Chapter 56
FIFTY-SIX
Zarya drifted in and out of consciousness as the cold wind tore at her hair and clothing. She felt Yasen’s warm arms circle her as she leaned back, tipping her head against his shoulder. Rabin circled in a wide arc, flapping his wings steadily.
When she felt him dip, losing altitude, she had no idea how much time had passed. They landed on the ground with a gentle thump. Her limbs hung loose and pliant like someone had pulled out her bones as she was guided off Rabin’s back by careful hands.
Then she felt herself transferred into his arms as she inhaled his fresh, earthy scent.
“Rab—” she tried to say as he hugged her closer.
“Shh,” he said softly. “You’re safe now.”
Then he started walking as a dark haze settled over her vision, her mind sluggish like her head had been stuffed with cotton.
She heard voices and doors opening and closing before she was laid on a soft bed.
Briefly, her unfocused gaze took in a small dark room she didn’t recognize before she once again drifted off.
When she awoke, it was to the welcoming, warm smell of food and a roaring fire. She blinked, noting the small window above her and the frost glazing the panes. The walls were constructed of wide planks of honeyed wood, and she was covered with a dark blue blanket woven of the softest wool.
Rabin sat next to the bed in a plush armchair, his hands clasped and his head angled against his shoulder in sleep. His hair was wild, his clothes covered in blood, and a crusted scar marred his cheek. She stared at him, hardly daring to believe he was here. Some part of her thought she’d never see him again.
But he’d come. No one would ever keep them apart.
A glass of water sat on the bedside, and she reached for it, groaning when her joints and muscles seized. Rabin’s eyes flew open, his head snapping up.
Zarya paused, her hand in midair, as she noted the dark ferocity in his expression. Then he blinked, and it cleared. Immediately, he was up.
“Zarya,” he breathed as he fell to one knee. She wrapped her arms around him and dropped her face into the curve of his neck. “I was so fucking scared.” His big hand cupped the back of her head as they held one another, breathing in each other’s scent.
She thought she’d used up every tear she’d ever had, but now they resurfaced, burning in her throat and eyes.
These were the soothing tears of relief, not ones of terror and failure. He squeezed her tighter, enough that she felt it in the deep ache of her bones, but she didn’t care.
“You can’t get rid of me that easily,” she whispered.
“I’ll kill her,” he said in a voice that shivered through the room. “I’ll make her suffer and then I will kill her.”
“You hurt her.”
He exhaled a sharp breath. “It isn’t nearly enough.”
She pulled up and looked at him.
It would take some time for Zarya to sort through her feelings for her sister. Dishani had crossed every line, and Zarya knew it was foolish and naive to still hope something good was buried somewhere inside her. The princess had been scared, backed into a corner. She’d been faced with her greatest fears when Zarya had dropped into her life.
Maybe it had been her fault. Maybe so much of this could have been avoided if she’d just gone to them when she’d first arrived in Ishaan and explained who she was.
“Tell me everything that happened?” Zarya asked, just as a knock came at the door.
It swung open and she sobbed at the sight of Yasen and his soft smile.
“Zee,” he whispered before he dropped next to Rabin on the floor. She reached for his hand and squeezed it.
“You both came for me,” she said in a raw voice.
“I’d follow you anywhere,” Yasen replied, and she nodded.
“I know. I would follow you, too, Yas.”
He returned the squeeze of her hand, pressing his forehead to the back as he inhaled a deep breath.
They explained everything briefly while she sipped on her water before lying back on her pillow. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever been more tired in her life, and sitting up was a struggle.
Another knock interrupted their conversation and Miraan appeared at the door with a tray balanced in his hands. She couldn’t believe how relieved she was to see him, too.
“Do you want something to eat?” he asked, holding it up with a hopeful expression. Yasen had already explained how much guilt her half-brother was feeling for everything she’d suffered under Dishani’s hand.
“Miraan,” Zarya said. “Come in. It’s so good to see you.”
He entered and placed the tray on the nightstand. On it sat a bowl of soup, some bread, and a plate of fruit. Her stomach rumbled, and she reached for the bread, tearing off a piece with her teeth.
“I’m so sorry,” he said, pressing a hand to his chest. He’d lost that polished air, his hair hanging loosely, and his clothing rumpled. “For everything she did. I knew she was ambitious, but I’ve never seen her like that. She became a monster.”
“It’s not your fault,” Zarya said. “There is nothing to forgive. You tried to help.”
“Not quickly enough,” he answered, and she shook her head.
“Please don’t blame yourself.”
Miraan nodded, though she could tell he wasn’t convinced.
“You should rest,” Rabin said. “After you eat something.”
There was no room for argument in his voice, so she allowed him to spoon-feed her soup until he was satisfied. Eventually, Yasen and Miraan drifted away, and Rabin took off his boots and his bloody clothing before climbing into the bed and wrapping her in his arms.
She buried her face in his chest, inhaling his presence.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“On the edge of the Saaya.”
She exhaled a soft, surprised breath. They’d traveled further than she thought, but she was too tired to give it much thought right now.
“I love you,” she whispered.
“I love you, too, Spitfire. Now get some rest.”
