Princess of Smoke (2020 Reissue) Read online

  “Spirits no.” Mother gave a breathy laugh. “My new amulets.” She bunched the necklaces in her fist, letting the pendants swing and clack together so the rest of the table could admire them. “If I hadn’t had the foresight to wear them all, we’d probably be dead.”

  Auriya laughed politely, then when she realized my mother wasn’t joking, cleared her throat and suddenly looked very interested in the food before her.

  A spoon clinked against my plate as Umar sloshed a huge spoonful of spiced lamb stew onto it. “Eat, Zadie. You’re not eating.” My little brother frowned up at me.

  The steaming scent of warm spices and coconut reminded me how hungry I still was, despite the awkward family meal. I delicately scooped a forkful into my mouth, savoring the sweet and salty flavors bursting on my tongue.

  “Want more?” He reached forward and piled flatbread next to my plate. I glanced up the table. Kassim’s sisters talked amongst themselves, Lalana exchanged words with Mother, and Kassim and my father had resumed their conversation.

  I tried a mouthful of mango rice next. Spirits, either I was starving or this was the best food I’d ever eaten.

  “You eat fancy now, like Lalana.” Umar pouted. “And your clothes are all sparkly.” He tugged at my cuff strung with tiny pearls.

  If I’d have been sitting at the dining table in Satra, I’d have probably filled my cheeks with rice until they bulged, just to get a laugh out of my little brother, but in front of Kassim and his sisters, well… It didn’t seem like something a sultanah would do.

  “That’s because I’m a queen now,” I replied, tearing the flatbread into small triangles. “Well, nearly.”

  “You’re definitely marrying him?” Umar jabbed the serving spoon in the direction of Kassim, spraying droplets of sauce across the table.

  “I am.”

  My little brother wrinkled his nose. “He looks serious. And pretty, like a girl. His clothes sparkle, too.”

  I repressed a smile, gazing at my betrothed. Umar was right. Kassim was very pretty. It really wasn’t fair one man could have such long, dark eyelashes, smooth skin, and shining hair.

  As if he could feel our gazes on him, Kassim looked up and gave Umar a small wave. My brother ignored him, glowering down at his plate and muttering something to himself.

  I leaned over, nudging him. “Hey. Once we’re married, Kassim will be your brother. You always wanted a brother.”

  “Did not,” Umar huffed. “I have you. Even though you live far away now.”

  I stifled a smile. “How about tomorrow, before the wedding, I show you my new horse, Bandit?” I raised my eyebrows conspiratorially. “And my new sword. It’s an elij, so it’ll be light enough for you to hold.”

  Umar perked up. “Really? You can use a sword?”

  I nodded, although my wish to know everything about sword fighting had left me, so all I had were my training sessions with Elian. And since I’d given away Tarak’s ring, I’d come up with every excuse I could to get out of returning to the training ring, in case the captain discovered any skill I’d once possessed had deserted me overnight. I took another mouthful of rice. I had no idea how good I’d be with my elij now…

  Laughter roused me from my conversation with Umar. Kira, Auriya, and Safiyya were all laughing at something Lalana had said.

  “Truly?” Auriya dabbed a tear from the corner of her eye without smudging her liner.

  “She attempted to dance in it, too. Can you imagine?” Lalana tossed her glossy hair behind her shoulder. “The veil caught on her shoes and came right off.”

  Kassim’s sisters laughed again. Kira looked from Lalana to me, her demeanor becoming frosty once more.

  “So, Zadie.” Kira interlaced her fingers across her belly. “I must say, I find my brother very changed.”

  Everyone at the table stilled, except Umar, who tore into a flatbread with reckless abandon, shoving the bread into his cheeks and ignoring everyone else.

  “Oh, I agree,” I replied, meeting her gaze across the table. Kira blinked twice, the only outward sign my words surprised her. “Kassim seems a very different man than the sultan who collected me from Khiridesh. In the short months I’ve been in Astaran, I find he has learned to put his trust in the right advisors. A lesson he learned the hard way.”

