Hollow Palace (Wattpad Exclusive)

Chapter Sixteen

Sixteen

Eli blinked away the ghosts of smoke lingering in her vision. A charred oiliness filmed her tongue.

Groaning, she sat up, ignoring the dizziness and forcing her eyes to focus on her hands. No copper flames. She didn’t feel the magic either. In fact, she didn’t feel much of anything. Even the persistent ache of her shoulder was dull. Had she really summoned Adra at all? Maybe she had dreamt it.

She leaned against the wall and took a few deep breaths, hoping to clear her head. Still, she was numb and foggy. Looking over at Kiran, she decided there was only one way to know if she’d really made herself a servant to Adra or not.

She touched his foot. “Wake up, you sack of corpse shit. Magic us out of here.”

But no fire coiled from her hands. No warmth or tingling passed through her. If anything the smoke only seemed to redouble. She closed her eyes and sagged against the wall. No magic. She didn’t want to feel disappointed, but she was. How was she supposed to get them out of this?

The lock clicked, and the door scraped as it opened. Eli was too tired to open her eyes.

“Great mountains and sky, Vamin, what have you done to my sister?”

“My assurances, she was not like this when I left her,” Darshan said.

Eli peeled her eyes open at the sound of the first voice. Above her, a hazy figure became a crisp, familiar one.

“Uma?”

Uma’s gold bracers clacked together as she crossed her arms over her skinny chest. Clothed in a powder blue surcoat over an ivory tunic and trousers, Uma stood straight and erect.  Her dark blonde hair was pulled back from her temples and gathered in a gold band on top of her head. A wintery chill emanated off her, as though she was perfumed by ice and snow. Her sharp features were as severe as their mother’s, without any of the width or softness that saved Eli and Tara’s face from looking like it might cut. Uma gazed down at Eli coolly.

“You were stupid to leave on your own, my sister.”

Eli finally felt something—anger. She glared up at Uma steadily. “You sent blood-hunters after me.”

The dark peaks of Uma’s eyebrows shot up. She turned to Darshan, standing inside the door behind her. “You said you didn’t give her madu.”

Eli shifted, putting a hand on the wall so she could stand. “I wouldn’t expect you to admit to it,” she said, leaning heavily against the wall, her knees trembling. Her every breath was tinged by the acrid tang of smoke.

Uma turned back towards her, her cheeks tight with indignation. “You are one to make accusations. Do you know what is being said of you?”

“And what will be said of you, dear sister? When it’s learned what you have done?” She wanted to shout, to scream, but her voice wasn’t able to rise above a low growl.

Uma surveyed Eli as she always did—with cold contempt and calculation. She continued to stare at Eli as she spoke to Darshan. “Vamin, get my sister out of here. We leave for the palace at once. We can afford no further delay. The kosha must be opened at once.”

Darshan stepped into the room, a golden specter behind Uma’s icy visage. “She speaks the truth, I think. Rumors are that blood-hunters were sent for her.”

“Rumors?” Uma swiveled around. “From where do these rumors originate?”

Darshan’s dark eyes sparkled as Uma squared off with him. A true vamin—always angling. “You surprise me, Uma. It’s not like you to be uninformed.”