Kunal glared at him. “No more than poison did yours.”
Alok unleashed a beleaguered sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. “So very mature of the both of you. Really representing us well here.”
“If it’s any consolation, I feel the same way about them,” Aahal whispered to Alok, pointing a thumb at Farhan and Bhandu.
“We know they exist,” Esha said quietly, her expression lost in thought. “If King Mahir has been looking for them, he’ll have information. Harun would know.”
“Then bring him,” Reha said. Her voice was cool and collected, but Kunal could hear the undercurrent beneath it. Anticipation. “Where is the prince?”
“Harun was captured and tortured because of your selfish choices.” Esha turned to face Reha. “Your brother is recovering now.”
Reha shut her mouth quickly and stepped back. “Recovering?”
“He’d been bound with blue-sapphire ropes for weeks. It’s still purging from his skin,” Esha said. Kunal noticed the way her hands curled into fists, the fierce set to her jaw. Whatever had happened to the prince still worried her.
“We can send a scroll to King Mahir,” Aahal suggested.
“Already on its way,” Esha said. “And the note from the Mathur scholars, it confirms that the bond could theoretically be broken. It was attempted once before, leading to the Blighted War. We should find out if the artifacts were used then.” She paused, her voice tremulous. “If the artifacts were used to create the janma bond in the first Ayana, then it goes to follow that they could be used to break it as well.”
“I can dig into the archives. Now that we’re looking for artifacts, I can scan the texts more specifically. I’ve been spending my time trying to find everything about magic and rituals. This, this is a direction at least,” Farhan stressed, looking less defeated than before.
“It is something,” Esha agreed. “We need to figure out what those original artifacts were, how many, and where they could be. Retrieval is next.”
“How can the Scales help?” Laksh asked softly. Kunal wanted to step over there and bodily insert himself between them, despite what Alok had said. He didn’t know this Mayank, but Laksh was a threat Kunal understood better than anyone else here. At least the prince was asleep somewhere.
“There’s something that doesn’t make sense,” Reha said quietly. “Why are the Yavar after me? And why did they stop following us?”
“They were looking for the temple too,” Kunal said, realization hitting him. “They had come to stop the ritual when we were there, but it had already failed. There’s only one reason they would have captured Harun when they already had Vardaan in their pocket. It would’ve been easy to pull the strings behind him if they wanted to open up the country for them to take.”
“You’re seeing things where they aren’t, soldier,” Esha said, gritting her teeth. “They were looking for power, plain and simple. Why would they care about the ritual? They gave up the rights to the land and the ritual centuries ago.”
“Perhaps that’s changed. Perhaps there’s something we don’t know. The Yavar failed in their invasion thirty years ago and maybe now they’re trying another tack.”
“Or they’re looking to strike when there’s discord here.”
Kunal shook his head. “No. Why follow us to Mount Bangaar, then? Why capture the prince only to let him go after they had found us and the temple? They know something about the ritual that we don’t.” As soon as Kunal said it, he knew it with certainty. He recalled the way Yamini had walked into the temple with purpose. “They want something. Not just chaos. Something for themselves.”
“Remember what Vardaan said?” Laksh said to Esha. “In the throne room?”
Esha’s face shifted from indignant to ill.
“That the Yavar want to reset the bond,” she said quietly. “Is it possible he wasn’t lying?”
“The soldier is right,” a deep voice said from the front of the room.
Harun stepped out into the throne room, leaning heavily on a cane. Still, he managed to look like the arrogant prince that Kunal had first met, commanding even in his weakness. Arpiya followed him in. Her short hair had grown out so that it reached her shoulders, and her normally bright smile turned down at the edges.
“That’s exactly what Yamini wants. And we don’t have much time to stop her.”
Chapter 10
Esha rushed to his side, wrapping an arm around his waist. Harun gave her a grateful look and leaned on her instead of the cane.
“What do you mean?” Farhan asked.
