He dropped my hand. “I need some time, Zadie. Don’t summon me again.” A rush of smoke filled the air between us, and when I fanned it away, the djinni was gone.
I stared at the spot where he’d stood.
I’d never seen Tarak so upset, so worried. A shiver ran down my spine. If he really had done everything the story said he had, maybe I didn’t know him as well as I thought…
I glanced down at my palm, my fingers splayed. It still tingled, but there was nothing, no hint of lilac to suggest we’d ever been bound by our deal.
And what did I know what you’re like mean? I wouldn’t help Kassim unleash a cave of vengeful spirits on the twelve kingdoms. Or on Tarak.
Besides, the story suggested the only way to open the door was a blood sacrifice from the Astarian line. I wasn’t exactly going to let Kassim hurt himself, either.
Earlier, Hepzibah had asked Kassim to touch the rocks. It made sense now. She knew he was the key to opening the door, but she didn’t know how.
She didn’t know about the blood.
Chapter Twenty-Three
A dozen white yurts and several glowing fires greeted me as I walked toward the campsite. My head still spun. If Tarak was right, if the cave really did contain vengeful spirits, Kassim had no idea what he was letting himself in for.
I had to warn him.
I scanned the tents, making a beeline for the largest one, which I assumed was Kassim’s. Someone grabbed my arm.
“Zadie.” Namir spun me to face him. “Where are you going?”
“To see Kassim.” I pulled out of his grip. “I need to talk to him.”
“Not tonight you don’t.” Namir’s face looked grim as he planted himself between me and the entrance to Kassim’s tent. He frowned when he saw the expression on my face. “What’s wrong?”
My mouth set. “I have to talk to Kassim.”
The spymaster shook his head. “Whatever you have to say to him will have to wait until the morning. Your tent is over there.” He pointed to the far end of camp, at the white bell-tent farthest from Kassim’s.
Irritation replaced my worry. “Why is my tent so far away?”
“Because the sultan instructed it.” He didn’t meet my eyes. “It wouldn’t be proper for you to sleep so close to your betrothed before the wedding.”
“That’s camel dung, Namir, and you know it,” I snapped. “Kassim ordered me to take the cabin next to his on board The Scarlet Dancer. Where’s Makani staying tonight? Let me guess…” I waved a finger around the camp, settling on the neighboring tent to Kassim’s. “That one, right?”
The look on Namir’s face told me I was right.
Irritation prickled over me, but this was bigger than Makani. “Look, it doesn’t matter where my tent is–”
“Kassim won’t invite her into his tent, Zadie, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
I ground my teeth. “It’s not. I have something important I need to tell him. It’s about the entrance to the Cave of Wonders.”
“No one’s going in or out of the cave until first light. Whatever your news, it’ll be just as important in the morning, after we’ve all had a good night’s sleep.”
I glared over Namir’s shoulder at Kassim’s tent, a glowing light still flickering inside. It looked like I was going to be chewing over everything I’d learned about Tarak and the cave until the morning.
The spymaster was wrong. No one would be getting a good night’s sleep tonight, especially not me.
It was early, the camp only just stirring to life, the weak dawn light creeping over the highest rocks as I slipped out of my tent, heading for Kassim’s. I slowed down as I crept past Namir’s tent. The last thing I needed was the spymaster barring me from speaking to Kassim again.
“You’re up early.”
I clutched a hand to my chest and spun around at the hissed words. I blew out a breath when I saw Aliyah. Her clothing was rumpled, and she sat in front of a campfire with her elbows braced on her knees, peeling an apple with a small knife.
“So are you.” I wrapped my shawl more tightly around myself.
“I couldn’t sleep.” She shrugged. “You want breakfast? You can have the skin if you like.” Aliyah jiggled the coil of apple skin up and down. “I’m brewing tea, too, but you’ll have to come and get it. I’m a little tied up.” She jangled her manacled foot at me. My gaze followed the chain across the ground and back into Namir’s tent.
“You slept in Namir’s tent?” My voice was hushed with disbelief.
