Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

Arkon stared around at the still frozen people. Zahir’s eyes were two balls of flaming rage as he fought his way to break the spell over him. Arkon was never going to hear the end of it.

"I always knew time would stand still if we ever met face to face," he said and cocked an eyebrow at Zarya. "Are you here to kill me?"

Zarya’s smile widened. "Not at all."

"Then what do you want?" Arkon asked. Maybe he should be more concerned about the crowds or how her spell had managed to freeze the djinn too. He wasn’t because his curiosity was greater than his fear.

Zarya held out her hands and pressed her wrists together. "I want you to arrest me."

Arkon magicked up some cuffs in his hands and clasped them around her wrists. "You didn’t think it would be better to sneak in the back?"

"I don’t want it to be a secret that I’m surrendering myself into your custody," Zarya said, sending an unexpected thrill through him.

"Just when I thought life was getting boring," Arkon replied. He was out of his depth on what was actually happening, but he wasn’t going to let that show. "I don’t suppose you can start time again?"

"If you insist," she said, making a small gesture with her fingers. Arkon didn’t have time to contemplate how she managed to do magic with magic-nulling cuffs on because everyone was suddenly shouting, and guards were surrounding them.

Zahir was furious, and Arkon shook his head at him. He had this.

"You are under arrest, Wolf Mage, "Arkon called out, and everyone stopped and backed away from them as quickly as possible. Rumors did have their uses.

"Dramatic," she whispered.

"Says the woman who just stopped time to walk through a ballroom as a wolf." Arkon placed a hand on her shoulder and started to lead her away. "It’s okay everyone. I have this under control. Please enjoy the party." Arkon could already sense the Council members falling into line and following him out.

"I hope you have a plan because I have urgent business with you, sorcerer," Zarya said. Her accent, he noticed, was more Norse than Ukrainian which made him question everything he knew of her all over again.

"I’m going to pop you safely into a room where you’ll be out of the way," he said.

"I’m not here to hurt anyone."

"Your safety, signorina, not ours."

Zarya let out a frustrated sigh. "If you think it’s necessary."

Arkon led her through the palace to an interrogation room adjacent to the hearing room. It was designed especially to hold rogue sorcerers and magical creatures. He wasn’t about to put her in a cell in the dungeon just yet because he really didn’t need a prison riot on top of everything else.

Arkon made sure she was manacled properly to the table before gently closing the door. He found Zahir, Gio, and Dom waiting for him.

"Is it really her?" Dom asked, his golden eyes shining with interest.

"She froze a whole room full of people. Of course, it’s her," Zahir replied irritably.

Gio crossed his arms. "Trojan horse?"

"I don’t think so. She could have walked up to you and slit your throat if that was what she was here for." Arkon stared at the door to the room. "I need to talk to her first. She wants something."

Zahir frowned. "Do you want me to do this?"

"Why?" Arkon demanded, bristling like a cat.

"Because habibi, I worry you are compromised. You have been enemies with this woman for so long, in a way it makes you friends."

Arkon thought of the smile she had given him. "I’m not compromised. Take Gio somewhere safe for the night, not the palace."

"He can stay with me," Dom replied. "We will go to the Aladoro Palazzo. The wards there are the best in the city."

"Excellent. Make it happen." Arkon waved them away.

Zahir’s frown told him how much he liked the idea of leaving Arkon alone. "I’ll be right back."

"I really don’t think this is necessary," Gio began, but Zahir and Dom had already grabbed him by the shoulders, and they vanished in a haze of bronze magic.

Arkon took three deep breaths before straightening his shoulders. He could do this. He opened the door and found Zarya lying on one of the room’s wooden benches. Definitely not where he left her.

"Sorry, I’m tired, and I didn’t know how long you would be."

Arkon leaned against the door and crossed his arms. "What are you doing here?"

"I’m defecting. I thought that was obvious."

"And I should believe that…why?"

Zarya sat up and turned to face him. "If I wanted to kill your precious council, I would have done it when I arrived."

Arkon hated that her words echoed his own. She did look tired. Her ashen hair, which had always been depicted in propaganda in two long braids, was hanging to her shoulders in uneven strands like it had been hacked off with a knife. Her feet and hands were dirty and covered in bruises and small cuts.

"How long have you been on the run?" he asked, noting the hunted look in her eyes.

"About eight weeks. I missed you in Rogotin, so I came north."

"You... You ran all that way?"

Zarya nodded. Well, fuck. That explained the condition she was in.

"You know you could’ve surrendered yourself to any Republic solider," Arkon said, wondering what could have possibly driven her to roam as a wolf for so long.

"I could have, but I couldn’t be sure what would happen on my journey to Venice. If I managed to make it at all. I needed to make sure I got to you," Zarya said, her silvery blue eyes shining with leashed power.

Don’t get distracted by the magic, he chided himself. It was humming around her in waves. It was unlike anything he’d felt before, and he was suddenly wondering if she was actually human.

"To get to me specifically? I’m flattered, signorina."

Zarya leaned back against the wall. "You should be." She let out a small, bitter laugh.

"What’s so funny?" he asked.

"This." She gestured at them. "Of all the people in the world I trust to keep me safe, I go to you—my enemy—asking for protection in my darkest hour."

Arkon frowned. "I never said I’d keep you safe."

"You will because I’m too valuable to die," she said simply.

She had him there. Arkon was starting to wonder who was interrogating whom.

"You seem very sure of that," he replied. He should be trying to kill her himself. Saints knew he had dreamed of doing it for the past few years.

"I need your help. It’s why I’m here," Zarya said, making him rock back on his heels.

"My help? To do what exactly?" he asked.

Zarya’s eyes lit up with violence. "I want you to help me kill the emperor of Varangia."