Chapter 8
A few nights later, Jagdish sat in a hot bath to let his sore muscles soak, trying his best to not fall asleep and drown. There was no form of fatigue greater than the kind felt after days of battle. It was as if one’s body was a rag that just kept soaking up excitement and terror, and that rag got wrung out over and over again. It was the most profound kind of exhaustion that could be experienced.
After most of his battles he’d been lucky if there had been a water bucket to scrub some of the blood and filth off his face and hands, some moldy naan to eat, and a place to throw his bedroll on the hard ground to sleep. Being able to ride back to an estate, where grooms cared for his horse, armorers maintained his equipment, and cooks prepared him a fine meal, before he went to sleep in a real bed, was far nicer than being a regular soldier. The old saying really was true: a phontho’s bathhouse was a palace compared to a nayak’s barracks.
Only Jagdish wasn’t the sort to forget where he came from, and tomorrow he’d be back among the men, leading from the front like a real warrior should. But for now, his battle was won…so he’d sit and soak and ache and worry about nothing.
The curtain was thrown open so suddenly that he reflexively reached for the sheathed sword that was resting next to the tub.
“The hero has returned from winning glorious victory for Vadal!”
“Lady Shakti!” Jagdish relaxed when he realized it wasn’t a Sarnobat assassin sent to murder him—but only a bit, for though their marriage had been arranged, the official ceremony hadn’t been performed yet. Being accused of stealing the virtue of a high-status woman could get a man killed just as easily as a battle. He did his best to cover his nakedness with his hands. “You can’t be here.”
Shakti was a beautiful young woman, but did not care much for propriety or tradition, so she waved one lovely hand dismissively. “Don’t worry, Jagdish. I’ve got a fine excuse to be visiting your border estate: I’m on official business delivering a message of congratulations from the eastern command to their triumphant phontho.” She held up a letter with a blue-wax seal and waved it at him. “See?”
“Do you often deliver letters our caste’s commanders while they’re in the bath?”
“No, this is a rare treat. Only your bodyguard knows, and Zaheer doesn’t strike me as the gossipy sort. My bodyguards are waiting downstairs, and they’ve seen me visit you in more inappropriate places than this. There will be no scandal.”
His betrothed had a tendency to only see things from a political perspective, which was simultaneously a gift and a curse. “I’m not worried about rumors, Shakti. There’s been far worse things spread around about me than being a womanizer, but I really don’t want your father to take offense.”
She openly scoffed at that. “Oh, father’s dueling years are far behind him.”
“Gotama’s still got some damned good duelists in his army he could order to serve as his proxy.”
Like everything else about her, Shakti’s laugh was pretty. “You fought the scourge and stood beneath the pillar of fire together. My father loves you like a son, and he’s happy enough to finally find someone to marry off his most troublesome daughter to that he’d overlook far worse indiscretions than this.”
Jagdish grinned. “Is that an invitation for further and worse indiscretions, then?”
She remained a polite distance away…well, polite by Shakti’s standards. She really shouldn’t have been in the same building without a chaperone, let alone in this kind of compromising situation. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, warrior. As the old worker saying goes, nobody pays for a goat if they are already getting free cheese.”
“Workers can be very wise.”
“Exactly. We have a marriage arrangement to honor. I’d hate to upset the arbiters who worked so hard on it.”
They both knew that was a lie. She’d drawn the contract up herself, and then coerced an arbiter into putting his stamp on it. Theirs was an odd arrangement. She had sabotaged every previous attempt by their house to arrange a marriage for her and decided on Jagdish instead. It was rare a woman of her high status picked out her own husband, and rarer still that one this astute would choose a man burdened with such a perilous future.
“I would never dream of upsetting the delicate sensibilities of the first caste.”
“That’s my Jagdish. A gentleman and a war hero.”
“I’m no hero, just a soldier fulfilling my obligation, same as any of my men…” He groaned as he leaned back in the tub, as his body was covered in bruises. He’d not been very good at staying away from danger as a proper phontho should, but what kind of warrior wasn’t tempted to join a good fight? “I’ll admit this has been a fine week for the armies of Great House Vadal. So, after this victory, do you think Thakoor Harta is more or less likely to blame his illegal war entirely on me?”
