Page 42 of The Surviving Sky
“It’s all right, Dhruv,” Iravan said. “But I’d appreciate it ifyou—”
“I won’t say a word.”
Iravan nodded. His gaze locked on Ahilya. “First, I brought you this,” he said, and withdrew two small bark-bound books from his pocket, offering them to her. “I know you lost your research in the jungle. Theseare…historical records of earthrage patterns and yaksha encounters from the architects’ archives. I thought they would help.”
Ahilya stared at him. Dhruv’s eyebrows shot up. The both of them knew Iravan was giving her privileged architect records, ones that she had struggled to access for months. He had acknowledged the loss of herresearch—so,then, was this pity? She studied him, the fullness of his mouth, the watchfulness of his gaze, the manner in which his jaw tightened and released.
No, this was a trap.
Iravan wanted something in return.
Her fingers twitched, but Ahilya didn’t move to take those books.
Iravan didn’t drop his hand either. They regarded each other, the both of them waiting to see who would relent first; and she thought abstractedly,How long will you hold your hand out for me? You owe me so much more than this. Iravan blinked as though he had heard her thought, but otherwise remained still, the two of them suspended in this silent battle.
In the end, it was Dhruv who accepted the books from her husband. The sungineer placed them on a shelf quietly and took a step back.
Iravan glanced at him and nodded his thanks. His gaze returned to Ahilya.
“Second,” he said, as though nothing was amiss, “I wanted to ask if you’d like to be a part of the investigation. The one being conducted to look into the failure of the flight alarm.”
Ahilya blinked, taken aback. She had expected words about the flight alarm, certainly, as soon as he had skimmed in, but she’d thought Iravan would remind her of her obligations as his wife, that he’d demand she say nothing to Dhruv or Tariya or anyone else about his part in what had happened. She had expected him to apologize, or demand an apology.He was just a boy, she’d screamed.Were you jealous?Ahilya frowned, trying to understand.
Her silence confused him. Iravan looked from her to Dhruv. “You do know about the investigation, don’t you?”
“Only what was transmitted over the citizen rings,” Dhruv answered.
The announcement had flashed through the rings for days after the earthrage.The delay in the flight alarm caused the death of one citizen. The council is undertaking a formal investigation. Please be patient while we resolve the matter. Buried between the announcements about what parts of Nakshar were functioning and what permissions pending, Oam’s death had barely been noticed. The citizens had moved on quickly.
“What exactly is the investigation?” Dhruv asked.
“Another farce from the council?” Ahilya said, before Iravan could answer. “Because it seems pretty clear why the alarm failed. A Senior Architect didn’t do their job.”
Iravan didn’t wince, not visibly, but she could see behind his dark eyes the ghost of a shadow. “I think there’s more to it,” he said, frowning.
Ahilya laughed, a scornful sound. “They putyouin charge?”
“I volunteered. I thought,” he bit out, speaking over her as she opened her mouth, “that if I’m not on shift, it might give us time to spend together. Seeing as how we’ve been apart for so long and don’t trust each other. A bad way for a marriage to be, don’t you think?”
Dhruv shifted his feet and turned his gaze to the ceiling.
Ahilya’s cheeks burned. Iravan had always been good at turning her own weapons against her. She had pushed him to it, but he had provoked her too, and they continued to spiral, round and round endlessly. How had they fallen this far? When had they become like this? Did they even have a marriage now? The grief and anger thrust higher; suddenly, she couldn’t think clearly. In her mind, she saw him sprawled on the grass again, flickering as though malfunctioning, returned from the earthrage. She saw him strip himself of his vine, redirect it toward herself and Oam.I had a duty of care, she had whimpered.No, he’d replied.I did.
“I’m trying,” Iravan said, “to reconcile, Ahilya.”
She studied him, still not speaking. Vaguely, she wondered if she was being too unforgiving, not allowing him to explain, to rest.
But this was Iravan. Iravan who had held her expedition hostage. Who hadn’t owned up to his fault with the alarm. Who had chastened her with detachment forsevenmonths because of a stupid fight. She wasn’t beingnearlyharsh enough, and the anger returned to her, for his words now, for his attempts atreconciliation.
Ahilya looked away to the sparkling phosphorescence on the walls, transported back to eleven years before, when Iravan had asked her to wed him, when they’d taken their vows in the temple and promised to go on a path together or not at all. There was no interest in each other’s work now, no common journey in life, no shared dreams about the future. Iravan’s promotion to the council had ripped the bark off the tree that was their marriage. The last few months had hollowed the wood, and the sap of shared experiences that had coupled them so tightly had separated. All that remained was the seed of affection nearly dead.
Was there any point in reconciliation? She should end it now, before it became any worse. She should free them both, leave Iravan to dwell in his duties, and her to her powerless guilt.
Ahilya opened her mouth to speak the words, but Iravan anticipated her, reading her as only he could, the shadows behind his face becoming deeper.
“Think of it this way,” he said, giving her a watery smile. “You telling me how wrong I am, arguing constant opposition, will help the objectivity of the investigation. If we find out why the alarm failed, the perpetrator would be punished harshly. You’d get justice for Oam.”
Ahilya froze.
