Chapter 31
Tariq sat on the edge of the bed, elbows on his knees and head in his hands.
The room was silent except for the low crackle of the dying fire.
His body felt heavy, as though his bones had absorbed the grief.
He pressed his palms to his eyes until stars burst behind them.
He longed for silence inside his skull, but all he could hear was his father’s last breath, his mother’s accusations, and Aisha’s heartbreak.
A sound reached him—distant at first. A door. A voice. It took a few seconds for his mind to return to the present and the words to take shape through the fog. When he lifted his head, he realised Kaidon was before him. He blinked hard, forcing his focus to return.
‘What?’ His own voice sounded strange in his ears.
Kaidon’s expression was urgent. ‘They’re holding her in the east courtyard.’
He shook his head, confused. ‘Who?’
‘Lilah,’ Kaidon said. ‘The queen has ordered her detained.’
He shot to his feet as the cloud covering his mind lifted. ‘What?’
‘She said she had enough evidence to order her arrest.’
The fatigue burned away under a surge of adrenaline. He ran out the door, moving fast. Servants flattened themselves against the walls as he passed them.
‘They were preparing to flee,’ Kaidon said, keeping pace.
Tariq glanced at him. ‘Lilah?’
‘The whole family.’
Tariq lengthened his stride. ‘Where’s Aisha?’
‘I don’t know.’
Voices echoed through the stone archways as Tariq turned the final corner and took in the scene before him.
Guards stood in a semicircle, holding back a crowd of spectators.
At the centre stood Lilah, her wrists in shackles and hair clinging to her face.
His mother was nearby, dressed in black mourning garb, contrasting Jamil’s white thobe.
‘Oh, that’s not good,’ Kaidon said, coming to a stop beside him.
Tariq’s eyes narrowed on Safiya, who stood facing the line of guards, a sword pointed in their direction. There were at least five weapons pointed back at her.
He moved towards them, shouting through the noise. ‘What’s happening here?’
Farrah looked in his direction, and her face pinched. ‘The princess was found with enough illicit herbs to kill a man. Or rather, a king.’
‘She’s a healer!’ Safiya shouted. ‘That’s not a crime!’
‘She is a covenweaver,’ Farrah replied calmly. ‘And that most certainly is a crime.’
Murmurs rippled through the crowd. When Tariq looked around, he spotted Zahvik far back in the shadows, likely thrilled by what he was seeing.
‘If she is innocent, she has nothing to fear,’ Jamil said, gesturing for calm.
Safiya let out a harsh laugh. ‘Nothing to fear? You must be joking.’ Her blade moved slightly, enough to make two of the guards shift forwards.
Tariq raised his hands. ‘Stand down.’
The guards took a tentative step back but kept their weapons raised.
Safiya took a defiant step towards one of the swords, her chest inches from the tip of the blade. ‘You dragged her from her chamber like a criminal.’
‘Safiya,’ Tariq said. ‘This isn’t the way.’
Her gaze shot to his. ‘She trusted you.’
A whimper came from Lilah when one of the guards adjusted his grip on her.
‘Careful!’ Safiya screamed at him.
Farrah’s patience snapped. ‘Take them both into custody.’
‘No,’ Lilah sobbed. ‘Tariq, please.’
Farrah didn’t like that. ‘That is the king you are speaking to. You will address him as such.’
The guards moved to disarm Safiya.
‘Step back!’ Tariq shouted at them.
They froze and looked in his direction. Then their attention shifted.
Aisha approached at a fast pace. Her hair was now smoothed back and secured tightly at the nape of her neck, her face scrubbed clean.
All eyes followed her as she stepped into the centre of the conflict, her gaze burning towards the guard holding Lilah.
‘Let her go,’ Aisha said.
Farrah stared in disbelief. ‘How dare you—’
‘I am the Queen of Gruisea,’ Aisha said, turning to her. ‘And you will address me as such.’ She held Farrah’s gaze before turning to Tariq. ‘My sister had no part in your father’s death. She did not poison anyone.’
There was nothing but truth in her eyes, but that wasn’t enough. He couldn’t simply take her word for it, and she surely knew that.
‘Of course you would say that,’ Farrah said, going to stand beside Tariq.
Aisha was supposed to be at his side. It was supposed to be the two of them against the world.
‘It’s true,’ Aisha said.
More people had gathered to see what was happening. All eyes were on Tariq, watching to see how he would conduct himself as the new king.
‘It was me,’ Aisha continued, her voice dropping. ‘I had Lilah unknowingly mix the poison, and then I put it in your father’s food.’
The shock on Lilah’s face likely mirrored Tariq’s.
‘You have my confession. I killed King Hamza,’ Aisha said. Though the words were softly spoken, they seemed to ring out like bells through the courtyard. Sharp and undeniable.
Tariq didn’t move—couldn’t. Nor could he breathe. The words were like a noose around his neck.
‘I killed King Hamza.’
A rush of heat surged through his chest, followed by a cold sensation that left his fingers tingling. His feet shifted as feeling returned.
It couldn’t be true.
No one spoke. Or he didn’t hear them. No one seemed to know quite what to do with that confession—not even his mother.
Tariq couldn’t look away from Aisha. His gaze was locked with hers, searching for some glimmer of truth or flicker of a lie. This had to be an attempt to protect her sister.
She stood tall like a queen. His queen. All the love he carried for her sat uselessly inside him. Heavy. Pointless. He struggled to recognise this version of her, this queen who had just signed her own death sentence in front of witnesses.
In front of Zahvik.
‘Take them both to the tower,’ Farrah instructed. ‘And clear this courtyard.’
‘I acted alone,’ Aisha said, turning to Farrah. ‘My family are innocent.’
That brought Tariq out of his trance.
‘Princess Aisha has confessed to the crime,’ he said, drawing the attention of the entire courtyard. His fingers brushed over the token hidden beneath his tunic. ‘The rest of her family is free to go.’
Farrah’s mouth flattened into a thin line, but she had the good sense not to speak. Perhaps referring to Aisha as a princess instead of a queen had appeased her.
Tariq’s gaze found Aisha’s again, and he could barely believe what he was about to say. He had vowed to love and protect her. They had unified their souls before the gods.
‘Take her to the tower.’ The words clawed at his throat on their way out.
The guards moved in decisively now.
‘I want two men guarding that cell,’ Farrah said. ‘Covenweavers are notorious escapees.’
Tariq blinked slowly as a fresh wave of whispers passed through the crowd. Aisha stood still as a guard approached, tugging her arms behind her back. She surrendered to all of it. There was not the slightest struggle as they led her away. She didn’t fight. Didn’t speak.
Didn’t look back.