Page 73 of Dance of Stars and Ashes

After what she’d just experienced, she didn’t think she’d be strong enough on her own. Yes, she’d forced it to retreat, but it had nearly destroyed her. If it hadn’t been for Rabin… She shook her head. Everything was piling up, making it impossible to clear her thoughts.

She slipped on a pair of shoes left by the door and padded through the palace halls. Today, they were quiet, absent of their typical bustle. Only the palace servants moved about their duties with less zeal than usual. She’d never seen it this empty in all her months here.

Zarya walked to the courtyard, where the door to the Jai Tree stood ajar.

Inside, Row stood with the rest of the Chiranjivi as well as Rabin, Yasen, Vikram, and Aarav. Everyone was talking at once—or rather, arguing. The topic of discussion was clear. This had been the most aggressive attack on Dharati yet, and they were running out of time and options.

Vikram assured everyone that Amrita’s barrier of protection was once again in place and that she’d learned from this mistake. But her enchantment had been compromised, and her magic wouldn’t protect them forever.

The queendom had to be evacuated, and the blight had to be stopped once and for all.

Rabin leaned against the wall, his keen eyes quietly observing the conversation. He spotted Zarya first, standing straighter when he saw her. They exchanged a private look, and she studied him from head to toe. When he’d taken her hand, her nearly-spent magic had recovered, surging up with enough force to beat back the blight.

Paramadhar. The ancient word echoed in her head like a lost song dusty with neglect. Rare. Almost as rare as her nightfire, her mother’s writing had said. If Zarya was possessed of one impossible gift, then why not another? Nothing about her life made sense anymore.

He returned her scrutiny with a thorough perusal of his own. She felt it touch that empty space behind her heart, heat blooming in her cheeks.

“Zarya,” Apsara said, coming up and placing a hand on her shoulder. “How are you feeling?”

“A little weak and shaky, but I’m fine. My magic—it’s so small.” It simmered faintly below her skin, reduced to only a pinpoint of light. Zarya tried to call it up, but it stuttered, slipping away.

“I think you must have used a lot of your power,” Apsara said. “But you didn’t burn out if you can still sense it. It will come back.”

“Burn out?”

“It can happen if you expend too much at once. You need proper training. There hasn’t been time. We could have worked with you if you’d told us when you first discovered it.”

Plagued with guilt for all the lies she’d told, she caught sight of Rabin as he mimicked Apsara’s stern expression. Zarya stifled a smirk, reminding herself she was still angry with him.

“How is everyone? How is the city?” Zarya asked, ignoring Apsara’s chastising glare.

“Almost a third of the city is gone,” Row said. “The guards are trying to locate bodies. We don’t know how many died. What happened? What did you do?”

Zarya described her idea to channel the nightfire through the earth instead of attacking it head-on, not sure where the notion had come from, but it had felt right, and her instincts had been correct.

“You could have died,” Row said. “You aren’t ready for this.”

“What did you want me to do? Let it take the entire city?”

Row flattened his mouth, anger flashing in his dark eyes.

“Don’t pretend like you’re worried about me now. You had years for that.”

Row’s shoulders slumped, and she didn’t miss the hurt in his eyes, but a few dinners and concerned glances wouldn’t wipe out nineteen years of captivity and secrets. She was trying to forgive him, but he had a lot of trust to earn.

“Besides, we’d probably all be dead if I hadn’t tried.”

She looked at Rabin again and nodded slightly. Thank you for your help.

“We need to evacuate the city,” Vikram said, dark circles under his eyes.

“And go where?” Row asked.

“What about Amrita?” Zarya interjected, gesturing to the queen.

“She agrees an evacuation would be most prudent,” Vikram said.

“We can’t leave her here to die!”