Page 114 of What Blooms from Death

“No?”

“I won’t let them.”

The words seemed to echo in the stifling air. Zayn started to reply several times, only to press his lips back together every time, eventually settling on a quiet “Hmm.”

I gave him a sharp look. “What?”

“This is a first.”

“Whatis a first?”

“You feel protective of her, don’t you?”

The statement nearly made me drop my knife. “I do not. At least, not beyond taking care of a crucial cog in our own plans. We lose our connection to her, we lose our best chance of making it out of this world alive. And if they gain complete control over her and her magic…well, it’s only going to end poorly for us and the rest of our world.”

“Not like you to get so attached,” he commented, as though I hadn’t spoken. “Not like you at all.”

“I’m not attached. On the contrary, I find her infuriating. But also a necessary evil, I’m afraid.”

His grin was slight. “Well, that’s often how it starts, isn’t it?”

I didn’t bother to answer this, choosing instead to walk beside the wall he sat upon, studying the sections still shimmering with the light I’d summoned. It was lasting a little longer than my previous attempts, at least.

“For what it’s worth, I like her too,” Zayn said. “But there are greater things at stake. And I trust her more than any of the other necromancers here, but she still has deeper ties to Shadowmagic, and to this world, than to anything in the Above—even if she isn’t ready to embrace those ties yet.”

“I know that.”

He hopped down from the wall, stretching. “There are no easy answers, I guess. But you know I’ve had your best interests at heart for nearly twenty-seven years now.”

“Yes; it’s why I tolerate you.”

“And, as your mosttoleratedadvisor and friend, I have to insist that you think twice before getting any closer to her. You have a duty to your kingdom and its people—to the whole world of the Above. And I foresee her clouding your judgment about that.”

“You severely underestimate my ability to judge.”

“Just be careful.”

“No problem.”

“None?”

“At all.”

He flashed me a full, crooked grin. “Well, here comes an opportunity to prove it.”

I followed his gaze, spotting Nova approaching us from the direction of the palace.

I tried not to stare, but it was impossible not to.

Whereas the air around here was proving detrimental to Zayn and me, it was having the opposite effect on her. Her shadows moved more freely—and calmly—than I’d ever seen them. Even now, faint hints of her power flowed around her like an extension of the loose-fitting trousers and sleeveless tunic she wore, as if a skilled tailor had designed them to flow in perfect harmony with her movements. Her eyes seemed even brighter than usual. There was something in her step, too—a decisiveness that hadn’t been there before.

She might not have been embracing the crown of this kingdom yet, but she still looked like its queen.

Zayn clapped a hand on my shoulder, making me jump slightly; I didn’t realize how still I’d gone.

“Good luck,” he said, with a sound that was part laughter, part sigh.

He made his exit quickly. I instantly wondered if I should have followed him out, but it was too late, by this point; Nova was somehow already in front of me.

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