Harun chuckled lightly. “I don’t think they truly understood the extent of my powers. My hearing, for one. I heard a lot of things, even in the tent I was in. Hard not to when you’re in a small camp. It was the only thing I could do, so I listened. Once the poison haze of the blue sapphires cleared, I remembered more. And it’s worse than you might think.” He paused to cough, and his entire body shook.
Harun looked more uneasy than usual. “She’s trying to rewrite history. The stories we were told as children aren’t true. Vasu the Wanderer didn’t choose to give up his connection to the gods willingly. He betrayed Naran and Naria, and the Yavar have been cursed ever since. Yamini is trying to cleanse her people of the curse and bring back their connection to the land.”
Esha didn’t like the sound of that.
“She believes it’s their right to reclaim the bond, but I think she also knows it’s a smart move to consolidate her power as heir. She needs to win over her people. And if she accomplishes this, she’ll have won the clans’ loyalty for life—if not longer.”
“She’s looking for these artifacts, then?” Arpiya asked.
“She didn’t say as much, but she’s looking for something,” Harun said. “She has resources and scholars. She came to the Pink Palace for a reason, beyond just finding Reha. If my father had found out about the artifacts, she will soon, if she doesn’t know already.”
“Especially since Reha is now here,” Farhan said.
“Reha?” Harun’s eyes widened, and he jerked his head around, searching for her. She was immediately noticeable, the only unfamiliar face in the room. He walked over to her without Esha’s help, limping ever so slightly. “Reha.”
Reha’s face was set at first, closed off, but as Harun came closer, she glanced around as if looking for an exit. Kunal squeezed her hand quickly.
Harun stopped once he was in front of Reha, grief and joy warring across his face. Reha looked as uncertain.
“Do you remember me?” Harun said before frowning. “Of course you don’t.”
If she had, they wouldn’t be here.
“I remember pieces,” Reha said hesitantly. “I knew I wasn’t from Gwali, but I thought my family was gone. And when I told the other kids in the quarter that I had family from the palace, they laughed at me. Told me any family would all be dead.”
Harun opened his mouth and then snapped it closed, a look of uncertainty on his face that was incongruous with his normal attitude.
“I hate to interrupt this touching moment,” Laksh said, actually looking a bit uncomfortable. “But perhaps we can postpone this family reunion for later? We need to figure out what to do next. If what Harun said is true and Yamini is looking to rid themselves of their curse, it could be at the expense of our own people’s janma bond. If she fulfills the ritual, who knows what disaster will befall the Southern Lands.” He shivered. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to find out.”
“Oh, we’re the Southern Lands now, are we? Not Jansa and Dharka?” Kunal said softly.
The former friends exchanged a look, and it reminded Esha that Laksh and he had been in contact all through the Sun Mela, maybe even from the moment they had set foot in Gwali. There was weight between them, one that spoke of a longer story. Yet another reminder that while Kunal had asked for trust from her, he had been hiding his own secrets.
“It won’t matter if there’s a Jansa or Dharka if neither of them
exists,” Laksh said.
“How do we even know what the Yavar want is possible?” Aahal said, shaking his head. “The bond is unbreakable.”
“The scholars in Mathur disagree with that. After my first conversation with Zhyani, I asked them to look into it, how it would be possible. And King Mahir confirmed it as well. Breaking the bond has been attempted before, by the human who started the Blighted War, which means that we have to assume the worst. Good, bad, broken, unbroken, it won’t matter if Yamini discovers the artifacts,” Esha said. “We’ll need to find them first. If there’s an inkling of truth to the story of their power, we can’t delay.”
Harun drew out a small scroll from his waist sash, holding it uncertainly, like it might bite him. “My father gave this to me before the Winner’s Ball, in case I ever needed it. He said it was past his time to hand it over to me, and to us.” He shook his head. “I had no idea what he was talking about then and I can barely make out the script, but he mentioned something about the artifacts. He had been looking for them, and this was all he had been able to find. That this scroll, the copper scroll, would help—”
Farhan’s head shot up. “Copper scroll? The copper scroll?” He jumped up from his seat and rushed over to Harun.
