Tiger's Promise (5 page)

Lokesh’s eyes sparkled. “Kishan. May I call you that?” My father didn’t wait for approval
but continued. “I can assure you that the recent”—he paused—“small scuffles between
our troops, as trivial as they are, have indeed been on my mind. The fact that our
two realms have been set at odds pains me, and I feel I must attempt to persuade you
that I have in no way been the instigator of such treacherous acts.”

The stranger said nothing, but his fists tightened, and the muscles in his arms flexed.
He clearly didn’t believe the lies spilling from my father’s lips, at least not completely.
I wasn’t sure what it was Lokesh had been doing in all of his secret campaigns, but
it was now clear that he had malicious aims regarding this young man and his family.
The fear I felt for him almost choked me. My body shook and my breathing became ragged.

“No, Kishan. My purpose tonight is to put an end to any discontent and build a bridge
between our people.”

“And how do you propose we do that?” the stranger asked.

Taking a step forward and raising his hand in such a way as to appear supplicating
to the outsider, but was obviously threatening from my perspective, he said, “By creating
an alliance between our families.”

Four

I couldn’t help it and let out a soft, involuntary gasp. Fortunately, neither my father
nor the young man noticed it over the sounds of the flowing fountain.

“What do you mean?” the handsome man asked. He was right to be suspicious. Whatever
my father was planning would not bode well for anyone involved.

Lokesh turned and approached the water fountain. Allowing the stream to run over his
fingertips, he queried, “You are, of course, aware of the king’s announcement tonight?”

“That your daughter is now eligible for marriage? What of it?”

A part of me was hurt by the young man’s remark. I rationalized it by reminding myself
that I wasn’t looking for a suitor anyway. That the best thing for me and Isha was
if I married a man who lived far away from my father. Far enough away that I could
escape. Such a thing would be easy with the King from Mahabalipuram, but I suspected
that leaving a man like this stranger would prove far more difficult. Still, to hear
of his indifference to me was a blow to my feminine pride.

I’d always known that I was beautiful. Isha told me as much daily, and I’d garnered
enough attention from the men surrounding our home as to be confident in my appearance,
but for the first time in my life, I felt…unappealing. The idea that the young man
that I found so very fascinating had no interest in me whatsoever stung.

My father went on. “You may be unaware of this, but the announcement tonight was unplanned.
The king intends to use my daughter to further his reach, and as she is the only connection
I have remaining to my beloved, late wife, you may understand that the declaration
regarding her eligibility for marriage has caused me some concern.”

I narrowed my eyes at the mention of my mother. Isha had shared her suspicions regarding
my mother’s death long ago. She told me that my mother didn’t die in childbirth as
my father led everyone to believe. Her friend, the midwife who delivered me, had spoken
to Isha just hours after I was born and reported that both mother and daughter were
healthy.

When Isha’s friend went back to check on me and my mother, my mother’s death was announced
and the midwife disappeared. Isha believed wholeheartedly that my father had both
women disposed of. Having seen his temper firsthand, I didn’t doubt he was capable
of the feat. If I thought killing him was a possibility, I would have done it myself,
long ago. The handsome man spoke, distracting me from my thoughts of revenge.

“What does this have to do with me?” the stranger asked.

My father ran his fingertips back and forth in the water, and I noticed that all the
fish disappeared. No longer supplicating, they quickly retreated to the far reaches
of the pond.
Had they sensed something when my father touched the water
? I wondered.
Or perhaps he used his power somehow to make them retreat
. I bit my lip, so intent on the next words my father uttered that I could barely
breathe.

“I thought we might come to a mutually beneficial arrangement.”

“Such as?”

“Your elder brother, Dhiren, is it? I have heard that he has not as yet taken a bride.”

“He’s still young. Besides, he’s been too busy defending our lands from your…small
skirmishes.”

My father glanced briefly at the stranger, his lips curved slightly at the man’s remark.
“Wouldn’t it be better,” Lokesh asked with a wily smile, “if your brother could return
to his duties at home? Forget war and disputes over territory and settle down to be
the emperor he is destined to become? With the proper queen at his side, he could
take his rightful place. Sire sons to reign in his stead.”

“Let me guess. You’d want your daughter to be the queen.”

