“Your talent’s weak,” Asad said, skidding to a stop.
“You’re weak,” Ashni said, swinging at him with her blade. He blocked with his own sword and raised his other hand to use his fire. She wasted no time swinging her other sword and he lost a couple of fingertips.
“You fucking bitch!” Asad let loose several darts, blood droplets flying as well from his wounded hand.
Ashni hit most of the projectiles with her lightning. Two hit her in the abdomen. She growled from the sharp pain. Knowing Asad, the damn things were poisoned. Asad smirked. Fuck, Samar’s going to be so damn pissed with me.
“When you die, I’ll put another baby in your barbarian,” he said.
Echoes of Nakia’s cries drummed in Ashni’s mind, pumping her blood and possessing her. She couldn’t process the fury inside of her. She was ready to erupt.
The feeling went from her heart to her blood to her body to her soul and then flared outward. It was like each erupted beyond her. It was inside of her and outside of her. The energy was her, and it was also the universe.
A cascade of lightning tore down from the heavens. Thunder boomed like it was the planet tearing itself apart. Asad called forth a wall of fire to protect himself, but the bolts went through the fire with ease. The bolts struck Asad, the force blowing him out of his boots. Wind doused his flames. He landed on a patch of blackened, burnt earth. She marched over to him, her sword tight in her grip.
Asad coughed. His body smoked, white and grey. He raised his head up enough to look at her. “You’ll never be one of us.” He managed to wave his hand spraying flames, but he didn’t come close to her.
“I don’t want to be. I haven’t for a long time,” Ashni replied.
“Liar. It’s always burned you up not to be in our inner circle.”
Ashni snorted. “Never. After all, I am Chosen and you’re nothing. You didn’t even realize how much Amal wanted to be part of your inner circle. You abandoned your own twin.” In some demented way Amal had tried to fill the void of missing his twin by engaging Ashni in all the wrong ways.
Pains shot through Ashni’s abdomen. She coughed and flecks of green liquid came from her mouth along with blood. Damn. The darts were definitely poisoned.
Asad climbed to his feet, panting. He was still smoking, clothing torn and burned away. “You don’t talk about my brother. You don’t dare speak his name.”
She sneered. “Amal, the brother you cared so much about that you didn’t bother to find him after he killed his wolf-brother in the circus.” She would never forget Amal’s shrieks after he became a member of the Wolf Guild. Their father standing by him was probably the only thing that kept him from completely falling apart.
“He was too attached to the beast,” Asad said. “It was a means to an end.”
Ashni shook her head, groaning as it felt like her guts were inflamed. “If that was all your pup was to you, then you misunderstood the purpose.”
Jay hadn’t been bothered when he killed his bear cub, so Asad mimicked him. Following Jay got him exactly where anyone would’ve predicted−second.
Asad’s chest heaved. “Stop acting like you know so much more than us! You know what I know? Not even a week ago, your bitch was swollen with my seed. And she will be again soon.”
Ashni gnashed her teeth, blood dripping from her mouth. She could feel her blood boiling again, nerves popping with energy.
“You’ll never touch Nakia again. Never threaten Layla again,” Ashni said. It wasn’t a promise. It was the truth.
Asad chuckled and raised his charred hand. He called up more fire between them, a curtain of flames.
Ashni waved it off, wind cutting through it, giving her enough space to get to Asad. He had brought enough time to grab his sword again. He slashed at her, and she sparked lightning from her fingers, making him back away. She hit him with lightning again, the bright strands of power clinging to his sword and traveling down to his hand, arm, and chest. He was blown back once more. He tossed his sword away, realizing she was using it as a lightning rod. Ashni kicked him square in the chest.
Asad cried out as he hit the dirt. To keep her away, he threw more darts. A burst of wind handled them. She buried the Ivory Claw into his knee. He screamed, blood gushing from the wound.
Asad held up both hands, pointing singed palms at her. “Ashni, wait.” Tiny cinders jumped from his fingers but died before doing anything.
She sucked her teeth. “Never again.”