Esha looked around, bewildered. No one else seemed to know what Farhan was talking about either.
“I can’t believe it’s real,” Farhan continued. “Can I touch it? I’ve been spending so much time researching the history of the ritual after the Blighted War, but I hadn’t even thought to look for scrolls from before that time.”
“Farhan,” Esha said gently. “Care to explain to the classroom?”
“Ah, yes.” Farhan stepped back and laced his fingers behind his back as he spoke to the room, a lock of his long hair hanging over one eye. “The copper scroll is said to be the first written account of the tales of Naran and Naria. It accounts for the first Ayana and the quest that they undertook with Vasu. It was lost during the Blighted War, but many say it was only hidden and that it contains untold knowledge. Some even whisper that it leads to the treasures of the gods, to a city hidden during the Blighted War.”
Harun looked down at the scroll in his hand with more delight than Esha had seen in moons.
“Send another note to my father. Let him know the copper scroll is in play and we need any information that he’s gathered,” Harun said.
Esha stepped up to his side. “As for us, we have work to do. Farhan, we’ll need you to decipher the scroll as best as you can, find the locations of the remaining artifacts. Aahal, get us the supplies we’ll need for an extended mission, just in case. As for the others, we’ll help Farhan research and then split into teams for the mission itself. Soldiers”—she looked at Laksh and Kunal—“you’ll be accompanied by Bhandu and Arpiya. Reha will stay back with me and Alok.”
Esha inhaled deeply. “We have to get to the artifacts before Yamini.”
There was a beat of silence surrounded by blank faces. A moment later, the room was filled with noise.
“Happy to volunteer,” Laksh said just as Kunal said, “Are you sure?”
“I won’t be going on any mission with a Scale, even a former one,” Bhandu said. “Former soldiers are bad enough as it is.” There was a short nod of agreement from Aahal, though it was cut off with a look from his twin. Arpiya shrugged while Reha looked at the window, clearly wishing to flee again.
Esha couldn’t help but agree with Bhandu.
The last thing she wanted to do was work with Kunal. It spoke to how broken their relationship was that she would prefer working with Laksh, who had once held a knife to her throat. At least with Laksh she knew to keep herself on guard. Better a knife to the throat than a knife in the back.
Esha looked at the group in front of her: old enemies, former friends, long-lost siblings, unwanted family, potential lovers. An uneven mix—volatile, even.
They were the best chance at finding those artifacts before the Yavar.
Gods help them all.
The room quieted, falling victim to Esha’s domineering stare. But Kunal wasn’t done.
“You’re going to put Laksh on this mission?” Kunal said, approaching Esha as everyone began to get up and leave. “He’ll steal the artifacts and give them to the Scales.”
“And why would he do that?” Esha asked, terse.
“Has anything he’s done before indicated that he wouldn’t?”
“I think if we have to worry about anyone running off and doing things on his own, it’d be you, soldier.”
Kunal winced. He knew she wasn’t going to let it go anytime soon, but that she wasn’t even hiding it? Not a good sign.
He stepped closer to her, and she breathed in sharply. Farhan, Aahal, and Bhandu were discussing something in the corner, too far to hear. And Harun had already found Reha, who looked scared and expectant at the chance to speak to her brother.
“Esha . . .”
“What?” she said, turning around to face Kunal. She seemed to realize her mistake—she was just inches away from him now.
“I’ve been trying to talk to you, alone.”
“That’s a bad idea, soldier,” she said. Kunal reached out and lightly grabbed her elbow. The skin on skin contact felt like the first sparks of a fire, and judging from her response, she felt it too. He moved closer, drawing a finger down her skin. For a moment, she let him.
