6
DEVEN
I lean against the wall outside the prince’s door, my fists quaking. Kali took Ashwin’s side. They should be rerouting the navy to Vanhi, yet all they can think about is the warlord.
Shortsighted fools. The demon rajah’s head start could mean the end of the war. I push away from the wall and march down the corridor.
Turn back and tell her you love her. Don’t part in anger.
I nearly bow to my apprehension but stay on course. Last night, I slept on a bench in the garden instead of returning to Kali’s chamber. I resolved to leave her be, and I will, because the only other option is to compel her to choose between the prince and me right now. And that would make me an even bigger fool than they are, for I am not merely competing against a prince. I am up against her throne. She is long past needing me as her guard. Whatever happens on that mountaintop, Kali can defend herself. I am more concerned about them wasting time.
But time is all I can give her. Time to consider her future. Time to remember she never asked to become a rani. Time to realize she can have a peaceful life with me.
Unless I am utterly mistaken, and Kali has chosen her path. She may, in fact, never relinquish her throne. She may be falling in love with Ashwin, and she is sparing me heartache by not saying so . . .
I increase my pace, no longer departing in anger but with another emotion that I do not allow myself to inspect too closely before I shove it down and lock it away.
Yatin and Natesa dine on breakfast in Kali’s chamber. Natesa leaps out of the way when I storm in, the swinging door knocking against her chair. Rohan nibbles on pieces of mango. He is just fourteen, two years younger than his sister Opal. Anu, let our siblings be safe.
Mother sits out on the balcony, smoking her handheld hookah pipe while she speaks with Ambassador Chitt. Smoke curls rise around them.
“Rohan told us Brac and Opal are missing,” Yatin says in his deep burr.
I pace alongside the breakfast table, half expecting Kali to realize her foolishness and join us. But Ashwin was right—this is Kali’s choice.
Natesa dishes rice into a bowl in front of Rohan. He ignores it. Yatin tips back in his chair, closer to me. I pause beside him.
“He asked where Brother Shaan was,” he whispers.
Grief over the death of my mentor rises anew. Brother Shaan took in Opal and Rohan after their widowed mother was executed and found them safe passage out of Vanhi. Rohan and I feel his loss the most.
I pace again, restless to act. I cannot wait for Kali forever. If she thinks Ashwin’s plan of allying with Hastin will save us, then let them have their idealistic idiocy. My brother needs me.
I stop tromping around. Rohan deserves more time to mourn, but I need his help. “Rohan, I need you to fly me to the location where you last saw Opal and Brac.”
The Galer unbends from his slouch, buoyed by my request. His eagerness quiets my concern about how he will fare on our mission.
“Deven, don’t be rash,” Yatin says, direct but always respectful. “Rohan said the army has catapults and more than enough soldiers to fire them. The troops will shoot you from the sky.”
“The army will have marched on by now. Brac and Opal could be waiting for us where they landed. I need a Galer to take me.”
“And me,” Natesa says.
Yatin and I stare at her in joint astonishment. She blushes, squirming under our silent enquiry. Why is she volunteering? Natesa takes care of herself. She has extended her self-preservation to include Yatin, and sometimes Kali, but no one else. Especially not Brac. The two of them have never gotten along. He parched her the first time they met, and she has never forgotten.
“We should stay,” Yatin counters. “The wing flyer will travel faster without us.”
He has a point, but I would appreciate two more people on the lookout for Opal and Brac. Even so, coming along is their decision. I have no illusions about how dangerous this will be.
“I want to go,” Natesa insists. “My older sister passed away last year. After our parents died, she was all the family I had left.” She speaks more quietly, to steady her voice. “I don’t want either of you to lose a sibling as well.”
Her concern extends to Rohan, as his circumstance closely mirrors her own. His sister is also the only family member he has left. I should have considered Natesa’s decision was personal, but she often acts impervious to heartache, others’ and her own. I am beginning to see she is not as immune to compassion as she would like us to believe.
Yatin links hands with her. “We’ll both go.”
“It’s settled then. Eat up, soldier.” I slap Rohan on the back. “We need your powers refreshed for our flight.”
Rohan perks up even more at “soldier” and shovels in mango as fast as he can chew.
“Should we tell Kalinda and Ashwin?” Natesa asks, eating the last of her breakfast.
“They already know.” Despite my effort to sound neutral, rancor burns my tone. Natesa pauses chewing, sensing I am omitting something. I set forth our plan before she can prod at me. “Rohan, can you be ready to depart in an hour?”
“I’ll do my best,” he says, cramming his mouth with fruit.
