Palace of Wishes (2020 Reissue)

by Helena Rookwood

  “We need to get out of Urabad today, Hepzibah.” I strained my ears to catch Namir’s lowered voice. “No matter the weather. Even if we can only go a little way along the coastline…”

  “No one saw us,” came the vizier’s insistent tone. “No one was expecting us to leave. It’s safer to stay in port if we have to.”

  “But safer still to ensure no one knows we’re here. Besides… Urabad is no place for the princess to linger for long.”

  My skin prickled as I felt their gaze on my back, and a slight frown creased my forehead. The Hiduan Royals had rejected our request for an official visit, so everything about our travels there had to be secret. I knew it was important to leave Astaran unnoticed…but was chartering a boat from such a questionable port really a good idea?

  The port town of Urabad was farther along the River Kisr than Kisrabah, where the river yawned widely and opened up to the sea. We had traveled overnight to get here, the darkness providing cover from the eyes Namir was convinced were watching us.

  I glanced back at the line of shops along the shoreline, tiles peeling from their sides, windows smeared with salt, bodies sticky with dirt and drink collapsed against the walls. Wild music and raucous laughter broke on the sea wind in spite of the early hour, spilling out of taverns.

  “Zadie!”

  I snapped my head around.

  Kassim had stopped walking. He stared at me with his arms crossed and shook his head. “I don’t know what’s going on in that head of yours. Were you listening to a word I was saying?”

  Ah. I smiled sweetly. “Just admiring the scenery.”

  Kassim glanced at the building next to us, his jaw tightening as he realized we were outside a pleasure house.

  “The sultan was just saying we’ve reached the ship,” Namir interjected quickly.

  The frown returned to my face. Here? I looked incredulously between the pleasure house and a large, black ship moored a little way out to sea. Red flags rippled at the top of the masts. I supposed that made sense if it was called The Scarlet Dancer, but it looked nothing like the kind of fine vessel I’d seen docked in the Magic Quarter. I squinted against the glare of bright cloud overhead, my mouth downturning as I took in the ragged sails and strange black body of the vessel.

  The way Kassim had spoken, I thought we were traveling aboard a merchant ship…

  “We’re rowing out,” Namir added when I didn’t reply.

  I looked down at the roiling waves, less enthusiastic about them now I was going to have to get so much closer. “Row?” I repeated stupidly.

  The vizier clicked her tongue. “Really, Scheherazade. If you’d let us know that rowing out would bother you so much, you could have gone ahead with the guards who’ll be accompanying us.”

  Spirits, we hadn’t even boarded the boat and Hepzibah was already setting my teeth on edge. I was almost certain she was the sorceress Mustafa had told me about. And if she had been the master of the djinni Chimaeus and tried to spoil the prince’s visit, then she really mustn’t want me on this voyage. It seemed unlikely she was working against Astaran, so the only motivation I could see in sabotaging the tournament was to prevent me accompanying the sultan to find the treasure.

  It made sense. She hadn’t wanted me to join them on their hunt for the talisman in the desert, either.

  I glared at her, planting my hands on my hips. “Did I say I didn’t want to row? I’m looking forward to it, actually.”

  The vizier smirked and swept her hand to one side. “Then please, step aboard.”

  I followed the line of her arm – down to where three tiny rowing boats leapt about on the water like bucking horses.

  I gulped.

  I kept my lips firmly clamped together as a rough hand helped me out of the rowing boat and onto a wooden ladder against the side of the ship. My loose, airy clothing whipped against my skin, the sea-slick wood stinging my sore palms. I gripped the ladder tightly.

  There were ways I liked to travel – on foot or horseback – and ways I loathed – like in palanquins or on camels – but nothing had prepared me for being tossed about in that little boat like dust on a desert wind.

  Taking a steadying breath, I began to climb.

  My stomach rolled and the strength seeped entirely out of my arms and legs. Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to keep putting one hand above the other. I wished I had worn pants and not skirts. But how was I supposed to know I would be clambering up a ladder instead of striding aboard the ship over a gangplank? In any case, I wouldn’t give the vizier the satisfaction of knowing how little I had enjoyed my first experience out at sea.

