The Go-Between (The Nilaruna Cycles Book 1) (10 page)

A tear leaks from her mangled
eye. “I believe you. I will marry you, Prince Kai.”

I smile — I cannot help it.
This creature is not someone I would have ever considered marrying, but
circumstances are dire. I accomplished at least one thing on my list. At the
very least, this bolsters my spirits.

“I must speak with your father,”
I say. I start to rise, but Nilaruna speaks again.

“My lord, I have one more
stipulation.”

I sit back down.

“I need to speak with Maja again.
I need to explain to him what’s happened. And…I need to say goodbye.”

“I told you I will return you to
him,” I say. “A goodbye is unnecessary.”

She gives me a scathing look, and
I lower my eyes to the ground.

“Do not start this marriage off
with promises you cannot keep,” she says. “Only truth between us. If I’m going
to die for you, that’s the least you can do for me.”

I raise my gaze back to her eyes,
and I focus on the scarred one.

This girl is one my citizens,
entrusted to my care. I have vowed protection for every single person in my
kingdom, and here I am, asking for a woman to turn around and protect me.

I am a snake.

“Perhaps this was a mistake,” I
say.

She frowns. “I ask you to
negotiate with the gods and you do not balk, but when I ask for honesty, you
run away?”

“That is not what I meant. I…I
didn’t know you when I set off to find you. I thought nothing of you and only
of myself. Yes, I have vowed to keep you safe, but as you said, it is an empty
promise. Shiva has seen your death in exchange for my life, and I may not be
able to change that. It is cruel and heartless of me to pretend otherwise.

“Shiva said that I can pick any
maiden in the kingdom for my bride, and no matter who it is, I will be saved
and the kingdom will be stable. But when I expressed reservations about having
my bride die for me, he suggested I find a woman who will do her duty for the
kingdom. Who is strong and brave. Who will come to love me, and will be willing
to die for that love. He named you as this woman.”

Nilaruna’s mouth falls open. “But
he knows I love Maja. And he knows I am not fickle.”

I shrug. “I do not know you well
enough to judge his assessment. I’m simply trying to do the right thing for
Jatani. And I’m sorry that you are caught in the middle.

“So here is what I propose:
return to Maja now, this very day. Discuss it with him. Search your heart. I
will stay in the village inn for three more days. If you decide to return and
help me, I will be here. If you do not return, I will choose another bride.
Simple as that.”

I stand and give Nilaruna Nandal
a low bow. “My lady, it has been an honor to meet you. I am proud to call you
one of Jatani’s citizens.” I look over at Faaris and Manoj, who are giving us
sidelong glances. “Let us back to the inn.”

And we make a swift departure.

I watch the prince go. I put my veil back on without thinking about
it.

I make my way back to the house
and to the front door. I don’t open it. I just listen hard.

“You had her and you caved,”
Manoj says. “She agreed to marry you and you ruined it! Do you actually want to
die?”

I hear the creak of a saddle as
someone settles himself on his horse.

“You heard the entire
conversation?”

“We didn’t mean to, but we did,”
Faaris says. “Manoj is right. You botched that, badly.”

Prince Kai growls softly. “If you
heard the conversation, then you know why I did it. I’m asking her to give up
her love and her life!”

“For the kingdom,” Manoj says.
“There is no greater honor. Songs will be sung about her, tales told, baby
girls will be named Nilaruna in her honor. And she’s an untouchable, Kai. To
marry a prince…it’s like she won a cosmic pot of gold. She should consider
herself lucky!”

“Manoj,” Faaris says, “if you’re
going to argue this point, you should do it with some sensitivity. You’re making
the case that being an untouchable means you have no worth as a human being.”

“That is the definition of an
untouchable,” Manoj says. “And before you roast me, I’m speaking from the
cultural prospective. Sensitivity has no place in this discussion. The kingdom
is in danger, and we must do whatever it takes to save it.”

“What if Shiva had named your
sister for this task instead of Nilaruna?” Faaris asks.