Asad tried to reach for a dagger, but she twisted her sword and halted all motion. He hollered again. Ashni felt his ache in hollowed out sections of her being, places put there by him and Jay. His distress vibrated through her, pulsing, and she savored it like a sweet treat. I hope my hellcat can feel his agony.
“Ashni,” Asad said, panting rhythmically to alleviate his pain.
“Now you say my name as if it’s something to be respected. Too late.”
He pressed his palms together. “You’ve won.”
How dare he! He said that like it was supposed to make up for everything that happened, like she was supposed to just stop. “When I cut off your head, I’ve won.”
“You can’t kill me,” he said with a forced laugh.
She leaned hard on her sword and he screamed. “Why can’t I?”
“Mom would never forgive you.”
It was possible. No matter what, their mother always loved them all and never liked to see one of them hurt the other. Their mother wanted so badly for them all to be the best of friends. Yet she had seen her mother punish people who betrayed her. It was never pretty.
“I’ll take my chances,” Ashni said and brought the Golden Feather down through his throat, severing his head.
Feeling relief, Ashni turned to Adira and Jay’s battle. Jay looked like a mountain compared to Adira, but Adira’s sword cut deep into his arm.
Jay’s fire jumped from his fingers in short bursts, but he couldn’t control it. Adira had cut specific points on his body, making it hard for him to use his Fire. Ashni laughed.
“I’m going to crush you!” Jay roared, trying to force fire from his mouth. A pitiful column spewed out, and Adira had no trouble dipping away from it.
“What are you without your Fire? You couldn’t even beat me with it when we sparred. What have you ever had to actually fight for? That’s why your father, hell the world, preferred Ashni!” Adira sidestepped his slow flame pillar and blocked his sword with her own.
“The world won’t put that bitch on a throne any more than Dad meant for you to actually take Saniyah. She deserves better than you, just as the Empire deserves better than Ashni.”
“We’ve all made our choices. Now, live with them.”
Jay charged Adira. Not the wisest decision for a warrior his size, but he was furious and that clouded his judgment. Adira moved out of the way and brought her sword down on his leg, cut through the tendons of his right leg. Jay yelled and fell to his knees.
“You think you own the world, and you think it entitles you to whatever the hell you want.” Adira circled him as he tried to get up. She shoved her sword through his thigh. “Stay.”
Jay blew fire at her, and she put her arm up to block the licking flames. He took a deep breath, managed to get himself under enough control to focus his talent. More fire formed from his lips, fanning it out to keep Adira at bay.
Adira moved to the side, taking out Jay’s other knee. She swiveled behind him, sword to his neck.
Jay clamped down on his Fire, sealing the flames away with his lips. “You can’t kill me,” Jay said, smoke curling from his mouth as he said the words.
“I have witnesses,” Adira replied. “And you violated my blessed marriage.”
Jay smirked. “That’s right. You’ll always remember that, and my child will live on, even if you kill me.”
Ashni shook her head. Jay was an idiot and, for all of his talk of being a sterling, he bucked one of the greatest Roshan traditions. Saniyah wouldn
’t have his child. She was never having his child. No one thought Saniyah was weak or tainted for what he did. He was the one who was weak and tainted. But that baby was about to be blessed with the best mothers ever.
Adira chuckled. “Killing you would be much too easy. No, you get to live with being beaten by this barbarian fisherwoman in a serious fight, where I could’ve killed you if I felt like it, who will raise that child with my customs and values. We’ll even teach the baby how to fish. Yeah, she’ll be the best fisherwoman, just like her mother.”
He paled, sweat and blood pooling beneath him. “That’s my child!”
“It was never yours, rather always mine and Saniyah’s.” Adira smirked. “And you’ll live powerless because everyone will know I defeated you in battle. Everyone will know what you dared to do to Saniyah Gyan, a member of one of the highest houses in the Empire. They’ll know of your treachery along with Asad. They’ll remember you were involved in a matter that cost your brother his life and you were outmaneuvered by a little barbarian hellcat.” Adira patted him on the shoulder with the sword. “Live with that.”