Aliyah looked thunderous. “Apparently I’m still not to be trusted. So no privacy.”
“He trusts you, Ali–”
“He doesn’t.”
“If he didn’t trust you, why would he let you sleep next to him?” I eyed the knife, apple juice beading along the blade. “Surely he’d be worried you’d roll over in the night and…” I ran a finger across my throat.
Aliyah’s hand stilled. “You think I’d willingly sleep next to the man who killed Idris?” The thief’s almond eyes flashed dangerously. “I slept on the ground, as far from him as possible.” She let the peel drop.
I didn’t know the whole story between Namir and Aliyah, but I did know he had killed the King of Thieves, the man Aliyah had considered a father. Sometimes I forgot that beneath the bickering and the similarities in their skillsets, they were sworn enemies. I guessed Aliyah didn’t forget so easily.
The thief queen bit into the apple. “Where are you going at this hour anyway?” she asked with her mouth full.
“To see Kassim.” The corners of my mouth downturned. “I needed to see him last night, but Namir wouldn’t let me near his tent. Apparently it wouldn’t be proper.”
“That’s rich,” Aliyah scoffed. “Because I saw Princess Sparrow head in there a while ago.”
I inhaled sharply through my nose. “Makani?” I’d been concerned I might barge in on the sultan while he was still in bed or dressing, but this was much worse. “I have to–”
“Go. Do what you need to.” Aliyah gestured to the sultan’s tent with her knife. “I can get Lisha to kill her, y’know,” she called after me. “She’ll make it look like an accident.”
Aliyah’s words had barely faded from hearing when I burst into Kassim’s tent.
The sultan sat at the table, eating breakfast with Princess Makani. She wore the same smart outfit as she did for riding, not one glossy hair out of place as she took a sip from the steaming cup in her hands.
I stopped in the doorway, brushing my own wild hair out of my face as the flaps swung closed behind me. Aliyah might have been joking about Lisha, but right now, I considered taking her up on the offer.
“Zadie.” The sultan’s eyebrows jumped up. “What’re you doing here?”
I bit down my initial reaction. What was I doing here? What was she doing here? And why had I been barred from coming to his tent last night when it was apparently perfectly fine for Makani to be here this morning?
I turned to the princess with a forced smile. “Makani, will you leave us? I need to speak with my betrothed.” I tried, unsuccessfully, to keep the anger from my voice.
“I’m sure whatever you have to say, Princess Mak can–”
“No, she can’t,” I replied more forcefully. I addressed Makani directly. “I need to speak to Kassim alone.”
“Oh… Of course.” Makani raised an eyebrow, but set down her tea and sauntered past me out of the tent. I bit down on my lip. I had important news to tell Kassim. That was why I was here. Not to argue. I just needed to stay calm and composed.
“What was that?” Kassim glowered at me the second she was gone. “Zadie, that was rude. Mak is an important ally.”
“And do all important allies breakfast with the sultan in private?” I flared, all attempt at composure gone. “Because when I tried to speak with you last night, Namir made it pretty clear your tent was a no-princess zone.”
Kassim massaged his temples. “Zadie, calm down.”
> “I am calm!” I shouted back. “I am the picture of serenity, considering my betrothed hasn’t spoken two words to me since yesterday, then when I finally gain access to his tent, I find him entertaining another princess. One he was almost betrothed to.”
“Keep your voice down,” Kassim hissed, glancing at the flimsy tent walls. “Mak was here because she is our guide. She was helping me figure out how to get into the Cave of Wonders.” He gestured to the books and papers spread over the table.
“Makani’s job was to lead us here, and we’re here. Why would she know how to get inside?”
“Zadie, I have to–”
“You have to what?”
“I have to make an effort with her,” he snapped. “When I chose to marry you after what happened to Lalana, I deeply offended the Sultan of Hidu. It’s probably the reason he refused my request to travel here in the first place.”
I stormed past the table and threw myself backward onto Kassim’s bed. I stared up at the canvas ceiling, rosy with the dawn, unwilling to look at Kassim any longer.
