“Enough!” Priestess Mita bellows across the courtyard. She and Sister Hetal march for the sparring ring.
I lower my voice to Sarita. “Much has happened since I left. You don’t have to stay here locked away, waiting for a benefactor to claim you. This is your life. Claim it.”
Priestess Mita stomps up to me and yanks away my staff. She tosses it aside, and it lands with a clang, alarming the wards with Indah and Pons. “Daughters, leave us.”
Sister Hetal herds the girls together and shoos them inside. After some prodding from the priestess, Sarita drags her feet after them.
Once the entry door is shut and all the girls are inside, Priestess Mita snarls, “You desecrate this sanctuary, Kalinda. Healer Baka told me you’ve invited the bhuta warlord here. How could you endanger these children? You’re their rani, endowed with the power to protect them! You shame the Sisterhood and the land-goddess with your selfishness.”
Ashwin steps to my side to defend me, but I wave him off. “You denied me the right to choose my fate,” I say.
“The Claiming is Anu’s will!”
“What about my will? What about Jaya’s? The gods gave us the five virtues so we could choose to emulate them. They would never force us.”
Color rises in her cheeks. “You ungrateful child. You’re rani because of the Claiming! That rite gave you everything, and it will bless these daughters too.”
My heartbeat roars in my ears. “I swear on my mother’s grave that none of these girls will be claimed by any man. I’m doing away with the Claiming.”
Ashwin’s posture snaps straight.
“You wouldn’t.” Priestess Mita sizes up my unflinching glare and reels on Ashwin. “Your Majesty, what would become of these girls? They’re orphans! They have no parents, no families to care for them. I cannot turn them out into the world of men unprotected.”
Ashwin frowns, contemplating her protest.
“The Sisterhood temples save hundreds of orphans,” the priestess continues. “With the war, even more children will need homes and assistance. These temples will be more essential than ever.”
Ashwin smooths his hair back, choosing silence. His reluctance to pick a side only serves to strengthen my determination.
“This will be stopped,” I say.
He raises his palm to quiet me. “I hear you, Kalinda, but doing away with the Claiming can wait.” I fasten my teeth together to keep from screeching. Ashwin closes his eyes as though gathering patience. “We’ll discuss this another time.”
“Meet with Hastin on your own, then.” I set off for the main entrance. My vision blurs from my tears, my chest pumping on each taut breath. I have been fighting for a future I thought Ashwin and I both wanted, a free empire for all. But he and Priestess Mita wish to press forward in tradition.
Swiping at my wet cheeks, I push inside the temple in search of the exact moment my freedom was ripped from me.
14