Page 55 of Heart of Night and Fire

She blinked hard, willing her tears not to fall.

“We should go—we’re sorry to have bothered you,” she said, suddenly needing to be out of this stifling room.

Dhawan’s eyes held an apology as he leaned away. “Come back and visit me.”

Zarya stuffed her book in her bag and nodded. “Sure.”

“You.” He pointed a finger at Yasen. “Look out for her.”

Yasen glanced over at Zarya, his expression unreadable, before looking back at Dhawan and placing a fist on his heart. “With my life.”

After Dhawan had closed the door behind them, Zarya gaped at Yasen.

“What?” Yasen scowled. “Don’t look at me like that. And don’t get any notions that I like you. I tolerate you.”

Yasen mounted his horse, looking down his nose at her. She smirked and hopped onto her own, and they turned towards Dharati.

Zarya said nothing as they rode, lost in her thoughts.

“Are you okay, Zee?”

“I’m not sure.” She paused and looked up at the sky. “Yasen, do you think someone can assume one thing their entire life only to discover everything they understood was a lie? Do you think it’s possible to change the course of your life?”

Yasen’s face was earnest, and he gave her a crooked grin. “Yes, I believe that. I think that is very possible.”

“Also, did you just call me Zee? No more Swamp Girl?”

He lifted a shoulder. “I was trying it out.”

She laughed then and flicked her reins with a smirk. “I knew you liked me.”

As her horse leaped forward, she heard Yasen’s soft chuckle.

TWENTY

The next night Zarya waited in the training yards with a line of other hopeful Khada recruits. Aarav stood further down with a determined set to his jaw. He had managed to peel himself off the furniture yesterday and complete the obstacle course to the satisfaction of General Amjal, earning himself a place back in the fold. Zarya decided that if Aarav could complete that thing as hungover as he’d been, then he definitely deserved this second chance.

They were all dressed in the light leather armor the Khada wore during their night patrols, giving them a layer of protection against the teeth and the claws of the demons they might encounter. Yasen had tried one more time to talk her out of doing this, but she was resolute in her desire to do her part to protect Dharati. The blight had been a presence in her life for as long as she could remember, and she had more reason than most to mistrust it.

To counter that, Yasen had suited up to join, too. She couldn’t help but feel touched that he was worried about her, while also annoyed that he thought she couldn’t handle herself. Why did he even care?

General Amjal was calling out instructions while Vikram looked on, his hand clasped around the hilt of his talwar. She hadn’t seen him since he’d left her room yesterday morning, but she hadn’t stopped thinking about the feel of his mouth and his hands on her skin.

His gaze fell on her for a flash before he looked away. She told herself he was just trying to maintain a professional distance—she was a soldier in his army’s command—surely he had an image to maintain. That was fine. She’d carry the memory with her for now.

General Amjal finished relaying tonight’s instructions and ordered them to their assigned sections of the wall. The sun had set a few hours ago, and they’d be relieving the shift currently on watch.

Zarya found herself in a battalion with Yasen, Vikram, and Aarav. She glared at Yasen, assuming he’d orchestrated this so he could keep an eye on her, but he just gave her one of his signature dismissive shrugs.

A series of fortified garrison doors allowed the Khada to easily pass from one side of the barrier to the other. As they approached their section of the wall, Zarya noted a raucous group of people standing on the roof of an adjacent building, looking out over the swamp. They were drinking and laughing and appeared to be having a very good time.

“Who are they?” Zarya asked Yasen.

Yasen curled an upper lip in distaste.

“They take bets each night on who might die,” he said. “It’s become big business. You’ll find them all over the city.”

“Well, that’s a little rude,” she said. “The Khada are risking their lives to protect them.”