The sultan continued his rant anyway. “I have to build bridges between Astaran and Hidu again. I didn’t ask for Makani to be our guide, you know I had no idea Hepzibah had spoken to her, but that doesn’t change the fact she’s here. It’s easier to repair our political relationship when you’re–”
“Not around?”
“When you’re not openly rude to her face.”
I closed my eyes, sinking into the soft pillows of Kassim’s bed. The sheets and covers smelled like him. Like sandalwood and citrus.
Why was I wasting time arguing about Makani? I’d come here to warn the sultan. I sat up suddenly. “This is a big mistake.”
Kassim’s eyes widened. “What do you mean? What is?”
“This.” I stood. “The cave, this journey, coming to Hidu. It’s not worth it. We should just leave.”
Kassim looked relieved, some of the fire gone from his voice. “I know it’s frustrating to come all this way and not be able to get inside, but Hepzibah will figure it out. She’s been researching the Cave of Wonders since before we even found the Night Diamond talisman.”
“I bet she has,” I muttered. What if the vizier had known what it took to get into the cave all along? What if she was willing to sacrifice Kassim in order to unleash the spirits? “You can’t trust her, Kassim.”
The sultan’s face clouded over. “Are we still talking about Mak, or have we moved on to my vizier now? I can’t keep track of all the people you don’t like.” He lounged back in his chair. “I promise you, Zadie. There’s nothing between me and Mak. There never was–”
“I don’t care about that.”
“Really? Because you did a second ago.” His eyes flashed. “I can’t keep up with your outbursts any longer. So tell me, Zadie, what do you care about?”
“I care about you paying the price to unleash a cave of dangerous spirits!” I snapped. “If you think you can control them because of your heritage, you’re an idiot.”
Kassim froze, his amber eyes narrowing as they locked on mine. “What do you mean paying the price?”
I bit my lip.
Kassim walked over to me and braced both of his hands on my shoulders. His palms were warm, his grip gentle. It was the first time he’d touched me since we’d met Makani. I resisted the urge to wrap my arms around him and bury my face against his chest.
“Zadie.” His voice was low and serious as he looked down at me, his scent washing over me again. “What aren’t you telling me?”
I pressed my lips together and stepped back out of the sultan’s reach. Spirits, now Kassim knows I know how to get into the cave, and he doesn’t seem to care at all about the dangers that will unleash. I should never have lost my temper.
“I don’t know how–”
“You’re lying.”
I cast my eyes skyward, staring up at the sloping canvas. Is the tent getting smaller? I backed away, sinking down into one of the seats at the breakfast table. The farther I was from Kassim, the clearer my head. I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “I have my reasons for not telling you what I know,” I said at last.
“Me in particular? So Hepzibah was right? I’m the key to getting inside?”
I ground my teeth. “What’s inside that cave is dangerous, Kassim. You said we were coming here to find a hoard of magical treasures that would help secure Astaran’s future. But releasing dangerous spirits into our world… That’s a terrible idea.” I clasped my hands together on the table. “You should have told me what the cave really contained. I could have told you spirits can’t be controlled or reasoned with. They have no allegiances. You have no guarantee they will help Astaran if you let them out of that cave.”
Kassim stood opposite me, his amber eyes so intense they were almost glowing. “I’m not even going to ask how you found out about the spirits, Zadie. But whoever gave you this information has misinformed you. Opening the cave won’t free the spirits.”
“What do you mean?”
He pulled out a chair and sat down, bracing his elbows on the table. “When the spirits were trapped in the cave, they were bound to lamps. That’s the treasure. Whoever owns the lamps becomes the master of the spirits within them.”
My pulse quickened. This changes everything.
“My ancestors locked the spirits in the cave in order to keep them from the hands of our enemies. But now we need them to defend ourselves against the very same enemy.” Kassim scrubbed a hand over his chin. “I hadn’t wanted to worry you about the Phoenite threat, Zadie, and I’ve tried to protect you from the truth. I see I should have been more honest with you. About everything. We’re going to be married. We should have no secrets between us.”
