“I did no worse to you than you did to me. You could have tied me to the boulder, but you chose to save the rajah.” Brac approaches Deven’s extended blade, undaunted. “All my life, you refused to see what I am. When I miraculously recovered from my fevers, you never asked me how. But you must see Tarek’s corruption, his brutality, his lies. You cannot be that blind.”
Deven steps forward and skims the tip of his khanda across Brac’s breastbone. “I see a coward hiding in the palace and a demon placating a guard.”
“Lower your sword, and we will see how good a guard you are.”
“Stop.” I step beside Deven. He does not have the heart to end his brother, but that does not mean that he will not hurt him. I look to Brac. “I accept your bargain.”
“What bargain?” Deven demands, voice rising.
“She hasn’t told you?” Brac grins. I wish that I could cover his mouth with both my hands as he says, “The viraji is a bhuta. A Burner, to be precise.”
Deven’s eyes broaden in disbelief. I am unable to utter a defense, not even to tell him about my fevers, which it seems Brac also suffered as a child.
Deven sputters out a reply. “Kali isn’t a—”
“I assure you she is exactly as I say.” Brac scoffs at his older brother. “You accuse me of hiding in the palace when you escorted her, a bhuta, here.”
“You aren’t hiding now,” Deven retorts. “One shout and you will be stoned by dawn.”
Hilarity drops off Brac’s face. “And the viraji? Will you turn her in too? Your cold loyalty is undiscerning, but I thought one Burner in your life would be worth sacrificing your damnable obligation for.”
“Brac.” I glare a warning. This is not about their broken brotherhood but his claim that I am a bhuta. “You have not proven what I am.”
“I will as soon as your tonic dosage wears off.”
“That isn’t until sunrise.”
Dawn is hours away. I doubt that these two could last that long without pummeling each other.
“The quicker solution is you raze,” says Brac. “We let your blood.” My cheeks sap of warmth. Deven rises to his entire intimidating height, his hands tightly gripping his sword. “Sounds unappealing, doesn’t it?” Brac adds with a humorless smile. “But better I cut you than the rajah. I won’t bleed you dry.”
“I will slice your head off before you touch her,” Deven growls.
“Are you certain you don’t want to be with her, brother? You’re clearly smitten.” Brac sends Deven an infuriating grin and then turns to me. “Razing, or letting your blood, is the safest way to release your suppressed powers. It will take an hour. Two at most. We have to leave now if you’re to return by dawn.”
“No.” Deven levels his sword at his brother. “Kali, he cannot be trusted.”
“And she can trust you?” Brac counters. “You will turn her in.”
Deven jolts, affronted. “I will not.”
“Without our help, her powers will destroy her. This is the only way she will live.”
Brac’s avowal echoes what I have read in Bhuta Origins. Without the tonic remedy to lower my fevers, my powers will turn on me faster than any stoning mob. Razing sounds worse than drinking a thousand vials of tonic, but if it does what Brac claims, I will never need the tonic again.
“What do you want from her in return?” asks Deven.
Brac’s expression closes off. “The warlord will discuss the bargain with her.”
Deven jabs the khanda at him. “Not good enough.”
I insert myself between them before Deven takes off his brother’s head. The warlord may want something from me badly enough to help me overcome my fevers, but I need something from him as well. “My agreement stands.” I avoid looking at Deven. “I will come with you and—and raze. In exchange, you will help Jaya escape from the palace before the tournament ends.”
“Done. I swear on Anu you will be safe.” Brac ends his vow with an earnest look at his brother.
Deven lowers his sword in defeat. He must be wondering if it is true, if I am his enemy. I touch his tensed arm, searching for understanding. He does not pull away, but his answer is definite. “If you go, you go alone.”
Indecision tears at me. He is my safety, my place of peace. I want to crawl into his arms and surround myself in his goodness, but I cannot ask him to betray the rajah any more than I can force him to stay on as my guard. I run my hand down Deven’s arm, knowing he will likely never forgive me. “Do what you must,” I say, “but know that I must go.” Fighting every inclination to stay near him, I start toward Brac.
“Kali, please.” Deven’s desperate gaze reaches out for me. “You cannot trust them.”
Brac leans casually against the wall. “I wager I can change your mind about that.”
Deven’s expression chills. “You’re nothing but a dead man pretending to be someone I used to care for. What makes you think anything you say could affect me?”
