Page 105 of Queen of Shadows and Ruin

After Kishore completed their new Bandhan, Zarya and Rabin were left alone in the study for several hours while they recovered. Her tattoo throbbed—the pain so much worse than when she’d accepted Thriti’s marking, hinting at its darker sort of magic.

Finally, Abishek’s manservant Omar appeared with Urvi in tow. They released Zarya and Rabin’s bindings and offered them food and clothing. Zarya rubbed her tender wrists and stared suspiciously around the study. Why were they being released without anyone to watch them?

She had access to her magic again—she could feel it sparkling in her chest—but she would never use it against either Omar or Urvi. Perhaps Abishek was counting on that.

Urvi remained silent as she helped Zarya dress in fur-lined leather pants, a fitted cotton shirt, a thick sweater, and wool socks. Then she gestured for them to eat the soup and drink the water they’d brought.

Zarya and Rabin sat across from one another, passing wary looks. She stared at the food as her stomach twisted in knots. She had no appetite.

After several minutes, the door opened, and Abishek appeared with Kishore and Ekaja on his heels.

Everyone remained silent as they entered, sizing one another up.

“Where are you taking us?” Rabin demanded, also ignoring his food.

“All in due time,” Abishek said, his tone casual, like he wasn’t the least bit concerned about what was coming. It felt like an obvious tactic to get under their skin. Rabin’s jaw ticked with murderous anger as he glared at the king.

“What will happen to my mother?” Zarya asked. She couldn’t stop seeing the battered, broken woman in that tower. Asha had brought Zarya into the world to save her crown, but Zarya couldn’t find it in her heart to be angry about that.

Abishek paused and turned to face her. “I suppose she’s finally reached the end of her usefulness, though perhaps I’ll keep her alive a bit longer on the off chance I need her again. Your story may not be entirely finished.” Zarya’s blood ran cold at the detachment in his voice. “After this is over, I’ll be rid of her once and for all.”

“Did you ever care for her?” Zarya asked, her voice barely a whisper. She didn’t know why it mattered. It didn’t matter, but in her daydreams about the family she’d never met, she’d always fantasized about a mother and father who’d been deeply in love when they’d brought her into this world. Discovering she’d been created to fulfill the ambition of a power-hungry king made her feel like she should never have been born.

Abishek tipped his head and studied her as if he could read everything she was thinking.

“Zarya, don’t be a ridiculous girl. I didn’t love or care for her. She was a beautiful woman, and I didn’t mind sharing her bed, but don’t harbor any delusions about your place in this world. You were made to be used by me.”

Zarya swallowed the burning knot in her throat, attempting to keep her expression neutral as acid burned through her heart. She couldn’t let the king see how much those words affected her.

“Eat up,” Abishek said. “You’ll want to keep up your strength. We have a long journey ahead of us.”

Then he turned and walked away while Zarya stared at his back. She could feel Rabin’s eyes on her, but she couldn’t bring herself to look at him. She couldn’t stomach the pity she might find in his expression.

After a minute, she inhaled a shaky breath and then forced her gaze towards him. But she didn’t see pity. What she saw was fire and rage and the promise that he would do everything in his power to destroy Abishek while screaming her name.

She dipped her chin before focusing on the fare before her. They both picked at their food in silence while Abishek, Ekaja, and Kishore conferred in hushed voices on the other side of the room. Could Zarya and Rabin fight all three off? Why had they been left unbound and allowed access to their magic at all?

The food tasted like ash in her mouth, and the new tattoo on her chest ached every time she swallowed. She tried reaching out to Rabin with her mind, attempting to force through that wall of blackness keeping her blocked. Her eyes fluttered closed as she concentrated with all her strength.

There. She noticed something. The dark surrounded the faintest glimmer, crushed in from all sides by a barrier of blackness. But it was him.

She reached for it, exhaling a small huff.

A second later, it slipped away. When she tried again, she hit another blank wall. She reined in her frustration. Had she just imagined it? Or was she breaking through?

She looked up to find Rabin watching her. Had he felt it? She didn’t want to give any advantage they had away. They’d have to settle for exchanging looks and the occasional whispered words if they wanted to communicate.

After they had eaten, Urvi brought in fur-lined boots, mitts, coats, and hats to complete their attire. Zarya donned it all with a kind of guarded caution, wondering what all these layers meant.

“It’s time to leave,” Kishore said. “When I redid your markings, I infused them with an enchantment that altered their properties. Should you try to use your magic, you’ll discover there will be consequences.”

Zarya’s mouth opened and then closed. “Consequences?”

“If you’d like a demonstration, I’m happy to offer one,” Kishore said. “It will be quite painful for him.”

“Him?”

His face stretched into a smug smile. “Your Bandhan now ensures that when either of you use your magic, you will cause excruciating pain to the other.”