“I had a conversation with Maharaja Moolek this morning.”
Blood. Adraa had to deal with Maharaja Moolek and discover I’ve been lying in the same day. Now I think I understand her anger. “Are you okay?” I ask.
She glances between my father and me. “No, I’m not okay. Maharaja Moolek, he…he made a strong argument that he wasn’t responsible for stealing my firelight.”
“He could be lying,” I protest.
Her eyes bore into mine. “Yeah, you never really know when someone is lying.”
My throat goes dry.
Adraa steps closer to my father. “You…you created Project Smoke with me. You suspected Moolek from the beginning. You helped me secure Basu as a distributor. You planted Beckman in the Underground. Were you manipulating me the whole time?”
“Beckman? Adraa, of course I wasn’t.”
“Then where is my firelight going?” she cries.
I can’t stand seeing her this hurt. I reach for her and place a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll find it. We’ll figure it out.”
She shrugs my hand off. “Don’t touch me.”
I flinch. “Adraa, please. Let me explain.”
“Maharaja Moolek also proposed. He wants me to help make Moolek a better place,” Adraa says in a rush.
I don’t know if I’ve heard her right. Moolek…proposed. My uncle wants to marry the girl I’m insanely in love with. My stomach drops. I feel like I’m being stabbed.What in the blood is happening?
“What?” my father asks. “He did what?”
“He proposed to me. You know, marriage. Even consulted my parents about it.”
“He’s almost twice your age.”
I unfreeze, stepping close to her. I need to fix this, immediately. “Weneedto talk.”
“This is more important.” Adraa swivels back to my father. “I want to know why you would have told Moolek. Why would you tell him anything about Project Smoke when he was our main suspect?”
“I didn’t tell him anything.”
I believe my father. Nothing in his letters even hinted he would have brought up Project Smoke.
Adraa’s anger falls. “Then…Oh Gods, is it my fault? He cast this spell over me and…”
My father’s eyes flash. “What kind of spell? Did it hurt you?”
“It…I don’t know what the spell was. I thought it might have been to read my mind or reveal my secrets, but—” She looks between the two of us. “Oh my Gods. There’s this small voice inside my head telling me I can’t trust you. That Moolek is right.”
“It will fade soon,” my father reassures her.
I turn to him. “What was it? What did he do to her?”
“It’s a complex black magic spell. It makes one susceptible to manipulation. He used to use it against your mother all the time when they were younger. In this instance, Adraa could be convinced to believe Moolek isn’t the one behind the firelight shortage and start to suspect me.” He pauses. “And persuade you to accept his marriage proposal as well.”
Adraa clutches her head. “Gods, I don’t know what to think anymore.”
More easily convinced to accept his—“Did you? Adraa, did you agree to marry him?”
“I…I refused. He was upset about that, but I was able to say no.”
