A NOD TO DANGEROUS MOUNTAIN CH 3

​📌 AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hey everyone! Due to editorial review schedules, Chapter 3 has gone live before Chapter 2 (which is still with the editors for approval). Please don't be confused by the sudden jump! Chapter 2 will slide right into its proper place as soon as it clears. In the meantime, if you want to read the full series overview and roadmap, please head over and check the Series Dashboard!

​                       Chapter 3

I woke up with the pale, watery morning light cutting horizontally across the bedroom floor.
For a long moment, I lay completely still, my eyes locked on the rough wooden rafters overhead. The silence of the bungalow was absolute. I reached out with a trembling hand, feeling for the small cot in the corner.
Maya was fast asleep.
Or at least, she looked like she was. Her chest rose and fell in a calm, regular rhythm, her dark hair tangled softly against the pillow. Sitting up slowly, I rubbed my face, staring down at my hands. Was it a dream? A fevered hallucination born from the exhaustion of the drive and the heavy, damp air of the mountains? My heart had hammered a frantic, terrified rhythm in my chest just hours ago, yet looking at her now, bathed in morning sun, it all felt like a trick of a tired mind.
I got up and walked over. Before I could even process my own thoughts, Maya’s eyes fluttered open. Instantly, that wide, cheerful grin spread across her face.
She sat up straight, threw her arms around my waist, and buried her face in my shirt. "Good morning, Achcha," she whispered happily, her voice light, innocent, and entirely normal.
A cold shiver raced down my spine, tightening every muscle in my body. I froze. Every instinct I had screamed at me to push her away, to tear my arms back from a stranger who had spoken with an ancient, echoing voice in the dark. But forcing my hands to move, I awkwardly patted her back, offering a stiff, terrified smile as I pulled away.
Just then, the door clicked open. Gauri walked into the bedroom holding a steaming mug of black tea, her sharp eyes sweeping over me. She lingered on the dark, heavy bags under my eyes and the unnatural stiffness in my posture.
"You look like you didn't sleep a wink," Gauri said, her voice laced with quiet confusion and a touch of frustration. She set her mug down on the bedside table and crossed her arms. "Did you forget what today is?"
I blinked, trying to clear the static from my brain. "Today?"
"The furniture, Ankit," Gauri reminded me, stepping closer. "We promised we’d go into town today to source everything we need for the resort rooms before the tourist season shifts. Did you manage to find out where the local markets are? Somewhere we can pick up timber and furniture at a reasonable price?"
Her voice was entirely practical, anchored completely in the waking world of business plans, budgets, and new beginnings. She had no idea what had been standing in the center of the dark living room while she slept.
"Right," I managed to say, my voice sounding hollow even to my own ears. "The market. I'll... I'll check the routes."
As Gauri turned away to dress, Maya looked up at me from the corner of the room. Her smile didn't reach her eyes. She tilted her head just a fraction—a microscopic nod toward the door leading out into the cold, foggy hills of Elappara.