“How goes your day?” Saniyah asked as they made themselves comfortable in the garden. Lunch waited for them, a spread of breads and cheese, fruits and wine. Several candles burned to keep the insects away.
Nakia folded her legs underneath her. “Things are going well, though my lead engineer told me the projected time for the canal was wrong.”
“Isn’t that what you promised to Thia’s husband?” Saffi asked.
“Yes, and Thia won’t let it go now that I’ve given my word,” Nakia replied.
Bashira grabbed a hunk of bread. “Not that you’d let it go since you’ve given you word.”
Nakia’s word was good, especially since it was the word of her spouse as well. If she said something could be done and it couldn’t, it would mean Ashni was a liar.
Saniyah tapped her chin a couple of times. “Why wouldn’t he be able to do it on time?”
Nakia shook her head. She surveyed the choices of food to buy herself time, but nothing looked appetizing now. “He doesn’t think we have the resources for it. I disagree once the military returns.”
“You’re right.” Saniyah frowned and stared off into the distance for a moment. “Perhaps he’s worried they’ll be assigned to other projects.”
Nakia glanced at Saniyah. “I assign people.”
“He knows you’re in charge of these things and Ashni will back you.” Saniyah rubbed her hands together. “Have him put his worries in writing, including all of the logistics. I’ll tell you if his concerns are valid.”
Nakia nodded. “Maybe I’m relying on him too much. He might be spread too thin and doesn’t want to admit it. He’s doing two other projects for me.”
Bashira scoffed. “That’s not a lot. Especially when compared to how much you do.”
Nakia took one look at Saffi, who kept her head down, and decided to stop complaining. Saniyah and Bashira were used to listening to her problems, but Saffi wasn’t. She didn’t want Saffi to hear her whining about being in charge when Saffi’s life had been upended for daring to be heard.
“So, how are you settling in?” Nakia asked Saffi.
Saffi didn’t meet her gaze even now, a month into her stay. Nakia imagined how Saffi’s life could have been hers. It could have been all over if Ashni had been a little less amused with her. But her present could be Saffi’s future. Saffi was born-to-rule to only end up a scared mouse.
“It’s odd to be back in my old rooms,” Saffi whispered.
“Would you like different ones?” There were probably more bad memories than good in those rooms. Nakia’s old rooms had been an escape from an oppressive world, and now they were an oasis from a demanding one. She thought the same could be true for Saffi. Perhaps not.
Saffi shook her head. “No, they’re fine. I used to sleep on a cold floor, after all.”
Nakia held in a flinch. Saffi had been married to a king and forced to sleep on the floor, like a dog. When she first came, it had been hard for her to hold down food, not used to eating her fill.
“How could they treat you that way?” Bashira grumbled, cutting off a slice of cheese and stuffing it into her mouth. “You were a queen.”
“I didn’t do my duty and give him a child.” Saffi clutched her knees, holding onto her robes. Veins popped in her neck, and Nakia leaned over, making sure to do it slowly. If Saffi didn’t see it coming, she tended to jump. Nakia caressed her shoulder, and Saffi looked up long enough to give her a watery smile. The expression slammed into Nakia’s gut.
That could’ve been me, and it wasn’t, thanks to Ashni. I can’t crumble. She thought she could hear her father laughing from his distant island in exile, but it was cut off by Saniyah’s voice.
“It baffles me that there are places who believe that’s all a woman should do, have babies.” Saniyah pulled a sour face. “Thia proves a woman can have children and competency to rule. Our empress proves it can be done without a man at her side. And our queen shows women can lead on the battlefield. Don’t they realize they missed out by holding you back?”
Saffi sighed. “You’ve named anomalies to the system. No one else could’ve led Tyra, just as no one else could’ve led Phyllida.”
Nakia couldn’t believe her ears. “You speak madness. It’s clear with right guidance you or Thia could’ve led.” There was no denying that when they were both at home, Saffi was the smarter and bolder of the pair.
“But we have no military experience,” Saffi replied.
