Page 23 of Legacy of the Heirs
“Because they came when I called.”
Elisara glanced down at the reins in her hands and turned over his words. She relished in their laughter, smiling as she half-listened to their words. The other half of her focused on their surroundings, watching the Ashun Desert sands rising in the breeze, reminiscent of the black, sparkling sands of the Unsanctioned Isle. She wondered if she would ever return and pondered the two thrones that bore the markings of the sun and moon. She rubbed her collarbone, the loose white shirt thin against the raised mark.
Darkness darted on her left, and Elisara whipped her head to face it. She could have sworn a shadow trailed into her vision yet found nothing, only the distant rocks forming Nefere Valley. She faced the front again to where the palm trees lining Khami approached. The precession slowed.
Elisara had never visited Khami. Long ago, she would have preferred to ride late into the night until reaching Antor. She was unsure whether her preference to remain in Keres was to do with avoiding her—until recently—betrothed or because the wrongness she once felt clouding her in the fire realm had dissipated. Now she felt indifferent to it.
The sun sunk in the horizon, casting an orange glow over the pale estate and Nyzaia and Kazaar who rode ahead. Why could Kazaar so easily hear her thoughts, but she struggled to detect his? She watched the two converse back and forth and frowned as Kazaar tensed. Elisara closed her eyes and thought only of him.
“I cannot tell you,”was all she heard him say to Nyzaia. She wondered what secrets he kept from his closest friend and if it was also something he had not shared with Elisara. Nyzaia redirected her horse.
“Will you dine with me tonight?” she asked Elisara, who raisedher eyebrows. “I expected neither of us had the energy to entertain, and I would much rather keep away from the public eye. It is the first time I have visited Khami as queen, and I know it will be a spectacle if I host—”
“Of course,” Elisara said.
“I feel we have been distant since—”
“That is my fault,” Elisara reassured her. “I have been… adjusting.”
Nyzaia smiled.
“Then allow me to help you adjust. We can have an evening with laughter and drinks and forget about our other halves for a while.” Nyzaia reached for Elisara and squeezed her shoulder. Other half.She was not sure she and Kazaar were two halves in the same way Nyzaia and Tajana were, but she did not wish to speak more of him right now. Elisara glanced at Tajana, who from up ahead had turned to find Nyzaia.
“That would be lovely,” Elisara said. Perhaps for the first time since the gods had tainted her with this tie, Elisara would be able to forget about him. Kazaar caught her eye, the two nearly side-by-side as they approached the archway marking the entrance to Khami. She did not need to hear his thoughts; they were clear from the look in his eyes. She would never be without him.
Chapter Thirteen
Nyzaia
Nyzaia felt oddly sentimental as they arrived in Khami, though only Farid appeared to notice; her syndicate did not. She could not deny the hurt that neither Tajana nor the rest of her syndicate had referenced their time here together, yet the Red Stones rarely shared their feelings. Since leaving that way of life behind, Nyzaia realised how much of a front one had to wear, like the one she wore now of an unburdened queen, not a queen who fretted about the correct way of behaving in the public eye.
Khami was where the syndicate’s first mission unfolded after they completed the trials and gained full membership with the Red Stones. It had also been the place of her first kiss with Tajana, yet Tajana barely batted an eyelid as they passed under the palm tree where their initials remained carved. Farid had seemed to notice Nyzaia’s lingering look as they entered the city and simply inclined his head, his way of checking in.
Nyzaia spent a lot of time in Khami when she first joined the Red Stones, having been first appointed to the Spies, one of the six pillars. It was the most common camp for the Spies, given it was the only settlement with a close border to another realm. While the Abis Forge neighboured Vala’s Zivoi Mountains, there was little activity there. Some places in Khami offered visibility of the Garridon soldiers in their watchtowers, as well as a view of the Neutral City, allowing spies to keep watch of those who entered and departed. It also offered the spies insight into stray wanderers roaming Hybrooke Forest or the Ashun Desert.
After becoming queen of the Red Stones, she had spent littletime there and had not visited at all since becoming queen of Keres. It was different from Tabheri: less crowded, shorter buildings, and paler walls to stand out against. She felt too exposed.
Farid nodded at Nyzaia as they arrived at the large wooden doors marking the entrance to Lord Arnav’s home on the edge of Khami. Farid was ready. He had asked no questions, having immediately agreed to tail Tajana that evening. Something still felt wrong. After they were intimate, Nyzaia expected their relationship to return to normal, yet something remained amiss. It was unlike Tajana to find any opportunity to disappear; she had always been protective of Nyzaia, yet lately, it felt like Farid was the captain of her Queen’s Guard. The wooden gates opened.
“My queen!” Lord Arnav boomed. He stood on the tiled steps leading to his home, his yellow sherwani and turban matching the bright flowers lining the walkway. His eyes were young—playful, even. He flashed a smile, revealed by his closely shaved beard that was a pleasant contrast to the thicker facial hair favoured by the other Lords. Nyzaia raised her eyebrows. The home was much changed from when Arnav had taken over from his deceased father. The walls around the home distinguished it from the rest of Khami, as though an artist had started their work here and left the remainder of the city a blank canvas. There was not a single tile, piece of brick, or flowerbed without colour. The pillars the lord waited in-between were tiled in the brightest fuchsias, standing tall on a mosaic of a rising sun above the desert. The procession dismounted from their horses in the courtyard and immediately led them to the fountain in the centre to relinquish their thirst.
Nyzaia stepped towards the lord and brushed the desert sand from her clothing. It made little difference.
“Lord Arnav, it is lovely to see you again. You left so soon after our ball for Queen Elisara.” Nyzaia gestured to her friend, who approached with Kazaar by her side.
“Ah yes, Queen Elisara,” said the lord. With a glint in his eye, he glanced between Elisara and her commander. “A pleasure to seeyou again.” He bowed and kissed the back of her hand. Nyzaia practically felt the testosterone rise as Kazaar stepped forward, introducing himself to remove the lord’s lips from her hand. “I hear I missed quite the show. I left long before the dancing was over,” Lord Arnav said, addressing Nyzaia again.
“A show?” she asked, confused. The Lord cocked his head to one side and straightened his sherwani.
“Yes. I hear you had some sort of magical display—a fancy talent involving the smoke from your fire, perhaps?”
Nyzaia realised he referred to the shadows that appeared right before she was called to find Kazaar. She was grateful her lords’ minds were too small to ponder bigger threats. Razik, Issam, and Jabir had quickly handled the concerned crowds, explaining that the show was an intended display of magic.
As though sensing her thoughts, Farid said, “My queen, we should really retire to your chambers so you can rest,” interrupted Farid. “You do not wish to dine with us?” asked Lord Arnav.
“I would love to, but next time, Lord Arnav. We must rise early tomorrow to reach Antor for the engagement ball. A quiet evening would be best,” she explained, while Farid asked a guard for directions to her chambers.
“I was disappointed not to receive an invitation,” said the lord. Nyzaia would determine whether to pre-warn Caellum about offending Keres’ lords, depending on how he acted upon her arrival tomorrow.
