‘I killed King Hamza.’
A rush of heat surged through his chest, followed by a cold sensation that left his fingers tingling. His feet shifted as feeling returned.
It couldn’t be true.
No one spoke. Or he didn’t hear them. No one seemed to know quite what to do with that confession—not even his mother.
Tariq couldn’t look away from Aisha. His gaze was locked with hers, searching for some glimmer of truth or flicker of a lie. This had to be an attempt to protect her sister.
She stood tall like a queen. His queen. All the love he carried for her sat uselessly inside him. Heavy. Pointless. He struggled to recognise this version of her, this queen who had just signed her own death sentence in front of witnesses.
In front of Zahvik.
‘Take them both to the tower,’ Farrah instructed. ‘And clear this courtyard.’
‘I acted alone,’ Aisha said, turning to Farrah. ‘My family are innocent.’
That brought Tariq out of his trance.
‘Princess Aisha has confessed to the crime,’ he said, drawing the attention of the entire courtyard. His fingers brushed over the token hidden beneath his tunic. ‘The rest of her family is free to go.’
Farrah’s mouth flattened into a thin line, but she had the good sense not to speak. Perhaps referring to Aisha as a princess instead of a queen had appeased her.
Tariq’s gaze found Aisha’s again, and he could barely believe what he was about to say. He had vowed to love and protect her. They had unified their souls before the gods.
‘Take her to the tower.’ The words clawed at his throat on their way out.
The guards moved in decisively now.
‘I want two men guarding that cell,’ Farrah said. ‘Covenweavers are notorious escapees.’
Tariq blinked slowly as a fresh wave of whispers passed through the crowd. Aisha stood still as a guard approached, tugging her arms behind her back. She surrendered to all of it. There was not the slightest struggle as they led her away. She didn’t fight. Didn’t speak.
Didn’t look back.
Chapter 32
The iron grip on Aisha’s arm tightened as guards escorted her out of the courtyard. The stone beneath her feet felt foreign.
‘You can’t lock her up without a trial!’ Safiya shouted behind her.
Aisha kept her eyes forwards. Safiya had known what was going to happen, and yet still she fought the inevitable.
Footsteps came at a run behind her. ‘Aisha.’ It was Lilah. ‘What have you done?’
She wasn’t talking about the murder, because she knew Aisha would never do such a thing. She was talking about the confession.
‘Go with Safiya,’ Aisha said over her shoulder. ‘Now.’
Zara, Omar, Yasmin, and her father had already left for the port. The plan was that Safiya would follow with Lilah once she was freed.
‘She’s lost her mind,’ Lilah told Safiya.
Safiya grabbed Lilah’s arm and pulled her in the other direction. ‘Let’s go.’
‘We can’t leave her.’
Aisha didn’t hear Safiya’s reply, because she was marched through the tower door before it groaned shut behind her.
