CHANDRA
The moon hangs high and proud nestled in a cosmos of stars. If only I could join it. Drift away and be free of the shackles of the past that continue to bind me. For the first time in forever, the opulence surrounding me grates. The plush carpet beneath my boots, the scent of expensive incense in the air, the intricate golden embroidery stitched into the plump cushions of the ottoman beneath the window, all of it irritates me. This tiny waiting room, designed to house dignitaries, feels like a gilded cage.
The material of my kurta pinches, reminding me that I do not deserve to wear it. A few weeks ago, there would have been no discomfort. A few weeks ago, my course was clear and my mind a serene sea. But now…Now everything has changed because of her.
I turn away from the vaulted windows, from a view that offers freedom, and to the room through which lies the path to the crown.
Mine now.
As I’ve always wanted. But at what cost?
There is a soft knock at the door.
My heart sinks. “Come in.”
Yudh enters. “They are ready for you, Liege.”
The rock on my chest presses down, crushing my lungs. I force a smile. “Thank you.”
“Dhoona and I would ask your leave to patrol. Your official guard awaits in the throne room.”
They want to go scouting for Leela again, even though it’s futile. Even though they’ll never find the devouring force camp.
I nod. “That will be fine.” I stride toward the door, and he steps aside to let me through.
Dhoona waits in the corridor, his posture stiff, his form out of place in the plush marble and velvet surroundings. These are males built for battle. Men who have the fire of protection in their blood, and what have they been relegated to? Glorified guard dogs. It’s undignified and unjust and…I can change it. Iwillchange it. Maybe the crown won’t be a burden after all. Once I free Leela, once she is by my side again, we can change the world together.
The crushing weight on me lifts a little, allowing me to breathe easier. “Go and patrol. I shall see you back at the palace for the ascension ceremony.”
The brothers slip away, and I turn my attention to the door at the other end of the short corridor which will admit me into the throne room.
I shall enter from behind the dais and walk to the left because the left is the side of receiving, and then I shall sit on the throne and be crowned by the tantrik mage responsible for guarding the obsidian crown.
I’ve seen it once, this relic connected to the true throne. Will it accept me? What if after all this time, even with Leela’s signal cut off from it, the throne refuses me?
No, if it recognizes me, then it will remember. It will have me.
The lanterns clinging to the wall flicker as I walk past them, as if in some kind of silent communication, and goosebumps pinch at my skin. I step through the doors and into the throne room.
Into deathly silence.
Raees and Asura dressed in finery stand in rows across the gold marble floors. The Authority sits in a balcony above it all, their forms stiff. The air is thick and heavy with expectation, and as I stride forward, I expect the gathered raees and Asura to look my way, but all eyes are fixed on the throne.
A chill slides up my spine as I round the dais and come to stand before the throne and the man seated on it as if he belongs.
Araz looks down at me with a smirk, his golden gaze dark with emotions that do not belong to him.
“Hello, old friend,” he says, his tone laced with bitterness. “It’s been a long time.”
My heart slams against my ribs, but I lift my chin, asking the question burning a path in my mind. “Who are you?”
“Oh, you want to know which one? Does it matter? You ruined us both.”
“Answer me!”
He stands abruptly, his eyes flaring like flame then narrowing to slits. “You do not get to control me. Never again.” He lifts his hand, and my heart wilts at sight of the crown clutched in his fingers. I notice the crumpled body of the tantrik mage on the ground beside him for the first time.
He tracks my gaze, lips curving in a thin smile. “Mine now,” he says again, tipping his head to one side. “As it always should have been.”
