The Chaos Curse (Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond #3) - Sayantani DasGupta Page 0,77

for water clan, and light blue and white for air clan. The headmistress’s dark hair piled at least three feet high above her broad forehead. She had fangs and long nails, but clear skin and an actually pretty face. Pretty if you ignored the fact that she had no nose.

“Her name’s Surpanakha,” whispered Neel. “My mother mentioned her. She became headmistress here after her nose got cut off in some kind of legendary battle. The students apparently used to make up funny names for her behind her back, like the Nosemeister and Smelly Smellopolis and stuff like that.”

Huh, that nickname stuff sounded a lot like what Zuzu, Jovi, and I had been doing with Principal Chen. Back when I thought she really was Principal Chen, that is. Weird to think I had that in common with Neel’s mom.

Headmistress Surpanakha stood stock-still, studying the rowdy students through the horn-rimmed glasses that somehow balanced on her noseless face. Then she cleared her throat and spoke.

“Students of Ghatatkach Academy. As you know, today is the day of the great choosing ceremony. When our newly elected Rakkhoshi Rani will become settled into her powers and select her consort for life!” She paused dramatically, waving her long-taloned hands in the air.

“Nose-illa is doing jazz hands,” whispered Neel. “Maybe she’s practicing for the wedding sangeet.”

“Shh!” I poked him in the ribs, almost laughing out loud from nervousness.

I was surprised at how unfazed Neel was to be sitting here in this clearing full of hundreds of young, strong, drooling rakkhosh. I, on the other hand, was seriously fazed. Like, armpit-sweaty fazed.

There was a great wailing of shehnai, and the ulu-ulu call that marks auspicious occasions, and then there she was—Pinki. Up close to her now, and not yards below her balcony, I saw that she was dressed in elaborate wedding finery—a red sari embroidered with gold thread, golden rings attached by chains to the bangles on her arms, a nose ring attached by gilded chain to the ornaments in her hair, and heavy earrings. On her dark hair was a white shola pith tiara, like the little dolly I’d seen when I was looking for my moon mother. She was accompanied by several rakkhosh, and was led with great pomp to her throne to raucous cheers. Even the headmistress bowed as the new Demon Queen approached. Pinki smiled as she sat, breathing out a swath of fire and smoke as she did so.

“Look who else is with her!” Neel said, and I choked back a sob. Because right behind Pinki came Ai-Ma, looking just as wacky and gangly as she always had but a little younger, with more teeth and hair and substantially less drool. Her eyes glowed with such pride as she looked at her daughter that I felt like crying.

“Ai-Ma! Oh, it’s Ai-Ma!” I didn’t dare say it in anything louder than a whisper, but it was really hard not to go and throw myself into Neel’s grandmother’s warty arms. She might be a powerful rakkhoshi, but Ai-Ma had saved my life more than once, and she had actually died so that I might live. It felt so wonderful to see her again but bittersweet too, because I knew there was no way she would know who we were. The attendants led Ai-Ma to a smaller chair just behind Pinki’s.

Then, with another call of the shehnai as well as a tabla drum roll, two more people were led out to the stage. Neel’s dad, Rontu, and Sesha, both in splendid white wedding clothes—sparkling kurta and dhoti and even the pointy dunce-cap-like topor that bridegrooms wore in the Kingdom Beyond. But the moment they sat down, to my shock, there appeared around their chairs two giant, glowing cages, like they were giant, captured birds! The entire audience burst out in hoots and curses.

“What’s up with that?” I wondered aloud. Neel’s dad looked a lot like Lal, only softer, and was obviously terrified. He gave a little whimper from inside his cage.

“It’s terrible to see him like this,” Neel whispered. “I mean, I know he doesn’t like the fact that I’m half rakkhosh, but I hate seeing him as a prisoner.”

“It’s so weird. I didn’t realize that part of the choosing was locking up the potential bridegrooms!” I murmured.

As opposed to Neel’s dad, Sesha looked like he thought the cage was a joke. He grinned at Pinki through the bars, blowing her kisses and waving. For her part, I noticed, Pinki didn’t look at him at all.