Page 4 of Sands of Atonement

I made a puking face, but no one was there to witness it, so I rolled my eyes—mostly to myself. He got under my skin, and I couldn’t handle it.

Were they talking about our marriage? That I was too young? Sixteen was a perfectly normal age to be married, though my father insisted we wait a couple more years. My feet shuffled, but I pressed myself further and strained my ears.

“Remember why we’re here, brother. She won’t be our enemy for much longer,” Casimir whispered through the whiffs of spices.

“Family feuds never end,” Ezra grunted.

I searched my mind, wondering what their words could mean, but nothing came. Wasn’t tonight supposed to declare a truce and end all bloodshed?

Sour smoke filled the air, and I heard a sucking inhale. They were getting high. Juicy. What would my father think of this?

“What do you make of it all?” Casimir questioned. “We all thought you’d be the one engaged to her.”

“You think I care? That girl will burn faster than a dried stick in the sands. I’m relieved not to marry someone so childish. Good luck with her.” Ezra scoffed and inhaled another puff. “If you ever need help to tame her, you know where to find me.”

Casimir said something, but I couldn’t hear his words over the roaring in my head.

I was going to kill him. I squeezed my fists.

Before I could do anything, Casimir said, “Come on, let’s get out of here before it’s too late.” They continued past the marble column in the opposite direction and entered through another door to the side.

With heat coming out of my ears, I stepped back through the entrance to the large room. Relief passed through me when I found Yonam across the amethyst rugs, cozied between the crowd.

I waved my hand to get his attention. The jewelry that encircled my wrists glittered in the candlelight as I started toward him. He was near the table that was covered in rice, spices, and dried meat. Of course. I should have known. He was tempted by food and food alone. But he’d tell me what to make of the conversation I overheard.

Yonam lifted his eyes and met mine. A smile formed on his lips⁠—

BANG.

The crimson curtains plummeted forward from the walls as they crumbled into racing shards of limestone. Screams filled the room as the gold ceiling broke into a thousand pieces, and I glimpsed the starry night before a marble column dove toward me.

Yonam ran for me, but it was too late.

The towering column crashed forward and slammed into the next column, colliding. Sparks flew in all directions as I crouched, looking for shelter. A flash of gold fell from the sky. A sharp inhale, and I could smell the tang of blood in the air.

Where was my family?

Where was Yonam?

I needed to find⁠—

Another explosion, and my body was flung against the marble column, and I felt my head crack.

Chapter 1

Eshe

8 years later | Merha, Brestan

If I told Salazar how I really felt, he would warn me of the poison that would fill my heart, but it was too late—the poison had sunk deep, wrapped my heart in its claws, and I welcomed it.

I walked through the cobblestone streets of Merha beside Salazar as he collected the reports and payments from his merchants. We’d traveled as far south as he would go, to Brestan, a country that lay above Tehara and had tried to maintain the peace between Zyriah and Tehara. Tomorrow, he would make his way back north. Alone. Without me. But he didn’t need to know that.

Salazar would lose his shit.

My eyes slid to his face as I popped an almond into my mouth. The wrinkles around his lips and eyes revealed just how many years he’d lived. Not that he was old, but he was getting there. My savior and my teacher. For a moment, I was back at that broken palace in Salazar’s arms as he carried me to safety. My heart swelled at the sight of him, not knowing if I was ever going to see him again, if I was ever going to survive what I’d been secretly training for.

“You have that look on your face, Mara. I know it well,” Salazar said carefully. I stopped chewing for a moment. Hearing that name still sent a crawling sensation down my spine. “It better be you processing and learning everything you can about this business so you can take over one day. You’re one of the best students I’ve ever had. If you put your mind to it, you can make anything possible.”