‘I trust him.’
Zara leaned in, lowering her voice. ‘Then you’re a fool. It doesn’t matter how much he loves you. He’s the King of Gruisea. He’ll do what he must for his kingdom. It’s not up to him.’ She drew back. ‘You’ll be executed.’
Aisha swallowed.
Zara turned in a slow circle, hands on her hips as she thought. ‘You have to come with us.’ She stilled and looked at Aisha. ‘If we all leave together?—’
The door opened, and Safiya entered, looking as tired as Aisha felt. She pushed her messy braid over her shoulder, glancing between them and around the room. Frowning, she looked into the adjoining room where her siblings were sleeping. ‘Where’s Lilah?’
‘What do you mean, where’s Lilah?’ Zara said. ‘She was with you and Baba.’
‘Baba’s not well. She went to fetch medicine for him.’ Safiya looked uneasy now. ‘What’s going on?’
Zara squeezed her eyes shut as Aisha’s blood ran cold.
‘Tell me,’ Safiya said, losing patience.
Aisha walked over to Safiya and wrapped her arms around her. ‘I need you to listen to me very carefully.’
Chapter 31
Tariq sat on the edge of the bed, elbows on his knees and head in his hands. The room was silent except for the low crackle of the dying fire. His body felt heavy, as though his bones had absorbed the grief. He pressed his palms to his eyes until stars burst behind them. He longed for silence inside his skull, but all he could hear was his father’s last breath, his mother’s accusations, and Aisha’s heartbreak.
A sound reached him—distant at first. A door. A voice. It took a few seconds for his mind to return to the present and the words to take shape through the fog. When he lifted his head, he realised Kaidon was before him. He blinked hard, forcing his focus to return.
‘What?’ His own voice sounded strange in his ears.
Kaidon’s expression was urgent. ‘They’re holding her in the east courtyard.’
He shook his head, confused. ‘Who?’
‘Lilah,’ Kaidon said. ‘The queen has ordered her detained.’
He shot to his feet as the cloud covering his mind lifted. ‘What?’
‘She said she had enough evidence to order her arrest.’
The fatigue burned away under a surge of adrenaline. He ran out the door, moving fast. Servants flattened themselves against the walls as he passed them.
‘They were preparing to flee,’ Kaidon said, keeping pace.
Tariq glanced at him. ‘Lilah?’
‘The whole family.’
Tariq lengthened his stride. ‘Where’s Aisha?’
‘I don’t know.’
Voices echoed through the stone archways as Tariq turned the final corner and took in the scene before him. Guards stood in a semicircle, holding back a crowd of spectators. At the centre stood Lilah, her wrists in shackles and hair clinging to her face. His mother was nearby, dressed in black mourning garb, contrasting Jamil’s white thobe.
‘Oh, that’s not good,’ Kaidon said, coming to a stop beside him.
Tariq’s eyes narrowed on Safiya, who stood facing the line of guards, a sword pointed in their direction. There were at least five weapons pointed back at her.
He moved towards them, shouting through the noise. ‘What’s happening here?’
Farrah looked in his direction, and her face pinched. ‘The princess was found with enough illicit herbs to kill a man. Or rather, a king.’
