The same foulness present in Laleh...
Stars.Is it truly Fero?
“Both traitors to the crown,” Darrius says. “Tabiti is dead, and Masišta soon will be. Why are you here, Acharia?”
“To reclaim my property,” Roshan says in an inhuman, dissonant tone that raises chill bumps along my arms.
That’s not his voice.
No, the man you loved was worthy of the gift of light you gave.I don’t know if that’s my simurgh talking or my conscience, but I do know one thing. Like Laleh, this isn’tmyRoshan.
“I belong to no man,” I tell Not-Roshan, lifting my chin.
“Those cuffs say you do.” That awful timbre grates like a serrated knife over delicate skin. He stares at his cousin and jerks his head. An unhappy-looking Aran obliges, and suddenly, the runes on the bracers ignite and my magic flares obediently, shimmering coils of light curling over my fingers. The sight of it, the violation of it, nearly breaks me.
“Stop,” I hiss. “I am not a thing to be controlled. Take them off.”
“Return to Kaldari with me and I will,” the king says, stepping toward me, hand outstretched. “I’ll forgive you for leaving if you only come back to me.”
Incredulous, I stare at him. “You’ll... forgiveme?”
Not-Roshan stills and his eyelids flutter. It’s as though a switch is flicked. The violet filaments in his eyes bleed away, leaving them clear. “Please, Sura, I’m begging you, do this for me,” he says quietly, his voice shifting back to the warm cadence I know. “I love you. I’ve always loved you. Come home.Please.”
Darrius bristles at the declaration, and jealous umbrage echoes down our fragile bond. I spare a glance at him over my shoulder and notice that his irises are still gold bright. From his bloodless clenched fists, it looks like he’s only holding on by a thread.
Stay with me, Dare.
I turn back to the Oryndhrian king. “No, Your Majesty, you are enamored with theideaof me. You love the Starkeeper. The weapon that can give you what you want: total dominion. I can’t go back to being used as a tool of destruction. I won’t.”
In the blink of an eye, his gaze swirls with purple mist again, and I silently mourn the loss, the glimpse of the man I saw. Before I can move, he lunges forward and snatches hold of my hand. Darrius lets out a roar, and within seconds, his power obliterates all light, vicious ribbons of darkness ready to flay the Oryndhrian king alive. His shadows rip him away from me, tossing him into the air, and re-form like a pernicious mass hovering over him where he falls.
“Darrius, no!” I shout. “Regicide will start a war.”
“He did this to you,” he rasps hoarsely, as if he can barely speak.
Despite the gravity of the situation, I feel a tingle of warmth at his devotion, both his and the beast seething beneath his skin. “You can’t murder everyone who hurts me, Dare.”
Those eyes blaze a blinding gold. “Watch me.”
“Everlea is not prepared for war, not when the Aspacana are divided and your court is in chaos. Who knows what kind of trouble Masišta will stir up? You need to be smart, not rash.” I turn to run my palm over his cheek, mindless of the dried blood caking his skin. “We both know where that leads. Your people need you.” My voice lowers. “Ineed you.”
Laleh skulks over to her furious king, who has leaped to his feet. I shudder at his eyes, now dark purple and furious. His men point their jadu-infused weapons at us. They might not have akasha, but those blades and bows can do tremendous damage. Without my magic and with Aran’s control over my bracers, I’m exposed, and Darrius’s curse is on the cusp of taking him.
We need to be sensible. Prudent.
“My lord, did I forget to mention that your archrival is the little Starkeeper’s soul-fated?” Laleh’s sweet tone sets my teeth on edge. “But never fear, she’s still undecided, and soul bonds can be broken with the right touch. The oracle told me—Fero can see to that.”
“I’ll never choose you or your fucking god,” I say to the purple-eyed Not-Roshan.
“You stupid girl,” he says with a dark laugh, and I recoil at the vitriol in his tone. Not-Roshan’s evil laughter continues, and my chest aches. Is any of my prince in there? Is he lost for good? “The nightmare king wants you for the same reason I do. Forpower. But you’re too enraptured by your precious bond to see it.”
I smile without humor. “That’s where you’re wrong. He never wanted this.” My jaw clenches. “He didn’t tie me to him with false pretenses and false declarations, only to use me as a weapon for his personal ambitions. He hasneverused me.”
That oily, violet-hued rot slithers in Not-Roshan’s eyes, his voice growing thicker and deeper. His features sharpen, healthy flesh going sunken, assomethingwholly malevolent takes over. “You belong in Oryndhr at my side. As my queen and future vessel.” His smile grows cruel teeth. “Or Aran will command those pretty cuffs to drain you until there’s nothing left, and then I will torture you until you beg me to die.” He slides his virulent gaze to Darrius. “And when my wayward progeny inevitably falls to his curse, then I will take Everlea and raze it to the ground. You can save the fate of thousands or be selfish and condemn them to the fate of the realm of Rothdar.”
But my brain is stuck on one thing:Hisprogeny? What does he mean?
“You can’t bypass my wards,” Darrius grinds through his teeth.
