Chapter 3 Sparks
The days after that were strange
Agni told himself nothing had changed He woke before dawn practiced alone ate his meals in silence kept to the corners Same as always Same as he had been doing since he was old enough to hold a sword
But something had shifted Something he could not name and did not want to look at too close
He kept finding himself in places Neer might be
Not on purpose Just around The pond in the mornings The shade near the kitchen at midday The edge of the archery field when the light was good Coincidence That is what he told himself Coincidence
Neer for his part acted like nothing had happened Like he had not looked at Agni with those blue eyes and said maybe that is the point like it meant something Like he had not left Agni standing by the pond feeling like the ground had shifted under his feet
He was always around now Not hovering Just present In the corner of Agni vision At the edge of his hearing Laughing with the other students splashing in the pond falling asleep under the बरगद (banyan tree) when he was supposed to be studying
And every time Agni looked at him something in his chest tightened
He told himself it was irritation
The scriptorium was hot
The afternoon sun came through the high windows in thick yellow bars making the dust dance Palm leaves spread across the desks waiting to be filled The smell of old ink and नीम लेप (neem paste) hung in the air thick enough to taste
Agni sat in the front row his charcoal stick moving in precise even strokes His copy of the Teeraksh Vidhya (the sacred knowledge of archery and warfare) was perfect Each character identical to the one before it Each line straight Each curve exactly where it should be
His focus was absolute
Tap Tap Tap tap tap
Agni jaw tightened He kept his eyes on the leaf
Tap Tap Tap
The sound was coming from two rows back Irregular Insistent The kind of sound that drilled into your skull and would not leave
Tap tap tap tap
Agni next stroke dug too deep The charcoal snapped
He put down the pieces very carefully Took a breath The air around his hands warmed
Tap
The sound stopped
Agni eyes flickered to the side Neer was leaning back in his seat balancing on two legs staring out the window with a dreamy expression His own charcoal stick was twirling between his fingers like he had forgotten what it was for His leaf was blank Had been blank for the last hour from what Agni had noticed Not that he had been noticing
Their eyes met
Neer face split into a grin He brought the twirling charcoal to his lips and blew a tiny cloud of black dust puffing toward Agni drifting lazy through the sunbeam between them
It was so stupid So childish So deliberately infuriatingly Neer
A spark jumped from Agni fingertip
It was small barely a spark at all It zipped across the gap between their desks and landed on the back of Neer hand with a tiny hiss
Neer yelped The stool legs hit the stone floor with a crack that echoed through the silent room He stared at the small red mark blooming on his skin then at Agni
His eyes were not angry
They were bright Curious Like he had just discovered something new and wanted to see what it would do next
A shadow fell between them
Margdarshak Manu was there His face was stone His voice was worse quiet the kind of quiet that came before thunder
Agniveer Neervrah
They answered together not looking away from each other Margdarshak
Perhaps your energy would be better spent in the अखाड़ा (training ground) than wasting good palm leaf He gestured toward the door The courtyard Two hundred laps Then you may discuss your differences with practice swords
He turned and walked away without waiting for a response
Neer grin was back wider than ever Two hundred laps He likes us
Agni was already walking toward the door his back rigid his hands clenched into fists at his sides He could feel Neer eyes on him all the way out
The midday sun was a hammer
Heat rose from the packed earth of the अखाड़ा (training ground) in visible waves The trees around the edge did not offer shade their leaves hung limp and still like even they were too tired to move
Two hundred laps had left them both drenched Agni chest was heaving sweat cutting clean lines through the dust on his skin Neer was leaning against the wall water dripping from his hair his face red his smile somehow still intact
A crowd had gathered Other anveshaks formed a loose circle whispers running through them like wind through dry grass A fight between the Agni putra and the Jal putra was not something you missed
Bhargav an older student stepped between them First to three touches No elements Pure skill
Agni picked up a wooden practice sword It felt wrong in his hand too light too dead But he would take anything over standing here with Neer looking at him like that
