Page 36 of The Surviving Sky
He stared at the ice rose. Manav had been a Senior Architect and councilor five yearsearlier—thelast time Nakshar had possessed a full council ofseven—whenIravan himself had ascended to the position. The man had turned out to be an Ecstatic only weeks after Iravan’s own rise. Iravan had personally excised him, and ever since then, Manav’s seat had lain vacant.
Why did Bharavi want him thinking of him? Something to do with the vacant council seat? The one that Ahilya was eyeing; the one the rest of the council had to make a decision on in three months? Each councilor had to place their nominations for discussion, and Bharavi had never been fully supportive of Naila’s nomination, not recognizing the talent in her. And Naila had been at the watchpost. Was this Bharavi’s way of telling him the Junior Architect wasn’t worthy? Why talk about that now, at this critical moment?
“You were asked a question,” Airav said.
Unable to see the snares, Iravan answered slowly.“I—I’mnot taking responsibility for anyone’s death. Nor for the alarm’s failure. I’m accepting responsibility for sending Naila to the watchpost.”
“And you sincerely believe that’s the only wrong you did here?” Chaiyya asked.
Bharavi didn’t move, but Iravan could almost see her nod. She still held the ice rose between her fingers.
“Yes,” Iravan said, swallowing. “That’s the only weight I choose to bear.”
Chaiyya exchanged glances with Airav.
Airav’s penetrating stare lanced through Iravan, and Iravan stopped himself from recoiling. Airav was the seniormost councilor. His arms were covered with rudra beads up to the elbow, a sign of his tenure and responsibility.
“I’m afraid your wife is right,” Airav said in his slow, rumbling voice. “This fine distinction you’re making isn’t reasonable. Your failure at the watchpost was the failure of the alarm. It killed a citizen. It endangered the life of a SeniorArchitect—”
“Mylife—”
“Not yours. Your life belongs to the ashram first and foremost. That’s what it means to be an architect. Especially a Senior Architect.”
The reprimand seared through Iravan. He forced himself to meet Airav’s gaze.
“Your actions nearly annihilated Nakshar,” Airav continued. “You risked everything for a selfish motive.”
Iravan rubbed his empty wrist with a shaking hand. “No. Please. You know the watchpost duty isn’t hard. Naila should have been able to do it. She’s goodenough—youknow this. Youknowthis.”
Chaiyya glanced at Airav, troubled. “He’s right.”
“He still shouldn’t have assigned it to her. That was an action calculated to keep his own needs in mind, not the welfare of the ashram.”
“You’re right,” Iravan said, desperate. “Butplease—youhave to see. Even if I had been at the watchpost, the alarm would’ve failed. Three people would have died.I—Isaved two.”
“This is conjecture at best,” Airav said. “You’re suggesting there’s a higher reason the alarm failed. You have no evidence of that.”
“Unless you’re implying something went wrong with the sungineers in the lab?” Kiana asked. The Senior Sungineer, her cane across her knees, frowned at the possibility of it being her team’s error. She was Iravan’s greatest rival on the council, but she’d seconded Bharavi’s nomination allowing Iravan a chance at the council in the first place. Now as she looked at him, her face was grave.
“No, that’snot—notwhat I mean,” he said, tripping over his words. “But it’s a pattern. This has to be the shortest lull in our recorded history. And earthrages are getting longer. Whatever happened withNaila—it’sa part of this. These are symptoms of a greater problem.”
“What do you mean?” Kiana asked, pushing her spectacles up.
Bharavi shook her head, but Iravan forged ahead anyway, stumbling through an explanation of theResonance—howit had knocked him out of the Moment, how it had chased him, the manner in which it had overtaken him in the jungle. “It’s an interference in the Moment,” he ended, looking from one face to another.“I’ve—I’vesensed it.”
Airav drew in a breath. “You’re condemning yourself with your own words. ThisResonance—thisis something an Ecstatic would say. Is it not?” The bald man turned to Bharavi, asking for confirmation.
Iravan’s heart sank. Too late, he understood Bharavi’s warning. Manav’s Ecstasy had shocked all of them. To have an architect with such incredible power lose control of trajection? It would have destroyed Nakshar. No wonder the councilors were wary now. They were scared of him.
He stared at her, silently pleading. With her work in the sanctum, Bharavi was the council’s expert on Ecstasy. She hadn’t believed him about the Resonance earlier, but she had to now. She had to.
Bharavi’s voice was careful. “Detecting Ecstasy is as obscure as it has always been. I can’t speak about this Resonance specifically.”
Senior Sungineer Laksiya cleared her throat. Iravan had been dreading her. Laksiya was always the last to speak in any council meeting, with a habit of cutting straight to the matter at heart. Her manner was cold to everyone, but she didn’t even look at him now, as though his being there was a presumption.
“We don’t need an expert’s opinion on this,” she said. “I think the situation is quite clear. I did say he was too young to be a part of the council.”
“We don’t induct people into the council based on their age,” Airav said reprovingly. “We induct them based on their expert skill. Their independent thinking. Their contribution to the survival of the ashram. Iravan fulfilled those criteria when we chose him.”
