Page 64 of Tale of the Heart Queen

“No,” I say, trying to break from his grasp as his smile turns colder than an arctic wind.

The guard approaches with the collar as panic swirls in my gut. I notice it’s a duller blue, the edges tainted with black. I’m about to be caged again. I try to call up my magic, but Rion’s dark power blocks mine and I spiral into panic.

I attempt to scramble away as the guard approaches. He holds the collar open, reaching for me, ready to clamp it around my throat, and then . . . I dissolve into nothing.

CHAPTER 25

White smoke fills my eyes, mouth, and lungs. I hack at the intrusion, my body an amorphous collection of bone and muscle until it comes back together and I’m once again on solid ground. I lie on a cool marble floor with my cheek pressed to the tiles. It feels strangely good. I groan as I shift. My feet ache, my soles so shredded, they sting from the cool breeze. My skin burns from the beating sun, cooked to a crisp. My hair hurts where the guard grabbed me, and I feel the bruising on my arms and chin from Rion and his guards.

But I’m alive, and most importantly, I escaped him again.

A slow clap rouses me from the twisting coil of my thoughts, and I have to close my eyes to stop my head from spinning before I force it off the floor to find the source of my mocking. Of course, I already know who stands there. I recognize the weird, intangible emptiness of this place. I remember the smell. It’s both sweet and fresh but also reminds me of nothing.

My plan worked. I was counting on Zerra’s desire to keep the ark out of Rion’s hands, and instead of just reacting, I forced myself to think and it worked. Tristan would be furious with me, but he couldn’t argue with the results.

Of course, none of this answers the question of why she ignored me at first or why she waited until the last second to rescue me.

A set of perfectly manicured toes appears in my vision, and I will myself to look up before I finally push myself into a seated position.

“I have the ark,” I say. “Where the hell were you?”

She purses her lips, and her nostrils flare as though she can’t believe my rudeness.

“I was right here, waiting for you.”

“Why did you wait to rescue me?”

She lets out a tinkling laugh, like calcified golden bells.

“I was enjoying the show so much. You are a resourceful one, aren’t you? Not especially bright, though. What made you so sure I would rescue you?”

“Because you wanted the ark,” I say.

She turns and walks away a few paces before she spins around again. “Hmm. Perhaps.”

I sigh and shake my head. “Okay, whatever. I don’t really care.” I pull the sling off my head and hold it out to her.

“You have it now. Give me Nadir.”

She approaches me again and reaches for the sling. I resist every instinct to snatch it back, but I’m aware I am the one with no cards to play. For a split second, I cling to it, her eyes flashing before I release it. She lifts the sling and feels the object through the fabric as a smile tilts up the corner of her mouth.

“Well done,” she says. “You just walked in there and stole it right from under him.”

She doesn’t utter the second statement in an admiring way, more like she’s musing at my audacity.

“Well, you left me no choice.”

“You must really love him,” she says, almost like it’s a question.

“Yes.” There’s no point in pretending. I already laid out my heart the last time.

“That’s very . . . commendable.” She holds out the sling and twists her hand before it dissolves into thin air and then reappears at the other end of the room, where four pedestals stand, each with an ark hovering above it.

I squint, making out the details of the arks of Tor, The Woodlands, and Celestria. I knew she had them, but seeing them sitting all together kindles the spark of an idea.

“This will look so nice in my collection.”

“Yeah, great,” I say, pushing a lock of sweaty hair off my forehead. “I’m so happy for you.”