by Joshua Khan
“What happens now?”
“Rules of succession are different here. It doesn’t automatically go to the next oldest, but the most powerful in magic. The old sultan had quite a few sons, six of them sorcerers. There’re five more to pick from.”
“Four. No way does K’leef want that job.” He knew his friend well enough to realize the boy would prefer a quiet life. A library full of books and a table piled high with cakes were the extent of K’leef’s ambition, and as far as ambitions went, Thorn didn’t see much wrong with it.
A soft knock interrupted them. It didn’t sound like Mary, and she couldn’t have returned so soon.
“Come in,” said Lily.
K’leef entered. He looked very different from the proud and happy young man he’d been just that morning. His clothes were the same but now singed and disheveled. The feathers drooped, black and crinkled. His eyes were puffy, but Thorn reckoned he had no tears left. “I tried to save him.”
Lily put her arms around him.
They stood there silently for a while. There was nothing else that needed doing. K’leef did not cry, sob, or shake. He just hugged Lily.
“Drink this.” Thorn gave him his cup. “And tell us what’s going on.”
K’leef sat down, unwrapped his turban, and let the burned cloth trail on the floor. “No one knows if he’s going to make it through the night,” he said, wringing his hands. “We need to decide who will replace him.”
Lily sat with him, took his hands in hers. “Who do you think it will be?”
“Jambiya, unless he’s contested.”
That was very bad news, but it didn’t come as a surprise. The rumors had flown faster than falcons through the corridors, and most carried his name. Thorn was gathering a distinct, horrible image of the man. He burned people for the smallest of crimes. Branded them with flames and filled the sky with smoke. Entire villages went to the fire, and now his name was on everyone’s lips as the next sultan.
Lily looked worried, almost frightened. Maybe she knew even more than he did about the man they called the Lawgiver.
“Isn’t anyone going to try and stop this?” she asked.
“My other brothers are terrified of him, and rightly so. None of them are powerful enough to defeat him.”
“How about what’s-his-face, the one who was wearing the really big feathers?” Thorn asked.
“Wahid? He’s lucky if he can light a candle with his magic.”
“Mary was right. What a mess,” Thorn declared. “So how will it be decided? Spells at dawn?”
K’leef shook his head. “A trial by fire. It prevents the rivals from actually killing each other for the throne. A challenge is set, and the first one to complete it, or survive it, becomes sultan.”
“Sounds stupid.”
“It’s as good a system as any other,” said Lily defensively. “You got any better ideas? How do they do it back in your old village?”
“In Stour? When the head man dies, everyone gathers in the village square and it’s a show of hands.”
Lily blinked in disbelief. “Everyone?”
“If you’ve got a house or a field. You have to have roots in the village. Whoever wants to be headman makes a speech. The loser ends up getting thrown in the village pond. For a laugh.”
K’leef’s look matched Lily’s. “So it’s just a popularity contest? Nothing to do with ability? Or knowledge?”
“Nope. Every now and then we get the village idiot winning, but that’s the way we like it.”
Lily shook her head. “Can’t see that catching on.”
“Whatever the system, it doesn’t matter.” K’leef frowned. “It’ll be Jambiya.”
Thorn stopped dead. “What about the four prisoners? They’re still gonna be freed tomorrow, right?”
K’leef’s despairing look was answer enough.
“But Sa’if said! He promised!” After what had happened today, how could anyone bear even the idea of burning another person, let alone four?
“He promised us, Thorn, and what good’s our word if Sa’if can’t back it up? Jambiya will just laugh in our faces.”
“Then do something, K’leef.”
“I can’t, Thorn!” He stood up. “I’m not like you, don’t you understand? I can’t go around doing whatever I want, not caring about the consequences. I’m just son number four. Fourth sons sit down at the back and mind their own business.” He sank his head into his hands. “Anything else is just trouble.”
“So that’s it?” said Thorn. “They get smoked tomorrow? You gonna cover ’em in some tar first, make ’em burn quicker? Think those girls’ll scream like your brother did?”
