Tanvi’s heart thumped fast enough to make a hummingbird jealous. If only she could blur herself and fly away, too.

“Madhu?” Venkat’s voice was such a welcome contrast to Madhu’s sinister hiss. “Tanvi?” He glanced between them, his forehead wrinkling in apprehension.

“I was looking for you,” Tanvi mumbled.

Madhu scowled. “You should have your runners better in hand, apprentice. Imagine if she had been recognized, loitering about the palace at all hours.”

Venkat’s worry flattened into his usual placid smile. “Your concern is noted. I’ll speak to her.”

“And I will be speaking to Lord Nayan.” Madhu shot one more glance at Tanvi, and the voracious tilt of her head, like one of her garudas scoping out a target, rooted Tanvi where she stood.

No wonder the garudas knew where to find Asha. They’d had a spy the entire time in the highest levels of the court, someone Nayan trusted to help run his operation.

And Tanvi couldn’t say anything. She didn’t doubt for a second that Madhu would follow through on her threat.

There was a man, and there was a tiger. There was a tiger.

Asha had never intended that as a serious lesson, but Tanvi knew what happened when you tangled with a tiger—and presumably with a garuda, too.

Why hadn’t Asha taken her own advice and followed the rules? Now Tanvi was stuck. She didn’t want to have to worry about Nitya or anybody else.

Madhu beamed, then swaggered across the floor. “After all, we must not delay retiring our unruly runners.”

“He already told me I can take care of Tanvi,” Venkat called after her.

Her tone frigid, Madhu replied, “We shall see about that.”

Once she was gone, Tanvi and Venkat stared at each other. She wasn’t sure what to say.

“What happened?” he asked. His gaze was kind, the total opposite of Madhu’s. It made her want to tell him, so very much. She wanted so very badly to hear him say he could help her.

Tanvi especially wanted to warn him that Madhu was a plant, that she’d hoodwinked Nayan and everyone else all this time. She’d put Asha right in harm’s way. Tanvi would never forget the garudas’ hateful glares as they’d borne down on Asha at Sameer’s school. Annoying as Asha could be, there was no excuse for that.

Not to mention Tanvi’s own fate being up in the air. Really, she had every reason to turn Madhu in.

But Nitya.

“Don’t worry about Madhu,” Venkat said when Tanvi didn’t respond. “Nayan told me to take care of you, and I will.” He smiled again, this one as lucid as the slice of moon watching from above. “I know she’s on one of her power trips, but she doesn’t get a vote in this.”