“Vultures?”
“The king’s newest method of execution.” There was an undercurrent of fear in the man’s words that Kunal recognized. He’d heard it before while traveling up Jansa.
“As for us, we’ve lost our travel caravan at the last rest stop and have been trying to catch up. Have you seen it?” Esha took a deliberate bite of her mango, her tone light.
The man shook his head but then paused. “There was a private, armored one I passed a day ago. Wealthy merchants, by the looks of it.” He glanced between them, and a crinkle appeared in his brow. He’d probably realized that the two of them looked nothing alike.
Kunal stood up, letting the wheel fall with a thud.
“Fixed,” he said. The fruit seller blinked a few times before beaming.
“Thank you, my son. I have been struggling with this cart for a day, and my back is aching.” The older man placed a hand over Kunal’s head in blessing, as Kunal pressed four fingers to his heart and bowed. “I hope you find your caravan.”
Kunal nodded as Esha rushed to help the man back into his cart. They waved off the fruit seller, making sure he was safely down the road before turning to face each other.
“An armored caravan. It’s got to be the king’s royal caravan,” Esha said.
“Agreed. It’s possible we’re not the only ones who know of this. It’ll be best to be on alert and devise a plan. We could trail the caravan, find them in the next town, and create a diversion—”
“Already have a plan,” Esha said. She slung her bow across her chest and fixed her uttariya. From it, she drew a small pin, one of a Fort soldier, and presented it to Kunal. “I nicked it off Amir before I knocked him out.”
Kunal shook his head, though he couldn’t help but smile.
“Lead the way.”
It took Esha only a minute to realize the caravan wasn’t a caravan at all.
She edged slightly to the right to get a better look. She recognized a military chariot when she saw one, having helped Harun design a few. This one was designed to transport important goods quickly, unlike the plodding tread of a caravan.
Esha cursed under her breath. Her plan was useless now, if that was the case.
But maybe the wheels . . .
She bit her lip, shifting her head to squint at the two rows of soldiers that surrounded the chariot. It had come to a stop in a well-covered part of the nearby jungle, close enough to the path to escape, but surrounded by trees so no one could take them by surprise.
A few steps forward, and the first line of soldiers would be in her line of fire. Two shots, two soldiers down. Kunal shook his head at her, as if he could read her thoughts.
He really was no fun.
Esha decided to concede this one to him and changed the aim of her bow. Two soldiers down would make her happy, but it would alert the others to their presence. However, she might be able to create a distraction.
She raised a hand in signal to Kunal, pointing at the wheels and then her eyes. He furrowed his brow, concentrating as he used his eyesight to narrow in on the wheels, a power of his that Esha was getting rather used to. Kunal’s brow relaxed, and he nodded at her, drawing a wheel in the air and pointing at the bottom two spokes. She returned the nod, readjusting her bow and focusing in.
It was . . . pleasant. Having a partner, someone to watch her back. A small part of her still wondered, worried, how much she could really trust a soldier who had turned. A bigger part of her realized how unfair that was.
She focused, taking aim and drawing her bowstring taut. Esha let the arrow loose, her gaze unwavering as it sailed through the air and hit the bottom spoke. A sharp crack punctuated the air as the wheel broke off and the entire chariot pitched forward, landing heavily into the dirt.
The commotion came from the driver and the foot soldiers, who reacted as most people might—with confusion and annoyance. The Senaps reacted as she expected. Within seconds their bows were drawn, their swords at the ready.
The chariot driver got down from his perch and waved at one of the Senaps, who came over to help inspect the wheel. Esha could make out only the faint notes of conversation, but from the way Kunal was cocking his ear he could understand what they were saying.
Two of the Senaps, both wearing jeweled armbands, signaled at the others to move.
“He’s assigning them off in twos to patrol the perimeter. Basic protocol—I don’t think they suspect anything,” Kunal whispered.
“But they will, once they find the arrow,” she said.
He nodded. “Once they find the arrow, they’ll lock down the surroundings and encircle the caravan. Naria herself would find it difficult to get through that shield maneuver. Our best bet is to distract the two guards before that happens.”
Esha turned to Kunal, pulling out the pin she had nicked off Amir. She undid the clasp and pinned it to the waist sash of Kunal.
“It’ll have to be you,” she said.
“Makes sense. I’m not sure these soldiers will be so kind happening upon a girl in the jungle.” He flashed her a wicked grin.
“Oh? Because you were so kind?” She tilted her chin at him as he leaned in.
“Kind might not be the right word. . . .”
He leaned in for a kiss, and she let him get closer until the last second, when she pulled away, tapping a finger to his lips.
“Mission first. Think of it as a reward,” she said before she tossed a wink at him and climbed down the tree.
Chapter 2
Kunal blinked into the midday sun. He wiped his hands on his dhoti and adjusted his armband, making sure it faced outward at the right angle to show off the jewels that indicated he was a Senap. It fit the bronze armor he now wore, which Esha had made sure to pack.
A cold sweat dripped down his back, and his hands were clammy. He hated lying. He had no idea how Esha did it so easily. Kunal pushed into the clearing where the caravan and the Senaps waited, coming face-to-face with the arrow points of two spears.
He immediately threw his hands up, taking quick account of the scene before him. Sun Maiden’s spear, he hadn’t even noticed them from his spot in the trees. They must have been hidden in the shadows.
Kunal did a quick count in his head. Two Senaps in front with spears and the two before with the swords. Which meant that they were following standard procedure for high security. But if Kunal remembered correctly, there would be four pairs of two soldiers with this procedure. . . .
One of the soldiers jabbed his spear forward again, and Kunal didn’t have much time to linger on this realization, quickly deciding Esha could handle it.
As he looked at the soldiers before him, their expressions suspicious, their spears unmoving despite glances to his armor and armband, Kunal decided he was rather more worried for himself.
Esha crept along the edge of the road, hidden by the half-cast shadows of the approaching sunset.
Two soldiers were checking the jungle to the west of the caravan. She’d have to split them up. The shorter soldier kept looking over his shoulder, as if to make sure the other hadn’t gotten lost. He had to be the more senior of the two.
She crouched low, grinding her sandals into the dirt to remove any trace of her footprints, and thumped the tree trunk behind her before darting out of the way.
The taller soldier stilled and then tapped the shoulder of the other, tilting his head in her direction. They crept over, their bows drawn, hands on their knife hilts.