He smiled. And just as he did, the floor burst into cold flames. I tensed, nearly leaping onto the nearest table. Vikram, however, watched the flames with interest.
“Lord Kubera is ready for us,” he said.
As we left the room, I bit down on my cheeks. I’d been so concentrated on getting to Alaka that I only now realized how little I knew of what to expect. In battle, strategy and body counts paved the way to victory. Magic turned the game inscrutable, so that you didn’t know if the darkness ahead of you belonged to the night sky or the lightless black at the bottom of a monster’s throat.
Outside our room, the palace had changed. The hallway was thick with the press of bodies and musky perfume unraveling in the air. Small fiery insects appeared before us, beckoning for us to follow.
“Are you our guides?” asked Vikram.
The glowing insects bobbed like a nodding head.
“Well, shine on, little stars.”
The insects whirred, glowing a little brighter, like a blush. We walked after them and I dropped my voice to a whisper: “Are you trying to charm the insects?”
“Spoken like a true princess,” he said, shaking his head. “Never paying attention to the little people.”
“They’re insects.”
“Magicalinsects.”
Out of habit, I scanned the hall, looking for anything suspect. In front of us, a mirror caught the light. I expected to see our reflections. But I didn’t see myself. Or Vikram. I frowned. An unfamiliar being with horned wings and a gold mask frowned back.
Oh Gods.
The mirror had twisted our reflections. Vikram followed my gaze and laughed:
“Clever,” he said.
“Clever?”
“I can admire the method and the result.”
Vikram preened his new reflection. “How appropriate, they tinged yours red with blood.”
“You should be saying how deceitful because now we can’t tell who might be an enemy.”
“That’s the point though, isn’t it?” returned Vikram. “We’re all enemies in plain sight. Our enemies stare at us from the mirror. That was the announcement the attendant made in the beginning, remember? The quest for power and treasure is a solitary one. Who else is the true enemy in such a quest but ourselves?”
“True war isn’t philosophical.”
“All war is philosophical. That’s why we call it war. Strip it of its paint and it’s nothing more than murder.”
“Aren’t puppets supposed to have heads made of wood?”
“I’m not very good at being a puppet,” said Vikram. “Hence, my desire to fling myself at a supernatural tournament and hurtle toward certain death.”
“Sound logic.”
“I wouldn’t mind a crown made of wood though. I might throw it at people for entertainment.”
I shook my head. “Why are you like this…”
He swept a mocking bow and together we walked down a vestibule lined with glass birds. The moment our feet hit the floor, the birds took flight. Darkness choked the end of the hall. We walked slowly, our only guides the fire-dipped insects. Vikram moved closer.
“In need of protection?”
“I prefer to stay beside the monster I know,” he said.
