The Far Pavilions - Mary Margaret Kaye [59]
‘I cannot’ – the boy's voice cracked. ‘The Yuveraj would never give me leave and the guards will not let me pass the gate alone.’
‘You will not ask for leave. As for the gate, we shall find some other way. Tomorrow go to the Master of Horse and tell him what you have told me. Koda Dad is a wise man and he will devise something. And now I think we have spoken together long enough; that is the second time Biju Ram has looked our way.’
He yawned largely and closing his book with a bang, rose to his feet and said in a carrying voice: ‘Horses I can endure, but hawks, no. You must not expect me to show interest in creatures that bite and smell and shed feathers and fleas all over the floor. Grow up, boy, and study the works of the poets. That may improve your mind – if you have a mind.’
He tossed the book to Ash and strolled over to join the group surrounding the chess players. But he was as good as his word. That night one of the Rajah's personal bodyguard shared the ante-chamber with Ash, his presence being explained as a mark of His Highness's disapproval at the laxity that had permitted a cobra to enter his son's bedroom.
There were no alarms in the night; but Ash did not sleep well, and as soon as he could escape next morning he went off to see Koda Dad Khan. Hira Lal had been before him.
‘It is all arranged,’ said Koda Dad, checking him with an upraised hand. ‘We are agreed that you must leave tonight, and as you cannot go through he gate you must go over the wall. For that we shall only need rope; much rope for the drop is a long one. But there is enough and to spare in the stables, so that will be easy. It is the last part that will be difficult, for you will have to climb down the rocks by goat tracks, which are hard enough to find by daylight and will be more so by night. It is fortunate that there is a moon.’
‘But - but my mother?’ stammered Ash. ‘She is not strong and she can't she could not…’
‘No, no. She must leave by the gate. There is no order forbidding it. She must say that she wishes to purchase cloth or trinkets in the bazaar, and means to pass a night or two with an old friend. They will not question it, and once she is gone you must pretend to be ill so that you need not sleep in the Yuveraj's quarters tonight. You have only to cough and make believe to have a sore throat, and he will instantly agree to let you sleep elsewhere for he is afraid of infection. Then as soon as the palace is quiet, I myself will let you down on a rope, and after that you will have to get away quickly. Can your mother ride?’
‘I don't know. I don't think so. I have never –’
‘No matter. The two of you together cannot weigh as much as a full-grown man, and she can mount behind you. Hira Lal will arrange for a horse to be waiting for you among the chenar trees by Lal Beg's tomb beyond the city. You know the place. You cannot enter the city, as the gates are closed at night, so your mother must leave it during the afternoon when many people are about and no one notices who goes in or out. Tell her to take food and warm clothing, for the winter is coming and the nights are cold. And when you have her on the horse, ride hard for the north, since they will be sure you will go southward where the climate is kinder and the crops more abundant. With luck they may not search for you for a full day or more, for at first the Yuveraj will think that you are ill, and by the time he finds that you are gone you must be far away. Yet it is not he, but the Rani that you have to fear. She will know very well why you have fled, and desire your death the more – for fear of what you may know and who you might tell. The, Nautch-girl is a ruthless and dangerous enemy. Do not forget that.’
Ash's young face whitened and he said hoarsely: ‘But Juli knows too – knows. If the Rani finds out who told me, she will have her killed too. I shall have to take her with me.’
‘Chup!’* snapped Koda Dad angrily. ‘You talk like a child, Ashok. You must be a man now,