Page 43 of The Prince Without Sorrow

Chapter Forty-Two

Shakti

‘T HERE IS A MAYAKARI IN THE PALACE. ’

Shakti stilled, her sword mere inches from Princess Aarya’s throat.

The princess simply moved the tip of Shakti’s sword away with her own, seemingly unfazed. They were practising combat on their own. Master Kudha had retired to her quarters briefly to place a healing balm over her injured leg, the nasty cut a result of duelling both the princess and Shakti at once. Distracted throughout the entire session, Shakti had hardly registered the sword-master’s departure. She was still preoccupied by her invasion of Prince Ashoka’s dream the night before where he seemed to have resisted her command.

‘How do you know, princess?’ she asked slowly, intent on presenting herself as casually as she could. She watched Aarya scratch her bandaged arm irately. It was covered in dust, little pinpricks of blood staining the cloud-white wrappings.

Images of the princess carving out the endless knot on her arm replayed itself in Shakti’s head. Spirits, she shouldn’t have played with fire, but there had been no room for forethought once the intoxicating mixture of mischief and vengeance had engulfed her very being.

‘Deduction,’ said the princess. ‘I thought that first nightmare to be a ghastly anomaly, the result of weeks of stress after Arush ascended. But after the second time, I refuse to believe this fault is my own. This cannot be anything other than mayakari magic and when I find the damned witch, I will punish them accordingly.’

Punish them accordingly . There was an uncomfortable clawing in the pit of Shakti’s stomach. Punishment for her would be death.

‘Are you sure about this, princess?’ she asked, ignoring the rapid beating of her heart as she sheathed her sword and feigned concern. ‘Perhaps you are feeling overworked. Troubled.’

Princess Aarya’s face was stony. She did not move to put aside her sword. ‘Troubled?’ she repeated, her tone indecipherable.

Not sensing any ire, Shakti continued. ‘You have lost your father. You have been appointed to the council. You are attempting to work with your brother. It is understandable that this work can disturb your sleep.’

‘Oh,’ said the princess. ‘You think the cause isn’t magic.’

Shakti nodded. ‘As far as I know, mayakari cannot control dreams,’ she replied. ‘I was told their powers were limited to three. What you suggest is rather impossible – argh! ’

Her back hit the ground in an undignified thud , winded. A dull ache began to throb where Princess Aarya’s foot had contacted her chest. Shakti had no time to scramble back up. Within seconds, the princess’s foot pressed against her ribs as she towered over her. Her usually tamed hair was unkempt from the fight, sweat shining against her skin, that thin line of kohl bleeding black around her eyes.

In that moment, the princess looked just like an enraged spirit.

‘Princess Aarya, what are you—’ Shakti began to say, but was silenced when the tip of a blade hovered right against her throat.

‘Stop talking,’ Princess Aarya ordered, her previously blank expression lit up with fury. ‘How dare you doubt me. Do you think I am a liar?’

No , Shakti thought. That the princess had guessed her affliction was what scared her.

Her brief silence seemed to have incensed the princess more. Short, sharp pain exploded at the base of her throat: Aarya had dug the blade in, sliced the delicate skin. Goosepimples began to erupt all over her body, hairs standing on end despite the heat.

‘Am. I. A. Liar. Shakti?’ Each word from the princess was crisp. Pronounced. Sharp, just like her sword.

Shakti let out a ragged breath. ‘No, princess,’ she replied. ‘I apologize.’

It was a relief when Aarya retracted her sword and stepped back, allowing Shakti to get back on her feet and press at her throat. The blood created an uncomfortable slickness and intermingled with her sweat. While she couldn’t physically see the cut, she could pull the separated skin with her finger. The action resulted in deep, deep pain. When she removed her hand, her palm came away streaked with red.

Meanwhile, the princess watched her without shame. ‘Have that cut bandaged in the infirmary.’

‘Yes, princess,’ Shakti replied tonelessly.

‘And never, ever doubt me,’ the princess added. ‘Those who do tend to end up like those mayakari pests.’ Having the mayakari referred to as pests was infuriating. For a blessed moment, Shakti imagined the Maurya empire in flames, meteors crashing down on the palace and its city in an unrelenting attack, the screams of the Maurya family as they suffocated under a dense blanket of smoke, crushed to death by their own statues, and relaxed. The thought of death brought her peace.

‘How will you ever find the mayakari, princess?’ Shakti asked instead, keeping a straight face. Princess Aarya seemed to have forgotten that she had caused her grave distress. And of course, she would forget. If she could leave marks on her lovers without guilt, she could hurt her guards without mercy.

