Page 3 of Dance of Stars and Ashes

Amrita’s eyes shone with the threat of tears, and Zarya reached over to comfort her before the princess shook her head.

“I’m fine,” she said before climbing up onto the railing and sidestepping onto the lattice with more agility than Zarya might have expected from the princess. Amrita slowly and carefully descended to the ground, and Zarya climbed down after her.

When they reached the bottom, Yasen held out a hand behind him, calling for silence as they listened to the distant sounds of the city. Zarya kept her senses on alert as well. Though she was confident they would be fine tonight, it was still wise to be cautious.

Despite the current calmness of the swamps, there had still been the occasional demon sighting. Vetalas with their clawed hands and teeth and their awkward limbs, along with kimpurusha, those lion-shaped apparitions that had once chased Zarya into the city.

But they were easily dispatched or frightened away. It seemed like some of their power had been leached from their bodies, and Zarya hoped she’d been somewhat responsible for that.

The Khada still faithfully patrolled the wall every night, though their work had been much quieter in the aftermath of the attack, much to everyone’s relief.

No one was under the impression the demons wouldn’t eventually rally again. After all, the blight still existed, but at least they had all been afforded a much-needed breather.

They only had to hang on until Amrita’s transformation was complete. Once she took her place inside the Jai Tree, her magic would protect them with the full power of her gifts. Vikram had organized patrols to explore the swamps, searching for any changes or new threats so they weren’t caught off their guards.

Yasen hadn’t been exaggerating about their forces thinning due to the attack, and the army was working hard training new recruits amongst the city’s populace, calling on every willing and able body who could find the correct end of a sword or spear.

Word about the blight was spreading across the continent now that things had taken such a dire turn, and an unexpected but welcome side effect was that people had been flooding in from other parts of Rahajhan, hoping to get a glimpse of the strange anomaly for themselves.

Many had stayed to help, stepping up to volunteer as fighters, builders, cooks, or healers, bringing in these new and much-needed resources. It was the help they’d needed for months, and Vikram seemed deeply relieved that it was finally arriving.

Zarya thought the smart thing would be to run as far away from the blight as possible rather than straight into it, but what did she know? She remembered Suvanna claiming the blight would eventually take over all of Rahajhan if they didn’t stop it, and maybe those who arrived to offer aid understood that, too.

Whatever the case, no one in Dharati was complaining about the extra hands.

When Yasen was satisfied the garden was clear of hazards, he gestured for them both to follow as they wound past the stone fountains and raised flower beds. Despite her earlier reluctance, Amrita was beaming from ear to ear. Zarya was glad she’d decided to rope a somewhat reluctant Yasen into helping her carry out this endeavor.

“Tell me where we’re going,” Amrita whispered into the dark. “I’m dying to know. Can I guess?”

“No, I’m not telling you anything. Not yet,” Zarya replied. “You’ll see when we get there.”

Zarya caught a movement in the shadows from the corner of her eye, right as someone stepped out in front of them, blocking their way.

They came to a halt as Rabin turned to face them, placing himself in the middle of the path like a big, grumpy boulder, folding his arms and spreading his stance.

“Where do you think you three are going?” he asked, his dark eyes flashing.

Zarya pressed her lips together in irritation. Of course, here was the last person on this earth she wanted to see. And he’d just caught them trying to escape.

Every time she thought about the way she’d practically thrown herself at him in the alley after he’d saved her life and accused her of being his father’s spy, she died another humiliated death of mortification. She could barely look at him without feeling her insides twist like she’d swallowed a nest of burrs and had been doing everything she could to avoid being near him in the aftermath.

She was also doing her best not to think about him, but so far, wasn’t having the best luck with that. Still, it was better than the reality of him standing in front of her, looking like every perfectly chiseled fantasy she’d ever had. The visions in her head couldn’t seem to hold a candle to just how beautiful he was in the flesh.

It didn’t matter. He was still the most insufferable, most overconfident, most cocksure man she’d ever met. And she couldn’t stand him.

“That’s none of your business,” Zarya said, hating how her voice pitched up at the end of her sentence like she was asking for his permission. How dare he stand there, all solid muscle and fiery arrogance, and question her?

“I wasn’t asking you,” he growled, dropping his arms and approaching on sure steps. “I’m asking Her Majesty. You are supposed to be fast asleep in your room under guard.”

“She’s with us,” Zarya said, pulling Amrita closer and staking her claim. “We’re her guard for tonight, and she’s soon to be the queen of Daragaab. She can do whatever she wants.”

Rabin’s eyes swung to her. “Is the queen unable to speak for herself?”

“Oh,” Amrita said, her fingers coming to her lips as Rabin’s fierce gaze fell on her. She flapped her hands, her forehead pleating with concern. “No. It’s okay. I don’t mind. Zarya’s doing great.”

Zarya smirked and folded her arms, gracing Rabin with a smug look.

“Rabin,” Yasen said. “She’ll be fine with us. We’re just going for a little… tour of the city.”