“Everyone be ready to leave then.” I step nearer to the terrace. My mother and Chitt are still conversing in private. Their bodies are turned toward one another, sealing me out.
I clamp off a sting of envy. I have fretted over my mother’s safety for days. Chitt has no right to reenter our lives and take all her attention, particularly after abandoning us. He may not be my father, but he could have filled that role for both Brac and me. Gods know we needed him.
Buttoning up my jacket, I stride out of the chamber. I will keep my word to my mother and find Brac. No other outcome is acceptable.
Less than half an hour later, I weave my way down the dock rife with sailors preparing for departure. A dozen moored navy vessels line the wharf. Most are built like Enki’s Heart, with one mast and the capacity to hold up to two hundred passengers. The ship on the far end is the biggest, with three masts. I anticipate it can carry twice as many people. On the whole, I estimate the navy is sending up to three thousand men to battle.
Past the sailors loading supplies for their voyage, I locate Admiral Rimba on the largest craft. He waves me aboard. I jump on deck and maneuver through the working sailors.
“General Naik,” the admiral says by way of welcome, “I received word that the kindred and prince aren’t coming. Are you still joining us?”
“No, sir, but I am leaving for the continent. My brother has gone missing. I told my mother I’d find him.”
Admiral Rimba frowns at my brusqueness and then enters the cabin. I follow him to his command console, which is covered in maps. He removes mint leaves from a small tin and rolls them into a bundle. “Indah told me Prince Ashwin and Kindred Kalinda are departing for the mainland by another means as well.”
“We’re not leaving together. They have another destination.”
“So I heard. They intend to meet the warlord.” Admiral Rimba presses the bundle of mint into the side of his cheek, but it does not impede his speech. “And you’d like for us to alter our destination from Iresh to Vanhi.”
“I would,” I reply, relieved one person in Lestari understands military strategy.
The admiral waves me over to the map at the other end of the console. “Datu Bulan agrees. He sent orders for me to lead the fleet up the River Ninsar. The river goes around the Bhavya Desert and connects here, to the River Nammu, which flows into Vanhi. The passage narrows, so we must sail single file, but we should fit.”
“Should?”
“Our navy has never voyaged that far inland.”
The odds continue to stand against us. “How long until you reach Vanhi?”
He weighs my question before replying. “We have enough Aquifiers to propel us there in seven days. The reverse journey is six. Pushing upriver against the current will slow us.”
The demon rajah is estimated to arrive in Vanhi within six days, but I do not press the admiral. He and his men realize our urgency and will do their best. I point to the section of the map where the two rivers meet. “My party and I will meet you here. How long do we have?”
“About four days. If you aren’t there when we sail by, we will continue on without you.”
“We’ll be there.”
Admiral Rimba pushes a pin into the map at the cross section of rivers. The finality of our arrangement bores into me. I must find Brac and meet the admiral’s fleet on time, or we will be on our own.
Natesa and Rohan wait in the garden near the wing flyer. Yatin stands off to the side, frowning up at the sky. One would think airsickness afflicts him instead of me. I am already ill in anticipation of our flight.
Yatin and Natesa have changed into sturdier travel clothes. Natesa traded her skirt for Princess Gemi’s favored attire, loose trousers. They also brought supply packs for themselves and Rohan, and one for me. My mother and Ambassador Chitt stand off to the side, come to say good-bye.
Tears shine in Mother’s eyes. “Be careful.”
“I will.” I draw her in close. She smells of hookah smoke and jasmine.
“Love you, Deven,” Mother whispers.
Emotions crowd my voice. I manage a nod, and she moves on to bid farewell to the others.
Ambassador Chitt saunters over, his hands clasped solemnly behind him. “I heard about Prince Ashwin’s plans. He sent word to the warlord, but he isn’t waiting for a reply. He, the kindred, and a small group of guards are flying to Samiya. He asked me to go with them and help negotiate.”
Chitt has closer ties to Hastin than we do. The warlord once served with Kishan, Kali’s father, as well. “Do you think Hastin will unite with the empire?”
“Difficult to say. Hastin has always been unpredictable.”
I scoff under my breath. Unpredictable? The man is volatile.
“I’d like to join your group instead, if you’ll have me.” Chitt clasps and unclasps his hands in front of himself uncertainly. “Your mother said it was all right to tell you our history. Mathura told me long ago that Brac is my son. I sent dozens of letters to Tarek requesting to acquire her. It felt uncouth to offer him coin, but men like Tarek put a value on everything. I offered a more-than-fair amount for Mathura’s freedom, but I didn’t consider how much Tarek relished possessing something another man envied.” Chitt glances at my mother, who embraces Yatin in farewell. “I should have known he would never let me have her and Brac.”
