ALIZEH NUDGED THE CARRIAGE CURTAINS open an inch, hoping to glimpse the scenes out the window. She’d been assured it wasn’t a long drive back to the palace, and she’d missed so much in the last month that she was desperate to drink in the sights before they lost the sun. The day was steadily dipping into night, a hazy bloom of color casting the royal city in a surreal light, while a soft, brief rain had given it a liquid glow. Huda, she soon discovered, had not exaggerated.
Everything was covered in roses.
They’d grown nearly everywhere, pink blooms on roofs and doorways gleaming gold in the evening light; massive, blossoming vines reached up the sides of buildings, snaked along sidewalks, circled lampposts and trash bins, beautifying everything.
The more she saw, the more her heart hurt.
Cyrus had left a mark everywhere. Remnants of him lived in eternal bloom in the outside world and inside her veins. At the thought of him she experienced a relentless ache she didn’t understand, and it scared her.
There was a shout, then the sound of muted laughter, and Alizeh peered once more out the window. The streets were so thick with petals that children had stopped to jump in the drifts, tossing handfuls into the air while their parents apologized to those trying to shove past.
Traffic was thick and slow, and Alizeh, whose life had been so recently ripped apart, marveled that the world could spin on as usual. There was something comforting in the sounds of hurried pedestrians; the whinny of horses; the angry shouts of carriage drivers
blaming each other for the jam. She bumped along, watching, with a twinge in her heart, as groups of young people laughed with abandon. Men pulled their hats lower, frowning at the
sky; children giggled and giggled, then screamed; shopkeepers locked their doors, squinted at the street, and set off for home.
Despite recent horrors, Alizeh smiled.
She was feeling hopeful. Finally, after so long, she had a firm plan. Her smile dimmed, however, at the prospect of speaking with Cyrus.
Her complicated feelings for him felt like a horrible failure of her good sense. All she had to do was imagine him touching her to stir up a tempest in her heart. When she recalled the sight of him – his powerful, gleaming body, the ferocious need in his eyes – not only did she struggle for breath, but she was possessed by a mortifying impulse to make an indelicate sound, and had to bite her lip to keep the tortured whimper trapped in her throat. It ached beyond reason to remember the pull between their bodies, the fever of him so close; his
desperate confession and the resulting devastation. She had no idea what would happen when she saw him. He’d once told her that if she married him in name only, she’d make him the most wretched man alive. If that was true, then she was about to destroy him.
She breathed, trying to keep her exhale steady.
As the sky slowly darkened, fireflies lit the world, dotting everything like glittering jewels. The sight had been particularly astonishing as they’d left the temple, where tens of thousands of the glowing insects had winked throughout the crowd like a map of the stars.
“It’s so beautiful here,” she whispered, forcing herself to draw away from the window. She pulled the curtain closed, deciding to break the silence herself. “It even smells lovely.” Kamran only stared at her from where he sat, on the opposite bench inside the carriage.
She’d felt his eyes on her these last many minutes, the energy between them strange and fraught; despite his insistence that they have a moment alone together, he’d said nothing at all. Even then, as she studied him, he did not speak; it was as if he hadn’t even heard her. Still, he made no effort to hide his overt interest. He also seemed unaware that he was tapping his gloves against his thigh, and the buzz of tension in his body put her on alert.
It had been a small production delivering her into the simple, unmarked coach, but the conveyance was meant to be reinforced with layers of defensive magic, including an
enchantment that repelled glances from passersby. Both Kamran and Hazan had assured her they’d been traveling back and forth this way for weeks, with palace guards in plain clothes riding alongside at all times. But perhaps the situation was more precarious than she realized.
“What is it?” she said, sitting back in her seat. “Is something wrong?”
“Yes,” he said quickly, then hesitated. “I mean, no – nothing is wrong. I don’t know why I said that.”
She stared at him a beat. “Are you all right?”
“Forgive me,” he said, and sighed. He finally set down the gloves and stared blankly at a curtained window. “I’ve never done this before, and I’m afraid I’m going to botch it.”
“Botch what?”
He took a shallow breath and said, “I want to marry you.”
The words came out in a nervous rush that was so unlike the assured, polished prince she’d known that Alizeh’s astonishment was doubled. In fact she was so stunned that she said nothing at all for several long, excruciating seconds before she realized she should absolutely say something, and quickly.
“Are you” – she blinked – “are you joking?” He recoiled. “Absolutely not.”
“Forgive me,” she said. “I’m just – I’m afraid I don’t understand.”
He parted his lips to speak, then frowned. “Can you really not understand?” he said. “I wish to marry you. I want to marry you.”
“But – why?”
He froze, his frown deepening. He turned this frown upon the curtained window again as he said, quietly, “I didn’t think I’d need to provide a reason, if I’m being honest.”
She touched a hand to her throat, feeling slightly ill. She could hear a peddler hawking his wares on the street. “Can you try to think of a reason?”
“You’re – Well, you’re everything I’ve ever looked for in a queen,” he said, relaxing a little as the words came to him. “You’re beautiful and intelligent and poised and elegant –”
“Do you love me?”
He lifted his head, then faltered as he said, “I – I admire you deeply – and I’m certain that, in time, we would come to love each other. The truth is, I’ve thought of you almost constantly since we first met. I’ve never felt for anyone what I’ve felt for you, and I’d be honored to spend my life by your side.” He paused, his gaze briefly dropping to her lips. “We’ve already proven we’re well-suited in many ways. I believe it would be an excellent match.”
