Chapter 43
Nahlah
”The tales of Captain Sinbad are legendary,” Rami remarked as he lifted the berrad higher, pouring freshly brewed atay into our glass cups, causing the tea to mix and froth from the height. ”Some doubt he even exists, while others claim he is a being from the old tales, his powers unmatched.”
“Amu Sinbad will love hearing that!” I laughed, scooping a meatball up with a piece of bread and popping it into my mouth. “Mmm,” I murmured appreciatively. The flavors were enticing and aromatic, and Rami’s cooking skills were thoroughly impressive. “This is delicious!”
“Bessaha!” he grinned, offering wishes for good health before dipping his own piece of khubz into the clay tagine pot.
After Rami had finished ravishing me and my cries of pleasure had ceased to echo around us, he’d conjured a shower for us to clean up in before producing a fully stocked kitchen, luring Huriyah back with the promised bushel of blush pears.Using his recipe for kefta mkouara, we’d stood side by side, talking animatedly as we prepared our meal.
Grating tomatoes and onions, I told him about Ala and Kenzie—how they’d joined our family and were the best siblings anyone could ask for.As he skillfully chopped parsley and cilantro, he shared that his mother was a baker and his father was a teacher. While cooking the onions and garlic in olive oil, salt, saffron, and cumin, he spoke of his love for painting and drawing, recounting the hours he spent attempting to capture the beauty of the island in his art.
While mixing and forming the meatballs, I recalled the first time Ummi recognized my gift for storytelling and how she and Amu Sinbad nurtured it until I could use it to contribute to the welfare of our people. Once the food was simmering, we mixed and kneaded the bread dough, Rami sharing how he’d attempted to positively influence his future masters from birth, hoping to change the vicious cycle of greed and tyranny. After countless failures, he’d given up, and it was only because of Sultana Saeeda’s dying request that he dared to try again with Haytham and Yasmeena.
After putting the bread in the oven, we lay in each other’s arms, sharing more of ourselves, and opening up about our hopes, fears, and dreams. I explained how the tome had beckoned to me from behind the bookshelf, guiding me with a vision of how to access the secret compartment, leading me to it. He confirmed my suspicions that Vee was under a curse. The two of them met centuries ago, when the umbravine dryad was still a prince of the Autumn Court, acting as a mediator between the fae monarchs and Sultan Fouad. Rami was masquerading as an elemental fae by then, but Vee had instantly recognized his bands of enslavement. When Vee became cursed, it was Rami who helped relocate him to the Shadowed Sands, and their friendship had endured ever since.
For a few precious hours, the world outside our cozy cocoon ceased to exist. The food was delicious, I felt satisfied and cherished, and for just that moment, the weight of our quest had been lifted from my shoulders. As I watched Rami, the firelight flickering across his features, I found myself desperately hoping that every night could be just like this, wrapped in the blissful simplicity of being with him.
“I don’t want you to do this,” Rami said, his hands clenching and unclenching, as if restraining himself from sweeping me into his arms and flying us to safety.
I offered him a reassuring smile. “I know,habibi, but I have to. We need to get the Heart, and this is the only way.”
“Do you have the elemental dagger?”he asked, his expression pained.
“Yes!” I patted the pocket of my kaftan, feeling the solid weight of the dagger against my hip.
“I don’t want you to go,” he repeated, and I laughed, squeezing his arm comfortingly.
“This has to be done, Rami. The sooner I get in, the sooner I will be back. Okay?”
“Okay,” he nodded, his eyes flashing worriedly.
Without waiting for further protest, I used the slim dagger to prick my finger, pressing the droplet to one of the stark white tiles. With a faint hiss, the stone absorbed my blood, and a moment later, the ground beneath us shook violently. Rami reacted instantly, sweeping out a hand to steady us before sending a gust of wind to keep Huriyah—who was literally up to his neck in a barrel of blush pears—from toppling over.
Once the ground stilled, the same deep, resonant voice from the night before greeted me.
Welcome, Heartseeker.
A small click sounded, and a doorway just large enough for me appeared. Laughing at the absurdly small opening, I glanced up at Rami. “The Heart’s wards are serious about only allowing me passage,” I quipped, attempting to lighten the mood. “I don’t think you’d fit through even if you crawled!”
He managed a strained smile, his anxiety palpable. “Be safe,” he requested, pulling me into a tight embrace and kissing me hard. When we finally parted, I smiled reassuringly. “I’ll be okay,” I repeated, securing my satchel across my chest and taking the canteen of cold water from him.
With one last wave, I crossed the threshold, the opening sealing behind me.The corridor immediately lit up, torches along the walls igniting with flickering purple flames. Exhaling deeply, I closed my eyes, listening. Almost instantly, I felt a sharp tug in my chest, a voice reaching out to me, as if from a distance.
This way, Heartseeker.
As Ifollowedthe pull through the winding maze, my mind raced with thoughts of the Heart, my excitement tempered by the worry of how to handle Sultan Ghazi. Knowing his intentions, I couldn’t allow him to have it. Yet, the echoes of the dreamscape haunted me, reminding me of his willingness to harm my family if I broke our deal.
After what felt like an eternity of twisting and turning, I halted in front of a door, identical to the one we’d gone through in the Zephyr’s Lair. The air felt charged, the silence profound, as if the very building was holding its breath, awaiting my next move.
Pushing the door open, I stepped across the threshold, my heart pounding painfully in my chest, the echo of its beats seeming louder in the quiet chamber. Ahead, the room’s centerpiece was a towering red sandstone pedestal, atop which a crystal dome floated gracefully, a stunning amethyst pendant sparkling within.
Striding forward, I stopped in front of the pedestal. As if it recognized my presence, the pendant pulsed with a bright purple light. Up close, it was even more magnificent, its finely faceted surface seeming to reflect the essence of the universe. Hesitantly, I touched the dome, surprised when the hard crystal softened under my touch, allowing my hand to pass through. As my fingers closed around the Heart of Eternity, a rush of power surged through me, thrilling yet terrifying in its intensity.
Visions of conquests and potential flooded my mind—ruling Nephria, extending my dominion across the realms, even marshaling the banished creatures from the void. I saw myself, a queen unchallenged, reshaping the universe to my will, and once I’d conquered all, I would search for the lost worlds, adding them to my unstoppable empire...
I lifted the pendant to clasp it around my neck, seduced by the visions of absolute authority, when the weight on my wrist brought me back to reality—the bracelet my parents had made for me, a reminder of who I truly was. The fog lifted from my mind, and I recoiled, thrusting the Heart away as panic gripped me.
Do not fear, Heartseeker.
I swallowed hard, trembling as I realized the voice was coming from the Heart of Eternity. “I don’t understand. Those thoughts weren’t mine!”
That was the darkness inside of you. Despite knowing the power you could have at your fingertips, you countered its allure with your light.
“Does that mean I have darkness in my soul?” I asked, my stomach dropping at the thought.
Everyone has darkness and light within them. It”s up to them which path they decide to take. Though the Heart gives its wielder all the power of the universe, it reflects that individual’s chosen path.
My heart sank as I thought of Sultan Ghazi and his dangerous plans for complete dominance. “So, if someone has chosen the path of darkness?”
The powers the Heart gives them will become steeped in darkness.