It was soothing—cool relief against the hot weather. Monkey plunged down with a plunk. Sugriva could feel the water dragging him a little downstream before he hit the bottom and was anchored. Fish rushed by him, along with debris from upstream. He prayed for the water spirits to give him the ability to breathe water, and so he stayed there until evening. When the sun set, he used the water to free himself.
When he returned to the palace soaking wet, he bowed. "Earth and water are nothing to me. Should we try fire?"
Prince Anka's face sunk. "This is ridiculous. General Humbari, build a pyre. Keep it stoked. General Divyan, bind Sugriva so we can put him on the pyre, and he cannot run away like some clever little creature. I fear in the morning we will see you, and then we will hear you out about this demon threat. Now get him out of my sight until then. I want to rest, and he gives me indigestion."
Sugriva was tossed on the pyre, and as they lit it, he prayed, "Protect me, fire spirits. Give me immunity to your blaze." And so they did, and he laid down on the pyre, which was stoked tirelessly by Humbari himself. Sugriva fell asleep in the crackling warmth.
SUGRIVA RESTED THE following day. Even though he slept in the fire, his body was exhausted from channeling the magic. He woke up around noon, still sore and groggy.
He worked his way through the trees, going up to the canopy. As a janaav, he went into the hawk territory, where they all looked at him wearily. None knew that Sugriva learned his janaav form, so they let him be. Then he shifted into a monkey to hide and swing himself into General Divyan's nest. He searched Prisha's room, but she wasn’t there.
Amu came into the room, and, when he saw Sugriva, he let out a yelp. "Teacher, why are you here?"
Sugriva swung around and sat lotus style, inviting Amu to join him. The boy did. "I am looking for your sister. I assume she is with General Ajit."
"They're married, so yes. You shouldn't go see them, but Ajit is a pompous jerk." Amu gave directions to General Ajit's nest.
Before Sugriva could leave, Amu said, "Because of you, I'm a lieutenant now. I work under dad's command."
Sugriva smiled. "Congratulations, Amu." He patted the boy's back. "You deserve many honors, this being one of the first."
GENERAL AJIT'S NEST was well guarded and in the center of a large cluster. It meant his family had a strong military history, while General Divyan was a first generation general.
Prisha sang in one of the windows. Lullabies. They had a child, and the thought made Sugriva's heart sink. The voice was soothing, and a part of Sugriva wanted to remain outside, listening to her. But he acted on his desire.
Through her window was an elaborate and large room. It was a nursery with a mahogany crib, several instruments for servants to play, and small war toys, though the child was still too young. The baby looked no more than a year old, if that, and Prisha swung the child in her arms, staring at the babe's face with adoration.
"Prisha," Sugriva whispered, breaking the moment.
The woman, once a girl, was ripped from her revelry and screamed. Sugriva hid when guards rushed in, praying Prisha wouldn't reveal him.
"Go back to your posts. I was startled by a spider." The woman flashed them a smile, and the men left.
"What are you doing?" she hissed at Sugriva. "Why in the name of the Ashtadash are you here? My dad said they were executing you yesterday."
"They tried." Sugriva flashed his boyish grin, but it did nothing to calm her.
"You are a fool. If they failed, Ajit will certainly finish what they started if he finds you here. Leave."
"I needed to see you." His body ached, pulsing with his heartbeat. The whole world moved on. Yet he remained in the same place. "It was a bad idea. I'm sorry."
"It was. Now flee before I call the guards so they can deal with your foolishness." She shooed him away.
Sugriva's cheeks flushed, and his intestines knotted up. Bile laced his breath, as he tried not to vomit. He had half a mind not to stop his free fall when he dropped out of the nest, but he used the staff to slow his descent. Prisha spurned him. Ishva was lost to him by Sugriva's own hand. It was his own decisions that lead him to loneliness. The realization clawed at him—he chose those who despised him but turned his back on those who loved him.
A shadow flew overhead as Sugriva left the hawk territory. It didn't surprise him, as he wasn't hiding his identity; the worst they would do was kick him out. Then the shadow descended in front of him, and Divyan shifted into his man form. "We are on the cusp of war. The enemy is at our gates trying to knock them down. You are here with my daughter. If she screamed we would try in earnest to execute you, not those games you set up. If she ran away with you, what would you do with the rest of Jaya? Is she your only motivation?"
"Are you going to report me, general?"
Divyan sat down and patted the ground beside him. Sugriva joined. The hawk-man looked up at the canopy. "I was a common soldier in my youth. I knew what it was to see the woman I loved and not have her. Then I became famous, and I married a beautiful woman. You know what I forgot about, Sugriva?"
There was a pause, Sugriva looking at the ground like a scolded child. "What?" he finally asked.
"I forgot
