“A grave threat.” Nallini scooted toward me on her rug and accidentally crushed a couple of the flowers she’d laid out. “If what I’ve heard of them is true, they’re formidable opponents.”
The light from the windows caught the silver of one of my bangles as I shifted my arms. For a moment, I wasn’t sitting there with Nallini. I was standing in front of the monstrous Porcugi, dwarfed by its enormous size and blinded by its shining scales. It opened its mouth, and its pointed fangs unhinged as it raced toward me.
I focused on Nallini again. “It’s worse than you imagine. They’re unlike any foe we’ve ever met. They’re massive and have scales so tough that our blades can’t cut through them.”
“But you insist on fighting them.”
“Weinsist on fighting,” I said firmly. “My husband and I.”
Nallini’s smile was more than a little sardonic. “Of course.”
Either Vishwajeet had filled her in on more than I’d realized, or she was very adept at understanding politics, particularly for a monk.
“What would you do if you were in my shoes?” I asked.
“Me?” Nallini rocked back onto her heels, letting the little flowers that had been squished under her knee have a chance to breathe.
“Yes, you. Would you fight or pay?”
Nallini settled down on the rug again and noticed the crushed flowers. She lifted and shook them, inspecting them for damage in the sunlight. Her actions were purposeful and deliberate?—she didn’t rush on my account. And I didn’t ask her to.
“My training at the temple put great value on the preservation of life.” She nudged a pink flower so it was perfectly in line with the others. “But it’s essential that we think of both the present and beyond. A peaceful path now may result in far more future loss.”
“Agreed.” I pressed her further. “But you haven’t answered my question: What would you do?”
“I have lived my whole life under the heel of another.” Nallini tugged the sleeve of her yellow robe. “Debts can be dangerous when they are owed to someone?—or something?—that has no respect for you.”
She cleared her throat and looked me in the eye. “I would fight.”
“Good. Take the information about the emissary to Vishwajeet. We’ll find a way out from under his heel soon enough.”
Now that we had that settled, my exhaustion hit me like a sack of bricks. I needed to lie down and rest, but when I stood to go to my chambers, I felt dizzy. I stumbled, knocking over my teacup, and it shattered on the floor.
“What happened?” Parushi came running out of her quarters, dagger unsheathed, but she put it back when she saw my face. “You’re not well.”
“Just dropped my teacup.” I downplayed the dizziness that was making the world swim as I lifted the hem of my sari and tried to avoid the spilled tea.
A pain sliced through my foot with my next step.
“Agh!” I screamed, and I fell to the ground.
Nallini and Parushi were at my side in an instant, and Chaaya hurried into the room soon after.
“My foot,” I said through clenched teeth.
Parushi pushed Nallini aside and lifted my foot, setting her dagger down beside her. A shard of the cup had sliced it open, and blood was streaming from my heel to the floor.
“We need to clean it and bind it,” Parushi said. “Chaaya! Get some clean water and cloth for bandages.”
She turned to give Nallini instructions but couldn’t find her.
“Some healer we’ve got,” Parushi said. “Runs away at the first sight of blood.”
I didn’t respond. It was taking every bit of my focus not to scream as the pain pounded up my foot to my ankle and leg, echoing through my bones and pulsing through my body. I wasn’t nauseated anymore, but I definitely preferred that to this.
Chaaya returned with the water just as Nallini reappeared, her threadbare bag in hand. Parushi took the water and cloth from Chaaya and ignored Nallini as she began washing my foot vigorously.
Tears welled in my eyes. “Gently.”
