A dangerous dark violet haze clouds her irises. “Very well. But I have your precious king. Your move, Sura.”
“You don’t,” I say confidently, sensing no strain on the bond.
“Notthatking, silly girl. The Oryndhrian.” Her smile is a rictus, filling me with dread.
No, she’s bluffing. Roshan is in Kaldari, waiting for me to bring him to Solis. “You’re lying.”
“Am I? I know everything that goes on inmycastle. I didn’t think you had it in you, my sweet, depraved little Starkeeper. Did you enjoy them fucking you like a common city slag?” I know what she’s doing—deflection is one of her favorite tools. When I don’t respond to her taunting, she sighs theatrically. “Fine, follow me.”
I gather my magic like a shield, simurgh at the ready, and do as she says. She’s a master of deception and she’s been a dozen steps ahead for months now. We descend a stone staircase, and my lungs constrict as we come to a stop. I see Roshan bound and in a large cage in the center of the room. He’s surrounded by venomous snakes. They’re coiling restlessly around him, like a deadly whirlpool.
I remember how Laleh had tricked me with my father on the mountaintop. I won’t fall for that ruse. “Try again. That’s an illusion.”
She rolls her eyes. “Go see for yourself.”
Scowling, I walk forward and grasp the bars, the iron cold against my fingertips. My magic senses more of Anahima’s wards, and I burn through them, only to find layers more. I tear through them, too, until I finally feel him. His blood sings to mine in the way it always has. No illusion would be able to replicate that.
He’s real.Fuck.
“Roshan?”
His brown eyes snap open. “Get away from here, Sura! It’s a trap! The snakes are tied to her life. That conniving—”
Anahima makes a tutting sound, Roshan’s eyes going wide with alarm as the snakes writhe and hiss in terrifying unison. I reach down and touch one through the bars, recoiling at the dry coolness of its scales under my fingertips. They’re real, too.
“I’ll get you out of here, I promise,” I say.
“Don’t worry about me,” Roshan says urgently. “Get to Darrius.”
“What do you want?” I say to Anahima over my shoulder.
She shrugs and gestures upward. “A portal, that’s all. As I asked from the beginning.”
Steadying my mind, I walk out of the dungeon without looking back, because right now, I need to think about what my actions will do. If I open a portal for Anahima’s revenants, that will bring warandthe rot of the void to Everlea’s doorstep.
Both are already here,my simurgh points out. She’s not wrong.
Darrius, his army, and the Aspacana have magic. If I open the portal for only a small amount of time, they should be able to contain the first wave while I figure out a way to get Roshan to safety. My magic can handle the portal and obliterate those fucking snakes. I’ll just have to be careful to not let Anahima figure out what I’m doing. Once Roshan is free, I can end her once and for all.
She leads me up to a tower that overlooks the northern valley stretching toward Pix and Verisia. To my dismay, as we climb to the ramparts, the distant sounds of combat and the clash of steel reach my ears. I peer down in horror as a quake rocks the foundation of the castle, a fissure cracking through nearly half of the valley below.
A battle is already in motion, hundreds of soldiers on horses clashing with armed foot soldiers on the field. I can see the sparks of kinetic magic—fire bombs and ice blasts on both sides smashing into each other. Anahima must have recruited Everleans to her cause, because the magic isn’t one-sided. Azdahas, griffins, chimeras, and rocs fly and swoop in the distance, but I don’t see one that looks like Indira, or Razulek, for that matter.
Is he still in Solis, waiting for me as planned?
The glow of a portal at the base of the hill of the fortress is letting out a steady but narrow stream of revenant Scavs. If portals take huge amounts of energy, who is keeping it open? Frowning, I trace the thread of magic to where we are, and I gasp as I see it tied to Helena, who is sitting off to the side. A jadu collar surrounds her neck and heavy bracelets sit at her wrists, amplifying whatever is inside of her to maintain the narrow portal down below. A score of dead bodies are withered to husks beside her. I recoil in horror.
“What have you done?” I whisper to Anahima. “You’re killing her.”
She shrugs. “Yes, well, we’re not all like you, Starkeeper. But all Oryndhrians, even if they don’t believe in the gods, have akasha, some more than others. You can save her, if you want. Simply create another portal and release her from hers. Call on my brother’s magic.”
I stoop down. “Helena, are you well?”
Her glazed eyes are threaded with deep mauve lines, and she doesn’t respond.Shit.With a nasty look at Anahima, I focus on the bond I have with Darrius and reach for his shadow magic. Theoretically, I know we can share magic and even combine our power, but it’s not like I’ve had a lot of spare time to practice. I feel like I’m taking a stab in the dark.
Imagining the feel of his shadows, I call to them tentatively, summoning his magic to me. The resulting surge of power nearly knocks me off my feet, just from that one small tug, and I gasp, my skin feeling like I’m bursting at the seams.
Gods,he’s strong. The inky ribbons on my arms come alive with his power inside me. It feels cold, unlike the heat of my own magic, like the darkness that sleeps in the dead of a winter night. Like death itself.
