Chasing the Sun

III

|| - Poison and Purdah - ||

"Enemy's enemy is a friend..."
________

She made no more sound than a rustle of the breeze but still found herself held at the sword point by Satyavan, as soon as her feet touched the ground. Kashi remained motionless, except for her dark eyes that spared a glance around her, and the faint pulse throbbing right at the point where the cold tip of the blade pressured her skin. She had not seen him turning around and Kashi wondered privately whether his reflexes where so attuned or had she fallen out of practice drastically. If it had been the latter case, it was something she could not afford with the present circumstances.

"Back again, Kashi Bai*," Satyavan stepped back and made an exaggerated show of bowing in respect. His movements where more artistic than what was necessary as he sheathed his sword and Kashi's eyes narrowed at him.

Around them stone pillars were shrouded in shadows. The twilight had long vanished and with it Kashi's confinements. At least that was how she convinced herself. Nawab Khan had never explicitly mentioned anything about when Kashi was allowed to step out and Kashi had taken the liberty to tweak the rules to suite herself. As long as it did not reach the Nawab's ears anything was permitted in Chandranagara. And Kashi lived in the much scheduled part of the older fortress, where nothing that could interest the court chamber often occurred. She had not forgotten that Satyavan had a hand in maintaining that secrecy. It was he, who had the responsibility of guarding her 'mahal,' after all.

He had never slacked off his duties. Satyavan was a man with a brawny built, his shoulders where bulky, skin a toned bronze. His hair long enough to brush against his shoulders. He was exceptionally good with blades and secrets alike. There was a time, long ago, when Kashi wondered with whom Satyavan's loyalties lied. He was a son of an old solider of Chandranagara. His father had been a captain of a cluster of her father's best sword fighters. But the battle of Chandranagara had killed them both. It had been the Nawab who picked him up from a fate of wasting away in the streets of Chandranagara, soon after conquering the land. Apart from the Nawab's own son, Aziz Khan, Satyavan was considered the closest to him; a foster son of sorts.

"What makes you sneak around in the dead of the night this time?" Although Satyavan questioned her lightly, Kashi presumed he had already guessed her intentions. So instead of explaining them she chose a brief answer.

"I'm going to see Afreen."

Satyavan stiffened a little at the mentioned name and grimaced at her, his playful manner entirely lost for a moment.

"Not again, Rajkumari!" He said sternly. "The first time was forgiven but not forgotten. You will not do it again. I don't like you mingling with a woman of her calibre."

Satya made no attempt to hide the contempt in his tone. It was no secret that he did not like Afreen. Kashi shifted on her feet. She did not want to linger there, even though the shadows concealed their presence. There was a chance of being spotted and it did not help her nerves.

"Afreen has information for me," she said urgently, turning to leave. Satyavan stepped around and stood in front of her.

"Nothing that I won't be able to tell you myself..."

"Leave my way Satya; it is highly unlikely that you will share the secrets of your foster father with me."

His grip on her elbow was insistent and his gaze burned as his eyes bored into hers.

"I've never given you a reason to doubt my loyalties Kashi Bai," Satya said in a furious whisper. Kashi sighed. He was right. He had been helping her in her escapades since she was young. Satya was her best friend. "I know what you're going to do," he pressed on noting the hesitant look on her face. "You don't want Lord McLane helping the Nawab."