A Girl and Her Tiger Page 14

  But frivolity was not a reason to die. She had to somehow warn them that the rebels were coming. She tied her horse to a tree and walked toward the camp. She heard Nabhitha let out a low growl, but she waved at the woods to indicate she would be okay. She hoped Nabhitha understood. She raised her hands as she approached the guards.

  “You there!” a voice rang out. “Freeze!”

  Priya lowered her eyes and held her hands higher. “I’m unarmed,” she said. “I’m here to deliver a message for Governor Canning.”

  One of the guards lowered his gun and stepped toward her, twisting her arm behind her back. Another guard kept his gun trained on her.

  “A message?” the guard who held her arm asked. “From who?”

  “I can only tell the governor that,” Priya said.

  “How about I lock you in a cage for a few hours?” the guard said, gritting his teeth at her. “Or worse.”

  “It’s a matter of life and death,” Priya said. “It’s about Krish.”

  The guard looked at his companion. “Who’s Krish?” the other guard asked.

  “That rebel who’s been giving us trouble,” the first guard said. He then shook Priya’s arm. “What do you know about him?”

  “I can only tell the governor,” she said.

  “If you’re lying—” the guard growled.

  “I’m not lying,” she said, looking him in the eye now. “But if you don’t do as I say, people will die.”

  The guard hesitated for a moment, then he spoke to his companion again. “Stand guard,” he said. “She could be a decoy. I’ll take her to the governor and get to the bottom of this.” The guard then took her into the camp, to the central tent where most of the voices and the music were coming from. There were more guards here. Priya looked around and tried to guess how many armed men there were. She lost count, but knew there were far more guards than rebels in Krish’s army. Krish might have the element of surprise, but as soon as the shock wore off, the soldiers would certainly have the upper hand.

  The guard then took Priya through the flap of a tent and her eyes widened at the opulence of the room. There were bright lights, plush carpets, heavy wooden furniture, and crystal goblets. It looked like a proper British sitting room, not a tent in the middle of the jungle. There were many children sitting on the floor playing with toys and adults sitting around drinking and socializing while a lively tune emitted from the phonograph. Priya had to shake her head to remind herself that she wasn’t dreaming. She heard several gasps as she was dragged into the room.

  “What’s all this?” a balding man with a long, pointed nose like a bird’s beak asked as he stood and walked over. Priya thought he must be Viscount Canning, the governor.

  “This girl says she has a message for you, m’lord,” the guard said.

  “Well, it must be quite interesting to interrupt my evening over,” Governor Canning said. Priya felt her throat go dry. Now that she was here, she wasn’t sure what to say. She never thought in her life she would come face to face with the governor himself. “Come now, out with it,” he insisted.

  “You need to leave,” she finally squeaked out.

  Governor Canning cupped his hand around his ear. “What was that?” he asked.

  “You need to leave,” she said again more clearly. “You are in danger here and you need to leave.”

  The governor frowned and furrowed his brow. He looked back at the guard and Priya noticed that one of the women had her arms around her children with a worried look on her face. The other British people left with their children, presumably to go to the comfort of their own tents.

  “What is she babbling about?” the governor asked the guard.

  “She said something about Krish,” the guard said.

  “What?” the governor said loudly. “If you know something about that blaggard, girl, I demand you out with it.”

  Priya’s heart raced. She was in the center of danger. While Krish might have protected her as best he could from the British, this man was not her friend. He would do whatever it took to get information out of her and then he would probably thank her by executing her as a traitor. It had been a mistake to come here, but what could she do now? She heard one of the children whimpering and she shook her head. She had to follow through with her plan now, no matter the consequences.

  “Krish is planning an attack,” she said. “He’s coming. You and your family need to leave here. Now!”

  “The devil…” Governor Canning said, running his hand over his mouth. He turned and paced for a moment, as though debating what to do. “No,” he finally said. “No, we stay here. We will not be cowed by that rabble-rouser.”

  “Reports say that rabble-rouser was responsible for the massacre on the beach, sir,” the guard said. Priya tried to school her face. She couldn’t let them know that she had been there when the soldiers were killed. “If he’s coming, he could pose a real threat to you and your family. We should leave.”

  “No,” the governor said.

  “Charles!” the woman with the children said, jumping to her feet.

  “No!” the governor said to her more firmly, then he turned back to the guard. “If we leave, we will be more vulnerable on the road. Here we can set up blockades, put up more lights, arm more guards. We will be safer here.”

  The woman sank to her seat and shook her head, holding her children to her even more tightly.

  “It will be alright, my love,” the governor told her, giving a weak smile, but she did not seem convinced. He turned back to the guard. “Well, what are you standing around for? Get to work on fortifications. We need to be ready for anything.”

  “Yes, sir,” he said. “But what about the girl?”

  Governor Canning looked at her as though he had forgotten she was there. “Did you check her for weapons?”

  “I’m unarmed,” Priya said. The governor gave the guard a nod, who then ran his hands over her body, his hands giving her bottom a squeeze before announcing that she was indeed unarmed.

  “She’s not a danger,” the governor said. “Go.”

