Chapter 30
Tariq abandoned his formal robes and replaced them with a cream tunic and trousers. He was desperate to see Aisha but forced himself to wait until the searches were complete—until he could face her with all the facts. They could then face his mother as a united front.
A knock at the door had him rising from his chair. Kaidon entered with a bag in hand. Dread pooled in Tariq’s belly as he recalled the bag of ‘witchery’ his mother had mentioned. He reminded himself that a bag of medicinal herbs wasn’t evidence of murder.
Kaidon placed it on the table and opened it. A sharp, earthy scent filled the room. ‘This was among Princess Lilah’s belongings,’ he said. ‘Various dried leaves and roots.’ His tone remained neutral.
Tariq stared down at the open bag. Aisha had told him herself that Lilah was knowledgeable with herbs. They weren’t hiding anything.
‘Take the bag to the physician and find out what all these are. I want to know their uses and what they’re capable of.’
Kaidon didn’t move. ‘Then what?’
That was a very good question. ‘Then we do the next thing.’
Still, Kaidon did not move. ‘There are rumours circulating.’
‘Of course there are.’
‘Your mother has witnesses claiming Lilah was burning herbs in her bedchamber while the feast was underway.’
Tariq brushed a finger down his nose. ‘One thing at a time.’
‘She’ll be labelled a covenweaver and—’
‘Burned,’ Tariq finished. ‘I’m well aware of our laws.’
Kaidon bowed and headed for the door. When he pulled it open, Aisha was standing there, face pale and hair loose. And her expression…
Gods, her broken expression. A tight mask of restraint barely holding back exhaustion.
Her eyes landed on the bag in Kaidon’s hand.
‘That bag belonged to my mother,’ she said, her voice frayed.
Tariq gestured for Kaidon to go. The guard slipped past Aisha, taking the bag with him. She watched it leave.
‘She’s an herbalist,’ Aisha said. ‘You know that.’
Since she didn’t appear to want to come in, he walked over, meeting her at the door. The tension coming from her almost repelled him.
‘I’m sorry,’ he whispered.
She slowly lifted her gaze to his. ‘Lilah would never hurt anybody. She heals people, just like Mama did. She was helping people the day she died.’ Her eyes filled with tears. ‘And they burned her alive for it.’
He reached up to touch her face, and she drew back. He lowered his hand. ‘My father is dead. There are processes I have to follow.’
She searched his eyes. ‘This isn’t the wedding day we envisioned.’
He shook his head, his chest tightening. ‘No.’ He swallowed. ‘You know how this looks, right? The king dying on the day of our wedding?’
Frustration sharpened her features. ‘Zahvik has to be behind this.’
He wished he could believe that. ‘Me on the throne, with you as queen, is the last thing they wanted. They know everything’s about to change.’ He leaned against the doorframe, watching her. ‘Give me some time to sort this out. If we do everything properly, we’ll only have to do it once.’
She looked at him like he was a stranger. The love and trust they’d built seemed to be dissolving before his eyes.
‘We’ll both do what we need to do,’ Aisha said.
With that, she turned and left.
Aisha returned to Zara’s quarters, her breath shallow and mind racing. Her sister was frantically packing.
‘Where have you been?’ Zara asked without looking up. ‘They confiscated Lilah’s bag. The gods only know what conclusions they’re drawing.’
Aisha peered into the adjoining room, where Yasmin and Omar were asleep.
‘I’ve sent word to the captain, informing him that we need to leave at first light,’ Zara said. ‘Hopefully that’s enough time to gather supplies.’
Aisha looked around at the mess. ‘Have they searched Baba’s chambers?’
‘Yes.’ Zara straightened. ‘Lilah and Safiya are there trying to settle him. As soon as we’re packed, we’ll head straight to the ship. We need to get as far from Azura as we can—and quickly. I’ve got a bad feeling.’ She fell silent to look at Aisha properly. ‘What’s going on? Why are you so calm?’
Aisha drew her eyebrows together. ‘I’m not calm. I’m far from calm.’ She sank down onto the chest, gripping its edge. There were things she needed to say, and she didn’t know where to start or how much time they had.
‘You’re scaring me,’ Zara said. ‘And you know I don’t scare easily.’
Aisha looked up at her. ‘They’re going to arrest Lilah. They may have even done it already.’
Zara’s eyes widened, then darkened. She moved to leave, but Aisha seized her wrist.
‘You need to listen to me first,’ she said.
Zara shifted her weight in Aisha’s direction. ‘Then you better speak quickly.’
Aisha wet her lips. ‘They’re going to arrest Lilah for the murder of King Hamza, but they’re not going to hurt her, because I have a plan.’
Zara never looked away. ‘Go on.’
‘I’m going to confess to the murder.’
Zara pulled her hand free. ‘No, you’re not.’
‘They’ll kill her.’
‘They’ll kill you!’
Aisha rose to her feet. ‘Tariq won’t let them.’
Zara laughed. ‘Your naivety is mind-blowing.’
‘I trust him.’
Zara leaned in, lowering her voice. ‘Then you’re a fool. It doesn’t matter how much he loves you. He’s the King of Gruisea. He’ll do what he must for his kingdom. It’s not up to him.’ She drew back. ‘You’ll be executed.’
Aisha swallowed.
Zara turned in a slow circle, hands on her hips as she thought. ‘You have to come with us.’ She stilled and looked at Aisha. ‘If we all leave together—’
The door opened, and Safiya entered, looking as tired as Aisha felt. She pushed her messy braid over her shoulder, glancing between them and around the room. Frowning, she looked into the adjoining room where her siblings were sleeping. ‘Where’s Lilah?’
‘What do you mean, where’s Lilah?’ Zara said. ‘She was with you and Baba.’
‘Baba’s not well. She went to fetch medicine for him.’ Safiya looked uneasy now. ‘What’s going on?’
Zara squeezed her eyes shut as Aisha’s blood ran cold.
‘Tell me,’ Safiya said, losing patience.
Aisha walked over to Safiya and wrapped her arms around her. ‘I need you to listen to me very carefully.’