“But he didn’t,” Manoj says. “I
will not discuss what-ifs.”

“Stop the infernal bickering!”
Prince Kai says. “Get on your horses. We need to leave now.”

“Why?” Manoj says. “Thanks to
you, we have nothing to do but kill time for three days.”

“Just hurry up,” the prince says.
“I feel like we’re being watched.”

“Royalty is always watched.”

I hear the horses clip-clop as
they begin to leave. When I think they’re out of sight, I open the front door.

Prince Kai is staring down at me
from his perch on his horse.

“Were you listening to our
conversation?” he asks.

I gulp. Thank the gods I can hide
behind my veil.

“Of course not. You were loud.
Don’t you realize people can hear you through a door?”

He just continues to frown at me.

“You are a good man, Prince Kai,”
I say with a bow. “Maybe I have won a pot of gold.”

“Unfortunately, no one is winning
here,” he says. “I’m going to spend the next three days visiting with High
Priest Sanji and snooping around. If you do return and cannot find me at the
inn, leave me a message and I will seek you here.”

I nod.

“And I’d like to get a look at
the pass. Can you alert Maja that we will be in his territory?”

“Of course. Are you headed there
now?”

“No. I need to summon a god and
start negotiating.”

I smile, though he cannot see it.
“You’re betting on me.”

“Do not be flattered,” he says.
“We both know my options are limited.”

“I will keep that in mind,” I
say, “because, as I said, I do not wish for your death. And this time, I
actually mean it.”

Prince Kai laughs, and with a
small wave, turns his horse around and heads off.

I find the nesting caves of the blue dragons and land softly a half a
league away. They know me, but they do not like anyone or anything too close to
their home. Especially with two nestlings to protect.

This is the first cycle in centuries
that this thunder has seen the birth of a dragon. And they were blessed enough
to have two females carry to term. I do not know what caused the sudden spike
in fertility, and I didn’t really care before, but now, it seems like odd
timing at best, and the result of sinister workings at worst.

I walk through the forest
briskly. They must know I’m here. Surely one of them will come to greet me
soon.

But none show. And when I’m two
hundred paces from their caves, a wave of panic quickens my steps.

I roar. Long and low, I roar.

In answer, I hear a high-pitched
rumble. The nestlings.

But no answering roar.

I run.

Silvia can no longer sit up, since her muscles have atrophied so.
It’s been two weeks since she lifted her head. Perhaps I will not have to
poison her. Maybe the gods have finally had enough fun.

I gently roll her to her left
side, careful to keep the pillow away from her mouth and nose. I examine her
now-exposed right side, and sigh at the sight of her weeping bedsores. Dear Silvia,
the torture never ends, does it?

Let the healers attend to her
wounds. I will attend to her soul.

I take a seat on the edge of her
bed and open
The Book of the Dying
.

It’s the first time I’ve ever
cracked this book. Never felt the need before.

I read from a random page. “And
Parvati bathes his brow, and wipes the spittle from his lips, and whispers in
his ear: ‘You are of the earth and return to the earth. Your sins have been
tallied. They will not be forgotten, nor should they be. For in the next life,
all can be remedied. Every wrong can be made right. Note the station to which
you are reborn, and know that this is where you belong. It is all in your
hands. Karma is but the result of every choice you made.’

“But the dying man has no wish to
face his sins, and knows well all the wrongs he committed, and thus thrashes
against death. Parvati is merciful, though. She pries the man’s jaw open with
one strong hand and thrusts the other fist down his throat. She rips his soul
from his body and flings it into the heavens.”

I pause to catch my breath. I
never anticipated that
The Book of the
Dying
would be so violent.

Silvia stares at the wall with
unblinking eyes.

Parvati, where are you?
I think.
Why have
you not come here, to fling my beloved’s soul into the heavens? She started her
life as a noble and made herself into a queen. Surely she has not far to go to
be reunited with the One.

Parvati doesn’t answer.

My head pounds.

