The Poisoned Throne

Chapter 17

Aryavan

The jaguars made no sound as they crept through the undergrowth. Their golden eyes, gleaming in the rare sunlight that fell through the tree cover above.

“I don’t see why this is necessary,” Aryavan said, watching as Asha followed them. Her feet, too, were soundless. She, too, was the born hunter. “I’ve been playing with the jaguars since my childhood. I know how to be around them.”

She ignored his protests. “You need to be aware of your body posture. The only thing that’s keeping them from attacking you right now is that they believe themselves to be inferior to you.”

“They aren’t attacking me because I’m part of their group,” he said with a small smile.

She glanced at him and shook her head. “You’re not part of their group. Don’t be stupid.” She reached out her hand, and suddenly, one of the girls appeared, rubbing her head up into Asha’s palm. “They believe you to be stronger than them. That’s why you can never lower yourself below their level or turn your back on them. It’s a sign of weakness in you, and it’ll make them feel superior. You’re living on illusion.”

He frowned. “I was much smaller than them when I played with them the first time.”

“Yes, but then you had me to keep them in check,” she said. “You see, jaguars are animals. When it comes to outsiders, they have only two options: kill, or not kill. You’re an outsider, because you’re not a jaguar. It’s that simple.”

His frown grew and he watched her with a doubtful expression. “Is it, really?”

She rolled her eyes. “Of course not. Of course, there’s more.” The jaguar suddenly leapt ahead of them to catch up with her brother. “But you need to understand this, because it’s what’s at the basics of commandeering them.”

“And why do I need to learn how to commandeer them?” he asked.

“Because one day, I won’t be here to do it,” she said.

He watched her intently as her eyes followed the only children she ever had. Her steps were not as confident as they had once been and her face had formed deep wrinkles, but he did not think it likely that she would die anytime soon. Just the thought of it was a strange mix of tragic and comic.

“You’re the next Kahari,” she reminded him, as if he needed any reminding. “These jaguars are your best weapon. You need to be able to control them, and that takes understanding their base nature.”

“Kill or don’t?” he said.

“Exactly,” she agreed. “It’s a very simple life, isn’t it? Kill, because you can, or don’t, because you can’t. There’s no morality and no remorse.”

He glanced at her. “You sound as though you envy them.”

A small smile played on her lips, as if there was a joke only she understood. “I went to war, Aryavan. I killed people. Of course I envy those who can kill without having to see the faces of their victims in their dreams a decade later.”

He looked down just as she was about to return his gaze. “I’m so sorry,” he said, at a loss for what else to say.

There was a moment’s silence. “Evelyn was remorseless,” Asha said.

His gaze shot up at her, eyebrows raised in surprise. “What?”

“Princess Evelyn,” she elaborated. “When I came to Etheron, once, I took a jaguar to court. The crowds made it nervous, I think, because it was very aggressive - but one look from Evelyn, and it went crawling away.” She seemed to shake herself. “Well, in any case, that wasn’t why I took you out here.”