Chapter 18
Nahlah
Sitting cross-legged on the carpet, I repacked the small black satchel for what felt like the millionth time. After the Sultan”s departure, Rami had escorted me to the kitchens, an area apparently unaccustomed to his presence, judging by the staff’s startled reactions. When he asked for help in preparing me for an urgent journey, an eager young maid volunteered, ushering me to a small room in the staff quarters.
Marwa was quick to introduce herself and the guard following closely behind us, providing me with a stack of clothing, sturdy footwear, and a lightly packed satchel before showing me to a fully stocked bathing chamber. Knowing I might not have the chance to bathe again on our journey, I”d indulged in a long, luxurious shower, thoroughly scrubbing my skin, scalp, and hair with a kessa glove and amber sandsilk lily-scented soap.
Though our upcoming quest weighed heavily on my mind, I felt immense relief knowing that I was the only one detained. While a small part of me questioned if Rami was lying, a bigger part assured me he had no reason to, and that the others were most likely safe.
The Sultan”s intentions were clear: he sought the Heart of Eternity and intended to use me to find it. But it was Rami”s unknown motives that worried me the most. What did he have to gain from keeping his powers a secret? We’d always known Sultan Ghazi wasn’t a good person, but was it because he was being used as a puppet in all of this?
Frankly, their relationship puzzled me. Down in the dungeons, Rami convincingly played the humble servant, and the Sultan showed all the signs of an authority figure. But then again, Rami had skillfully portrayed himself as both meek and innocent, and strong and sensual, making it easy for him to manipulate me. It wasn’t far-fetched to think he was orchestrating things behind the scenes.
I was losing my mind.
Marwa had left almost two hours ago, and I’d practically worn a path in the rug with my incessant pacing, my thoughts racing faster than my feet could keep up with. For the fifth time that hour, my reality hit me like a wave: I was trapped in an impossible situation, all alone.
As anxiety clawed at my chest—making it difficult to breathe—I lunged for the window, desperate for air. After a few panicked moments of near hyperventilating, I finally steadied my breathing and calmed my racing heart. But a moment later, it began its wild beating again as I realized the window was unlocked…
The tome’s riddle said that our journey began in the Marasynth desert, which meant we would be close to the Mirage. While I had no intention of putting my family at risk by breaking the oath, there were no restrictions against making a detour first... or enlisting my own reinforcements.
I would give Amu Sinbad an update, see for myself that Kenzie, Ala, and the others were safe, and seek advice on what to do next. Afterward, I would head to the only entrance into the Marasynth desert—just outside the city gates—to meet Rami, thus sticking to the oath.
I spun around without hesitation, the neatly made bed my first target. Sheets and blankets flew in a whirlwind as I yanked them free, my mind racing with a single thought—escape. My hands shook as I flung open cupboards and closets, searching desperately for something, anything, sharp.
I was successful upon searching the bathing chamber, finding a pair of small scissors tucked away in a drawer. Dashing back into the room, I started clipping and tearing strip after strip from sheets, blankets, and towels. The task was tedious and time-consuming, stretching and compressing with each nervous glance at the door. Amidst the chaos of my preparations, a laughable thought struck me—I would ask Amu Sinbad to invent something that would make cutting more efficient.
Eventually I found myself with enough strips to start the task at hand, rapidly weaving and knotting them into what I hoped was a sturdy enough rope. The weight of my oversight pressed heavily upon me. I should”ve been more observant and considered all avenues of escape the moment Marwa left me alone.
Amu Sinbad had ingrained in his children the importance of survival skills from a very young age, understanding perhaps that one day, they might be all that stood between us and misfortune.Unfortunately, the stress over the day’s events, and the knowledge that a guard was right outside the door, had clouded my judgment.
As the makeshift rope took shape, I pulled up a mental map of the palace. At the moment, I was in the northern staff wing, four flights above the Sultan”s prized gardens. Luckily, the stables weren’t too far from the edge of the clementine orchard, making my plan to commandeer a horse actually seem possible. If everything went smoothly, I would be at the Mirage within a few hours.
With a final tug, I secured the rope to the door handle, winding and knotting until it appeared unbreakable. Letting the rope cascade out the window, I watched with satisfaction as it kissed the ground, a generous length to spare for anchoring. Slinging my satchel across my chest, I maneuvered over the ledge.
Descending the wall as quickly as I dared, I kept my eyes trained on the ground below. While I’d often climbed dunes with Ala and Kenzie in our childhood, this climb posed a far greater risk—a single misstep could mean a broken neck or back. Not to mention the severe repercussions I would face if the Sultan caught me.
Over halfway down, a sound startled me so badly I lost my grip, my arm scraping along the length of the wall as I dropped suddenly, my feet scrambling to regain my hold. Once I”d found my footing, I pressed myself flat into the shadow cast by one of the arched windows, fearing that the farewell zaffa was moving through the orchards and someone would see me.
When a minute passed and I didn”t hear the approach of hundreds of celebrating elites, I peeked out, stifling a shriek as the source of the sound fluttered straight at me. A blue-crystal mockingbird was perfectly imitating the ululating calls from the celebrations, its wings tinkling in the breeze.
”You need to calm down, Nahlah,” I laughed, leaning my head against the wall. Once my heart stopped racing frantically, I continued downward, eventually landing on the grass with a soft thump before darting into the protective embrace of the trees.