Page 99 of Dance of Stars and Ashes

She inhaled a sharp breath, feeling it like a rib-shattering kick to the chest.

She will be the one to free them all.

TWENTY-EIGHT

When they entered Premyiv the following day, the sun was setting over a crystal blue lake stretching so far into the distance that the other edge was lost to the horizon. Their destination was another island at its very center where the Bayangoma grove resided.

After Zarya’s incident with her mother’s necklace, she’d lain awake until she’d finally caved to sleep. But she’d dreamed of dark, ancient things for which she had no name. The arrival of morning had been a relief, and she couldn’t get the loop of her mother’s words out of her head.

What did any of it mean?

“We’ll find a hotel for tonight,” Suvanna said. “Tomorrow, we’ll hire a boat to take us across the lake.”

“Why not tonight?” Zarya asked, attempting to focus on the task at hand. She was here to help fulfill this mission. After they returned, she’d have time to dig into the layers of what the prophecy had meant.

“The Bayangoma are only awake for one hour at midday,” Kindle answered to her left. “There would be little point in heading there now.”

“Besides,” Apsara said, gesturing to a massive barge in the middle of the water, “it’s Diwali tonight, and they won’t let any boats out due to the fireworks. I think we could all use a comfortable bed tonight, anyway. It’s been a hard few days.”

Zarya couldn’t disagree with that as she stretched her stiff neck and watched Rabin eye the water with mistrust. She wondered why he didn’t just transform and fly his way to the island.

Suvanna argued with one of the dock hands, and Zarya was impressed the man hadn’t melted into a puddle while being subjected to the focus of her ire. He gestured one last time and turned before she stormed back towards them.

“We’re set for tomorrow,” she said. “He wanted to pilot the boat for us, but I am not allowing some yokel to tag along with us under any circumstances. This mission is too important. I will steer the boat.”

“Well done,” Apsara said with a slight smirk. “We appreciate your… determination.”

Suvanna huffed and allowed herself to be dragged into the city’s heart, where they found a hotel for the night, everyone looking forward to a warm shower, hot food, and a proper bed.

“Let’s all meet for dinner in an hour,” Koura said. “I spoke with the hotel manager, and we can find food and drink at the nearby street festival. It will be a chance to enjoy the celebrations.”

Everyone nodded and then headed up to their rooms.

A large canopy bed covered in blankets and pillows of pink and orange and green, embroidered with gold, dominated one wall of Zarya’s chamber. The spacious room opened out to a small round balcony overlooking Lake Madhy. Zarya squinted into the distance, but the enormous lake stretched out, too large for her to see anything but its smooth, glassy surface. Her room also offered a view of the fireworks barge where people scurried about, setting up for tonight’s promised show.

Zarya entered the bathroom to wash off the dirt and dust of travel. This far south of Daragaab, the evening was warmer, and she changed into a lightweight dress of sage green silk, the bodice decorated with golden swirls of beads. The skirt fell to mid-shin, and the thin straps left her shoulders bare.

A knock sounded at her door as she was putting on some finishing touches to her makeup.

She opened it to find Rabin leaning against the frame with his thick arms crossed. He was also freshly showered—and devastating—in black pants and a sleeveless white kurta that hugged his chest and showed off the swell of his biceps.

“Yes?” she asked as his gaze raked over her, making her skin flush.

The past two days had been an exercise in strategic maneuvering as she’d done everything she could to avoid getting too close to him. But he’d made that nearly impossible with his heated looks and constant innuendoes. She was ready to climb out of her skin if she didn’t give in to this swirl of fire practically roasting her from the inside out.

“I thought we could skip dinner with the others,” he said, looking as sure as the devil standing over his firey dominion. “And go somewhere alone?” He smiled, a dimple popping in his cheek that practically shredded her heart.

“Where?” she asked, hating how thrilled she was by the suggestion.

He shrugged his impressive shoulders. “I found a place. Private. Discreet.”

She wanted to say yes, but she was trying to think with her head and not her heart or her… more inconstant body parts because they continued to betray her at every moment, no matter how many times she told herself she would make him wait.

“Coming?” Row said as he appeared in the doorway, an imperious look moving between her and Rabin. For once, she didn’t object to his interference. This was the rescue she needed from making a bad decision.

“Yes,” she said, closing the door behind her and brushing past both men before she hurried down the stairs to find the others waiting in the lobby. She resisted the urge to turn back and supervise whatever interaction was now happening between Row and Rabin.

Suvanna was a vision in a fitted dress made of light blue silk, her blue-green hair pulled into a high ponytail, the curling tendrils brushing the tops of her narrow shoulders. Apsara had cast off her usual white jacket, leaving only a sleeveless top, the shapely cut of her arms, and her feathered wings attracting plenty of attention. Zarya noted the sweat beading on her brow, remembering what Apsara had told her about the heat.