đ„Â Vanyadesh: Fire in the Court
The hall of Vanyadesh was silent.
Devsena stood in the center, hands clenched, chest rising with each breath. Her mark â the flame on her palm â glowed brighter than ever before.
All eyes were on her.
Moments ago, she'd lost control. A careless whisper from a visiting noble had mocked her bloodline â calling her "a child of charity."
And in a heartbeat, the torch flames in the court had leapt â swirling toward the noble's robes, nearly setting them ablaze.
Guards had rushed forward. Queen Samridhi had screamed her name.
But Devsena hadn't blinked.
She wasn't sorry.
"I won't be ashamed of what I am," she said aloud now, voice cold.
"Even if no one else understands it."
The council murmured. One minister whispered,
"The flame is dangerous. She must be trained⊠or restrained."
Samridhi's face was stone.
Inside her heart, though, a war raged.
How long could she protect Devsena from the truth⊠and from herself?
đ Samudra Desh: Arjuna's Truth
Avantika watched Arjuna closely as he sat by the window, the sea breeze brushing his damp hair.
He seemed⊠different from anyone she'd ever known. Calm, wounded, yet sharp â like a prince who'd walked through storms.
"You mentioned a prophecy," she said quietly. "How do you know it?"
Arjuna turned to face her.
"Because my people have guarded it for generations."
He unwrapped a small scroll from inside his torn sash â sea-stained, written in an ancient script.
He read aloud:
"When the flame and the wave rise from one mother's soul,
the elements shall awaken.
Two sisters, divided by fate,
must reunite⊠or the world will break."
Avantika stepped back, heart pounding.
"Sisters�"
Arjuna looked her in the eye.
"Yes.
You are not alone in this world, Avantika.
There is another. And she burns with the fire you silence."
đ« That NightâŠ
Devsena, in her chambers, stared at her glowing hand
Avantika walked barefoot along the shore, the scroll in her hand
Somewhere in the wind⊠their souls reached for each other
And far below the surface of the earth, where ancient energies slept in coils of stone and timeâŠ
a crack appeared.
The elements were waking.
And they would not wait much longer.