A blue iridescence enveloped the lotus before the petals closed, folding in on themselves, hiding the base of thekeyand he was left holding a lotus bud, complete with the stem. Veer stared in wonder at the most unique looking key he had ever seen and tucked the precious object safely in his robes.
Mission complete, he turned away and moved to the edge of the crater.
Vihari took flight from his shoulder and burst into flames, enlarging his size to that of a condor, large enough to carry a man on his back.
Veer glanced back, once, imprinting the sight onto his eyes, a cold determination solidifying in his heart. They needed to make this machine work. It was their only hope of salvation.
He let himself fall backward, weightless, down the mountain. Vihari dived in after him with a screech that was heard all the way to the foothills of theVindhyas.
* * *
King Bheesmala, ruler of Rajgarh—the most powerful kingdom of Saptavarsha—paced the length of the hall, paying little mind to the expensive carpets covering the marble floors or the velvet drapes that hung from the large arched windows open to the bracing mountain wind. The rose-perfumed air from the blooms on the trailing vines failed to calm him today.
He stopped under the awning of achattri, a domed pavilion, which opened out to a wide balcony, and watched the sky, shading his eyes against the sun’s glare. Behind him, he heard the hushed murmurs of a group of his closest courtiers. An air of disquiet hung over the meeting. He would have joined them, but he was anxiously waiting for news from his only son, Veer, who had gone on a mission to check if what Sage Aswi said was true.
Bheesmala glanced back toward the sage, who stood removed from the discussion, his hands folded over the top of his magical staff made of a twisted piece of wood, his eyes closed in repose. His snowy beard reflected his advanced age, clashing with the saffron robes he wore. The sage’s two disciples hung back at a respectable distance.
Even now, Bheesmala was finding it hard to believe the news the sage had imparted when he showed up at the palace gates and demanded to be granted entry.
“You built a city in the wrong place, O’ King. Unless you find a key to make the mechanism on top of Meru work again, in a year’s time, the volcano will erupt, encircling your city in flame and destroying your kingdom to rubble.”
A giant shadow momentarily blocked the sunlight, bringing his ruminations to a halt. A long gong sounded from the guards stationed on the crenellated fortress walls surrounding the city, signaling Veer’s return.
“Finally,” breathed Bheesmala in relief.
Through the wide arches of the hall, they all had a clear view of what was happening outside. A dark speck hovered high against the blinding blue of the sky, its appearance resolving into that of a giant bird as it swooped down into a dizzyingly rapid spiral.
The warbly cry it let out bounced against the walls of the palace. Brown, burnished feathers gleamed in the sun as the Brahminy kite eased into a smoother flight, circling the citadel, the rider on its back now clearly visible.
King Bheesmala hurried out into the open balcony, his courtiers trailing behind him.
Bheesmala was proud of his son. Not only was Veer heir to the throne but also the esteemed general of the western borders of Rajgarh, who had built himself a formidable reputation as a fierce commander.
Sharp talons clattered as the kite, easily the height of four grown men, landed on the massive balcony, leaving deep gouges on the economical dark stone constructed for the very purpose of landing, amid the more expensive marble.
Veer slid off from between the shoulder blades of the bird, dropping to one knee before straightening to his great height. Wind blew long strands of dark hair into the handsome features of his face, hidden behind the dust and the dark growth of a beard.
The only thing denoting his rank was a gold-and-amethyst brooch of two eagles in opposition, holding his cloak closed. A red stone adorned the forefinger of his left hand.
He walked up to his father, then bent and touched the king’s feet in blessing.
“Father,” he greeted as he straightened. King Bheesmala read the answer he feared in his son’s tired eyes, which still had the traces of yellow-gold rim around each iris as he continued to exert control of the giant bird behind him.
Chapter 3: The Next Course of Action
The lotus key hung suspended by a magic spell above an enchanted bejeweled gold dish. A transparent, barely visible barrier protected it from outside influences, making itself known in random multihued flashes.
A stunned silence reigned when Veer finished recounting his encounter. The expressions on the faces of the people assembled ran the gamut from disbelief to grim horror.
Meru was part of the dormant volcano system in the Vindhyas Mountain range. Well, they thought it had been inactive, until they discovered otherwise. Sage Aswi explained that once Meru erupted, it was only a matter of time before other volcanoes in the “ring of fire” were activated as well. Rajgarh and its three prominent cities lay right in the path of the fire.
There was no way to move entire cities without losing homes and livelihoods. Rajgarh would cease to exist as a kingdom, their people condemned to live without a place to call home.
“You need to ask Amaravathi for help,” said Sage Aswi, his words loud in the grim silence that fell over everyone when Veerrecounted what he had seen at the top of the mountain. “The lotus key as it exists now doesn’t work.”
“Pardon me for asking this, but how can you be sure, Sage Aswi?” asked the chief minister. Veer didn’t miss the brief side-eyed glance the chief minister flicked toward him at the mention of Amaravathi.
“I don’t make dire predictions without evidence behind them,” replied Sage Aswi with a bite in his tone, and went up to the suspended lotus. He used his brass utensil to pour holy water on his staff. The transparent barrier put up no resistance when he gently touched his staff to the lotus.
