Chapter 31
The smoke billowed faster than Yasmin had anticipated.
She briefly lost sight of Gita in the ensuing pandemonium.
Yasmin grabbed her skirt and raced after the Moon Elf.
The smoke got into her nose and mouth, choking her and causing Yasmin to cough, her eyes burning and watering.
She caught sight of Gita’s silver skirt and lunged.
Somehow, Yasmin managed to get her fingers on the thin material of the dupatta. It ripped loudly as she yanked it from Gita. The elf yelled for someone. Yasmin couldn’t make out the name, but it didn’t matter, not when she saw Gita moving through the smoke.
Yasmin dove forward and wrapped her arms around full skirts. The instant she held Gita, Yasmin twisted to land on her side. Gita lost her balance and tumbled to the ground, but the elf didn’t stay down.
An elbow landed hard in Yasmin’s abdomen, robbing her of breath.
She knew if she lost her hold on Gita, the elf would get away.
Yasmin couldn’t let that happen. Not when she had such an opportunity.
She scrambled to her feet, clawing her way up the heavily adorned skirts as Gita hit and dragged her across the rug.
Yasmin got her arms around Gita’s midsection before planting her feet to halt them.
The elf leaned forward to get away. When that didn’t work, she responded with a round of elbow punches and kicks.
A blow connected with Yasmin’s nose and left her dazed.
A moment later, something warm and wet ran down her face.
She refused to let go, though. She wrapped her legs around Gita and used her body weight to slow them.
The elf flipped Yasmin onto her back and landed another hit on her jaw.
Yasmin’s vision was edged with dots. Her fingers tightened as the two rolled on the floor, each trying to gain an advantage.
Which was why it took Yasmin so long to realize that if Gita could use both hands to strike her, then she didn’t have the box.
Yasmin couldn’t decide whether to let Gita go and look for the box or release all her years of hatred and anger onto the elf.
A flash of green magic caught Yasmin’s attention. It made her think of Ravi’s clothes. He was in the room with all the madness. Was he looking for her? Had he found Kumar and the device? She couldn’t see anything. There was no way to find Ravi or the weapon, but she had Gita.
Yasmin brought her fists up and slammed them into the elf’s jaw. It dazed Gita enough that Yasmin was able to climb on top. She reared back her hand to punch Gita when the elf shoved both hands into Yasmin’s stomach and released a round of magic.
The force of it pitched Yasmin backward.
She crashed into a table before dropping to the floor.
The pain was blinding. Everything hurt. It was like someone had shredded her lungs, and each time Yasmin attempted to breathe, smoke filled her body until she became wracked by coughs—which only doubled her agony.
Tears ran down her face as the smoke burned her eyes. All she wanted to do was lay there alone, but she would likely die if she did. The only way to survive was to get to her feet. That proved harder than expected.
Just getting to her hands and knees took every effort, all between coughing and holding her stomach where the elf had hit her.
Yasmin wiped the back of her hand across her mouth.
It came away streaked with blood and soot.
She blinked several times and scanned the area for Gita, but the elf was long gone.
Yasmin shook her head, refusing to admit defeat.
Gita could still be in the room. Yasmin crawled a short distance to the wall and used it to pull herself to her feet.
She bit back a cry of pain when something pulled in her stomach.
She dragged in a deep breath and tasted fresh air.
Swinging her head to the side, she watched the smoke waft through an open door.
She heard a scuffle and saw Ravi fighting one of the bodyguards on the other side of the room.
He drew the cube he had stolen from his pocket.
She scanned the room for Gita or Kumar when she spotted the wooden box. She forgot about her pain as she raced to it, sliding on her knees to wrap her arms around it just as a guard reached for it. He yanked at it. She lifted her gaze and met Ravi’s right before he threw the cube.
There was a deafening whoosh, a heartbeat before a monsoon filled the room. Yasmin was drenched immediately. As the guard’s attention shifted, Ravi seized the opportunity and kicked him in the face. He toppled backward with a howl as he released the box.
The rain dispersed the last of the smoke. Those still in the room beat a hasty retreat. Yasmin gathered the box tightly against her and raced to the door closest to her. She paused and looked back to see Ravi rushing through a door on the opposite side.
Yasmin slipped out of the room and plastered her back against the wall.
She clawed at the hair stuck to her face and breathed in fresh air, even as water continued to soak her.
Panic gripped Shaldorn. The occupants’ screams and shouts were drowned out by the roar of the storm that continued to gain momentum.
Yasmin scanned the faces of those who rushed past her as they shoved others aside to get down to the main floor and the entrance.
Some rammed into her painfully. She got caught up in a group, and it pushed her farther down the wall.
Yasmin protected the box with her body and planted her feet.
Eventually, the crowd moved around her. She knew few would make it out before Gita sealed the fortress. The guests, however, didn’t know that.
She waited until the area thinned out. The storm made it difficult to see, just as the smoke had.