“Enough, Thorn!” commanded Lily. “K’leef’s right. He can’t do anything.”
Thorn stood face-to-face with K’leef. “You’re nothing but a coward. And to think I risked my neck, saving you. Why did I bother?”
“That’s enough, Thorn!” Lily shouted.
Thorn glared at her. “I thought you’d understand.” He stepped out into the corridor and shut the door behind him.
He’d reckoned he could count on his friends, but he’d reckoned wrong. They couldn’t do anything to save the four prisoners. They had to follow the rules; they were nobles.
Good thing I ain’t.
SEVEN
“Thorn! Are you out here?” Lily looked up and down the corridor. Where had he gone? “I’m sorry!”
Typical. He’d run off to have one of his sulks. He was probably headed down to the stables to complain to Hades. Maybe she should follow? The two of them shouldn’t argue.
But K’leef was in a bad way, and Lily had to protect him. He wasn’t as tough as Thorn.
She needed to speak to Baron Sable; his wife was close to the Djinns. She should help Mary organize the return journey. But what about K’leef, and Thorn…
It was her job to look after them all, whether they liked it or not.
The palace felt empty and uncharacteristically gloomy. Only a few servants scurried about, doing their business. As she wandered down the hall, she overheard two of them talking as they lit the lamps.
“This dark sky—it’s unnatural, I tell you.”
They spotted her and lowered their voices. They whispered in Djinnic, assuming she didn’t understand it.
“She brought the Curse of the Six Princes.”
“Sa’if invited the witch queen; is it any wonder something went wrong?”
“Can’t you be busy somewhere else?” Lily asked in Djinnic. They ran off.
All the world’s ills seemed to be her fault. When storms came, why didn’t people curse the Feathered Council? When a ship floundered, why didn’t they blame the Coral king?
Lily knew why. She was a woman who dared to practice magic, and that was forbidden. It didn’t matter that she had saved Gehenna with her spells and her people were grateful for it. Outside of her realm, everyone was convinced that disaster would befall those who broke this, the oldest law of the New Kingdoms.
And it wasn’t just that—it was the kind of magic she practiced: necromancy. The sorcery of darkness. Her ability to commune with the dead, to command zombies, frightened people. Would they fuss so much if a girl from House Solar used magic to appear more beautiful? Or a woman in Herne’s Forest made the crops grow taller? She doubted it.
She passed a brazier where incense was burning and gazed at the purple smoke writhing off the rocks. It made her think of Paz, K’leef’s efreet. Why weren’t people as afraid of them as they were of zombies? The undead were harmless and did what they were told.
Now it was zombies, but the Shadows had once commanded creatures far more powerful, the greatest being demons.
Demons were resentful of any mortal who presumed to command them. They could work against you, slyly, wickedly. Still, somehow her ancestors had wrangled four dukes of hell to build the Great Hall in a single night.
What must it be like to have power over such beings?
She shrugged.
That was for the storybooks. There hadn’t been a successful summoning in hundreds of years.
She heard a noise coming from the other side of a door. Was someone crying?
She tapped gently. “Hello?”
K’leef’s sister Sami opened the door, wiping her eyes. “Lily! Please come in.”
She invited Lily to join her in a nest of pillows on the floor. “I’m sorry we haven’t been better hosts,” she said. “No one expected…” Her chin began to tremble, and her eyes welled up.
Lily stroked her hair. “I know how much this hurts, Sami. I had a brother once whom I loved more than anything.”
“Where is he now?”
“He’s with my mother on the Far Shore. One day I’ll see them again.” Then, realizing this was probably not what Sami wanted to hear right now, she added, “Hopefully Sa’if will be all right.”
Sami sniffed and shook her head. “It shouldn’t have happened. Not to him.”
A small ginger cat strolled in from the adjoining chamber and climbed into Sami’s lap. It turned its hazel eyes at Lily, lazily, then nestled in, purring. Sami smiled at it through her tears. “Bonfire misses him.”
“Bonfire? That’s an interesting name.”
Sami glanced around as if making sure they were alone. “Watch.” She tickled his nose.