Jay’s eyes went wide, his dream of ruling the Empire gone. His future was as dead as Asad. Ashni couldn’t have been prouder of her friend, her mentor, her sister.
Chapter Sixteen
NAKIA BIT HER LIP. The nightmare was supposedly over. Ashni showed Nakia Asad’s body, proof that he couldn’t hurt her ever again. But at what cost? Ashni had killed her brother, a prince of the Empire. How did they come back from that? Hell, Nakia had used the Roshan army to fight itself.
“Ashni,” Nakia said, leaning against her as they sat on the throne, issuing edicts to try to smooth this over. Servants milled around them, straightening up what they could. A few days after the attack, it was nearly impossible to tell there had been a massacre in the area.
“Yes, Nakia?” Ashni held her tight.
“How do we fix this?” Try as she might, she couldn’t think of how they came out of this all right.
Ashni sighed. “I don’t think we can.”
It wasn’t what Nakia wanted to hear, wishing to cling to the idea that Ashni could make everything better. So Ashni was out of miracles. That was fine. They’d come up with something together. Things would be all right as long as they were together.
Nakia swallowed. “So, what do we do?”
“What’s best for all of us.”
There was only one thing that could mean. A break from the Empire they rebelled against. That wasn’t an easy decision for Ashni to make and Nakia’s guts twisted. Things shouldn’t have come to this. She wanted to save Ashni’s dream.
“Are you sure? Your dream. Your father’s dream. The army’s dream.”
Ashni nodded. “Sometimes a harsh reality pokes you awake, and your dreams vanish into glaring daylight. Time to wake up.”
Nakia wrapped her arms around Ashni’s waist. She nuzzled Ashni and felt reassured in Ashni’s presence. Ashni was alive, even though her fight with Asad left her bloody and poisoned. She had vomited several times the past couple of days, but Samar took care of her. This poison they were familiar with, and thankfully, it wasn’t debilitating.
“Wake up to what, though?” Nakia peered off to the end of the throne room, past the open doors, the carpeted hallway, staring well beyond it.
Layla marched in. They had sent her out to assess the damage. They weren’t sure if Jay and Asad’s people had made it into the city or beyond. For once, Layla didn’t whine about that not being her job.
“What’re we working with?” Ashni asked.
“The city’s fine. The north’s still being fortified. Everything’s still running smoothly,” Layla said with a grin and she motioned to Nakia. “Nakia had it.”
Nakia blew out a breath. She wanted to crawl in bed with Ashni and never leave. Everything about her was an open, deteriorating, throbbing wound.
“Naren?” Nakia asked.
“Returning with my father and Hafiz. They won the battle against Asad’s troops. Now, they’re trying to organize refugees, from both Tariq and Khenshu. Word’s already traveled.”
“What’re people saying?” Ashni asked.
“They think Nakia’s trying to steal the Empire. Nobles in Jay’s and Asad’s territories are calling the battle an act of war and they still swear you’re dead. Shit’s going to hit the fan when they realize you’re alive and Asad’s dead. The nobles will be screaming for justice.”
Ashni rolled her eyes. “Justice. This was justice.”
Layla shook her head. “They won’t believe it.”
Ashni rubbed her chin. No, the nobles wouldn’t believe it. They’d make the battle, the princes’ defeat, and even moving people from Tariq, Tiq, and now Khenshu so much worse. They’d say it was more than a rebellion.
“Everyone knows what we have to do,” Nakia said, her voice small. It wasn’t fair. Ashni worked so hard, had done nothing wrong, and she lost everything. “I’m so sorry.”
Layla scoffed. “Sorry for what? Do you have any clue how many lives you saved? You really stepped up and did an amazing job. Every Shadow Walker will always be indebted to you, as well as any person from Tariq and Tiq. So, don’t apologize.”
It would take some time to get used to Layla’s praise, but it did help to ease the sense of failure. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of people were alive thanks to her.