  Plastering a smile onto my face, I scrambled over the edge of the ship and stumbled forward onto the deck, my legs weak beneath me.

  Kassim was instantly at my side. He gave me an odd look. “Will you stop looking like that?”

  “Like what?” I asked through my rigid smile.

  “Like you’re going to vomit up the enormous quantity of lamb I told you not to eat yesterday.”

  My lips quirked up into a real smile at that, and as I relaxed, the tension eased from my stomach and shoulders. “What kind of sultan taunts a princess with a feast she can’t eat?”

  “Safiyya prepared us a going away feast against my orders. I told you you’d regret it today if you ate too much rich food. And you ate four servings of it.” Although his tone was teasing, there was concern in Kassim’s eyes.

  I sighed loudly. “You also told me not to expect food like it the entire time we’re away. Besides, did you really want me upsetting Safiyya again by refusing to eat?”

  The princess had been devastated to learn the two of us would be away from the palace for at least a few weeks. She had spent most of the feast holding back tears. I had been touched when she cried again as she waved us off, her tears apparently as much for me as for her brother.

  Kassim gave my arm a gentle squeeze as Namir and the vizier appeared in turn over the side of the boat, then straightened up beside me, the regal sultan once more. I followed suit, smoothing down my skirts and running a hand over my sea-soaked hair. Pointlessly, since now it was damp and I didn’t have my handmaids to arrange it for me, I didn’t have a hope of containing my thick curls.

  To my irritation, none of the others looked the slightest bit bothered by the rough crossing. Why don’t any of them feel like their insides have been wrung out? And we haven’t even left the harbor yet…

  “This way, sir.” The sailor who’d brought us here in the rowboats gestured toward the deck along the side of the ship.

  I stiffened at sir, certain that Kassim would protest at not being referred to as sultan, but to my surprise he just smiled blandly and followed after the sailor. I looked to Namir, but he just gestured for me to follow Kassim. I tripped after him, silently noting the splintered wood, grimy surfaces and musty smell. What kind of ship has Kassim chartered, exactly?

  My steps slowed as we were confronted with the line of crew out on deck.

  They didn’t bow or salute, or even duck their heads as Kassim inspected each of them in turn. Several turned to look at me with expressions I didn’t like at all, winking conspiratorially, running dirty hands across their chins, or shooting me wicked grins with teeth that flashed gold.

  I dropped my gaze to the floor, hoping I might attract less notice if I refused to make eye contact, and waited for Kassim to say something. Even if he had wanted stealth, surely he must realize that this gang of reprobates hadn’t a hope of getting us safely to Hidu?

  But to my shock, Kassim nodded approvingly at the lot of them, politely greeting each man and woman as they were introduced by name and role.

  My skin prickled all over, and I tried to shrug off my discomfort. So what if there weren’t the bright smiles and polished boots I’d expected? I didn’t know anything about being at sea, did I?

  “…and this is the ship’s captain. Sultan Kassim, this is Captain Bahar.”

  My head jerked up, my eyes widening wit
h shock at the familiar name. I can’t have heard him right…

  But sure enough, standing before me was a man I recognized.

  The dark eyes. The tattered clothes. The tan, grimy skin. The blood drained from my face as the captain stepped forward. Amulets swung from his neck as he moved, his long, brown braids swaying and tinkling with the bits of bone, coins and trinkets he’d knotted into them.

  “It’s good to meet you at last, captain.” Kassim extended a hand to Bahar and dipped his head politely. “You and your brave men are doing a great service to your kingdom.”

  How had Kassim managed to track down Bahar, the pirate king I had played at cards while dressed as a common dancing girl? Did he realize he’d hired the most dangerous pirate in the twelve kingdoms?

  The sultan stepped back and gestured toward the rest of us. “Allow me to introduce my own party.”

  My horror deepened. I hadn’t just played Bahar at cards – I had cheated at cards, tricked him out of his flying carpet, and fled into the catacombs of Kisrabah with him still howling curses after me.

