“Can you recover?” I asked Ama.
Ama was quiet for a moment. “We don’t have prior experience to draw on, so there’s no way to know.”
Her words cut deep even though she hadn’t meant to hurt me. “Meaning no First Daughter has been unable to replenish the queen’s energy—until me.”
“This is true, but only right now. We don’t know what the future holds.”
Her kind tone didn’t do anything to stop the burn of shame that spread through my body like wildfire. Tears of frustration abruptly filled my eyes, and I turned away, unwilling to let Ama and Dani see them. I didn’t deserve their comfort.
Ama called my name as I hurried out of the pavilion, but I didn’t stop. Shazeera came immediately to my side from where she had been grazing near the lake.
Your mother is descended from the strongest line. She will recover,Shazeera told me confidently.
Yes, but when? I thought again of the map I had seen when wefirst arrived, of the Zephyrians pushing ever closer to the Nazeeran Canyon.It could be too late.
Shazeera swished her tail nervously. She knew I had a point.
“Zara,” a voice called, and I turned to find Mariyah and Citrine riding toward us. “You’re finally awake! I was about to come and wake you up myself. Would you like to go for a swim in the lake?”
Despite everything that was happening—the flight from our camp, worry over Ama’s inability to maintain the wards, and the strange wind power I had manifested—the mere suggestion of going for a simple swim put a smile on my face. “I’ve honestly never wanted to do anything more.”
We turned and headed for the lake just beyond my pavilion, passing many guards and grazing horses. Queen Jazela had created the lake soon after splitting the earth to form the canyon, and it stretched on for miles. The feat of strength must have been staggering to watch.
It was only a short ride, and the lake spread out before us, its dark water sparkling and inviting as gentle waves licked the shore. Mariyah and I wasted no time stripping down to our underclothes and wading into it. Shazeera and Citrine joined, walking in deep enough for the water to reach their bellies.
“I brought you some soap.” Mariyah handed over a thick, creamy brick of it. “You look like you could use it.”
I laughed as I started scrubbing my arms, turning the suds brown. “I can’t argue with you there. Apparently, I’m filthy.”
My hair was worse, and since it was so long and thick, I had to wash it several times before the soap could penetrate to my scalp. Mariyah washed herself, too, just not as vigorously as I was forced to.
When we finished, we floated peacefully on our backs, oureyes shaded by low-hanging branches. “I’m really glad you and Queen Rana came,” Mariyah said. “I was so relieved to see you ride into camp.”
I reached my hand out and touched hers in the water. “I’m glad, too.”
She smiled at me, but then her eyes seemed shadowed. “I think we’re all safer together, especially in light of what your mother and mine were talking about before you got here.”
“What do you mean?” I shifted so my feet were now in the soft sand of the lake and I could see her better.
“They sensed that the Zephyrians used magic to find your camp.”
A jolt of horror ran through me. “They don’t have magic.”
“This is definitely new,” she said, treading water. “But the worst part is, it’s a magic they’ve never sensed before.”
“Then where did it come from?”
“No one knows—it shouldn’t be possible,” Mariyah said as a chill spread throughout my body. “Whoever it was had enough power to overcome your mother’s shields.”
My skin erupted in goose bumps, though the water hadn’t changed temperature. “So that’s how they found our camp.”
“That must have been so scary when you were attacked,” she said, and Citrine snorted an agreement. “We keep hearing horrible things from the battles”—she glanced behind her at the guards in the distance before dropping her voice even lower—“like that the riders have been allowing their eagles toeatour horses.”
Both Shazeera and Citrine shuddered violently. I had heard the same thing from warriors on the front lines reporting to Ama and General Isa. All I could think about was how close that eagle’s talons came to ripping into Shazeera’s haunches. If it hadn’t been for the wind…
“This war has to end.” I felt sick at the thought of all the losses—both of our people and our horses.
“Queen Samira keeps saying we need a peace treaty,” Mariyah said.
