“I heard that jasmine was your favorite flower, princess, so I had this made especially for you, with emeralds, yellow diamonds, and Lyanese pearls.”
Safiyya gave a little gasp, her mouth dropping open as she studied a necklace crafted of jeweled flowers.
“If I may?” Prince Cao stepped up alongside the throne and fastened the necklace around her neck. Safiyya lay a hand to the jewels, her cheeks flushed and her amber eyes bright.
“It’s the most beautiful gift, Prince Cao, and so thoughtful. I love it.”
“The beauty of flowers fade, princess. But this will endure. It goes so well with those famous Astarian eyes, which are quite striking, if I may say so.” He turned to Kassim with a grin. “Yours, too, of course, sultan.”
Kassim and Safiyya both laughed as Prince Cao stepped back, running his hand through his tousled hair once more.
Perhaps we saved the best for last.
Kassim summoned all six princes to stand before us.
“Captain!” The sultan called Elian over, too. I hadn’t noticed him standing at the back of the room all this time, half hidden by the shadows.
He strode over, standing at the end of the line, his huge frame dwarfing the princes. His eyes briefly locked on Safiyya’s before he turned and bowed to his sultan.
“Please, Captain.” Kassim waved a hand. “Have your guards escort each of our esteemed guests to their chambers.”
Safiyya sat stiffly, her eyes not leaving Elian as he led the line of suitors from the throne room. One hand still rested on the jeweled flowers hanging from her neck.
I slid forward in my throne, ready to stand and leave, when I felt a warm hand on my arm.
“And what did you think of our last suitor?” Kassim drawled from beside me. “You weren’t going to leave before giving me your final judgment, were you?”
I looked down at my arm, a little taken aback that Kassim would touch me so casually in front of so many people. The sultan seemed to notice at the same time I did and hastily withdrew his hand.
“It’s my first lesson with Elian. I know you wouldn’t want me to be late to meet the captain.”
After our run-in with the fire-spirits on our journey to Tigrylon, Kassim had reluctantly agreed Elian could teach me to use a scimitar to defend myself. My botched wish had left me with all of the knowledge of sword-fighting, but none of the physical ability. I was determined to put that right.
Kassim’s lips curved into a slight smile. “You can thank me later for agreeing to such an unusual request. But before you go, I want you to tell me what you think of Prince Cao.”
“You want to know what I think of Cao?” I thought for a moment. “I liked him. I thought he was confident. Charming. Very handsome.”
Kassim’s brows lowered. “Very handsome?” he repeated. “And that’s your political assessment?”
“It is.” I flashed him a smile as I slipped down from the throne. “Now if you’ll excuse me. I have to go change before I meet the captain.”
READ PALACE OF WISHES NOW
Thanks for reading
Dear reader,
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading this first instalment in Zadie’s adventures. We’ve loved writing it – writing collaboratively has been a new and really inspiring experience for both of us, and it’s been so much fun figuring out how Zadie’s possibly going to navigate her deal with a djinni, threats from the thieves, and the mystery of the Night Diamond talisman.
In the next book, Palace of Wishes, we return to Kisrabah when a pack of princes descend on the palace, before Zadie and Kassim are swept off to distant shores in search of long-lost treasures…
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If you enjoyed the book, we’d love it if you left us a review on Amazon. These help other people find our books, and keep us writing more in the Desert Nights series!
Kingdom of Spirits
As a thank you, we’d love to invite you to read a free copy of the prequel to the Desert Nights series, Kingdom of Spirits. If you’ve been wondering about the sister Zadie helped to marry for love, this is the book which will answer all of your questions!
Set immediately before Throne of Sand, the prequel tells the story of how Zadie came to take her sister’s place beside Kassim.
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Also by Elm & Helena
THE DESERT NIGHTS SERIES
Kingdom of Spirits (prequel)
Throne of Sand
Palace of Wishes
Princess of Smoke
Queen of Djinn (forthcoming)
ALSO BY ELM VINCE
The Star Cast series
Tapestry of Night (forthcoming)
www.elmvince.com
ALSO BY HELENA ROOKWOOD
The Carnival of Fae series
The Sword and the Star (prequel)
The Prince and the Poisoner
The Thief and the Throne (forthcoming)
The Carnival and the Crown (forthcoming)
The River Witch series
The River Witch
The Iron Court
The Queen’s Court
The Wild Hunt
The Iron City
The King’s Court (forthcoming)
www.helenarookwood.com
About the Authors
Elm and Helena have been friends since before they were old enough to read. They grew up loving the same books, and never quite grew out of it, so it’s not much of a surprise that they’ve both ended up writing YA fantasy – and even less of a surprise that they’re now writing a series together!
They’re both mad about dragons, fairytales, strong female leads, and hate-to-love romances. Recent fantasy books they haven’t been able to stop chatting about have included those by Sarah J. Maas, Naomi Novik, Sabaa Tahir, and Leigh Bardugo.
If you want to find out more, the best thing to do is to send one of them an email.
You can contact Elm at [email protected], or Helena at [email protected]
Throne of Sand (Desert Nights Book 1) Page 23
