Page 59 of Heart of Night and Fire

“Someone find Suvanna!” Yasen yelled, and pointed at a palace guard. “Tell her to come immediately.”

Good. That was good. Surely, with her magic, there was something she could do to help the queen. Zarya thought of Rani Vasvi trapped inside. That gentle being entwined with the wood that had now become her blazing coffin. Unable to move, unable to speak. Unable to save herself from one of the only things able to consume her.

The brigade was now moving at a full clip as buckets of water were dumped at the base of the trunk, but it was like a single drop falling into the sea. The blaze had grown too intense. They needed something more.

Kindle, Apsara, and Suvanna came pounding through the castle gates, stopping in the center of the courtyard, each momentarily paralyzed by the sight before them.

Apsara flung a blast of air at the highest branches, her magic whipping through them, pulling the flames like clothes blowing on the line. But her magic only fanned the flames, and the fire leaped higher, catching more branches.

Zarya heard Apsara swear under her breath as she changed course. Next, she blasted out a sheet of ice that slammed into the trunk and formed a thick column, wrapping around the circumference.

For a moment, the wall of ice smothered the worst of the flames. Sweat beaded on Apsara’s brow, her face tight with concentration as she fed more and more magic into the ice, trying to counter the radiating heat.

The roar of the blaze dimmed, and for a moment, it looked like it might work, but the ice grew shiny as drips started to run down the surface. The entire thing came crashing down, collapsing under its own weight, sloughing to the ground, while the fire continued burning on like nothing had touched it at all.

At the same time, Kindle was trying to take control with his magic, directing the heat away. His expression was masked with frustration as the blaze also resisted his efforts.

“I don’t understand,” he shouted. “This fire is completely out of control. What started this?”

No one answered him, either because they were too stunned to speak or, more likely because no one had any idea what had set this off.

Zarya’s attention turned to Suvanna, who stood completely still in the center of the courtyard. She was an anchor amidst the chaos, and at first, Zarya wondered why she wasn’t doing anything, but then she realized the merdeva was so deeply rooted in concentration she had slipped into a trance.

Her head was down, and her eyes were closed, her arms stretched out at her sides. A trickle of sweat ran down her pale temple as her blue-green hair sparked and swirled around her. She was stunning and fearsome, like a queen surrounded by destruction and chaos. Zarya couldn’t take her eyes off her.

Apsara came to stand next to Zarya, her arms folded and the lines around her eyes tight with worry as she watched Suvanna.

“What is she doing?” Zarya asked her.

“There isn’t a large enough source of water in the courtyard. She’s trying to draw more into the air from the Nila Hara, but without being directly adjacent to it, she needs to concentrate. It’s very complicated magic.”

Zarya looked up to the sky, where the water had begun to coalesce. One by one, tiny drops were soaring over the palace and joining together to form larger drops.

The suspended balls of water drifted slowly, drawing together in slow motion, bumping into one another and pooling together. It was like watching a lake being built from nothing.

Suvanna stood rooted to the spot, her hair a floating, swirling mass of blue and green. As her body trembled, the pool in the sky expanded. It ebbed and flowed, twisting and turning in the atmosphere as it grew.

While Suvanna worked her powerful magic, the brigade continued their dogged efforts, the fire crackling and flaring as it burned brighter and hotter. The entire tree was in flames now, the leaves and petals curling into black husks of ash. Soot rained from the sky, coating everything in a layer of death and decay.

Suvanna moved her lips, chanting a prayer or a spell or just a string of words to anchor herself. With her eyes still closed, she shook harder, sweat running down her forehead as her hair grew even wilder.

“Is she okay?” Zarya asked, worried by how much the merdeva was trembling. Apsara nodded, glancing up at the jittery pool of water dancing overhead. It seemed to breathe as if it were alive, pulsing with a heartbeat and breath.

“We’ll need to get everyone out of here,” Apsara said. “The water is going to come down. Move! Out of the courtyard!”

People slowly registered her shouts, though many remained fixated on the sight above them.

“Now! Everyone!”

They began evacuating, but it was clear they were reluctant to abandon their queen. Apsara kept yelling at everyone to move, her orders becoming louder and more demanding.

Suvanna had finally stopped trembling, her body now utterly still like she’d been worn into sea glass. A roar ran through the courtyard as the fire leaped higher. The pool of water had also calmed, its surface rippling gently. It seemed as large as the Nila Hara itself, hovering over their heads like a cloud.

And then Suvanna’s eyes snapped open as silence fell and every head in the courtyard turned to stare. She was terrifying and mesmerizing—like a star drawing them all in.

“Run!” Apsara shouted, stirring everyone back into action. “Keep going! Everyone get out of here!”

Apsara grabbed Zarya’s arm and tugged her towards the courtyard gates. Zarya, still unable to take her eyes off Suvanna, let herself be hauled away.