Saniyah scoffed. “No one is born with experience. You get military experience the same way you get any other experience. Adira didn’t have experience until the Great Amir. First when he invaded her village and then when he put a spear in her hand and took her into battle. Greatness has to be fed and nurtured or it’ll spoil like anything else.”
Saffi shook her head again and scratched at her knees. “Adira’s an exception, not the rule.”
“Almost half of Ashni’s army is female,” Nakia said.
What happened to her sister who didn’t care about gender? Who argued matters of state with a nobleman only to be punished by their father because she won? Those barbarians had abused Saffi’s nature out of her. Saffi must still be in there somewhere. Nakia refused to believe anyone had the power to destroy someone’s soul.
“Under the circumstances, an odd woman is likely to think more women are odd and inspire them to be odd, but it isn’t the way,” Saffi replied.
Nakia wasn’t sure what else she could say. Thankfully, a servant rushed in with a scroll. He bowed as he handed it to Nakia. She barely glanced at it before her heart cracked and scattered in her chest. Ashni had been wounded, badly. Nakia’s throat burned like everything inside of her wanted to escape, but it couldn’t. Instead, it charred with a bubbling acid.
“Is everything all right?” Bashira asked, putting her hand on Nakia’s leg.
Nakia opened her mouth, on the brink of sharing, but something held her tongue. She shook her head. Everyone didn’t need to know this just yet. “I have to tend to this matter. Saniyah, if you’d accompany me.”
Nakia and Saniyah bid their companions farewell and then Nakia rushed off to the nearest private room with Saniyah hot on her heels. Nakia made a quick sweep of the room to be sure they were alone.
“What happened? The color has drained from your face,” Saniyah said.
Nakia rubbed her cheek. “This is from Adira.”
Saniyah paled now. “Is she all right?” Saniyah asked, a tremble in her voice.
“She’s fine, but Ashni was shot. An arrow to the neck.”
Saniyah gasped, eyes wide and a hand over her mouth. “Dead?” She said it as if it were impossible.
Nakia shook her head. “Close to it. The arrow was poisoned.”
The look of relief on Saniyah’s face didn’t make Nakia feel any better. It felt like she was the one shot by a poisoned arrow. Everything inside her wanted to decay. According to the letter, Ashni was alive, but wasn’t doing well. If she dies, what will you do? You’re nothing without her. Was life even worth it without Ashni? You would have to carry on her legacy. You would have to face the unknown, alone.
Saniyah forced out a laugh. “I should’ve known she’s too stubborn to die.”
Nakia wanted to laugh with her, but her body refused to make the sound. She decided to tell Saniyah the whole letter. She couldn’t think beyond that.
“Adira says they’ll send her as soon as it’s safe, but she worries negotiations will be impossible. Her authority isn’t on par with Ashni, especially with Ashni incapacitated.” Nakia tried to swallow, but her throat refused to cooperate. Maybe because her heart was stuck in it. Calm down. She’s alive. Except that could’ve changed since the letter was written. How long had it taken for this to reach her?
Beyond that, Adira was right. If the negotiations fell through, things would get worse. The towns the barbarians had been harassing would think the Empire let them down. Ashni’s whole dream, along with all of Roshan’s dreams and her
father’s legacy, could collapse.
“This is a mess.” Saniyah gnawed her lip. “In the time it would take you to get there, something else could happen.”
Nakia read more of the scroll, needing something to hold onto. It was all business after the report on Ashni’s condition. “Wait, she informed me of their solution.”
Saniyah breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. What will they do?”
“The obvious. Layla’s in charge there, leaving me to my duties here.” The things they knew best. While Nakia had done peace talks before, she usually had more information to go on and more time to prepare. She also didn’t usually have to worry about her spouse dying. “So now I can panic about my beloved.”
And just like that, her chest tightened. She couldn’t breathe. She wanted nothing more than to be by Ashni’s side, to know she was all right. Ashni was poisoned. She had seen Ashni through a lot, but never poisoned. What if she was dying slowly? What if she was in constant pain?
