by Aisha Saeed
“A mist of eternal sleep? But security during the festival is so tight! How did something like this happen?” Queen Hippolyta asked incredulously.
As best they could, Diana and Sakina explained the events of the previous night to everyone. The boy who’d followed the Scholars’ ship to the island. The land of Sáz. The demon.
Everyone listened in silence. When the girls finished, Diana’s mother took her daughter’s hand in her own and squeezed it.
“Diana,” she said. “You mean to tell me the two of you slipped off to another land by yourselves?”
“Mira came with us,” Sakina interjected. “We couldn’t have done it without her.”
“We had no choice, Mother,” Diana told her. “Everyone was asleep. Nothing I could do roused you. The only chance to wake you was to go with the boy and get the antidote.”
“And the boy, Diana?” her mother asked. “Did you also not have an opportunity to tell me about him?”
“I did know about the boy.” Diana swallowed. “I could have told you but I wasn’t sure what would happen. He looked so scared and seemed so helpless. I know boys aren’t allowed on our island. I wasn’t sure what to do, and then, well, everyone fell asleep.”
“I wish you’d told me,” her mother said. “Males aren’t allowed here, this much is true. But you need to have faith in us that we would do the right thing. This was a very serious situation; I should have been apprised of it.”
“You’re right, Mother. I’m sorry.”
“I’m glad you helped protect his people,” her mother said. “Still, it’s not news any mother wants to hear. We want to protect our children.”
“But it worked out. We were able to protect ourselves.”
Her mother looked at her for a long moment. She wore an expression Diana did not recognize.
“You absolutely did,” she finally said. Her gaze shifted to Diana’s belt. “And I see you had a lasso for good luck.”
“Oh. Sorry.” She blushed, handing it to the queen. “But there is something else.” Diana hesitated. “Something strange happened on the island.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know how to explain it, except I did things I’ve never done before.”
“I was there.” Sakina leaned in. “You should have seen her, Your Majesty. She scaled a cliff as flat and smooth as a wall. It stretched up hundreds of feet. She fought off armed men. She broke us out of metal cuffs with her bare hands. Metal cuffs! She was amazing.”
“Excuse me. Who figured out what we were up against in the first place?” Diana bumped Sakina’s shoulder.
“Fine.” Sakina nodded. “I guess we were both pretty fantastic.”
“Yes, we were.” Diana smiled.
“Is that true?” Queen Hippolyta asked Diana. “You broke out of metal handcuffs?”
There was a gentle, faint rumbling in the distance. No one else seemed to notice. Diana frowned. Was she so exhausted that she was hearing things?
“I have no idea how it happened, but I did.” Diana nodded. “I was so angry. It seemed like the demon was going to win after all, and I don’t know….Something shifted in me, and I did it. I can’t make any sense of how, just that it happened.”
Her mother hesitated, but before she could speak, the island trembled again—harder this time. Women gasped and steadied themselves on chairs and the wall. Diana gripped the edge of the window. Picture frames and vases trembled.
“Feels like an earthquake,” said Queen Khadijah, her expression pale.
“We don’t get earthquakes here,” Queen Hippolyta said. She quickly turned to the Amazon warriors. “Weapons out. On the grounds, now!”
Wordlessly, everyone rushed to the palace grounds with weapons drawn. The earth had stopped moving. Glancing around, Diana saw nothing amiss; the land looked the same as it ever had.
“Let’s divide and search,” Queen Hippolyta began. “Antiope, you take the—”
“Binti?” Diana squinted into the distance.
The wolf had appeared over a hill.
“Look!” Sakina pointed. “Arya’s with her, too.”
Both animals hurried over the hillside together. Diana drew a sharp intake of breath as they drew near. Each carried a person, limp, across their backs.
No. Diana recoiled. She willed it not to be true—but there was no denying the red masks and gold armor. Cylinda and Yen. They’d left for their shift to guard Doom’s Doorway yesterday. If they were here, that meant the door was unguarded. Diana had no idea what the consequences of leaving the door unattended would be.
