Page 21 of Queen of Shadows and Ruin

“Zarya,” Abishek said, holding up his hands. “You cannot change this.”

She pressed her mouth together, irritated and angry at the dismissal in his tone. “I was hoping”—she said through gritted teeth—“you’d allow me to practice my magic on some of your subjects.”

Abishek blinked. “Free the vanshaj in Andhera?”

“Yes.”

“No. It is out of the question.”

“Don’t you want to see how it works at least? Rabin says you have the sixth anchor. I could teach you, too.”

He studied her with a pensive look. “I admit I would be curious to see this in action, purely out of professional interest, but if word got out in Andhera, there would be chaos. It’s too risky.”

Zarya swallowed the tension in her throat, glancing at Rabin, who remained silent, allowing her to argue her case. “But I⁠—”

He waved a hand silencing her, his expression softening. “I can see you are passionate about this.” He paused as his brows drew together. “I will think about it. That’s all I can promise for now.”

A rush of hope flared in her chest. Maybe he could be convinced. Maybe with the right motivation, he could see his way to agreement. She thought of Miraan’s words and how powerful people preferred to be on the right side of history. The king’s help could mean securing a victory that felt so far out of reach.

“I would appreciate that,” Zarya said. “I think if you consider it, you’ll understand why things must change.”

The king regarded her with a cautious look. “Perhaps.” Another pause before he added, “But until I make a decision, I ask that you not bring this subject up anywhere in my kingdom again. Is that understood? Should I agree to this request, it must be done with care and precaution so as not to repeat the mistakes made in Ishaan.”

His tone left no room for argument, and this was the king she’d been expecting. Someone colder and more ruthless. Someone who gave an order and demanded compliance. Still, it wasn’t a no. Maybe he could be drawn to their side. She had promised Miraan they’d return to Ishaan soon, but what if there were other ways to fight this battle?

A demonstration might convince the king, but where might she find a willing subject?

“Fine,” she said slowly. “There are two other things I’d like to discuss with respect to my magic.”

Abishek folded his hands in his lap and nodded. “Of course. How can I help?”

Zarya swallowed and shared another look with Rabin. He was watching her carefully now. He knew she’d been keeping something from him, and she was grateful he hadn’t tried to force out the truth.

Zarya described her visions and what happened in the forests of Ishaan and at Rabin’s estate with his flowers. When she was done, Abishek wore a puzzled groove between his brows.

“I see,” he said. “And what do you believe this is?”

She blew out a slow breath. “It sounds… crazy.” She looked down at her hands before she continued. “But sometimes, I wonder if the darkness is following me.”

It took several seconds before she looked back up to find both men watching her with twin looks of surprise and curiosity.

Abishek sighed, shook his head, and asked a few more questions. At first, her answers were halting, but once she started talking, she couldn’t get the words out fast enough.

When she was done, they all fell silent. She snuck a glance at Rabin, worried about his reaction, but he was staring at her with that same fierce intensity as always. Nothing wavered in his expression. She gave him a soft smile that she hoped conveyed her appreciation for everything he’d brought to her life.

“I’ll be honest,” Abishek said. “I’m not entirely sure what you’re describing. And I hate the feeling of not understanding something.”

Zarya’s shoulders fell. “Oh. I was hoping… I mean, that’s part of why I came…” She drifted off as the king sat forward and clasped his hands.

“That doesn’t mean we can’t figure this out,” he said. “You did come to the right place. If the answers are anywhere in Rahajhan, they’re here.” He swept out an arm. “And if anyone can find them, it’s me.”

His certainty loosened some of the tightness in her chest. “Okay, thank you.”

He gave her a warm smile and then tipped his head. “And what was the other thing?”

She then described what had happened in the mind plane last night.

“Ah,” Abishek said, this time full of certainty. “I was afraid of this.”