A small figure hides around the corner, pressed against the wall. Reaching back as though to scratch my side, I grab my sword and draw on our intruder.
A young woman leaps into the open, wielding no weapon except for her fists. She stomps her foot, and a vibration carries up from the ground. I stumble backward. She tries to leap over the banister, but I grab her by the tunic and spin her around.
She cannot be more than twenty. In a black tunic over trousers—a man’s attire—her unintimidating frame is lean but scrappy. Her bare feet are decorated with henna patterns, the moon phases, and her toenails are painted pomegranate.
“Princess Gemi?” Indah questions.
I let the princess go and lower my blade. “Did your father send you?”
She snorts. “No. He thinks I’m preparing for supper.”
“Your Highness,” Ashwin says, “I’m Prince Ashwin from Tarachand.”
The princess juts out her pointy chin, her wide-set eyes flat. “Aren’t you the rajah by now?”
“Formally, I cannot hold that title until I take a wife.”
“You aren’t marrying me,” the princess retorts, a hair away from a threat. “I don’t care how badly my father wants to reopen trade with the empire.”
“We’ve come for another matter.” Kali steps to Ashwin’s side, a slight movement of protection that I both admire and abhor. “I’m Kalinda.”
Princess Gemi sniffs. “You’re the two-time tournament champion? You’re thinner than a twig.”
“So I’ve been told. Do you spy on all of your visitors?”
“Only the ones I deem too dimwitted to catch me.” Princess Gemi’s attention roams to me. She has the same heavy accent as her father, dropping her r and k sounds. “I was told imperial soldiers are two tides shy of a full moon. You are . . . ?”
“Deven Naik.” I omit my military title to annoy the prince. He rewards my efforts with a scowl.
The princess swings her leg over the banister. “I’ll reserve you a seat by me at supper, Deven.” Her grin reminds me of Brac’s. And like Brac, beneath her arrogance lies steely independence. I find myself wanting to return her grin, but Princess Gemi drops into the garden and dashes off.
“She’s . . .” Kali sifts for the right word, “dynamic.”
I sheathe my khanda. “Indeed. A spirited one.”
Kali sticks me with a perturbed look. I send one back at her. The princess was abrupt, even rude, but by all appearances, harmless. I can stand bad manners over idealism. Ashwin could take a lesson in authority from the princess of the Southern Isles.
A low horn calls us to supper. Indah says the blare came from a conch shell, but it sounded like an elephant with a bad cold.
We gather on a terrace overlooking the cove. Moonlight silvers the water, and a breeze rustles the canopy. Star-shaped yellow flowers grow along the path, their bright petals splashes of light outside the glow of the chandelier lamp. The datu waves for us to occupy the table. Kali and Prince Ashwin take chairs near him, and I sit between the princess and Ambassador Chitt.
“Gemi,” the datu says, “you didn’t have time to change before our meal with our guests?”
She still wears a black tunic and trousers. I have never seen a woman wear a man’s clothes before. My mother would be beside herself to put the princess in a skirt.
“My apologies, Father.” Her response is exceptionally uncontrite, but he lets her alone.
Explosions sound behind me. I swivel around to look at seawater bursting up from the cove, geysers lit by flames of deep red and vibrant yellow. The plumes fan out in rows, and the fire follows, illuminating the streams.
“How did you . . . ?” Kali trails off in amazement.
“Aquifiers enchant the water to shoot into the sky, and Burners throw their fire behind the fountains for light,” the datu replies. “We perform this exhibit for honored guests and hope you will enjoy it.”
The jets of water dance in practiced patterns and varying heights, gradually building to a finale. Countless fountains gush to the sky, lit by a rainbow of fire. Then all at once, it is done.
Prince Ashwin is the first to applaud. “Spectacular.”
I join in, impressed, if not also confused. Anu gave bhutas their abilities to guide mankind onto a path of virtue. Is entertaining supper guests the best use of their powers? Kali holds herself close, chilled by the night, and frowns.
Servants bring plates of spiced fish. I sample a bite and wrinkle my nose, then chase the food away with a drink of coconut water. Down the table, Kali watches me, her own plate untouched. Her eyes shine with humor. Neither of us likes the briny flavor.
“Prince Ashwin, I must know, why did you release the Voider?” The datu’s direct question draws our attention to the prince. Indah and Admiral Rimba dine across the way. Natesa and Yatin are eating in their chamber. “Indah told me what happened, but I’d like to hear your explanation.”
Kali responds for Ashwin. “The sultan’s vizier began the incantation. He intended to use the Voider’s power to enslave bhutas and overthrow the empire.”
“And yet the demon has still come to reap revenge on the world.” The datu relaxes into his high-backed chair, his attention sharpening on Ashwin. “Tell me why I shouldn’t tie a millstone to your neck and drown you in the depths of the sea?”
Finally, someone who sides with me! Prince Ashwin’s panicky gaze seeks me out to defend him. I scoop another bite of food. Fishy flavor aside, this is the most amusing supper I have had in a long while.
Ashwin grimaces. “My heart’s wish is to regain my imperial city and palace. I didn’t know the Voider would come disguised as Rajah Tarek.”
Datu Bulan drums his fingertips against the table. “Agency is not only what we do but why. What else did your heart’s wish entail?”
After a strained pause, Prince Ashwin replies, “I wished to return to my palace.”
“And wed the kindred?”
Kali chokes on her drink and turns to the side to cough.
“We aren’t officially betrothed,” Ashwin replies.
My brows shoot up to my hairline. What in the gods’ names does that mean? The answer is either yes or no. Kali continues to clear her throat. The prince does not clarify, leaving the datu to presume what he will about him and Kali.
“How do you intend to win back your palace?” Bulan challenges. “Voider aside, the bhuta warlord will not withdraw.”
Kali jumps back into the conversation. “Once we regain our army, we’ll unseat Hastin. But we cannot do that without your aid.”
The datu slips his hand down the front of his tunic, over his heart. While he thinks, he scrutinizes Kali and Ashwin. Does he also notice how close they are sitting together? At last, he voices his verdict. “You have use of my navy.”
“How will your fleet reach Vanhi?” Prince Ashwin asks.
Princess Gemi adds her thoughts to the mix. “We could reach out to the Paljorians.”