“I see,” she said, the chill in her bones overwhelmed by the tide of heat moving through her body. “Thank you.”
He hesitated. “Thank you?”
“For the explanation,” she said, distracted. “It helps.”
“Ah.” There was another taut silence before he said, “Might you have an answer for me?” She clasped and unclasped her hands, a feeling of misplaced guilt twisting her heart.
“Yes, I’m –”
The carriage jolted. “Yes?”
“– deeply, deeply flattered,” she said, holding on to the seat to steady herself. “But no, I – That is, I think –”
“Hells,” he said quietly. “You’re refusing me.”
She lifted her head at the hurt in his voice. “It’s not you, Kamran. Truly, it isn’t. Honored as I am by your offer, I cannot be your wife. I must put my people first. I have a responsibility – a role I must fulfill –”
“You would be much more than a prize to me,” he said, leaning forward to take her hands. “You would rule by my side. You could care for your people with the might of Ardunia behind you –”
“But I don’t wish to share a crown. I want my own kingdom,” she said, hating the words she knew she would deliver next. She steeled herself, then took a sharp breath. “I’ve decided to marry Cyrus.”
He astonished her by saying, with an air of confusion, “Yes, I imagined you would. I meant I’d like to marry you after that.”
She withdrew her hands from his grasp, sitting back with a shock. “After that?” “Yes. After you kill him.”
“After… I kill him,” she repeated, the words little more than a whisper. She stared blindly at the carriage floor, the glimmer of her long skirts winking in the dim light. “Of course. You know about his offer.”
“It’s a good offer,” he said. “You should take it.”
She lifted her head so fast she nearly sprained her neck. “You think I should marry Cyrus?”
“Absolutely you should.” Gone was the uncertainty in Kamran’s eyes, replaced by a
hawklike gleam. “Make him perform a blood oath, become queen, take his kingdom, kill him when it’s done, and reign supreme.”
She stared at him in astonishment. “You say it like it would be easy for me to be so ruthless.”
“You have a difficult climb ahead of you,” he said with some nonchalance, his composure returning as his mind shifted into politics. “I’m afraid you must learn to be ruthless. Tulan is one of the richest empires in the world; any sovereign on earth would’ve died for such an opportunity. You’d be mad not to take it.”
Alizeh tilted her head at him, fascinated despite herself. She’d never interacted with this methodical, intellectual side of Kamran, and she realized only then that he might be an excellent resource, for she knew little about geopolitics. She might learn a great deal from him.
“Why would I be mad not to take it?” she asked.
He ticked the answers off on his fingers. “Volcanic soil; fresh water; great stores of magic. There are so many microclimates here that the kingdom is practically self-sustained. They grow nearly all that they require; Tulan imports next to nothing and has little debt.
Smaller military, yes, but robust and well-trained. Historically it was a land constantly under siege, ruthlessly invaded and plundered by external forces, but the Nara line – Cyrus’s family line – was the first to fight back and win. They’ve staved off every foreign invasion in nearly a hundred years, giving them the stability they needed to flourish, build advanced weaponry, and develop modern magical defense systems.
“There’s very little unemployment; the people have high literacy rates; and there’s advanced medical care accessible across the nation. As a whole, the empire is an extraordinary asset not only for its rich land and abundant resources, but because it comes with educated, happy, and productive citizens. There’s a reason Ardunia has tried to claim it for so long. If Cyrus is offering it, you should take it.” He shook his head sharply. “Without a doubt.”
Alizeh’s lips parted, surprise rendering her virtually speechless. “This is it, isn’t it?” She blinked at him. “This is the reason for the truce. The reason you and Cyrus made peace.”
He shifted in his seat, briefly uncomfortable. “Yes.”
“You don’t want me,” she said, a faint smile touching her lips. “You want Tulan.” “I want both.”
Now she laughed. “I appreciate your honesty – really, I do – but you’ve just outlined all the reasons Tulan makes for a remarkable nation. What could possibly motivate me to share these riches with you when I might have them all for myself?”
“In this woven kingdom, clay and fire shall be.”
Alizeh lost her smile. She looked at him then with a pinch in her chest, her body stiff with alarm. “You’ve seen my book,” she whispered.
“I found it in your carpetbag,” he said, “which you’d left behind in Ardunia.” “Yes. I’d left it at Huda’s house.”
Kamran reached into his pocket and procured her handkerchief, which she accepted from his outstretched hand.
“Thank you,” she said, her heart pounding. She rubbed her thumb over the embroidered firefly, remembering her mother, her father, her fate. “I never thought I’d see this again.”
They came to a sudden and nauseating halt, the stop so sudden they flew into each other’s arms. Kamran caught her before their heads collided, holding her closer than they’d been in what seemed like a very long time. She felt the heat of his hands through her sheer bodice,
the brawn of him through his clothes. He was strong and safe and assured, and for a moment she remembered exactly why she’d once kissed him.
“Marry me,” he whispered ardently. “Marry me after we’ve buried him, and we might bring together two of the greatest empires on earth. Together we would be an indomitable force. We can work together to change the fate of Jinn all over the world.”
She swallowed, overwhelmed by the feel of him. It was too much for her mind to sort. “Kamran – I don’t –”
The carriage door was yanked open with a flourish, a palace footman standing before them with a bright smile and an eager welcome. At once Alizeh pulled free of Kamran’s embrace, but not before she saw a familiar copper head in the distance, briefly there – then gone.
