Page 98 of Queen of Shadows and Ruin

He paused, and Zarya shook her head. “What does that mean?”

“It means they live inside you, my daughter. They have waited patiently over a millennium to gather their strength and find the right… vessel. It means the seal behind where they were trapped by the kings and queens of Rahajhan a thousand years ago is weakening. It is time to break them out once and for all, free the darkness, and take back the power that we lost.”

The king’s face stretched into a slow, pleased smile.

“And you, my dear—my child—will help me achieve all my wildest dreams.”

THIRTY

“What!” Zarya shouted. “No!” She fought uselessly against her bonds. “They’re not inside me. You’re insane!”

Abishek’s smile turned remorseful. “Why do you think you keep experiencing their life? Dhawan wasn’t wrong when he said the blight started with you. The seal has been slowly leaking for centuries, but it needs a little push.”

A shiver climbed over her scalp, spreading over her skin. No one was inside her. She suddenly couldn’t breathe. She thrashed against her restraints, desperate to hide. To curl into a ball and pretend none of this was real.

“And then what,” Rabin asked, his voice a low, menacing growl. “What happens when you free them?”

Abishek clasped his hands. “Once Zarya breaks the seal, two things will happen. It will unleash the nairatta trapped with the twins, and they’ve all been left starving for so very long.”

“And the second?” Rabin asked. Zarya listened, relieved he was staying calm because she couldn’t seem to form a single coherent thought.

“The Ashvins will eventually regain their full strength but will still require a vessel to exist on this plane.”

“Let me guess,” Rabin said as Abishek smiled.

“Their power will become mine. I will take control of the nairatta, and finally, the Aazheri will rule over the continent as it was always meant to be.”

“No!” Zarya screamed. “No, I won’t help you. I will never help you. I’m not breaking anything! You’ll have to kill me first!”

Abishek tutted. “Yes, I assumed that’s what you’d say. I only let you remain in my home as guests for as long as I did because I had hoped you’d cooperate. We could have done this together—we’d be so much stronger—but I see that was never meant to be.”

“Together?” she snarled. “Never.”

“You’re sure? I’ll give you one more chance to change your mind. Break the seal, give up the Ashvins willingly, and I’ll allow you to live. I might still claim you as my heir, though I expect you to marry an Aazheri—Amir, of course.” Abishek flicked his fingers at Rabin. “Which means we must deal with him after I get what I want.”

“No!” Zarya screamed, fighting and bucking against her bonds. “If you touch him, I will destroy you!” She couldn’t move. She couldn’t breathe. She screamed in frustration.

When she was done, she lay panting on the table, sweat pooling in her collarbones.

“Look at you,” Abishek said. “So utterly useless.”

“Everything was a lie,” Rabin said, his voice deadly calm, storm clouds swirling in his eyes.

“It was,” Abishek answered rather matter-of-factly. “Don’t feel bad. I planned it very well, and I am rather good at this. Anyone would have fallen for it.”

Rabin snarled while Abishek turned away and gestured for Kishore.

“Our first step is fixing your Bandhan,” Abishek said.

“That part was true?” Zarya asked.

“It was, but not in the way you think. We can’t break the existing one, so we’ll apply a new one so I may use it to use you.”

“So there was no issue with our bond?” Zarya demanded. “Where has Kishore really been?”

“Exactly where I said,” the king replied. “But I couldn’t let you leave until he’d gathered the necessary supplies and prepared the new ink. A bit of magic to block you from the mind plane and a bit of poison in Rabin’s food to make him think he was dying—and you were both convinced it was true.”

“You monster!” Zarya screamed, choking on a sob.