Chapter 27
The wedding feast was underway in the grand hall. Music and laughter drifted through the side doors to the balcony, where Aisha stood talking with Zara. The celebration felt far away.
Bilal had already retired to his bedchamber, too exhausted to endure the feast. He’d given everything he had left to walk her down the aisle. His part was done.
‘I watched you fade as soon as your head met King Hamza’s hand,’ Zara said. ‘Your new husband is a genius, by the way. He just swept you up like he couldn’t wait another moment to kiss you. The guests were literally gasping.’
Aisha leaned against the rail. ‘He’s going to need every trick available to him in order to keep this secret. We both know that even the title of queen comes with no guarantee of protection.’
They both fell silent.
‘Do you really think it was King Hamza lying on that bed?’ Zara asked.
The image flashed in Aisha’s mind, and she nodded. ‘Yes.’
‘Sick?’ Zara lowered her voice. ‘Or dying?’
Aisha shook her head. ‘I really don’t know. I didn’t even see his face.’
Zara’s gaze drifted to the door. ‘Have you told Tariq?’
‘Today has been stressful enough. He deserves to enjoy the next part.’
Zara took hold of Aisha’s shoulder. ‘Perhaps you should forget what you saw. Say nothing more about it to anyone. Because if anything does happen to King Hamza, you might be implicated.’
The balcony doors creaked open again, and Lilah stepped out.
‘There you are,’ she said, sounding out of breath. ‘I just did forty laps of the hall looking for you.’
Aisha took in her expression. ‘What is it?’
‘I checked the tea, and I can confirm it contained Miraji root.’
Aisha’s mind scrambled to catch up. ‘What?’
‘The tea Maryam has been giving you, multiple times per day.’ Lilah waited for a reaction, and when she didn’t get it, she added, ‘She’s either attempting to induce visions or trying to make your mind more accessible to others.’
Aisha shook her head, mostly because she didn’t like what she was hearing.
‘I think she’s a covenweaver,’ Lilah whispered. ‘But I think you already know that.’
Aisha had made a promise to keep Maryam’s secret. She would not expose her without having all the facts first. Her first thought was that it had something to do with her previous arrangement with Tariq. But she had given Aisha the tea that morning.
A look of deep concern settled on Zara’s face. ‘That means Maryam knows about you.’
Shouting reached them from inside the hall. The music stopped, and the heavy beat of footsteps followed.
‘What on earth is going on?’ Zara said, rushing over to the doors and looking through them. The others followed at her heels.
Aisha was terrified of what she would see.
‘Clear this space!’ she heard Tariq shout.
The edge of fear in his voice had her stumbling forwards into the grand hall, looking around.
Mere moments ago, the room had been brimming with music and laughter.
Now there was nothing but stunned silence.
Plates lay abandoned. All eyes had turned towards the platform at the head of the room, where King Hamza lay on the floor beside an overturned chair.
Aisha’s heart thundered painfully in her chest as she took in the scene.
Queen Farrah was on her knees beside the king, barking commands at nearby attendants, all the colour drained from her face.
Tariq was kneeling opposite, two fingers pressed to his father’s neck, searching for a pulse.
His jaw was tight and shoulders rigid. Kaidon stood behind him, hands in his hair, watching.
Aisha saw Nasir standing nearby and went to him. ‘What happened?’ she whispered, eyes fixed on the king.
‘He collapsed. One moment he was eating, and the next he was on the floor.’ Nasir shook his head. ‘They’ve sent for the royal physician.’
Aisha began weaving through the stunned crowd until she reached the edge of the platform, where Hamza lay painfully still.
‘Stay back,’ the queen hissed at her.
Aisha took in her expression. It was pure distrust.
Tariq looked at his mother with surprise.
The physician arrived in a flurry of dark robes, kneeling swiftly beside the king. A heavy silence fell over the room as he checked for signs of life. Tariq took a few slow steps back, bracing for what was coming.
The physician sank back on his heels and lifted his gaze to the queen. ‘He is gone, Your Majesty. I am so very sorry.’
Aisha’s hand flew up to her mouth. The collective intake of breath from those around her seemed to use up all the air in the room. Somewhere, a goblet hit the floor with a clang. Someone else began crying. Aisha looked over at Tariq and watched as the weight of a kingdom settled on his shoulders.
The wedding feast had ended with servants running to and fro as guests filed out of the hall in stunned silence.
Tariq had instructed Kaidon to take Aisha to her chamber to wait for him there, no doubt realising that her remaining there wouldn’t end well.
Zara had offered to take Aisha so that Kaidon could remain with Tariq, leading her sister from the room and away from the queen’s accusatory glare.
Aisha was in her chamber now. Yasmin and Omar were playing cards on the bed, and the rest of her siblings were scattered about the room.
Lilah sat cross-legged on the rug, staring at the door.
Safiya paced, with Mira attached to her ankle, enjoying being dragged back and forth.