“Esha, we need to talk. I need to explain—”
“Save it, Kunal,” she said shakily. A storm flickered behind her eyes, and she pulled her arm away from him. “I’ve no use for pretty words.”
She walked away before Kunal could form a reply. A deep sigh tore out of him.
“It’ll take time,” Alok said from behind him. Kunal turned to face him. “Everyone will need time to get over it.”
Kunal slumped against the wall. “I was just doing what I thought was right. She’s being unfair, unreasonable. Everyone else has been forgiven for their mistakes except for me.”
“I know. But doing the right thing is seldom the easy thing for others,” Alok said softly. Kunal looked up at his friend: the kindness in his eyes and the set of his jaw, which indicated power, self-possession. This was a new Alok. He had taken to the Pink Palace like a fish to water.
“Look, Kunal. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Esha, it’s—”
“This I have to hear,” the prince said. In possession of his cane, he moved quite quickly. Reha had left with Bhandu, so the prince’s attention was fully on them. He looked happy, buoyant almost. Meeting your sister after a decade could make even the worst sort tolerable, Kunal supposed.
“Your Highness.” Alok stiffened.
“No need for titles. Call me Harun.” Harun laughed a little, raising an eyebrow at Kunal, who didn’t bother to change his expression or demeanor. There was a moment of pause between them that lingered unkindly until Harun cleared his throat.
“I have you to thank for keeping my sister safe and bringing her back in one piece. I know, very well, how little control I have over the women in my life.” Kunal caught Harun’s glance at Esha and resisted the urge to hurt the prince, especially as he was being pleasant for once. “So their safety is a gift.”
“You’re welcome,” Kunal said. Alok nudged him in the ribs. “And I regret that my actions led you to be . . .”
“Kidnapped and tortured?” the prince supplied.
“That,” Kunal said, heaving a sigh. “It’s all cowshit. Yamini, Vardaan, all of it. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have gone.”
“That’s a lie,” Harun said. Kunal’s body tightened, but the prince didn’t have any malice on his face. “It’s not in your nature to play politics or to understand the consequences of your actions. It’s what made you a good soldier.”
Kunal flinched. It was a harsh but true assessment.
“It also makes you a good man to have on our side,” Harun said. “We need more people like you, though it pains me deeply to admit it.”
“People who question. Have an opinion on what the right thing, the good thing is. From the stories my father told me, he was quite like you back during the War. ‘The Arrow of Dharka,’ they called him.”
Kunal flushed, pleased. It wasn’t a bad thing to be similar to the king he had grown to admire. If he were to follow in the footsteps of an uncle, King Mahir was the one he would choose, especially over the general.
Harun leaned unsteadily on his cane, his growing exhaustion apparent.
Kunal couldn’t imagine what the prince might have been through since Kunal had been gone. And he certainly didn’t know how to broach the subject or treat the kindness Harun was showing him.
“But my father fought a different war. We’re not dealing with such an honorable enemy,” Harun said. He walked past Kunal and stopped, turning to look at him. “I’ve always known you for what you are, Kunal. You’re not a Blade, you’re Jansan, and you have worn the bronze armor of the Red Fort. That is an asset to us and our cause. But don’t let it be a liability.”
He didn’t need to finish the threat; instead, he walked away and held up his hand to signal the team to gather around.
“I rather like him. He’s a bit scary, though. Reminds me of Esha,” Alok whispered into Kunal’s ear. Then he gasped. “Oh, is that why you brought him up?” Alok gave the prince an appraising look.
Kunal frowned. They weren’t that similar.
Esha snapped her fingers to get everyone’s attention. “We’ll meet again tomorrow after we’ve started researching, but we have our basic teams. We’ve already gotten reports that Vardaan has been spotted, so it’s safe to say it won’t be long before he comes back for his throne. If you have a problem with your team assignment, don’t bother talking to me. We don’t have time for squabbling if we’re to get this done.”
The Chariot at Dusk Page 8
