by Andrea Ring
“Nilaruna Nandal, do you pledge your loyalty and devotion to the kingdom of Jatani?” the high priest prompts.
I bow my head. “I, Nilaruna Nandal, do pledge my loyalty and devotion to the kingdom of Jatani.”
“And do you vow your fidelity and obedience to your husband?”
“I vow my fidelity and obedience.”
“Do you promise to love Kai above all others, to be bound to him in both life and death, for as long as your souls wander the earth?
Nili, Maja whispers in my head. I blink.
“Do you?” High Priest Sanji repeats.
“I promise to love Kai above all others, to be bound to him in both life and death…for as long as our souls wander the earth.”
A tear leaks from my eye.
Kai brushes it gently away.
LXXVI. HAADY
When Abdul was ready to head down to the stadium, I told him an old friend from Bhutan had arrived and asked me to sit with him. The man was saving me a seat.
The king and Healer Wadee left early this morning. As far as I could tell, just a few servants, along with Abdul and I, remained in our wing.
I cracked my door just a tiny bit and waited.
Just a few minutes before the wedding was to begin, I heard a door open. Pressing my eye to the crack, I saw a female, covered in an unassuming brown veil, steal down the hallway. I followed her.
So for the last hour, here I’ve been, trapped at the bottom of a stone staircase, waiting for Saphala to come back down. Yes, I tried to follow her up, but it was only by the gods’ blessing that the guards stationed above did not see me. I managed to duck my head before they turned around.
I imagine Saphala has the perfect view of the stadium. I knew she wouldn’t dare miss the wedding. And the only thing giving me patience right now is that she will have to return to her room before the wedding ends. I twist the bright yellow scarf I purchased for her in my fingers.
Perhaps I should find a place to do the deed, an alcove or a closet, something. We are at the edge of the main courtyard. If she came down the stairs, and I managed to silence her and drag her body into hiding, how far would I have to go?
As I follow the wall, searching for the perfect place, I hear laughter. Then footsteps.
“I’m fine,” Saphala says. “But if you wish to escort me back, I will not refuse you.”
“It’s my honor, my lady,” the guard, I presume, replies. “I’m glad that you are in good health.”
I step back into the shadows, and they pass right by me.
I follow at a discreet distance. Saphala dismisses her guard at the bottom of the stairs.
Perfect.
I climb the stairs two at a time and arrive at the top in time to see her door close. I run to it and throw it open.
Saphala gasps.
I grab a silver candlestick from the table nearest me and advance on her. She backs away from me, but she doesn’t even try to scream. She is petrified with fear.
Good.
I cock back my arm and swing hard at her head. The candlestick connects with a loud crack.
Saphala crumples to the floor.
LXXVII. LILI
Parvati comes swirling in without warning and takes a stance above my body. She’s got a sword, and she brandishes it even though there’s no enemy. The woman needs some serious help.
Suddenly she crouches. My whole body tenses.
I feel him coming.
Shiva appears waving his own weapon. He gets his bearings, sights Parvati, and then notices me. His face turns purple while I watch.
“Step aside,” he says to her. “Enough of these games. You’ve made us miss the wedding.”
“I want you to care about missing me, Shiva!” she cries. “I don’t care about a wedding, and you shouldn’t care about a filthy mortal peasant. What about me?”
She lunges for him, but he sidesteps easily, knocking her blade aside with his own.
“Maybe if you didn’t act like such a crazy bitch, I would want to spend time with you!” he yells back. “You’re not very nice, you know.”
“Nice? Nice? How can I be nice when you betray me? When you run around behind my back and consort with these…creatures? I am a goddess! I deserve to be treated with respect!”
“The day I give you respect is the day you earn it,” he says.
Parvati narrows her eyes. And then she poises the sword above my heart.
“I’ll do it,” she says. “Take one more step, and I’ll do it.”
My breath comes fast. I look at Shiva, and he freezes.
“What do you want, Parvati? You have tortured the girl. You are torturing me. What do you want?”
“For you to love me like you used to,” she says.
“Not gonna happen,” he says. “Give me something else.”
Parvati screams. She raises her arms.
“No!” Shiva yells, and he runs to us, but Parvati plunges the sword into my heart.
I gasp. I cannot breathe.
He tries to get to me, but Parvati yanks the sword out and points it at him. “You cannot call for another god. I have them all blocked. It is down to you and me.”
Shiva, the sword, I think and Parvati growls.
“What about the sword?”
“Nothing. Ignore her!” Parvati screams.
Dragon-wrought, I think. She will kill you.
“I almost let you stab me,” Shiva says. “I thought it would please you. But you are truly crazy.”
“I’m not crazy. I’ve simply had enough of you. The world has had enough of you.”
I cough. Blood bubbles up at my lips.
