Page 17 of The Prince Without Sorrow

Chapter Sixteen

Ashoka

‘A MAYAKARI ESCAPED IN THE MIDST OF YOUR ANTICS, little brother.’

Arush stared down at him as he stood next to their mother who sat upon the Obsidian Throne. Next to him was a smug-looking Aarya. To his mother’s right were several consuls, all wearing the same stern expression. Consul Rangana, especially, eyed him with a sort of puzzled exasperation. The ruby eyes of the leopard statues seemed to be judging him as if he were a failure. A useless young man who would never be able to prove himself by enabling violence as a form of rule like his father.

Ashoka shot Arush a defiant grin. ‘How terrible,’ he retorted, not caring that he sounded the least bit remorseful.

Behind him, Rahil snorted. ‘Sound more regretful, why don’t you,’ he muttered under his breath.

Ashoka could not find it in himself to do so. Though he had caused panic in the central business district by unleashing Rāga and Māra, he had also saved a life. He had stopped a violent death from happening. Objectively, he had done the right thing.

Pathetic boy.

With practised ease, Ashoka pushed his father’s voice aside. Sometimes, it was harder to will away. Other times, when he was surer of his thought and actions, it was easier to quieten.

‘Ashoka,’ his mother said. ‘You have caused a great deal of damage. This is no small matter; reparations must be made.’

‘I know, mother.’

‘And you left for the city again without an adequate number of guards,’ she continued, a worried dint appearing between her brows, ‘you were being unsafe.’

Guilt pierced through him. ‘I’m sorry, mother.’

Palming his face in a haggard manner, Arush cast his gaze to the ceiling. ‘My coronation is in two days , Ashoka,’ he said. ‘Why must you create such chaos? Are you intentionally trying to vex me?’

‘Yes, brother. Because every decision I make revolves around you.’

Arush didn’t seem to grasp the basics of sarcasm when he replied, ‘Be better than that,’ but Aarya caught onto it. She always did.

‘Why go alone – are you stupid?’ she asked.

‘I had Rahil,’ Ashoka replied.

‘“ I had Rahil ,”’ Aarya mocked him. ‘You took royal leopards into the city and caused unnecessary destruction. What was all this for?’

Shakti’s gobsmacked face came to mind. He’d seen the moment she recognized him, and he her. What humbled him was the shiver of abject fear that had run through her. His father called the mayakari monsters without a second thought but, in that instance, Ashoka felt as though the monster was him.

‘My apologies,’ he said airily. ‘I must have forgotten to tether Rāga properly.’

The surrounding consuls looked confused. His mother appeared disbelieving. Both his siblings’ eyes twitched, moments apart. All three shared the same habit when driven to vexation.

‘And what about Māra?’ Aarya retorted icily, her gaze passing over him. ‘How did you manage to lose control of your leopard, Rahil? That is quite unexpected. And disappointing.’

Before Ashoka could defend him, Rahil’s assured, steady voice filled the room. ‘When Rāga became spooked and bolted, Prince Ashoka ran after her,’ he said. ‘Since it’s my duty to protect him, I followed. In my haste, I too didn’t bother to check if I’d tethered Māra – and as you all know by now, I hadn’t. I apologize for my carelessness, princess.’

His words sounded more convincing than Ashoka’s. Nobody needed to know that Rahil had willingly followed his plan to let loose the giant leopards to create a distraction.

‘The damage —’ Arush began, but Ashoka cut him off.

‘No one was hurt,’ he said defensively. ‘It was not as if I commanded Rāga to kill.’

Arush snorted. ‘As if you ever would.’

Arms crossed behind her back, Consul Rangana nodded in agreement. He expected no support from them. This public harangue was a form of punishment against him, after all.

‘You aided a witch, Prince Ashoka,’ she said.

‘Did I, consul?’ Ashoka refuted, shrugging. ‘Rāga simply misbehaved. She must have got spooked by the crowd. Can you blame her?’

Aarya appeared unconvinced. ‘Rāga was trained to withstand such overstimulation,’ she replied. ‘If she fails at something so basic, perhaps she should be put down.’

Ashoka dropped his smile. Of course Aarya was attempting to rile him up. Make him take back his words. ‘I did not think you to be the type to waste a valuable asset,’ he said. ‘Will you order every animal of ours who spooks occasionally to be killed? It seems a rather foolish choice.’

‘Don’t be impudent, little brother.’

‘Don’t be an upstart, sister.’

‘Enough, you two.’ Empress Manali let out a long-suffering sigh. ‘Ashoka, you will not step foot into the city again till you leave for Taksila.’

Ashoka balked before he and Aarya opened their mouths to refute their mother in unison.

‘Mother, no, you cannot expect me to—’

‘But that’s hardly a punishment! Because of him, a parasite continues to roam free in—’

‘This discussion is over,’ their mother said firmly. ‘Now, I must speak to Arush – alone.’

That was the signal for all others in the throne room to depart. Tension Ashoka did not realize he harboured in his body lessened when Rahil stepped closer and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Aarya stalked down the steps towards Ashoka, head held high. As she passed him, she pursed her lips and leaned in.

‘Mother always takes it easy on you, mūsī ,’ she whispered, ‘but when Arush takes the throne, you and your sympathizer antics won’t be tolerated any more.’