Sword of the Deceiver by Sarah Zettel

half his men are dead. You must come at once
.
    Makul
doa
Rahish Irashapad
    Samudra stared at the message. Disbelief and confusion assailed him. Beneath them, the anger that he had controlled so carefully all this long year broke. It raced through his blood, making his face burn as his hands crushed the unwelcome message. Pravan? Pravan had been sent to face the Huni while he, Samudra, had been sent wandering about the country collecting tribute as a coarse reminder of Hastinapura’s power? Pravan returned in defeat, and it was Makul who sent him the missive that should have come from the emperor?
    Blood of the Mothers! Where is Tasham?
    “What is it, my prince?” asked Hamsa.
    His teeth grinding in rage, Samudra stuffed the crumpled message into her hands. Without even looking back to see her reaction, he threw himself onto his horse.
    “Clear the way!” he shouted to the crowd, vaguely aware that at the same time, Hamsa was calling for her horse. “I must get to the palace! Clear the way!”
    Servants and soldiers, Makul’s man first among them, plunged into the crowd. “Way! Clear the way for the first prince!” they cried. Conches and horns sounded. Slowly a lane began to open in the crowds and Samudra was able to urge his mount forward, with Hamsa right behind him on her brown mare.
    … The Huni in the mountains … defeated utterly … over half his men are dead
… These words made a drumbeat in his mind as he rode through the twisting streets. Masses of people scrambled to get out of the way. Others stood and stared to see him ride past. Samudra had never before been so tempted to lash out at the slow carters and the clumsy beggars as time and again he had to rein Rupak up short until his hastily assembled entourage could clear the way.
    Over half his men are dead
.
    Who were the dead? Yasuf, maybe? Ojas? Even Pravan would not go to war without Tamin to head the cavalry. Who else had been chosen to fight under Pravan? Pravan the fool. Pravan the flatterer who had his brother’s … his emperor’s ear and was invited to private banquets in the
zuddhanta
, no matter how many times Samudra tried to tell Chandra the man wasn’t worthy.
    Why didn’t I see this? Why didn’t I realize that with me gone, Pravan would seize his chance? Why didn’t I think?
    Because I was too caught up in the insult Chandra dealt me to think on wider implications
. Samudra now wanted to lash out at himself, to beat his own back until the blood flowed down. These dead, whoever they were, however many they had been, did not belong only to Pravan.
    Why did I get no word they had even gone to the mountains?
    Tasham should have gotten me word, or Mother. They would not have let this happen without warning me
.
    Which only left him to wonder why that had not happened. His anger and the fear deepened as the streets broadened, rising up to meet the palace gates.
    The great timbered portals were closed when he reached them. His entourage stood before them, shouting up at the men on the walls, who shouted down at them. Samudra rode up to the gates and hollered above the babble.
    “What is this delay!”
    “Sir, you were not expected! You have not been …”
    “I have been gone too long! Open the door! Do you disobey the Throne?”
I am still prince. You will hear my word!
    There was no more argument. The smaller gate to the right of the great one was pulled open and Samudra rode through into the vast green park that was the palace garden. A road of crushed shell and stone led to the inner court. Free of crowds and obstructions, Samudra was able to launch Rupak into a gallop, not caring how far he outpaced those who were supposed to prepare his way. The thunder of Rupak’s hooves found its echo in the gait of Hamsa’s mare, as the sorceress clung grimly to her saddle and reins, doing her best to keep up.
    The inner court had its own walls, and its own gates of carved ivory. These too were shut fast. Now, however, only one man in a