Page 123 of Queen of Shadows and Ruin

“Urvi, isn’t it?” Yasen asked. He noticed Row perk up, watching them both carefully.

“Yes,” she whispered.

“Urvi,” Yasen said, his hand pressed to his heart. “Did you see what happened to Zarya and Rabin? Please, this is very important.”

Urvi’s eyes filled with tears as she nodded and then recounted the tale of Zarya searching for something in the vanshaj wing.

“Do you know what?” Row asked.

Urvi nodded. “Something about her mother.”

“Her mother?” Row asked sharply. “What about her?”

“I’m not sure,” Urvi said. “Her Highness was trying to find her.”

Yasen looked over to note the shocked look on Row’s face. “Did she?” he asked in almost a whisper.

“I don’t know… I was still in the library when Lord Ravana returned,” she said. “The king said he intended to reverse their Bandhan to break the seal on the darkness.” She nearly choked on the last words as her hand wrapped around her throat. “Could that happen?” she asked. “The darkness is wicked. It cannot be released.”

Row still appeared to be in shock, but he shook it off. “We’re not sure,” he said. “Did you hear anything else?”

Urvi nodded. “The mystic used his magic, and they both fainted. Then they were taken into the king’s private study. That’s the last I saw of them for a few days.” She bit her bottom lip as a tear slipped down her cheek. “She offered to free me. She wanted to help.”

Her gaze met Yasen’s, and he nodded as he put the pieces together. Zarya had offered to remove her star collar, but Urvi still wore it, meaning she had refused. But the gesture had been appreciated.

“I heard screaming,” she said. “And a lot of talking. I could only make out some of it. The king said they’d be helping him and that Master Ravana would be used in some way.”

“For what?” Row asked, his voice low and deadly.

Urvi shook her head. “I don’t know.” She squared her shoulders as if gathering her courage. “Then they were taken out of the castle and put into carriages before heading for the mountains.”

Yasen blinked, sorting through these various bits of information.

“The mountains,” Yasen said, and Urvi nodded. “And you can’t remember anything else? Any detail that might tell us where they’ve gone?”

She clasped her hands to her stomach. “I heard the king say something about meeting up with the mountain men when they arrived,” she said. “Something about the Ashvins and the city they once ruled.”

Row exhaled a sharp breath as his gaze met Yasen’s. They both immediately understood. Abishek had sent them to the seal. To the place Tarin had mentioned.

“The entrance to Taaranas,” Yasen said. “He knows where it is.”

Row nodded. “So it would seem.”

Yasen then turned to Urvi. “Thank you. You’ve been so much help.”

Urvi’s eyes filled with tears. “If there’s anything I can do…”

“Keep yourself safe,” Yasen said. “I have no idea what’s coming.”

Urvi nodded, her eyes brimming with fear.

After she left, Yasen and Row looked at one another before their gazes wandered to the window and the snow-swept peaks stretching across the horizon.

Yasen ran a hand down his face. “I guess we’re going hiking.”

THIRTY-NINE

Once Zarya had rested and filled her stomach, she carefully approached the window. It had been quiet for hours. Rabin could likely see everything from above, including how far the city stretched, giving him a distinct advantage.