Page 119 of Storm of Ink and Blood

Vikas looked at Zarya, having also noticed the confrontation. Zarya held her breath, wondering if Apsara could convince the princess to cease this madness but then Dishani dismissed her with a wave of her hand. Zarya’s shoulders sagged as Apsara peered out at the crowd, searching for them. When she found Zarya and the others, Apsara shook her head gently. There would be no stopping this.

The crowd continued pushing and shoving like waves rippling over the sea. The noise was deafening.

Dishani turned to face the plaza and raised a hand. Slowly, her signal filtered through the masses until everyone fell into an almost eerie silence.

Then the princess looked down at the platform and nodded to a group of waiting soldiers as she lowered her hand.

It snapped a spell she’d cast over the plaza as everyone began shouting and screaming even louder. The prisoners were shaking and crying, a few collapsing to their knees, inadvertently pulling their nooses tighter.

Zarya stopped thinking as the world around her dimmed to white noise, and her surroundings ground into slow motion. She leaped off her perch and dove into the crowd, shouting as she elbowed bodies out of her way. She heard Yasen and Rabin calling after her, but she ignored them. She had no idea what she was planning to do, but she had to do something.

“Zee!”

“Zarya, stop!”

She halted and spun around, glaring at Rabin and Yasen. “Just fucking help me!”

Rabin’s eyes flashed before he pushed past her, pressing through the crowd using his much larger frame to clear a path while Zarya and Yasen followed closely behind.

But this was taking too long. They’d barely covered any distance and wouldn’t reach the prisoners in time. What they needed was a distraction.

With the crowd jostling her from every side, she scanned the clear sky. Knowing this was beyond reckless, she lifted a hand and blasted out a stream of nightfire, striking the palace right above where the royal family sat.

She winced as the wall exploded to the sound of panic as the crowd’s energy swelled, ballooning to dangerous proportions. It felt like the very atmosphere was on the verge of collapse. Rabin turned to look over his shoulder with a what the fuck did you just do expression on his face.

“Move! Now’s our chance!”

Wasting no time, she flattened her hands on his back and pushed, using him like a battering ram. He resisted for only a second before they continued shoving through the crowd.

“Almost there!” she shouted as Rabin continued to bulldoze his way through the panicking throngs. She chanced a glance up at the royal family, wondering if she’d hurt anyone. She’d been careful to ensure it was only a small explosion. She didn’t want to hurt Apsara or Suvanna, after all. They were covered in dust and were brushing themselves off but appeared no worse for wear.

With one eye on the royals, Zarya continued fighting her way to the front. She watched as Dishani recovered from her shock, one hand gripping the railing as she cast a suspicious gaze over the plaza, seeking out the culprit.

Zarya ducked her head, hoping her half-sister wouldn’t notice them fighting their way to the prisoners.

Then Dishani turned and started shouting orders, her hands flying.

“Faster!” Zarya screamed before they finally burst through the edge of the crowd, coming to a stop in front of the platform so abruptly that she almost tripped. The guards slowly turned their heads.

For a split second, they all stared at one another.

Making use of their surprise, she grunted as she dashed up the platform, yanking the noose off the first prisoner.

“Zarya!” Rabin roared as she continued to the next, uncomfortably aware of how stupid this was. She couldn’t save them like this.

Guards stormed up each end of the platform a moment later, closing in on both sides. She held out her hand over her head. “Stay back or I’ll bring down this entire palace.”

Again, she’d caught them off guard, but all it took was a second before they started laughing. Gritting her teeth, she fired out another blast, aiming for a high tower. It exploded in a spectacular shower of stone and marble. That set off another wave of panic as the crowd pulsed, the noise reaching a thunderous crescendo before it surged dangerously close to where Zarya stood.

The royal family was watching her now, a mixture of confusion and surprise on their faces. Yasen and Rabin valiantly battled dozens of soldiers as a gate opened at the side of the palace. Another stream of guards came pouring out, surrounding them on all sides. They were officially and woefully outnumbered.

Zarya, Yasen, and Rabin were seized, their arms wrenched behind their backs before they were all cuffed in iron. Zarya felt the tears of frustration pressing the back of her eyes as she was forced to her knees. She breathed in and out as a wave of sorrow threatened to consume her. She shouldn’t have just run out here. She hadn’t saved anyone, and now, they were trapped.

“Show me her face,” came a deep voice, and then a rough hand gripped her hair, yanking her head up with enough force to make her gasp.

She came face to face with Miraan, her older half-brother.

He cocked a head as he raked her up and down, and Zarya couldn’t understand what she read in the shadows of his dark eyes.