Shiva waves a hand, and the sword disappears from Parvati’s hands and appears in his.
“I thought it was all a game,” he says. “I thought we were having fun. But you’re right. Enough is enough.”
And he swings the mighty sword at Parvati’s neck.
Her head hits the floor with a thud.
Shiva runs to me. “Hold on, my sweet. Hold on.”
LXXVIII. NILARUNA
While we are seated in chairs, our friends carry us up to our wedding suite. My perch is a bit precarious, but it’s fun. Kai laughs hysterically as Manoj and Faaris and the others bobble him about.
At the door, Kai jumps off his chair and then lifts me off mine into his arms. Everyone cheers.
And suddenly, we are alone.
“Feels odd knowing that when we finally arrive at the feast, everyone will know what we’ve been up to,” I say.
“We could play dice instead.”
I laugh. “Not a chance.”
He sets me on my feet and kisses me. “How do you want this to go?”
“Are you asking if I have a plan?”
He smiles. “I refuse to stick to a plan. But I know you have something in mind.” He rubs a thumb gently down my cheek. “Fast. Excruciatingly slow. You in control, me in control. Tell me.”
“Yes.” And then I laugh. “I just want to be close to you. We can do everything else some other time, but right now, I want you inside me.”
Kai leans down for a kiss. I cradle his face in my hands and kiss him hard.
We undress each other. I want him to just make love to me, but he lingers on my left breast, what is left of it.
“Can you feel anything at all there?” he asks.
“No.”
He moves his mouth down to my stomach, and then down to my thighs.
“You’re killing me,” I say. “It feels so good, but I want you. All of you.”
He props himself above me and kisses me deep. Then he surges into me.
Oh, the fire and the heat. We move together, our bodies joined, our hearts joined, our very souls joined. I can feel the new connection between us, the one Kai spoke about. It is real.
After, Kai stretches out behind me and pulls me tight against him. “That was better than I imagined,” he says. “I feel like you were made for me.”
I smile and flip over
to face him. “Thank you. Thank you for giving me such a wonderful day.”
“It has been perfect, hasn’t it?”
“It has. I didn’t think it would be so easy, you and me, and the kingdom’s acceptance of us. It’s almost too easy.”
“Let’s not poke the tiger,” he says, kissing my nose. “Let’s just enjoy it.”
“How long until we have to go to the feast?”
“Hours,” he murmurs into my neck. “I don’t care if we go at all.” He nibbles on my ear, and I squirm.
Suddenly there’s a loud crash. I scream, and Kai bolts upright.
Shiva appears in a plume of white smoke, a bloody woman in his arms.
“Help me!” he cries, going to his knees and laying her down. “Call for Maja!”
“Maja!”
LXXIX. MAJA
One more gathering to get through, and then I can take Aaliyah home.
She went back to the inn when the wedding ended. I cannot blame her. Whatever she needs to do is fine with me.
I approach the high priest and bow my head. “Sanji.”
“Maja,” he says, bowing low. “You have earned your godhood. It is much deserved.”
I nod. “You and I have much to discuss. I will be visiting you upon your return to Dabani.”
“That sounds ominous,” he says. “Has Lili been found?”
I raise an eyebrow. “I didn’t know she was missing.”
Sanji’s eyes narrow. “Don’t the gods speak to one another?”
Maja! Nili screams in my head.
I leave the priest gaping after me and transport myself to her rooms without a thought. She and Kai are…in bed.
“It’s Lili,” she says when she sees me. “Help her. Please.”
Shiva is sobbing over his beloved. I drop to my knees beside them and gather my magic. It swirls around her, it heals some bits of torn skin, but it cannot enter the wound.
“My magic won’t work,” I say. “I cannot help.”
“Why not?” he cries.
“I cannot heal mortal wounds, only that which the body can heal on its own.”
Shiva tears at his hair.
“Shiva, you saved me,” Nili says. “Why can’t you save Lili?”
“Parvati used the dragon-forged sword. I cannot heal any wound it makes.”
Lili gags, choking on her own blood. I clear her throat for her, but it is a temporary fix.
Shiva looks at me. “I’m going to make her a goddess. Only the magic of such a transformation will heal the wound.”
“You can’t. She has no following. All your worshippers will leave you to follow her, and you’ll die.”
“I won’t die,” he says. “It just might take me a while to come back.”
Lili coughs, and her eyes flutter.
“If you’re going to do it,” I say, “it must be now.”
“Take care of her for me,” he says. “I know I don’t deserve it, but she does.”
I nod and clasp his hand tight. He nods back at me.
Shiva places his hands on Lili’s shoulders and murmurs a prayer. Her eyes close and she goes still.
Shiva’s body…dissolves. As he transfers his magic to her, he begins to disappear.
Suddenly, he is gone.
We watch Lili’s wounds close. I put a hand to her forehead, and she opens her eyes.