Diana and Sakina broke into a run, the other women not far behind. Binti and Arya gingerly let the women down to the ground. Neither of them moved. Diana’s mother bent down and removed Yen’s mask. Her face was cut, her left eye bloody and swollen shut. Cylinda’s face was bruised, too, and her arm was twisted at a strange angle. The women were awake, but just barely.
“It opened,” Yen croaked.
“The door?” Queen Hippolyta stared at Yen.
“A crack. Just a crack.”
The blood drained from Aunt Antiope’s face. “A crack? Are you certain?”
Yen nodded weakly.
“We need to go! Now!” Aunt Antiope cried out. Immediately a team of Amazon warriors raced toward the hillside to Doom’s Doorway. Diana moved to follow them, but her mother rested a hand on her shoulder, gentle yet firm.
Diana watched them shrink into the distance, trepidation filling her heart.
“Did you hear anything before the door opened?” Queen Hippolyta asked. “Conversation?”
“Things are not right,” Yen murmured. And then she fainted.
Queen Hippolyta kneeled and scooped Yen into her arms. Another warrior lifted Cylinda and draped her over her shoulder.
“Back to the palace,” Queen Hippolyta shouted resolutely. “Now!”
Two twin beds were hastily set up in a palace suite. Marcela, a healer, pressed a warm compress against Cylinda’s arm. A medicinal paste was applied along Yen’s face and arms.
“Thank you for your service,” Queen Hippolyta told the woman. “We are lucky we have the best in their fields on a day like today.”
“My pleasure,” Marcela said. “The injuries appear worse than they are. They’ll be well again in no time.”
The earth hadn’t quaked again, but the memory still vibrated through Diana’s body. She looked at Cylinda and Yen. Outside of their usual armor, with plain white blankets draped over them, they looked hardly older than Diana herself. She hoped Marcela was right and that they’d be back to normal in no time.
“There’s no need for all this fuss over a few scrapes and bruises,” Yen said. She moved to sit up and then grimaced. “What’s happening? I can’t open my left eye.”
“Now lay your head back down,” Marcela instructed. “The injuries you sustained aren’t permanent, but they’re still serious. The cream needs time to work. Your eye will heal faster the more you rest and let the medicine do what it needs to do.
“Looks like you broke your arm,” Marcela told Cylinda. “Just a hairline break, though. A few weeks in a sling and it should set, so long as you don’t use it much and get as much rest as possible.”
“They’ll remain in the palace with us,” Queen Hippolyta said. “We’ll make sure they’re well cared for.”
“Thank you,” Cylinda said softly.
“Eat one of these berries three times a day,” Marcela instructed Yen. “And then rub this paste over your eye for the next few weeks. I know it hurts, but this will pass, and soon enough you won’t even remember it happened.”
“Impossible,” Yen murmured. “I won’t forget for as long as I live.”
“What happened?” Diana asked delicately.
“Yes,” Queen Hippolyta
said. “Anything you can tell us would be helpful.”
“Nothing seemed out of the ordinary at first,” Yen said. “Hours passed with not so much as a sound. But then there were noises through the night.”
“What sorts of noises?” the queen asked.
“Conversations—quite heated. We didn’t think much of it at first,” Yen explained. “The Underworld isn’t known for its silence, and Hades isn’t exactly the most even-tempered of gods.”
“But then this morning we heard a loud noise,” Cylinda said. “I thought it was a howl at first. Assumed one of the wolves on the island was playing around. But soon after, the door began to shake.”
“The door? It was shaking?” the queen repeated. “Are you certain?”
“Yes.” Cylinda nodded. “It sounded like something was trying to break it down from the inside.”
“We followed the protocol you taught us,” Yen said. “We blockaded the door. We hammered in the stop-gap nails. Whatever was behind it grew angrier. It pushed and shoved so hard that the ground beneath us began to shake.”
