Page 13 of Storm of Ink and Blood

“Where have you both been?” Zarya asked. “What have you been up to?”

“After I left Dharati, I returned home,” Apsara said. “It had been far too long.”

“Me as well,” Suvanna said as Yasen placed some mugs on the table and then returned with a silver pot a few moments later.

“And how were things at home?” Zarya asked while she poured tea.

“Restless,” Apsara said, her brows pinching together before she sipped her chai. “Word of vanshaj rebellions has reached even the highest mountain peaks and is filtering into every realm. I’ve been writing with Kindle, and it’s the same in Bhaavana. He’s been busy working with a small but growing rebellion hiding out near their borders. The time is coming for a change.”

“What about you?” Zarya asked Suvanna, who shrugged.

“We don’t have vanshaj in Matsya. They can’t breathe underwater.”

“Oh,” Zarya said.

“But that is only circumstance. I have no doubt that if it were possible, they would also live amongst my people.” Her stern expression suggested what she thought about that.

“When Row told us what you two have been up to, we knew we had to come immediately to help where we could,” Apsara said before taking another sip of her tea.

“Row’s not coming, is he?” Zarya asked. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see him, but she wasn’t eager to live under the careful scrutiny of a guardian again. She needed her space and freedom, and no matter what Row said, he would always watch out for her in a way no one else would.

Apsara chuckled. “He said to assure you that he’s staying where he is unless you need his help. He’s got his hands full in Dharati, regardless.”

Zarya nodded. She knew from the letters they’d exchanged that riots in support of vanshaj freedom were also amassing in her former home. It seemed that a pinhole that had been leaking water for centuries was suddenly close to bursting. Like one card falling, it had taken just a few rumors spreading across the continent to start toppling them all.

“You’ll need vetting before you can be allowed into the Phoenix,” Yasen said, leaning against the counter with an ankle crossed over the other and his mug cradled in a hand.

“Understood. We’re happy to offer whatever assurances we can,” Apsara said solemnly before she looked out the window where clouds of smoke still hazed the sky. “Are you responsible for that?”

She looked back at Zarya and Yasen, and their silence confirmed the truth.

“Posters have been hung,” Zarya said to him. “They’re offering a lot of money to anyone with information.”

Yasen nodded. “I noticed that. This all just got a lot more dangerous.”

At that moment, a knock sounded at the apartment door. Three quick raps, followed by two slower ones with two beats between them. Zarya and Yasen exchanged a look.

“Well, I guess there’s no time like the present,” he said with a grin as he strode to the door and opened it.

The three women watched as he conversed with Ajay in a low voice for a moment. Then he stepped aside, and Ajay entered, his gaze wandering to Zarya before it settled on Apsara and Suvanna.

“Hello,” he said with a small bow. “Yasen tells me you’re friends of his.”

“I’m Apsara. I hail from Vayuu,” Apsara said, pressing her hands together in front of her heart with the tip of her head. Suvanna remained in her seat, her posture relaxed, and her arms crossed as she assessed Ajay. “And that is Suvanna of Matsya.”

“Apsara and Suvanna were instrumental in helping us defeat the blight in Daragaab,” Zarya said. “They can be trusted.”

“You’re sure of that?” Ajay said, his eyes narrowing. She knew he was only being cautious. So many lives hung in the balance if they made one wrong move.

“Absolutely,” Apsara said. “We came here to help in whatever way we can. We are at your service and vow to keep any secrets you share. We also live to see the vanshaj freed.”

Ajay considered them and then turned to Yasen and Zarya. “I came because I have bad news.”

“What is it?” she asked.

“The explosion spooked the royal family. My palace informants report that harsher laws will soon be passed down for the vanshaj and anyone aiding them. They’re mobilizing more patrols through the vanshaj district to root out possible resistance members. They’re no longer pretending we don’t exist.”

“How much worse can the laws possibly be?” Yasen asked as they all shook their heads. No one knew or wanted to know the answer to that question.