‘Cook wasn’t sure if you’d be up for leaving your room today so she asked me to bring this up.’

Chandni couldn’t recall the last time she’d eaten but her stomach was wound far too tight to even consider breakfast. ‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘And please pass my thanks to Roh.’

‘She asked for you to come down and see her, as soon as you were able.’ He rubbed at his ear and pulled a face.

‘Did you hurt yourself?’

‘Oh,’ he froze, and then unable to lie, looked at the floor. ‘That was cook, she said it was important that I tell you to go down, and she clipped my ear so I wouldn’t forget.’

‘She clipped your ear preemptively?’

‘Yes, Honoured Mother. Said it was a taste of what I’d get if I actually forgot.’

Chandni frowned, not exactly approving, but not wanting to challenge Roh’s authority either. ‘I see. Tell her I’ll make time later, though I’m not sure when.’

‘Yes, Honoured Mother.’

She checked her appearance one last time before setting out. The castle would be slow to wake today, she knew, which suited as there was not an ounce of smalltalk in her. The familiar twist and turn of the corridors took her to Lord Rochant’s chambers. She noted Zax and another of Yadavendra’s hunters by the stairs and two of her guards by the door. All four looked tired, no doubt they had been there all night.

The morning shift are slow to arrive. I must have a word with the guard captain about that.

She ignored the hunters and asked the guards if she might enter. After a short discussion she was allowed inside. To her surprise, Lord Rochant was still in bed.

She bowed deeply. ‘My apologies, my lord. I’ll come back later.’

‘M—Honoured Mother Chandni? No. Wait. I’m awake now. What did you want?’

‘Two things, my lord. To see you with my own eyes and know you are returned to us. That is the most important thing of all.’ He was back. He was truly back. In her heart, she rejoiced. All of my sacrifice, and my Satyendra’s sacrifice, was worth it to see this.

‘And the second?’

‘There are things you must know, my lord. Things I did to protect your vessel and restore you to life.’

He sat up. For a moment she thought there was a glimmer of excitement in his eyes but no, it was just the sunslight reflecting through the window. ‘I am listening.’

‘When the assassins came at your last rebirth, Satyendra was the only Honoured Vessel to survive. I fled with him into the Wild, and to survive there, to make sure he survived, I …’ She forced herself to keep looking at him ‘… broke your laws.’

‘What did you do?’