“Not just beneath you,” Diana said. “It shook the entire island.”
“It was intense.” Yen shuddered. “Even with the stop-gap nails and the blockade, whatever it was managed to crack the door open. Not more than a few inches, though. Nothing more.”
“The shaking from the earth dislodged rocks from the hillside,” Cylinda said. “We had an avalanche. We couldn’t get out of the way before we got caught up in it, but it could have been worse. Thank goodness the snow leopard and Binti heard us calling out for help.”
“The door is covered with rocks?” the queen asked.
“Yes,” Cylinda said. “Whatever is trying to get out definitely can’t now.”
“Nothing’s ever tried to get out of there before,” Diana said slowly. “At least, not as long as I’ve been alive.”
Queen Hippolyta nodded. Worry clouded her face.
“We are sorry.” Cylinda looked down at her lap. “We volunteered to help this week. We hate that we let you down.”
“Let us down? Nonsense,” the queen told them. “We’ll triple the guards at the door as a precaution until we can figure out what’s going on, but for now both of you have only one mission: to rest and get better.”
Diana wandered into her bedroom. Sakina lay on her bed, a pillow propped under her head, looking out the window.
“Have you finished talking to your mother?” Diana asked, settling down next to her.
“For now,” Sakina said. “I don’t think we’ll be done discussing what happened for a long time.”
“You’re probably right.”
“My time with you is always memorable, but I’m pretty sure this week will stand out for years to come,” Sakina said. “If you weren’t here to confirm it, I’d have thought I made it all up.”
“Same here. I can’t believe how much happened in just twelve hours. Feels like twelve days have passed.” Diana smiled at her friend. “And, Sakina…thank you. You didn’t have to stand up for me and go there with me.”
“Excuse me.” Sakina raised her eyebrows. “That’s what best friends do, isn’t it? And you have to admit, we make a pretty good team, don’t we?”
“The absolute best,” Diana said. She hugged her friend.
A quick knock on the door interrupted them.
“Diana?” Queen Hippolyta stood in the hallway. “Sorry to interrupt you girls. But if I can have a quick word with you, Diana?”
“See what I mean?” Sakina smiled at Diana.
“Walk with me,” Diana’s mother said. They stepped outside the palace and onto the grounds. The tents were filling with commotion. Women were setting out their wares. The land hummed with joy. The festival was, at long last, officially beginning.
“Sáz. They build chariots for the gods, don’t they?” her mother asked.
“Yes.” Diana nodded.
“It’s strange that a demon would choose to go and cause mayhem on a protected land, of all places.”
“We were trying to figure out the same thing. But he said…” Diana hesitated. This was the part she hadn’t told her mother earlier. She hadn’t wanted to worry her.
“Diana,” her mother said gently. “Whatever it is, even if it’s bad, I need to know. It’s the only way to figure this out.”
“The demon…he said he was there to capture me for someone. A he.”
“He?” A troubled look crossed her mother’s face.
“This whole mission. The boy’s arrival. The demon enchanting the village. It was all about getting me to someone I only heard referred to as he. But I never found out who he is or why he wanted me in the first place.”
“Did the demon say whether or not the he was a god or a person or some other entity?” Queen Hippolyta asked.
“No.” Diana shook her head. “But not a god. I don’t think so. The demon planned to burn the lands to the ground to make sure the gods didn’t learn what he’d done.”
“I see,” her mother said. “And the demon is gone? You’re certain of it?”
“Yes. We watched him disappear. But what if whoever tasked him to get me sends more demons after me? He seems like he won’t go down without a fight.”
“He—whoever he is—won’t get to you here,” her mother said. “The island is safe and protected. But until we can figure out what is going on, we will assign extra monitoring and guard shifts.”
“Good idea,” Diana said.
“But, Diana.” Queen Hippolyta looked down at her daughter. “You were something else, weren’t you?”
