by J. S. Bangs
“All evidence suggests you are. You claim you’re Vapathi’s brother, and I bought Vapathi for Udagra-kha from the Ushpanditya ten days ago. So if you’re Vapathi’s brother, then you must also be a slave.”
“Perhaps I came to ransom her,” Kirshta said.
The man glanced over Kirshta’s clothes and snorted. He turned to Apurta. “And you. You are too well-fed and muscular to be a house-slave. My guess is you were one of your lord’s private guards, and you ran away with this other.”
“My lord—”
“I’m the house-master,” the man snapped. “Don’t address me as if I were the khadir.”
Apurta bowed his head. “We are freemen, though poor.”
“I’m sure,” the house-master said. He paced from one end of the room to the other, carefully studying them. “What worries me is you may have escaped from the Ushpanditya. If that’s the case, then I should call for the Red Men immediately.”
Kirshta’s heart beat faster. “The Ushpanditya? The house of the Emperor? Do we look like those who have been eating the Emperor’s food?”
“After they’ve escaped, yes. Now tell—”
The door behind the house-master was pushed open and a woman entered. The man closed his mouth and stepped aside with deference. The woman wore a green cotton sari, her hair washed and her face clean, with her eyes daubed with kohl and a gold ring in her nose. She looked like the lady of the house, so clean and so elegantly dressed that it took a moment for Kirshta to recognize her.
“Vapathi?”
She smiled broadly, then ran across the room and embraced him. She kissed him on the cheek and cupped his face in her hands. “Kirshta. How did you get here?”
“They were found trying to sneak in—” the house-master began.
“Of course,” Vapathi said. She embraced Apurta briefly and kissed him on the cheek. He stiffened, looking at Vapathi with a wounded expression, one hand half-raised toward her, as if he wanted to say or do more but was unsure if he could.
“These men will come with me to my room,” Vapathi said. “Don’t disturb us for a few hours. When Udagra-kha returns, let me know and I’ll introduce them.”
The house-master looked at all of them with an irritated expression, then threw his hands into the air. “Fine,” he said, “but I won’t hide my suspicions from him.”
“Tell him whatever you want,” Vapathi said with a stern expression. She gestured for Kirshta and Apurta to follow her.
Udagra-kha’s house was large, but not half as large as the Ushpanditya, and they only had to follow Vapathi up a wooden staircase and down a dim hallway. Heavy dark curtains hung over a doorway with idols of Am and Ashti set on each side. Vapathi casually flicked the curtains aside and gestured the men to come in.
They entered. The interior of the room was modest but comfortable. The ceiling was covered in tiles of rich blue faience, and the floor with green-dyed carpets. A broad padded bed lay on the ground, couches and cushions on either side of it. Shelves with trinkets of ivory, silver, and neatly stacked books lined the walls. A jaha board with jade pieces rested at the far end of the room, where an arched doorway let out onto a porch overlooking the garden and the broad, muddy river.
“But this…” Apurta stammered. “This looks like the khadir’s room.”
“It is.” Vapathi said. “This is where we stay.”
A flash of anger showed on Apurta’s face. He clenched his fists and looked aside, grinding his teeth.
“Is this why Udagra-kha bought you?” Kirshta asked. “For a concubine?”
“And where’s this bastard’s wife?” Apurta spat.
“His wife is at their residence in Tulakhanda, where he is the majakhadir,” Vapathi said calmly and gently. “This is his city home. And no, the house-master bought me from the Ushpanditya as a simple house-maid, but Udagra-kha took me for a concubine when he saw me.” She shrugged. “It’s nicer this way.”
“Nice?” Apurta said with his eyebrows raised.
Vapathi shook her head, came over to Apurta, and took his face in her hands. She kissed him on the lips, hard, their faces locked for several seconds. Apurta put his hands on Vapathi’s hips and pulled at the sari around her waist, but Vapathi slapped his hands away and backed off.
“That was so you don’t think I forgot you, or that I didn’t care,” Vapathi said, tugging the folds of the sari into place. “But I won’t be so rude as to go against the hospitality of Udagra-kha, especially while I’m in his room. Now, Kirshta, why are you here? It can’t be good news that you showed up at the gate of the house without the Lotus’s yellow.”