But at least she could breathe easier now.
Yasmin reached to open the box’s lid with a shaking hand.
She sighed with relief when she saw the device inside.
Now, she needed to get to Ravi so he could complete his mission.
Yasmin looked first one way and then the other. The device was likely safer in its confines, but the box was bulky and heavy. Not to mention, people would be looking for it. It would be a lot easier to take the device out. She could put it into her pocket and make her way down to Ravi.
The only problem was that she knew nothing about the device or how it could be detonated. She had found the box on the floor, which likely meant it fell. No one would’ve put it down if they’d had a choice. If the device hadn’t detonated then, perhaps it would be safe for her to carry it.
She blinked water from her eyes and frowned at her thoughts.
There was a very real chance the bomb could go off.
But there were two good things about that.
The first was that she wouldn’t need to worry about getting caught at Shaldorn, and the second was that there would no longer be a potential conflict with the dragons.
But if it went off as she held it, she would never kiss Ravi again.
Yasmin scooped the orb into the palm of her hand.
She was surprised by how cool it was against her skin.
Before she could change her mind, she dropped it into her pocket.
The weight of it pulled the right side of her skirts down, but she ignored the awkward balance.
She inched toward the door, then leaned around the corner to glance inside the room before tossing the box inside.
Yasmin gathered her skirts in her hand and ran to a staff door.
She threw it open as she rushed through.
A startled cry brought her to a halt as she spotted a group of staff huddled together in the stairway.
Water dripped from her and billowed through the door she held open.
Someone came up behind her and shoved a hand into her back.
Yasmin tumbled down the stairs, only to be caught by a couple of staff members.
“Get me out!” a male voice bellowed behind her.
Yasmin got to her feet and turned to face the elf. She knew his kind. He didn’t care about anyone but himself. There was a way out from this stairway, but she wouldn’t tell him that.
She looked up at him in fear, her voice shaking as she said, “This isn’t an exit. We need to go back.”
The male didn’t hesitate to leave them behind.
After he was gone, Yasmin turned to the staff. “Stay here until the storm is contained,” she warned before racing down the stairs.
No one stopped her, no one questioned her—because that wasn’t what the staff was supposed to do.
From the first day, they were taught that guests could do whatever they wanted.
She almost told them to follow her, but she would likely put them in more danger if she did.
They were better off where they were for the time being.
Yasmin trailed her fingers along the stones and heard their answering song. They showed her the empty passages where she was to meet Ravi. She ran as if her feet had wings. Down corridors, around corners, zigzagging through hallways and down steps.
She didn’t stop. Not even when her side began to ache. She felt the thud of the device knocking against her leg as she ran. Every once in a while, she reached for the stones. All the attention was upstairs, leaving doors unmanned. All Ravi had to do was get to the lower level.
It was no surprise when she reached their meeting place first. She sucked in breaths of air and wished to be out of the wet gown and into her clothing once more.
Her chest heaved as she fought to even her breathing.
Then she put a hand on the stones and asked about Ravi.
They showed her that he was drawing close, but she couldn’t determine where he was.
Yasmin paced, antsy to get going. She touched the device through the material of her skirts. She considered going to get their clothes and packs. She could’ve been there and returned by now—and able to change.
The warning scream of the stones punched through her thoughts.
She went to reach for them to find out what was going on when she heard something behind her.
She spun around to see Gita striding down the corridor, her face twisted in a murderous rage.
Her hair had come loose and hung in wet tangles, her clothes were ripped and soaked, and one of her ear tips was missing.
Yasmin had done that to her. If the elf wanted another fight, she’d give it to her.
“There’s nowhere you can go,” Gita said as she walked closer. “The doors won’t open again until I tell them to. Enjoy these last minutes. They’ll be your final ones.”
Yasmin grinned. “You do love making threats.”
Gita stopped, her wet skirts swishing around her legs. “It’s a fact, not a threat.”
For the first time, Yasmin looked past Gita and saw One, Two, and Three bearing down on them. She didn’t stand a chance against the Trinity. There was nowhere for Yasmin to go.
“I rule Shaldorn,” Gita continued. “Your mistake was imagining you could outsmart me.”
The Trinity stopped two paces behind Gita. They looked at Yasmin with irritation and wrath that she had hoped never to see again. Yasmin thought of the device in her pocket. Where was Ravi? He needed to get out.
Except he couldn’t.
Not without her.
She wanted to take a step back and put more space between her and Gita, but Yasmin held her ground. “I did outsmart you.”
The smile that spread over Gita’s face was pure maliciousness. “Did you really think I would ever forget you, Yasmin?”
Yasmin barely had time to register her words before Gita tossed a powder into the air.
A cloud of lake root enveloped Yasmin. She sucked in the toxic herb before she could stop herself.
She gasped as her throat closed up, and breathing became a struggle.
She clawed at her neck, choking and wheezing, but it was no use. The dose was one meant to kill.