“Mother is going to be killed,” says Brac. My heart drops like a stone, and Deven’s attention intensifies on his brother. “In the story of Enlil’s Hundredth Rani, any surviving courtesans were drowned. Our informant in the palace learned that Tarek plans to kill Mother and the rest of his courtesans according to the tale. He believes it is fate.”
I cover my mouth with my hand. “Why? His courtesans are a sign of his power.”
Brac’s lips angle downward. “Tarek fears the wrath of the gods if he doesn’t reenact the tale. That’s why you’re fighting in the tournament despite his adoration for you. He needs you to play your part.”
My mind whirls back to a sickening memory. The day I first arrived at the palace, Tarek spoke of me playing a role.
“Your informant is lying,” says Deven. “You are lying.”
“For what purpose? Mathura is my mother too.”
Deven crosses the chamber in four strides and shoves Brac against the wall. “Do not speak of Mother. She mourned you. She still mourns you.”
Brac pushes him off. “I lost my family too.”
“You chose to lose us.” Deven circles away, fuming.
I watch him from the corner of my eye and ask Brac, “When?”
“The morning after the wedding, the courtesans’ wing will be emptied,” Brac says. He appeals to his brother next. “If you still don’t believe me, come with us, and you can hear it from someone you trust.”
Deven glances my way for an explanation, but I do not know who that trusted person could be. I too am reluctant, afraid of walking into a trap. I believe that Brac cares for his brother and that he would not lead us into harm’s way. However, Brac is loyal to his people. Even with his vow, I fear his intentions are purely in favor of the bhutas.
Deven’s glare cinches in on his brother. “Does the warlord have a plan to save Mother?”
“I wouldn’t have told you about this if he didn’t.”
I plead silently with Deven to join me. Coming along must be his choice.
He nods shortly. “Fine. I’ll go along.”
Brac’s grin nearly splits his face. “Meet me in the chapel.” He walks to the balcony, leaps over the banister, and drops out of sight.
Deven turns his back to me. “Why didn’t you tell me you met Brac?”
“I didn’t know he was your brother.”
“And if you had known?”
I hold my tongue. I doubt that I would have told Deven even then.
He sighs wearily and faces me. “Are you armed?”
I pat the dagger tucked against my lower back. A useless precaution. My blade will not protect us against bhuta powers. Neither will Deven’s sword, yet he sheathes it in preparation. I let him have the reassurance of his steel, for once we face the warlord, we will be at his mercy.
24
Before we meet Brac, we have to pass Manas and Yatin, stationed outside my door. Deven and I come up with a quick justification and go out to meet them.
“The captain has offered to escort me to the chapel,” I say, sniffling like I have been crying. “He suggested that I pray for my fallen contenders.”
Yatin nods with understanding. Manas eyes us more closely, not as easily convinced.
“Would you like us to come along?” he asks.
“No one will bother the viraji in the chapel,” answers Deven. “One guard will be enough. You are both relieved of duty for the night.”
Yatin extends a sympathetic smile to me. Manas frowns suspiciously at his captain. Deven challenges the young guard with a direct stare until Manas bows curtly, and we go.
Brac waits for us at the back of the chapel. Before I can inquire why we are here, he lifts the bottom corner of a long tapestry on the wall, exposing a hidden passageway. Deven ducks through first without any sign of surprise or trepidation. My hand hovers over the dagger hidden at my back as I step into the dark.
Brac leads us down a stone stairwell, his oil lamp lighting our way. My heartbeat echoes with each footfall.
“How did you know this was here?” I whisper.
“Deven and I found these passageways as children. There’s a network of them all over the palace. We used to slip out of the nursery through them. When we were older, we used the passageways to escape kitchen duties.”
Deven stares straight ahead, unmoved by his brother’s memories. Brac must have also used these tunnels to sneak around the palace before and after our meetings.
The stone steps give way to a steep gravel decline. My feet crunch over loose rocks as the passage narrows to a low-ceilinged tunnel. Water runs down the muddy walls to rivulets at our feet. I skid on a slick rock, and Deven is immediately at my side.
“Take my hand,” he says. I clasp it hard. I have wished for time alone with him in the dark, but this is not what I envisioned.
We descend deeper underground, the damp air laying a heavy film on my skin. Gradually, our surroundings lighten to a hazy gray that peels back the darkness. The running water grows louder, rushing in my ears. Brac blows out the lamp, and Deven releases my hand. My fingers twitch at the loss of his comforting touch.