Convenient he’d decided there should be no secrets between us just when he wanted to know the information I was keeping from him...
I sighed. “So you’re only going to use the spirits for defense?”
“The truth is, if we’re to stand a chance against the Phoenites, we need the spirits inside that cave.”
Kassim’s golden eyes bored into me, and I returned his stare.
I trusted him. I trusted that he wanted what was best for Astaran and our allies.
And if I’d learned anything from the voyage here, it was that I didn’t always make the right call.
“Okay,” I broke the silence. “If you promise me that’s the truth, I’ll tell you what you need to know to get into the cave.”
Kassim’s shoulders sagged. “I promise. It does have to do with me, doesn’t it?”
The ring heated on my finger, but I ignored it, nodding. “Kassim… How much do you know about the blood that runs in the Astarian royal family?”
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Mak, gather everyone at the door. Namir, unchain Aliyah and bring her to the cave.” Kassim strode through the camp, calling orders.
I hurried after him, my chest tight and the ring still burning on my finger. I knew Tarak was furious I’d told the sultan how to get into the cave. But I didn’t have time to deal with him right now. The spirits would be contained. He’d heard Kassim say as much, so he was safe.
I was more concerned with the current threat to my betrothed.
The vizier appeared by Kassim’s side.
“Hepzibah! There you are. Gather the supplies. It’s my blood we need to open the doors.”
The vizier’s eyes shone with this new information. “A blood sacrifice. Of course.” She disappeared back into her tent in a fluid whirl of her black robes.
Kassim strode back toward the carved rock entrance. The morning skies were clear, the top of the huge slab of rock bright, as we gathered in the cool shadows at the base.
Soon, everyone from the camp had gathered in a semicircle before the door. The vizier practically ran up to the entrance, unsheathing a wicked-looking dagger with a narrow, wavy blade.
“Ready, sultan?” The vizier sounded impatient as she beckoned him over. I tore my gaze
from the dagger to Kassim, imagining blood blossoming across his cream shirt.
“Are you okay?” Aliyah appeared at my side. “What’s happening?”
“I figured out they need Kassim’s blood to unlock the door.”
The thief turned her almond eyes to me. “Really?” Her expression turned thoughtful. “If his blood is the key, then it’s to create a door. I told you all before. There’s nothing there to unlock.”
“Must be magic,” I murmured.
“Magic,” Aliyah repeated, spitting the word like a curse.
Hepzibah raised the dagger above her head, chanting words too quiet for me to hear. I had the unnerving feeling she was speaking in An Nimivah.
Is she casting a spell?
“You’re really going to let that crazy sorceress come at your sultan with a dagger?” Aliyah raised her dark eyebrow. “Just how much blood does this sacrifice require?”
I played with my sleeve nervously. The truth was, I had no idea. How much blood counted as a sacrifice? And how much would the vizier be willing to drain from Kassim to get the door to open? From the eager look on her face, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer.
She beckoned Kassim closer, pulling his arm toward her. Then she raised the dagger high again, so it glinted in the dim, morning light.
Hepzibah plunged the dagger down, and I jumped, gripping Aliyah’s arm tightly.
The tip of the blade pricked Kassim’s finger, and a small, dark bead of blood appeared.
That’s it?
Kassim turned around slowly, holding his bleeding finger level, then pressed it to one of the columns.
Everyone fell silent, waiting.
Kassim stepped back, smearing blood across the rock as he dropped his hand to his side. I glanced at Aliyah, the thief’s lips pressed into a thin line.
From where we stood, I could just about make out the red smudge on the rock’s surface. It suddenly glowed, then disappeared, as if the blood had soaked straight into the rock.
A low, distant rumble sounded from deep within the rockface, then a hiss of dust fell from high above us as the carved columns began to move, grating as they shifted backward, to the side, then even farther back into the rock.
Palace of Wishes (2020 Reissue) Page 20
