“Yes?”
“– deeply,deeplyflattered,” she said, holding on to the seat to steady herself. “But no, I – That is, I think –”
“Hells,” he said quietly. “You’re refusing me.”
She lifted her head at the hurt in his voice. “It’s not you, Kamran. Truly, it isn’t. Honored as I am by your offer, I cannot be your wife. I must put my people first. I have a responsibility – a role I must fulfill –”
“You would be much more than a prize to me,” he said,leaning forward to take her hands. “You would rule by my side. You could care for your people with the might of Ardunia behind you –”
“But I don’t wish to share a crown. I want my own kingdom,” she said, hating the words she knew she would deliver next. She steeled herself, then took a sharp breath. “I’ve decided to marry Cyrus.”
He astonished her by saying, with an air of confusion, “Yes, I imagined you would. I meant I’d like to marry you afterthat.”
She withdrew her hands from his grasp, sitting back with a shock. “Afterthat?”
“Yes. After you kill him.”
“After… I kill him,” she repeated, the words little more than a whisper. She stared blindly at the carriage floor, the glimmer of her long skirts winking in the dim light. “Of course. You know about his offer.”
“It’s a good offer,” he said. “You should take it.”
She lifted her head so fast she nearly sprained her neck. “You think I should marry Cyrus?”
“Absolutely you should.” Gone was the uncertainty in Kamran’s eyes, replaced by a hawklike gleam. “Make him perform a blood oath, become queen, take his kingdom, kill him when it’s done, and reign supreme.”
She stared at him in astonishment. “You say it like it would be easy for me to be so ruthless.”
“You have a difficult climb ahead of you,” he said with some nonchalance, his composure returning as his mind shifted into politics. “I’m afraid you must learn to be ruthless.Tulan is one of the richest empires in the world; any sovereign on earth would’ve died for such an opportunity. You’d be mad not to take it.”
Alizeh tilted her head at him, fascinated despite herself. She’d never interacted with this methodical, intellectual side of Kamran, and she realized only then that he might be an excellent resource, for she knew little about geopolitics. She might learn a great deal from him.
“Why would I be mad not to take it?” she asked.
He ticked the answers off on his fingers. “Volcanic soil; fresh water; great stores of magic. There are so many microclimates here that the kingdom is practically self-sustained. They grow nearly all that they require; Tulan imports next to nothing and has little debt. Smaller military, yes, but robust and well-trained. Historically it was a land constantly under siege, ruthlessly invaded and plundered by external forces, but the Nara line – Cyrus’s family line – was the first to fight back and win. They’ve staved off every foreign invasion in nearly a hundred years, giving them the stability they needed to flourish, build advanced weaponry, and develop modern magical defense systems.
“There’s very little unemployment; the people have high literacy rates; and there’s advanced medical care accessible across the nation. As a whole, the empire is an extraordinary asset not only for its rich land and abundant resources, but because it comes with educated, happy, and productive citizens. There’s a reason Ardunia has tried to claim it for so long. If Cyrus is offering it, you should take it.” He shook his head sharply. “Without a doubt.”
Alizeh’s lips parted, surprise rendering her virtually speechless. “This is it, isn’t it?” She blinked at him. “This is the reason for the truce. The reason you and Cyrus made peace.”
He shifted in his seat, briefly uncomfortable. “Yes.”
“You don’t wantme,” she said, a faint smile touching her lips. “You want Tulan.”
“I want both.”
Now she laughed. “I appreciate your honesty – really, I do – but you’ve just outlined all the reasons Tulan makes for a remarkable nation. What could possibly motivate me to share these riches with you when I might have them all for myself?”
“In this woven kingdom, clay and fire shall be.”
Alizeh lost her smile. She looked at him then with a pinch in her chest, her body stiff with alarm. “You’ve seen my book,” she whispered.
“I found it in your carpetbag,” he said, “which you’d left behind in Ardunia.”
“Yes. I’d left it at Huda’s house.”
Kamran reached into his pocket and procured her handkerchief, which she accepted from his outstretched hand.
“Thank you,” she said, her heart pounding. She rubbed her thumb over the embroidered firefly, remembering her mother, her father, her fate. “I never thought I’d see this again.”
