“Am I interrupting something?” a deep, distorted voice came out of nowhere.
On the far wall of their modest hut, Veer had hung an ornate mirror and a face was now peering out of it.
A man with graying hair at his temples and a beard looked from the mirror. He had a scar above the right eyebrow and the bearing of a commander, but gold ornaments glinted at his earsand throat, and his robes—what they could see—appeared to be of finest quality.
Chandra screamed.
“It’s all right. That’s my uncle.” Veer stood up. “I’d forgotten we agreed to conference now. Sorry.”
“Your uncle?!” Her eyes still bugged.
She wanted to ask what he meant by “called him.” But as Chandra glanced at the mirror again, realization dawned on her that she was looking at Pourava, the king of Vivismati.
Chandra only had a vague recollection of Veer’s relatives. It wasn’t surprising she didn’t recognize him at first glance. She hadn’t recognized Veer after seven years and she hadmetVeer before her marriage. The day of her wedding had passed in a haze when a million other things had needed her attention.
Realizing her position over Veer, she hastily moved away, mortification painting her cheeks a deep, dusky red. Her humiliation was now complete. Not only were they caught in an embarrassing position, but it had to be someone from Veer’s side of the family who witnessed it.
Gathering what dignity she could, she bowed low to King Pourava, hands pressed together in greeting, and fled without looking back.
* * *
“Well, you seem to be getting along well,” remarked King Pourava when she left.
“She has her uses,” said Veer dismissively, not wanting to discuss Chandrasena with his uncle. “How are you, Uncle? I heard from Father that you wished to speak to me?”
King Bheesmala had the magical ability to communicate across long distances. He used magical mirrors and farseeing stones imbued with his powers. Before he left Rajgarh, Veer tookone of the magical stones. He used it whenever he wished to speak to someone from afar.
But communication with close family was always with the aid of these mirrors.
“Yes, that’s correct,” said Pourava. “So, how does the quest fare? Bheesmala was saying you had some issues at the caves of Amaravathi?”
Veer knew his uncle didn’t contact him to ask about the quest, but he dutifully recounted the events.
“Hmm…this quest isn’t easy by the looks of it. Just be careful. You’re traveling with people from Amaravathi, after all.”
His uncle harbored a deep dislike of the southern kingdoms and growing up, Veer had heard enough to last him a lifetime. “Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?” asked Veer instead, forestalling a lecture about how he needed to always remain on guard.
“We found the whereabouts of Surasen,” said his uncle.
Veer felt a quiet satisfaction at hearing those words. For the past year, Surasen had made himself a thorn in Veer’s side. He was the leader of a small group of nomads who demanded some land to allow his people to settle and grow.
What he did, however, when Rajgarh refused, was to make a nuisance of himself by raiding the merchants going across the trade routes that stretched along the borders of Vivismati and Rajgarh.
Ordinarily, Rajgarh had no trouble with suppressing someone like Surasen, but he proved himself to be shrewd and cunning. His people were loyal to him and trained, in both magic and combat. Veer had been trying to bring him in for over a year with little success.
Before he received the summons from his father regarding Meru, he had been closing in on his hideout.
“What do you want us to do?” asked Pourava. Rajgarh and Vivismati were not just neighbors sharing a border, but also closely related. Pourava was an honorary uncle to Veer, who had spent part of his childhood training in Vivismati. After Veer was made the western general of Rajgarh, they often coordinated their defenses together.
Surasen was a common problem for them.
“Please keep an eye on him. I’d like to be there when we make the move to apprehend him,” said Veer.
Pourava stroked his beard. “How long do you think this quest will take?”
“It is difficult to predict how long, since King Amarendra has seen fit to hide the key pieces. We have only until the turn of the new year, anyway, before Meru starts erupting.”
“Hmmm. I think I can wait that long. But if he makes any wrong moves in the meantime, I’ll have to act.”
