Page 68 of Storm of Ink and Blood

“I’m sure,” Rabin said after a moment. “I believe this was also destined. Why else would the gods have returned this magic to us?”

The king sighed. “I still believe it would be a mistake. It can be easy to confuse the connection with your masatara as being more than it is.”

“I’m not confusing anything,” Rabin snapped. “I know what I feel.”

The king blinked at the sharp tone in Rabin’s voice. He wasn’t used to being questioned. “Then you will suppress it. I know you believe you are strong but you remain weak in spirit.”

Rabin felt gut-punched by those words. He knew it was true. When he’d met Abishek, he’d been a broken man, worth less than nothing. Abishek had helped draw him out of his shell and given him the strength to recover, but he still had so far to go. He didn’t deserve someone like Zarya, anyway. What had he been thinking?

“You’ll see I’m right,” Abishek said. “Go and find her, but do not give in to these desires. Perhaps when you’re ready, we can discuss it again, but for now, I forbid this and order you to break off all romantic involvement with my daughter.”

Rabin stared at the fire for several long seconds before looking up.

“Shall I go to her, then?”

Abishek smiled and folded his hands. “Of course. Bring her home, and then everything will be as it was always meant.”

TWENTY-FOUR

Over the next few days, Zarya threw herself into her work, trying to push thoughts of Rabin out of her head.

Wait for me. I’m coming.

One night, after Vikas had returned home to his family, Zarya had slept in one of the upstairs bedrooms along with Yasen, as they’d lain awake talking much too late. She’d told him about her latest encounters with Rabin, and he was also having trouble understanding why he was so determined to be bound to her.

But Operation Starbreak was ready, and she had bigger things to focus on. As she walked about the rooms, admiring how her vision had come to life, she prayed they could find someone willing to trust them. She understood that most vanshaj weren’t about to let some Aazheri they didn’t know perform magic on them willingly.

When the house sat empty day after day, she tried to cultivate patience. This would take time. Unfortunately, that wasn’t really a luxury they had.

Construction had begun on the new factory, and the royal family must have dug deep into their coffers because the site was swarming with hundreds of workers and guards at all hours of the day. The Jadugara also kept vigil outside, accusing anyone who passed of having ties to the resistance.

If they started producing ink again, then all of this would be for nothing.

They just had to be faster.

Ready for some lunch, she found Yasen in the kitchen, preparing food. Thunder boomed overhead, shaking the entire house. She pulled up a stool and settled into it.

“Hungry?” he asked, pushing over a plate with samosas and tamarind chutney.

“Starving.” She helped herself, sinking her teeth into the flaky pastry, realizing just how hungry she’d been.

A moment later, Vikas banged into the house through the back door, shaking water from his hair and clothing. The rain was coming down heavier now, fat drops splattering against the windows.

“Any luck today?” she asked hopefully.

He’d been busy with his friends in the vanshaj quarter, attempting to recruit people to their operation.

“The usual,” he answered as he shook off another shower of raindrops and then slumped onto a stool. “A few will listen for a short while, but most of them are too afraid to hear anything I have to say. I thought I was finally getting through to my father…” He trailed off and shook his head. “But not yet.”

Zarya nodded and poured him some chai. “We’ll think of a way. Maybe the council has some ideas.”

“Maybe,” he said, though his tone wasn’t all that hopeful.

She gave him a sad smile as another clap of thunder rattled the windows.

“They’re saying this storm is going to last for days,” Yasen said, peering up at the grey sky. “That might keep people away.”

Zarya let out a tense breath. “Hopefully, this weather slows the work on the factory down, too.”