Chapter 49
FORTY-NINE
Sunlight warmed Rabin’s skin when he woke up the next morning. He rolled over to find Zarya breathing gently, her face soft in sleep. His wife .
He traced the lines of her face, dragging his finger over the curve of her cheek and the angle of her jaw. Every time with Zarya had been something magical, but after they’d said those vows to one another and promised themselves to each other forever, everything had shifted to another place, and he couldn’t wait to spend the rest of his life at her side.
A knock at the door and a call of “room service” had her eyelids fluttering open. Miraan had truly thought of everything.
Rabin wasn’t sure what to make of Zarya’s half-brother. He seemed genuine in his desire to help, but Rabin usually had difficulty trusting people, and this prince was no exception.
Yasen certainly saw something in him. Rabin had overheard his conversation with Zarya when he’d claimed it was only casual, but Rabin had always been very good at reading people, and he didn’t buy a word of Yasen’s protests. He’d been around Yasen enough to know this was something special to him, too.
Reading people was one of a soldier’s most underrated and undervalued skills, and that’s what had always made him good at his job.
“Let me get that,” Rabin said, kissing her on the tip of her nose before he found a blanket to wrap around his lower half and opened the door to a member of the hotel staff dressed in a crisp black vest.
“Breakfast?” he asked, gesturing to the golden cart.
Rabin stood aside, and he pushed it into the room before revealing piles of eggs and paratha, along with bowls of fresh fruit yogurt, coconut cream, and pots of coffee and tea. Orange juice and sparkling wine completed the small feast.
“Is it to your liking?” he asked, and Rabin nodded. With a press of his hands at his heart, he tipped at the waist and then left. When the door closed, Rabin tossed the blanket back onto the bed, leaving him entirely nude, and then wheeled the cart closer, piling a plate high and handing it to Zarya.
“What are you thinking about?” Zarya asked after they ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes.
“I’m feeling bad you didn’t get a big fancy wedding,” he said, looking around the suite. “This room is beautiful, but you’re a princess. You should have had something extravagant. Something bigger.”
“Really?” she asked. “That’s what’s bothering you?”
“A little,” he admitted. He didn’t have much to offer her. It was only now that they’d passed the excitement of the proposal and the wedding that he realized it.
She shook her head. “I am not a princess. I’m a girl who grew up living in a simple cottage by the sea, and I will always be that girl, no matter what secrets drag me into the light.”
He raised a skeptical eyebrow. She could keep denying it, but she had royal blood, and when Abishek met her, he would no doubt name her his heir. Zarya couldn’t turn away from this part of her destiny, either. The marriage also meant Rabin was now fated to become king consort of Andhera, something he’d truly never imagined for himself.
“Our wedding was perfect,” she said with such sincerity that he nearly believed it. “All the most important people in my life were there, and the only thing I really needed was you.”
She popped a piece of mango into her mouth and then added, “But really if I’m a princess, shouldn’t I have married a prince?”
It took him a moment to realize she was joking.
“Maybe I planned all along to trap you before some stuffy royal could get his hands on you.”
She laughed at that. “You know how I adore stuffy royals.”
Then she leaned over and lay a hand against his cheek.
“I’m so happy right now,” she said, and despite everything in him warring not to believe her, he did. “I never imagined that I could be this happy. That I could meet someone like you to love. I didn’t need a fancy wedding. I promise.”
She kissed him and then pulled away, looking around the room with a forlorn expression. “Though I do wish we could stay here all day, we should get back to the house. We have work to do.”
He grabbed her hand, returning her gaze to him. “When this is all over, I’m making up that shoddy excuse of a wedding to you,” he said, and she smiled.
“That isn’t necessary, but I’d never say no to presents. Maybe something diamond-shaped?” She pressed a finger to her lips with a curious expression.
Rabin took her hand and kissed her palm. “I’ll buy you the biggest fucking diamond I can find. Even if I have to kill someone.”
That won him a laugh. “I don’t doubt you would.”
Then she dragged herself out of bed, giving him an eyeful of her lush curves as she made her way to the bathroom. He groaned, also wishing they could spend the next three months in this bed.
She blew him a kiss and then gently closed the bathroom door.
Rabin rubbed his chest and let out a sigh, feeling strangely at peace.
Reluctantly, Zarya and Rabin dragged themselves out of bed and made their way back to the manor. Their magical bubble had to burst because too many people were relying on them.
With scarves covering their heads, they wound through the streets, nearly running straight into a group of Jadugara accosting a group of citizens. Ducking into an alley, Zarya stopped, peering around the corner to watch.
The Jadugara were questioning the people they had surrounded. Zarya could just make out their demands: they were asking who their parents were and where and when they’d been born. She narrowed her eyes as she watched a Jadugara take the wrist of a young man and grip it tightly. He then filtered out a thread of spirit magic, circling it around the younger man.