“I guess watching all the women over the years seeped into me,” Diana said. “I don’t know how, but I managed to do what was needed.”
“It’s because you are the kind of person who will move mountains for others. You have a hero’s heart, and you’ll do whatever is necessary to push yourself as far as you can to help those who need you most.” She placed a hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “And I think it’s time to talk about your training.”
For a moment, Diana thought she misunderstood what her mother had said. But then she looked up at the queen.
“My training?” Diana repeated.
“Yes.” Queen Hippolyta nodded.
“You think I can do it?” she asked. “I know you might not think I’m a natural, but I’ve picked up so much. More than I even realized.”
“You’ve always been a natural. You possess a greatness that doesn’t come around often. It’s what I planned to discuss with you after the festival concluded. But the thing about greatness is that it comes with a heavy responsibility. I’ve worried you are too young to take on so much. But I’m beginning to see I was wrong. You have a strong sense of justice; it runs deep in your veins. I cannot expect you to stand to the side when injustice arises.”
“You will let me learn to fight?” Diana asked slowly.
“I will see to your training myself,” her mother said. “Your aunt will be pleased. She’s been after me for months.”
“She was right, huh?” Diana grinned.
“I can own my mistakes.” Her mother laughed.
“Thank you so much, Mother.” Diana leapt up and hugged her tightly. “I can’t wait to be a true warrior.”
“You already are, Diana.” Her mother returned the embrace.
They walked back toward the tents. Music sounded through the island as the festival celebrations picked up once more.
Diana searched the crowd until she saw her friend. Sakina stood by a stall of flowing dresses, close to the coliseum.
“It happened, didn’t it?” Sakina said once Diana approached her, noting the look of elation on Diana’s face. “Your mom said you can train?”
“Yep.” Diana laughed. “She said yes.”
“I knew
it!” Sakina gave Diana a high five. “You’re going to be the most amazing warrior the world has ever seen. I am never wrong about my predictions.”
A bell sounded in the distance.
“A class is about to begin!” Sakina’s eyes lit up.
“What kind of class?” Diana asked.
“No idea.” Sakina shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. It’ll be fun because…”
“We’ll be doing it together,” Diana finished.
“Exactly!” Sakina grinned. “Ready?”
“Ready or not, here I come!”
Just a short while ago, Diana had been afraid that life as she knew it was over—her island had been in danger, and she had no one to turn to for help or guidance. But now, after everything they had gone through, life was different. Now it was full of promise—a promise that things would be even better.
Diana hurried with her best friend toward the palace. Five full days of the festival remained, and she couldn’t wait to see everything the week would bring.
Thank you so much to my incredible editorial team: Chelsea Eberly, Sasha Henriques, and Sara E. Sargent. Thank you also to Benjamin Harper at Warner Bros. for your insights and wisdom. Many thanks to Alessia Trunfio for the cover art, and to the designer, Tanya Mauler. A huge thank-you to everyone at Random House, DC, and Warner Bros.—it takes a village to create a book. Thank you also to Taylor Martindale Kean and the Full Circle Literary family. Cylinda Parga, Yen M. Tang, Ayesha Mattu, Tracy Lopez, and Becky Albertalli—thank you for your support and friendship. And last but never least: to my three boys and my husband, thank you for lighting my life with your presence.
Aisha Saeed is the New York Times bestselling author of Amal Unbound. She is a Pakistani American writer, teacher, and attorney who is also the author of Written in the Stars, Aladdin: Far from Agrabah, Yes No Maybe So (coauthored with Becky Albertalli), and Bilal Loves Daal. She has been featured on MTV, HuffPost, NBC, and the BBC, and her writing has appeared in publications including the ALAN Review and the Orlando Sentinel. As a founding member of the nonprofit We Need Diverse Books, she is helping change the conversation about diverse books. Aisha lives in Atlanta with her husband and sons.