Chapter Seventeen
NADIR
adir hovered outside the window of his father’s study, the swirlingN lights of his magic forming a pair of multi-hued luminescent wings on his back. He’d already flown past a few times, ensuring his father wasn’t still in the Keep. After another pass, he decided the study was as empty as it was
ever going to be. Rion had flown to Tor that morning to meet with their tentative ally, the Mountain Queen. But it was best to always be extra sure when it came to the king of The Aurora.
Softly, Nadir landed on the balcony that ran the length of the study. With a flick of his wrist, the lights surrounding him burst open like a flower
welcoming the sun before shrinking back into his frame. With a vine of cobalt light, he unlocked the door before he slipped inside.
The thick, dark rugs muffled his steps as he paced slowly through the room. Guards were stationed outside for show, but the king was arrogant
enough to believe no one would dare enter this space without his permission.
Anyone caught snooping through his things would find themselves at the end of Rion’s legendary temper. On any other day, Rion was probably right, but Nadir was too mired in the mystery of prisoner 3452 to keep himself in check.
Nadir cast a ward to muffle any sounds from the room as a precaution. He
scanned the many shelves and the spotless desk, wondering where he should start. Perhaps it was foolish to think the king would keep the file from prisoner 3452 in his study, but Nadir had to start somewhere. He was sure the king had it. Something deep in his gut told him uncovering what his father was hiding was important.
Beyond the fact that Rion had been interested in this girl, no one else could have removed a file from Nostraza without setting off an alarm. Only the king could walk in, take what he wanted, and keep it under wraps. Therefore, Rion’s study and his desk seemed like the most logical place to start.
Nadir’s gaze flicked to the window when he heard a sound, his eyebrow arching as Amya dropped onto the balcony, her own lights dissipating in a
fission of color. She swung open the door and stepped inside, rubbing her arms. She wore a short black skirt made of ragged pieces of tulle, her legs covered in thin translucent silk patterned with diamonds. Her black corseted top laced up the front, leaving her arms and shoulders bare. She refused to dress appropriately for the weather, claiming it restricted her movements too
much.
“I hate this room,” she said, smoothing down the two braids that ran over her shoulders, strands of the bright colors of the aurora running down their
length. “Why is it always so fucking cold in here?”
“The temperature is just fine. Perhaps if you put on a sweater, you’d be
more comfortable,” Nadir replied, resuming his examination of his father’s desk.
She wrinkled her nose. “You know that’s not what I meant.” Amya stomped over in her heavy black boots and hoisted herself onto the desk, crossing her legs. “So. What are you doing in here?”
Nadir glared before he waved his hand over the top drawer of the desk, a
burst of colorful mist erupting as he tested for any signs of magic. Maybe a trap or a trigger that might sound an alarm.
His mouth pressed together when he felt it. A snag in the air that surrounded the desk. With careful precision, he pulled apart the threads of magic one fiber at a time, using braided colors of his own light.
“Nadir, I—” Amya started, and he held up a finger to his sister.
“Shut up for a minute.”
This work required all of his concentration. One false slip and his father would undoubtedly know of his presence. Amya huffed, but said nothing else as she folded her arms and waited in silence.
Nadir worked quickly but efficiently, circling the desk and dismantling all
the bits of warding magic surrounding it. He mentally catalogued how the threads had woven together, knowing he’d have to reconstruct them exactly before he left the room.
After several minutes, he finished and stepped back, letting out a deep sigh. A lock of hair had freed itself from its tie, and he tucked it behind his
ear as he looked up at Amya.
“May I speak now?” she asked.
“You may,” he replied, and she rolled her eyes.
“Why are you so obsessed with this? If he catches you here, Father will lose his mind.”
“If he catches us here,” Nadir said as he opened the top drawer and started rifling through the papers, taking care to disturb the contents as little as possible. Nadir had never been privy to Rion’s secrets and as his eyes skimmed over the documents, he knew there were things that, at any other time, might be valuable.
