Omid straightened to his full height. “I’m from Yent, of Fesht province, miss. I mean, Your Ladyship.” Huda elbowed him and he squeaked. “I mean – Your Majesty.”
The woman’s eyes softened. “My mother was from Fesht,” she said. “I haven’t been back since I was a little girl.”
“Forgive me,” Hazan interjected. “But the king requires swift medical attention. Perhaps we should send for a surgeon, or a Diviner –”
“Are your parents still in Fesht?” Sarra went on. “Or did you move to the royal city with your family?”
Omid shot a nervous look at Hazan before answering the woman’s question. “My parents are dead,” he said, and in a gesture of respect for the deceased, he touched two fingers to his forehead, then to the air. “Inta sana zorgana le pav wi saam.”May their souls be elevated to the highest peace.
“As are mine,” she said softly, mirroring the motion. “Inta ghama spekana le luc nipaam.”May their sorrows be sent to an unknown place.
“I – Thank you, miss.” Omid ducked his head in acknowledgment and, after another nudge from Huda he added: “I mean – Your Highness, ma’am.”
Sarra appraised Omid a moment longer, her expression not unkind, then studied each of them with a shrewdness that sent Kamran’s instincts into high alert. “Welcome, all of you,” she said. “What an unexpected – but delightful – surprise. Please do join me –”
“I’m afraid we must decline,” said Kamran, issuing his first words to the woman. He was now certain beyond a doubt that she was mad; there was no chance he’d be accompanying her anywhere.
“But, sire,” said Omid, “she said there was breakfast –”
“I know the situation is unusual,” said Sarra, her eyes sharp as she turned to Kamran, the smile on her face belying her next words. “But if you don’t accompany me inside, there will be hell to pay. As you may recall, you came here this morning with the intention of murdering my son –”
“It was not as it seemed, Your Majesty,” Deen said nervously. “Most of us meant no harm –”
“– and, having been unsuccessful, you think you might cut your losses and head home. You’ve failed to realize that you stand here now only because of me, because of the amnesty I am willing to provide. You need not understand my motivations, but youshouldunderstand this: your actions have been witnessed by all in the palace. Did you really think no one would note the appearance of five legendary,magical birds in our sky? That no one would observe them alighting upon our land?”
Deen made a strangled sound.
“Very clever of you, I should say,” she added softly. “There’s only one creature alive to whom dragons show such deference, else you never would’ve survived your descent onto the palace grounds. Though how you managed to secure the protection of Simorgh is a mystery I should dearly like to solve.” She narrowed her eyes at Kamran. “I presume it has something to do with the fabled tale of your grandfather.”
“Oh, yes, miss,” said Omid, “it really is an amazing story –”
Five heads swiveled at once in his direction, and Huda quickly clapped a hand over the boy’s mouth. Kamran nearly swore aloud.
“I see,” said Sarra, whose anger appeared to spike in the silence that followed. “You intend to cling to your secrets until the grisly end. How unwise. But then I suspect you have no idea what kind of mayhem befell our home just last night, nor what devastation might befall us all if word spreads that the Ardunian prince stormed our palace in an attempt to kill the king.”
“When she puts it like that,” Huda whispered, her hand falling away from Omid’s face, “itdoessound awful.”
“Hells,” Deen breathed. “I just wanted to meet Simorgh.”
“Hated as he might be in Ardunia,” Sarra pressed on, “the Tulanian king is rather beloved at home. So unless you hope for our empires to go to war – or you wish to be murdered in the street – you will join me,”she said through gritted teeth, “for breakfast.”
Kamran was still contemplating this shocking speech, and still contemplating his response, when Hazan interrupted angrily –
“How can you stand there and monologue while your son lies bleeding on the ground? Your actions are so baffling as to confound the mind! Ma’am, the king isdying. I am asking you to call for help at once – before it is too late.”
To this outburst Sarra showed no reaction, never even glancing at Hazan. Instead, she kept her eyes fixed on the prince, her strange smile now bordering on manic. As he met her gaze, Kamran felt a bolt of dread move through him.
It was true: he had no idea what they’d just walked into. He had no idea what Alizeh had experienced during her time here; he didn’t know who this woman was, what her intentions were, or where the devil Simorgh had gone. Heavens, but he needed her badly now.
More than that, he needed his grandfather. He’d even settle for a kind word from his mother.
With a start, Kamran remembered the envelope in his pocket – the one Hazan had earlier pressed into his hand. It suddenly seemed more important than ever that he make sense of the communication from his mother, and he resolved to find an excuse to be alone at the first opportunity.
“Very well,” he said, discreetly locking eyes with Hazan. It took this single look to confirm what they both understood: there was something deeply the matter with Sarra, and they should tread cautiously where she was concerned.“We’d be honored to join you for breakfast.”
“Wonderful!” she cried, clapping her hands together. Then, turning to Huda: “Some things should be illegal for their offenses against the human eye, darling, and if you’re to enter my home, I’m afraid you’ll have to burn that frock.” She appraised the girl a moment more, her brow wrinkling in distaste. “If you wear that abomination to dinner tonight, I might set it on fire myself, and with you still in it.”
“Dinner?” said Kamran, alarmed. “When we’ve yet to endure breakfast?”
