“She cannot go home again. I do not know where she will decide to settle, but it will not be anywhere near India. That was part of the price.”
“The price you cannot explain?”
“I cannot…” Chandrika hesitated. “Forgive me; I keep thinking there must be bindings to stop me from saying these things. I do not know how it was done, but she had to cut all her ties with her Nest and abandon her claim to the throne.”
“Her claim to the throne? What throne?” There was so much she did not understand.
“She was the Rana of our land for five centuries, through generations of human rulers. Now her only subjects are those of us who came with her. It was a great sacrifice.”
And apparently one that had taken decades of planning. “Why? Why would she give up so much to come here?”
“To learn about her enemy, that someday her knowledge can be used to gain our freedom. She blames herself for failing to see the dangers of allowing the English into our lands, for all the suffering that has come of that.”
Her enemy? Elizabeth swallowed hard. She had believed Lady Anne, who told her Rana Akshaya had come to learn about English mages. But if the Indian mage…no, the Indian dragon saw the English as her foes, it changed everything. Did the Nest know? Were the English dragons her enemies, too, or only the people?
“Does Rana Akshaya intend to harm anyone here?”
Chandrika stepped back. “Of course not. She cannot, no more than any other dragon. She wishes to discover how the British can be defeated by the humans in my country.”
It struck her, then, how unaware she was of what had happened in India. “I know almost nothing of the situation in your country. Have the British treated your people so badly?”
“Yes.” The single word was strong, fervent, and clearly heartfelt. “Why else would I have agreed to leave my home, to give up everything for the great Rana’s goal?”
“I see.” It was disturbing to know, and she would have to ask more about it, but it did not solve her immediate problem. “I have been pleased with your work. I do not know, though, how I can trust you not to report on me in the future. I wish I could.”
Chandrika wrung her hands. “Perhaps your Wise One would be willing to put a binding on me, so that I can tell the great Rana nothing about either of you.”
It was tempting. She had grown used to Chandrika, and she had seen a new side to her today, but she did not like the idea of using a binding for her personal convenience. “Instead, would you be willing to answer some truth-caster questions from Lady Frederica?”
Chandrika’s face brightened. “I would be happy to do that, if it means I can stay.”
“I will have to consult with Cerridwen, too. This decision is as much hers as mine,” Elizabeth cautioned.
“As it should be,” Chandrika agreed. She gestured to the dress she had laid out. “Will this suit for dinner tonight?”
Elizabeth tickled her cheek with the plume of her quill pen. How could she warn Granny about Rana Akshaya’s secret without giving it away to the government spies in London who were no doubt reading any mailaddressed to Lady Amelia? Placing the tip of her tongue in the corner of her lips, she wrote,Rana Akshaya has proved even more interesting than I had anticipated. She was interested in my falcon, but now that I know her better, I would say she has the very spirit of a falcon, somehow contained in a human body. I have never known anyone like that, but perhaps it is common among people in India.
How desperately she missed Granny! Now, more than ever, she wished her great-grandmother were here to advise her, but there had still been no news from her in London. Were it not for the occasional mentions of her in the newspapers, Elizabeth might have feared for her life, but Sycamore would have returned if there had been some terrible problem. But the question remained – why had Granny been so silent?
She finished the letter and pushed it aside, saving it to show to Cerridwen before sending in case the dragon would find it too revealing of their secrets.
As if she had somehow heard the thought, the kestrel appeared at the window. Chandrika opened it for her, and Cerridwen took her true form by the hearth, visibly larger than she had been even a fortnight ago. Clearly she was catching up on her growth now that she was part of a Nest again. Perhaps that was why she was spending so many of her nights there rather than at Pemberley.
Elizabeth longed to ask her what had happened with Rana Akshaya, but she knew better than to pester her dragon with questions immediately. Instead she said, “Cerridwen dearest! I have missed you.”
Cerridwen tossed her head. “You will see a great deal of me now, and Quickthorn, too. The Eldest has decreed that one of us must always be here while Rana Akshaya is in residence. Though what she thinks I could do if any problems arose is quite beyond me!” She sent an image of herself next to the Indian dragon, who was at least four times her size.
“You could tell the Eldest about it, I suppose,” Elizabeth said. “Chandrika, will you excuse us?”
Expressionless, the maid nodded and left the room.
“Is something the matter?” Cerridwen asked.
Elizabeth said carefully, “Did you recognize that Rana Akshaya was a dragon when we met her in Hertfordshire?”
“Of course.”
“Why did you never tell me?”