“We were going to be executed,” Kirshta said. “The Emperor’s paranoia finally turned against me. Apurta woke me in the night, and we fled.”
“Someone warned me about the order,” Apurta said. “I barely got to Kirshta before they would have taken him. The gatekeeper at the Rice Gate wouldn’t let us leave, and Kirshta burned his hands trying to threaten him.”
Kirshta showed his hands to Vapathi, covered now in white and red blisters.
Vapathi gasped and rushed forward. She reached out to touch them, then drew back. “We’ll get oil and gauze on that right away,” she said. She parted the curtain over the door and called for one of the servant girls.
“In the meantime,” she said, “we have a problem. You are here in Udagra-kha’s house, and Udagra-kha is very loyal to the imperial lineage.”
“We thought we could rescue you,” Apurta said glumly. “Convince you to run away with us. But here….”
“No,” Vapathi said, “I can’t simply run away. The khadir is very kind. Perhaps too much—he imagines that the Emperor is as gentle as he is. If the Emperor finds that you’re here, Udagra-kha may discover otherwise, and none of us will be happier for it. Did anybody see you go?”
“The gate guard,” Kirshta said. “No one else.”
“But they’ll know we’re gone,” Apurta said. “Both of us.”
A servant girl appeared with a strip of rag, a jar of oil, and a shallow bowl of water for Kirshta’s wounds. Kirshta knelt and let the girl wash his hands and wrap them in the unguent and gauze.
“You should rest,” Vapathi said. “You both look exhausted.”
“I thought you said we were in danger,” Apurta said.
“Yes, but until the Emperor knows where you are, you’re safe. You have to rest before you can do anything else.”
“Where?” Kirshta asked. “Here in this room?”
Vapathi shrugged. “Why not? Udagra-kha won’t return until evening. I’ll meet him and explain everything before he comes. Maybe he’ll have an idea for us.”
* * *
Kirshta’s sleep was deep and dreamless. He was more tired than he wanted to admit. The few hours of rest he and Apurta had snatched on the ground had been bereft of comfort. He awoke to Vapathi’s hand on his shoulder.
“The khadir will see you now,” she said. “Get up.”
He opened his eyes, surprised to see it was evening. The light of the sun poured through the western windows, lighting up the room in murky orange. Apurta stirred next to Kirshta.
Vapathi’s tone was urgent. “Wash. The khadir is in the next room.”
They washed their faces in a ewer of water, and Vapathi rewound Kirshta’s bandages. The murk of sleep cleared from Kirshta’s mind. In a few minutes Vapathi led them out of the bedchamber and into the adjacent room that was lit with silver oil lamps and the fading red of sunset.
A thin, balding man with a gray mustache sat with his legs crossed at a low table, a half-eaten piece of roti in his hand. He held the Nectar posture loosely, examining Apurta and Kirshta with a look of practiced indifference. His thumb tore at the corner of the roti.
Vapathi bowed deeply. “My lord, they’re here. This is my brother Kirshta and his companion Apurta.”
The khadir studied them for a moment without smiling. He gestured at Vapathi. She sat next to him, and he rested his hand on her knee.
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“Vapathi told me you had come,” Udagra said. “Most of the time, it would have been a matter of little importance. I would have given you a some food and money and sent you on your way. But this isn’t most times. Do you know where I’ve been all day?”
“No, my lord,” Kirshta said.
“I’ve been in the Ushpanditya. This morning I met with Lushatha-kha, betrothed to the Emperor’s daughter, who is disturbed by the rumors coming out of the Ushpanditya. Then I went to the palace to speak with Praudhu-daridarya, whose name we say with fear and trembling. And what the Emperor said was even more disturbing than what Lushatha suspected. It seems the Emperor’s Lotus is wanted for treason. He escaped last night with a deserter from the Red Men.”
The majakhadir looked pointedly at Kirshta. “Now I find someone who looks like a slave and an imperial guard in my house, and my favored concubine calls you her brother. What am I to do?”
