I bow, racing off. The corridors lead me to the double stairway. I glance at the empty entry, then perch on the slick ledge of the banister and ride it to the bottom.
“Where have you been?” Natesa demands from behind me. “You missed your last two meetings.”
“I was planning my wedding.”
“That’s what the second meeting was for.” She props a hand on her hip. Her clothes smell of sandalwood incense. She must have come from the chapel. Each afternoon, she offers burned sacrifices to the gods on Deven’s behalf. “Where’s Kalinda? I haven’t seen her all day.”
I brandish my hands as if the answer is floating past us. “She left.”
“The palace?”
“Vanhi.”
Natesa’s expression stones over. Several seconds weigh between us.
“She’s gone to find Deven,” she concludes, paling. “Gods help them.”
Pons appears at the top of the stairway. Natesa remains locked in shock, but I do not trust the state of bewilderment will hold her. Gemi sweeps through the entry, sparing me from finding out.
“Princess Gemi,” I say. “This is a surprise.”
Her cheeks bloom a rosy hue. “I sent word ahead, Your Majesty.” She remembers to bow. “The datu will arrive with the imperial navy in a few days. Their trek upstream was moving too slowly. I hope I’m not intruding.”
I clutch her twitching fingers. “You aren’t.”
Gemi’s lips tug up, her lashes lowering. She wears ebony trousers and a blouse, her trim midriff uncovered. The colorless, formfitting garb is not severe or masculine on her lean frame. Her ivory shell earrings match her collar necklace.
The same peculiar sensation stirs within me. She will be my wife, and I have no idea what her impression is of me or our betrothal.
Pons joins us on the main floor. Gemi rubs the side of his shiny, bald head. Natesa’s lips quirk. Not often is the stern warrior reduced to a boyish playmate.
“Where’s your daughter?” Gemi inquires of Pons. Her islander accent, dropping her r and k sounds, is less detectable than I recall, but more pronounced than Indah’s or Pons’s.
“Jala is napping. I’ll take you to meet her later.” Pons offers her his elbow. “Let me escort you to your chamber, Viraji.”
Princess Gemi tips her chin at me. “We’ll meet again at supper, Your Majesty.”
I confine my curiosity until they are out of earshot. “Natesa, did you know the princess was arriving early?”