“What’s he doing?” Rabin asked. He stood behind her, a hand on her hip and his body pressed to her back.
“I think he’s testing for magic,” Zarya said.
They both watched for another moment. “They’re trying to catch anyone who might have escaped the collar?” he asked a moment later.
She nodded. “That would be my guess.”
“We should go,” Rabin said. “It’s not safe for you out here.”
Zarya nodded and watched for another moment before the Jadugara began harassing another group of passersby. They looked scared and worried and were behaving erratically, confirming the Rising Phoenix had wormed under their skin. It was a sign of the royals’ increasing frustration. She hoped it was a positive omen.
When they returned to the house, it was already buzzing with the day’s activity. Vikas was ordering Aazheri about as a new group of vanshaj entered for their procedure. Out in the courtyard, Yasen and Row were busy training soldiers.
From the window, Zarya and Rabin watched as Yasen corrected someone’s handhold on their weapon. Zarya remembered watching him for the first time at Ambar Fort. He’d been such a patient and giving teacher, and it was obvious how much this role suited him.
The free vanshaj worked valiantly, and while some were naturals, plenty couldn’t tell which foot was the left and which was the right. Rabin sighed and blew out a breath.
“If only we had more time,” he said. “We’d need months to train a competent army, even if they already had experience.”
Zarya followed the direction of his stare. He was obviously right. They didn’t look particularly seasoned, but what they lacked in skill, they made up with heart. Every single one of them had a determined expression on their faces. This meant more to them than to anyone.
They passed through the house and into a room where dozens of people were busy scratching out notes on pieces of paper. “What’s this?” Zarya asked.
“Something I dreamed up last night,” Vikas answered. “They’re copying the passage from Age of Shadows that shares the truth about the Jadugara. Ajay agreed it was a good idea, and we gathered as much paper as we could find.”
“It’s brilliant,” Zarya said.
“How do you plan to distribute them?” Rabin asked.
“We thought we could hand them out to people in the square.”
“Or I could fly over and rain them down over Ishaan,” Rabin answered with a wicked gleam in his eyes.
Vikas grinned and nodded. “That would be perfect.”
The door to the back of the house opened and they all went to investigate. Ajay entered, followed by Koura, and then…Farida stepped through the doorway with her arm wrapped around Rania.
“Farida!” Zarya cried, rushing towards her. Farida appeared pale and so much thinner, like a delicate twig in winter.
Zarya ground to a stop. “Is it okay if I hug you?” she asked, and Farida nodded with that kind smile she’d missed so much.
“Of course.”
Zarya threw her arms around her. “I’m so sorry. I’m just so sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Farida said. “Rania and Ajay have explained everything. I’m so proud of all of you.”
Zarya pulled away. She stared at Farida’s throat and her smooth, unblemished skin.
“You’re okay?”
“Thanks to Koura,” Farida answered, and he tipped his head. “A little tired and weak, but he promises I’ll make a full recovery.”
“Gods, I’m so relieved you’re here,” Zarya said. “You must meet Vikas.”
Vikas approached with his hand out and a grin on his face. “I’ve heard so many wonderful things about you. I’m so glad to see you’ve recovered.”
“I’ve heard the same,” Farida said, causing Vikas’s shoulders to straighten. “And despite Rania’s protests, I wanted to come and see everything. Will you show me around?”
“Of course,” Vikas said, looping his arm through Farida’s as he took her through the manor, pointing out everything and answering all of her questions about Operation Starbreak.
Her pride in their work was evident, and for the next few hours, she pitched in where she could while Rania hovered and fussed over her. Farida bore her attention with good nature, clearly humoring her after her near scare with death.
A somber mood settled over the house as the day waned and night fell.
Zarya and Vikas finished with the final group and started cleaning up as everyone else finished their chores and made for their homes. That left Zarya, Rabin, Ajay, Row, and Yasen as they closed the door on the final vanshaj they’d free before the sun rose tomorrow.
“This is it, then,” Vikas said. “We’re done.”
“How many do we have?” Rabin asked.
Vikas consulted the ledger on the next table. “By my count, we’re at just over three thousand.”
Their gazes met around the room.
Thousands, Rabin had said. Tens of thousands. They weren’t even close to that number but were also out of time.
“Is it enough?” Zarya asked.
“It might be. It’s honestly more than I expected,” Rabin said, blowing out a long breath. “We’ve done all we could. Trained them to the best of our ability. Now it’s up to us and to each of them.”
“Then may the gods favor us tomorrow,” Ajay added, and they all shared a wary look before falling into their beds to dream of victory and the distinct possibility of their failure.