The Bodyguard
Tension gripped me as I neared the door.
The jawahar in the line before me seemed at ease, but I saw their apprehension: The nails digging into palms. The fists clenched around skirts.
And with every jawahar who exited the room, appearing on the verge of tears, the atmosphere in the hall grew more tense.
The door swung open, and Mahnaz emerged.
She was the first to appear put together.
She lifted her chin, looking down on the rest of us.
I noted her hand as she wiped a stray tear from the corner of her eye. It was shaking.
Shahzadeh Bahir stepped into the hall. I wondered at his presence in the harem, especially during an inspection.
His eyes raked over the women before settling on me.
He dared to smile, a wicked grin that unsettled me.
Mahnaz followed his gaze. I averted mine to stare at the woman in line before me, examining the beading of her dress and the ends of her long braid visible through her sheer chadar.
My gaze fell to her wrist, as it usually did whenever I encountered someone I hadn’t seen before.
Man or woman, all were suspects in a palace full of people who wanted my heart on a platter.
Her wrist was smooth and unmarred. I gritted my teeth with inward frustration.
The assassin was still on the loose, and the burn I had inflicted upon them would heal soon.
Before long, nothing stood before me but the imposing door. An elderly woman motioned me inside. The room carried an eerie glow from the sparsely placed candles. The woman led me to a bed situated in the center of the room. I sat on it, my heart pumping louder in the quiet of the chamber.
“Ah, Shahdokht Farani.” The voice was laced with wrath.
Malikeh Madar Morvarid stood in the corner, spinning to face me in a flurry of royal skirts made of the richest of fabrics. Her face was pinched with disapproval. She still despised me for Dayyan’s reproach outside the healing chambers.
“We must give you the best attention.”
I swallowed, noting the jadugar beside her.
It was a different one from the woman at the wedding.
Last I heard, she’d been dismissed. This jadugar was younger but appeared no less sinister.
She was dressed in gray rags, and black kohl lined her eyes and mouth.
She muttered in low tones as she slinked toward me.
Then she gasped and covered her eyes, pulling back. Morvarid’s mouth twisted in a scowl.
“She is too bright. It burns,” the jadugar protested.
Morvarid shot me a look. “You were instructed not to perform ablution before entering.”
I didn’t reply, staring straight back at the queen. She finally relinquished me from the hold of her stony gaze and barked at the jadugar.
“Do your job. If you cannot, I will have you replaced.”
The fear of dismissal was enough to send the jadugar toward me.
Though she trembled and muttered curses under her breath, she managed to stand above me and press me down onto the bed.
A bead of sweat rolled down my brow. I wanted nothing more than to bolt.
The jadugar’s bony hands crept over my abdomen.
She prodded the area and then pulled back to speak to the queen mother.
“Her womb appears to be empty.”
Morvarid approached. “Drink this.”
I stared at the cup and then downed it as quickly as I could. The bitterness burned my mouth.
“Every jawahar must go through this. I did. All of us prized women must.”
She squeezed my shoulder in silent support.
It was hours later that I sat numb in the healing chamber, a strange calm gripping me as the healers moved about assisting Ustaad Saf.
Delara remained the same. Or worse, if the stillness of her form was any indication.
Omid had been there when I’d arrived and had stayed the entire time, sitting beside me.
He’d continuously asked when Dayyan would return.
I tried to reassure him that it would be soon, but the truth was that I didn’t know.
Omid played with an unraveled thread from his shirt until worry wore him down and he succumbed to sleep against my shoulder.
I stroked his hair as he slept. His poor young features looked so exhausted.
The door creaked open, and Mahnaz entered, approaching me with a dangerous gleam in her eyes. I glanced about the room, seeing it was now devoid of people.
“You act all high and mighty. You Southerners look down on us for our use of jadugars and yet you are doing magic yourself.”
I stood, and Omid wakened at the movement.
