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“Tromp about in the forest like this?”
I chuckled. “I’ve seen things far scarier than what’s in these woods.”
Another crash of thunder shook the sky, and Lira squealed as she jumped back. I couldn’t help but clasp her hand, and she stilled as her long, smooth fingers curled around mine. “It’s okay, Lira.”
She raised her face so that the soft lines of her lips shimmered in the limited light of sunset that filtered through dark clouds.
“I’m sorry.” She pulled her hand away, and I wanted to beg her to let me keep it. “I’m not good with all this… this…” She waved her hands around.
“This what?”
“Nature.” She cringed.
A laugh burst out of me. “Leave it to you to have enough magic to raze this forest if you wished and you’re worried something in it might harm you.”
Her brow furrowed. “How do you know how much magic I have?”
I blew out a breath as I nodded to a turn in the path between two trees, and our feet squished over damp leaves. “I don’t mean to be arrogant, but you saw my powers at the boxing match.” She leaned in against me again, like she also wished for my touch. Something felt right when her shoulder brushed my arm. “I possess a tremendous amount of magic, yet you could compel me. I had my wards down, nevertheless, most other fae couldn’t have done that without me recognizing it and stopping you.”
The first time my shadows had whispered out of me I’d been only nine and had done it on accident. It scared my elder sister so that she cried—a feat being that Amyra faced even the greatest crisis with steely calm. It left me shaken, and I ran to a closet to hide. Father had found me and kneeled so the silk of his jacket pooled on the floor. “Sai, what are you doing in here?”
I sniffled. “You heard what I did.”
He nodded.
“I scared Amyra.”
“Amyra was scared because it surprised her. You did nothing wrong.”
I scrunched my fingers in front of my hands. “This isn’t normal magic.”
“It’s not Prasanna.” He gripped my shoulder, the cool metal of the rings he wore grazing the skin of my neck. “That doesn’t mean it isn’t normal. It means, however, that it’s time for you to get a zevar. Have you decided on your true name yet?”
I gave my head a shake.
“Well, give it some thought.”
“Yes, Father.”
He smiled, and his voice took on a gentle tenor. “Kali blessed you with these powers, beta. Do not be afraid of them. You’ll use your magic to help the Prasanna.”
So began the series of events that defined my life and led me to this moment of walking beside Lira through the mucky growth of the forest. I never understood why I had the magic I did when my three other siblings only had Prasanna powers, and my brother scarcely had magic at all. It felt like fate had cruelly heaped his share onto me. It was a guilt I lived with every day, though I tried to cope with it by using the magic in service to our court.
“I thought you tried to fight my magic, at first,” Lira said, pulling me out of my contemplations.
I released a bitter laugh. “It’s good to know I have some sense of self preservation. Through here.” I gestured to a curtain of vines. “As soon as we speak with the Naga, we’ll see if we can find shelter before this storm breaks.”
She pushed through the mass of jade leaves, and I followed behind, my boots squelching against the muddy banks of the river where knobby tree roots pushed out. I removed my bag and pulled a bundle from it before setting it on the bank.
Lira leaned in close enough for her floral scent to mix with the swampy tang. “What’s that?” she whispered.
“Food from the palace’s kitchens. The Naga is fond of them.”
Lira seemed ready to ask another question, but the waters of the ebony river rippled. A female naga rose from the water. She had dark hair and dozens of beaded necklaces which trailed over her bare breasts. It wasn’t her exposed flesh that Lira’s eyes darted to though, but the second half of her body which shifted, from the waist down, to a serpent’s tail with slick black scales.
“Sai of the Prasanna.”
I bowed, and Lira darted her face to me and then lowered as well. “I’m here to speak with the Naga.”
