THE DANCING GIRL

Chapter 25

THEY'D all ended up in the dancers' quarters, locking one of the empty rooms from inside so no one would come to bother them. The story of what they'd done was already spreading around the castle, and already so many people had come to ask what was true and what wasn't.

Nihaal had got cups of warm tea for all of them. Noor didn't like it much, but she drank her cup under his watchful eye, glad for something to warm.

After so much excitement, all the energy had drained from her, and all she wanted to do was sleep again. She was leaning against Amir, drowsy already. The only thing stopping her form nodding off was that they had to go see the Rajkumars soon.

"So," Nihaal said, after Nazrat and Sahar had finished explaining the entire, sordid story to them all, "You've been through a lot these past few weeks."

Noor breathed out a dry laugh.

Haqiya shook her head disbelievingly. "I can't believe I didn't know anything about any of this. Though I understand why you didn't tell me," she said with a shrug.

"You would have spread it to the entire castle if we had," Sahar murmured, taking a sip of her tea.

Haqiya shot her an offended look. "I would not have! I know how to hold my tongue."

Sahar snorted.

Haqiya glared at her and then turned to Nazrat. "I don't like her, Nazrat."

"Fortunately," Nazrat said dryly, slinging her arm around Sahar's shoulder. "I don't really care, Haqiya."

Haqiya huffed as the rest of them laughed, crossing her arms.

They chatted a bit after that. No one really had to leave—there was a general consensus throughout the castle that normal work for the day was suspended in light of everything that was going on.

The time passed quickly, and before they knew it, Nazrat was reminding them that they had to go see the Rajkumars.

Noor and Amir left, trying to remain hidden as they walked back to the royals' chambers. This time, the guards didn't stop them from going in. There were only five guards inside, less than usual. Probably to give them privacy.

The made their way to the room they'd been in before. The door was shut.

Noor raised her hand, and knocked.

The door swung open slowly, and they walked in.

The Maharaja wasn't there anymore. Only Rajkumar Fayyaz, now sitting up, and Rajkumar Vikram beside him. They looked up.

"Hi." Rajkumar Fayyaz grinned.

Noor wondered how he could smile so easily, after everything that had happened. But then...looking closer, his grin wasn't as carefree as it usually was.

"Hi," Amir murmured back, raising a hand in a weak wave.

"Come," Rajkumar Fayyaz said, gesturing to the chairs beside the bed. "Don't just stand there."

They complied, Noor sitting on the chair to the side of Rajkumar Vikram, and Amir on the other.

"How are you feeling?" Noor asked, running her eyes over Rajkumar Fayyaz. While he still looked ill, at least he was sitting up. At least he was alive.

"I'm fine." Rajkumar Fayyaz waved a hand dismissively. "Were you worried?" His grin was teasing.

"It's not funny." Amir snapped. His eyes were fixed on the bed sheet.

Rajkumar Fayyaz blinked at him. "Amir?"

Amir didn't look at him.

Noor exchanged a glance with Rajkumar Vikram and decided it was best for Amir to cool down a bit. "So, has he been found?" She didn't want to say his name.

Rajkumar Vikram's expression shuttered. "No."

"They'll find him," Noor said, only half-believing it herself. "He can't have gone far, right?"

Rajkumar Vikram lifted one shoulder. "We hope."

"How did it happen?" Amir asked. He still hadn't lifted his head.

"What?" Rajkumar Fayyaz asked, giving Noor a slightly confused look.

Amir finally looked up. His eyes were still red. "How did he poison you? You said you'd be careful! Then how—" He broke off and looked away, swallowing.

Rajkumar Fayyaz looked at the blankets covering his lap, biting his lower lip. "He managed to bribe one of the servants. We didn't...we didn't expect it."

Amir exhaled, pinching the bridge of his nose, but he didn't say anything else.

Rajkumar Fayyaz forced a smile. "Can I get out of this bed. I've been in this room all day, it's suffocating."

Rajkumar Vikram gave him a hard look. "Not a chance."

Rajkumar Fayyaz rolled his eyes. "I'll sit on a sofa outside, I just need to get out of this room." Something more sincere slipped into his tone, and Noor noticed that the room still smelled of sharp medicine.

Rajkumar Vikram sighed. "Fine."

His brother grinned happily and practically swung his legs out of bed, taking Rajkumar Vikram's support on one side, and Noor's on the other, to stand. They put him down on a sofa, Rajkumar Vikram sitting beside him.

Noor sat on a chair in front of them, a table with cups of cold chai separating them, and looked up to see Amir trudging towards them, carrying a heavy blanket in his arms. She could barely see his eyes over all the thick fabric, some of it trailing on the ground.

He dumped it on Rajkumar Fayyaz unceremoniously, his lips still pursed tightly.

Rajkumar Fayyaz yelped slightly and looked up at him. "Oh. Thank you, Amir."

Amir only grunted shyly and sat on another chair, his eyes fixed on the floor.

Noor cleared her throat, trying her hardest to suppress a grin. She exchanged a look with Rajkumar Vikram, whose eyes were as amused as her own.

"By the way," Rajkumar Vikram said, his fingers playing idly with his closed top button, "Do you remember that exam we made you take?"

Amir looked up at that.

Rajkumar Fayyaz's lips were flickering into a grin. "You both did remarkably well. About as well as Vikram and I did when we wrote the entrance for Jaisled."

Wait.

Noor's eyes narrowed, and she exchanged a confused look with Amir.

"We didn't tell you, but that was last year's entrance exam for Jaisled," Rajkumar Vikram said, running a hand through his hair.

Noor blinked. "What?"

Rajkumar Fayyaz gave her a lopsided grin. "You both would have passed. Easily. And if you had studied properly..." He let the sentence trail off, leaving silence behind them.

Noor couldn't breathe. She couldn't believe they'd done that, or that she and Amir had actually done well. They'd done well.

"What are you talking about?" Amir said disbelievingly.

Rajkumar Fayyaz gave him a reassuring smile. "If you had taken the Jaisled exam last year, you would have gotten in."

Amir leaned back slowly, closing his eyes briefly. He opened them and looked at Noor. She could see the uneasiness in them.

She swallowed, turning to back to Rajkumar Vikram. In all honesty, she wasn't sure how to respond.

She didn't have to.

To the right, something in the wall shifted and moved open—a secret passage.