Page 44 of Dance of Stars and Ashes

Yasen blinked and turned to her with his usual sardonic grin. “I give it an eight out of ten.”

With an eye roll, she leaned back into the cushions, watching the ongoing celebrations, but couldn’t relax. Energy hummed along her bones. She sensed Rabin—that tug she always felt when he was near. He could deny it, but she wasn’t imagining it. Zarya scanned the back of the courtyard to where he stood. Heat flared in her chest as their eyes locked, and Zarya wondered if Yasen might be right.

TWELVE

The sky-blue doors to the courtyard stood open as the citizens of Dharati streamed in on a river of joy. There was much to celebrate today. They had a new queen, and the protections over their city were back in place. Everyone could rest a little easier when they closed their eyes at night. The threat of the blight was still a constant presence, but Amrita had just provided them with some breathing space.

Everyone, perhaps, but Zarya, who couldn’t get the strange image of that ghost army out of her head. Nor the conversation with the vanshaj woman who’d confirmed her sister had seen them, too. Something told her it was all connected to that forbidden sixth anchor. It all made her wonder if there were things about the vanshaj that had either been forgotten or conveniently repressed. They were, after all, the descendants of the Aazheri twins who’d once used the darkness with impunity.

Who could she ask for more information without drawing any undue attention to herself? Maybe she could talk to Row, though she was sure he would have told her if he’d suspected she carried the darkness. He’d laid all his cards on the table now, and there would be no reason to keep this from her.

She needed to do some research on her own. Now that her magic had been exposed and everyone knew she was Aazheri, perhaps she could ask permission to read the magic books kept inside the palace library. Maybe she’d talk to Amrita when fewer visitors besieged the queen’s attention.

She surveyed her jubilant surroundings, the mood lifting the cloud that had been hanging over her for weeks. The courtyard had become a sight of merriment and celebration as the citizens of Dharati arrived to pay their respects to their new queen. They brought offerings of flowers and incense, gold and jewels, pieces of art, or whatever token they could afford, no matter how small. Their gifts gathered in piles along the walls, creating a mountain range of treasure.

Palace servants passed through the crowd, bearing trays of drink and food, while children screamed and laughed as they wove through the lines. It was a beautiful sight to behold. After the past week’s events and the city’s devastation, seeing people happy again was a welcome relief. At least for now.

Zarya did her best to enjoy the event as she wandered amongst the crowd, attempting to revel in the pleasure of their smiles and their joy. Despite the circumstances, this was a happy occasion, and everyone wanted to celebrate.

She also did her best not to notice another figure arrowing through the crowd with much more purpose, looking like he was searching for someone to interrogate over a fiery pit full of vipers. Rabin marched along wearing the same sleeveless leather kurta as last night, weapons strapped to his back and hips. Something about how he was staring everyone down like he owned this place set off a ripple of irritation.

“Will you stop it,” she said, storming up to him. He came to a halt and looked down his nose. He was easily a head taller, and she did her best to stretch to her full height, consciously aware of how much bigger he was.

“Is there a problem, Princess?” he asked, his voice low and dangerous.

“Yes. Stop walking around here scaring everyone. These people have done nothing wrong.”

“Who am I scaring?” he asked, sweeping out a hand just as a trembling family backed away, clearly trying to escape his notice.

“Those people.” She pointed to the family, whose eyes widened as if they couldn’t believe she’d just singled them out.

“They’re not scared,” Rabin said. “Are you scared?”

He stepped towards them, and they backed up, the mother picking up a small child that had just started wailing as if a hideous fanged monster had crawled out from under his bed.

Rabin turned back to Zarya, and she gave him a pointed look, drawing out a scowl.

“I’m ensuring the new rani and her steward are safe,” he said, folding his arms over his chest. “And the nawab. Anyone could just walk in here, meaning them harm.”

“You hate your father,” Zarya said, not entirely sure if that was true, but she surmised it was a good guess after all of Rabin’s accusations.

“That’s none of your business, Princess,” he snarled.

“Stop calling me that.”

“What? Princess? Does that bother you?”

“You know that’s not what I am.”

“Hmm,” he said, eyeing her up and down. “No, you’re definitely not that.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

His mouth stretched into a smile, but there was nothing amused or friendly about it. It was the self-satisfied smile of a predator stalking a mouse across an open field.

“Nothing,” he said before he turned and walked away, effectively dismissing her.

Zarya huffed and then turned in the opposite direction. She needed a break from the crowd and the heat of the sun, anyway. She entered the palace and made her way through the cool halls, finding herself in the garden where she often practiced fighting with Yasen.