Page 1 of A Filling of Fables and Firelight

Chapter One

RANA

If she had known the Sultan was going to die, Rana would have invested in black thread.

She kept the irreverent thought to herself as she tied off the hem to yet another black shirt. It seemed everyone in El-Huram had taken the Sultan’s death to heart and required a new set of clothes to console them, though Rana wasn’t exactly sure what the point was. The Sultan’s passing was unfortunate but not unexpected, and it wasn’t as if wearing black from head to toe was going to bring him back.

She glanced past the reams of rich, colorful fabrics that lined the small workroom in the back of the tailor shop and through the narrow door that opened to the counter where the till was kept. Aida, her employer’s wife, perched on a tall, three-legged stool and absently twirled a length of purple ribbon round her fingers. Her red-rimmed eyes were glossy and distant as she wound and unwound the ribbon, and she pressed her lips together into a firm line.

Rana’s heart ached for her. Though she herself had known the Sultan only in passing, Aida had shared a much closer relationship with the old man, seeming to look up to him as a father. Unlike many of their customers, who seemed to be adopting mourning clothes as the latest fashion craze, her grief was real.

It’s been nearly two weeks. She needs something else to take her mind off things…

Her thoughts were rudely interrupted as the front door to the shop burst open, hitting the wall beside it with a bang and knocking down the little bell that hung over it. Rana jumped, yelping when the needle she had been holding pricked her finger instead of the fabric.

“Rana! Aida!” The lanky blonde whirlwind who had come barreling through the door gasped as he bent forward, resting his hands on his knees and taking deep, heaving breaths. “Did you hear?”

“Everyone on the street heard you come in,” Rana answered drily as she reached for a scrap of cloth to press against the blooming bead of red on her finger. She squeezed her hand into a fist, keeping the cloth in place, and left her work behind to stand in the doorway of the workroom. “What are you doing here, Jasper?”

“Where’s Spot?” Aida straightened her shoulders and looked at their sixteen-year-old visitor with the first spark of interest that Rana had seen in her eyes all day.

Jasper looked over his shoulder to the busy street. “He was right behind me.”

Rana sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “You can’t just misplace a tiger, Jasper.”

“It’s not like he’s going to hurt anyone,” he argued with the unwavering confidence of an adolescent. “Besides, everyone around here knows him. They would make sure he got back.”

As if on cue, a tiger appeared beside him in the doorway, sauntering into the room on massive, silent paws. He approached Aida and rubbed his head against her side with a deep, throaty purr before curling up at her feet.

“See?” Jasper’s smile was smug as he tilted to lean one shoulder against the doorframe.

Rana sighed. “You’re just lucky that he seems to think he’s a housecat. Now what was so important that had you bursting in here like a camel in a monsoon?”

“Oh!” The adolescent straightened, throwing his shoulders back and puffing out his chest with importance, causing the dark blue vest he wore as part of his uniform to pull open. “I have news: the Sultan is getting married!”

“Already?” Aida frowned. “His father just died. Kamaran might be impulsive and capricious, but he did love his father. I find it hard to believe that he would be planning a wedding already—not to mention the fact that it would require him to be serious enough to actually commit to a woman.”

Jasper shook his head. “He hasn’t chosen a bride yet.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Council of Viziers announced this afternoon that they were bringing back the tradition of the Queen’s Contest. His Majesty will marry whoever wins the competition.”

Rana’s brows nearly touched the top of her forehead. “The Sultan agreed to this?”

“He really didn’t have much of a choice.” Jasper shrugged. “He needs to find a wife and the Council decided this was the way to do it. If you ask me, he doesn’t exactly seem thrilled at the prospect.”

Aida gave him a pointed look. “We didn’t ask you. You shouldn’t be so quick to share such personal opinions about Kamaran outside the palace walls. It could cost you your position.”

Jasper crossed his arms, offended. “It’s not like I’m going around gossiping on the streets. I just thought you might want to know about it, or, I don’t know, offer some words of advice to whoever ends up participating.”

Rana glanced back and forth between them, certain she was missing something. “Advice about their wardrobes?”

“More like how to deal with His Majesty when he parades them around like a trophy rather than a person.” Jasper’s expression darkened, his frown turning real. “They won’t have Dan around to show them how a princess really should be treated.”

Aida sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose and closing her eyes for a moment at Rana’s questioning look. “Kamaran and I courted for a brief period of time.”

Rana’s jaw dropped. “How did I not know this?”