The Tiger at Midnight (The Tiger at Midnight Trilogy #1)(66)

She seemed to realize she may have said too much and snapped her mouth shut.

Kunal gave her a warm smile that let her know he wouldn’t repeat her words. She relaxed and the shy look returned to her eyes. Inside, he was in turmoil. The question was if Rakesh was on the correct trail or a lie.

Kunal whispered a thank-you to the girl. She turned to leave and his arm shot out, grabbing her wrist. “Could you tell me what else he says?” He thought quickly. “I have no love for soldiers, and this one seems to be one of the worst.”

The girl’s eyes widened and she nodded, making Kunal wince. Lying was starting to become too easy for him.

The girl hurried over to the corner where Rakesh held court, sending him a small smile.

He didn’t deserve her admiration. He had grown lax, underestimating his opponents. How had Rakesh found out Esha was headed in this direction? Did he know who the Viper was?

If he knew it was Esha . . . Kunal had so much to lose now. Considering letting Esha go was different from letting Rakesh win. It made his blood boil to think he could become commander.

And the thought of Rakesh finding Esha, being anywhere near Esha. Kunal remembered what Alok had told him, about House Baloda. Desperation led to bad decisions and in Rakesh, it would turn to cruelty.

She was his. His to capture or not.

And commander, that was also his.

To see Rakesh, of all people, find and capture her . . . He couldn’t just step aside and allow her death at Rakesh’s hands.

Kunal pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to quell the overwhelming tightness in his chest.

Calm. Control. He needed to remain calm and think.

Faor. Maybe someone had seen her, put two and two together. Rakesh might know everything or he might only know the Viper had headed in this direction.

From here there were only a few ways into Dharka. The official border pass, monitored by Jansan soldiers, was out of the question. She must be going through the Ghanta Mountains, and that would require her to trek through the Mauna Valley, which would leave her very little room to escape. If Rakesh cornered her in the right spot, alone, she would be in trouble.

It was obvious. Even Rakesh would have figured it out.

Kunal sat and waited, watching Rakesh with an ever-growing fire of hatred filling his belly. Esha could take care of herself if Rakesh managed to find her, but what if Rakesh sent off a hawk to alert the others?

Esha had told him to go home. He had been ready to.

But when faced with it, he wanted to win.

If Rakesh won—if he hurt Esha at all—it would haunt him till the end of his days.





Chapter 41


The messenger hawk swooped through the mountains, following the golden mist that tumbled down their sides into the Mauna Valley, obscuring the tops of the tall trees.

The hawk landed unsteadily on Esha’s outstretched arm. The ribbon tied around the note slid off into her hands and Esha tugged on the ends, unfurling it. She scanned it quickly.

Moon Lord’s curses. She had left one problem behind and had found another.

She could imagine Kunal’s reaction at being called a problem—indignation coupled with that little crease in between his eyebrows. Esha still remembered the way he had looked at her, like he was drowning and she could save him. But she couldn’t. Not when she still had to fight for her own path.

Her life wasn’t her own.

Esha shook her head. If anything was traitorous, it was her own mind. Wanting to run away with a soldier, even if just for a moment, was the ultimate betrayal of everything she was.

The hawk nipped at her fingers and Esha pulled them back sharply, glaring at it. She infinitely preferred the owls. Not only were they sweet-tempered, but Harun never used hawks unless there was an emergency. These hawks were trained to find the scent of the person within a day.

She glanced back down at the note.

I should chastise you for not telling me about the deserter, but I know you won’t listen to anything I say once you’ve made up your mind, so I won’t bother. A soldier was looking for you in Faor and overheard the doctor who examined your Tana, making the connection between the whip welt around her neck and your escape. Tana sent us an urgent note as soon as she realized the soldier was on to you—good work developing her as an asset.

She winced, knowing the truth of it. Not that she’d tell him.

The soldier’s been trailing you north since, asking questions in every town. We’re going to move up our meet and send the Blue Squad.

At the bottom, a postscript.

Stay safe, Esha. I’ll only feel at ease when I know you’re back home.

Esha crumpled up the note in her fist, indignation her first reaction. She didn’t need to be saved. But there was also slight relief in her chest—she wouldn’t be alone.

She knew the soldier in the note couldn’t be Kunal. He wouldn’t have needed to ask around about her and wouldn’t be so stupid; she knew that much. It had to be one of the other soldiers from the forest.

Esha moved toward her horse and tugged off the reins and saddle. It was better to go by foot in this jungle and a horse would slow her down now. The horse stared at her for a moment, not believing that it was in fact free. She hit its rump and it took off with speed into the trees, tearing down branches and making her grin.

She climbed into the undergrowth of the jungle, taking care to step over the gnarled roots as she hacked through the thick vegetation with her knife. The branches and dewy leaves caught on the loose fabric of her dhoti and her sticky skin. Overhead, sunlight streamed softly down, like blankets being aired in the wind.