Reign of Darkness (The Prince's Assassin #2) - Ariana Nash Page 0,50

because it was pissed, because the person controlling it… lost control.”

“But isn’t it locked up inside the two princes?”

Niko rubbed at his forehead. He needed to think. Too much was unknown. Had Amir taken Vasili and eliminated the Yazdans? But that didn’t seem like Amir’s way. He was too flashy, too obnoxious.

So, what if Amir wasn’t here at all…

What if Vasili had come to Seran—not to find allies, but to kill them? What if the prince was already lost to the flame and Niko had helped it get this far?

“We have to find Vasili.”

“We will—”

“Not tomorrow, Yasir. Not later, we have to find him now.” And stop him.

Yasir poured himself a drink, fingers trembling, the decanter rattling against the glass. “Tell me how to find a man like Vasili in a city of hundreds of thousands of souls?”

Hundreds of thousands of souls.

All fuel for the dark flame.

Oh gods. He could only hope that this was Amir because if it was Vasili, then they were all as good as dead. Amir made mistakes, he was a brash fool, but Vasili… if he’d lost his battle against the flame, it would have the perfect vessel. It would consume everything in its path, including the prince.

Yasir handed Niko a drink. “Whiskey. Dark and hot. Like you.” Yasir grinned, but the attempt at humor quickly died.

Niko stared at the glass.

If the madness had taken Vasili, then Niko had failed. He’d done nothing to stop the flame. He’d helped it. He’d lost Vasili and failed at the one vow he’d given the prince, to kill him if he ever lost control.

Were there clues? Had Vasili said anything to hint at losing control? He’d spoken of the madness, told him it was in his head, said it would consume him like it had the others and he didn’t have long.

But the Caville madness, so obvious in Talos, hadn’t been present in Vasili. Or had Niko just not wanted to see it? What if the flame was learning? Was it clever enough to be subtle, like possessing the palace guards and quietly building itself an army? Was it conscious?

Niko grabbed the glass and downed the drink, then spluttered and choked as the heat burned through his chest.

“Steady there.”

He held the glass out for a second helping. “There must be a way to find him.”

Yasir refilled his glass. “There could be. I mean, I did consume, er… some of his…” He cleared his throat. “Blood.”

Niko looked up. “You said it had no effect.”

“Well, that’s not exactly true.”

“Yasir.”

Yasir waved him off. “There are dreams, and sometimes, I can make shadows move.”

“By the fucking three, why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because you don’t approve and you’re just as terrifying as Vasili.” He swallowed hard. “After we arrived in Seran, I couldn’t let it go. I did some digging into old archives. I found reference to sorcerers, men of magic.”

Exactly as Niko had feared Yasir would. “You didn’t think to mention this?”

“I was just dabbling.” He cleared his throat. “Anyway, armed with my research and while you were out at the docks every night, I, er… I asked Vasili to continue sharing his,”—he circled his hand in the air, averting his gaze—“power.”

Gods, did nobody listen to Niko? “Did Vasili tell you about Julian?”

Yasir’s brows pinched. “A little.”

“Julian was a sorcerer too, further along than you are. Vasili’s blood drove him insane.”

“He was the, er… the soldier you… were close with? Vasili said the elves killed him.”

“Vasili is a fucking liar, Yasir. When will you see that? I killed Julian, right after he dosed me up with spice and tried to let the elves into Loreen. He had access to all the dark powers you’re coveting, and he wielded them effectively. The dark flame ravaged his mind, Yasir.”

“Vasili said the elves made him mad. That he was good once.”

And that was probably true, at least half of the truth, which was where Vasili excelled. “Think about it, Yasir. Vasili was driven from his home by his brother, who has already begun experimenting with blood-possession. He meets you, a lone traveler, an adventurous soul. He’s going to tell you what you want to hear. He’s going to slowly poison you like the snake he is and use you time and time again, because that’s what Vasili does. And don’t assume I’m pissed at him because of our past. He’s told me who and what he is a dozen times. What you’re describing is Vasili all over. He will fuck you up and leave you