“You asked for them both?” I ask, cocking a brow.
“And you,” Chitt amends. My disbelief falters. “I asked to trade for all three of you. I own a sizeable plantation on an outer island, plenty of room for two boys to run around. You’re a little older than I thought you’d be when we met again, but perhaps someday you’ll visit me there.”
“I’d enjoy that.” Chitt was not required to justify himself to me, but I am grateful he did. “You should go to the sultanate. Gather the Tarachandian army and stand by for word from me or Admiral Rimba. We may yet need their troops.”
Mother rejoins us, slipping her arm through mine. “What did I miss?”
“Ambassador Chitt has some business in Janardan,” I answer. “You should go with him.”
Mother squints at me. “I don’t need you to manage my life, son.”
“I know he’s Brac’s father,” I answer without condemnation. Though she prompted Chitt to speak with me, she still blanches. “You need time to discuss how to approach Brac with the news. He’ll have questions, but I think he will be open-minded.”
My mother gives a closed-lipped nod. I kiss her cheek, and then Chitt draws closer to her. Seeing them side by side, I imagine what it would be like to visit his home together. May we all live long enough to find out.
The first stirrings of Rohan’s winds whistle through the garden.
“Deven,” Yatin calls. “We’re ready.”
“Shouldn’t you wait for Kalinda?” Mother asks.
“Kali would be here if she planned to see us off.” I start for the wing flyer. I could seek Kali out and plead with her to change her mind, but the last time I thought I knew what was best for her, I wound up in a prison camp and she sought solace in the boy prince. And truthfully, I am not fully prepared for her ultimate decision.
“Deven!” a voice shouts from behind me. My foot strikes a lump on the ground and I stumble sideways. Princess Gemi hurries to me. “Sorry. I meant to stop you, not trip you.” She gestures at the mound of grass she lifted with her powers. “You’re leaving?”
“That’s right,” I reply, setting off again.
She stays at my side. “Admiral Rimba said you’re meeting the fleet in a few days. I asked to go with him, but my father won’t allow it. May I go with you?”
I halt and take in her white tunic tucked into dark trousers and the machete at her waist. “You don’t strike me as the type of woman who asks permission.”
“You’ve never angered my father.”
“You aren’t instilling much confidence in my letting you come along.”
I stride away, but she tugs me back. “Please, General.” She rests her hand on my chest and bats her sooty lashes as though a gnat is caught in her eye. “Let me go with you.”
“You really aren’t told no often.”
She runs a finger up my neck to my chin. “I’d never tell you no.”
A chuckle escapes me. Even if Princess Gemi were to charm me, I cannot give her what she wants. “The prince has more clout with your father than I do. Ask him.” She begins to protest, but I rush right over her. “I won’t be accused of kidnapping the datu’s heir. I suggest you endear yourself to Ashwin or forget about leaving Lestari.”
She drops her hand. “The prince is a wet noodle. I knew right away you’re the one I could count on.” I should be irate that her fawning over me has been a manipulation, but I am tempted to ask her to repeat her wet noodle comment to Kali. “Will you at least put in a good word for me with Ashwin?”
I grin humorlessly at her request. “You’re asking the wrong person. Persuade Kalinda to your side, and you’ll get what you want.”
“That’s it? I need only talk to the kindred?”
“Believe me,” I call out, winds whipping at my back, “she can be hard to convince.”
Everyone waits aboard the lightweight, birdlike flyer. I climb on, lie across the riding platform between Yatin and Rohan, and grip the bamboo navigation bar.
“Could you hold on any tighter?” Rohan asks me.
I purse my lips, a warning for him to stop teasing. He knows how much I dislike flying.
His summoned winds pluck us off the ground into the morning sky. I wave farewell to Mother and Chitt and stretch my gaze to the palace grounds and balconies for a glimpse of Kali. But we whizz away from the glimmering spires that soar over the aquamarine cove, and pass over the breaker.
The Sea of Souls unrolls like a ribbon to the horizon. Down the coast, a ship lurks near the breaker. The sea raiders’ yellow two-mast vessel is easily identifiable. The raiders must be lying in wait for the navy’s departure. I expect they will assume the prince and Kali are aboard one of their ships and pursue the fleet to the mainland. At the very least, Kali’s decision to fly to Samiya will help her evade Captain Loc. Even so, I already regret leaving without bidding her good-bye—and gods’ mercy.