Thevan let the bow relax and then gave it to Harpal. “I’ll let Harpal demonstrate.”
Harpal saluted. He drew a metal-tipped arrow from the quiver on his back, and the observing soldiers moved behind us, eager to see the weapon’s prowess. The targets were impossibly far, easily one and a half times the farthest distance even Parushi would attempt, but Thevan didn’t ask anyone to adjust them. Murmurs buzzed, and Thevan smirked as Harpal drew the bow without complaint.
When Harpal released the arrow, there was a collective gasp as it cut through the air, arching high and then slicing downward before burying itself in the target. Thevan clapped Harpal on the shoulder as he let out a victorious whoop, and the soldiers erupted into applause.
I stared from Harpal to the target for a moment, nodding my approval at him, which made him blush. But accuracy at a distance wasn’t the key to defeating the Porcugi; we needed the arrow to pierce their tough scales. “I want to go see the target.”
Thevan smiled even wider. “Of course, Rani.”
We crossed the practice yard, and Thevan stayed half a step behind me while the rest of the soldiers trailed at an appropriate distance. They whispered together like excited schoolchildren. When we reached the target, I better understood Thevan’s smile. The arrow had pierced through the back of it, burying the shaft so only a third was visible from the front.
“Well done!” I exclaimed. With this bow’s range and power, we might be able to penetrate the Porcugi’s scales without putting our soldiers in imminent danger. I turned to Harpal. “Thank you, Harpal. I will see that you are rewarded.”
He bowed. “I am happy to serve Ullal.”
“Nevertheless, I insist.” I turned to the other soldiers. “And I will make sure we have as many bows and arrows as you need. I’ll have our bowyers start their work immediately.”
“Harpal will train any willing soldier on how to use this weapon.” Thevan’s voice rose in a crescendo. “We will send soldiers with our traders and strike down those monsters from the sea. They will never dare to touch the shores or ships of Ullal again!”
A cheer rose from the crowd, and the sun crowned my general in all his glory as he raised his left fist to the sky. My heartbeat reverberated in the bones of my chest, enveloping me with each beat, as Thevan stood tall with his muscled arm aloft. My cheeks were hot, and I pulled my eyes away from the lines that ran down his forearm and pointed to his heart.
“Each of us must do all we can for Ullal,” Thevan said. “Our fight has not been easy, but the soldiers of Ullal fear no enemy! Now, we will drive those monsters back to whatever abyss they came from!”
My fingers went cold as Thevan smiled toward me. His words rang in my ears.Each of us must do all we can for Ullal.
My soldiers were about to learn how to use a new weapon and then board ships to fight an enemy that had outmatched us at every turn. My general had rallied his troops despite their losses and had managed to infuse them with confidence as he raised their spirits. My healers were working feverishly to save the injured soldiers who had filled our infirmary almost to capacity. Even my brother-in-law had found a way for us to continue a war that he despised and was on a mission now to make it come to fruition.
But what hadIdone?
I was letting my heart run free even though I was offering my hand to another. I was putting myself above my duties to my nation. Even if these bows and arrows were helpful, our battles would still be difficult given the speed and destructive power of the Porcugi. Our fight was just beginning, but our funds were already dwindling, and I might have condemned Ullal when I gave Nikith the conditions for my marriage without fully realizing the depths of our troubles.
I looked up at Matanta’s mountain and remembered the turmeric and the feather of the adaiman. The Spirits had shown me the way, and it was time for me to trust them. I closed my eyes and silently begged for their help. I pleaded with them to soften Aru’s heart so he would accept my ridiculous terms.
He needed to say yes. I needed him to say yes. Ullal needed him to say yes.
Chapter 24
He did say yes.
As soon as he and Nikith had come to an agreement, Aru had summoned the pandits, and they’d set our wedding date before my brother-in-law even returned. The choice had been relatively easy since the pandits had found only two favorable days: one in three months and the other in sixteen. Three months seemed impossibly rushed, but Aru proclaimed that he could not possibly be made to wait for more than a year. Nikith knew that Ullal needed the money and resources our marriage would bring, so he’d agreed to set the wedding on the earlier date.
Ullal exploded with celebration when the news spread. The marketplace burst with goods for sale?—heaping mounds of spices, bolts of colorful cloth, and sparkling jewels filled the stalls. The sound of chatter and haggling mixed with the scents of the spices and the constant movement of shoppers and children running with reckless abandon all combined to create an uproarious cacophony.
I relished it. This was the sound of recovery. It was a vast improvement over the muted solemnity that had haunted Ullal for the last few months. Hearing the din as I walked through the marketplace was far more reassuring than any fact or figure that Nikith could show me. Not that it stopped him. He happily met me for our midday meals with mountains of scrolls proving that Ullal’s commerce had exploded since my engagement. The surrounding nations had understood the strength of an alliance between us and Banghervari and were quick to try to show their allyship with gifts and improved trade relationships.
Thevan was far less impressed. He’d been on edge since Nikith’s return, insisting that it was because I was in greater danger than ever. He assigned an increasingly large number of guards to accompany me every time I went out and would brook no argument when I protested.
Today, he led the six guards that accompanied me into town, and people hurried out of the way as he approached. Thevan didn’t really give them a choice; it was move or be moved.
Chaaya followed behind me. She blended into the marketplace as she trod noiselessly in my shadow. Most people would undoubtedly assume I’d come into town to see Chetan about the flowers for my wedding, which was less than a month away. Nobody would guess that the small woman trailing me was actually the reason we had come this morning.
Parushi, who was in the group of guards up front, stepped up to speak with Thevan. I’d kept her at a distance since her return from Banghervari, but she’d insisted that she needed to come as a part of my guard today, and Thevan had relented.
Now they leaned together in deep conversation as we walked. Finally, Thevan gave a nod, and Parushi fell back to me.
“You can’t avoid me forever,” she said. “If you have something to say, just say it.”
“I’m not avoiding you.” I kept my focus ahead.
