Page 46 of To Dance with Death

Neither is Sundar.

The final sash sinks in a flourish, and this time, I don’t flick it up again.

“Sundar,” I breathe the second I climb down. Around us, the soirée has resumed; perhaps I haven’t drawn much attention. But right now, I don’t care.

He looks as dazed as I feel. My heart swishes between my ribs, as if caught in the sea beneath a squall.

And then he says, simply, “I…died.”

Chapter Fifteen

It takes everything in me not to sink to the floor. But my sharp departure garners attention. I grab Sundar’s arm, pulling him into an empty alcove at the edge of the room, far from other patrons. “How did this happen? Sundar…”

“An unfortunate turn of events,” he says, wincing. “Your plan worked in a sense. When you disappeared, I thought we couldn’t be blamed, considering we were, well, locked up. And indeed, after you escaped, your father released us. The council demanded Maksim set us free once Sofya had alerted them to our whereabouts.”

Sofya had held to her word, then. And yet…

“I should have realized it was too good to be true. A day after we were freed, your father asked that we leave his palace; without you, there was no reason for us to stay. We should have known it was a trap. It turns out that his asking us to leave was never made public. He claimed we fled—that we were in league with those who kidnapped you. He hunted us himself. We made it all the way to Kurst before we were attacked. Copelan escaped—barely. I wasn’t so lucky.”

“He killed you,” I rasp, my fists tightening, trembling.

“I…well, I allowed it. He had conjured a way to connect me toyour disappearance, and I knew he’d use it as an excuse to invade Razam even earlier in retribution. I couldn’t let that happen, so during the attack, I stepped in front of the blade. A life for a life. Mine for yours, a debt paid. He couldn’t demand vengeance against my mother.” He sighs, as if his death were a mere inconvenience, then shakes his head. “Imagine my surprise, however, to meet Moranya, shake her lovely hand myself—souls, her allure is terribly irresistible in that moment, no? Even knowing what I do, it was as if I couldn’t see past it. Of course she granted me a spot among the Exalted and ushered me into the finality of death—only for me to find you dancing on a table, no less. Care to explain what in the Fates-forsaken realms has happened since you left us? And please, for the love of Morta, tell me the food is edible.”

“Fates, Sundar, if I hadn’t abandoned you in my father’s holding cell…This is all my fault.”

He merely shrugs. “You had to do it, Vas. At least I passed some kind of morality measurement and was deemed worthy of all this,” he says, gesturing around. “A silver lining, I suppose, along with the fact that I can now help you. I want to know everything that has happened.”

“From what I understand,” I say sadly, looking around me at the feasting souls, “it won’t be long before you cease caring.”

“Then I suppose we should make the most of our time,” he says. “And it’s of the essence, Vasalie. It’s not just the Syndicate’s deadline, which is over halfway gone.”

Time passes the same, then, if my tracking is correct. It’s been sixteen days. I had hoped I had more time, but now, we only have fourteen left…

“To make matters worse,” Sundar says, “Anton’s loyalists in Miridran aren’t even believing Gustav’s story. Sofya informed us once we were released, the day before we left. There are rumors of a civil war. Lords are challenging Gustav’s rule.”

“But Anton spoke to them directly when he made Gustav regent, did he not?”

“Some, yes. But those who weren’t part of the court that day claim it’s a ruse to steal the throne. Worse, those from Central Miridran, who would otherwise follow Anton, see Gustav as untested and weak. They’re allying. There’s talk of removing Gustav by force unless Anton returns. Worse, if Brisendale invades, the army is divided. Wehaveto get him back, Vasalie. Only Anton can unite Miridran.”

“It’s so much worse than I imagined,” I say, wiping my sweat-coated palms along my skirt.

“Yes, but I’m here now, so hope is not lost. Wearegoing to fix things. Now tell me what’s become of our king.”

I fight the warring urges to both cry and throw my arms around him. I might not have known him for long, but he’s here. I am not alone. Secretly, I promise myself that if there is any way to bring him back to life, I will find it. But for now, I grip his arm. “Let’s find somewhere more private.”

The rest of the floor is composed of more lounges and nooks, some divided by walls, others by glistening, diaphanous curtains. I lead Sundar past it all, down hallways and across the bridge, until we reach the study I’ve been hiding out in.

But I’m too antsy to sit. So I pace as I spill everything I know—about my time since I’ve arrived, the Abyssal, even Illian. The Exalted, the tiers. My bargain with Anton in exchange for him letting me stay. The doors that lead to nothing, the chasms, and the way Moranya is all but absent. I show him the codices, the way they work. Sundar, for his part, takes it all in stride.

“I can’t help but feel it’s all connected. Why Moranya is missing, the strangeness of this place, what she really wants…” I sigh.

“Well,” he says finally, shuffling on his feet. “There’re two of us now. We can search the Abyssal for his codex twice as fast.”

“Actually, I’m not certain you can get in.” Though maybe, if my touch opens a wide enough hole. But…“Sundar, I won’t blame youif you choose to forget it all and enjoy the respite you’ve earned as an Exalted.”

A laugh. “I must say, as majestic and delicious as this death-world seems, I much prefer to get revenge by thwarting your father’s plans. Besides, the crowd here seems…pretty boring.”

“That’s what I can’t understand,” I say with a sigh. “The Exalted don’t exactly seem like they’ve earned it. I expected to find kindness, generosity, and instead, I’ve found souls who prefer to indulge in every luxury that would have landed them in a lower echelon had they entertained it in the mortal world.”