“Green grasses. An orchard in blossom. Quince trees. Their boughs are full of white flowers. They look like sea-foam.”

“The blight is over,” said the monk. “Do you see him too?”

Zoya hissed in a breath. “His pain…” She shuddered and withdrew her hand, touching it to her chest as if she felt the thorn in her own heart.

The monk nodded slowly. “You will have to decide what you can and can’t forgive, eld ren.”

Zoya looked at her. “And if I could?”

“Some hearts beat stronger than others,” said the monk, and Zoya seemed to startle at the words. “Only a heart as strong as his could free him from his suffering and give him the release of death.”

They thanked the monks, but there was no offer of hospitality, and Nikolai had no desire to stay in this place any longer. Whatever the Darkling had been, this clearing had become a place of mourning.

Without a word, they made their way beneath the arched entry and through the crack in the rock. Spring would come soon. The world would be made green and new. But for now, all was ice and wind and gray stone, as if the land wore a veil and spoke only words of loss. Nikolai couldn’t feel sorrow for the man the Darkling had become, but he could regret the loss of someone who had begun with so much promise, so much belief in what might be accomplished if only he was clever enough, strong enough, brave enough to risk it all. Who might he have been if the world had been kinder? If Ravka had been better to its people all along?

The past lay shattered and bleak, torn by trenches, thick with mines. But the future was rolling hills and untouched forest, an open sea, a fair-weather sky.

Nikolai followed his queen through the mountains and knew hope would lead them home.

49

ZOYA

THE MORNING OF ZOYA’S CORONATION, Genya sent the servants away and insisted on doing Zoya’s hair herself. Zoya felt strange letting her friend wait on her, but she was grateful for her presence and for her skills.

“You haven’t been sleeping,” Genya said, tailoring away the dark circles beneath Zoya’s eyes.

“Nothing new.”

But that wasn’t entirely true. Her responsibilities weighed heavy on her, but in the weeks since their journey to the mountains, she’d been troubled by new nightmares.

She and Genya took their time over breakfast, looking out at the palace gardens, watching the mist burn away in the morning sun. They’d propped their feet on the windowsill, their plates in their laps.

“I don’t mind the view,” Zoya said, reaching for another blini.

Genya wriggled her toes. “The Little Palace is short on windows. Secrecy over scenery.”

Nikolai had insisted that Zoya take his chambers.