Chapter 25
Tariq braced for an onslaught as he and Aisha stood before the twin thrones. His father was leaned forwards, his crown glinting under the lantern light, and his mother sat with a disapproving expression next to him. The air in the audience chamber was thick with unspoken scrutiny.
‘Do you have any idea how this court appeared today?’ Hamza’s gaze moved between Tariq and Aisha. ‘A king, confused and wandering through my gardens, shouting at shadows—’
‘He wasn’t shouting,’ Aisha said, clearly feeling the need to defend her father.
‘He was missing a shoe,’ Hamza continued, knowing she couldn’t contradict that. ‘The guests saw it. The emissaries saw it. And Zahvik, who will be reporting directly to the Emperor, most definitely saw it.’
Aisha dropped her gaze, and her humiliation had Tariq’s temper flaring. ‘If you wanted him in the right mind to select footwear, then perhaps you shouldn’t have invited the man who killed his wife.’
Hamza’s fingers tightened around the arms of his throne. ‘Mind your tone.’
Tariq drew himself up and kept going. ‘He has earned the right to stumble. The man buried his queen, watched his kingdom suffer for it, entrusted his daughter to us, and this is how we repay him.’
Farrah spoke up at that. ‘We empathise. However, he is still the King of Avanid, and his presence reflects upon all of us.’ She rose from her seat and stepped down from the dais, hem whispering against the floor.
‘Do you understand what is at stake with this union? Tomorrow, the eyes of the entire empire will be upon us. If that man does not walk his daughter down the aisle and give her to you—in a sane manner—we will be the subject of ridicule.’ She paused for effect.
‘Royal weddings are not sentimental occasions. They are statements of strength and alliances. These displays weaken us both.’
Aisha continued to stare at the floor, and Tariq couldn’t bear it anymore.
‘Kaidon, please see the princess to her chamber,’ he told the guard.
That had Aisha looking up. She went to object.
‘Go,’ he told her.
Hamza’s face turned red. ‘We are not done here.’
‘You are done with Aisha. Everything else you want to say you can say to me alone.’
Aisha appeared torn about leaving him, but when Kaidon approached, she went with him. Tariq waited until the door closed behind them before resuming the conversation.
‘You’re worried about humiliation?’ He looked between his parents, eyes blazing. ‘Then perhaps I should relay the conversation I had with envoys from Rogritis this afternoon, who are refusing to trade with us due to our exploitation of children. Now that was humiliating.’
Hamza’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing.
‘You are treading dangerously close to insolence,’ Farrah said.
‘Then I’ll not tell you about my conversations with envoys from Ukrocia and Montia for fear of crossing a line,’ Tariq said. ‘But understand this: People will remember compassion far longer than they remember some protocol.’
Farrah turned around and made her way back to her chair.
Hamza waved a hand at Tariq. ‘You are dismissed.’
Bowing stiffly, Tariq strode out of the throne room. On his way to his chambers, he ran into Kaidon returning from escorting Aisha.
‘How is she?’ Tariq asked.
‘Worried about you, actually. How did it end in there?’
‘I held up a mirror to them, and they didn’t like it.’
Kaidon grinned at the floor.
There was something Tariq needed to take care of before the wedding. ‘Could you fetch Maryam for me? Ask her to come to my quarters?’
Kaidon looked up. ‘Now?’
‘When she’s finished with Aisha for the evening.’
Kaidon bowed his head, then headed off in the direction from which he had just come.
Exhausted, Tariq made his way back to his quarters to wait for Maryam. It was around an hour later when she appeared at his door, head bowed and hands folded. ‘You sent for me, Your Highness?’
‘Yes.’ Tariq gestured for her to come inside, then closed the door behind her. ‘I’ll get straight to the point, as I know it’s late.’ His hands went to rest on his hips. ‘From now on, I no longer require updates about Princess Aisha. If I wish to know something, I’ll ask her directly.’
Maryam appeared slightly surprised by this.
‘When you first came to me, you told me you felt the gods were calling on you to act,’ he said.
‘You’ve more than fulfilled that duty.’ His eyes creased at the corners.
‘Tomorrow is our wedding day, and I plan on starting our new life together with trust and transparency. I want you to know that I’ve kept my word and haven’t revealed your gift to Aisha.
