He releases me with a shove and rips the blindfold away.
The sudden, searing light stabs into my eyes. I flinch, letting out a sharp choked gasp, and squeeze my eyes shut against the overwhelming glow. I wait for a beat, forcing my eyes to open, squinting through the watery blur until the blinding light slowly resolves into defined shapes.
A woman stands before me.
Tall. Brutish. Hers is a face harsh of lines, softened with shades of dusty rose and dusky greys. She stands wrapped in cold authority as another woman wears silks and laces. Her hair is coiled in an elaborate braid, pined in place with pieces of dark ruby. She looks through me, her expression sitting somewhere between utter boredom and quiet, chilling cruelty.
My breath stills in my chest, locking behind a gasp.
I know this woman.
Something inside me tries to rise—a sudden, desperate surge of fight, but my mind lags painfully behind. The heavy fog clinging to my thoughts refuses to lift, keeping me slow and useless.
The woman steps forward, the single light beating back the shadows casting the rest of the chamber in deep darkness. Her gaze drags over me, slow and thorough, like a razor blade scoring my skin. I straightened under the cold weight of her assessment dragging over the length of me from my feet to my bruised face.
Then she speaks.
"Saka."
Her voice lands like a stone tossed into still water; it skims across the surfaceof my consciousness until it sinks, not with a low plunk but a roaring quake that shakes me to my core.
"Saka," I repeat, my scratchy voice barely a whisper. The word cracks through the heavy fog in my skull, slicing it open.
That is my name. Princess Saka…no, Queen Saka Dharkmal. I am queen now; father is with the Ancestors.
Memory surges. It hits me like a blinding wave. Faces. Voices. A ceremony drenched in the heady perfume of exotic flowers. My wedding.
I move my bound hands, the cool brush of the gold band hanging from my right wrist is a sharp reminder of the vows I've taken.
Aken's face flashes through my mind. Blonde hair slicked back from an angular face, eyes a dark cobalt blue, cold as the depths of the Kivdin Sea.
My husband.
The son of this…bitch.
"Levena," I whisper as the final piece of her treachery slams into place. My throat scrapes raw. "Is mother, Binti?" Tears spring to my eyes, a desperate, raw prayer that they're still alive.
Levena smiles without warmth. "You remember."
The men who dragged me here steps back. They no longer matter. The true threat stands a few away, spine straight, chin lifted, watching me as if studying an insect, she has no intention of killing quickly.
What have you done? What have you done?!" I thrash, fighting to shred the ropes binding my wrists. "I will kill you."
I don't see it coming. The blow snaps my head sideways and drives me to my knees, the world tilting into darkness. I force myself upright. Pain licks hotly up the ride side of my face, but I hold my posture rigid. A queen does not sag in front of her enemies.
Rubbing my cheek, I turn to look at the man who delivered the blow. I'm seeing them both clearly for the first time. The taller of the two, with the scar splitting his face in jagged halves doesn't meet my gaze. He stands with his large hands clasp before him, staring at something above Levena's head. My gaze shift to the other. He's much smaller, his dark hair shorn low to the scalp. Cold blue eyes set in a narrow face meet my own. He winks and flashes a smile; the top row of his teeth covered in shining gold.
I release my cheek; their faces stamped into my memory. Straightening, I spat the blood from my mouth around a smile.
One day I'll be sure to return the favour.
"You planned all of this." My voice steadies with each word, ringing with hard clarity. "To remove me. So, your son can claim the throne now that the cornation is complete."
Levena clasps her hands together, her demeanor mild and composed, like a hostess receiving an unexpected guest. "The Dharkmal line ends with you. With my Aken on the throne, a new reign will begin—the Bura Dynasty."
"I am the last of my bloodline." It is not a question, but a realization as the weight of her words settles between us.
Mother. Binti, my sweet, gentle sister. I pray their deaths were quick and painless. My hands close into tight fists at my sides as I stuff the pain down. I will mourn later. Now I must survive.
"The Moon Goddess will not allow my death to go unmarked."
Levena's expression does not flicker.
This does not bode well for me. I too, school my features. I've always known Levena is ambitious. Motehr warned me. I should have taken heed. But I did not thin the widow was smart enough or capable of overthrowing my throne. I didn't see it coming. My gut twist with regret. Because in the end, Mother and Binti suffered for my arrogance.
And while I face the one responsible, I take solace they are now with father. Shame follows my regret. Not a year since his death, and I have lost my birthright to an interloper.
No. There is still time to escape. The Jade will find me; I need only to keep Levena and her goons occupied.
I smile in her face. "Not even you are so foolish to cross the Goddess. If I die the Ancestors will claim my spirit. They will carry word to the Temple. And your son's reign will end before it begins."
Levena tilts her head, studying me as one might examine an interesting stone pulled from a riverbed.
My grin widens. "Did you not think of that?" I continue, pushing the point. "You cannot kill me. And you cannot keep me captive for long, my Jades are tracking me as we speak. They will come."
She gives a soft, thoughtful hum.
"The bond between my sworn guardians and I runs deep," I press, "far deeper than you seem willing to admit."
"Oh, I admit it," she murmurs, her voice silk. "Which is why no blade has touched you, and why you still breathe."
"But don't you go counting your luck just yet."
She steps closer. My shoulders tighten, preparing for a blow. Though I hold my ground, refusing to retreat. Her perfume smells of cold lilies, bitter spice and something atmospherically older, I can't place.
"I actually prefer the idea of not killing you," she says.
For a single, agonizing heartbeat, silence clings to the vast room lit by a single light throwing dancing shadows against the walls.
One of the two men standing behind me shifts heavily on his feet. The dogs outside barks, the sound echoes through the dense, cold stone.
Levena's dark eyes snap to the door, her mouth pinches tight. For the first time, something other than composed certainty stamps her features.
I laugh. My body shakes as jittery energy, part fear and relief washes through me.
The widow's eyes gleam with something dark and utterly ruthless. She kicks her chin out to her men. "Go see what's got them riled up and get rid of whoever it is."
"My Jades are here."
"No, little queen without a crown, they're not. They're too busy chasing their own tails." Levena lifts her right hand before my eyes and clicks her fingers.
Swirls of red light crackling with energy dance around her fingers.
Despite myself, my eyes widen in surprise. "Impossible. You can't be. Magic has been cast out of Khemlor for centuries."
"Yet here I am. I. Exist." She hisses. "The very thing your bloodline has hunted and slaughtered for generations. But little did your ancestors now, we hid. We adapt. We waited for this very moment."
"It doesn't matter caster." I sneer. "One of you, a hundred of you I will root you out and bring your wretched kind to justice."
Levena throws her head back and laughs. The sound dies when she leans into my face. "How do you plan on doing that my dear, when you'll be at my feet, feeding on the scraps I throw to you and the rest of my dogs." Her voice cools. "You're going to make a fine addition to my growing pack."