Aisha took in her expression. It was pure distrust.
Tariq looked at his mother with surprise.
The physician arrived in a flurry of dark robes, kneeling swiftly beside the king. A heavy silence fell over the room as he checked for signs of life. Tariq took a few slow steps back, bracing for what was coming.
The physician sank back on his heels and lifted his gaze to the queen. ‘He is gone, Your Majesty. I am so very sorry.’
Aisha’s hand flew up to her mouth. The collective intake of breath from those around her seemed to use up all the air in the room. Somewhere, a goblet hit the floor with a clang. Someone else began crying. Aisha looked over at Tariq and watched as the weight of a kingdom settled on his shoulders.
The wedding feast had ended with servants running to and fro as guests filed out of the hall in stunned silence. Tariq had instructed Kaidon to take Aisha to her chamber to wait for him there, no doubt realising that her remaining there wouldn’t end well. Zara had offered to take Aisha so that Kaidon could remain with Tariq, leading her sister from the room and away from the queen’s accusatory glare.
Aisha was in her chamber now. Yasmin and Omar were playing cards on the bed, and the rest of her siblings were scattered about the room. Lilah sat cross-legged on the rug, staring at the door. Safiya paced, with Mira attached to her ankle, enjoying being dragged back and forth. Zara sat at the table, looking down at her hands.
‘He was fine one moment, then—’ Safiya snapped her fingers. ‘Gone. Heart failure, perhaps.’
‘Or poison,’ Lilah said.
Zara looked over at Aisha. ‘Let’s hope not. We all know who they’ll blame.’
‘Tariq knows you would never do such a thing,’ Lilah said.
Safiya stopped pacing. ‘Tariq knows, yes. That trust doesn’t extend to all of us.’
‘Yes, it does,’ Aisha said.
Safiya tilted her head. ‘Be reasonable. The timing alone?—’
‘Don’t say it.’ Aisha pressed a hand to her temple. ‘Please.’
That quieted them all for a minute—except Mira, who was gnawing on Safiya’s foot.
‘Interesting that Maryam is nowhere to be seen,’ Lilah said. ‘I would have thought she’d be here with her famous tea.’
It was too much for Aisha to think about. ‘I’m sure there are a million things to do under these circumstances,’ she said, despite having had the same thought earlier. Her mind was spinning with possibilities.
Zara turned in her chair to face her sisters. ‘We should all prepare for the possibility of being called before the court to answer questions.’
‘No one’s being called before the court,’ Aisha said, trying to sound confident.
They lapsed into silence again, each lost in her own thoughts, until a knock at the door brought them all to their feet.
‘Who is it?’ Safiya called through the door.
‘Kaidon,’ came the reply.
Safiya opened the door, and Aisha thought he looked twenty years older suddenly. She walked over to him. ‘How is he?’ she asked.
‘About as well as one can be after watching his father die at his wedding.’
She swallowed but didn’t look away.
‘He’s at the king’s bedside. If you would like to pay your respects, now is the time.’ He paused before adding, ‘He’s alone.’
Aisha nodded, then glanced back at her sisters before stepping out into the corridor and closing the door behind her. The two of them walked to the royal wing of the castle.
The palace had never felt so quiet. Or so cold.
They stopped before the large carved door of the king’s bedchamber. The door was slightly ajar. Aisha stepped closer, her fingers grazing the edge of the wood as she peered into the room. A chill broke out across her skin when she recognised the room from her vision.
