Page 70 of Queen of Shadows and Ruin

“Kishore has been delayed yet again. He’ll be here in a few days,” Abishek went on.

Rabin glanced at Zarya. He was growing increasingly suspicious. Kishore was never away from Andhera this long, and Rabin was beginning to wonder if Abishek was purposely trying to keep them here. The generous reason would be that he wanted to spend more time with Zarya.

“I see,” Zarya said, her voice tight. “In that case, we’ll be returning to Gi’ana today. We can consult the mystic who performed our Bandhan instead.”

“How can you trust her after she already made such an error?” Abishek asked, his tone sharp.

“She didn’t know about my sixth anchor,” Zarya protested.

“She should have asked,” Abishek said. “Any qualified mystic would have known to confirm it first.”

She opened her mouth and then closed it, glancing over at Rabin.

Perhaps the king had a point.

“Just a few more days,” he added. “I swear to you. We must ensure this is done right for both of you.”

“It’s been just a few more days for weeks now,” Zarya said. Rabin could tell she was attempting to stay calm and affect a diplomatic tone, but her frustration was obvious. “When will he be back?”

“Have you been able to enter the mind plane yet?” Abishek asked, the question pointed as he regarded both Zarya and Rabin.

They hadn’t. Neither of them had been able to for weeks, and Rabin was ready to tear his hair out. He’d combed through the paramadhar primer cover to cover, looking for an explanation. The book never mentioned a thing about the sixth anchor, but it was written shortly after the Hanera Wars, and any reference to the darkness would have been expressly forbidden and suppressed.

He thought of the Jai Palace Library and wondered if another book might answer this question. There was no chance of writing to Vik to ask. He’d burn up his letters and scatter the ashes to the wind.

“No,” Zarya finally confessed a moment later. “We haven’t been able to enter the mind plane.”

Abishek nodded and sat back, steepling his fingers as his knowing gaze swept over them.

“Then you must wait for Kishore. This mystic of yours can no longer be trusted.”

Rabin reached out and wrapped a hand around Zarya’s wrist. Abishek blinked, noting the gesture, his gaze zeroing in on it. It was an involuntary movement. One he couldn’t help. He nearly snatched his hand away, but they’d agreed to come clean with the king this morning, and there wasn’t any need to continue hiding this.

They were currently working their way up to the topic.

Zarya nodded as her gaze slid to Rabin with a look that suggested they’d discuss this later. “Very well,” she said, and then they exchanged another look. It was time to reveal their relationship to the king.

“We have something we must share with you,” Rabin blurted. It wasn’t a particularly elegant segue, but he wanted to get this over with. “Something we haven’t been entirely forthright about.”

Suddenly, he was nervous. When Abishek had first forbidden their relationship, he’d thrown caution to the wind. No one would tell him who he couldn’t be with. His feelings for Zarya were too strong to ignore.

Abishek cocked his head, studying Rabin while waiting for him to continue.

“When I left Andhera to seek Zarya out in Ishaan, you asked that I sever any romantic ties with her.” Rabin paused as he folded his hands together on the table.

“I believe I forbade it,” Abishek said, his eyes narrowing. “Quite clearly and explicitly.”

Rabin nodded as he cleared his throat. It was Zarya’s turn to grab his hand. They’d agreed he’d be the one to share the news, as Rabin felt it was his responsibility. Again, Abishek’s gaze narrowed on their contact.

“And you’ve defied my order,” the king said as his eyes lifted. “I was wondering when you’d finally admit it.”

Rabin inhaled a sharp breath. Of course Abishek had known. They’d been fooling no one, and this was just another test. Abishek had only wanted to gauge how long they would keep lying to him.

Rabin nodded. “I’m sorry, but my feelings for your daughter could not be cast aside.”

“Nor mine,” Zarya said. “Rabin shared your… concerns, but we made this decision together. This was inevitable.”

Rabin’s heart squeezed at those words. She’d tried so hard to fight him and hearing her say this with such conviction felt like winning a battle.