“She is beautiful. Obedient. Demure. What’s more, her dowry is backed by the king.”
He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “And, just between the two of us, with my
daughter on the throne, I would be satisfied that my grandchildren would someday rule
both kingdoms. The meaningless squabbles over territory would cease, and both of our
kingdoms could flourish in a mutually satisfactory way.”

The young man rubbed his jaw, and I heard the scrape of stubble on his cheek. I wanted
to shout, to scream at him not to heed my father’s words. That Lokesh never kept his
promises. That even staying here listening to him was dangerous. But I said nothing
and wrung my invisible hands, desperate to hear about this future he planned for me.
The fact that Lokesh wouldn’t allow the king to marry me off to someone of his choosing
wasn’t surprising, but I’d allowed a small sliver of hope to grow, and as I’d expected,
my father had snuffed it out before even an evening had passed.

Then my devious parent added, “Surely, at that point you might be freed to pursue
your own goals. Perhaps you can find a wife with enough riches to enable you to purchase
a small freehold of your own. Obviously, as the second son, you would be given a portion
of your father’s wealth to establish yourself. With enough of a start, you might even
do well. You’d never be able to keep up with your brother, of course, but there’s
no shame in being second best. And I’m sure my daughter’s royal children would enjoy
meeting their uncle should he deign to visit from time to time.”

As Lokesh continued, the young man’s back straightened even more. His fury was obvious.
I knew it and my father knew it. Manipulation was one of his skills, and the only
way to circumvent it was to pretend that nothing he said affected you. Again, I found
that I wanted to rise to the young man’s defense, but there wasn’t anything I could
do. My father had maneuvered his layers of manipulation around the man as deftly as
a snake, and I could almost hear the sound of the handsome stranger’s ego being bruised
as the coils tightened.

“You understand that I feel a great fatherly affection toward my daughter. It is imperative
to me that I keep her close by. Our lands border each other. Because of that, I am
willing to negotiate a betrothal on behalf of our king, but make no mistake, should
my generous offer be rejected, I will have no choice but to escalate the hostilities
between our peoples.”

“And you feel comfortable housing your daughter with your so-called enemies?”

Lokesh’s tongue darted over his lips. “I have every confidence that you will treat
her with the honor and respect she deserves.”

I could have laughed. There was no enemy more dangerous to my well-being than the
very man who professed to feel “fatherly affection” for me.

The young man called Kishan turned his back to my father, which meant he was facing
me. In fact, he was only a few inches away. A myriad of emotions crossed his face
as he considered my father’s words. I wanted to reach up and stroke the tip of my
finger across his brow, to smooth out the wrinkles and ease the discomfort my father
had caused him. Finally, he said, “I will pass along your proposal to my parents.
We will send our reply by courier within a fortnight.”

My father lowered his head in a gesture of feigned good will. “May your horses be
swift.”

Kishan took his leave then and Lokesh watched him go. Silence descended on the garden.
Every creeping thing was still. Even the wind had died down. My breathing suddenly
seemed too loud. I swiped at my overheated brow and willed my invisible legs to stop
aching. Raising his hands, Lokesh channeled his power, an act I’d rarely witnessed.
The water in the fountain snapped and froze as hoary ice soon covered every inch of
the path’s stony surface.

He whipped his arms in the air, and a stiff wind tore through the garden, ripping
delicate flowers from their stems and breaking limbs from the trees. Then he lifted
his arms and the ground shook, the frozen fountain cracked, and I stumbled and fell.
I bit my tongue hard rather than cry out. Thrusting out his open hands, blue sparks
shot from his fingertips and blackened the trunk of a nearby tree. Clenching his fists,
he snuffed the power out, and with a determined stride, he left the garden, heading
down a different set of steps than the ones I’d used.

I waited a long time before heading back to my sleeping chamber, and once I did, I
carefully washed my feet and climbed into bed, but sleep eluded me. Instead, I stared
at the filmy material draped over my bed and prepared myself for the morning to come.

When daylight found my chamber, I waited for my father to come collect me. I’d expected
him to appear immediately, but as the morning hours passed and not even a maid came
to my chamber, I ventured out. I didn’t find anyone, guest or servant, until I entered
the great hall, and when I did, the one who sought me out was not my father nor his
right-hand man, Hajari, but King Devanand, my would-be suitor from Mahabalipuram.

