Eliana froze. “Is that a threat?”
“It is a fact. You are a human. I was once an angel, and now I am forever trapped as this.” She reached down with long-fingered hands, picked wistfully at her robes. “I will live long past the age when the last human walks the earth. And yet, if given the chance to step backward in time, I would make the same choice.”
Eliana narrowed her eyes. “What choice is that?”
“I would choose to stay in this form—stripped of all physicality—rather than be resurrected. What so many of my kin have done is abhorrent.”
At Eliana’s blank expression, Zahra sighed. “Am I to assume from the look on your face that you, the Sun Queen, are unfamiliar with the stories of how the world once was?”
“I know the stories,” Eliana bit out impatiently. “My brother won’t shut up about them.”
Zahra’s expression softened into something like pity. “Simon sent word about him as well. Remy, yes?”
Tears rose hot and sudden in Eliana’s eyes. “Don’t you dare say his name.”
Zahra reached for her, then closed her hand and floated back. “I wish I could touch you and give you comfort, my queen. That is the thing I miss most of all about my body.”
Eliana looked to the ceiling, willing her eyes dry. “You may call me Eliana. Nothing else.”
“As you wish, Eliana. But whatever name I use, it does not change the truth. You are my queen, and I serve you with great joy.”
“Then,” Eliana said through her teeth, “get me out of here.”
“I have always intended to do so,” Zahra said patiently, gesturing at the door. “The shift change is underway. In five minutes, once the new guards have settled into their posts, it will be safe to move. Believe me, my queen, I would not keep you here longer than absolutely necessary.”
“I will start pounding on this door and ruin our supposed escape if you don’t open it this instant.”
“And here I thought all your rashness had fled.”
“I’m not joking, whoever you are.”
“Zahra.”
“Yes, right.”
“Anyway, feel free to pound on the door all you like,” said Zahra, folding her vaporous arms smugly across her chest. “No one will hear you.”
Eliana narrowed her eyes. “And why wouldn’t they?”
“Though I may no longer look like an angel, and though my mind is not what it once was, I can still use it. And right now I am using it to make the vermin of Fidelia forget you are here.”
Eliana’s heart pounded hard in her ears. “You mean…you’re hiding me.”
“As best I can, yes.” Zahra hesitated. “Though once Semyaza finds us, that will change. Wraiths are not strong enough to deceive other wraiths.”
“Semyaza?”
“He serves this faction of Fidelia. He helps them hunt, disguises them, and distracts their prey. It was him you sensed in Sanctuary.” Zahra turned up her nose. “You’ll find, Eliana, that not all wraiths are as enlightened as I am.”
“What does he want? Why is he helping them?”
“Semyaza hopes that if he serves the Empire loyally, then once the Emperor has found the Sun Queen and bound her to him, Semyaza will be resurrected. He will have earned a body at last.”
Eliana shook her head, stepping away from Zahra. “I don’t understand what you’re saying. Resurrected?”
“It would be easier to show you, Eliana. If you’ll permit me to take hold of your mind?” She tilted her head toward the door. “We have just enough time for it.”
“Take hold of my mind. Like the Emperor did?”
“What?” The drifting tendrils of Zahra’s hair and robes went rigid. “You have spoken with the Emperor?”
“At an outpost several days ago, I was…I was with Lord Morbrae. He looked at me, and something changed. I saw the Emperor. I was in Celdaria somehow. I couldn’t see anything very well, but I could see enough. And the Emperor, he found me standing there, and he…he knew me. I don’t know if he was happy or furious to see me. And I don’t know which is worse.”
Zahra closed her eyes. “Simon did not send word of this. Oh, he has seen you. He knows, then, that you are alive.”
“Why does the Emperor care who I am or that I’m alive?”
The wraith’s huge, dark eyes were terribly sad.
“May I show you, Eliana?” Zahra whispered. “Forgive me, but it will be easier for me than words.” She shook her head, sank to the floor. “This is a shock. This is an awful blow.”
Eliana crouched before her. “You swear to me that my mother isn’t here?”
Zahra peeked out from behind her hair. “Yes. Simon’s instructions were to send word if any of us found her. But I have not.”
“Wait.” Eliana’s body drew tight as a bowstring. “He knew that Fidelia took her?”
Zahra nodded miserably. “We were all told to look out for her.”
So. Simon had known. He had known who had taken her mother—and, Eliana suspected, he had known Fidelia was behind the other abductions too.
And he had not done a thing about it. He had led her across the country on this wild quest without so much as a whisper of the truth.
She gripped her knees, hard, and stared at the stained stone floor of her cell.
I will kill him for this.
“You may show me what you want to show me,” she said, her voice trembling with barely contained fury, “as long as you then help me find Navi before we leave this place. Do we have a bargain?”
Zahra nodded. “Yes, Eliana. I pledge this to you.”
Eliana gave her a grim nod. “Then do it. Quickly.”
Without warning, Zahra collapsed into a twisting cloud of light and shadow. Her new shape resembled great, jagged black wings.
Then she rushed at Eliana and disappeared.
And Eliana opened her eyes—and she saw.
• • •
Unlike when she had seen the Emperor, this vision was all too clear.
There was no fog blocking her sight. She felt the steaming hard ground beneath her feet. The air was close, rippling with heat; her nostrils burned from the ash darkening the air.
Movement at the corner of her eye made her turn. A woman stood watching her, tall and ebony-skinned, wearing a suit of tarnished platinum armor. Her thick white hair fell in braids past her hips, and gold paint rimmed her dark eyes. Massive wings of shifting light and shadow spanned out from her back. a froze. “Is that a threat?”
