Page 117 of Her Soul for a Crown
“Take my hand,” Ratti said, a sharp smile glinting. “I will lead you to where you should be.”
Like lightning, the words struck Anula. Lit up the memory ofthe caves, the tunnels, and all within the Pleasure Gardens.
Where one could look, but not see.
“The K—” Anula’s whisper cut off.
“What?” Reeri asked.
Anula pulled at the seam in the painting. “I have a lot to explain, and I will, I promise. But first, I have to go to the gardens. The Bone Blade is hidden beneath.”
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Statues towered over Anula, their star-filled eyes forever suspicious, their knowing smiles mere smirks. Now she knew why. They gripped relics in their hands.
The Divinity of Justice held scales. The Divinity of Abundance bore a basket woven in gold. The Divinity of Dreams restrained fish surging from its arms. Anula had thought them ornamentation, figurines, memorials. She understood now. The relics were hidden in plain sight. She only needed to find one, and if the statues were anything like the portraits, perhaps one would lead her to another. Rising on her toes, she reached for a fish.
“What are you doing?”
Premala’s voice echoed off the stone, jolting through Anula’s bones. “Cursed blessings, don’t scare me like that.”
Premala hurried closer. “What are you doing?”
“Practicing the gentle touch with a statue. Want a turn?” Anula reached up once more. Premala slapped her hand away. “Ouch!”
“I—” she squeaked. “I’m sorry, my raejina consort. But you can’t take that.”
“Why?” Anula snapped. “Why did the Divinities give them to you?”
Premala blanched. “Y—you know? But why do you want a relic?”
“The better question is why are you hiding them when centuries of people have been harmed and killed in their search?”
“We didn’t kill them—their selfishness did. We merely did our duty.”
“Is part of the blood oath repeating your guruthuma’s words like a soldier?”
“Kattadiya do not act for themselves, only for the protection of others.”
“I’ll take that as a yes. And the Kattadiya turned a blind eye. That is not helping people.”
Premala made a fist, her breath uneven. “Don’t judge what you don’t understand.”
“Oh, I understand perfectly.” Anula leaned close. “But do you? Do you understand that the faith this kingdom was built upon hastwoHeavens? Do you understand that the stories of old never mentioned choosing sides? Never once portrayed one morally better than the other. Balance in the cosmos is the highest form of enlightenment, and the Kattadiya have discarded it all in favor of themselves. Why, because one woman claimed she’d been given a task from the First Heavens?
“And what has happened since then, Premala? Bloodshed. The Kattadiya help those who seek them, yes, but they also force others against their will, kill them if they can make a reasonable case. They demonize faithful practitioners of the Second Heavens, punish their own for acting in mercy, and allow stories to lead people to their demise. For what, Premala? None of that is for protection. Death does not save people!”
Premala’s lips quivered. “You don’t understand.”
“No,youdon’t understand. Because you don’t want to,” Anula spat. “You are a lowly fisherman’s daughter who has only ever been told that you are worthless. And you believe it. You believe it so much that this place, these rules, this poisonous faith has you convinced that the only path to proving your worth is by following their rules. You don’t want to see the truth of this place, because without it, you fear everyone is right: that you are worthless.”
Premala’s cheeks flushed red.
“My, my.” Guruthuma Hashini stepped out from behind a statue. “A fearsome usurper you might have been, if you were a man and words were blades.”
Premala wiped at the wetness on her lashes. Anula straightened.
“Your commands were of no power here, so you resorted to theft?” Guruthuma Hashini asked.