“You are an amazing queen,” Ashni said as she gave Nakia a little squeeze. Pain lanced through her with that small pressure, yet the kind words, again, helped. Ashni wasn’t upset with her over the accidental rebellion and the probable break from the Empire.
“I think we all had an inkling of what would happen once we crossed the waters into the West, anyway,” Layla said.
Nakia glanced at Ashni. There was a slight tremble in her chin and bottom lip. Her eyes were wet. She looked haunted. It was quite clear Ashni had never envisioned this. Ashni had always meant to have the world be called Roshan. Instead, her world was falling apart in front of her.
“Are you okay?” Nakia asked Ashni.
“We’ve all made sacrifices.” Ashni blew out a breath. “Mine might be the easiest.”
“Don’t you dare think that. You’ve lost just as much as any of us.” Maybe even more. Ashni might have lost who she was. Her brothers were certainly gone with her killing Asad. Her mother might be gone—they hadn’t heard from her yet. She’d lost her home, her people, and her entire cultural identity. She was no longer a princess of the Empire.
Asad and Jay had even robbed Ashni of the security that she could protect her spouse. The mental scars might never heal. Nakia wasn’t sure how Ashni hadn’t broken down weeping yet.
Despite that, Nakia was eternally grateful for her spouse. To know what Ashni would do for her would always be etched in her soul. Ashni proved time and time again she’d go above and beyond for Nakia. Nakia couldn’t put a name to the emotions she felt toward Ashni now.
“You’ve lost more than any of us could imagine,” Layla said, approaching the throne and settling at her feet, laying her head on Ashni’s lap.
Ashni shook her head and opened her mouth to say something. She closed her mouth just as quickly. There was something there. Ashni just needed a moment to get it out. Nakia ached for her beloved, trying to be so strong and hold things together for them, even as adrift as they were. As long as we have each other, we’ll help each other through.
“Is this what it’s like to be conquered?” Ashni finally asked, her voice tiny, fragmented, like the distant look in her eyes.
Yes. Nakia looked to Layla. Yet they hadn’t lost all of themselves in the Roshan conquest. Layla still had her people with her, her parents. Nakia had regained her sisters. There was a give and take for them. There had to be a give for Ashni. Nakia realized exactly what it was.
“This is freedom, my love,” Nakia said.
Ashni could now do whatever she wished with her territory. She could shape her nation into whatever she saw fit rather t
han handing it over to someone who might dismantle it or take it in a direction Ashni didn’t desire. And she wouldn’t have to worry about backstabbing while she worked. It might be less stress on her. They might be happy being separated from the Empire.
Ashni arched an eyebrow. “How so?”
“You were adding to an Empire you weren’t sure you’d inherit. An Empire packed with people who were vipers and wanted to see you gone. You’d have had people you couldn’t trust around you. Now, you can build an empire of your own and cement your own legacy. You can build your own vision and create something so beautiful it would put the Roshan Empire to shame.”
Ashni took a deep breath and looked at Nakia, then at Layla. “No, we can build our vision. Together. We’ll work to make this the best place it can be. I want to truly unite the people and never hear the word sterling again.”
“That’s the spirit.” Layla grinned.
Ashni still looked adrift in uncharted waters, so Nakia took her hand. Everything would be all right, even if it didn’t seem quite right at the moment. Nakia squeezed Ashni’s hand, a silent promise to help Ashni through any doubt. Ashni offered her a small smile, although it didn’t reach her eyes.
“My darling, you’re not alone,” Nakia said.
“I know,” she whispered. The look didn’t fade from her gaze, though.
Ashni didn’t appear better as the day pressed on, despite the fact that their kingdom was in good shape. Jay and Asad had done all their damage on a much more local level.
To help the healing process, Nakia invited Adira, Saniyah, and Bashira to sit with them. Samar also came along. They sat for a meal in one of the smaller rooms that had survived Jay and Asad’s tantrum.
The meal was presented well, even though Ashni released every servant after the attack. Everyone waiting on them now was there voluntarily, and Nakia was grateful for their strength. The servants had been through just as much as anyone else.
Blood Rain (Warrior Class Book 3) Page 23