“It is a fact. You are a human. I was once an angel, and now I am forever trapped as this.” She reached down with long-fingered hands, picked wistfully at her robes. “I will live long past the age when the last human walks the earth. And yet, if given the chance to step backward in time, I would make the same choice.”
Eliana narrowed her eyes. “What choice is that?”
“I would choose to stay in this form—stripped of all physicality—rather than be resurrected. What so many of my kin have done is abhorrent.”
At Eliana’s blank expression, Zahra sighed. “Am I to assume from the look on your face that you, the Sun Queen, are unfamiliar with the stories of how the world once was?”
“I know the stories,” Eliana bit out impatiently. “My brother won’t shut up about them.”
Zahra’s expression softened into something like pity. “Simon sent word about him as well. Remy, yes?”
Tears rose hot and sudden in Eliana’s eyes. “Don’t you dare say his name.”
Zahra reached for her, then closed her hand and floated back. “I wish I could touch you and give you comfort, my queen. That is the thing I miss most of all about my body.”
Eliana looked to the ceiling, willing her eyes dry. “You may call me Eliana. Nothing else.”
“As you wish, Eliana. But whatever name I use, it does not change the truth. You are my queen, and I serve you with great joy.”
“Then,” Eliana said through her teeth, “get me out of here.”
“I have always intended to do so,” Zahra said patiently, gesturing at the door. “The shift change is underway. In five minutes, once the new guards have settled into their posts, it will be safe to move. Believe me, my queen, I would not keep you here longer than absolutely necessary.”
“I will start pounding on this door and ruin our supposed escape if you don’t open it this instant.”
“And here I thought all your rashness had fled.”
“I’m not joking, whoever you are.”
“Zahra.”
“Yes, right.”
“Anyway, feel free to pound on the door all you like,” said Zahra, folding her vaporous arms smugly across her chest. “No one will hear you.”
Eliana narrowed her eyes. “And why wouldn’t they?”
“Though I may no longer look like an angel, and though my mind is not what it once was, I can still use it. And right now I am using it to make the vermin of Fidelia forget you are here.”
Eliana’s heart pounded hard in her ears. “You mean…you’re hiding me.”
“As best I can, yes.” Zahra hesitated. “Though once Semyaza finds us, that will change. Wraiths are not strong enough to deceive other wraiths.”
“Semyaza?”
“He serves this faction of Fidelia. He helps them hunt, disguises them, and distracts their prey. It was him you sensed in Sanctuary.” Zahra turned up her nose. “You’ll find, Eliana, that not all wraiths are as enlightened as I am.”
“What does he want? Why is he helping them?”
“Semyaza hopes that if he serves the Empire loyally, then once the Emperor has found the Sun Queen and bound her to him, Semyaza will be resurrected. He will have earned a body at last.”
Eliana shook her head, stepping away from Zahra. “I don’t understand what you’re saying. Resurrected?”
“It would be easier to show you, Eliana. If you’ll permit me to take hold of your mind?” She tilted her head toward the door. “We have just enough time for it.”
“Take hold of my mind. Like the Emperor did?”
“What?” The drifting tendrils of Zahra’s hair and robes went rigid. “You have spoken with the Emperor?”
“At an outpost several days ago, I was…I was with Lord Morbrae. He looked at me, and something changed. I saw the Emperor. I was in Celdaria somehow. I couldn’t see anything very well, but I could see enough. And the Emperor, he found me standing there, and he…he knew me. I don’t know if he was happy or furious to see me. And I don’t know which is worse.”
Zahra closed her eyes. “Simon did not send word of this. Oh, he has seen you. He knows, then, that you are alive.”
“Why does the Emperor care who I am or that I’m alive?”
The wraith’s huge, dark eyes were terribly sad.
“May I show you, Eliana?” Zahra whispered. “Forgive me, but it will be easier for me than words.” She shook her head, sank to the floor. “This is a shock. This is an awful blow.”
Eliana crouched before her. “You swear to me that my mother isn’t here?”
Zahra peeked out from behind her hair. “Yes. Simon’s instructions were to send word if any of us found her. But I have not.”
“Wait.” Eliana’s body drew tight as a bowstring. “He knew that Fidelia took her?”
Zahra nodded miserably. “We were all told to look out for her.”
So. Simon had known. He had known who had taken her mother—and, Eliana suspected, he had known Fidelia was behind the other abductions too.
And he had not done a thing about it. He had led her across the country on this wild quest without so much as a whisper of the truth.
She gripped her knees, hard, and stared at the stained stone floor of her cell.
I will kill him for this.
“You may show me what you want to show me,” she said, her voice trembling with barely contained fury, “as long as you then help me find Navi before we leave this place. Do we have a bargain?”
Zahra nodded. “Yes, Eliana. I pledge this to you.”
Eliana gave her a grim nod. “Then do it. Quickly.”
Without warning, Zahra collapsed into a twisting cloud of light and shadow. Her new shape resembled great, jagged black wings.
Then she rushed at Eliana and disappeared.
And Eliana opened her eyes—and she saw.
• • •
Unlike when she had seen the Emperor, this vision was all too clear.
There was no fog blocking her sight. She felt the steaming hard ground beneath her feet. The air was close, rippling with heat; her nostrils burned from the ash darkening the air.
Movement at the corner of her eye made her turn. A woman stood watching her, tall and ebony-skinned, wearing a suit of tarnished platinum armor. Her thick white hair fell in braids past her hips, and gold paint rimmed her dark eyes. Massive wings of shifting light and shadow spanned out from her back.