“I have brought Nallini,” he continued as he gestured at the woman next to him.
She bowed deeply. Her yellow robe was neither the white of the monks nor the saffron of the healers. It landed somewhere between the two, like the color of freshly bloomed purging cassia. On one shoulder, she carried a large brown bag that bulged and threatened to tear where the threads had worn thin. In her opposite hand, she held a fan made of white and green feathers. My breath caught when I realized what it was?—the white feathers were unremarkable, but there was no mistaking the green ones: They were adaiman feathers. There must have been at least six woven into the design. The woman was truly Spirits blessed.
Or so it would seem.
Vishwajeet smiled with satisfaction as he followed my gaze. “I am sure that Nallini will be of excellent service.”
He turned to leave, but before he did, I called out to him. “Vishwajeet! Nobody brought a bed for her. There is enough room where Parushi and Chaaya sleep, but she will need her own bed.”
Vishwajeet looked bemused for a moment. “She is a monk.”
“She will have a bed.” I left no room for questions. “She will do as she likes, or doesn’t, but she will have one. See to it.”
He smirked, as if there was no reasoning with me, and placated me with an “Of course” before he left.
Stillness settled in as the four of us stared at one another, sizing each other up. Nallini was about the same height as Chaaya, and although her loose robe obscured her build, she had long, delicate fingers. Her large eyes were slightly downturned and were offset by her slender nose and full lips. I couldn’t help but wonder what she saw as she looked at me expectantly. Nallini raised an eyebrow, and I realized she was waiting for me to invite her in.
“Welcome.” I gestured for her to join us. “Please, come in and tell us about yourself. I must confess that Vishwajeet gave us only the sparest of details.”
The woman nodded her thanks as she entered, then bowed deeply again. “Thank you, Rani. As he said, my name is Nallini. I was born here in Nandavara but went to study the healing arts at the temple in Belthangady.”
“What brought you back?” I tried to keep her attention on me instead of Parushi’s glowering expression.
“I was summoned back when people heard about me.” She held up her fan and pointed to the green feathers. “These are gifts from the adaiman, but I’m told you may already know that.”
“Yes, but I won’t claim to have as many feathers as you.” I met her piercing black eyes, which cloaked her secrets as she searched for mine. “Well, we welcome you. This is Parushi and Chaaya. I have known them for as long as I can remember. And I will trust all of you to help care for me and this baby.”
“I will do my best to make myself useful.” Nallini inclined her head.
Given her lack of surprise about my pregnancy, it was clear that Vishwajeet had already told her about it. Granted, she would have found out rather quickly given how often I was vomiting, but it confirmed that they had spoken before she came to my room. Now I just needed to figure out what else they had talked about. But how to do it tactfully...
“We know you’re a spy.” Parushi stepped to my side with her hands on her hips.
“Parushi!” I was a little embarrassed by how high my voice jumped on the second syllable.
She turned to me. “You spoke to me as my friend, not as my rani. Next time, if you don’t want me to speak, use a command instead of asking for a favor.”
“Noted,” I grumbled.
Parushi turned back to Nallini. “You’re a spy.”
“Obviously.” Nallini gave Parushi a wry smile.
Parushi blinked at her in surprise. “Well, don’t think we’ll be foolish enough to say anything of importance in front of a friend of Vishwajeet.”
Nallini frowned. “Vishwajeet doesn’t have friends. He has allies. I am neither.”
“You just admitted to being his spy!” Parushi crossed her arms and leaned toward Nallini. “Now you’re trying to say you’re not his ally. Get your story straight.”
Parushi laughed as if she’d made an especially clever joke, but nobody else joined in. She didn’t seem to care.
After the laughter faded, Nallini said, “You have no great love for nuance.”
I silently begged Nallini to control her tongue. If she kept talking like that, Parushi would never forgive her.
“I have a greater love for honesty,” Parushi snapped.
“Then I’ll speak plainly.” Nallini still had her bag on her shoulder. “Vishwajeet has ordered that I be here and that I keep him informed. I had little choice in the matter when a pair of guards took me from the infirmary without so much as a word. I was lucky to be able to grab my supplies.”
