Nandini turned away, closed the main door to her chamber, and locked it from within. Then, holding a lamp in her hand, she opened the secret door to the hunting pavilion and entered.

The sorcerer Ravidasan already had a fearsome face. The fresh wounds upon his face and head made his appearance even more terrifying. Seeing him thus, Nandini asked, “Sorcerer, what is this? Your body is covered in new wounds?”

“Queen! What is there for you to be surprised about? Do you think that, like you, we spend our days savoring six kinds of delicacies, drinking fine wine, and reclining in luxury upon silken beds? For Parameswaran and me, it is a miracle that we are alive today. It was the spirit of the late Pandya Emperor that saved us from death today…”

“No, Ravidasan! No! His spirit is always with me, at all times and in all places. Not even an hour ago, it appeared before me and asked, ‘Are you going to fulfill the vow, or not?’”

“Queen! What answer did you give?”

“I said, ‘I will fulfill the vow today; if not, I will end my own life.’”

“In that case, it is good that we came running. After all this time, what use is there in you ending your life? Shouldn’t the task we undertook reach its conclusion? If you cannot do it…”

“Who said I cannot? I will fulfill the vow. After that, I will end my life…”

“No, no. After you fulfill the vow, there are still many things you can do. In Madurai, we must crown Veerapandiyan’s holy son before the world…”

“You can see to all that yourselves. Tonight, my work will be finished. My life will be finished as well…”

"Queen! All the treasures in the possession of the Pazhuvettaraiyar must be sent to the hill country. For that, your assistance is necessary!"

"Even after the vow has been fulfilled, do you ask me to betray my husband and continue to live, you sorcerer?"

"Lady! Who is your husband?"

"The nobleman who married me, disregarding the ridicule of the people in every city and town, and who has fulfilled every vow I have taken—he is the one I speak of."

"Queen! The Pazhuvettaraiyar is not your husband. Every night, Veerapandiyan appears in my dreams and commands me to treat you as his royal consort..."

"Sorcerer! Enough of your talk. You have not yet told me how you received all these wounds?"

"Last night, in the forest by the banks of the Kollidam, an old tiger attacked us. Though it was aged, its teeth and claws were still sharp..."

"How did you escape, brother?"

"Did we not conduct the coronation for the Pandya prince? In the temple tower, we pushed the part that had collapsed onto the tiger and escaped..."

"Alas! Poor thing! Even you could not stand face to face and defeat an old tiger..."

"Yes, Queen! I admit it. If that is so, how can we confront the young