“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He gave me a wolfish smile as he picked up a piece of bread sprinkled with black sesame and bit into it. This time it was me watchinghismouth as he chewed slowly. I was reminded of when he’d been on top of me in the forest, and I’d slid his dagger between his teeth while he held the giant wolf back with one arm.
Get it together.
“Reza’s been looking for Queen Azari’s vault for a long time. And the Queen’s artifact contained in it.”
It took a moment for me to recognize thatRezawas the Viceroy’s name and he was no lot referring to the Viceroy by his title. It felt like an opportunity for him to show me how much power he had here.
Kiyan lifted his ruby-colored glass to his lips and took a liberal drink before setting it back down. “He has access to whatever you need to help him accomplish it.”
My ears perked up at that. I might not have Queen Azari’s haath phool anymore, but right now there was something more important I wanted access to. “WhateverI need?”
Kiyan’s jaw tightened. “Whatever resources you want when we go looking for the vault. I don’t imagine there’s much use to doing more research in the palace, though you are more than welcome to. After all, you found something I didn’t expect.”
He was talking about the very thing I longed to get my hands on again, that stained piece of parchment that had fluttered from the hidden book I’d found. I wet my lips, finding my voice again. “The map?”
He nodded. “The map. Reza’s never been this close before. The map gave us what we needed to find Queen Azari’s vault. Now the Viceroy can go after the crown.” His voice was bitter, almost angry.
“Sounds like you don’t need me at all,” I said lightly.
He shook his head, his mouth pressing into a thin line. “If your magic holds true, you will be a very valuable asset for the Viceroy.” He rubbed his hand across his chin. “Ancient peris, especially Queen Azari, were quite maniacal about protecting their relics. It isn’t easy to find what they’ve hidden, let alone get to it once it’s found.”
The traps in the Golden Vault when I’d found Queen Azari’s haath phool came to mind. If I hadn’t used my power then, I’d be under a pile of rubble right now.
Kiyan was right that my magic could give us a lot more than a map.
He took another sip of his drink, the dark cherry liquid staining his lips. “And besides, you seem to want to find the crown as much as he does.”
More.
But his words and their strangeness struck me.You seem to want to find it as much as he does.
“Youdon’t want to find it?” I asked, watching the way his eyes slid away from mine and focused on his glass.
That shadow of a smile touched his lips again, like he knew something I didn’t. “I have no need of a power like that.”
“Because you have magic of your own?”
“I have powers like all the peris in the Court of River—a connection to the natural world in some way. There is very little else I need. I have no desire to rule over another Court with my magic.”
The Viceroy did though—Mishah had told me he was from the Salt Court.
The Viceroy was like their version of the Citadel
And here I was, helping him.
Not for long.
I remembered Safiyya with her rusted rifle shooting Winthrop from the trees, protecting our grandmother. Her shouts still echoed in my mind, reminding me of why I was here.
It seemed unfair that I was here, enjoying the most amazing food I’d ever tasted, wearing finery I could only dream of, while my family was running for their lives—or worse. It was difficult to not lurch to my feet and run out the door. But I no longer had the Queen’s haath phool—nor the map to the crown. I couldn’t just abandon them, like my mother had.
I’m going to cross the River, Yaseema. And I’m going to save us all.
My mother’s words were always with me, and though I knew she hadn’t chosen to abandon me, it still ached with a ferocity that stole my breath, knowing that she had tried to come here and find the relic that would take down the wall. And that she had failed.
Because of that, I had to see this through and find a way to take the crown.
To avoid responding to Kiyan, I ate a spoonful of black chickpea soup, the crisp pomegranate seeds on the top popping in my mouth.
