“We may not,” Priya said urgently. “Bhumika, don’t you understand? I… I’m not sure if I’ll always be able to reach out. If you send a messenger it’ll take weeks, but if something’s important you will, won’t you? If you can’t reach me here, like this?”
The shadow of Bhumika’s mouth—the shape of her teeth—
“Of course,” Bhumika said. “I’ll find you when you’re needed. I promise you that. Don’t worry about using your strength to call me in the sangam. Focus on what lies ahead.”
“But—”
“Just do as I say, Priya,” Bhumika said. Her words were gentle, but they were also an order. “Nowgo.”
Priya returned to her body. Stared out at the dark, breathing unevenly now, feeling odd and unsteady, some sense of wrongness grappling at the edges of her consciousness.
Eventually, she slept.
By the time she woke in the morning, and broke her fast, and heaved herself once again onto her horse, the strangeness of it all had dissipated like nothing more than a bad dream.
The army encampment was marked by banners on the horizon, all of them the gleaming white and gold of imperial Parijatdvipa, blazing in the light of the setting sun.
Despite the fact that they had traveled weeks to get here, Yogesh insisted on stopping and making camp.
“I think we should continue,” Priya said, trying to channel Bhumika’s effortless command. It didn’t seem to be doing her much good: the men kept on setting up camp, ignoring her. “We’re almost there. The empress is waiting for us.”
“It would be better to take a moment here,” Yogesh said, with exquisite awkwardness, his eyes darting anywhere but to her. “Night is almost here, elder.”
“All the more reason to join the empress’s camp,” Priya retorted.
“No, no,” Yogesh said, wringing his hands. “It will give you time to prepare, elder. You look—out of sorts.”
“You do smell,” Sima muttered, when they were alone.
“Well, so do you!” said Priya.
“I’m not Ahiranya’s representative,” Sima pointed out. “You are. I’m just a maid.”
“I could tell people you’re my bodyguard,” Priya said.
There was an incredulous silence from Sima.
“If I could emulate Elder Bhumika at all, I hope you know I’d be raising an eyebrow at you right now,” Sima said. “One devastating look of judgment, that’s what you’d get.”
“Well, you’re not just a maid. Certainly notmymaid. Isn’t that the point of this—coming here with me? You’re a representative of Ahiranya.” Priya shrugged. “Maybe that’s enough.”
“You know that isn’t how things work for highborn,” Sima said. “They need names for things. They like everything and everyone to have their place.”
Sima was right, of course.
“Advisor,” Priya said, after a beat. “We can call you my advisor.”
“Advisor,” Sima repeated. She sounded skeptical.
“It’ll mean more to the Parijatdvipans than ‘friend who helps me kill Parijati soldiers’ will.”
“Fine,” Sima said. “Advisor it is. Now go wash yourself, Pri, and leave your advisor alone.”
Priya had only just finished bathing—with a cloth and bucket, behind a hastily erected sheet, Sima on guard—when she heard hurried footsteps.
“Priya,” Nitin called out. “Elder Priya,” he corrected himself quickly. “You have to come. She’s here. The empress is here.”
Her heart gave a strange thud in her chest. From the side of the sheet, Sima turned and met her gaze, eyes wide. “I’ll be there in a moment,” Priya called out, and tried to make herself presentable.
