Page 24 of Dance of Stars and Ashes

Zarya shuddered. “Yes, it is. That has got to be the least romantic thing I’ve ever heard. Poor Amrita and Vik.”

“There are worse things,” Yasen said.

“Like what?”

He grimaced. “Give me a minute. I’m trying to think of something.”

“See?” she said. “It’s awful.”

At that moment, the doors at the far side of the room swung open, and everyone was beckoned towards it. Yasen and Zarya followed the crowd, walking down a set of stairs behind Koura, who looked over a broad shoulder and smiled.

“How are you doing?” he asked in his rumbling voice. He wore a yellow kurta that set off his deep brown skin. “No more adventures in the city tonight?”

Zarya huffed out a dry laugh. “Never again.”

His golden-eyed gaze softened as they wound down the staircase. “For what it’s worth, I think you did the right thing.”

“Thanks,” Zarya said. “I hope so.”

The stairs transformed from the palace’s white marble into grey stone as they went deeper. Eventually, they all emerged into a cavern hewn from the rock. The space was filled with hundreds of small statues depicting beings that were part animal, part human. Zarya and Yasen stopped near one that was half elephant and half man that came to the height of her knee.

“What are they?” she asked him.

“The gods,” Yasen said. “Their likenesses are only permitted in the most holy of places.”

In the center of the high room was a pool lit from within. At the edge stood Dharati’s former steward, Tarin, clasping the head of his cane while Vikram and Amrita flanked him, both wearing loose and ornately decorated robes embroidered with a myriad of tiny round mirrors and beads.

The crowd of about fifty people gathered in the room, positioning themselves along the walls and between the icons, taking care not to disturb them. Zarya waved at Amrita, hoping to offer a bit of comfort and confidence, and Amrita nodded, though her face was pale and her smile tight.

Once everyone was settled in the room, Tarin began to speak. He recited from a book in a language that Zarya didn’t comprehend. His words had a mellifluous quality, like a song or a poem, and seemed to calm everyone as if they were a spell.

When Tarin was done, he gestured to the pool, where a set of stairs had been carved into each end. Vikram and Amrita moved to stand before each. They untied the knots around their waists and dropped the robes, exposing themselves entirely to the crowd.

No one else seemed surprised by this, and Zarya watched as Amrita lifted her chin proudly. She’d been afraid of getting naked in front of just Vikram, but had she known she’d have to do it in front of everyone? Amrita blinked, looking only at Vikram’s face, and Zarya admired her bravery. She wasn’t sure she could do this without crumpling into mortification.

Vikram and Amrita then descended the steps into the pool, and Zarya let out a breath of relief as the water camouflaged their bodies. Tarin began speaking again, more of the same words recited in some ancient language that began stirring the water inside the pool. The light within grew brighter and brighter as the water moved around them, swirling and churning.

Amrita and Vikram joined hands, and much like in the joining ceremony, a thread of light surrounded them, twisting around their bodies and between their hands like they were being tied together. They looked into each other’s eyes, focused entirely on one another.

The lights in the pool began to change color, flashing in a rainbow, dancing and moving like fireflies or falling stars. The water continued swirling, gaining speed until there was a bright flash right before the cavern descended into darkness.

Zarya held her breath, and it seemed like everyone present was doing the same when she couldn’t hear a peep. A moment later, the pool lit up again with a soft light, throwing everyone into shadows.

Amrita and Vikram still held hands in the pool, and they looked up at Tarin, who was giving them a benevolent smile.

“The seeding has been completed,” he said in his rumbling voice. “The future of Daragaab lives on. Please proceed out of the cavern, and the queen and her steward will join you shortly to receive your congratulations.”

At that, everyone filed out of the room and back up the stairs before they filtered into the same salon, where vanshaj were circulating with trays of food and drinks.

Zarya accepted a glass of sparkling wine and joined Yasen. A moment later, Vikram and Amrita appeared at the doorway. Their skin was glowing and damp, their hair curling in soft tendrils along their hairlines. They looked relaxed and at ease, and Zarya was relieved. Maybe things hadn’t been as awkward as Amrita had feared.

More servants waited for the royal couple with trays laden with drinks and sweets. Vikram and Amrita accepted both with polite nods as the partygoers surged forward to offer their blessings.

Zarya wanted to ask Amrita more about what exactly had happened inside that pool. She realized she’d have to do it soon if she wanted to ask her directly and not have to speak through Vikram, and that notion dropped her into a deep wave of melancholy. Amrita had called Zarya her best friend the other night, and Zarya didn’t have many of them to spare. The idea that she was essentially losing one sat in her stomach like a rock.

She also wondered what it would be like to have someone voicing your every thought. And more importantly, having to share everything with someone else. No more private conversations ever again. Amrita had said she trusted Vikram with her life, and Zarya hoped that would always be the case.

Vikram and Amrita continued to mingle with their guests as they made a circuit around the room. When they came upon Yasen and Zarya, Amrita broke into a smile and wrapped Zarya in a tight hug.