Then the last thing she remembered was the press of his lips to the top of her head before she slipped into a deep sleep.
Over the next few days, Rabin, Yasen, and Miraan helped nurse her back to health. At first, she slept a lot, waiting for the worst of the bruising to subside, slowly regaining her strength.
They were lodging inside a remote inn on the northern border of Gi’ana, used by travelers crossing the Saaya. It sat empty except for themselves and the friendly couple who ran the place.
During her recovery, reports from Ishaan filed in.
“What’s the latest?” Rabin asked Miraan one afternoon when Zarya was feeling a little more herself. She sat on the bed, leaning against the wall with Rabin at her side. Yasen and Miraan occupied two chairs facing them.
“She’s still alive,” Miraan confirmed. “She’s been seriously injured, but she has access to the best healers in Gi’ana and should eventually recover.” He looked up at Zarya. “And when she does, she will be more furious and determined to kill both of us than ever. You are her greatest threat, and I betrayed her. She won’t allow us to live.”
Zarya swallowed a tangled knot in her throat.
“The ink factory is in ruins,” Miraan continued. “They’ll have to start rebuilding yet again. The riots continue throughout the city and chaos rules. With my sister out of commission, I do fear for what will happen next. My father has little interest in ruling and my other siblings have no experience managing the queendom. ”
“What about the others?” Zarya asked. “Is everyone okay?”
“I received a message from Vikas,” Yasen said. “Ajay and all the others made it back unharmed. Suvanna and Apsara are living at the manor now and have abandoned the palace.” Seeing the question on Zarya’s face, he added, “Row is fine, too. He hopes you’re okay and that he can see you soon.”
“When can we go back?” Zarya asked. “We have to check on everyone. We have to finish what we started.”
That’s when Rabin, Yasen, and Miraan all shared a look.
“What?” Zarya demanded. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“We don’t think it would be smart to return to Ishaan yet,” Rabin said. “Did you reveal anything about the Rising Phoenix to Dishani?”
Zarya shook her head. “No, I don’t think so.”
“Then Vikas and the others will have to operate without you for a while.”
She shook her head. “But the city is in chaos! We can’t just leave them to it.”
“Zarya,” Rabin said. “We will go back. But I think we should let Dishani think you and your brother have left Ishaan for now.”
She huffed out a breath. She understood his point but hated that it had come to this. “I don’t want to abandon them,” she replied, her voice small and uncertain.
“We’re not,” he promised. “We will finish this. But we can’t do anything if you’re dead.”
“So, where are we hiding?” Yasen asked. “We shouldn’t remain here much longer.”
They shared a look and Rabin slid off the bed, falling to his knees and taking her hand. “Let’s go to Andhera. Your father will shield us from anything Dishani can throw at us.”
Zarya stared at Rabin as her stomach dropped.
Andhera . Her father.
“And it’s not so great a distance that we can’t easily return when the time is right,” he urged. “Consider it.”
Zarya shook her head. “I’m not sure.”
“I swear you will be safe. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
She checked in with Yasen, who gave her a look that suggested he would do what she thought was best.
“Maybe. I need to think about it.”
Zarya’s boots crunched over the snow as she crested a ridge offering her a sprawling view of the Saaya and, beyond that, the dark Pathara Vala Mountains looming in the distance, their peaks so high they were lost to the clouds.
She shivered as the wind tore through her thick woolen cloak, and she pulled her fur collar tighter. Already her cheeks and the tip of her nose were growing numb, but she relished this sensation. After her brush with death, it felt like being reborn as the fresh, icy air filled her lungs.
It was time to leave. She was mostly recovered but for some minor bruising and some aches and pains. There wasn’t any reason she couldn’t travel.
But indecision delayed them.
Their options were few.
Anywhere they might run, someone would find them.
Except perhaps… north.
They’d be protected behind Raja Abishek’s walls even if their location was uncovered.
She peered into the distance, over the miles of forest stretching as far as an ocean. It was hard to comprehend how vast it was.
He was out there. And if Rabin was to be believed, he was waiting for her.
Her father. The man who might be able to answer questions about her magic she couldn’t bring herself to ask anyone else.
The wind whipped strands of hair across her cheeks as she stared ahead.
A few minutes later, the crunch of snow sounded behind her.
She didn’t need to turn around to know who it would be.
Rabin stood beside her, also dressed in a cloak, fur blanketing his shoulders.
She looked over at him, remembering the night in the forest when he appeared to her like her own warrior god. The wind tossed his hair as he slowly met her gaze.
“What are you doing out here?” he asked.
“Just thinking.” She turned to face the horizon once again.
Together, they stood side by side, comfortable in their silence.
“You’re sure it’s safe?” she asked, keeping her eyes trained on the distance.
“No less so than returning to Ishaan.”
She almost smiled. Of course, he wouldn’t sugarcoat this.
“If I’m wrong, then I’ll spend every breath in my body keeping you safe, Zarya.”
She nodded as she pulled her arms tighter against a gusting wind. “I know that.”
Finally, she looked at him, studying the outline of his profile against the snowy landscape.
He turned to her and she nodded.
“Then take me to Andhera,” she whispered. “Take me to my father.”
* * *