The Tiger at Midnight (The Tiger at Midnight Trilogy #1)(69)

Terror gripped him, and before he could think, he shoved Esha away. She went sprawling on the ground, directly in the clearing.

A look of hurt flashed over her face, hitting him in the core, but then an arrow hurtled past them, burrowing into the tree trunk.

Right behind where Esha’s head had been.

He wanted to ask if she was all right, help her, but he was out of time.

Rakesh had arrived.





Chapter 45


Esha was back on her feet in seconds.

Another arrow hurtled past her, nicking her ear and lodging itself into the thick tree behind her. She unleashed one of her whips and knocked away another arrow, the crack deafening.

Esha whirled to face the direction of the arrows, flicking the length of her whip up and out toward the noise. A moment and then a shout, deep and male. Anger rose through her throat at the intrusion.

Where had Kunal gone? She glanced back to see him hiding in the cover of the trees, his hand on his knife. It was as if he was frozen. There was recognition in his face, and beneath it, something akin to terror. But why?

She didn’t have time for this.

The intruder was far enough away that she was able to pull her whip up and bring it down sharply, the end of her weapon coiling around his ankle. He landed with a thud and Esha waited, brandishing her knife as she pulled her whip back.

The man in front of her was no more than a few years older than her, with corkscrew curls that reminded her of pigs’ tails. But he was the soldier—that much was clear from his armor. She paused, sizing him up, and he took advantage of it, scrambling into an upright position with his own thick sword waving next to him.

Now she got the full size of him and almost gulped. Lying down he had looked like a pig, but upright he was a boar. A very big one.

Was he working with Kunal? The thought left her cold.

Esha scrambled back to where Kunal hid. “Was this you, Kunal? Did you lead your friends to me?” she demanded, panic turning her fury black. Kunal started, his eyes widening in indignation.

“I came to warn you,” he whispered back in a rush.

She met his earnest gaze with ice. “You came to capture me first.”

“The legendary Viper is just a woman?” the soldier questioned loudly, his lips turning into a sneer. “And she’s running away.”

She reappeared and laughed, the coldness in her voice surprising even her. “If only you were so lucky.”

Esha had a lifetime’s worth of experience in dealing with men who underestimated her—or those who were scared by her refusal to fit their norms.

There was bravado and nothing of substance under that armor. This was the type of Jansan soldier she hated. But judging by his size and the way he held his sword, she would have to be careful.

“A woman who managed to drag you to the ground.” She smirked at him, her full Viper mask on. Kunal lingered in the corner of her vision, hidden in the brush.

For the life of her, she couldn’t figure out why he was hiding. If they were working together, he wouldn’t be standing there, frozen. Maybe he was telling the truth and had come to warn her.

Esha wasn’t too worried about this overgrown pig who had boasted of finding her. He may not think much of her, but he’d soon learn.

She was about to grin when a realization hit her like a punch to the gut, knocking the wind from her lungs.

Kunal.

She glanced at him, finally understanding the tension in his shoulders, the way he was keeping so very, very still. If he had come to warn her, and if he was caught having done so, saving the enemy, his entire career—and life—was forfeit.

One wrong move and she could damn him to a dishonored life of exile for giving her a chance to live. Her lemon boy from a summer past, when smiles still came easy to her lips and life’s opportunities seemed endless. She could kill the man, but Harun would be angry if they had an opportunity to capture and get information from a soldier and she squandered it.

And Kunal. Two soldiers for information would be better than one, and the rebels would act first and question later.

The soldier picked himself up off the ground and was moving closer to her, taking her silence as invitation to find a way to best her. She snapped her whip back and up, knocking him off his feet again and leaving a deep gash in his arm. A howl of pain erupted from him and he clutched his arm on the ground, looking at her with murder in his eyes.

Good. At least he had decided what he thought of her. Most of her opponents realized the power of her whips within seconds of engaging her; he was no different.

She had maneuvered the soldier to face away from where Kunal stood and she finally threw a look in his direction, hoping he understood the pleading in her eyes.

Go. Run. Fly away from her.

Forget what she had said; she wouldn’t have his life on her hands.

His expression remained impassive—it was clear he didn’t plan on running. It seemed like he didn’t know what to do.

She had never had a problem with people listening to her orders, until this cursed boy. He defied her at every turn, putting others first and himself last. It was an admirable trait—and a stupid one.

The soldier lunged at her and she dodged, rolling onto the ground away from him. She emerged in a crouched position, her knife held high above her head and her whip low in the other hand. He was faster than he looked, and landed a blow to her side before darting away from her whip’s reach. He eyed the metal tip with fear.