The Tiger at Midnight (The Tiger at Midnight Trilogy #1)(102)

Kunal looked at Laksh, really looked at him. His face was shut off to him as it had never been before. Part of him wondered if it was him; had he done something wrong? But Laksh’s bite was sharper with everyone, it seemed. Had it only been a few weeks since they had met and had dinner together at the garrison? Anyway, Laksh’s moods he could deal with later.

He had the clothing on his back, the weapons at his side, and his pack. Now he needed a plan.

Esha hurried through the wood, following the tracks as best she could. The sun was beginning to set and soon twilight would be upon them, leaving it nearly impossible for her to track Kunal.

She inhaled the jungle, breathing deeply of the leaves and earthy scent as she examined the dirt and branches. The footprints faded in and out but thankfully, there were other tracks for her to follow. The broken branches and debris on the ground indicated someone being dragged at first, and the subsequent deeper footprints spoke of the traveler carrying a heavy load.

Esha kept thinking back to her realization outside of the clearing.

Why would the soldiers take Kunal? The tracks showed signs of struggle.

She supposed he hadn’t looked like a soldier without his armor. But given the depth of those footprints, she could tell that whoever took Kunal had been watching him from a distance.

She moved faster, her breath ragged as she pushed herself through the forest as quickly as she could. In the distance, she heard faint sounds and slowed down, holding a hand to her side cramp.

All this for a soldier. If she had any sense, she’d let him go. He was probably in good hands anyway, as he was with his own kind, and he had left the second he had the opportunity. Esha shook her head, bracing her hands on her knees as she stopped to draw in breath.

But his face when she had looked up . . . why had he come back? That was the only thing making her move forward and not leave him, and all of this mess, behind.

She needed to know. That and whether his captor had seen them together. That information would be imperative. If they had been seen, the witness needed to be taken care of.

She hadn’t worked this hard for ten years to let every damn Jansan soldier find out her identity. And since discovering that the replica whip had been made in the Fort, Esha had determined that the murder of the general had to have been an inside job. Whoever had taken Kunal might’ve seen her, might reveal it to the wrong person.

The sounds grew louder, and Esha made out distinct voices—one of them Kunal’s. She tiptoed toward them, keeping herself hidden behind the stout mahogany tree trunks. A large one’s branches loomed over the fire that danced ahead and Esha climbed it, knowing it would give her a better vantage point.

Her heart beat like a sky drum as she pushed closer and heard the next words, that Vardaan’s soldiers were protecting a girl.

The young soldier spoke of Dharkan women and instantly Esha’s blood boiled and she ached to jump down and drive her knife into his throat. He looked like a young fool on his first mission, but Esha knew they could be the most dangerous and eager to prove their worth.

Kunal’s voice rang out in rebuke of the soldier, surprising her enough to stay her hand.

It warmed her heart. Maybe soldiers could change.

She watched Kunal sit in the hollow beneath a large banyan tree, his face losing its heat and becoming a mask.

He was becoming more like her, but it only made a part of her sadder. Already, Kunal would be forced to hide his blood from the world. Harun had grown up reveling in his shape-shifting birthright and he could never see it as anything but a blessing. If Reha had been around, at least Kunal would’ve had someone to talk to about it all.

Reha.

The world became a haze as Esha thought back over the words of the soldier.

Vardaan’s precious cargo was a girl. What if? And as Esha put it together, she felt an anchor drop around her chest.

The Blood Fort had found Reha.

It was the only answer that made sense of everything. The search, the continuation of the cease-fire, the soldiers moving away from the borders. Vardaan was confident because he had found the only thing that would guarantee his hold over Jansa—the lost princess Reha.

She was alive. And the Pretender King had her in Gwali.

Esha shook her head to clear it. Kunal had said something, but she had missed it, and now the young soldier was speaking.

“I didn’t come out on duty to stand watch and meander through towns,” he said, glaring at the others.

“Even the most exciting tours of duty can become slogs. Laksh, Kunal, and I set forth to find the Viper,” the boy with a soft voice chuckled. “And look where we are now.”

“Didn’t four of you set out, Amir?” the young soldier asked, fidgeting in his armor.

The other boy—Amir—nodded. “There was another. Rakesh. He was also ahead of you. Our cadre.”

The soldier from Faor, Laksh, spoke up. “Speaking of Rakesh, any idea what happened to him, Kunal? Last I heard from base, he had sent word that he had found the Viper. You had been traveling in the same direction. Did you happen to cross paths after we met at the garrison?”

Esha’s ears perked up, her heart beginning to race. Kunal knew this soldier. From the look on his face, he knew him well.

It was an innocuous question, but Kunal could damn himself with a few wrong words.

Kunal seemed to realize the delicate situation he was in, a tension marking his brow that Esha recognized and hoped the others didn’t.