“Who are you?” she whispers.
“Maja. Shiva just healed you, and he made you a goddess.”
Lili sits up. “A goddess?”
I nod. “You will live forever. But to give you this gift, Shiva sacrificed his own. He may return, but not for many cycles.”
She blinks. “Shiva is gone?”
“Yes.”
Tears fill her eyes, but they do not spill over.
Clothes, Nili thinks to me. Clothe her, Maja.
I conjure clothing for her, but Lili doesn’t seem to notice. I also conjure clothing for Nili and Kai, who do notice. Kai tips his head at me.
Nili pads over to us and kneels beside her. “Do you remember me, Lili? I’m Nilaruna.”
“Nili,” she says. “Yes, I remember. Are you a princess now?”
“I am.”
“I am happy for you.”
Nili takes her hand. “Can you tell us what happened?”
“Parvati happened,” she says. “She kidnapped me, and when Shiva found us, she stabbed me and tried to kill him. He took the sword from her and cut her head off.”
I rear back. “Parvati is dead?”
She nods.
“True death? With the dragon-wrought sword?”
“Yes.”
I sit back on my heels. “This is bad.”
“It’s a relief,” Lili says. “She tortured me. She didn’t deserve to live.”
I get to my feet and look at Kai. “Do you understand the implications?”
“No. Why is this bad?”
Nili turns her head to him. “From The Book of the Dying. Parvati is the one who flings our souls into the heavens, so that we may be reborn.” She turns back to me. “None of the other gods has this gift?”
“No. I have met all of us in our pantheon. She is the only one.”
“Parvati’s power doesn’t die with her,” Nili says. “It’s out there right now for the taking. One of you must grab it.”
“Don’t look at me,” Lili says. “Attending to the dead is what drove her crazy in the first place. She was always yelling at Shiva for not being around, but the truth was, she was barely able to stand still. Every time someone died, she had to be there.”
“You don’t really have a choice,” Nili says. “Someone must do it.”
“I will not,” Lili says. “She murdered me. I refuse to be like her.”
Nili looks at me. “I cannot do it, either,” I say. “It must be a female.”
“Why?” she asks.
“Birth and death are the provinces of females.”
“Then Kali is the only choice. Can you call her?”
I get to my feet and sit in a chair. “No. She is the one who originally had the power over death, and she gave it to Parvati. It almost drove her insane. She’s been recovering for over two thousand cycles. She won’t help.”
“Lili,” Nili says, imploring.
“No.”
“Let me get this straight,” Kai says, coming to sit in a chair beside me. “Unless a goddess takes Parvati’s power, then no one of our faith will die? Can that not be a good thing?”
“It doesn’t mean we will all be healthy,” Nili says, “it just means our souls won’t leave our bodies. As people get sick or injured, they’ll just be stuck.”
Kai’s eyes widen. “Like my mother.”
Nili nods.
“What are our options?” Kai asks.
I sigh. “Lili or Kali. Or a new goddess, though that is almost impossible. One of us would have to give up our followers to make it happen, and we would probably die in the process. Shiva was the strongest of us all, and had the most faithful. He’ll most likely return, but the rest of us probably won’t be so lucky.”
“One of you must sacrifice yourselves,” Nili says. “Or our people will suffer horribly.”
She stares at me. Not you, she thinks. No matter what, not you!
I get to my feet. “Lili and I will visit the others. Perhaps there is a solution I do not know about.”
Nilaruna helps Lili to her feet, and they share a hug.
“Would you like me to contact your father?” Nili asks her. “I know he’s been worried about you.”
Lili nods. “Thank you for thinking of him. And Saphala, too. I suppose she has a right to know.”
“Keep in touch, Maja,” Kai says, clasping my hand. “We’ll help however we can.”
Nili squeezes my arm. “Be safe.” And don’t you dare leave us!
I smile at them both. Then I take Lili’s hand, and whirl us off to see the gods.
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About the Author
Andrea Ring was born and raised in Orange County, California. At age eight, she wrote an essay proclaiming she wanted to be an “auther” when she grew up. It only took her thirty years to realize her dream.
She enjoys beating her four children at Boggle, reading science fiction and fantasy, and eating bacon. She hates to exercise, but loves taking walks with her family through Old Towne Orange. She's lucky to be married to the love of her life.
Every book she writes, regardless of genre, contains a love story.
Did we mention her love of bacon?
Visit her website at http://www.andrearing.net.
Copyright Page
THE PRINCESS Copyright © 2015 by Andrea Ring
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Originally published in 2015 by Square Gorilla Press. http://www.squaregorilla.com.
Cover art and design:
Jay Walsh, http://jaymeanoiche.daportfolio.com
Acknowledgements
Jay, thank you for sticking with me. Blessings on you and your beautiful family!