A sob escaped her, rattling her chest, and she couldn’t recall the last time she made such a noise. It was like something inside of her had been torn and wailed in agony. Ashni could die.
Not being able to gauge Ashni’s condition made it worse. All she could see was Ashni withering in her mind. Withering and alone. Ashni shouldn’t have to be alone right now. Her family should be with her, comforting her, making sure she pulled through.
Instead, it had to be business as usual.
But this wasn’t usual.
Saniyah hugged Nakia, whispering, “It’s all right. Ashni will be fine. She’s been poisoned before.”
That did nothing to push air in her lungs, but she hid her face into Saniyah’s shoulder, fabric soft against her cheek. “Before?” Pleased to have missed the other times, she wished this time hadn’t happened.
It reminded her of when the captain had pressed a deadly vial into her palm, involved her in Amal’s nonsense, and expected her to assassinate Ashni. How often did Ashni have to deal with such things? Then, she thought of her father. To her knowledge, he had dodged several poisonings. How many did he dodge that she didn’t know about? It only took once.
Saniyah gave her a tight squeeze. “On more than one occasion. It’s one of the reasons she’s certain she’s the Chosen One. Poison hasn’t killed her yet.”
Nakia knew that was supposed to make her feel better, but her stomach pinched. It was a miracle she didn’t throw up. Maybe past occurrences had merely dosed Ashni wrong. Just because she came out of those unscathed didn’t mean she’d do the same now. She wished people would stop taking Ashni’s injuries lightly. It influenced Ashni to take injuries lightly as well.
According to the letter, Ashni was in a coma. There was no cure for a coma, and Nakia didn’t know how long a body could last in one. She tried not to think about it and the letter offered assurances. Ashni had no choice but to lie there and heal. She couldn’t fight the doctors over treatment or snicker with Layla when she skipped medicines. That was good, but it meant nothing if she wasted away and died without regaining consciousness. What medicines were there to wake Ashni? To keep her from wasting away?
“It’s okay. It’s okay,” Saniyah said, but they both knew that wasn’t true. “Let it out.”
So Nakia did. The wail hurt every part of her, and she doubted it would ever stop hurting, not until Ashni was by her side. Ashni could die. Nakia wouldn’t breathe easy until Ashni was with her.
Saniyah wrapped her arms around Nakia’s shoulders. It felt like the pressure held her together, but she might still shatter in the embrace.
“Come,” Saniyah said. “You still have duties to perform, and you have to prepare to receive Ashni. Her carelessness and disregard for her safety and your heart deserve a good scolding.”
Nakia laughed, but it sounded as forced as it was. It broke into pieces, just like a fragile cup. With Ashni gone, how could she perform duties? There was no way she could hold things together on her own.
“Nakia, I’ve got you,” Saniyah said. “I’ve got you.”
The words thumped through Nakia. The only reason she was standing was because Saniyah held her. The moment Saniyah let her go, she’d sink like a stone.
After Nakia dried some of her tears and took a couple of deep breaths, Saniyah led Nakia out of the room. She went willingly. It wasn’t like she could hide for the rest of her life. She had duties to perform, however badly she might do once Saniyah stopped holding her hand.
Chapter Four
LAYLA RUBBED HER EYES for what felt like the hundredth time. The darkness inside the medical tent bothered her. Occasionally, tears would sneak into her vision, but she banished them before they fell. She couldn’t let the healer see her weakness. She didn’t think such a thing was possible. I can’t take this.
It was difficult to see Ashni, wrapped in medicinal linens and animal furs. To see her sister the color of sour milk with strange purple lines crisscrossing her body as if her veins had turned to creeping ivy was almost too much. She smelled like smoldering coals with a hint of spoiled meat. It was weird. Nakia would probably fall apart at the sight.
“She’ll be alright,” Layla whispered. If she put it out there, it would be true. Or so she hoped. She’d feel better if the doctors knew what Ashni had been poisoned with, but they could only guess at this point.