Bonfire twitched and tried to swat her fingers away. But Sami wouldn’t be dissuaded. “Show Lady Shadow what you can do, Bonny.”
One more tickle and the cat sat up and sneezed.
Flames, no bigger than match lights, emerged from his nostrils.
Sami smiled proudly. “A nomad from the Shardlands sold him to me. The wilderness has a special kind of magic. It…changes things.”
“So I see,” said Lily.
Sami let Bonfire get comfortable again.
Lily brushed one of the cushions aside. They were too soft for her. “Aren’t you worried he’ll set the room alight?”
“No. Why?”
“Fire spreads rapidly, Sami. And look at all this material around you. What if Bonfire sneezed over by those curtains? Gauze burns very quickly.”
Sami laughed. “I’m not worried about that! I’m not afraid of fire. I could easily—”
Just then, Ameera entered from the other chamber. Sami clammed up and looked sheepish as her older sister knelt in front of her. “You must be tired, Sami. I think perhaps Lady Shadow should let you sleep.”
Lily knew when she was being kicked out. She smiled at Sami. “We’ll talk about our brothers another time.”
Ameera showed her to the door. “You shouldn’t bother Sami. She’s upset.”
“Of course. As are you, I’m sure. Sa’if is your brother, too.”
Ameera shot Lily with such a fierce glare, it looked like pure hatred. She pointed stiffly down the corridor. “Your rooms are that way, Lady Shadow.”
Lily backed up a few steps. People dealt with adversity in different ways. Lily had been horrible to her servants in the first weeks after her family had been killed. She’d been unable to handle the rage that had filled her to the brim, and she’d hated the whole world for its unfairness. Ameera was just trying to protect her sister.
And yet…
Lily was sure Sami had wanted to show her something, something even more special than a fire-sneezing cat.
“Wait. Wait, Lady Shadow.” Ameera took her hand. “I’m sorry. It’s been a horrible day. You must understand?”
Lily nodded. “Think nothing of it. I’m going back to my quarters now. Preparations need to be made. It’s a long way home to Gehenna.”
“You’re leaving? Already?” She seemed genuinely shocked.
Lily frowned. “Of course.”
“Without seeing Nahas? Oh, I had such plans, Lily. We were going to be the very best of friends, and it has all gone wrong.”
“I’ll write, I promise.”
“That’s not the same! There are things to see! Please, you’ve journeyed so far—won’t you come with me? Let me show you the city. Please.”
She did have a point. When would Lily ever travel this way again? Probably never. And perhaps a few hours out of the palace might help lift her spirits, even temporarily. “I suppose we could have a quick tour. Perhaps tomorrow? I’m sure you want to wait for news about—”
“No!” said Ameera. “I can’t stand it any longer. Sa’if’s in good hands, and I need a distraction. Let’s go now.”
Sami’s door swung open, and she dashed out. “Yes! Yes! We three will explore the city! It’ll be a great adventure! Lily, I’ll show you where to buy the best Djinnic Delights in the whole of the New Kingdoms! You’ll never eat anything else again!”
Ameera glared at her younger sister. “You were eavesdropping?”
Sami put her small fists on her hips. “Of course. Just like you taught me to.”
Ameera shook her head. “No. This is not for little girls. And it’s late.”
Sami pouted. Then she took on a cunning expression. “If I stay, I’ll run around the whole palace shouting how you and Lily sneaked out. Then we’ll see how much fun you have in Nahas.”
Lily shrugged. “She has us beaten, Ameera.”
Ameera grinned. “All right, Sami. But you must obey my every word, do you hear?” She turned back to Lily and said conspiratorially, “Sami is right that we can sneak out. There are secret ways to exit the palace. Can you imagine?”
Lily’s grin matched Ameera’s own. “Oh, I think I can.”
EIGHT
“We are like your undead!” Ameera laughed. “We only come to life after dark!”
