Page 77 of Black Salt Queen

Duja pursed her lips. “Please, Imeria, be reasonable. There’s nothing cruel about my wanting to exercise a bit of discretion?—”

“Discretion?” Imeria let out a high-pitched laugh. “You and I both know it’s more than that.” She barreled around the corner with Duja close on her tail.

“What do you want from me, Imeria?” Duja called after her, her voice strained. “Tell me, and I shall give it to you.”

Imeria froze in her tracks. They were standing in the courtyard now, mere steps away from the entrance hall of the eastern wing. The sun, still high in the sky, beat down on the nape of her neck. Sweat beaded along her back, likely soaking through the thin fabric of her blouse. She could hardly breathe. How did capital dwellers stand it? The air in Mariit was thick as tar, stifling.

“I want you,” Imeria murmured, hands clenched into fists at her sides.All I could ever want is you.

Over her shoulder, she heard Duja steer to a stop. She refused to turn around. She imagined the princess’s face, her soft lips contorted into a confused frown.

“Imeria,” Duja said, a throaty whisper that sent a bolt of longing down the column of Imeria’s spine.

Nasty snickers erupted in the courtyard. Both girls whipped around. To their right, the crown prince emerged from the shadows of the arcades. He slouched against one of the pillars, a vile smirk on his face.

“Pangil,” Duja snapped. “How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough,” he said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. His black eyes flitted over to Imeria. “Didn’t think you were the type to wear your heart on your sleeve, Kulaw.”

Anger boiled in Imeria’s veins. She took a menacing step toward the prince, but Duja laid a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

“Leave her alone, Pangil,” Duja said. “This doesn’t involve you.”

“Oh, it does,” he shot back. “How do you think Mother will feel when she hears about this little affair?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Duja’s eyes flashed red as her cheeks. Beside her, Imeria grimaced?—the princess was a terrible liar.

Pangil’s eyes narrowed. “I think you do, Sister. The moment Mother returns from the south, I’ll let her know exactly how you’ve carried on with your little traitor tart, Duja, then you’ll see?—”

The ground lurched before he could finish his threat. Imeria fell, scuttling back several feet. She cried out as her side collided with rough stone. A bright red glow flared up at the edge of her vision as heat, stronger than a thousand suns, flooded the courtyard. She rolled over to see Pangil, his palms raised above his head. A fireball the size of a small planet blazed between them. He aimed it straight at his sister.

“Duja!” Imeria screamed.

A column of earth shot up in the center of the courtyard. Duja ducked behind it. The fireball collided with the column in a mighty blast that shook the entire palace.

Pangil conjured a long fire whip, which he unfurled against Duja’s weakened column. It crumbled to dust at the impact. Duja scrambled to her feet. The ground between her and her brother split open with a deafening crack. She erected a jagged wall that spanned the courtyard, reaching nearly twice her height. Pangil didn’t relent. He bombarded her with an onslaught of flame. The wall groaned but absorbed most of the impact. It would hold?—but not for long.

Duja turned, chest heaving, and met Imeria’s gaze. “What are you doing?” she cried. “Run!”

But Imeria couldn’t run. Her eyes locked on the wall over Duja’s shoulder. Pangil had lobbed a fireball directly at the crisped earth at its center. “Duja,” she screamed again as the wall exploded into a thousand bits.

Guards and servants flooded the courtyard at the sound of tumult. Their terrified shouts filled the air.

“Your Highness. Oh, Your Highness, please!” they shrieked at Pangil. But the crown prince could not be appeased.

“Don’t you dare stop me!” Pangil spat, stabbing a finger in Duja’s direction. “Not when she would chooseherover her own blood?—this filthy Kulawtraitor.”

With a snarl, he charged toward his sister, both hands ablaze. Duja didn’t have time to wield. She dived, dodging the streak of flame by inches. The fireball soared into the eastern wing. It gobbled up the front door, the antique giltwood sputtering as it burned to ash.

“No!” Duja’s terrified cry rang out over the sound of crackling flame.

The fire fanned out from the door with breathtaking speed. Within seconds, it leaped all the way up the eastern wing’s facade to its tall, sloping roofs. Imeria watched the flames spread, helpless to stop them. The scorching heat warped her vision. She opened her mouth to call for Duja, but her lungs filled with smoke.

“Your Highness, don’t!”It was the booming voice of General Ojas. Beyond the flames, Imeria recognized his towering silhouette. He had emerged from the main building and was running toward the royal siblings. A wall of flame fanned out across the courtyard, blocking Duja off from all who could save her.

Pangil stalked toward Duja. Imeria saw the flash of madness in his eyes, as though he had been possessed by malevolent spirits.

“Pangil, please!” Duja cried.

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