“No.” Elian shook his head. “And at least two patrols would have passed by the treasury. I’ll confirm with them individually.”
“Really, I don’t think there’ll be any need for that.” The vizier fixed me with that same, pained stare. “It sounds like the princess just had a nightmare.”
A nightmare? How could she say that?
“It wasn’t a nightmare,” I protested, holding the key out to Kassim. “Look, try this key. The woman who led the thieves had it. Try it on any lock. You’ll see it works.”
“It’s no surprise, Kassim.” The vizier shook her head sadly. Her serpent choker seemed to move in the light. “The poor girl is in shock after what happened with the bandits. The trauma is obviously making her dream up these imaginary threats.”
Kassim took two steps toward me, as if to take the key from my hand. My heart lifted for a moment. Instead, he curled my fingers back around the metal and pushed my hand to my chest.
“You have a lively imagination, Princess Scheherazade. What a pity it’s been troubling you at night.”
My mouth dropped open. He was going to dismiss this? I’d saved the ring, I’d fixed all their problems, and this was the thanks I got?
I looked from Kassim to Namir to Elian, then to the vizier’s sympathetic face. I’d thought she was my ally in this palace, and now even she seemed to be doubting me. My fist tightened around the key, the metal pressing into my palm.
“Sorry to have troubled you, Sultan Kassim,” I said stiffly, pocketing the key. I would find a use for it, even if they wouldn’t. I turned back to the sultan, who still stood before me, his jeweled robes gleaming and face creased with an emotion I couldn’t pinpoint. “I apologize for disturbing your council so early in the morning.”
I turned swiftly on my heel and marched back out of the room, my cheeks burning as I felt the eyes of the council boring into my back.
As soon as I was out of the room, I made a frustrated growl at the back of my throat. The smooth, mosaic tiles slipped underfoot as I stormed back down the corridor, doors half-open to pretty courtyard gardens. The fountain babbled, birds trilled, and the lingering scent of night-flowering jasmine still hung in the air. Right now, I hated it all.
If they didn’t want to believe me, fine. The thumb of my clenched fist touched the warm metal of the ring, and I slowed my pace. At least I had both a magic key and a djinni who would grant me seven wishes.
Now that I thought about it, my own mystical acquisitions program was probably going considerably better than that insufferable sultan’s, seeing as he still couldn’t source his precious talisman. I turned the corner…and screamed.
A huge tiger stalked toward me on paws as large as dishes, its growl a low, threatening rumble. Its powerful body pressed back, muscles flexing, as if preparing to leap across the floor and rip out my throat.
I flattened myself against the cool, marble wall. Adrenaline coursed through every muscle, and blood crashed in my ears. Could I outrun it? I doubted it. I reached for the ring…
A high, tinkling laugh floated down the open hall. “Oh, Lotus, stop it. You’re scaring Zadie.”
“Sa… Safiyya?” My voice trembled as the young princess practically skipped down the hall behind the tiger, stopping right beside it. It looked up at her, then rubbed its head against her thigh like a cat. A huge, terrifying cat.
“I’m glad you finally got to meet Lotus. He’s a bit protective of me with strangers, but he’s harmless. He’d never hurt anyone.” She leaned down and cupped his maw in her slender hands, speaking to him in a baby voice. “Who’s a harmless kittycat?”
“This is Lotus?” I vaguely remembered her mentioning a pet. I’d assumed it was a kitten or a monkey or something. The tiger’s gleaming fangs didn’t look harmless at all, despite his ill-fitting name.
“Yes!” Safiyya replied brightly. She scratched behind his ears absentmindedly. “We’re going for breakfast. Are you hungry?”
Hungry? My stomach almost dropped right out of me at the sight of Lotus.
“I think I’ll eat later,” I replied, hoping Safiyya couldn’t tell I still shook from head to toe.
“Oh, of course.” Her pretty face crumpled in disappointment, then brightened. “How about joining me for a painting session later?”
I opened my mouth to decline, then closed it again as a thought occurred to me.
