barely taking in any air, her balance perfect despite the buffeting winds. She broke her pose when the sunlight dappled the rock she stood on, smoothly morphing to another position. And another. Each subsequent move, more complicated than the last.
It appeared that all she did was come here to pray.
And practice.
With Chandra, it was becoming difficult to differentiate between the two. Her practice was inextricably linked to her faith. A curious mix of meditation and exercise that used discipline to bring forth the hidden potential of a person.
Or so he heard. Rumor had it that a sect ofrishisor sages in Devarakonda specialized in this form of practice and taught it to people who they considered worthy of the art. Veer had heard that it wasn’t easy to win their favor since it meant adhering to a strict lifestyle.
But he had to admit he was impressed to see her hold on to those stringent dictates despite being on the road. She stuck to a vegetarian diet as dictated by religious customs and continued to fast on auspicious days. There was no question she was devout. Almost rigidly so.
Truth be told, he didn’t even need to be here. He had already notified Vihari, of her presence several days ago. Hisbird would keep watch over her from the cliffs and relay everything to Veer.
But…he was fascinated to see her practice. He could tell himself it was so he could pick out flaws and weaknesses, but it would only be a half-truth.
She seemed to be proficient indhanurvidya, the knowledge of archery, and Veer was big enough to admit that her skill probably surpassed his in this discipline.
When he had run across the princess on that dark night fleeing from Thianvelli, he had thought she was merely playing at being a soldier—an amateurish attempt by a bored princess. Now he saw why she was roped into helping the soldiers of Amaravathi. Even seven years ago she had shown an aptitude for martial arts, as Veer knew to his own cost when she caused him to fall down a well, but now she seemed to have honed that skill to a razor sharpness.
“Why don’t you take what you want?” said a sly voice in his head.
“Ilavu.” Veer closed his eyes and dragged a hand down his face, exasperation coating the word. “You escaped your leash again.”
“I don’t want to state the obvious when my time’s limited. There are far more interesting things to talk about,” said the voice.
Veer knew that the demon who lived inside him didn’t really have a voice that spoke aloud. But his brain supplied the being with its own unique voice and inflection. Shota had once mentioned that it was weird to watch Veer converse with himself.
“I’m sure I can survive not knowing what nasty things are brewing inside your mind,” said Veer, wishing the demon hadn’t chosen now to put forth his opinion.
“Oh. But it’s not my mind, Prince Veer. It’s yours. Believe me, in a thousand years, I haven’t come across such an interesting dichotomy such as yours,” said Ilavu. As usual, the demon seemed to amuse himself with a private joke that came at Veer’s expense.
“You slept for a thousand years, so if you were bored, the fault lies with you,” retorted Veer.
Veer’s left arm rose and brushed the air, as if waving aside the matter of less concern. He gritted his teeth and clenched his left hand. It took him some difficulty to wrest it from the demon’s control.
“You’ve five minutes before I put you to sleep again,” said Veer sternly.
When Veer had first acquired Ilavu’s dying spirit, shortly after Virat had died, it took all of Veer’s control and magical expertise to prevent the demon from taking over.
The red ruby he wore on his forefinger controlled the demon, so he was asleep most of the time. However, there were incidents when he slipped the leash and floated to the top of his consciousness.
Veer found through experience, that it was best to allow the being to speak whatever he had come to say. It allowed him to have longer periods without the demon’s interference and better overall control.
Besides, Veer was loath to admit it, the demon’s insight often helped him see with clarity through the tangle of emotions.
“That woman…isn’t she your wife?” asked Ilavu.
