Page 42 of Heart of Night and Fire

“What did you do?” Zarya demanded, sitting up. “Why did you pull me away?” Jumping up, she brushed the grass from her leggings.

“Excuse me? You were in a trance, and I was worried about you dying,” Yasen snapped. “We were helping you. How about some gratitude?”

“I was fine!” Zarya couldn’t explain why she was so angry. She rubbed her chest at the strange hollow in the center. Upon breaking the connection to her vision, an overwhelming sense of loss scored marks along her insides, leaving a jagged, stinging ache.

“Stop,” Apsara said, raising a hand for silence. “I told you to stay in the infirmary and rest.”

“And I didn’t listen,” Zarya countered, then turned to Yasen. “What do you mean, I was in a trance?”

“Exactly what I said,” Yasen replied, his tone icy. “You were touching that thing, and your eyes glazed over, and you went all stiff. When I tried to pull you away, your hand was stuck. Apsara heard me and came to help, but we couldn’t tear you free. I thought it was going to suck you right in. And then your hand released, and you started yelling at me.”

Yasen shuddered, likely remembering the soldiers they’d already lost. Zarya felt guilty for snapping at him. Some of them had probably been his friends.

“Sorry. I was startled. Thank you for your help.”

Yasen appeared only slightly mollified by her apology, his jaw still hard.

“What did you see?” Apsara asked.

“Nothing. Just darkness. An empty blackness, like the lights had been dimmed,” she lied. She had no intention of revealing the truth until she understood more about Apsara and the other Chiranjivi, especially if these visions were somehow connected to her magic. There was a reason Row had kept her existence a secret, and there was definitely a reason she was having these episodes now. This all had to be connected. “And then you were pulling on me and calling my name.”

“That’s it?” Apsara regarded Zarya, tilting her head. “I suppose it’s encouraging you survived.”

Apsara clearly suspected the lie, but Zarya didn’t care. The forest and the beautiful rakshasa were her secrets to keep for now. She owed nothing to this woman.

“Well, you’re out here now,” Apsara continued. “Come on. We should tell Kindle about this.”

Zarya nodded, and they picked their way through the ruined forest to the clearing. She could still feel the eggs pulsing against her skin, wondering why she seemed to be the only one to sense it.

As they approached the site of their earlier picnic, she saw the scattered food and dishes still lying in the grass. Remnants of an afternoon that had taken an unexpected turn in more ways than one.

Her heart skipped as she remembered Vikram’s feather-light kiss. She touched her mouth, still feeling the ghost of his soft lips. Across the clearing, Vikram caught her eye, his gaze darkening as though he’d been having similar thoughts.

Apsara went over to where Kindle and Suvanna were conferring. Zarya could tell Apsara was relaying what had just happened to her with the smaller egg, and she gestured for Zarya to come over.

Nervous, she approached, hoping they wouldn’t force the truth from her.

“Tell me what happened when you touched it. Don’t leave out any detail,” Kindle said, his brow furrowed. As she gave him the same report, Kindle scratched his chin in contemplation.

“You, there,” Suvanna said, pointing to a young soldier loitering nearby. “Come here. We’re doing a test. Would you say the one you touched was about that size?”

She pointed to one of the eggs, and Zarya shook her head. “Yes, but you’re not testing anything on him! That’s barbaric. What if he disappears? What if he dies?”

“He’s a soldier in the queen’s employ. This is his duty,” Suvanna snapped, and gestured to the man to touch the egg.

“What? No, someone stop this!”

“My lady,” the soldier said to Zarya, “she is right. I appreciate your concern for my welfare, but I am happy to offer my services.” He issued a quick bow and bent towards the orb at his feet.

“What? No! Kindle? Apsara? Do something!”

They regarded Zarya silently, Kindle with an apology in his eyes and Apsara with a combined look of irritation and resignation. Zarya searched the clearing for Vikram or Yasen, sure they’d object to one of their soldiers being used this way, but they had moved deeper into the trees and out of sight.

The soldier had ignored her and had already placed a hand on the orb as Zarya glared at Suvanna in disgust. For a few moments, nothing happened, and she breathed a sigh of relief just as the soldier made a startled noise. His hand had begun sinking into the egg’s surface, slowly pulling him in.

“Get him out!” Zarya cried, bending down and circling her arms around his waist. She tugged with all her strength, but the egg dragged him in further.

“What’s going on?” She heard Vikram’s voice before he appeared beside her and moved in to help. The guard was screaming now—in pain or in terror, she wasn’t sure. Probably both.