I smiled sweetly at Safiyya. “Is it possible to paint outside?” I gestured back the way I’d come from, to the courtyard beside the council chambers. “There were some beautiful flowers in the garden back there. If it’s possible, I’d love to paint in the courtyard.”
Safiyya beamed. “I had no idea you were a keen painter, Zadie! Flowers are my favorite thing to paint, too.”
I clasped my hands together, doing my best to conceal my glee. “In fact, is it possible to start right away? Before breakfast, even.”
Safiyya nodded brightly. “I’ll ask the servants to set up a tent for us in the courtyard.”
She hurried away, the window screens casting intricate shadows across the princess and her tiger as they carried on down the corridor, the animal slinking at her hip. I watched her go, my surprise at our run-in giving way to the new plan forming in my head.
I would have to be smarter and next time come prepared with irrefutable evidence. I’d play the part of the dewy-eyed princess, while working behind the scenes to help Kassim without him ever knowing. Not until I could deliver the Night Diamond talisman, or its whereabouts, to him myself.
And setting up to paint right outside the council chambers I’d just left him in seemed like the perfect place to start.
Chapter Twelve
Above the gleaming palace domes, the sky was a cloudless blue. The sun warmed the neat, symmetrical gardens of the courtyard as doves cooed and insects hummed around us. The sweet scent of pollen floated on a light breeze.
“How’re you doing, Zadie?” Princess Safiyya set down her paintbrush.
“Hmm?” I looked up at the sound of her voice. “Oh… Fine.”
The tent was shaded, its four sides open to the courtyard. Despite being surrounded by hundreds of flowers in the garden outside the council chambers, Safiyya and I were painting a vase of carefully arranged pink and yellow blooms set on a marble plinth.
I looked down at my parchment. In truth, I had no interest, not to mention talent, in art, and spirits, did it show.
Yet I smiled to myself as voices drifted from the open shutters at the windows of the palace behind me, paint dripping from my brush.
“…trouble is, there’s no official paperwork, nothing to say when it was last seen or who last owned it.” Namir’s voice floated into the courtyard.
“Which is exactly why I’m looking outside the official paperwork,” the vizier said emphatically. “As I’ve been telling you all for some time now, that’s our best hope of finding the talisman.”
There was a silence before Namir spoke again. “You know my sources, Hepzibah. I’ve been keeping an eye on the black market as well as the legal traders. But this has to be handled sensitively. If it becomes common knowledge that the palace is after this particular talisman...”
I swirled my paintbrush in a rich, cerulean blue and absentmindedly swiped it across the top of the parchment, focusing on their conversation.
“How important is this talisman to your plans anyway?” Elian, Kassim’s captain of the guard, sounded about as excited to be in their meeting as I did to be painting. “It’s just a necklace. We ought to focus on our armies right now, not chase children’s stories–”
“The Night Diamond talisman is vital.” The vizier’s voice sounded hard and smooth as marble. “We cannot hope to defend our borders without the power it will give us.”
I frowned. Did that mean the talisman was a weapon? Worse – that Astaran’s borders weren’t secure? My brush tinkled against the edges of the glass as I swirled it around, turning the turpentine a murky brown color and filling my nostr
ils with a pungent smell. Whatever it was, I was determined to find the Night Diamond talisman before Kassim, to prove to him that I didn’t just have a lively imagination, as he’d put it earlier.
Could the talisman contain a spirit, like the djinni in my ring?
“That’s nice.”
I jumped at Safiyya’s voice right by my shoulder. I’d been so engrossed in the council’s conversation, I hadn’t noticed her stand and walk over.
“You don’t need to be polite. I know it’s awful.” I dropped the paintbrush with a clatter and scratched my cheek with the back of my hand.
“No, no! It’s just very…” Safiyya tucked her long, black hair behind her ears as she appraised my painting with a barely concealed wince. “Very vivid.”
Kassim had started talking again, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying over Safiyya’s comments. Reluctantly, I tuned out the council’s conversation and turned back to Safiyya.
“And you’re very tactful.”
