The Library of Fates(17)

“That’s quite a reaction,” Mala said. “I hope you haven’t been up to mischief.” She placed a tray with chai and warm biscuits on my bedside table. I looked around the room. Arjun was gone.

A single magenta hibiscus bloomed from a glass vial. I touched its petals, trying to distract myself from thoughts of him.

“Why would I be up to mischief?” I mumbled, my face reddening as I discreetly glanced around my chambers. Just then, my fingers discovered a loose scrap of parchment under my pillow. I pulled it into my fist, watching Mala as she buzzed around the room like a hummingbird.

“It’s a busy day today. Breakfast with His Majesty’s guests, a tiger hunt, a banquet at the end of the night. Several dress changes, sorry to say.” I watched as Mala began to lay out my clothes for the day, scouring my wardrobe, pulling forth tunics and lenghas and saris and scarves.

Normally, I would have expressed annoyance, but today, I simply watched Mala as she zigzagged around my chambers, grabbing a bangle from a jewelry box, a pair of shoes from my wardrobe.

I thought of how Mala had cared for me since I was a child, waking me up every morning before breakfast. Feeding me slices of guava when I was hungry. Telling me stories. Combing my hair. Laying out my clothes. Making sure that I was on time to things. Scolding me when Arjun and I ran out in the rain without our shoes. Hugging me whenever I made her proud. These were only a few of the things Mala did for me.

“Come now, why are you still sitting? Let’s run you a bath.”

But all of a sudden, my eyes were filled with tears, and I was overwhelmed by the realization that I was leaving home and that Mala wasn’t coming with me.

Neither were Bandaka and Shree, Arjun’s parents. Nor were the hundred or so people who inhabited and operated what was practically a village within the palace compound: guards and cooks, gardeners and medicine men, ladies-in-waiting and council members. Even a zookeeper for the palace zoo that had been built at my great-grandmother’s insistence. These people were my family, and Shalingar Palace was my home. And then there was my father. Whether I was leaving with Sikander or Arjun, I would probably never see any of them ever again.

Another thought crossed my mind: What would happen to all of these people, my family, if Arjun and I ran away? Would our transgression put their lives at risk as well?

“What now, girl? I don’t have time for your tears today,” Mala said sternly. But she glanced at me a second time, and I could see her soften. She sighed and sat down at the edge of my bed.

“It’s scary and unnerving, I know. Leaving home, leaving Shalingar. Their customs are different, their way of life. Still, you’ll come visit. And Master Arjun will be in Macedon for his military training. And I suspect your father’ll take some trips to Macedon too, now that you’re to be there.”

I nodded, but now a torrent of tears was running down my face. I hated that I was keeping things from Mala. I never kept anything from her.

“Girl, this is going to be hard for you to understand since you grew up in a palace, everyone giving you exactly what you wanted the moment the thought of it fell into your head. You’ve had a charmed and blessed life. Nothing but fortune. I used to worry that that kind of pampering would make you soft. But you’re not soft. You’re braver, fiercer, smarter than you think. Use those parts of yourself and you’ll never blame anyone else for the conditions of your life. It’ll be your own, no matter what happens, no matter who you’re married to or where you are. No matter what anyone says.”

I nodded, wiping away my tears. I felt the urge to tell Mala what Arjun and I had discussed last night. I wanted to tell her that I was in love, but I knew I couldn’t, so I simply hugged her as tight as I could.

Mala squeezed me back before she got up again. “No time to dawdle now. What’s this?” she said, lifting up Arjun’s sock from the floor.

I opened my mouth to say something, my heart racing, but just then Mala drew the curtains open. Bright sunlight poured into my bedroom. She pressed a palm to the window and put down the sock, bringing her hand up to her mouth. “What the—”

I scrambled behind her. The sight outside my window made me dizzy with panic. A loose zebra, running across the grounds.

“How did it . . . ?” Mala began. “Someone must have let it out of the zoo.”

I felt a cold stab of fear in my heart as I thought about Thala’s prophecy.

Mala shook her head, but her eyes remained fixed on the grounds below. “Nothing but commotion today. Look.” She pointed at the guards scurrying after the zebra. “What a nuisance. And when we’re already stretched thin dealing with guests. Something about the alignment of the stars today . . .”

“What do you mean?”

“We just learned about some strange activity on the western border, possibly a tribal war. We’ve sent a convoy, some intermediaries. I tell you, when trouble comes, it doesn’t leave till it’s done its full work. And the council’s been up all night in the Map Chamber. They’re still at it; God knows what they’re discussing in there . . .”

But I was already tossing on my robe and fleeing out the door, running as fast as I could down the corridor before she could finish.





Nine



“I’M SORRY to be disrupting your meeting, but there’s something you need to know!” My face gleamed with a sheen of sweat, and my voice came out a mangled scream. I cringed at the desperate sound that echoed across the chamber.