Page 133 of Storm of Ink and Blood

Abishek’s warnings about keeping his distance from Zarya itched in the back of his thoughts, but he pushed them away. They were bound now, and nothing would change that. The king would be displeased when they returned to Andhera, but there was little he could do about it.

Rabin would never understand what he’d done to deserve this. Why the fates had chosen him to be hers, but he would thank them every day for the rest of his life.

“You can do this,” he said to Zarya softly, and she nodded.

“With you, I can.” Her voice was barely a whisper, but her words exploded against his chest, nearly knocking him sideways.

Then she turned towards Mina and performed the same spell as she had with Kajal, adding a little extra flourish for dramatic effect. The glittering black ribbon of her magic twisted in the air, spiraling over everyone’s heads before it gently circled around Mina’s throat. Zarya squeezed tighter and then the tattoo melted away almost instantly as the ink dissipated into puffs of dark smoke.

When she was done, she lowered her hand, and Mina stared wide-eyed with her fingers wrapped around her bare skin. Every single person standing in the plaza stood frozen as Zarya stepped towards Mina and began whispering in her ear.

Rabin heard her giving Mina instructions on how to find her magic, just like he’d taught her in the dream forest.

Mina pressed her lips together as she held up her palm and stared at it while Zarya continued to whisper encouragement.

And then, a tiny flickering flame appeared in Mina’s hand, hovering above her palm. The delight on her face could have melted every heart within a thousand miles.

That’s when Rabin felt the shift. This wasn’t just a demonstration of magic. This was a sign that anything was possible. No matter what happened in the past, today, things would start to change, one way or another. They’d just opened a box of secrets that could never be closed.

He scanned the faces of the crowd, noting the wonder in their expressions and the tears building in their eyes. It had taken some convincing, but finally, they saw it. This was real. This was possible.

A moment later, the crowd exploded into screams, cheers, and excited chatter, the loud noise shaking the very ground where they stood. They hugged and jumped up and down, laughing and celebrating. Even Rabin’s heart squeezed at the sight.

In the center of the square they all shared looks around their circle.

“You think that worked?” Zarya asked Vikas, who stared over the crowd with tears tracking down his cheek.

He nodded and grinned. “I think that worked.”

FORTY-SIX

It was then the real work began.

The demonstration in the square had lit a fuse, kindling a fire that had been waiting to ignite. After all the years and months of planning, the setbacks and the futility of their actions, the Rising Phoenix finally had a direction and a purpose. An end goal with a possibility of success in their sights.

They discovered Mina also carried six anchors, and Zarya’s hope grew with that knowledge. If they could keep moving forward, this endeavor might have a chance.

Everyone had their jobs. Suvanna and Apsara traveled between Operation Starbreak and the palace to keep an eye on the prisoners. They were also frequently active in the vanshaj district with Row, discreetly directing people to the manor via the city’s alleyways.

Rabin was in charge of security and, along with Yasen and Ajay, began recruiting freed vanshaj and other members of the Rising Phoenix to patrol the streets to ensure no one came near the house, or if they did, they’d have fair warning.

Miraan also trekked between the manor and the palace, doing whatever he could to discover any useful information while funneling gold into procuring weapons for their growing army. This required a careful chain of orders that filtered down from him and through a twisting network of contacts so the purchases could never be traced to a single person.

If Dishani were to ever get wind of what he was doing, they’d lose him and his money. The fact they were generously funded was one of the only things working in their favor.

Miraan had returned a few days ago with news that construction of the ink factory had also resumed. They were also attempting to pass the proposed laws that would see many vanshaj banished to the Saaya. The incident during the execution had shaken another piece loose, rattling the careful hold the Madans had been clinging to for centuries.

They, too, must have felt the shift around them.

The air was charged with the promise of a different tomorrow, and the winds of change howled through the city streets with the whispers of rebellion.

The good news was it would take at least another month or two before the construction would be complete.

Zarya, Vikas, Miraan, and Mina’s job consisted of using their magic to break the collars day in and day out. Thanks to their efforts, a stream of willing vanshaj now came and went all throughout the day. Zarya’s magic was effortless, even when Rabin wasn’t even in the house, and Vikas and Miraan were both becoming faster with every passing day. Mina was also catching up, and every once in a while, they’d encounter another vanshaj with a sixth anchor, who was immediately recruited to the cause.

Despite their progress, Zarya was constantly on edge, worried about discovery. More and more people were arriving daily, and hundreds of vanshaj were wandering around wearing false collars. No matter how hard they tried to hide it, someone could slip up.

They’d impressed the need for discretion on everyone, but the more widespread their success, the more they risked exposure.