Thevan appeared behind him. “Rani! Are you hurt? Move, you fool!”
Nikith came down the steps, floating as though he moved in a dream, which Thevan had no patience for. Midway down the stairs, my general jumped off the open side of the stairwell and rushed to me, hopping over Kamran’s corpse as if it were nothing. His foot splashed in a pool of blood, but he moved on without any concern for the man it had come from.
Thevan was at my side before I could blink, taking one of my hands in his as he put his other arm around me. “Are you hurt?”
I gestured to the red splatters on my face and sari. “It’s all his. I... I killed him.”
For the first time, Thevan turned to look at the body in front of me and really saw it. His eyes went from the corpse to Nikith, who had frozen two-thirds of the way down the stairs. Tears ran down his hollowed cheeks as he stared at Kamran. He hadn’t taken his eyes off the body, not even to see if I?—his sister-in-law and rani?—was okay. Why would he care so much about a man he barely knew?
“Is this why you came to argue about the tradesmen and their ships? To distract me?” Thevan demanded, not realizing that his hand was tightening around mine. I didn’t mind, though. It made it easier to ignore the pain building up again in my back and the ache that clenched my heart.
Nikith brought his hands up to his face. “He came to talk... he came in peace... and you killed him.”
“You knew!” Thevan was standing now. “You set this up. You told him where to find her!”
His words ricocheted around the stepwell. My heart dropped as they faded out. Nikith hadn’t denied Thevan’s accusation.
“They will ruin us,” Nikith whispered.
He collapsed onto the stairs but lost his balance, and he tumbled off the open edge. Nikith flailed as he fell, and his arm let out a sickening crack when he landed on the platform below. Thevan rushed to my brother-in-law’s side, but instead of helping him up, he stomped on his arm. Nikith screamed, and his voice echoed up the stepwell as he lay on the ground with his arm pointing in three different directions.
Thevan didn’t even look at Nikith. He made a ring with his thumb and index finger and blew a piercing whistle that cut through Nikith’s cry. Two soldiers appeared at the top of the stepwell, with another following soon after.
“Avinash!” Thevan beckoned to the second man, who pushed his way to the front after the soldiers descended the steps. He and Thevan exchanged salutes. “You’re with me.”
Avinash stepped behind Thevan as my general spoke to the others.
“The rani wants to make sure that her beloved brother-in-law has the time and space he needs to rest.” Thevan made the word “beloved” sound like a sharpened blade. “Make sure that nobody goes anywhere near his room. He must remain completely undisturbed, no matter how strongly he feels otherwise.”
The soldiers nodded their understanding and saluted before leading Nikith away, deliberately ignoring the body lying nearby.
“Avinash, you and I will have an endurance challenge,” Thevan said. “We’re going to dig a deep hole, make a deposit, and fill it again. We will leave now to avoid attracting too much attention. I’m in no mood for extra company.”
Avinash saluted, questioning nothing?—not even burying the body without any rites. “I’ll find a bag.”
He saluted and turned to leave, but before he could climb the stairs, my back spasmed again. I screamed and curled over my belly, which was hard as a rock. This time the pain did not subside. It stayed with me, extending around to the front of my stomach and squeezing me as if I were a lemon refusing to give its last drop of juice. I clenched my teeth, certain that I would crack them but convinced I would hardly feel it.
Finally, it let up, and I opened my teary eyes. Thevan was next to me, ready with one arm behind my back and one hooked under my knees.
“Has it passed?” he asked.
I could only nod as tears slid down my cheeks.
“We need to get you to Tara,” he said. “Your little one is coming.”
“It’s too soon,” I protested. “Tara and Nallini agreed that the baby wouldn’t come until the next moon. I must have been sitting wrong, that’s all.”
“You’ve been in pain ever since we came here this morning.” He lifted me up in one fluid motion. He jutted his chin toward Kamran’s corpse. “Avinash, I leave this to you and trust your discretion. Find Parushi. She’ll help.”
I didn’t have the strength to argue as he lifted me and bounded up the stairs. It was easier to breathe in his arms than it was when I was sitting on the ground, anyway. His muscled chest was tight, and I could feel its contours as I leaned into him and pressed myself close, trusting in his strength. His arms tightened around me, and I nestled my head in the crook where his neck met his shoulders to make sure I wouldn’t fall. I told myself I would have done the same no matter who was carrying me.
But it was him.
I regretted asking the young man by the entrance to summon Tara from the moment he turned and ran away with his arms flailing frantically, as if flapping them could somehow carry him to the infirmary even faster. Even though I’d tried to sound calm, my pain became annoyingly evident. He’d stood there, in wide-eyed silence, until I reminded him that he should go. Quickly.
And that was when his arms began to flip like a beached fish.
Thevan rubbed his jawline against my forehead but said nothing as he carried me to my quarters. It didn’t stop the rumors from flying. An increasingly large throng of people followed us, and I could hear their rumbling murmurs. I tried to pretend all was well, that it didn’t feel like my spine would shatter, but the looks of worry I received made it clear my feigned smile was failing.
