Page 34 of Queen of Shadows and Ruin (The Nightfire Quartet #4)

THIRTY-THREE

Zarya stamped her boots, doing everything she could to keep herself from falling apart. Night had come, and they’d been walking for hours. Her toes and fingers were numb, her cheeks frostbitten, and her ears chilled from the falling snow.

She could sense Rabin’s presence as he marched closely behind, catching her when she stumbled. Every once in a while, she looked over her shoulder to ensure he was still there. It might have been silly, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d disappear at any moment.

Then she’d return her focus ahead and stare at the back of Raja Abishek, wishing she could burn him to ashes with the heat of her glare. Ahead of him tromped the mountain man. She’d heard Abishek call him Catana. She remembered the king saying Kishore was meeting with the clans. Was this the reason? What had they been promised in exchange for their help?

She peered up at the night sky and swirling gusts of snow. She could just make out the stars and the glowing moon. On either side, the mountains stretched so high the peaks were lost to her sight.

She tried reaching Rabin as they walked, forcing her mind towards his. She’d glimpsed that tiny shimmer earlier. She was more sure than ever that she hadn’t imagined it. So, while she was forced on this trek, she tried to use her time towards something useful. With her teeth gritted against the cold, she folded her mind inwards, searching for him in the layers of her subconscious.

There, she spotted something again. The faintest sparkle, like a firefly trapped in wax. She tried to reach for it and snag it with her mind, but it slipped away, and she was once again left with nothing. She looked over her shoulder again, meeting Rabin’s gaze. His brow was furrowed, and she wondered if he’d felt it.

Finally, the path leveled off, and they found themselves atop a small plateau with an opening on the far side. Catana led them towards it, ducking his head as they passed out of the wind into a dark tunnel.

Zarya could have wept with relief when the howling cut off. There was the sound of a click and the strike of a flint, and then, a moment later, Catana held up a lantern. He hung it on a hook jutting from the wall.

“Ekaja will handle the rest,” Abishek said, gesturing behind him and waiting for her to march along the line and reach the front. She disappeared into the darkness, and another hanging lantern flared to life a moment later.

They continued winding deeper into the tunnel as the sound of the wind faded and the temperature grew a few degrees warmer. After walking for another minute, they entered a tall, wide cavern with a dark firepit in the center.

Ekaja sent out a tendril of fire, and they all watched it catch the logs as the heat of the flames immediately warmed the air.

“We’ll rest here for the night,” Abishek said. “And continue our journey tomorrow.”

“To where?” Rabin asked, but the king turned on his heel and stalked towards the tunnel.

“Ekaja, Kishore,” he said. “With me.”

Zarya watched them leave as the second mountain man entered and crossed the room. He crouched next to his companion, and they began speaking in low voices in their own language.

Zarya stumbled over to Rabin, who opened his arms and wrapped her in his embrace. She held onto him tightly, wishing she could just let go and cry until she had no more tears left.

But they might not get a chance alone like this again.

“Did you learn anything from Ekaja during the ride?” she asked.

“Nothing Abishek hadn’t already said.”

She stared about the space and the darkened tunnel where the king had disappeared a moment ago.

“They’re not even worried about us escaping,” she said.

“Where would we run?”

“You could shift?”

“That’s magic, Zarya,” he said. “If what Kishore claimed was true…”

“How bad could it be?” she asked, already knowing it was stupid even to hope.

“Zarya, we are not testing it on you.”

“Fuck!” she hissed. “They have us completely trapped. With just a few ominous words, we have no idea what might happen.”

Rabin’s mouth flattened into a line. “I mean…I think that’s the point.”

She huffed. “Clearly.” She clutched the fabric of his coat. “What are we going to do?”

“Look for an opening,” he said. “They’ll make a mistake at some point. That will be our opportunity.”

“That’s not much of a plan,” she said. “Especially since we can’t communicate in the mind plane.”

“I’m aware,” he answered dryly.

“Did you feel it earlier?” she asked. “I was trying to reach you. I think I might be able to break through his magic.”

His brow furrowed. “While we were walking?”

“Yes! You felt something?”

He nodded slowly. “I think so.”

She almost squealed with joy. “Maybe you need to reciprocate?—”

Just then, footsteps sounded down the tunnel, and she cut off. Ekaja appeared in the doorway. Zarya and Rabin slowly pulled apart as she scanned them up and down, her expression giving away nothing.

Had she heard them talking?

A moment later, more footsteps preceded the entrance of Abishek and Kishore. The king didn’t seem bothered by the tension in the room as he swept towards the center, swinging his cloak and planting himself in front of the fire.