His startled eyes darted to Mahnaz and then to me.
I tousled his hair and gave him a gentle smile.
“Go back to sleep.” I turned to face Mahnaz, who was shaking with fury.
“Shahdokht Delara is ill, and the shahzadeh needs rest. Let us discuss whatever is troubling you in the hall.”
Mahnaz lifted a trembling finger. “Don’t you dare tell me what to do, whore.”
I braced myself. “I am warning you to watch your words and leave now while you have the chance.”
She laughed, high and a touch unhinged. “And what will you do if I don’t?
” She pushed me, sending me stumbling back.
Tears streamed down her face, and her chadar tumbled off her head.
“What have you done to make my womb empty? What have you done to steal Bahir? He hasn’t called for me in weeks. ” Her eyes flashed. “Because of you!”
“I would like nothing more than to never see Bahir’s face again,” I replied, trying to remain calm even as her fury heated the room. “In fact, if you recall, Shahzadeh Dayyan warned him to keep his distance.”
“Liar! You want him for yourself. Every time I see him, his eyes are on you.”
I leaned toward her. “Then it seems the problem here is Bahir. Instead of harassing me, why don’t you get a leash for your shahzadeh?”
She launched toward me. Her taloned fingers tore at my chadar, grabbing a handful of my hair. A cry ripped from my throat as she yanked my head back. I elbowed her in the ribs and rammed a fist into her throat. Her grip loosened, and she gagged and stumbled back. Pure rage reflected from her eyes.
“Go, Farani! Go, Farani!” Omid stood on his chair and pumped his fist into the air, cheering me on.
Mahnaz growled and lunged toward me again. But this time, I was prepared. I ducked under her swing and grabbed her arm, wrenching it behind her back.
“It was you, wasn’t it? The one behind my attack in the harem?” I hissed.
It would explain the assassin’s words—Stay away from the shahzadeh or I will slit your throat. This is your only warning—as well as her obsession with me.
“What are you talking about?” she said in a pitiful shriek as I continued bending her arm.
I examined her wrist. No burns. But that didn’t mean she hadn’t devised the attack. She screamed as I stretched her limb. A little farther and it would break.
“Try it again,” I whispered into her ear, “and I will make you regret it.”
She seethed, sweat dripping from her brow. The door opened, and I was wrenched away. A guard wearing the palace uniform struck my face. My head flew to the side as pain rippled over my skin. I touched my cheek, feeling it swelling already. The guard shook me.
“How dare you harm Shahzadeh Bahir’s jawahar?”
His grip turned painful. I heard shouts of protest and saw Esana enter. Her face contorted in shock at the sight of us. Mahnaz kneeled on the ground, panting for breath.
“Release her at once!” Esana demanded.
“This woman was harming Jawahar Mahnaz.”
“This woman,” Esana emphasized, “is Shahzadeh Dayyan’s wife. If he hears you laid a hand on her, you will never see the light of day again.”
The guard paled. He glanced at me and at Mahnaz. “I swear I didn’t know—”
“Shahdokht, should I have them detained?”
The guard released me, shaking his head as panic brewed in his gaze.
“Get out,” I ordered.
He scurried from the room, and Mahnaz left moments after. I stared at the door as seconds elapsed.
“Do you think . . . ?”
I turned to Esana and slowly nodded, reading her thoughts. “Yes, Mahnaz could very well be the one who orchestrated the assassination attempt.”
“Then why won’t we do anything?” Esana protested.
“No. I will catch her red-handed.”
Ustaad Saf entered, his brows lowered as he took in my disheveled appearance and Esana’s evident worry. “Is everything all right?”
We nodded. I glanced at Omid. The boy was bubbling to spill the scene he’d witnessed, but when I placed a finger to my lips, he nodded in understanding. Ustaad Saf stared a moment longer and then smiled.
“I have good news. They have returned with the roots.”
Zeki stepped into the room, clutching the glowing plants with victory.