Zara sat at the table, looking down at her hands.
‘He was fine one moment, then—’ Safiya snapped her fingers. ‘Gone. Heart failure, perhaps.’
‘Or poison,’ Lilah said.
Zara looked over at Aisha. ‘Let’s hope not. We all know who they’ll blame.’
‘Tariq knows you would never do such a thing,’ Lilah said.
Safiya stopped pacing. ‘Tariq knows, yes. That trust doesn’t extend to all of us.’
‘Yes, it does,’ Aisha said.
Safiya tilted her head. ‘Be reasonable. The timing alone—’
‘Don’t say it.’ Aisha pressed a hand to her temple. ‘Please.’
That quieted them all for a minute—except Mira, who was gnawing on Safiya’s foot.
‘Interesting that Maryam is nowhere to be seen,’ Lilah said. ‘I would have thought she’d be here with her famous tea.’
It was too much for Aisha to think about. ‘I’m sure there are a million things to do under these circumstances,’ she said, despite having had the same thought earlier. Her mind was spinning with possibilities.
Zara turned in her chair to face her sisters. ‘We should all prepare for the possibility of being called before the court to answer questions.’
‘No one’s being called before the court,’ Aisha said, trying to sound confident.
They lapsed into silence again, each lost in her own thoughts, until a knock at the door brought them all to their feet.
‘Who is it?’ Safiya called through the door.
‘Kaidon,’ came the reply.
Safiya opened the door, and Aisha thought he looked twenty years older suddenly. She walked over to him. ‘How is he?’ she asked.
‘About as well as one can be after watching his father die at his wedding.’
She swallowed but didn’t look away.
‘He’s at the king’s bedside. If you would like to pay your respects, now is the time.’ He paused before adding, ‘He’s alone.’
Aisha nodded, then glanced back at her sisters before stepping out into the corridor and closing the door behind her. The two of them walked to the royal wing of the castle.
The palace had never felt so quiet. Or so cold.
They stopped before the large carved door of the king’s bedchamber. The door was slightly ajar. Aisha stepped closer, her fingers grazing the edge of the wood as she peered into the room. A chill broke out across her skin when she recognised the room from her vision.
She was about to enter when someone grabbed her arm. Whipping her head around, she expected to see Kaidon, but instead she found herself face to face with Farrah. The queen’s features looked as though they were carved from granite. She pulled the door closed, then dragged Aisha away from it.
‘Your Majesty,’ Kaidon said, following them.
‘Leave us,’ Farrah instructed.
‘Your Majesty, Tariq is waiting for—’
‘I said leave us.’ Her voice cut in like steel.
Kaidon hesitated, then cast an apologetic glance at Aisha before leaving them.
The queen’s grip on Aisha tightened as she pulled her further away from the door, away from Kaidon, clearly not wanting anyone to hear what she was about to say.
‘You’re hurting me,’ Aisha said, panic rising in her chest.
Farrah stopped and turned to stare at her. ‘You have some audacity to complain to me.’
The hatred in her voice was paralysing. ‘What?’
‘You could not even wait one day to take my place.’
Words jammed in Aisha’s throat, with nowhere to go.
‘When the physician told me he suspects poison, I did not need to think too hard about who might do such a thing.’ She leaned in. ‘A covenweaver. Yes, I know what you are.’
Aisha pulled her hand free and cradled it. ‘You think I murdered the king?’
Farrah tilted her head. ‘Zara would be so proud of this little innocent act of yours. What a wonderful performer you are.’
She’s grieving, Aisha reminded herself. ‘I understand you’re in a lot of pain right now, so I’ll do you the courtesy of forgetting this conversation ever happened.’
Farrah took a fast step towards her, and Aisha steadied herself on the wall.
‘A covenweaver should never be trusted,’ Farrah said. ‘I told Tariq that when he brought you here.’
Aisha held her gaze because looking away felt like an admission of guilt.
‘He really thought he knew better,’ Farrah added.
There was nothing Aisha could say to alter the course of the conversation, so she remained silent, enduring every word.
‘You should have stayed in Avanid,’ the queen said coldly. ‘When the cause of death is confirmed, all eyes will turn to you.’
The door to the king’s chamber opened, and soft light spilled out into the corridor. Farrah turned and walked away, disappearing into the darkness and leaving Aisha consumed by nausea.
‘Aisha?’
She turned and saw Tariq standing in the doorway. ‘Yes.’
‘What are you doing?’ His voice was thick with exhaustion. ‘Where’s Kaidon?’
She promised herself in that moment that she would protect his heart and mind while he grieved his father and king. Whatever Farrah said to her would remain between them.
‘Here I am,’ Kaidon said, reappearing.
His steady gaze met Aisha’s briefly, and she realised that he would protect Tariq too.
Drawing a shaky breath, she went to join her husband and pay her respects to the king.