I leaned over to gaze at her paper. It looked exactly like the vase of flowers, the delicate colors capturing the morning light perfectly. It reminded me of the paintings Lalana used to do at home – neat and pretty, with everything in proportion.
“Oh, come on, Safiyya! It doesn’t even look like we’re painting the same thing.”
Safiyya looked between the two paintings and giggled. “Well, at least you’re practicing.”
A throat cleared behind us, and we turned. The vizier stood in the doorway of the palace, her long, silk robes flowing to the floor. She turned to Safiyya with a tight smile.
“Princess, did you realize the council is still in session? We can hear everything you’re saying, and it reeks of turpentine.”
“Oh, sorry!” Safiyya cried, then cringed and lowered her voice to a whisper. “I mean… Sorry, Hepzibah. We’ll be quiet.”
The vizier nodded, her lips pressed together.
She strode back inside the palace. A moment later, the shutters on the windows banged shut.
“Let’s go paint somewhere else.” Safiyya looked stricken. “We could draw Lotus. He’s very good at sitting still.”
“I don’t know…” If I couldn’t manage a simple vase of flowers, I doubted I’d be any better at painting Safiyya’s pet tiger. Besides, the whole point of painting anything at all had been to set up next to the council rooms.
I twisted around in my seat to glare at the closed shutters. Spirits, I can’t hear anything now. When I became sultanah, I would find a way to be invited to all the council meetings.
I looked down at the ring on my finger. Maybe there was another way to find out about the talisman…
“Zadie!” Mehri’s breathless voice called out as she rushed into the courtyard, ducking into the shade of our tent. My other handmaid, Jevera, followed her. Their faces gleamed with perspiration.
Safiyya shushed her and emphatically pointed to the council chambers.
“Sorry.” Mehri instantly lowered her voice, bobbing into a harried curtsey. “Zadie, we went to the market to look for blue damask roses like you asked, but we couldn’t find them anywhere.” She wrung her shawl between her hands. “I’m so sorry. We asked at twenty different stalls, then we went to one of the growers. He said he’d never heard of a blue damask rose.”
“It’s almost as if they don’t exist,” Jevera added drily, crossing her arms.
“I’m sorry. I know you wanted them for your painting.” Mehri glanced down at my parchment, quickly masking her grimace with a smile as she looked back up at me.
“That’s okay,” I replied with a sigh.
They’d been gone just under an hour. They’d been horrified that I’d gone to see the sultan before they’d even dressed me this morning, and had spent forever fussing over my make-up when they realized, even when I’d told them I was only going to be painting in the gardens. So I’d sent them off hoping it would keep them out of my hair for a while. I was going to have to start making my requests more complicated.
“Perhaps you could find me some Khirideshi star jasmine instead.”
Mehri and Jevera exchanged a glance.
“If it’s not too much trouble,” I added with a smile.
“But that’s out of season, princess.” Jevera replied sharply.
“Well, see if you can find some that isn’t.”
“Of course, princess. We’ll try.” Mehri nudged Jevera in the ribs. “Can we get you anything before we go? Another drink? We could freshen your hair… maybe wash your face?”
Recalling how long they’d fussed over me this morning, I declined. Mehri curtseyed low while Jevera gave a half-hearted bob, before they disappeared back the way they came.
I blew out a breath. That should give me at least a few handmaid-free hours.
Honestly, I had no idea how Safiyya put up with it. Never having any time alone was exhausting.
The door behind us swung open again and the sultan stepped out into the courtyard, followed by Elian, Namir, and Hepzibah. His dark brows lowered and his amber eyes squinted as they adjusted to the bright light.
“Kassim!” Safiyya beckoned her brother toward her painting. I stiffened in my chair, smoothing down my lilac skirts.
The sultan left the rest of his council standing by the doorway to move behind his sister, hands clasped behind his back as he admired her painting. “You never cease to amaze me with your artistic talents, Safiyya.” Pride tinged his voice.
Safiyya flushed at her brother’s praise. “Thanks,” she gushed. “It was actually Zadie’s idea to paint flowers this morning.” She smiled at me encouragingly. “Wasn’t it, Zadie?”
