The city was quiet.Silent. There wasn’t a single person to be seen.
A shudder slithered down my spine.
Keir and I exchanged a look before setting foot on the golden street before us.
As we passed bazaars and apartments, the cord in my chest strengthened further, like a solid thing, yanking me toward the citadel, impossible to ignore. I moved faster, jogging through the splendid city. Wordlessly, Keir kept pace beside me.
When I reached the citadel, I didn’t hesitate. I threw open the door and skidded into an expansive entryway. Mosaics covered both floor and ceiling, and from above, all Seven Monarchs gazed down at us regally. Diamond chandeliers dangled from the vaulted ceiling, glinting in the soft light, and our padded steps echoed in the empty chamber. To the right, through a curved archway, I heard a rushing sound. The cord tugged me toward it. Another look passed between Keir and me. Whatever his feelings, he brandished his dagger and walked in front of me.
A large pool spanned the length of the wide room, glorious and sparkling, sizeable enough to swim laps. Delicate steps descended into it, disappearing into the deep blue. At the rear of the pool, a waterfall spilled from a high golden spout, bathing the whole space in a light mist.
Water.
I collapsed to my knees beside the pool and shoveled handful after handful of clear, sweet water into my mouth, and gods, it was chilled. Refreshing.
Keir’s dagger clanged loudly as it hit the golden floor a split second before he dove in. Water splashed me, and I was so delirious with relief, I laughed and jumped in, too.
Each burn, each blister, each piece of torched flesh gave a sigh of relief as the water streamed through my hair, over my body, and though the cord still tugged, the bliss of the water as it soothed my wounds and slaked my thirst was for the moment stronger.
When I resurfaced, Keir stood comfortably in the center of the pool, while my toes struggled to scrape the floor. He looped an arm around my waist to hold me up. Panting softly, I set my hands on his shoulders. The last of the makeup that usually bordered his eyes had disappeared, and without it, he looked far less intimidating. For a moment, our relief outshone any jinn or lies. Keir’s sunny eyes lit up with a genuine smile, his runes glistening against his jaw, and my lips stretched into a matching one.
But then, his nostrils flared and his smile dropped. He whipped around, water sloshing around him as he backed up, cornering me against the pool wall. “Keir, what—”
“Shh.” The muscles in his back bunched tight. “We’re not alone.”
FIFTY-NINEAMUNET
My qareen claimed to have never seen the amulet before. But it had to be here somewhere. That was why Shaya had asked Athar to send me to this strange place. He wanted me to find it.
And I would. By the gods, I would.
I’d envisioned meeting Shaya countless times. But it had always felt like a distant fancy. It didn’t matter how powerful I’d be, I would never be as powerful as KetetandPhadarandthe lesser gods. There was no hope of breaking the seal on the Underworld that their joint power had created. So most of my dreams of meeting my real father had been contained to words on a breeze. A disembodied presence that was comforting, constant, but not corporeal.
But with a key… with a key everything could change.
No more nightmares. No more petty politics. No more itch, no more voices, no more symptoms of any kind.
No more loneliness. No more doubt. Just a father’s love. Acceptance.
And all I needed was a fucking key.
I stepped out into the entrance hall to begin my search—
My power started thrashing wildly. A hound pulling at its leash. So much more insistent than when it had guided me to follow Athar.
I lifted my head.
The front door was open.
The double doors had both been shut before. But now sunlight streamed through, cutting a line across the entryway. My heart froze in my chest, thoughts emptying out.
To my qareen, I whispered, “I thought you said the citadel was empty.”
She cowered behind me. “It is.”
“Then who opened the door?”
She shook her head.
