Page 88 of Queen of Shadows and Ruin

Abishek chuckled as he shook his head. “He warned you, didn’t he? Row didn’t have the exact flavor of it right, but he did have the meat of it. And you all dismissed him.”

Rabin’s blood ran cold, and his limbs began to tremble as the reality of his situation slowly sunk in.

“What are you planning?” Rabin demanded.

Abishek ignored the question and gestured to Ekaja, who rattled off a set of orders to her guards to search the castle for Zarya.

“Kaj,” Rabin said. “How could you do this to me?”

He noticed her shoulders stiffen as she slowly turned to face him.

“He is my king. He gave me my life, too.” A small breath blew past her lips. “Unlike you, I do as he orders.”

Her voice was flat and devoid of emotion.

“Ekaja,” he whispered as his heart cracked with a betrayal he’d never expected.

The soldiers he’d trusted—ones he called friends—circled closer as a noose tightened around him. He couldn’t seem to move. He was paralyzed, stuck in the churning darkness of his mistakes.

He’d trained his entire life and never frozen in the face of a battle. He knew he should be doing something, but his brain wouldn’t catch up with his limbs.

The guards closed in, and all he could hear was white noise. His gaze jumped from Abishek to Ekaja and back again. He’d trusted them. He’d put his faith in them. He’d brought Zarya here, sure that she would be safe.

What was happening? Why couldn’t he say or do anything?

“Tie him up,” he heard Abishek say. “As soon as we find the girl, we can begin.”

TWENTY-SEVEN

Zarya continued wandering through the vanshaj wing, consulting Urvi’s map. It had been almost ten minutes, and it was nearly time to return to Rabin. She’d just explore a little further and turn back.

She rounded another corner, and her breath caught. Her vision tilted, and her blood chilled as she stared down the length of a hall. Lightheaded, she clutched the wall for balance at the disorienting sensation of déjà vu.

This was it. She was sure of it. Her gaze traveled over the pale stones and the tapestries hanging on the wall—threadbare and faded, worn by time and neglect.

She took a tentative step as if knowing she was crossing a threshold into a place from which she could never return. Whatever lay at the end of this hall might change everything. The hairs on the back of her neck rose, warning her to be cautious, but she couldn’t stop. She had to see what lay beyond.

With one hand still pressed to the wall, she slowly made her way down the abandoned corridor. One foot in front of the other. Her hand brushed a tapestry, churning up a cloud of dust as the delicate, rotted threads crumbled under her touch.

She rubbed the dry fibers between her fingers.

They felt like an omen, a sign that everything was about to fall apart.

She stared down the hall again. With every step, it felt like the light was growing darker. Her knees were weak and her throat dry, and she swallowed hard as she limped along the corridor.

At the end stood a thin wooden door with a rusted handle. She reached for it slowly, both eager and dreading what she might find on the other side. Her emotions wobbled between fear and anticipation when it clicked softly under her touch.

She flattened a hand to the surface and pushed, revealing a stone staircase spiraling up into yet another tower. She’d done this dozens of times over the past few days, ending in only disappointment.

But as she placed her foot on the bottom step, something told her this time would be different.

She looked back. It had now been longer than the promised ten minutes, and she expected Rabin to appear around the corner at any moment. She should turn back, but curiosity was eating her alive.

She closed her eyes and conjured the dream of her mother, reliving the fear and the terror. The loneliness of that place. It couldn’t be real. She looked up the stairs.

But what if it was?

Zarya took another step, breaking through the last of her hesitations. She spiraled up, winding along the narrow column as the air grew crisp and her breath condensed in soft puffs.