Page 43 of The Surviving Sky
The perpetrator would be punished harshly.Iravanwould be punished harshly.
They would demote him. For all she knew, they could excise him, cut him away from the most precious thing in his life, his trajection. It would be justice, but more thanthat—itwould be absolution from her relentless guilt.
Her gaze darted around the alcove, the lowering canopy, the blooming jasmines, the blue-green twinkles in the foliage. Once, she had encouraged Iravan to be his best and pursue his dreams, but as long as he was a Senior Architect, there would be no going back to the way things had been. Yet in one stroke, Iravan was offering her the chance to vindicate Oam and rebuild their marriage even at the cost of his title. All she had to do was say yes. The word dangled in front of her like a ripe fruit, tempting, delicious, poisonous.
Ahilya’s gaze locked on her husband. He sat on his wheelchair, clenching and unclenching his jaw. He wanted her to join him, badly,desperately, but why? What did he have to gain?
Iravan was no fool; he had seen an advantage, something he wasn’t telling her, some way to keep it all, his position, his reputation, his marriage. She could join him on the investigation like he so clearly wanted, but if her reasons were different, were they allies? So often, even on the same path, the fulfillment of one’s desire had been the ruin of the other’s. Perhaps, then, they were adversaries. The thought summed up their marriage so succinctly, so perversely, that Ahilya almost laughed out loud.
Iravan stared at her. “Will you come with me? Please?”
After all the traps, and all the machinations, it came down to one simple question: did she love Iravan enough to attempt reconciliation?
“Please?” Iravan asked again.
Washe—wastheirmarriage—worthsaving?
“Yes,” she said, surprising herself. Iravan’s chest dropped in deep relief. She glanced at Dhruv, but he only looked curious. The wave of grief and anger in her mind retreated slightly, to be replaced by something else. Opportunity. Opportunity forhappiness—perhaps,if they werelucky—butcertainly for more. “I’ll help you,” Ahilya said, her palms sweating. “But on one condition. You nominate one of us to the council seat.”
Iravan recoiled. Shock, admiration, and calculation flickered in his eyes in rapid succession. “With you, me and Bharavi,” he said at once, “it would practically be nepotism.”
“I said one of us,” Ahilya said coldly. She gestured to Dhruv, whose mouth had fallen open. “I leave that up to you.”
Iravan glanced from her to Dhruv, then back at her. Her words were simple enough, but all three of them knew what she was asking.
Nomination was no easy affair of a councilor picking a name from the candidates who applied. Each councilor could nominate only one person and, in doing so, became their candidate’s most vocal champion, placing their own reputation on the line. Iravan had taught Naila, wanting to raise aJuniorArchitect, so he may prove himself. In nominating Dhruv or Ahilya, a floundering sungineer and a misfit archeologist, he’d be sabotaging his own career. Yet for Ahilya and Dhruv, a nomination would be clemency. Even if they didn’t win the council seat, Kiana could hardly transfer Dhruv after such an honor, and Ahilya, for all her recent failures, would be allowed to remain an archeologist.
Iravan’s face was inscrutable but he was thinking rapidly, looking for a way out. “It’s not that simple,” he said. “I have an obligation to nominate a candidate who is best for the ashram. This is why the council waits five years before making such adecision—itis to give a fair chance to anyone who wishes to join it, for candidates to mature their ideas on Nakshar’s survival and present them to acouncilor—”
“We know this. We have been working on our ideas farlonger—”
“They have to be likely ideas. Serious ideas. With a high probability of success. You’d still have to present your theses for survival. Without those, I wouldn’t beallowedto nominateyou—”
“Then perhaps you should consider helping us,” she said coldly. “Those books are a good beginning. Sharing more records would be to your benefit.”
A slight crease formed on Iravan’s forehead.
And all of a sudden, Ahilya could remember every argument the both of them had ever had about the vacant councilor position. Airav, Bharavi, and Chaiyya would nominate their own candidates, each of them an architect. Laksiya and Kiana would undoubtedly pick sungineers from the lab. Ahilya and Dhruv already knew the names of their most likelycompetitors—butwith what Ahilya proposed right now, she was not merely taking away a nomination from Junior Architect Naila. She was taking it away from anarchitect.
For the first time in Nakshar’s history, the decision would equate the number of architects and non-architects up for a vacant council seat. It would create shockwaves, marking a change in the city’s administration. It would show a Senior Architect’s willingness to have a civilian occupy an architect’s position, a serious relinquishing of control, if there ever was one, which would have repercussions for future nominations. Even if Ahilya and Dhruv did not win thecouncilorship—andthey most likelywouldn’t—Ahilyawas asking for a change in the city’s future, immediately.
She knew Iravan could see all this. But she’d trapped him in his own game. The very people hescorned—he’dhave to uphold them in all his eloquence, a greater challenge than he’d anticipated.
Ahilya held her breath, watching these very thoughts fly through Iravan. Grudging approval settled on his handsome face.
“Help me solve this,” he murmured, “and we have a bargain.”
“Agreed,” she said at once.
Dhruv exhaled audibly. Iravan nodded and skimmed his wheelchair around.
For an instant, Ahilya couldn’t believe what she had done. Her heart throbbed in her chest like she had been running. This had been a coup, and she’d won, against a Senior Architect, againstIravan. Disbelief made her lightheaded; laughter formed on the edge of hysteria, and she blinked once or twice to clear her head.
Iravan was already leaving the alcove. Dhruv raised a hand in farewell. Still enveloped in a haze of unreality, Ahilya nodded to the sungineer and followed her husband out the library alcove, her heart pounding rapidly.
13
IRAVAN
