“Who’s Dija?”
“She’s sort of a leader of the masses. She and a few others help keep the crowd in order. Cyrus has spoken with her several times, as far as I’m aware.”
At the sound of his name, Alizeh averted her eyes. “I’ve made a decision, Huda. I know it might not be a popular decision, but –”
The door whined opened then, and Huda, who’d opened her mouth to speak, suddenly shot upright.
Hazan had returned.
“Yes, I’ll, um, speaking of Dija, I’ll just pop down to see her, shall I? Best to get a feel for what’s happening outside.”
“You’re going into the crowd?” Alizeh said, alarmed. “But – isn’t it dangerous?”
“Oh, not for me! No one cares who I am!” she said, and rushed off.
The door slammed shut for the fourth time, and once again, Alizeh flinched. She and Hazan were alone.
He stood just off to the side, one hand pushed through his hair as he stared blankly at the wall. The sounds of the crowd still carried in the distance.
“Hazan,” she said softly.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Do you think you’ll be mad at me for a very long time?”
She heard him sigh.
“I’m not mad at you,” he said, his voice hard. “I’m mad that someone tried to kill you. I simply don’t understand why you’d put yourself in so dangerous a position –”
“Please,” she said desperately. “Please understand, I hadto speak with them. Not only because it was my duty to try, but because I needed to learn that I never,ever, want to be in that position again.”
Hazan turned to face her. “What do you mean?”
“The next time I stand before my people,” she said, “it will be with a crown and a plan. I can have nothing to say to them until I secure both. I need to find my magic, Hazan – I need to go to Arya at once –”
“We’ll go,” he said, moving briskly toward her. “We’ll return to Ardunia tomorrow, if you like. Say the word and we’ll go.”
“I wish it were that easy,” she said, attempting a smile. “It’s going to be a long, difficult journey –”
“Not if we travel by dragon.”
“– and I need to get my book back from Cyrus. He’s refused to give it to me.”
Hazan shook his head. “I’ll kill him.”
Alizeh laughed, her heart warming with affection. “You can’t kill him. I need him.”
Hazan stood before her, tall and looming. “All due respect, Your Majesty, you don’t need him. You have me.”
She looked up into his eyes and smiled. “If only you had an empire.”
Hazan sighed heavily, then turned away. “If only.”
She reached for his hand, meaning to clasp it in friendship, and he recoiled. She realized then that he’d recoiled before when she’d touched him, and withdrew her hands immediately.
“Forgive me,” she said, embarrassed. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
“I’m not uncomfortable,” he said, though his voice was rough. “It’s only that I’m not used to being touched.”
