CHAPTER EIGHT
The hidden door led to the gardens. Not the small, private space allotted to the widows, but the vast gardens of the women’s quarters. They were laid out in the typical Ambhan style, with a long avenue of water lined on each side with lush, symmetrical diamonds of green.
Eshara did not lead Arwa near the canal. Instead she guided her to a path at the edge of the gardens, cleverly concealed beneath a canopy of trees. Dappled moonlight broke through the leaves, lighting their way.
“In the future you will walk on your own,” said Eshara. “My priority is to protect the women of the house. Not to guide you in—this.”
Arwa did not know whatthiswas yet. So she remained silent, and did not argue.
“There,” said Eshara, pointing. “You’ll find him waiting.”
Ahead of them stood a small building, barely visible between creeping vines. It was pale, pearly marble, with lattice walls and an arched doorway that opened on darkness. Above the door was an alcove, with a faceless effigy of the Maha and Emperor at its center. Arwa swallowed.
“That,” she said, “is a tomb enclosure.”
“It no longer contains a tomb,” said Eshara, which did not exactly put Arwa at her ease. “But I will leave you now, my lady,” said Eshara, turning to go.
“Wait,” Arwa said sharply. “He isn’t—that is. He is no family to me.”
Eshara continued to stare at her uncomprehending.
“I should not be alone with a man who is not my family,” Arwa said slowly. “It is a matter of my honor.”
“I have other duties, my lady,” said Eshara. “I can’t remain here with you.” The guardswoman hesitated then. Her eyes darted to the enclosure, then back again. “Be careful of the steps. They are not well lit.”
And with that comment, Eshara bowed her head, turned once more, and left.
Arwa stared at the darkness before her. It stared back.
Her honor did not matter—not to the guardswoman, and not to the princess. But she would not be meeting this blessed brother of Jihan’s, in the dark of the night and in utter secrecy, ifsomeone’shonor were not at stake.
There were dangerous secrets here. Work that Arwa was required for—Arwa with her Amrithi blood. Work Gulshera did not want to think of, that Eshara did not want to witness.
Work that could, perhaps, save the Empire.
For the Empire’s sake, Arwa reminded herself. She felt a familiar thrill at that thought, a fire that eased the dark weight of grief and fear pressing on her skull.
She lowered her veil and crossed the threshold.
The stairs were dark, just as Eshara had warned her they would be. But darkness soon gave way to soft light, as Arwa entered a room set low in the earth, with lanterns burning bright on the walls. The lattices, far above her head, let in the moonlight.
Arwa walked farther into the room. Much to her relief there was no sign of a tomb—the outer appearance of the building had only been an illusion, an artifice. Instead of bodies, there were only shelves upon the walls, neatly crammed with books and scrolls. If Arwa had not been able to smell green and soil, she would have believed herself to be in a scholar’s library.
One quiet step farther. At the far end of the room, beneath a lattice and close to one fierce burning lantern, sat the man Arwa had been sent to meet.
He was seated at a low table with a book before him, his head rested on his knuckles as he stared down at the pages. Absorbed as he was, he hadn’t yet seen her.
She savored that moment of power, standing utterly still. Assessing him.
Zahir—bastard and blessed—was thin and fine-boned. In the spill of moonlight and lantern light, gold and silver-milk, she could see the narrow bones of his wrists, revealed by the too-short cuffs of his tunic. The nape of his neck, between the sweep of his turban and the collar of his tunic was a warm ivory, pale from a lack of sunlight. She stared at it, strangely transfixed.
She had not known what to expect from Jihan’s brother. But vulnerability… no, she had not expected that.
“My lord,” she said. His head rose sharply, eyes wide and colorless in the dark. “I was told you were expecting me.”
“Lady Arwa,” he said slowly. He closed his book. “I thought Eshara would introduce you.”
“She said she was busy, my lord.”
