“Yeah, buthewouldn’t look so pleased with himself.”
I hold my side, willing the ache to disperse. “I bet he would look even more pleased. I didn’t even touch you.”
He laughs. “You make it sound like he’s pleased because he got to touch me.”
“Gods, you know what I meant.”
“Sure I do, Smoke.” And he winks.
I throw another combo. Our arms beat against each other as we block, attack, duck, swivel, block. The pain in my side intensifies, yelling at me to stop. When I go in again, I can tell I’m telegraphing.
Kalyan catches my arm. “You’re slow today.”
“Yeah, well.” I yank away. “I’m always slower on my period.”
Kalyan’s face drops. Guess he wasn’t expecting that. “Okay, so we have entered that stage of our relationship.”
I clutch my right side and try not to laugh. Laughing makes it hurt even worse. “I must have felt like it was time, or my uterus did.” I take the moment to drop to the ground and sprawl on my back. I need a break. The more I cast and use up my energy, the more my cramps seem to claw their way through my abdomen. At least I won’t be on my period during my royal ceremony. Some god is looking out for me.
“Is there any pink magic that can help?”
“Yes, but it’s a potion for this kind of pain and I left it at home.”
Kalyan kicks at the dirt. “Right, of course.” Awkwardness settles over him. Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything. He sits down next to me in the dirt. “Guess I need to learn that one when I get married.”
Unexpectedly, that last word bites and chews through my chest. Kalyan would marry one day. That shouldn’t bother me. But a thought bubbles up and swells in my throat and then pops. He wouldn’t marry…me. An image plays in my mind: Kalyan combining the herbs and infusing the potion with magic and love for his woman who bleeds and one day would give him children. Then logic evaporates the scene. “Wait, how?” I ask, sitting up and pressing my right side, as if menstruation can be stopped like a gushing wound. “You would need to be able to do pink magic.”
“Oh, um. I’ve been studying.”
“And you can do it? That’s amazing.”
He grins. “Does this mean you’re impressed?”
I shake my head no, but a new nervousness tugs at my gut. Our eyes lock onto each other. This is dangerous. We’re close and on the ground. The pain blew away the boundaries I’ve been so good about maintaining.
His eyes dart to my hands holding my side. “Can I show you something?” he asks.
“Right now?”
Kalyan jumps to his feet and offers a hand. I take it and haul myself up. This better be worth the pain.
We make our way toward the garrison, but instead of turning right for the entrance we go left. Left, which leads nowhere except the back of the building. The kind of place I imagine Guard members go to fool around.
“Uh, where are we going?”
“It’s really close.”
When we reach the end of the garrison, a small stone staircase greets us. I never knew there was a path here. Frostlight trees converge behind the building, their branches bending over the hidden path, shedding and littering the ground with flowers. With the sunlight streaming in, and the mountain breeze tossing the bundles of white flowers it feels…magical.
The pathway turns to the left and there lies a building, a strange little building with wooden walls and a— “Is that an ice roof?”
“Would you expect anything different from Maharaja Naupure?”
I laugh. “No.”
We step inside, into a fully equipped medic center. To the right an array of plants spring from the ground and collide with each other in a torrent of leaves and flowers. The ceiling drips water onto the plants in a soft patter. To the left are shelves upon shelves of ingredients. Beetle legs, fish skeletons, goat hair, crushed rose petals, cumin, turmeric, tulsi, peppermint, sage—it’s all here.
“I never knew this existed.”