You’re safe here at Azura and will remain so. ’
Maryam’s hands tightened slightly. ‘I see,’ she said quietly. ‘I appreciate that, Your Highness.’ Her uncertain gaze remained on his.
‘Was there something else you wanted to say?’ Tariq asked.
She hesitated. ‘There is one thing. I cannot, in good conscience, let you go into this union with a lie between you—or between us, for that matter.’
He waited for her to continue.
‘Aisha knows,’ she said. ‘She knows what I am. That I’m a covenweaver—like her.’
Her words seemed to land one at a time. ‘She… knows?’
Maryam nodded. ‘She discovered it herself, through a vision. I had no choice but to tell her the truth. Since then, I have been helping her understand and control her gift.’
He just stood there, trying to absorb this new information. ‘You’ve been teaching her?’
‘Yes.’
‘She never said a word about…’ He didn’t finish his sentence. Of course Aisha never said anything to him. She would never tell another soul, no matter how much she trusted them. It was simple maths. The more people who knew, the higher the risk of exposure.
‘She was struggling,’ Maryam said, ‘and in need of guidance. Guidance her mother would have provided if she were still alive.’
He paced a few steps over to the table and held on to the edge. ‘What exactly does she know?’
‘I have not told her of any cooperation between us. Nor of the visions that brought the two of you together. However, I trust her. So if you wish to begin your marriage with transparency, you are free to tell her whatever you like.’
Tariq straightened and drew a long breath.
He looked back at Maryam, nodding slowly.
Yes, he would tell Aisha, because she deserved to know everything—especially about the visions that had brought them together.
He was confident she would understand every decision he had made up to that point, the same way he understood hers.
‘Thank you,’ he said.
Maryam bowed her head. ‘May the gods bless you both with a lifetime of happiness, Your Highness.’
Tariq went to the door and opened it for Maryam. As she was exiting, he noticed Aisha standing several paces away, her body still and expression confused.
Maryam froze when she spotted Aisha. For a beat, no one spoke. Then Aisha brought a hand to her forehead as though struck by a sharp pain. Turning, she walked away.
Tariq dragged a hand down his face before going after her. ‘Aisha, wait.’
When he caught up with her, she spun to face him. ‘I didn’t mean to interrupt.’ Her tone was cold.
He was conscious of the fact that they were in a public space, so he kept his voice low. ‘Let me explain.’
‘Explain why Maryam was in your chambers at this hour?’
He blinked. ‘Not for the reason you think.’
‘You either have her spying on me or you’re sleeping together. Which one is it?’
‘Sleeping together?’ His voice was too loud that time.
‘Spying on me, then. What was so important that it couldn’t wait until morning?’
He scrubbed a hand through his hair. ‘The conversation wasn’t supposed to go like this.’
‘We’re supposed to be getting married tomorrow.’
He stepped closer. ‘Will you just listen, please?’
‘What exactly has she been reporting? When I sleep? What I say? What I—’
‘Stop.’ He gripped her shoulders firmly but not roughly. ‘Listen to me.’
She fell silent.
He checked their surroundings before continuing. Even Maryam had fled the scene. ‘I know about Maryam. Everything you know, I know. There are a million reasons why we’ve both been keeping secrets, but that all ends tonight.’
Aisha’s breath came fast, her chest rising and falling beneath his hands. ‘You know?’
He nodded. ‘She’s the reason I was able to find you. She saw our future long before our paths crossed.’
‘She told you about her visions?’ Her voice was thick with shock.
His gaze never left hers. ‘I swore to protect her secret, but I don’t want to keep secrets from my wife. That’s what I was speaking to her about.’
She stared at him in the quiet corridor—then threw herself at him. He caught her, his arms instinctively wrapping around her as she pressed her face to his chest.
‘Thank the gods,’ she said, her breath shaky with relief. ‘No more lies. No more secrets.’
He was completely taken aback by her response. ‘That’s it? That’s your response?’
She pulled back just enough to look up at him, eyes shimmering. ‘This is the best wedding present I could ask for.’ Her head returned to his chest. ‘I wanted to tell you. You wanted to tell me. All three of us were trying to do the right thing.’
He stroked her hair for a moment. ‘So, we’re still getting married tomorrow?’
‘Yes.’
He released a slow breath, full of relief. For the first time ever, they were truly standing on the same side.