I call for some herbal tea, just
enough to help me to sleep.

I slumber, dreaming of the many
sins I committed in this life and wondering which shack in Dabani I will be
reborn in.

I meet up with Manoj and Faaris at the inn stables. I ordered them to
unsaddle the horses and retire for the afternoon, but they are still saddled
up, arguing.

“Do the two of you ever listen to
me?” I say.

They ignore me.

“If he marries her,” Manoj is
saying, “the veil must stay on. In public and private. It is a small
compromise.”

“The villagers all know her,” Faaris
says. “Word will get out, eventually to the entire kingdom. I say we use her
status. Play it up. It will strengthen his popularity among the common people.”

“The common people are not the
ones with the power,” Manoj says.

“Have you never seen ants overwhelm
a rat? I have. The rat could crush them with a paw, but given enough ants with
the same purpose, the rat doesn’t stand a chance.”

Manoj just shakes his head. “And
you,” he says, pointing a finger at me. “You actually bantered about bedding
the girl. Have you no decency?”

“What bothers you so much about
her?” Faaris says. “Is it her status, or simply her hideous appearance?”

“Both!” he says with a shudder.
“You are royalty, Kai. I do not care how dire the circumstances, you must
remember that.”

“So he cannot bed his wife,”
Faaris says. “He must marry someone not of his choosing, his parents will be
dead soon, and he might die also. Throw the guy a bone, man.” Then he turns to
me, realizing what he just said. “I’m sorry, Kai. I didn’t mean to be so blunt.”

“That sums it up nicely, I
think,” I say. “But my marital status and the fact that I might not get laid
again before I die are trivial matters. It’s not just the royal family in
danger. We are but pawns in a greater scheme. Someone wants the kingdom, and
they’ve been patient enough to play a long game.”

“We heard what Nilaruna said
about the Go-Betweens. Maja should have alerted the crown,” Faaris says.

“How could he?” I say. “The
Go-Betweens are his only link to Dabani. If he gave them messages for the crown
or the high priest, perhaps those messages were never received.”

“So what exactly is the Protector
good for?” Faaris asks.

“He guards the pass,” Manoj says.
“And since we’ve seen no threat from that pass in three hundred cycles, I would
say he’s done his job admirably.”

“The pass can only allow one
person through at a time,” Faaris says. “Seems ridiculous to have a Protector
for such a small threat.”

“Circumstances were different
three hundred cycles ago. Bhutan was still a young province, and not stable.
Pirates roamed the seas. Bandits and malcontents swarmed the Fangs. If he
weren’t there, how many could have gotten through before we realized it?” Manoj
counters.

“The other side is quite stable
now,” Faaris says. “Surely there are greater threats elsewhere.”

“Stop!” I yell, and they finally
give me their attention. “None of that matters. Focus. Please. There is a
threat today, and I believe it comes, in great part, from the other side of
that pass. Whether it’s from our own people, or from barbarians across the sea
who’ve conquered other parts of our kingdom, we need to figure it out. And we
can’t do that sitting on our asses arguing in the stables. We need a plan.”

“Well first we—”

“Be quiet, Manoj,” I snap.
“Here’s what we’re going to do. First, Faaris is going to the temple to summon
the high priest. We need to take his measure and question him. He’s obviously
been derelict in his duties to the crown, and he has much to answer for.”

“You’re going to listen to a
woman?” Manoj says.

I give him a withering gaze.

“Right now, I’m going up to our
room to summon a god. If Nilaruna agrees to marry me, I must alter Maja’s
curse. And I actually think this is a good idea whether she marries me or not.
He can fly over the mountains to the rest of the kingdom and be our lookout.
Having aerial surveillance would be a great boon.

“And first thing tomorrow
morning, we’re going to visit Maja. I want to share information and see what he
knows. Hopefully he will cooperate with us.”

“Not very likely if you’re about
to marry his beloved,” Faaris says.

“Agreed. This may be a dangerous
trip. We’ll all have to be on guard.”