‘Interrogation. One cannot outwardly identify a mayakari unless you see them performing magic,’ Aarya said as she shrugged listlessly like the impending death of a witch cost her no pain. ‘It’s quite a hindrance. I don’t want any innocent women in the palace to be burned.’

Shakti almost made a point about how the mayakari were innocent women, but kept her mouth shut. She did not want another cut.

Motioning for Shakti to follow, Aarya made her way towards the edge of the courtyard. Weeks of training underneath the sun had darkened her rich brown skin even more. It had only resulted in twitters among the staff of the princess’s relentless beauty, like the harshness of lightning in the rain.

‘I will have my soldiers question the women of the palace,’ Aarya stated noncommittally. ‘I’m sure they will crumble soon enough, given that they’ve been threatened appropriately. After all, what is more fearsome than the threat of losing one’s place in the royal palace?’

‘Dying,’ Shakti said without thinking. Immediately, she snapped her mouth shut.

Princess Aarya only laughed. ‘Death isn’t as terrible as losing one’s livelihood,’ she replied. ‘It’s simple logic; the powerful must take power from the weak.’

Shakti’s hands were tremoring, palms damp. Her body was flushed, heat like the summer droughts coursing throughout her body to an uncomfortable degree. Some part of her wondered if she could ever have been friends with the princess in another life.

Perhaps. Or perhaps not. Maybe Aarya would be the same wherever she was.

I will kill you , she thought. I will kill you and I will watch you burn instead.

Her thoughts of vengeance were snuffed out by a sudden and horrific reminder. She wasn’t the only mayakari residing in the palace.

Shakti had someone else to worry about.

Night fell when Shakti eventually found Harini was in the kitchens, eating a slice of milk rice with Ruchira. She’d initially gone looking for the mayakari in her sleeping quarters but had not found her there. This late, the kitchen was quiet. Pots and pans hung on hooks cast a long shadow on the floor.

‘Shakti,’ Harini said, before pushing the plate of milk rice towards her. ‘Are you hungry?’

Shaking her head, Shakti dropped her voice to a whisper. ‘I wasn’t sure if you heard yet,’ she said. ‘The princess wants to burn test the women in the palace.’

By their dejected expressions, she guessed that the whispers had reached them, too. Ruchira’s eyes were bleak. ‘Spirits know how many women will burn in the following days.’ She hung her head sadly. ‘The cycle remains unbroken. What reason does Princess Aarya have, I wonder?’

‘Her... unusual dreams,’ Shakti replied. After all, was a truth, albeit one surrounded by shadows. ‘She told me that she thinks it is mayakari magic.’

Ruchira cast her eyes skyward in response. ‘The princess truly is going mad.’

Harini, meanwhile, remained silent, chewing painstakingly slowly on her food.

‘Harini,’ she hissed, grabbing onto the mayakari’s hand firmly. ‘You need to leave the palace for a few days.’

Harini’s eyes were still as she swallowed her last bite. Guilt etched itself around Shakti’s heart. This was all her fault.

‘I’m sorry,’ she said quietly.

Harini frowned. ‘For what?’

‘Nothing.’ The existence of The Collective was a secret between two. She couldn’t afford to let anyone else know. ‘But please, you must leave before the princess orders the testing to begin.’

Rubbing the back of her head, the other mayakari sighed. ‘I will,’ she said. ‘Returning from Taksila with a modicum of hope to be smacked by this – what else can I expect?’

Prince Ashoka and her command came to mind. ‘Expect something good, at least,’ Shakti replied.

Letting out a noncommittal hum, Harini stood, brushing stray bits of rice from her skirt. ‘I have to help some of the staff unload some new produce,’ she said. ‘A late delivery. Some delicacies from the south that the princess had asked for, and then I’ll leave. You should too, Shakti.’

She was right. Staying posed an enormous risk. Leaving, too, would cast suspicion on her. Vanishing without a trace just as the princess ordered the women of the palace to be tested for witch blood? Shakti may as well scream her identity from the palace rooftops.

I should go to Taksila , she realized. I have the money. I have safety.

Her existence was compromised. She needed to find Prince Ashoka. If her dream invasion hadn’t pushed him enough to dispose of the governor, perhaps she could use her abilities to force the governor into submission. That way, her goal remained unaltered. It was, after all, her original plan to travel to Taksila with the prince. Pushing him to go against his siblings would be easier; she wouldn’t have to fear for her life so much.

‘Don’t worry about me,’ she found herself telling Harini. ‘I’ll leave the palace when I’m ready. I won’t get caught.’