“That’s a good question. You blackened Sarnobat’s eye and, between you and my father, captured over a thousand prisoners for us to ransom back. We both know Harta’s true goal is to get us a new ancestor blade, which sadly Sarnobat has been wise enough to hold back and not risk.” She picked a robe off a hook on the wall and threw it at Jagdish. “Cover yourself, before you endanger my virtue, knave.”
He caught the robe and hid his nakedness as best as he could as he climbed out of the water. They were both of the warrior caste, which was by its very nature pragmatic in its sensibilities—that couldn’t be avoided when most of their caste grew up with very little privacy in the humble barracks of their various military districts—but it really was the polite thing to do. Shakti had been spared such indignities in her youth, because she had been born into a high-status officer family. Jagdish had blundered into this opulence through sheer stubbornness.
“I’ve been trying my damnedest to annoy Sarnobat into sending their bearer to fight, but they’ve not bitten yet. For a moment I thought I had him, but that one just turned out to be a lunatic.” Jagdish had nearly forgotten about Najmul, who was currently chained to a wall. He’d have to figure out what to do with that one eventually.
“If you win enough victories, Sarnobat will have no choice.” She gave Jagdish an appraising look as he dried off, and he hoped that meant she was pleased that the warrior she’d picked to be her husband by his reputation alone had also turned out to be a rather fit and handsome man, but then Shakti quickly returned to her true passion, politicking. “In normal times this would be a fine strategy, as their first caste would grow tired of the embarrassment of suffering an endless string of defeats and demand greater action from their warrior caste. Their bearer would have no choice but to fight, or else his entire house would lose face. It would be a race between their pride and the Capitol’s greed. Because once the Capitol grew tired enough of the cost of the war and its interruption of trade and taxes, they’d dispatch the Protectors under the guise of enforcing the Law, to execute those guilty of starting it.”
“Which is when Harta will give the Protectors me.”
“Of course. Protectors always have to execute somebody. It’s what they do. House war is illegal, but Protectors can’t go around punishing Thakoors. They’re too important and executing them brings too many complications. That’s unseemly. Harta will need a high-ranking commander to blame.”
“He already despises me. Convenient.”
“Indeed,” Shakti agreed, which didn’t help. “You also have a reputation for ambition, and a dangerous carelessness toward obeying the exact specifications of the Law, so the judges will have no problem believing you are at fault. After tales of your accomplishments grew into legend, your promotion rallied the troops, but simultaneously gave Harta someone perfect to blame for a war he intended to start anyway. Regardless of the outcome, Harta gets something he wants. I simply marvel at his foresight. Our Thakoor is truly brilliant at this.”
Jagdish had to chuckle at the absurdity of his situation. “I’m not fond of the part where I’m hanged for his crimes, but other than that I suppose he’s done well by our house.”
“If a lesser man were running Vadal, after losing our sword and dignity as suddenly as we did, we’d already be occupied by all our neighbors and they’d be carving up our power, as we begged for the Capitol to save us.”
“Fair…” Jagdish would just have to take her word for it. By background and training he was a common soldier, unused to the courtly machinations of phontho-status warriors. “You said ‘in normal times’—I assume what makes things different now is the challenge presented by Devedas. Last I heard, the Capitol’s new Army of Many Houses remains camped near Red Lake, supposedly offering aid for a crisis that’s already passed.”
“They’re still there, and no one in the Vadal City courts believes the Capitol’s claims that Devedas was sent here to fight the scourge.”
Jagdish shuddered as he remembered the horror of that day, as endless waves of tiny demons shredded everything in their path. It had been the most terrifying moment of his life, being helpless before such a threat. “The scourge makes for a convenient excuse, but even if mighty Devedas and his great Capitol army had arrived immediately, they would’ve just been more fodder for that demonic plague. There was no stopping those things by regular means.”
Shakti hadn’t been there, but she’d heard both Jagdish and Gotama tell the tale many times. “Father said ten thousand spearmen wouldn’t have even slowed them down. The pillar of fire saved us, but it’s unfortunate that it was so big it could be seen all the way in the Capitol.”
