Page 48 of Dance of Stars and Ashes

The house appeared empty. Row and Aarav were off doing whatever they did when they weren’t home. Home. It was strange how quickly they’d fallen into this new routine. She’d spent her entire life with them keeping tabs on her, and now they were finally treating her like she was her own person.

She noted the new runes marked at various spots around the house, on the walls and doors, realizing that while Row might have cut her noose, he was still very much aware of where she was. She was warming to the idea that his protection was less about caging her and more about caring for her. Maybe she could learn to live with that. It’s what a parent would do, after all.

Once she’d eaten, she headed through the bustling streets of Dharati and towards Ambar Fort. Zarya’s gaze traveled up to the canopy of flowers courtesy of Amrita and the magic protecting them all. She sensed a lightness in the city’s mood they hadn’t felt in a while.

The fighting yards emanated the same carefree aura, the sounds of laughter and chatter mingled with the strike of steel and the grunts and sighs of a strenuous bout of training.

Given the aching in her body, she skirted past the fighting rings, wincing at the idea of holding a sword. When she spotted a group of rakshasas practicing their magic, she headed in their direction.

She studied their target practice for a few moments as they sent out streams of that same coppery light she’d seen Rabin and Vikram use. Another faced the wall with her hands held up as thick vines crawled down from the top edge.

Professor Dhawan sat along the wall on a crate, his hands resting on the cane positioned between his legs. She walked over and leaned against the wall, sliding down to the ground to watch the rakshasas train.

“Are there no Aazheri in Daragaab’s army?” Zarya asked a moment later, and Dhawan glanced down at her.

“No. Only a handful have made homes at this end of Rahajhan.”

Zarya watched as a rakshasa male placed his hand on the earth, concentrating until it began to rumble, and a tree sprouted up from nowhere, cracking through the ground a moment later.

“Wow,” Zarya said, and Dhawan chuckled.

“I presume you are here to practice as well?” he asked, and she nodded.

“I am, but I’m not sure where to begin. During the ajakava attack, I tried to use my nightfire again, but my magic sort of tipped, and the only thing I could do was summon regular old fiery fire.”

Dhawan smiled and then gestured for her to stand. “Then get on your feet. Let’s see what we can do.”

Zarya did as he asked, dusting off the back of her pants. “Is it okay to do here? What if someone sees it?”

“They’ve all seen it,” he reminded her, and she nodded.

Dhawan heaved himself up, and the pair walked to the center of the training area. He faced her and wrapped a hand around one of her shoulders.

“Close your eyes,” he said, and her lids fluttered closed. “Imagine your magic like a series of building blocks, one stacking on top of the other. You want to feel the pieces of a puzzle falling into place. Not all the blocks are the same size, though. If you want to douse a flame, you might have a larger box of air and a smaller one of water.”

Zarya’s brows pinched together as she tried to envision what he was describing, but her magic felt nothing like blocks. It was fluid and formless, more like ribbons tying together.

“Are you sure about that?” she asked, opening one eye. “My magic doesn’t seem to… go that way.”

“Of course I’m sure,” he said with the confidence of an old man used to being listened to. “I’ve trained hundreds of young Aazheri.”

“I thought you were a language professor. And a diplomat for the royal family,” she said.

“I’ve lived many lives, girl.”

She didn’t care for the condescending twist in the word “girl,” but she let it slide. He was trying to help her, after all.

She attempted to do what he asked but had no idea how to shape her ephemeral whisps of magic into something as rigid as blocks. As she kept trying, he encouraged her with tips and tricks that were anything but helpful.

She let out a breath of frustration.

“Professor, I really think my magic is different. I thought Aazheri used different patterns to channel their magic?”

“Not in this case,” Dhawan said. “While that’s true, the fundamentals are the same. You want to avoid developing bad habits, or you’ll regret it when you move into the more complicated spells.”

She chewed on her lower lip, trying again, but everything felt awkward and off-kilter.

“Try aiming there,” Dhawan said, turning her to face one of the targets the rakshasas had been using.