Kirshta bowed his head and remained silent for a long time. Vapathi and Apurta both watched him. They expected him to respond first.
“The Emperor’s Lotus is not treasonous,” Kirshta said. “There is no basis to the accusation.”
“Lushatha-kha also feared for the Emperor’s prudence. He thought he was consumed by baseless fears. He thought suspicion might turn on himself. As a friend to both of them, I thought I would try to allay the Emperor’s fears.”
“My lord, I’m not sure I understand.”
The khadir’s face melted into a pitiful, avuncular expression. “Ah, dear child. I may even have to believe you.”
Udagra sighed mournfully and looked at Vapathi, then reached out and took her hand. “I might not take your word for it, even combined with Lushatha-kha’s fears. Except the Emperor also inquired after my dearest concubine.”
Vapathi’s eyes grew wide, and she stiffened with fear. Apurta’s breath drew in sharply.
“No, not by name,” Udagra said, a dry smile showing beneath his mustache. “I am certain the Emperor knows nothing about Vapathi’s name. But asked about a woman, the sister of the Emperor’s Lotus, who was sold into my household. How he found out, I have no idea, but he knew. And he asked.”
Kirshta’s heart beat faster. If Udagra had given them up…. “What was his concern?”
“He was concerned, naturally, that if the Lotus was against him, then so was the sister. And if the sister was in my household, then perhaps I would turn against him as well. Naturally, I promised to return both sister and brother to the Ushpanditya if I should find them.”
They were all completely still.
“Now don’t be afraid,” Udagra said softly. “It is not what you think.”
“Udagra-kha…” Vapathi began.
The khadir raised her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. “My sweet orange blossom. Do you think I would send you away in that manner?”
Vapathi shook her head, but her eyes remained wide with fear. Kirshta stood rigidly in the Cane posture. His eyes darted toward the windows. He would run if he had to.
“I know perfectly well what would happen if I sent you back to the Ushpanditya,” he said. He pressed Vapathi’s hand against his cheek. “Orange blossom, come closer.”
Vapathi knelt next to his cushion, and Udagra pulled her face close to his and kissed her cheek. She smiled demurely. He rested his hand on her thigh.
“I worry my orange blossom will flee, once she hears what has happened to her brother.”
“Udagra-kha—” Vapathi began again, but the khadir raised a hand and quieted her.
“Tonight, you two may stay with me,” he said, gesturing to Kirshta and Apurta. “As prisoners. I’ll ensure a room is prepared for you, where you may eat well, dress, and secure new clothes before returning to the Ushpanditya. I wouldn’t send someone back to the Emperor dressed in your fashion. As for Vapathi, she will spend the night with me. I am truly sick with worry that in the morning she will be gone, having escaped in the night with my other two prisoners.”
Vapathi bowed her head. She clasped Udagra’s hand which lay over her thigh. “You’ve been so kind to me,” she said. Her emotion seemed genuine even to Kirshta. “But where would I go?”
“I don’t know,” Udagra said. He turned to face Vapathi, his eyes soft with regret. “I’m told both you and your brother are very resourceful. You will find something. It would be very dangerous for you to go to Tulakhanda, the city of my holding, at least until this has blown over. But if, a few months from now, your money ended and the Emperor’s attentions were elsewhere, I would not be dismayed to find two runaway slaves and their companion at my estate in that city.”
“My lord,” Kirshta said, bowing deeply. “You are a very gracious master and loyal to the Emperor.”
“Loyal to the Emperor I am,” Udagra said. “You are my witnesses to it.” He reached over and tapped a small brass gong which lay on the corner of the table. “My valet will be here in a moment. He’ll escort the two of you to your prison for the evening. I hope not to see either of you for a long time.”
* * *
In the depths of the night Vapathi woke them.
“Udagra-kha sleeps,” she said. “The guards in the house pretend not to see us. And coins, he left coins out for me to take.” She touched a pouch tied between her breasts.
Their escape from the house was as quiet and uneventful as Kirshta could have hoped. The doors were open. When they pulled open the gate which led to the street, the guard glanced at them once, then looked resolutely ahead.
