Shalini cocked her head. “That doesn’t stop me from having an opinion about them.”
“Speak your mind,” I said.
“You should take the deal with the Porcugi,” she said with a shrug. It wasn’t a shrug of ambivalence; it was the gesture you’d use when explaining something self-evident to a small child. “Just pay them so we can trade in peace.”
Her audacity was stunning, but Shalini’s overtly gratified expression spurred me to respond before more people took her side.
I raised my voice and spoke to the crowd as much as I did Shalini. “The Porcugi have no respect for the people of Ullal. They seek to take the bounty of our labor without doing any of the work themselves. They do no good?—they’re demanding a reward for not doing harm. They’re trying to intimidate us into submission, but we are stronger than they know. We will not bow to a bully.”
People along the sides of the street crowded around us. Many of them looked thoughtful, and a few nodded as I spoke.
“Webow every day.” Shalini’s words snapped like a crackling fire. “What you mean is thatyouwill not bow to a bully.”
Parushi jumped into action before I had a chance to think.
“You will give the rani her due respect,” she growled. She didn’t need to raise her voice since she now stood a hair’s breadth from Shalini’s face.
“I did not intend to hurt the rani’s feelings.” Shalini still spoke with fire, no matter how smooth her words were. She paused and then added, “Forgive me.”
Parushi stepped back, but she stayed between us, keeping focused on her childhood acquaintance.
“I am not here to bully you,” I said firmly. I let Parushi handle Shalini as I turned to the people around us and spoke directly to them. “I am here to serve Ullal so that we can use today to build a better tomorrow. If we give in to the Porcugi now, they will only ask for more and more.”
“You don’t know that.” Shalini raised her voice to match mine. “You act like we don’t have a choice, but there are always choices. About so many things. The Porcugi are offering us a deal. They’ll protect us if we give them a tithe, and it’s a price that’s far less than the one we’re paying with our lives and the lives of those we love.”
A few people in the crowd clapped after she spoke, and a few looked troubled, but most looked at me for my response.
I considered her words, giving them the weight they deserved before replying. “If we give in now, we will never be free again. The Porcugi will stand on our backs to hold themselves higher and will steal all they can until they’re robbing our corpses.”
The people in the crowd were riding the waves of my voice. I needed them to continue to listen?—not to obey blindly but to want to follow. I led them along my line of thought and brought them to where I stood.
“I will not allow Ullal to be crushed,” I declared, raising my finger as I spoke louder with each word. “I, your rani, will fight against these oppressors every single day?—I will fight until my last breath?—and I ask that you do me the honor of riding by my side.”
“Long live Rani Abbakka!” one man called out as he raised his fist. “Protector of Ullal!”
“Long live Rani Abbakka!” The rest of the crowd took up the chant.
I smiled, relieved that they understood. At least most of them did. A few still crossed their arms skeptically, but most of the people cheered my speech.
“Fools!” Shalini screamed. “There is another?—argh!”
I turned just in time to see her flying through the air. Shalini crashed to the ground, her hair tumbling out of place and splaying in every direction as a dagger clattered out of her hand. She screamed in pain, clutching her stomach. Maraan tossed his head in satisfaction as he lowered his leg but stayed between her and me.
“Protect the rani!” Parushi called to the guards as she tackled Shalini, who was trying to sit up. The woman was easily overcome and fell back to the ground under Parushi’s weight as the guards formed a ring around us.
“Bring her to the fort. She will face her punishment there,” I commanded.
Parushi kneeled over Shalini, one hand on the fallen woman’s chest and the other on her blade. She glared at me mutinously. “There is only one punishment for attempted regicide.”
“Maybe so, but it doesn’t need to happen in the streets. The less attention we can draw here, the better. Take her to the fort.” I looked Parushi in the eye, giving her no room for misunderstandings. My heartbeat echoed through my chest, but my voice stayed steady. “I will continue as planned with the rest of the guards.”
“You should go back too,” Parushi said.
I wiped any signs of worry off my face. “I promised my people I would be here, and I’ll stand by my word. I’m asking them to go to war; they cannot see me as weak.”
Chapter 22
All my bravado had disappeared by the next day. I jumped as the doors to my room thumped closed behind me, but I tried to hide my unease as Thevan materialized at my side, bristling with weapons. People around us seemed to sense his mood, and they melted into the tapestries hanging behind them. I didn’t mind, though. I was happy to see him, until four more guards joined us as we walked, two in front and two behind.