“Trust me, it was even more impressive standing directly under it.” Jagdish went to a side table, retrieved a bottle, pulled the cork, and poured them both a glass of wine. A phontho’s wine was a quality drink and he got as much as he asked for. As a risalder he’d been lucky to get a ticket for a watery ration of beer. Even if Harta intended to sacrifice him to the Protectors, Jagdish would at least live well until then!
“Regardless, Jagdish, my understanding is that fiery display was so shocking that it frightened the judges. It was the catalyst for factions within the Capitol to make moves to seize more power for themselves. I believe this is what has sent this new Raja—as they’re calling Devedas now—to Vadal’s doorstep.”
Jagdish went over and offered her the glass of wine. “Do you think this will turn out for good or ill?”
“A mystery. Vadal politics I know well. The Capitol is an unfamiliar country to me. But there’s something strange going on there—rumors of mass arrests, out-of-control Inquisitors, and judges who are absent or oddly silent about such tyranny. I fear there’s a darkness growing in the desert.” Their fingers touched when she took her glass of wine, and she lingered for just a bit too long before moving her hand away.
Luck had been on Jagdish’s side for his first arranged marriage. Even though marrying a disgraced warrior to a woman of the worker caste had been meant as an insult, he’d quickly come to love Pakpa with all his heart. He still missed her every single day. Though he suspected Pakpa would approve of him marrying Shakti—especially since Shakti was so good with their daughter, Pari—their flirtations still made Jagdish feel as if he was being unfaithful to his first wife. Even though logically a man couldn’t be married to a ghost, and the Law-abiding didn’t believe in ghosts anyway…It was what it was.
Jagdish sighed. “The seasons pass too slowly.”
“Our wedding date is set. Spring is nearly upon us.”
In Vadal, spring brought the monsoons, and mud made it logistically difficult to conduct war. Especially in the eastern borderlands, where in the months of Chaitra and Vaisakha they’d sometimes get flash floods sufficient to drown an elephant. Thus spring was the most appropriate time for a commander to take time away from his duties, so that was when they would be wed.
The delay had been necessary, for there was no way to handle an event of this magnitude and complexity quickly. If it had been up to him, they’d have just had an arbiter make the pronouncement on behalf of the Law and then get on with life. But, Jagdish’s newfound status and the historical greatness of Shakti’s family demanded an appropriately large celebration, with feasts and dancing for hundreds of guests, over several days of celebration. Since he’d had a campaign to run, Jagdish had paid very little attention to her plans, which was just as well, because he wouldn’t know what to do anyway, and Shakti had a rather specific vision.
“So, did you invite Harta to the wedding?”
“I sent him an invitation, yes.”
Jagdish nearly spit out his wine. “What? You’re serious.”
“Of course I invited him, silly. It’s a good thing you’ve got me to think of these things for you now! The people believe you’re Harta’s chosen hero, the one he secretly sent in pursuit of the Black Heart. My father is an important man and you’re currently the most famous warrior in Vadal. To not invite our Thakoor would be seen as disrespectful. Harta will acknowledge our invitation, otherwise it would be seen as an insult to our entire caste, but don’t worry, he’ll certainly have some important duties calling him elsewhere and be unable to attend. No offense is given. Everyone is happy. Our family gains prestige.”
“Will this extra prestige make it harder for the Protectors to execute me later?”
“Probably not. Harta would just declare that decision was out of his hands, but a personal connection between the two of you would make the event seem far more tragic and make your supporters sympathetic to him. As I’ve often said, Harta is very good at making the best out of any outcome.”
Shakti truly was a political animal. “It sounds like you should have married Harta.”
Now it was her turn to smirk. “He’s not my type. I prefer a challenge. Someone that conniving doesn’t need someone like me.” Shakti poked him in the chest. “You—my honest and honorable warrior who always tries to do the right thing—really need someone like me. I’ll help you maneuver through these courtly obstacles, and after you are made head of the warrior caste for all of Great House Vadal, we will look back at this time and laugh.”
Jagdish snorted. “You are a baffling woman.”
“Besides, Harta was already taken. I’m joking, Jagdish. I would have sabotaged that arrangement proposal like I did all of the other offers I’ve received. I picked you for a reason. Everything in life isn’t merely a transaction or competition. I have a touch of a romantic streak too. What woman doesn’t desire a bit of adventure?”