The Tiger at Midnight (The Tiger at Midnight Trilogy #1)(50)

“Do I? And how would you know that, sold—” She rolled her eyes. “Kunal.”

“I think we’re more similar than you think,” he said, smiling.

“Except that I’m not trying to kill you.”

His brow furrowed as he took in her meaning.

“I’m not trying to kill you.”

She snorted, rolling her eyes.

“Great, we’ve both established we’re not trying to kill each other anymore. But first of all, you would return me in chains to the Blood Fort. Certain death. And second, I don’t see either of us lowering our weapons.”

Kunal realized his left hand was still clamped around her knife hand, and though his right arm held her tight, he saw her fingers grazing the top of her whip.

“You’re right on that. I have my duty. But you won’t die.”

Esha blew a curl of hair out of her eyes.

“All right, let’s play your idea out. You take me back. I’m set for a trial. They slit my throat in my sleep and celebrate killing General Hotha’s murderer before parading my body around to warn all future insurgents. Sound about right?”

He shook his head, about to protest.

“There’s no point lying. I’ve heard of how the Fort treats its own soldiers accused of treason. No trial and straight to death. Pray tell me, why would I be different?”

Kunal was about to protest when he thought back to Udit, how the commander had ensured his death. And before that, the soldiers accused of treason. He didn’t even remember their true crimes.

But if he went down that road, he wouldn’t be able to do his duty and complete his mission. And murder had a price. To let her go without any consequences, no matter how intriguing and frustrating she was, would be a complete betrayal of the only family he had.

Esha’s voice floated in his head, reminding him of his own sins, of the many who had died at his own hand. He tried not to wonder when his payment would be due.

“As commander, I will guarantee you stand trial,” Kunal said, becoming more and more convinced. He would see justice be delivered, the right way. “It’s clear you hate the soldiers, but we’re not one vicious unit. Many of us are fair and just. Do you think I wouldn’t stand by my word?” he asked, his eyes locking with hers.

She raised one eyebrow and stared back.

“I think you would, despite barely knowing you. I’m not questioning your honor, I’m questioning your sanity.”

She looked away and looked back quickly. “I really should kill you,” she whispered. “It would make all my troubles go away.”

His heart stopped beating for a second, not out of fear for his life but at the look in her eyes. Anger, frustration, sadness—but no hatred.

He should disarm her, knock her out with a well-placed blow, but he couldn’t. Not now that he had seen that she was finally looking at him with something other than disgust.

Without warning, she stomped down hard on his instep, taking advantage of his moment of pain to wrench her arm away and clock him with the hilt of her whip.

The jewels cracked against his skull and Kunal staggered over, seeing colorful spots instead of Esha.

He fell onto a thick pile of carpets, grasping at the side of his head. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her moving across the pile and he tugged, sending her to the ground in a heap.

She recovered quickly, scrambling up and away. He unsheathed his knife and threw it at her moving figure, but she was too quick. Instead, she spun around, charging toward him and landing another blow to his left cheekbone.

He went down again.

A woozy image of Esha peered down at him. She clambered up into the window behind him, then turned back to address him.

“Go home. Forget you saw me. Kill some other poor fellow and pretend they’re the Viper. Just . . . don’t follow me, Kunal. It’s for your own good. I won’t stay my hand next time.”

He didn’t try to get up. But he also knew he wouldn’t be able to stop, not when so much was on the line.





Chapter 33


Esha let a gust of wind buffet her as she leaped to the next rooftop, looking both ways before she crawled down the side to get back onto solid ground.

Rooftops were useful, but putting solid ground under her feet would make her feel more secure. The dry midday heat was mellowing, a soft yellow instead of burning orange. The altercation with Kunal had set off her entire plan for the day, particularly her plan to be in Amali in two days.

He was a thorn so deep in her side she should consider it a permanent wound.

Esha landed heavily on the siding and she readied herself to land on the next roof. Instead, the siding wobbled and held her weight for only a few seconds before she crashed through into a dank pit. Short metal spikes shot out at the edges and narrowly missed Esha’s head.

Dark, packed dirt surrounded her like the walls of a cell and her breath came quick. At her feet was the braided fence of rope she had come crashing through, and the pit was wider at the bottom, as if to collect more thieves.

Esha cursed. A damn trapper’s pit. What sort of half-witted thug lived here that was that paranoid?

The tiles of the roof above her shook as heavy steps bounded across, and Esha’s eyes widened.

“Wait!” she yelled, but it was too late.

Kunal came crashing through the hole she had left, but wasn’t as lucky as she had been. As he fell, his arms grazed the spikes that edged the pit. He landed in a sprawl, half on top of her.