Page 120 of Dance of Stars and Ashes

Kindle cried out, and she looked over her shoulder to find him pointing in the distance.

Along the eastern coast sat six enormous warships with black sails, bobbing in the turquoise waters several miles south of Dharati. Where had they come from? Had Dhawan orchestrated this part, too?

As Rabin’s large head swerved to take in the view, their altitude dropped, Zarya’s stomach climbing up her throat. It felt far too much like the night the kala-hamsa had flown her over Dharati. He recovered quickly, and then, with a resounding boom of his wings, they shot forward, picking up speed.

If Dhawan was responsible, he must have moved these ships in after they’d traveled through the swamp five days ago. A carefully orchestrated plan, where they had been too far inland to see the ships amassing on the shore and already too far away to realize troops had moved into the city. He had played them all like puppets on iron cables.

The assault at the grove had clearly been intended to annihilate the seven members of Chiranjivi, and they were never meant to return. Their only hope now was to arrive in time to interrupt Dhawan’s plans. If he hurt a single leaf on Amrita’s head, Zarya would personally make it her mission to gut him and skin him to his bones. The duplicitous old fool. So many lies. So many endless secrets. He had looked her in the eye and pretended he was her friend.

Before long, Dharati appeared in the distance. The southern span of its blackened walls signaled a warning to anyone daring to enter. Rabin coasted over the city towards the palace, where Zarya could see the courtyard’s doors had been sealed shut, catching Daragaab’s army off guard and leaving them locked outside. Everyone had been looking outwards towards the swamps, preparing for danger. No one had expected the threat to come from within.

As Rabin soared lower, she saw them preparing a battering ram to break down the Jai Palace’s beautiful blue gates.

He cleared the wall and dropped into the middle of the courtyard before Zarya, Kindle, and Koura slid off. She surveyed the scene as dread soured the back of her throat.

Hundreds of Kiraaye Ka swarmed the courtyard, an invading army of disease crawling over Amrita’s trunk and slithering through her branches as they performed their gruesome task.

Axes. Hundreds of axes.

Sunlight glinted off their razored edges as they hacked into Amrita’s trunk, sending splinters of pale white wood spinning in every direction. Where they struck, grey patches formed, leaving her surface mottled and bruised like an abused peach. More Kiraaye Ka straddled her branches with hacksaws in their hands, working their way through the wood, rough sounds poisoning the air.

Thousands of flower petals rained from the sky, creating a conflicting contrast of serene beauty, backdropped by the queen’s destruction. They were killing her. Slowly and painfully and without a shred of mercy.

“Someone open the gate!” Rabin called, now returned to his rakshasa form, his sword gripped in his hand. “Why is no one opening the fucking gate!”

Several of the palace soldiers, fighting off the Kiraaye Ka, spun around at the sound of his voice before about a dozen sprung for the exit.

“Just one of you!” he roared before they finally figured themselves out, and the gate started to creak open.

Zarya went on the offensive, knocking Kiraaye Ka out of the way as she approached the tree, ducking at the sound of an overhead crash right before a thick branch thundered down, ripping flowers and small branches with it.

Knowing her magic couldn’t harm the Jai Tree, Zarya gathered her nightfire and blasted a group of Kiraaye Ka dangling from a lower branch. They screamed as their perch exploded in a shower of splinters, scattering across the sky.

Zarya screamed, too, dropping her hands. That wasn’t supposed to happen. Her body trembled as she stared at her palms.

“How did it…? Magic isn’t supposed to affect her!”

Rabin watched her with an inscrutable gaze before he tipped his head with a curious look.

Zarya turned back to the Jai Tree, noticing a large patch of dead grey bark spreading where the nightfire had hit. Zarya wanted to crawl into herself and wither away.

Magic couldn’t harm Amrita, but for some reason, hers could?

She was poisoned to her very core, and soon, everyone would realize it.

“Kill them with your sword, Zarya,” Rabin said, grabbing her chin and forcing her gaze on him. “You cannot stop. Amrita needs you. You’re so much more than just this power. Never forget that.”

Zarya nodded, her eyes lining with tears. She could do this. For Amrita, she would pull herself together. Rabin turned back to the courtyard where Daragaab’s forces were finally streaming in.

They formed a line, facing Rabin with their fists pressed to their hearts.

“Commander Ravana,” shouted a soldier at the front. “We await your orders.”

Rabin studied the soldier. “Who’s in charge here? Where’s the steward? Or Commander Varghese?” he asked, scanning the area.

“Sir, we aren’t sure,” the soldier replied.

Zarya’s breath hitched as she squeezed the hilt of her sword. She’d burn down the world if anything happened to Yasen.