imprisoned by her dictator brother, malini spends her days in isolation in the hirana: an ancient temple that was once the source of the powerful, magical deathless waters — but is now little more than a decaying ruin. priya is a maidservant, one among several who make the treacherous journey to the top of the hirana every night to clean malini’s chambers. she is happy to be an anonymous drudge, so long as it keeps anyone from guessing the dangerous secret she hides. but when malini accidentally bears witness to priya’s true nature, their destinies become irrevocably tangled. one is a vengeful princess seeking to depose her brother from his throne. the other is a priestess seeking to find her family. together, they will change the fate of an empire.
“This,” Neil flicked his finger to indicate the two of them, “isn’t worthless.” “There is no ‘this’. This is nothing.” “And I am nothing,” Neil prompted. When Andrew gestured confirmation, Neil said, “And as you’ve always said, you want nothing.” Andrew stared stone-faced back at him.”
you wanna go where your shit’s at. that’s where you go. you know it’s gonna be there, in that place. don’t let it know you’re there. it’ll change on you if you do. you’ve gotta be in and out, lynch. like a motherfucking thief.
