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Her silent steps turned to soft thuds as she stepped onto the dam, following the arc of rock out into the open until she reached the gap, her eyes never wavering from the familiar shadow on the far side of the spillway. The lantern was bright enough to reveal he wore a Maridrinian uniform bedecked with the braids and medals and markers of a high-ranking officer, a sword belted at his waist, along with a knife on the opposite side. His hair was pulled back, but strands of it had come loose, the wind catching and freeing them.
He held up a hand. “No closer, Zarrah. It’s not safe.”
Confusion flashed through her, and for a heartbeat, she thought he meant thathewas the danger to her. Then she saw that the water had eroded enough of the spillway that a portion of the dam’s deck had collapsed, widening the gap an extra two feet.
Too far to jump.
A sharp, stabbing pain struck her heart, because she’d thought that she’d do this in his arms. Thought she’d say goodbye with the taste of him on her lips and the feel of his hands on her skin, but apparently fate, God, and the stars had given her enough for one night and would give her no more. Her eyes burned, and she blinked away the tears before they could fall.
Silence.
Zarrah knew she should speak. That she should start her explanation now, because time was short. But her throat was tight, strangling every word that tried to rise to her tongue. To her lips.
“Lara and Aren made it through the Red Desert.” His voice carried over the roar of the water, risky names to be shouting on the outskirts of Nerastis. “Bastard has nine lives.”
The corner of her mouth turned up. “I think it’s your sister that’s the hard one to kill.”
“Recent events suggest otherwise.” There was a hint of anger in his voice. “She nearly took an arrow in the back last night, she was so distracted coming up with suitable words for goodbye.”
Zarrah flinched, though she wasn’t certain why.
“What is going on, Zarrah? Why were they on your ship? Why did you dump them on a beach, only to sail in to save their asses?”
She swallowed hard, her hands like ice. “They came to Pyrinat to ask the Empress to aid Ithicana in driving Maridrina out and retaking the bridge.”
“And?”
“She declined. Gave me orders to drop them north of Nerastis so that they might make their own way back to Ithicana to rally Aren’s people.”
“Thank fucking God.” His shoulders slumped, and though the noise of the falls drowned it out, Zarrahfelthis exhale of relief. It made her stomach twist into knots. As if sensing something in her silence, Keris lifted his head and met her stare. “Tell me that’s the end of it, Zarrah.”
“I can’t.” She dragged in a steadying breath. “Because it’s not. Not for me.”
“What have you done?” He took a step toward the edge of the spillway, as though he might jump, then gave a sharp shake of his head and held his ground. “Zarrah?”
“I’m going to take ships north to help Aren liberate Ithicana. I’m going to help him end this war. And then I’m going to return to Pyrinat and accept the consequences of treason.”
“No, you are not! You will do no such thing! You—”
“Did you know it’s been a year?” Her heart beat against the inside of her ribs like a fist trying to hammer its way out. “A year since I stood on the deck of a ship and watched your father’s fleet sail past me to Ithicana. A year since I did nothing and thousands suffered for my inaction. It feels like I’ve come full circle and am once again standing on that deck, watching disaster approach. But this time, I won’t do nothing.”
“Zarrah, no. Don’t.” His voice was drenched in panic, and again he stepped to the edge of the spillway. “Ithicana is Aren’s problem, not yours. It was his blind love for my sister that invited invasion. And Lara’s shame that drove her to keep secrets when the full truth would have stopped my father in his tracks. What happened in Ithicana istheirfault, not yours. Let them pay the price.”
Her chin trembled, and Zarrah clenched her teeth, trying to contain her emotions because she needed to get this out. Needed to make him understand. “It’s not just Ithicana that disaster approaches, Keris. It’s Maridrina.” She sucked in a breath. “The Empress is coming for you. She knows that your father needs to end this war before Amarid withdraws its support. She knows he intends to pull every last one of his soldiers from across the kingdom to strike Ithicana a fatal blow. And when he does, when Maridrina sits entirely unprotected, she intends to strike her own fatal blow.”
“Let her come,” he shouted. “I have control in Nerastis,notmy father. I’m not sending him the soldiers or ships, so if Bermin thinks to waltz across the border and take this city, he’s in for a shock. I have it in hand, Zarrah!”
“No, you don’t!” Her emotions boiled over the walls she’d built to contain them. “You don’t have it in hand, because it isn’tjustNerastis she’s coming for—it’s Vencia. I know because it’s me who is supposed to sail into its harbor to sack and burn and murder. Me who is supposed to go to Silas’s palace and put every last Veliant to sword.”
Silence.
“But instead, I’m going tolie.” Tears dripped down her cheeks. “I’ll tell my soldiers that her orders are to retake Southwatch for Ithicana. We’ll drive your father out and send him back to lick his wounds in Vencia, and things will go back to the way they’ve always been.”
“No, they won’t, because you’ll be executed.” He stood right at the end now, and she cringed as rocks crumbled to fall into the water below. “This is madness, Zarrah. There are other ways. I’ll warn my father. Tell him that the Empress intends to attack while his back is turned. He won’t risk Vencia.”
“Won’t he?”
Keris’s mouth opened, but he hesitated, and Zarrah knew he was thinking of the depths of Silas’s obsession with the bridge. Knew he was seeing how this would unfold and the calamity it would bring. “There has to be another way to stop this. Just… just don’t attack. Delay until he’s done with Ithicana, and then the opportunity will be lost.”
