Page 18 of Heart of Night and Fire

Vikram’s forehead creased as he stared at the gates again, clearly unsatisfied with that answer. She remembered Row expressing similar frustrations about the swamp that was consuming their surroundings.

“As the blight has spread, they’ve moved nearer to the city. The queen is forced to use more and more of her power to keep them out. Once, they remained confined to the southern shore where it first started all those years ago, but we’ve found the nastier ones like to be close to people. That’s probably why you only saw a few where you lived.”

He paused, clearly wanting to ask more questions about why she had been living there, but she distracted him by asking, “Do you have other magic?”

He nodded. “Some. The queen and her heir are both yakshis, a species closely aligned with rakshasas. Yakshis are the original keepers of earth magic, but as we’ve comingled and bred together over the centuries, our powers have mixed, granting rakshasas many of the same abilities. Albeit at a lesser strength than yakshis, of whom there are only a few purebloods left.

“My father is strong for our kind, and I inherited only some of it, much to his eternal disappointment.” A muscle in his jaw flexed. “Our earth magic means an affinity for growing plants and flowers. For the strongest, it can mean the ability to shift the ground itself. A rare few can shapeshift into animals as well, an ability that comes from the rakshasa side of our lineage.”

“That’s incredible.” Zarya thought of her own limited power, wishing she could accomplish anything close to that.

Vikram threw her a wry smile that felt forced. This was clearly a touchy subject for him, and while she wanted to ask more, even she knew not to pressure people into talking about unpleasant things when she barely knew them.

“If you’re interested in magic, you might like this.” He pointed across the plaza to a white marble arch suspended over a pair of silver columns wrapped in swathes of red and purple fabric.

“What’s that?”

“The Maya Quarter,” Vikram said. “Home to the best and worst magic tricks, cures, maladies, and hexes.” He waggled his eyebrows. “For humans and devakin with little magical ability, it is tempting to grab what they don’t have. But be wary of what traps you may fall into. Some are powerful, and some are extremely dangerous. Of course, much of it is pure nonsense and works based only on illusion, with no connection to reality and the true source of magic.”

He grinned at her, his posture at ease once again.

“Devakin?” Zarya asked.

“Those of both human and magical parentage. It generally results in a child of limited or no magical ability.”

Zarya bit the corner of her lip. Was that what she was? Surely Row would have known about that, though?

They entered the quarter, the street lined with shops and carts. Vendors sold various teas and tinctures, bottles of potions, and incense in every shape, size, and scent. As they walked, Zarya kept her arm through Vikram’s, their bodies brushing against each other in a way she certainly didn’t mind.

She wondered why the queen’s steward, Tarin, had assigned Vikram as her overseer. Surely an army commander had better things to do than act as her tour guide?

But she wasn’t complaining. What luck he should be the first person she’d meet.

To their left, they spotted a wagon covered in hundreds of mirrors of various sizes and styles. A woman sat on a stool next to it. Fiery red hair reached almost to her knees, contrasting with her mahogany skin.

“Would the lady like a window to her future?” the woman asked slyly, shoving a tarnished silver mirror into Zarya’s hand. “Go on, take a peek.”

Zarya looked at Vikram, who nodded. She shrugged and stared into the mirror’s slightly warped surface, blinking at the reflection of her own hazel eyes. A moment later, her face swirled away, morphing into a forest with lush black trees and a violet, star-streaked sky.

Her mouth parted in surprise. It was the same place she’d seen in her sleep the night Row had gone missing—she was sure of it. Instinctively, she searched for the same figure who’d stood there earlier, but this time, it was empty. That same calming peace settled over her shoulders as she stared into the mirror.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that this was a place she belonged. Like it had been waiting for her to arrive. She felt herself drawn into it, pulled forward. Her balance tipped, and she jolted back to the busy street as the mirror tumbled from her fingers, shattering into pieces on the ground at her feet.

EIGHT

“Oh,” Zarya said, coming back to herself as her surroundings sharpened into focus.

“What is it?” Vikram asked. “Are you okay? Did you see something?” He placed a gentle hand on her arm.

“I don’t think… no. I didn’t see anything. Just a distorted reflection. Just a bit clumsy, I suppose.” She wasn’t sure why she wanted to keep this to herself, but it felt like something she wasn’t supposed to share.

She forced an awkward laugh and turned to the woman, who was staring at the broken mirror with her lips pressed into a disapproving line.

“That will be three coppers,” she said, throwing a sharp glance at Zarya.

“I’m so sorry. I don’t have anything to give you for it.”

The woman shifted as though she were about to stand, and Zarya braced herself for a verbal lashing.