Page 100 of Heart of Night and Fire

The doors had been repaired after the fire, offering some privacy during her convalescence. As they entered, the choking smell of charred wood filled Zarya’s nose, while ashes swirled around their feet, clinging to their shoes.

Inside, the once verdant hall was torched beyond recognition. Gone was the springy coating of moss and in its place was nothing but scarred walls and ruined floors. Tears stung Zarya’s eyes as she beheld the fading queen.

Rani Vasvi’s peaceful face was just barely visible in the tangle of bark. Her eyes were closed, her features twisted in a rictus of pain. Her body heaved, the bark pressing in and out in shallow, uneven puffs.

Koura stood next to her with his large, dark hand on the wood, casting a warm light over the surface as he murmured soft words, offering whatever comfort he could.

Hand in hand, Vikram and Amrita were staring up at Rani Vasvi.

“Amrita.” Zarya walked over and embraced her friend. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Koura sent word this morning that I should come to say goodbye.”

“I’m so sorry,” Zarya said.

Tears rolled down Amrita’s smooth cheeks, her amber eyes red from crying. “I know it seems like we couldn’t have been very close, but we were. Even like this, she was a good mother.”

“It sounds like she was as wonderful a mother as she was a queen,” Zarya said, taking the hand Vikram wasn’t holding. Amrita smiled, gratitude in her eyes.

Yasen laid a hand on Vikram’s shoulder, and Zarya watched as a thousand emotions crossed Vikram’s face.

The queen’s breaths were growing quieter, spacing further and further apart.

“Will you stay?” Amrita asked, looking at Zarya and Yasen. “Until the end?” She choked down a sob. “You both mean so much to us.”

Zarya nodded, her throat too tight to speak.

They waited silently as the queen’s face began to relax before she let out a long, shuddering breath that somehow spoke of the loss and triumphs, the pain and the joy, the smiles and the sorrow of a queen who had lived through so much.

Then she opened her eyes slowly, gazing out upon the four figures who watched her. A small smile curled in the warped wood just as Rani Vasvi closed her eyes once again and took her last breath, falling completely still as the life finally drained from her body.

Koura dropped his hand, his light winking out, casting the room into near darkness.

“She is gone,” he said, his deep voice echoing through the hall.

“I’ll tell them,” Amrita whispered, turning to leave. Vikram, Yasen, and Zarya trailed after the princess, who was now a queen.

Amrita stepped into the courtyard and lifted her arms.

“Rani Vasvi has passed,” she said, her voice strong and steady. “My mother would have been grateful for your presence here tonight. On her behalf, I thank you. She believed in kindness, and the loss of her light will be felt in Daragaab and across Rahajhan. Tonight, the sky has claimed another star.”

Heads bowed, and murmurs dispersed through the crowd. Vikram placed a hand on the small of Amrita’s back, and she turned to him, crying into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. Zarya and Yasen stood shoulder to shoulder, watching them.

One by one, mourners approached, bowing and offering condolences. Vikram and Amrita, ever the gracious hosts, thanked them all as they filed past. The nawab and his wives approached. Gopal bowed deeply before Amrita as the women pressed their hands together in front of them and tilted their heads.

“My deepest condolences,” the nawab said, his voice coated in honey, but Zarya didn’t miss the cold calculation in his eyes. The queen’s death no doubt played right into his plans to put Vikram in a seat of power.

Diya grabbed Vikram and Amrita, pulling them both into a wide, warm hug while she made soothing noises. The fiery-haired Vamika gazed about the courtyard, her expression suggesting she wished she were practically anywhere else but here.

Vikram’s mother, Jasmine, gave her son a sharp nod, her dark blue eyes cold.

“Wonderful news,” Jasmine said after she hugged Amrita, holding her at arm’s length. “I have already spoken with the royal astrologer, and the most auspicious muhurta has been decided for your joining date. We’ll have it here at the palace in five days.”

“No, that is too long to wait,” Vikram said, scanning the sky as if already anticipating the worst. “The queen’s magic is gone. Amrita must take her place as soon as possible. I’ve already sent word to the Khada to recruit every single person who can hold a weapon to join the patrols. What lives out there is coming for us.”

Jasmine pressed a hand to her chest. “We cannot just throw the ceremony together on such short notice. There is food to prepare and decorations to arrange. Invites to send to the other regions,” she insisted. “Besides, there is protocol to adhere to. We must conduct the joining ceremony first. Then it will take another seven days to complete the transformation. It cannot be rushed.”

“Fine,” Vikram said, his jaw hard. “Then we have it tomorrow. Forget the food. Forget the decorations. Forget the invitations. The city cannot remain vulnerable like this for a moment longer than it must.”