  “Sir,” the man said with a quick bow as he let go of Priya and left the room.

  “So, how did you come across this information,” the governor asked her.

  “I…came across his camp. Heard him telling his men his plans,” she said, but she knew her voice was unconvincing.

  “You just happened to come across the camp and just happened to get close enough to hear his plans without him seeing you?” the governor asked, his eyebrow raised. “Come now, tell me the truth. Are you part of his little band of merry men?”

  “No,” Priya said. “I don’t follow Krish. But I believe some of his complaints against British rule are valid.”

  “But, my dear,” he said patronizingly. “Without us who would protect you from such violent ruffians?”

  “We wouldn’t have rebels if the British weren’t burning Indian villages,” Priya said. The governor stared at her, stone-faced, and Priya wondered how she had found the courage to speak so bluntly to a man of his station. But as she looked at him, his collar loose, his wife looking at him disapprovingly, she realized he was only a man like any other.

  The governor then chuckled. “A girl as young as you cannot possibly understand the complexities of the situation.”

  Priya crossed her arms. He was clearly trying to dismiss her, but she would not be ignored. “I understand enough to be kidnapped and sold as a slave. To see people starving and girls raped at the hands of British soldiers.” Canning’s wife gasped and covered her children’s ears.

  “That’s enough,” the governor said. “You’ve upset my wife quite enough for one evening. What is it you want? I suppose this information about Krish does not come for free.”

  “I want you to leave India,” Priya said. “All of you. Every last British person who has set foot on our land.”

  The governor laughed. “You know that isn’t going to happen, child.”

  “
Not today,” Priya said. “But one day India will belong to Indians again.”

  “And in the meantime?” the governor asked. “What do you want now?”

  “To go home,” she said. “I need to go home.”

  The governor nodded. “If you survive the night, I’ll see to it that you are released.”

  “You can only do that if you survive the night too,” Priya said.

  The governor opened his mouth to make a retort, but he was interrupted by the sound of gunfire. Everyone gasped and the children cried. The governor turned to comfort his family and Priya took her chance to escape. She turned and ran out of the tent.

  She expected the camp to be in chaos, but it wasn’t. The camp was mostly empty. The guards were all stationed at the perimeter working like a well-oiled machine.

  “Aim! Fire! Aim! Fire!” she could hear the commanders calling out over and over again. She could hear screaming and grunts of pain, but they were mostly coming from beyond the line of soldiers. Krish’s men. Her own countrymen were dying. Zayn! He was out there.

  She ran through the camp, looking for a break in the line of guards so she could escape, tell the rebels to pull back. They couldn’t fight the soldiers, not like this. She finally saw a small skirmish break out. Some of the rebels had gotten close enough to the soldiers to fight them hand to hand and disarm them. But even without weapons, the soldiers were mostly superior fighters.

  But that was when she saw Zayn. He ran forward toward one of the soldiers, a sword held high. He punched and kicked a soldier, knocking him down and running him through with his sword. He then raised his sword and motioned for others to follow him. Several rebels ran forward, including Krish and some of the women. They ran at the soldiers along the line, trying to take more of them down.

  Priya then heard a high-pitched squealing noise. She realized one of the soldiers was blowing a whistle, signaling the other soldiers that they had been breached. She looked back and saw that several soldiers were running across the camp toward the rebels.

  “No!” Priya yelled, running toward Zayn. “Fall back! Fall back! They are coming!”

  Zayn and Krish looked up and saw her. But instead of retreating, they both charged forward.

  The soldiers in the camp dropped to their knees and raised their guns.

  “Aim!” the commander yelled.

  Priya’s heart froze as she watched Zayn running straight for the guns.

  “No!” she screamed.

  “Fire!”

  Shots rang out. Followed by screams. A flash of orange. And then a deafening roar.

  Priya felt something large knock her to the ground. She looked up just in time to see Nabhitha charge into Zayn, sending him to the ground as well. Several of the rebels fell back, clutching their stomachs or chests. The soldiers had the advantage, but when Nabhitha stood between the guards and the rebels and roared, the guards took off at a run. Nabhitha started to run after them.

  “No! Nabhitha!” Priya yelled as she scrambled to her feet and ran to Zayn’s side. “Are you hurt?” she asked him. Zayn shook his head. He wasn’t injured, but he was clearly stunned. “Then let’s get out of here!”

  Priya ushered him to his feet and called to Nabhitha, urging her back to the jungle. Priya and Zayn then ran to Krish, each of them grabbing one of his arms and helping him back to the jungle. They and the other rebels went to where they had tied the horses. They helped as many of the injured as possible onto the horses, then the rest followed behind on foot as they made their way through the jungle to where the rebel camp had moved.

  They made it to the camp by the time the sun rose. They then helped the injured and counted how many were missing, most likely dead.

  “You warned them we were coming, didn’t you?” Zayn finally dared to ask Priya when they found a moment alone. “That’s why you were there in the camp.”

  Priya shook her head. “I couldn’t do nothing,” she said softly. “I thought that if Krish realized he had lost the element of surprise, he would call off the attack.”

