It was Veer. He carried a lantern in his hand and beckoned her to accompany him to the stern of the boat.
“Do you see it?” he asked once they reached the back end of the boat. They were crouched down to peer over the edge.
She didn’t understand. “See what?”
“There,” he said, pointing at the river.
Chandra dutifully looked, wondering what on earth he was going on about. She saw the ripples made by the boat as it cut through the river, the increasing choppiness as the river rushed toward its end into the sea, the slight increase in murkiness as tide water pushed back.
And then she saw a flash. She gasped and hastily covered her mouth.
The flash had come from the riverbed.
Veer lowered the lantern as close above the water level without extinguishing it.
The yellow light from the lantern cut through the clear depths all the way to the bottom.
Gems!
Embedded into the riverbed. Rubies large as her fist, emeralds in shades ranging from the deepest green to the brightest yellow, sapphires dark as the night, diamonds brilliant as the sun, precious stones of every hue imaginable. A treasure incomparable!
“Your guess was right, Princess. You found it,” said Veer quietly. “The King’s Pathway, the jeweled path of enlightenment.” His mouth curved in a genuine smile for the first time since she met him. “Congratulations.”
An incredulous grin crept over her face slowly as she realized the significance of their discovery. “I can’t believe it.” Her words came out in hushed awe. “This is amazing! Praise the goddess, I should let my father know. Oh, my brother would be so jealous that he missed this…”
Her excitement dimmed at the thought of her brother. But she shook herself out of it.
“So, the entire bed is embedded with gems?” she asked again, needing that assurance that this wasn’t all a figment of fevered imagination brought on by the possibility of the King’s Pathway. “That’s a few miles’ worth of treasure at the very least.”
Her smile faded again as she realized the ramifications of this discovery. She was in the company of a man who wasn’t exactly Amaravathi’s friend. The worth of these gemstones had to be massive. And greed brought out the worst qualities in any man.
Veer seemed to interpret her thoughts correctly. “Would it ease your heart, Princess, if I promise not to touch a single part of this treasure? Amaravathi’s treasures shall belong to it.”
Veer was a man of many complexities, but she knew that his word at least was inviolate. But she just had to know. “Why would you promise that?”
“Because I’m not so greedy that I’d steal treasures that legitimately belong to others.” He paused and contemplated her with an enigmatic expression. “And I already have what I wanted from Amaravathi.”
She felt confused for a moment, then her brow cleared.
“Ah. Of course, Kalpeet. You weren’t willing to give it up at any cost,” she said, nodding.
Veer gazed at her so strangely that Chandra began to wonder if she had gotten it wrong.
“Right,” he said and shook his head as if clearing it.
Someone called his name, and he moved away.
“What is it?” he asked, pushing his way to the front. Chandra followed him.
“Look,” said Shota.
The river course had straightened out from its loops and turns, allowing them to see what was ahead.
A massive stone wall stood right in the path of the river. At its base, water foamed and gurgled, fighting to find a way out.
The boat showed no signs of slowing down as they sped on, carried inexorably by the current.
“Get the oars, slow the boats or we’re going to crash,” he said, throwing out instructions.
