When Shadows Rise (Book 1)

Chapter 5 (Zara)

It didn't take long to track down the man Queen Chhaya wanted dead. Zara found him in a small bookshop in the Old City, right where Chhaya said he'd be. The streets were a maze of pathways weaving under and around the massive roots of the ancient wearian tree. Out of reach from the dying lantern light, she perched on one of these roots to watch the streets below. Most of the shops and food stalls were closed for the night, but the sharp tang of spices lingered.

Only a few lanterns still burned at this hour, but loud music and drunken laughter drifted from taverns a few streets over. Up here, the night air chilled her. If she closed her eyes, she could pretend she was a little girl again. Leaning out her bedroom window with the breeze caressing her face, watching the festivities unfold on Stelan's streets. Her mom would've caught her up and ordered her to go back to sleep, but not before she and dad had told her a bedtime tale.

She couldn't afford to think of that. Not when she was about to complete an assignment. But it was hard not to. The man she'd been commanded to kill reminded her of Dad, back before Rising Waters had changed his soul.

Zara had been watching the man for some time now. When he moved, the light caught the gray streaks running through his brown hair and beard. The way he organized and stacked books carefully on the shelves and tables of his little shop unnerved her. Dad had taken the same care each night when replacing the tales removed from the bookshelf.

But Chhaya killed him.

The man hummed as he straightened another pile of books. It was a Stelian tune that Black Blades often sang.

Her heart ached. Fyra magic sparked on her fingertips.

It felt wrong to kill this man.

She dropped down from the root and winced as her ankle nearly gave out. But she ignored her injury and moved through the shadows as if she wasn't there. Some believed she possessed the ability to bend shadows to her will as she did with fire, but her unnatural magic never extended that far. Still, she appreciated that rumor. It was one of the nicer ones.

As the man turned to grab another stack of leather bound books, Zara held her dagger to his neck.

He startled, then regarded her curiously. "Come to kill me, have you?"

Her mouth went dry. "Yes."

He sniffed. "You don't smell like death like they claim you do." He moved closer to her, the blade pressing into his skin. "I bet none of the tales are true."

"Sorry to disappoint."

He tilted his head. "Why do you work for a queen that isn't your own?"

The words caught her off guard. Nobody referred to her as Stelian anymore, except for Chhaya. Hearing another Stelian refer to her as one—after everything she'd done—made her want to lower her knife.

He was only another assignment.

But unlike the others, he was not afraid of her.

Her hand trembled. "You know I'm Stelian?"

"I never mentioned Stelan."

"But you know I'm not Leodian. How?"

He glanced down. The candlelight caught on the yellow glitter dusting his eyelids. "Your mother's bootlaces held up well."

Stepping back, she fumbled for words. Hardly anyone knew the meaning behind the bootlaces she kept wrapped around her forearms. It wasn't possible. It couldn't—

"You honor her memory but not mine. Why is that?"

And there it was.

"You... you're supposed to be dead," she stammered.

"Am I, or is that what the wretched queen wants you to think?"

It'd been so many years, she'd nearly forgotten what he looked like. She studied the shape of his eyes. The red irises that marked him as a ripera. The curve of his jaw, partly hidden behind his beard. He hadn't had a beard the last she'd seen him. No frown lines had etched into his skin like they did now.

"We have a lot to talk about, Zara."

This couldn't be happening. He was dead. Gone. Damned. His body was on the Land of the Dead.

But she realized now what she'd missed back then.

She'd never seen his corpse. There'd never been proof.

If there weren't consequences for her words, she'd curse at Chhaya until her face was as red as the moons.

Her queen had lied.

"We have nothing to discuss," Zara spat. "You're a murderer. A terrorist. How many families have you killed in your attacks? How many children?"

"Rising Waters has never attacked anyone."

"I've seen it firsthand."

"Chhaya stages those attacks against Rising Waters members. She targets our families."

"She wouldn't do that."

"Think, Zara. Why would she take you from me? She knew I wasn't dead, just like many of the others. She stole our children to draw us out, but we resisted her trap. We just never thought she'd turn each of you into Watchers and pit you against us."

"You lie, Dad. Just like the rest of them."

"If you think I'm lying, then force me to tell the truth with that awful magic of yours. I know you can do it."

Zara summoned the spirits she possessed. Their chill wasn't as strong as Chhaya's, but it was noticeable enough.

"Ah, there it is." His face pinched as if he'd eaten something sour. "How many poor souls did you take? How many have you barred from the Above?"

She gritted her teeth. "Queen Chhaya stole them, not me."

"If you are not at fault for her actions, then why is Rising Waters to blame for her attacks on our people? How is there a difference?"

"Stop," Zara said sharply. "I've heard enough."

"Don't you see what she's doing?"

No. And yet, she could. There were two sides, but she didn't know which to believe. The Watchers were her life. It was the only thing she was certain of. But her dad...

"You're lying," she said. "Let me see the truth."

"I won't fight you." He opened his palms, holding them out to his sides. "If it's the truth you seek, all you need to do is unleash your magic."

"Fine. But if you so much as lift a finger in the process, I'll slit your throat." She drew the negative energy from the spirits. For years, she'd hated her dad to her very core. Now, she couldn't bring herself to act.

His gaze softened. "You're afraid of the truth, aren't you?"

"I am not afraid."

"Your heart's not in it. I think you know what you'll find if you interrogate me."

Her mind raced.

You are a Watcher. We right the wrongs of our parents.

But what if her dad was right?

There can be no peace until Rising Waters is put to rest.

She wanted to believe it, but...

Her dad placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I know I hurt you. For the longest time, I told myself I did the right thing by not rescuing you from Chhaya. But Rising Waters or not, there is no excuse for what I did." He glanced down at his cracked leather shoes and stuffed his hands into his cloak's pockets. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, Z."

Her vision blurred. Blue flames skittered on her fingertips as she struggled to rein in her emotions.

He gave a sad smile. "I'll be back for you soon."

Then he left, and that hollowness inside of her grew.

She had failed another assignment.