Ashni had never looked like this before. Was she decaying or something? What foul substance flowed through her that even changed the smell of her body? Why couldn’t the healers figure it out?
“No, no, no. Ashni will be alright,” Layla said.
Could they continue their march West without Ashni? Who could lead it? Nakia wasn’t interested in battle and she wouldn’t have the authority to do so anyway.
The military was technically property of the Empire and Ashni was allotted the right to use it only through the Empress’ grace. If Ashni couldn’t lead the military, then Chandra might recall the soldiers to use them for a different purpose or disband them. Why the hell didn’t Ashni think of this shit?
But why would Ashni think about not being able to lead the military? If anything knocked Ashni down, she got back up. She always moved forward. It never occurred to any of them she’d be paused to the point where she might actually stay down. What was there to do now? It was a question she’d been asking herself for days.
The tent flap opened and Adira stepped inside. Layla winced as the brief flash of light illuminated dark, indigo bruises under Ashni’s eyes and along her cheeks.
“Any news?” Layla asked. Their message should’ve gotten to Nakia a couple of days ago, so they should have a response soon enough.
“Nakia agreed that you should conduct any and all negotiations. You’re just as much Ashni as she is, and we’ve got to get this done before any of these barbarians realize who some lucky ass archer shot.” Adira glanced at Ashni. “There are several leaders willing to meet, and I’ve set it up. We’ve got a day to put something together to properly awe them. Hopefully, we can bring these tribes to heel and accompany Ashni back.”
Layla would love nothing more than to return her sister to her precious spouse, but they had work to do. “If not us, Naren and Hafiz are to ride with her.”
“Agreed.”
There was a long stretch of silence between them. They stared at Ashni, listened to her light breathing. It sounded like gurgling, but Layla didn’t want it to stop.
“Were you able to find out what poison was used?” Layla asked.
“It’s animal based, a frog or toad. They mixed it with some sort of magic powder. Unfortunately, the powder could be any fucking thing,” Adira replied.
“Do you have the powder to study?” Layla and Adira had to help Ashni. Ashni would move mountains to save them if she had to. They couldn’t let her down. “Five days is more than enough.”
Adira nodded. “Indeed. I’ve got my hands on the powder.”
“And?” Layla scratched her biceps, feeling like she was about to come out of
her skin. Why was Adira dragging this out?
“We have people studying the powder now, as well as the poison, but there’s nothing at ready to counteract it.” Adira took a deep breath. “We just have to pray Ashni’s body does what it always does and pulls a miracle.” Adira’s dark eye shifted to the doctor lingering by Ashni’s head. “Any changes?”
The doctor shook his head. “Her highness’ breathing is shallow, but consistent. The worrisome thing for me and my colleagues is a dark substance she gurgles up every now and then. And her coloring appears to be getting worse.”
Layla looked closer. A fresh pastiness had spread through Ashni’s already sickened complexion. Her golden tan had been wiped out, not even a trace of it left. The purple lines seemed darker, too. What the hell had those barbarians done to her? Did it hurt?
“And the smell? It’s an odd scent for decay,” Adira said.
The doctor rubbed the bridge of his nose. “It doesn’t appear to be decay. We made a small incision to look and everything looked as expected.”
“Is that incision healing properly?” Adira asked. That would be helpful.
The doctor winced. “No. However, it didn’t appear to be festering.”
“That’s something. Okay, at least we know she’s not crumbling inside, even if she’s not exactly healing,” Adira replied.
Layla frowned. “Then what the hell is that smell?”
He glanced at Ashni. “It might be the poison simply interacting with her system. When we cut her to sample her blood, there was a mint smell, which was then accompanied by the aroma of rot.”
“Have you ever smelled mint before when someone was poisoned?” Layla asked.
The doctor’s round face twisted. “Not in my experience and not according to any notes I’ve read. Maybe the northerners mixed it with something else.”
Blood Rain (Warrior Class Book 3) Page 5