Page 17 of The Legend of Meneka
“Romasha?” I murmur. “She is so strong, but I would not think you would give overhealingto her. Navyashree seemed so hurt, and wouldn’t it weaken Romasha too? Why would you burden her with such a thing? Are you going somewhere?”
“Yes,” he says shortly, and shuts the door behind him. Another murmur, and air shimmers across the doorway and over the house in a warding.
I lift my head to see he has been watching my curious reactions. I clear my throat. His scent coats me, entrancing me in a dangerous way with the hidden notes behind it, but I do not climb down the two short stairs that lead to the veranda. I am blocking his way, and if he stirs he will touch me, but even that will give me more information about him, so I simply drop my lashes, this time infusing my smile with self-effacement.
“I was hoping to speak with you tonight. The Initiation Ceremony is coming closer, and I need you.”
“You need me,” he repeats flatly.
“To teach me. To give me instruction.”
“And what kind of instruction would that be, Meneka?”
I blink. I know whatIam doing with this conversation—but is heflirtingback? Am I wrong about him and Romasha? Is this a trap? My heart beats faster. “Why, Sage Kaushika,” I murmur, widening my eyes, “it can be any kind of instruction you please.”
He does not say anything, but he tilts his head. For an instant, a shade of a smile lurks on his lips, rewarding me. Then it disappears, just as fast as it had come.
“As flattered as I am,” he says dryly, “I do not fraternize with my students.”
Did he read into my observations about Romasha too? Am I giving too much of my identity away, to move this fast? Either way, I blush prettily. “I only meant that you could teach me. Runes are my preferred form of magic, as you know.”
“Oh, I know, but I don’t teach either. Not until the Initiation Ceremony.”
“In that case, we are hardlyyourstudents until then, are we?”
This time a surprised laugh escapes him. “Oh, you are amusing, certainly. Much as I am enjoying this, I have no time for such inane conversation right now. Step aside, please. I must be on my way.”
“But I need—”
“I don’t care what you need. Your learning is your own business.”
“But—” I begin, trying not to let my desperation show. I amsoclose. I made himlaugh.He isenjoyingthis despite himself. “If you only teach me—”
Yet already his laugh is turning into a frown. “Step aside, Meneka,” he says again. “I do not have the time for you tonight.”
This time, his command is unyielding. I dare not refuse.
I obey silently.
Kaushika moves past me, the ends of his scarf billowing. He makes his way not to the stables or the road that leads outside the hermitage to the closest village, but to the forest. The hermitage still echoes with the quiet chants of practicing students, and I glance behind to see afew disciples weaving between the huts, headed either to the pavilion or the shed, perhaps to discuss their study. No one is watching me.
Keeping my distance, I duck my head and follow Kaushika.
In minutes, I am surrounded by trees, the sounds from the hermitage dying. Kaushika has disappeared from view, but his aura leaves a powerful afterimage and I track it like a hunter, pursuing the swirling colors of his magic. Starlight glints between trees, and petrichor eddies between grass blades. For days, I have expected rain, though there has been nothing but this teasing scent. I wonder what is occurring in Amaravati, if Indra is keeping his rain from the hermitage deliberately as a punishment for Kaushika. I think of Rambha, and what she would say if I told her I buried all my jewels, and then my clothes, into raw earth, that I’m not even using them yet for this mission. The colors of the sage’s aura diminish, moving from leaf to branch, and I hurry, rounding trees, ensuring my footsteps are quiet.
Before long, Kaushika’s aura begins to strengthen. I slow down, my tread becoming even more careful. I have no explanation for if he catches me; my only plan is to not get caught. I weave my way between the trees and finally see him. His tall frame approaches another man, this one older and smaller, though standing no less erect for his age. A gray beard lies tightly coiled over the man’s cheeks, and a kind smile lights up his wizened eyes. Kaushika drops to his knees and bends his head low to the other man’s feet in a gesture of deep respect. Curiosity flames within me. The older man’s aura is powerful, but somehow it does not compare to Kaushika’s own. Who is he that Kaushika is humbling himself this way? Why are they meeting in such secrecy?
The man murmurs and Kaushika rises. They begin to walk again, following the path until the canopy of trees gives way to a lake mirroring the starlight. Fed by the River Alaknanda, this lake is the closest body of water to the hermitage, spanning several meters. I have seenit on one of Anirudh’s maps, and a pang of homecoming sharpens in my chest. This is a mortal lake, no different from any other, but all water belongs to Lord Indra. Does Kaushika even understand this?
He and his companion walk around the shoreline, shoulders bent toward each other as they discuss something with a feverish intensity. The old man shakes his head, and Kaushika flings out an arm in a gesture of protest, but then nods reluctantly. They settle themselves on a rocky outcropping, and Kaushika moodily listens while the man speaks.
I think fast. The two men are too far to see me, intent on their conversation, yet I am too far to hear them. In order to learn anything, I would have to risk stepping into the clearing, or swim into the water. Well, that’s an easy enough choice, then.
I am surrounded by trees, darkness shrouding me. I disrobe swiftly, hiding the clothes from the hermitage under a rock. As quietly as I can, I touch the cold water with my toes. The water recognizes me as a creature of Indra; it responds to my celestial nature. It laps closer, obscuring me in a quiet, rising wave as I crouch and enter the lake. In seconds, I am submerged, swimming toward the two men, knowing the lake will conceal me.
Still, my skin chills instantly. Even though I can breathe underwater indefinitely, the cold will affect me. How amusing that if I could churn the fire of tapasya, I would be able to warm myself. Praying that the men do not intend to linger, I rise unseen and unheard, ensuring I stay just beneath the surface as I come closer to them. From here, Kaushika’s voice is blurry, but I sing a hymn to Indra in my mind, and the sounds become sharp at once.
“—is foolhardy,” the older man says. “You are training your disciples too fast. Demanding they learn too quickly. You are allowing too many people within your hermitage, and are becoming a concern to the other sages. If you wish to present your students to them—”