“It was,” I said reluctantly.
“How wonderful.” Kassim’s eyes flicked to me, and I silently willed him not to walk over.
It didn’t work.
He closed the space between us in two strides, pursing his lips as he frowned down at my painting. “How…expressive.” He paused. “I’d been told your sister, Lalana, was quite the artist. I see you’re less interested in the creative arts…”
“Kassim!” Safiyya looked outraged on my behalf.
Heat rose to my cheeks, even as I brushed off the jibe. “It’s fine, Safiyya,” I reassured her. I twisted to look up at the sultan properly. “It’s true. Lalana was the artist, not me. But perhaps you would like to go for a ride with me later today, sultan? That is something I know how to do quite well.” I forced my words to sound polite. If I could spend some time alone with him, perhaps I could warm him to my way of thinking. Maybe even persuade him to open up about why the Night Diamond talisman was so important…
The sultan crossed his arms. “No.”
The vizier materialized by the sultan’s side like a noonday shadow. She didn’t have one dark hair out of place. “Kassim, we have several important visitors to prepare for this afternoon.”
I kept my gaze on the sultan. “Well, perhaps while you’re otherwise engaged, I could ride to the bazaar today? I’d like to see some of the city. Perhaps go shopping in the market.” And send my letter to Ambar. I’d almost forgotten about the letter after all the excitement with the thieves and the ring last night.
He shook his head. “No. It’s too dangerous for you to ride out unaccompanied. Send your handmaids to buy whatever you need.”
I gritted my teeth. “What if the guards–”
“Princess Zadie, anyone would think you were stuck here!” The vizier cut me off with a light laugh. “If you need to travel beyond the palace walls, we will of course happily arrange a palanquin and a full cadre of guards to escort you.”
Ugh. Just the mention of a spirits-cursed palanquin made me queasy.
“Quite,” Kassim drawled. “Come, Hepzibah. Let’s leave the princess to finish her…masterpiece.” He strode away.
Resentment rippled through me. I didn’t give two hoots about my painting, and I was fast growing used to being denied my usual freedoms, but to be spoken to so disdainfully in front of Safiyya, Namir, Elian, an
d the vizier… I bit my tongue.
I just needed to wait this out until we were married and I was officially sultanah. Then I’ll have the authority to start making some changes around here.
The vizier turned to Safiyya’s handmaids, who had all dropped into curtseys the moment Kassim stepped into the courtyard. “And I expect you to look after Princess Zadie better in future. Why hasn’t one of you sorted out her face?”
What? I raised my hands, my eyes widening. They were streaked with blue.
All four of Safiyya’s handmaids launched at me with their handkerchiefs raised.
I stood, protesting, then declared I would visit the bathing pools…alone.
Chapter Thirteen
Arms crossed, I walked through the gardens. The sun beat down on my uncovered head, and I unpinned my hair as I walked. It dropped down to the middle of my back, its thickness covering the nape of my neck.
Safiyya had seemed upset at how our painting session had ended. She’d insisted she accompany me to the bathing pools. In the end, I had to feign heatstroke to get away from her and her gaggle of handmaids. I hadn’t returned to my chambers to lay down, though. No, that would be the first place Mehri and Jevera would look for me when they returned.
Instead, I found myself wandering toward the stables. My handmaids would never think to look for me there. I doubted they even knew where they were.
I needed somewhere quiet to speak with Tarak, to find out how these wishes worked and whether I could trust him. After he’d tricked me into a deal on our last encounter, I was hesitant to call on him at all. But it seemed like Kassim wasn’t exactly enthusiastic about the idea of involving me with anything outside the traditional duties of a sultanah and perhaps the djinni could help me persuade him otherwise.
The stables were bustling, several soldiers and stablehands busy with their chores. I was pleased to discover the Khirideshi stallions were kept in a separate, quiet corner at the very edge of the barracks. There was just one guard, with a neat, clipped beard and kind eyes, at the door. He nodded when I expressed my desire to groom one of the horses and let me in without a word.
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