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“Insufferable ass.”
Tariq gri
The hired soldiers standing in the shadows behind Rahim stayed silent, awaiting Tariq’s direction.
If only he knew it himself.
He sighed. This would likely prove to be a fool’s errand. After all, Jahandar al-Khayzuran did not have a history of reliability. Lost in his grief, he’d failed to be a father to his children following the death of their mother. Then he’d failed his king in his post as an advisor and been demoted for it. And he’d failed Shahrzad when he allowed her to risk her life for revenge.
Nevertheless, Tariq had to try.
The rain fell harder. It was begi
Rahim edged away from the nearest trickle. “Do you—”
A flash of light flew across the sky, followed by a boom of thunder.
“One thing’s for certain; this storm is not helping matters,” Rahim said.
Tariq leaned against the wall and closed his eyes.
Rahim cursed at the next crack of thunder. It was loud enough to rattle Tariq’s teeth.
People were begi
“Tariq!” Rahim warned sharply.
Tariq spun his head in the direction of the palace and watched in horror as a bolt of lightning struck one of the marbled turrets. It severed the stone into flaming pieces that crashed to the ground with earthshaking thuds.
The guards at the gates shouted in alarm.
“Merciful God,” Rahim breathed.
Another flash of white light struck nearby, catching a building on fire. The roar of the resounding thunder jolted Tariq to his very bones.
Now rain pummeled from the heavens in a side-sweeping deluge.
The first of the screams commenced when the next bolt of lightning tore through the roof of a home, sending charred matter and bits of burning rubble into the sky.
The home promptly burst into flame.
And the cries of panic grew louder.
Another blistering flash struck the palace, cleaving more marble from its side. Tariq pushed off the wall.
Rahim seized him by the shoulder. “What are you doing?”
“I’m not watching while that palace is razed. Shahrzad is inside.”
Rahim yanked him back. “And your plan is what? To humbly request admittance?”
“No,” Tariq shot back in vicious undertone. “My plan is—”
A bolt of lightning struck the center of the gate, blinding him and driving the air from his chest in the same instant. Wood, iron, and ash mingled in the downpour.
Chaos descended around them as the cries of fleeing, terrorstricken people merged with the storm’s cacophony. Soldiers spilled through the decimated gates into the city, trying to stanch the fear and maintain order.
“Is this Jahandar-effendi’s idea of a diversion?” Rahim shouted in dismay.
Tariq yanked back the hood of his rida’. “That’s impossible. Jahandar is not capable of this. He struggles to make a flower bloom.”
“Then what in God’s name is this?” Rahim cringed as another beam of light slashed across the sky and struck the heart of the city.
Fires were erupting everywhere.
Tariq frowned and bit back his mounting premonitions.
“I don’t know. But I do know I’m not leaving Shahrzad here.” He dragged his hood onto his head and removed the recurve bow from his back.
• • •
Shahrzad woke with a start at the first crack of thunder. Her heart lashed about in her chest as she strode to the wooden screens and peered between the carved slats.
It’s just a storm.
She walked back to her bed and sat on its edge. Then she began toying with the gold ring on her finger.
Just a storm.
A deafening crash and the sound of rending stone shot her to her feet once more.
Something had struck the palace.
When a clattering of footsteps amassed outside her chamber, Shahrzad grabbed the dagger next to her bed and crouched beside the platform.
The doors swung open without preamble.
“Shahrzad?” Jalal’s familiar voice broke through the silence.
She breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m here.” She placed the dagger beside the dried rose on the stool and strode forward. Jalal stood in the center of her room with the Rajput and two other guards flanking him.
“Are you hurt?” Jalal asked, his curly hair mussed and his light brown eyes darting every which way.
“No.” She hesitated. “Why?”
“The palace was struck by lightning. A turret and a portion of the gardens are on fire.”
Her heart thudded in her ears.
Shahrzad balled her hands into fists. “Jalal, do you—”
“It’s just a storm, Shazi.” He walked closer, full of reassurance. “I wouldn’t—”
This time, the very walls of the palace shuddered under the impact. Her bed shifted, and a wooden chest crashed to the floor. The resulting wave of thunder rippled through Shahrzad’s body, making her worry all the more.
She raced down the short hall to her handmaiden’s door and yanked it open.
The chamber was empty.
“Where is Despina?” she demanded as soon as she returned to her chamber.
Jalal shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Stop it!” she said. “Where is she?”
His eyebrows arched smoothly. Too smoothly. “I’m sure she’s fine. Probably just—”
She grabbed his arm and hauled him closer. “Enough of these childish games. Please go find her. I’m worried sick, and I suspect you are as well.”
He tensed, his features tight as his eyes flicked across her face. “Again, I’m sure—”
Another boom of thunder cracked through the air, causing the marble at their feet to quake and the wooden screens to unhinge.
“I order you to leave and go find her.”
“And I would, my lady. But your order defies that of the king. I’d rather not explain to Khalid why—”
“She’s pregnant!”
He stiffened and grasped her by the shoulders. “What did you say?”
I’m sorry, Despina.
“She’s pregnant. Please go find her before something happens.”
Jalal blinked hard before uttering a colorful string of oaths, many of them directed at Shahrzad.
“Be angry with me later,” she insisted. “Just go find her. I’ll stay here.”
With a wild-eyed glare, he proceeded to hurl commands over his shoulder as he strode toward the entrance.
He stopped just before the threshold. “Shazi?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you.” He disappeared down the corridor without waiting for a response.
Shahrzad returned to the foot of her bed, while the Rajput and the two remaining guards stood watch. Again, she fidgeted with the ring on her right hand as the sound and light continued raging outside, making her skin feel hot and cold all at once.
It’s raining. The curse has weakened.
This is just a terrible storm. Nothing more.
At the next earsplitting crack of thunder, the unhinged screens to the terrace flew open, exposing the chamber to the elements. Desperate for something to do, Shahrzad moved to latch them shut, but the Rajput held out his arm to stop her. With a brisk nod, he directed one of the guards toward the terrace.
Before the guard had a chance to shutter the screens, he was struck in the chest by an arrow. He staggered to his knees and fell to the floor.
The Rajput seized Shahrzad by the wrist and hauled her behind him. He withdrew his talwar from its scabbard with the shrill grate of metal on metal.
Two hooded silhouettes materialized from the terrace.
It took Shahrzad only a moment to recognize the one clutching a recurve bow.
“No!” she cried as Tariq nocked another arrow and fired it at the Rajput. Shahrzad yanked her bodyguard back, and the arrow embedded in his shoulder, just above its intended target. The Rajput did not even flinch.
The other soldier unsheathed his scimitar, and Tariq took him down with a single shot. Then he fitted an arrow to the string and raised it beside his ear, continuing his slow stalk forward.