  “These are some of the finest soldiers Astaran possesses.” Kassim gestured to the group of ten or so men who’d been invited to join us on our journey. “This is Namir, who will oversee my men while we’re with you, and this is my vizier, Hepzibah.” He turned to me and panic splintered down my spine. “And this is Princess Zadie, my betrothed.”

  Bahar’s eyes snagged on me, his brow creasing. My stomach curled as his dark eyes roved over my face, and I hastily dropped my gaze back to the planks beneath my feet.

  “It’s my pleasure to meet you, princess.” The pirate’s rough, accented voice came slowly, and without looking up I knew he was staring at me. The tension in the air was palpable, and my palms began to sweat.

  Kassim cleared his throat and put a hand to my back. “The princess will have her own cabin, as discussed. Next to mine.”

  I risked a look up at Kassim, whose polite expression had turned uncertain as he looked between me and the pirate.

  Bahar dragged his eyes away from me for a brief moment. “Of course. Our finest quarters for your lady.” He glanced back at me again, curiosity still lighting up his eyes, which lingered for just a little too long in places I knew Kassim wouldn’t be pleased about.

  I swallowed hard. I was sure Bahar would remember who I was. Even if he didn’t recognize me immediately without my heavy makeup and dancer’s dress, we were going to be on the same ship for the next week. And then Kassim would find out I’d been keeping secrets… Dizziness swept over me as I ran through everything I had been keeping from my betrothed.

  “And our other passenger?” Namir asked. As always, although he kept his voice soft, he still managed to cut across conversation.

  Bahar’s grin grew wider. “Don’t worry, we found her for you. She was exactly where you said she’d be.”

  The pirate king waved a hand that glittered with rings, and two of his men appeared from the shadows, walking a writhing, furious prisoner between them. She wriggled in their grip, spitting curses like a sailor, tattoos curling over her shaved head.

  “I’ll castrate the lot of you for this!” she snarled.

  My heart hammered all the faster.

  Aliyah.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The thundering in my chest hadn’t relented since we’d stepped aboard the ship. It seemed like too much of a coincidence, Aliyah and Bahar both on board the same ship, the thief queen Namir’s prisoner, and Kassim apparently unaware that he’d hired a pirate king to transport us to Hidu.

  I almost fainted when we entered the captain’s cabin for dinner. Good luck charms adorned every wall, matching the smaller versions Bahar wore pinned to his coat and strung through his hair.

  Worse, scarlet drapes lined with shining silver coins hung from the walls, all too similar to the musical outfit I’d worn when I’d played him at cards. As the ship rolled, the coins jangled together, recalling the bells that had hung from my outfit. Had the thieves intentionally dressed me up like the pirate’s ship, The Scarlet Dancer?

  At least that explained why he was so happy to trade his carpet for me…

  I gritted my teeth. Whether Kassim knew who he’d hired or not, this was bad. How long before Bahar remembers who I am? The ship swayed again, and a carpet that had been rolled up against the wall thudded to the floor.

  I stared resolutely at my food, occasionally lifting a forkful of spiced fish and almonds before allowing it to fall back to the plate. The captain’s sullen crew hovered at my back, thrusting platter after platter of unwanted flatbreads, salted meats, and dried fruit toward my face. I shook my head each time, my lips clamped together as the ship lurched and swayed over the waves.

  Bahar sat directly opposite me, something I was sure he had arranged deliberately, and instead of eating he just stared at me, head resting in one hand, elbow propped on the table. His other hand toyed with a lamp-shaped silver bead threaded into his hair. He ignored all of Kassim’s attempts at conversation, ignored the vizier’s increasing frustration when he grunted in answer to her questions about routes and charts, and ignored his crew’s questions about what food to bring in, his eyes glued on me.

  He moved only occasionally to reach for the goblet of wine before him, which he drained and slammed back on the table to be refilled, before reaching back for the lamp-shaped bead in his hair.

  To my left, I was sure Namir took note of everything. I gnawed at my lip. The spymaster’s observational skills were unsurpassed. As well as noting Bahar’s blatant interest in me – which wasn’t exactly going unnoticed by the rest of the table, either – he would certainly be aware of my unusual silence and refusal to meet the captain’s eyes.

