Moonlight Secrets (#2 Penderry's Bizarre)

Chapter Twenty Seven

                  

Later that evening, when the rain had eased, the cantonment hummed with voices and activity. Reinforcements from the neighbouring fort had arrived and plans were actioned to seize Chandni Mahal. Any remaining werewolves would soon be captured and taken into custody.

Anju weaved between red-coated infantry, making her way to the congee-house. A guard at the barrack cells granted her a moment to speak to the prisoner. The cells faced a secure courtyard, and she approached the prince's cage. Moonshine and a single lamp spilled light through the tall bars. Sujit sat cross-legged in a corner, a loose tunic covering his bruised body. He broke from his meditation, sensing her, and opened his eyes. A bare eagerness lit his face. Chains clinked when he sprang forward to clutch the iron bars.

"Anju." His mouth curved at the corner. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to tell you I'm sorry I misjudged you."

He lowered his gaze and shook his head. "I don't blame you. For a while I wasn't certain which path I should take. You did the right thing."

"So did you."

He regarded her for a moment, then sank to his knees and reached through the bars. To touch a person's feet was to seek their blessings, a gesture usually reserved for elders. But in this case, it was a sign of, well, she wasn't entirely sure. Respect? Her brows pulled together, and she stared at his crown of dark hair, his head bowed. His touch was light, and his fingers warm on the tops of her feet.

"I put a lot faith in science," he murmured. "I don't believe in astrology or predictions. And it goes against logic to think that soulmates exist. All those things my elders told me... Nonsense, isn't it?"

He looked up at her and stood. Milky moonlight touched his face, softening the contours of his lips, and a faint band of gold glowed around his irises.

"And yet," he added, "since that moment on the ship, in the storm, when I caught you, I've found myself wanting to believe. Do you believe?"

He pressed his forehead to the cage, as close to her as possible.

Anju inhaled deeply, imprinting his scent on her memory, then took a step away. "Keep meditating, Sujit. It will help you find peace, I promise."

Dejected, he leaned on the bars. A sigh followed her when she turned and walked away. She was unsure of the feeling in her chest. Was it relief or regret?

Jim Penderry's English friend, the young man called McKusky, leaned on the wall by the guard room with his arms folded across his chest. He spotted her and smiled kindly.

"Is his highness comfortable?" he asked.

She paused. "What will happen to him?"

"Imprisonment. The family will be stripped of their titles, and their wealth will be returned to the village. We're keeping them here until they're fit to be moved. Lucky for them, your kind heal a little faster than the rest of us." McKusky pushed his body from the wall and walked with her. "I don't mind telling you, the people I work for would be very interested in hearing Mr Singh's scientific theories. He's been regaling the guard with his fascinating insights into lycanthropy and electric therapy."

She caught McKusky smirking.

"He believes in his work," she said, drawing her scarf over her shoulder.

"I can see that. Which is why I'm not finished with him yet."

"These people you speak of, who are they?"

McKusky scratched the faint stubble on his chin. "Good-deed-doers, miss. Scholars and warriors. They protect the folk of London from the supernatural. Much like Mr Penderry and his reporter colleagues."