  Zayn nodded. “He should have,” he said. “We saw that the camp was far more fortified than it should have been. I told him we needed to pull back, try another night. But he was insistent.”

  “Why?” Priya asked. “Why did he do this?”

  “I don’t know,” Zayn said. “It was all for nothing. If not for you, for Nabhitha knocking me out of the way of the guns, I could be dead now too.”

  “He’s asking for you,” one of the rebels said, coming up behind them.

  Priya hesitated. She wasn’t sure she could face Krish. She had betrayed him. Ruined his rebellion. If he died, he would be right to blame her. But Zayn placed his hand on the small of her back, urging her forward. At least she wouldn’t be going alone. She gulped and walked into the tent where Krish lay dying.

  Krish held his hand out to Priya as she entered. She ran to him, kneeling by his side and taking his hand. “I’m sorry!” she cried. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”

  Krish placed his other hand on the back of her head. “It is I who should apologize,” he said. “In my pride, I thought it would be me who led our people to freedom. But it was never me. It was…another…” He grunted and exhaled sharply. Then his head fell back on his pillow.

  “Krish!” Priya said, shaking him. “No! Don’t leave us! We need you!”

  “Priya,” Zayn said, wrapping his arms around her.

  “No!” Priya cried. “No, no, no…” She then turned and sobbed into Zayn’s chest. “Why? Why is this happening?”

  “It’s not your fault,” Zayn said.

  Priya pulled away from him and paced the room. “What did he mean? Another?”

  Zayn stood and shrugged. “He is gone. The rebels need another leader. He must have thought it was you.”

  “No,” Priya said, her tears fleeing. “No. I can’t do something like that. I…look at what I caused! I wanted to help my people, now half a dozen of them—and Krish—are dead! The smuggler is dead. The soldiers on the beach are dead. Oh my God. I just leave a trail of dead bodies everywhere I go. If you don’t leave me, Zayn, you’ll be next!”

  “Priya,” Zayn said, gripping her shoulders and giving her a little shake. “Calm down. None of this is your fault. You are stronger than you know. Stay with us. Help us. With you and Nabhitha, we can do anything.”

  “Nabhitha?” Priya asked. She pulled away from Zayn and looked around. Where was the tiger? Of course, Nabhitha wasn’t in the tent. Nabhitha had saved Zayn and ended the battle. She must be in the jungle, watching, waiting, like a fierce mother protecting her cubs.

  Priya thought about her own mother. How she always was so calm in the most trying of situations. She always had a word of warning, always did her best to guide Priya in the right direction. But Priya had always fought back. Always pushed her mother away. Now, she wished more than ever that she had the wisdom of her mother to help her. She needed to go home. But there was something she needed to do first.

  “Goodbye, Zayn,” Priya said as she moved toward the tent’s flap.

  “What?” Zayn asked, grabbing her wrist. “Where are you going?”

  “I have to go home,” she said. “I need to speak to my mother. I need her help. Her guidance.”

  Zayn released Priya’s wrist and nodded. “You will always have a place with us.”

  Priya reached up and caressed his face. “We will see each other again. But I have to do this.”

  Zayn nodded and Priya flew out of the tent before she could change her mind. She grabbed a horse and jumped onto its back. She turned it toward the road to Bombay. She looked out to the jungle and smiled as she saw a flash of orange.

  She needed to see her mother, but she needed to save Nabhitha’s baby first.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  As Priya rode into Bombay, it was dark, and fat raindrops were falling on her intermittently. In the distance, thunder rolled. It wasn’t storming yet, but it would be soon. Good, she thou
ght to herself. A heavy rainstorm would provide good cover for her and Nabhitha as they searched the Evans’ house for the tiger cub.

  The area where the Evans and the Parkers lived was on the eastern edge of the city, away from the port but encroaching on the jungle. Still, they had to pass through several neighborhoods of varying styles to get where they needed to go. Priya watched in awe as Nabhitha crept through backyards and over shanty houses completely undetected in order to follow her.

  Priya stopped outside the Parker house and tied her horse nearby. She felt a tugging in her heart, urging her to go inside. She was home, finally! After nearly being shipped to the other side of the world, she was back where she started. Her poor parents must certainly be worried sick about her. But if she went inside, she knew they would not let her leave to save Nabhitha’s baby. It wouldn’t take long. She would slip inside, find the cub, give it to Nabhitha, and then return home. She took a deep breath and forced herself to walk away from the Parker house and down the street to the Evans home.

  She approached the house cautiously. Even though it was late at night, there would still be people awake to stand guard and alert the night watch if necessary. She watched as Nabhitha sniffed the air and then began to shuffle her feet anxiously. She had never been here before, but it was as if she knew this place. Priya thought that Nabhitha must be able to smell her baby. Priya let Nabhitha take the lead. Nabhitha would be able to get them into the house and find the cub. Priya would only be there to keep Nabhitha from hurting any of the home’s residents.

  Nabhitha paced by the gate to the backyard. The yard where the fateful garden party had been held weeks before. Priya walked over and tried to open the gate, but it was locked. Nabhitha sat back on her haunches and then leaped over the gate as though she were flying!