He rubbed his hands and held them to the heat. “Well, come and get warm,” he said. “We’ll sleep for a few hours and then continue our trek. I don’t wish to delay for long.”

Kishore moved into the circle, and then slowly, Zarya, Rabin, and Ekaja followed.

Zarya sat across from the king, her gaze never leaving him. When he glanced up, he noted her stare, returning it as they beheld one another.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he said. “All you had to do was cooperate.”

“Why are you doing this?”

He peered at her, his brow furrowing. “You are young and don’t yet understand the importance of one’s legacy. The Aazheri are dying out. Thousands once roamed this continent, and barely hundreds remain. If this keeps up, then we will soon be gone forever.”

Zarya blinked. “There are thousands of Aazheri in Rahajhan,” she bit out. “The vanshaj. You could get what you want without bloodshed.”

Abishek’s assessing gaze traveled over her face. “Vanshaj,” he sneered, his voice dripping with disdain. “This is your solution?”

“Why not?”

He shook his head. “You were working behind my back,” he snarled. “Breaking collars in the city, believing you were hiding it from me?”

Her breath caught.

“I know all about their little ‘resistance.’ I only allow them to exist to give them hope. They think they’re defying me, but I know every move they make.”

She didn’t know what to say.

“I’ll deal with every single one after we’re done here. End them for good.”

“You said you believed in their cause,” she whispered. Gods, she’d been so stupid. She’d wanted to believe him so much.

Abishek shook his head. “I truly didn’t think my own flesh and blood could be this dense. I don’t want the vanshaj . I want real Aazheri.”

She thought about the story Yasen had told her about the king of Andhera killing thousands of vanshaj and Rabin claiming it had been a lie. But it was just another falsehood the king had used to earn his trust.

She opened her mouth with a small breath. This was no use. This argument wouldn’t get them anywhere. What she needed was to understand his plans. She had to survive whatever was coming. She had to protect the vanshaj from his cruelty.

The mountain men rose from the corner where they’d been preparing food, both bearing wooden plates. They handed them out and passed around warm drinks while everyone fell silent, stewing in their thoughts.

“ Where are you taking us?” Rabin finally asked after they’d been quiet for several minutes. “Surely you can tell us now.”

Abishek gave him a piercing look and then set his plate on the ground by his feet. Wiping his mouth, he sat forward with his elbows braced on his knees.

“I’m sending you to the lost city of Taaranas,” he said. “To find the seal that will release the darkness.”

“Taaranas?” Rabin echoed, his voice hollow and full of dread. “But it was razed to the ground a thousand years ago.”

Zarya remembered the name. It was the same city she’d seen in her visions. The one depicted in the tapestries lining Abishek’s castle. The place where the Ashvins had once lived and ruled.

“Yes and no,” Abishek said. “When the seven original rulers sealed the twins and the darkness away, they sequestered the brothers and the city in another plane. There was no one left alive in Taaranas by then. Then they planted the Jai Tree to seal them off. The roots grow for thousands of miles throughout Rahajhan, creating a wall between our worlds.”

Zarya blinked, trying to absorb the scale of this information.

“A city? In another dimension?” Rabin asked.

Abishek sat straighter and accepted another mug of chai from Catana. He sipped it and stared into it before he finally looked up. “We are heading for a bridge that marks the entry point into Taaranas. There, we will send you inside to seek out a fortress. Beyond its gates, you will find the trigger to open the seal. Only nightfire can accomplish this, and once you do, you will free the Ashvins, their darkness, and the nairatta again.”

He fell silent as his words echoed around the cavern, and Zarya’s blood ran icy cold.

“That’s what you needed my nightfire for,” Zarya said as so many things fell into place.

Abishek tipped his head. “Row wasn’t entirely wrong, you see? While magic can be taken, unfortunately, my research suggests that nightfire is the exception to this rule. So, I had to go about it another way. Besides, what I’m asking you to do accomplishes so much more than simply gaining new power for myself. This will change the world.”

“We’re not doing that,” Zarya said. “You can’t make us do that.”

Abishek turned to her with a cold smile. “No, you’re doing it. It’s your magic I need.”

His gaze flicked to Rabin as if he wasn’t quite finished yet.

“And Rabin? Why is he coming with me? And what did any of this have to do with our Bandhan?” she asked.

At that, the corner of Abishek’s mouth twisted into a cold smile.

“He’s my insurance that once you’re out of my sight, you will be motivated to cooperate .”