“Oh, my dear. This is tragic. Tragic news indeed.”

“What is it?” I asked him as I adjusted the veil more tightly about my face. “What
has happened?”

“Have you not heard?”

I shook my head in response.

“The king has been murdered.”

“Is…is it possible?” I asked, suspicion already filling my mind. “How did he die?
Was the villain discovered?”

“Not as yet. Your father is investigating.”

“I see.”

“At first, it was believed he simply expired in his sleep, but as the women tended
to him, his nightshirt fell open. That’s when they saw the black marks on his chest
near his heart.”

“Black marks?”

“Yes. The area surrounding his heart was burned, but the blackened skin was not enough
to kill him. Still, it is enough proof to raise suspicion.”

“I see. What is happening now? Where is my father?”

“He is organizing the troops. They are to defend the kingdom until such time as a
new king has been established. He worries that a usurper may try to take the throne,
and he does not wish that to happen.”

“Of course.”

He patted my hand. “Unfortunately, this means there will be no plans made at this
time regarding your future. You should know, though, that I have made my intentions
very clear to your father. He assured me that I would be among the first to know when
everything settles down. Until that time, all the guests are to return as quietly
as possible to their own domains.”

“I understand.”

“Ah. There’s your father’s man. I’ll leave you in his care then. Until we meet again,
lovely lady.”

The king squeezed my hand and reluctantly gave me over to Hajari, who took my arm
in a bruising grip. “Where have you been?” he hissed in my ear.

“No one came to collect me this morning,” I replied coldly.

“Your father is waiting for you. Come.”

He dragged me down the hall and through several passageways, relishing the opportunity
to show me he was in charge, though both of us knew it was only temporary. Sure enough,
his demeanor entirely changed the moment we entered the room where my father sat surrounded
by the late king’s advisors. When he saw me, he dismissed the group.

“Did you sleep well, my dear?” he inquired politely as the last of the men left and
closed the door behind them.

“Yes, Father,” I answered with my gaze trained on his feet.

“I suppose you heard of the king’s demise,” he said, and from his tone, I couldn’t
tell if he meant it as a question or a statement. I decided it was best to say nothing.

He waited for a few seconds and then confirmed what I already suspected. “Tragic,
isn’t it? Of course, you are aware of what this might mean for you.”

“That I’m not to be married after all?” I ventured quietly.

“Oh, you will be married, Yesubai, but not to the geriatric king you so obviously
prefer.” He turned away and strode back to the king’s table, where a large map was
spread out. He picked up a figurine of a warrior on the back of an elephant and moved
it to another location across a heavy black line drawn upon the map. The territory
was marked with the word Rajaram. I glanced away before he looked up at me again.

“You should be happy,” he said. “My intention is that you marry someone much younger.
And then, once you are a queen and a little time has passed, I’ll expect you to kill
him.” Startled, I looked up and found him peering at me, a devilish gleam in his eye.
“To see that you fulfil your part in this little drama, I’ll be keeping Isha within
arm’s length. Do you understand my expectations?” he finished.

After I blinked the moisture from my eyes, I nodded slightly and answered, “Yes, Father.”

“Very good. You may leave. We will be residing here until the proper arrangements
are made for your betrothal.”

—

It took all of a month for my father to
reluctantly
ascend to the throne. He kept Isha away from me to insure my compliance. The maids
assigned to me were efficient but cold, and Hajari became a constant at my side. Not
once did he let me out of his sight. My room was considered too easy to escape and
new quarters were assigned to me. There was only one door in and out of my new chamber,
and since the dignitaries had all been sent packing, my father was content to leave
me there.

My meals were brought in, and I was permitted one walk of the grounds per day and
that was only if Hajari was with me. Since I knew being alone with Hajari would only
result in a probable assault on my person, I determined that staying in my room was
preferable. Without Isha, the only friendly face in my very limited world, I despaired.
Food lost its appeal, and I kept the heavy curtains drawn over my barred window.

Then an invitation arrived. The Rajaram family had considered my father’s offer despite
the unveiled threats behind it, and the queen herself said she would like to meet
me to ascertain if I would be a good match for her son. My father was thrilled at
the prospect. He had been distracted with the duties of running the kingdom, but when
the courier arrived, he couldn’t wait to share the news and had me brought to him
immediately. He wasn’t pleased with my appearance.