“Nadir,” Amya said, a warning in her tone. “Talk to me.”
He stopped and looked up at her. “I can’t explain it, but something tells me this girl is important.” He resumed his search in the next drawer.
“What is that supposed to mean? Important how? If Father was really keeping this from you, why would he have let you hear his conversation with the warden? Why ask you to go look for her? Aren’t you worried you’re playing right into some kind of trap?”
Nadir didn’t answer as he continued rifling through letters and papers, dismissing them all and moving to the next drawer.
“Of course I’m worried," he said a moment later. "But I don't think he intended for me to hear it, and now he seems to be pretending it doesn't matter, which makes me even more suspicious.” He paused and then said
quietly, “I don’t know.” He gritted his teeth, knowing he sounded absurd. “I just have a feeling.”
Amya jumped off the desk and walked around to stand next to him.
Sensing her gaze, he looked up. “What?”
“I’m worried about you, big brother.”
Nadir let out a breath and dropped his head, his hands braced against the
drawer he’d been searching.
“You haven’t been the same since—”
He shot her a dark glance. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
She raised her hands in surrender, the lights of her magic rippling around
her in agitation. “Okay, okay. So you’ve made clear many times before.”
“You think you’d take the fucking hint then,” Nadir said, standing straight, planning to move to the other side of the desk. Amya stood in the way, her arms folded and her feet planted wide. She was much smaller than him, coming barely past his chest. But what she lacked in size, she made up for in determination.
“Move,” Nadir said, and she spread her feet, squaring her stance.
“You need to talk about this.”
“I said, move.” Nadir glared down at his sister, his swirling gaze meeting hers. The sky was cloudy tonight, the lights obscured and invisible, but he could feel them as they rippled across the sky. They were as much a part of him as the blood that ran in his veins and the heart that beat in his chest.
Her expression softened. “I just want to be there for you. Like you’ve always been there for me. It’s not your fault. It has never been your fault.”
Nadir closed his eyes slowly, counted to three, and opened them again, trying to calm the churn of emotions that always felt on the edge of drowning him in a sea of guilt.
“I’m fine,” he said. “And it’s my job to take care of you, not the other way around.”
Amya’s nostrils flared at that. He knew his answer would make her angry, but it was the truth. “You know that’s not how it is.”
“Can you please move? We shouldn’t linger here much longer.” As if on
cue, voices sounded on the other side of the door, and his eyes flicked their way. Amya gave her brother one last lingering look and then stepped aside.
Nadir nodded and recommenced his search. Amya paced in front of the
window while he continued rummaging, still coming up empty-handed.
When he’d searched the last drawer, he let out a sound of frustration.
His gaze cast about the room. There were shelves and cabinets he could look through next, but a quick check told him none were as heavily warded.
It seemed unlikely his father was keeping anything of value there. Nadir wove the warding on his father’s desk back together as he considered his options.
Amya stood by the fireplace watching him, but he avoided her gaze,
knowing she’d probably start in on him again.
More voices sounded outside the door, and Nadir scowled. It seemed his time was up for today.
Amya moved towards the balcony. “Come on.” When Nadir heard his father’s voice, his shoulders tensed. As much as he hated to admit it, there was only one thing in the world that frightened him, and it was the king who stood on the other side of that door. Nadir flexed his jaw. He’d risked too much coming here, and it had amounted to nothing.
“Nadir!” Amya hissed. “Come. On.”
He hesitated, watching the door. He knew what would happen if his father caught him here, but part of him wanted the confrontation. Maybe he could
force the truth about what the king was hiding, but it wasn’t worth the fallout.
He’d caused enough harm already.
A moment later, the handle on the door turned down, and Nadir lost his nerve. On silent feet, he glided to the balcony door, where Amya was holding it open. As he stepped outside, he heard it click shut, and then he leaped onto
the railing.
Multi-hued ribbons of his light erupted around him with a swoosh a moment before he dropped off the edge and let himself fall.