The cool night air brought everyone out, for business and for pleasure. Lily had never seen anything like it, and she couldn’t help but stare at all the wonderful activity. It was almost a madness: the noise, the colors, the smells, and the bustle of bodies through the narrow, winding alleys of the Old Town.
Sneaking out had been easy—was there any castle in the New Kingdoms that wasn’t riddled with secret passages and hidden doors? But when they exited, they’d found Kali, the Djinn executioner, waiting for them. Instead of sending them back inside, she’d merely commented that some fresh air would be good for them all, so she tagged along.
Each time Lily glanced over, Kali was watching her. Intently, with that sort of look that made the spot between her shoulder blades itch.
But what harm could Kali do, really? Lily was a guest of House Djinn, and there were very clear rules against killing visiting nobles.
Still, those rules did tend to get ignored during times of disorder….
Ameera slipped her arm through Lily’s. “What’s wrong?”
“Just thinking of some people back home.” Lily smiled. “Many of them wanted to come along, but there was only so much room on the ships. Tyburn was especially keen.”
“Tyburn? Your executioner?” Ameera’s grip tightened. “But you can’t bring executioners; it’s an act of war.”
“I know.” Lily shrugged. “Tyburn tends to do his own thing, though. He has a habit of turning up most unexpectedly.”
The smile on Kali’s face stiffened, only for a moment.
Tyburn was a thousand miles away, looking after things in Gehenna. But Kali didn’t know that, not for sure. It might keep her in her place, worrying that the Shadow executioner may be lurking nearby.
Ameera tugged her along. “Behold Nahas. Isn’t it beautiful?”
Lily looked, and her worries about the palace up on the hill faded away.
They entered a sea of people. The stallholders yelled for customers, the customers argued over prices, and Lily’s mouth watered at the smell of meals being cooked in vast iron pans. The vibrant colors hurt her eyes. She was so used to somber black that the dazzling array of exotic fruits, bright robes, shining jewels, and golden ornaments blinded and bewildered her. She hung on to Ameera to steady herself.
Ports were always busy places, but here, in this capital, and now, during the night of a coronation, it looked like eve
ryone from the New Kingdoms had turned up. Surprisingly, it didn’t seem as though the tragic ceremony had dampened anyone’s spirits. Lu Fengese in feathered cloaks pushed past scaled sailors of House Coral, and she spotted visitors in tunics made of leaves and carrying staves decorated with living blossoms. One had skin that was half turned to bark, the sign of a druid from Herne’s Forest. There was a nod in greeting as their eyes met, hers of tombstone gray against his of woodland green. Then he disappeared back into the hurly-burly of the market.
“How big is the bazaar?” she asked, trying to keep Ameera in sight among the crowd.
Sami grabbed her hand. “I won’t let you get lost. But it’s big—bigger than the palace. Don’t you have anything like this in Gehenna?”
“The City of Silence is twice the size of Castle Gloom,” Lily answered. At least twice the size—not that anyone had measured it, for its boundaries changed every year.
“Doesn’t it have many people?”
“Many, many thousands. They’re just not quite as lively.”
Sami frowned, then was distracted by a tray of sparkling jewelry. “Look! I want one!”
Ameera sighed. “I’d better get her something, or else she’ll never shut up.”
The vendor, smelling a few shiny dinars, adjusted his turban and put on his brightest smile, which was enhanced by his gold fillings. “Ladies, please, come look! I have nothing among these meager trinkets that could possibly match such rare beauty, but perhaps you’ll feel some charity toward a poor tradesman?”
“Careful, Fahid, we have a guest to impress,” said Ameera. She glanced at the tray and snorted.
The man swept a low bow. “M’lady Ameera! I am honored! Thrice honored that you should bring such fine company! A guest from far-off lands!” He picked up a string of pearls and held them up to Lily. “Mere paste compared to you, lady, but perhaps you have a maid or serving girl who would benefit?”
He knew how to flatter. Her own tradesmen could learn a thing or two from him. “Do you have anything…black?”
“Black?” The trader looked puzzled, then, slowly, something lit within his head. He stepped back, staring at her hard. “Black? By the Six…the witch queen…”