  I knew Namir would find the time to question me later. But I had questions for him, too.

  Why did he capture Aliyah? Does he know Bahar and Aliyah have a history?

  I dispiritedly prodded at the plate of fish and nuts again.

  “Are you a friend of Lady Yasmine?” Bahar suddenly barked, making all of us jump. “She has a palace in Nimris, in the north of Astaran.”

  I unwillingly looked up, knowing that the question was addressed to me.

  “Of course she isn’t,” Kassim snapped from my right. “The princess has never been to the north of Astaran.” He clutched his cutlery so tightly his knuckles turned white.

  I forced a small smile onto my face and shook my head.

  “Have you been to Urabad on another occasion, then?” Bahar asked, wrapping one dreadlock around his forefinger. “Or perhaps you have friends in the Magic Quarter in Kisrabah?”

  “Captain,” the vizier interrupted with a strained laugh, “your interest in the princess is well-intended, I’m sure. But believe me when I say the girl led a very sheltered life in Khiridesh before Kassim brought her to Astaran. She spent her time reading books quite unsuitable for a princess, or out riding horses without a saddle. The sultan said it was like collecting a barbarian from Satra.”

  I glared at her, recalling how Kassim had sneered in just the same way when he’d first collected me and I’d ridden to join him at the head of the convoy.

  “Hepzibah.”

  I looked at Kassim, surprised at the irritation in his voice. His cheeks were tinged red, his eyes narrowed. He didn’t look at the vizier, but a muscle flickered along his jaw.

  “You will not speak about Princess Zadie in that way. Your future sultanah’s unsuitable interests have helped our kingdom time and time again already.”

  There was a stunned silence around the table, and all eyes swiveled to look at me as my jaw dropped. Kassim hadn’t exactly demanded an apology, but I couldn’t recall the sultan ever having stood up for me in front of the vizier. Warmth flooded through me as the words future sultanah hung between us.

  “Hmm.” The pirate captain still twirled one dreadlock around his finger, apparently oblivious to the shift in power that had just taken place within the room. “A rider, you say? What about the L
yani races? Might I have seen you there?”

  A low growl rumbled from Kassim as the pirate’s interest in me didn’t waver. Bahar was either oblivious of or disinterested in the tension mounting within the royal party.

  I gave another weak smile. “I’m certain we’ve never met, Captain. At the races or anywhere else.” Twisting around in my seat to face Namir, I forced the corners of my lips up, desperate to diffuse the tension around the table. “Tell me about the prisoner you’ve brought with us.” It’s not like this conversation can get any more awkward. “What could we possibly want with a prisoner?”

  Namir’s eyes narrowed. His gaze flicked briefly back to Bahar, still staring at me in rapt fascination, then returned to me. “Our prisoner goes by many names,” he said lightly, “but one of them is the silent thief. And we find ourselves in need of a thief who can remain utterly silent.”

  Bahar snorted. “Good luck trying to keep that wildcat quiet.”

  I tried to school my face into neutrality, my eyes fixed on Namir. “Why do we need a silent thief?”

  Namir exchanged a look with Kassim. “Perhaps this conversation is best saved for another time, princess. But you don’t need to worry about our prisoner.” His lips twitched up. “She won’t be able to hurt you. She’s locked in the brig and won’t be setting a foot back on deck until we arrive at the Islands of Hidu.”

  I lowered my fork to the table, unable to meet Namir’s eyes. He knew Aliyah wouldn’t hurt me…it was her I was worried about. “Will she – will she be looked after?”

  “Yeah, she’ll be looked after all right,” one of the pirates snickered, earning a ripple of laughter from the rest of the crew, still standing ominously around the edge of the room.

  My stomach turned. Even if the pirate king and the thief queen weren’t on the best of terms at the moment, Bahar wouldn’t allow his crew to harm her, surely?

  “Enough,” Kassim snapped. “The princess doesn’t appreciate your jokes. No one is to lay a finger on the thief. We need her unharmed when we reach Hidu.”