Page 35 of Her Soul for a Crown
Anula blinked. That was not entirely the point she had tried to make. As she sat, Premala poured tea, sure to steady the kettle and avoid another mishap.
“Thank you for checking on us,” she murmured.
“What are friends for?”
Premala swallowed hard. Out of fear, or nerves?
Anula took a sip, then grabbed another cup. “Bithul, come sit and eat. I’m sure your day has been as relaxing as mine.”
“I cannot, my raejina consort,” he said, eyeing the maids and every window and door. His hand twisted on the top of his cane.
“And if I command you?”
Bithul sighed, took the cup she offered, and emptied it in one long swallow. “My gratitude, my raejina consort. I am fortified.”
“Do you believe in the Heavens? You said before that you were destined to be commander. Was that talk, or do you truly believe the Heavens gave you a purpose?”
“That is a complicated answer, my raejina consort.” He sat next to her. “But yes, I believe the Heavens guide my path.”
He sounded like Auntie Nirma. Anula sipped her tea, the heat a barrier against her heart. “So you believe you’ll be commander one day?”
Bithul smiled, the tea softening him. “They never said I would be. Only men did. I choose to believe that my life is unfolding as it should, as long as I remain true to myself. It’s how I am able to accept this.” He raised his cane, an iron piece that looked more like a scabbard than a walking stick. “It’s how I can serve the crown and not a man. Whoever the Divinities choose to place me under, it’s not for me to decide or to question.”
Anula clenched a fist. “They never make a mistake?”
“Never,” he said solemnly, eyes heavy.
“Your faith is valiant.”
“Thank you, Raejina Consort.”
It wasn’t meant to be a compliment.
Bithul’s head nodded drowsily, until it dropped heavily and rested on the table. A soft snore sounded. The tincture had worked quickly. Anula stood, ready to go to work before anything else could happen on this cursed day.
“Raejina Consort,” Premala whispered, eyeing the sleeping guard. “Be careful. The palace is full of secrets and dark powers.”
Anula knew that, but how did Premala? “Powers?”
Premala glanced around. Maids flitted this way and that, too many ears listening. “Just be careful.”
It was all the confirmation Anula needed to know that Premala was part of a grander scheme, one she’d have to uncover in time. First, she would rid the palace of another dark power.
“Don’t worry, I can protect myself.” Anula slipped out of the kitchen, a prayer chanting in her head.
It began with the name of Prophet Ayaan.
14
The raja’s chamber dripped with gold. It was as gaudy as Lord Wessamony’s court, a clear design of the Heavens. So too was it empty, a clear message of rejection.
The vast room suddenly felt tight, the air stale and confined. Reeri stalked to the windows and unlatched them. A star winked, signaling the end of the first day, reminding him how few he had left.
The fault lies entirely with you.
The shadow within him quivered. Anula had seen it immediately, the blood on his hands. Her distrust was well placed. But, O Heavens, she was going to be a difficult tether. Headstrong. Impulsive. Her large bronze eyes forever set in a challenge. It was no wonder she was the first to offer a soul. Nor was it a surprise she desired the throne.
Reeri glanced in a gilt-framed mirror. The crown suited this body, with its spikes of moonstones and rows of rubies. So too would it suit Anula, her dark tresses flowing around it, the earrings dripping beside her long neck.