They made their way toward the north gate of the city and hid in a shadowed alley until dawn broke. At the gleaming of the eastern horizon the ram’s horn sounded and the gate opened. The Red Men at the city gate did not stop them from passing through.
Only after they passed through the suburbs and slums beyond the walls did Vapathi ask the obvious question.
“So where are we going?”
Apurta looked at Kirshta.
Kirshta hesitated only a moment. “Ternas,” he said.
“Ternas?” Apurta spat. “We’ve been there. We burned it.”
“We missed something,” Kirshta said. “Or at least, I missed something.”
“We missed burning something?”
“No,” Vapathi said quietly. “He missed the reason that Ruyam was interested in it in the first place. The reason the Emperor allowed Ternas to remain.”
Apurta gave Vapathi a shocked expression. “When did you learn that?”
She shrugged and showed him a shy smile. “Kirshta talked to me about it.”
“And what are we going to find there?”
“Power,” Kirshta said. He paused a moment on the road and looked back at Majasravi, now little more than a gray smear on the eastern horizon. “What I have sought, but have not found.”
“You were the Emperor’s Lotus,” Apurta said.
“And you see where that got me,” Kirshta said bitterly. “I’ve been doing this wrong. I’ve been trying to find great men and hide in their shadows, hoping to steal a little of their power. And what have I gotten? Ruyam is dead. Chadram is dead. The Emperor is a fool and a madman. I should not depend on any of them. Ruyam had the right idea, even if he overreached in the end.”
Apurta laughed, but there was no mirth in it. “If you’re telling me you want to emulate Ruyam… Kirshta, I’m your friend, but I’m not sure that’s the right idea.”
Kirshta turned away from Majasravi and walked toward the west with new determination. Apurta trotted to keep up.
“Ruyam was right about one thing,” Kirshta said. “Power which descends from other men is always unreliable. Become powerful on your own, with no need for others, and men will align themselves after you.”
“And you think you’re going to do this in Ternas?” Apurta’s voice was heavy with doubt.
“You can stay here, if you’d like,” Kirshta said. But he hoped Apurta wouldn’t.
Apurta looked back to the east. “My village Lashmirti is somewhere that wa
y. Almost to Gumadha.”
“I hope you’ll stay,” Vapathi said quietly. She put her hand on Apurta’s shoulder.
“And you’re going with your brother?” Apurta asked. He looked at Vapathi, and his expression softened.
“Of course I’m going with my brother. How could I do otherwise?”
“And I am going to Ternas,” Kirshta said. “It will at least bring me closer to the answer.”
Apurta sighed. “Very well, then. We go to Ternas. It’s a long walk.”
Mandhi
Ashturma paced the width of the throne room with brows knotted and his hands worrying a shred of palm-leaf paper. He muttered to himself furiously. The words my son were heard over and over again. He did not so much as glance aside at Mandhi standing on the rose-colored carpet before the dais of the throne room.
The afternoon light lanced through the pearl filigree over the windows making pillars of bright white light in the air. Ashturma paced among them, passing in and out of the shadows, the dust in the sunbeams swirling in his wake. When the sun lit his face Mandhi caught glimpses of his clenched jaw and crumpled brow.
After a long while, Mandhi said, “My lord?”
“I know you’re there,” Ashturma snapped. “I called for you after all. It’s your feckless brother that has me in this fit. Now wait while I decide whether I’m going to kill you.”
Mandhi’s throat tightened. There had been no clue of something amiss in the past days. The letter which she and Nagiri had composed for Sadja-dar had escaped Davrakhanda without incident, and there had been no whisper that Ashturma or anyone else had caught wind of their conniving. But it was far too soon for a message to have reached Majasravi and returned already.
This must be something about Jhumitu. Perhaps Ashturma had discovered their note just now. She glanced behind her at the doorway. Two liveried guards in the green and silver of Davrakhanda stood there. She couldn’t possibly escape.
She bowed her head in demure submission and waited for Ashturma to finish his pacing. Better not disturb him.