Neer picked up his own sword with a lazy flowing motion that made it look like an extension of his arm He saluted His salute was almost mocking
Agni was sharp Angry
Begin
Agni moved first
He came in fast and direct a testing lunge textbook perfect Neer flowed around it like water around a stone his own sword whispering past Agni ribs in a near miss
The crowd murmured
Agni pressed High Low Thrust Slash Each attack was designed to overwhelm to dominate to end this His movements were perfect Years of practice of discipline of holding everything in so tight it felt like his bones were burning
Neer did not meet force with force He slipped Dodged Parried at the last moment redirecting Agni strength instead of fighting it His feet were light on the earth his body always moving never still
Thwack
Agni blade caught Neer shoulder A solid hit
One for Agni
Neer shook out his arm His grin did not waver Finally warmed up
Agni did not answer He attacked again
This time Neer did not retreat He met the strike head on wood cracking against wood They locked blade to blade close enough for Agni to see the sweat on Neer upper lip to see the focus in those blue eyes
You are trying too hard Neer hissed
Agni shoved him back I am trying to win
That is your problem
Neer surged forward
His style changed No more flowing defense This was aggressive Unpredictable He struck at angles Agni had not drilled for his movements sloppy and brilliant at the same time like he was making it up as he went and it was working
Thwack Thwack
Two hits to Agni side and thigh quick and stinging
Two for Neer Match point
The crowd erupted
Agni vision narrowed The heat in his core always there always banked surged The wooden sword in his hand grew warm Then hot The air around him shimmered
Neer eyes dropped to the sword Then to Agni face His grin faded
He saw it The loss of control Agni had been fighting his whole life
Agni charged
Not a disciplined strike A rush Raw and angry and desperate
Neer sidestepped Agni anticipated it dropped and swept a leg Neer leapt Agni rose his blade coming up in a vicious arc
And stopped
A hair breadth from Neer chin
Neer had frozen mid air His own sword point was pressed against Agni throat
They hung there suspended Breathing hard Chests heaving The world had shrunk to the two points of wood at each other throats
The crowd was silent Even the wind held its breath
Slowly Neer lowered his sword Agni did the same
A draw Bhargav announced his voice uncertain
Neer let out a long breath He wiped his forehead with his arm leaving a streak of mud across his face He looked at Agni
Not with mockery Not with triumph
With something that looked almost like recognition
You almost had me
You let me
It was true Agni had felt it the split second hesitation in Neer counter The way he had pulled back when he could have pressed forward
Neer shrugged The mask slipped back into place Maybe I just like the view from up close
He turned and walked away accepting a water pot from someone in the crowd
Agni stood in the center of the ring the heat slowly draining from his skin leaving behind a hollow restless feeling
He had fought to win
Neer had fought to see what would happen
He found Neer by the lotus pond
The water was dark now reflecting the last colors of the sky deep orange bleeding into purple The lotuses had closed their petals for the night
Neer was sitting on the low stone wall trailing his fingers in the water He did not turn around
Come to finish the match
Agni did not sit He stood a few feet away arms crossed Why did you let go
Neer watched a lotus bud bob in the wake of his fingers You were angry Not fighting Just burning There is a difference
It is winning
Is it Neer looked at him In the fading light his eyes were the color of deep water What were you winning Agni
Agni did not have an answer
Neer pulled his hand from the water and shook it Droplets flew catching the last light like tiny jewels One landed on Agni arm
It was cold It did not steam It just sat there a perfect cool bead on his burning skin
They both watched it
See Neer voice was soft We do not have to destroy each other Sometimes we just are
He stood up Brushed past Agni Walked toward the Tapobhumi without looking back
Agni stood by the pond until the drop dried
From the shadows near the dormitory someone watched
Not Vishrayan Someone younger Someone with eyes that reflected no light
He watched the boy in red walk away from the pond Watched the boy in blue disappear into the gathering dark
He said nothing Made no sound
But when he turned to leave there was something in his expression that had not been there before
Interest
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