  Kassim pressed his lips together, suppressing a smile. “Such glowing praise from my new bride.” He turned to his sisters. “What Zadie means is that I started listening to her. From the moment she left Khiridesh, she was very vocal with her opinions about my actions and politics–”

  “Zadie,” my mother hissed, sounding exasperated.

  “But she has already helped Astaran in more ways than you could know, Indira.” Kassim addressed my mother, and her face instantly melted into a soft smile. “Your daughter warned me not to trust the vizier…”

  “Ah yes, Hepzibah.” Kira’s voice rose. She tapped a golden fork against the table. “Terrible for you to lose a daughter that way, Sultanah Indira. And you, Lalana. Trapped for months. Where did you say she kept you again?”

  The tone of Kira’s questioning set my teeth on edge.

  “In her tower, I think,” Lalana replied brightly. “She never let me out of my shackles, so I can’t be sure.”

  “I see,” Kira replied. Her eyes drifted to Lalana’s hands, still bandaged from when she’d struggled with the assassin during the storytelling competition. She frowned, as though in disbelief it really might be evidence my sister had been held hostage. “I can’t believe she would keep you where you could be discovered. Namir has eyes on every inch of the palace.”

  “The vizier was a sorceress,” I said quickly, raising my voice so I could be heard all the way down the vast table. “She probably kept Lalana veiled with her magic.”

  “Hmm,” Kira replied, pushing a piece of lamb around her plate.

  “It must have been terrible for you, too, Zadie.” Auriya sounded more genuine than her sister. “I can’t imagine what it must be like to lose a sister, only to find out she’d been living with you all this time as a prisoner. And your parents…” She gave them a heartfelt look. “You have my deepest sympathies, Sultan Shapur, Sultanah Indira.”

  “The sultan and sultanah have graciously accepted my apologies.” Kassim’s deep voice was genial, but he gripped his knife a little too tightly. The conversation verged on dangerous territory, and we’d agreed to tell no one the truth about Lalana. Not even his sisters.

  “Yes, of course,” Father hurriedly agreed, his voice light. “No harm done. Kassim didn’t know his vizier was scheming against him. And we have our little Lana back, safe and sound.”

  Lalana reached over to squeeze Father’s arm as the sun went behind a cloud.

  Kira’s eyes shifted from Lalana to Kassim and back again. “Now Lalana is back, I assume you’ll be reinstating the original betrothal?” She arched an eyebrow, and my blood chilled. “You owe the Khirideshi royals a great debt, Kassim. It seems only right to apologize for the treatment of their firstborn by ensuring she becomes Astaran’s next sultanah.” The words were light, but it felt like she’d stood and screamed them at me.

  “Oh yes, do that!” Umar cried, banging his fork on the table. “Then Zadie can come home with us!”

  Thunder rumbled ominously in the distance, filling the silence that followed. My parents froze, unsure what to say. Even Lalana looked panicked.

  A high, tinkling laugh rang out. Safiyya leaned forward to help herself to an almond tart from the platter before her. “Kassim won’t change his mind now, Kira. Like you said, he’s changed. He doesn’t care about fusty old traditions anymore. And he’s desperately in love with Zadie. Aren’t you, Kassim?” She took a huge bite of the tart, looking pointedly at her brother.

  Kassim’s eyes widened, then his face broke into a grin. “My littlest sister knows me too well.” He turned to my parents. “I hope it pleases you to keep the Khirideshi-Astarian alliance in place with my marrying your youngest daughter.” He s
hifted in his chair. “Safiyya is right. What started out as a political alliance has become a love match between us. Not only that, but I believe Zadie will make a wise and fair sultanah. My people will be lucky to have her.”

  My heart swelled inside my chest at Kassim’s words, but Kira simply frowned. She probably suspected there was more to Lalana’s story than we had shared with her. Or perhaps it was just clear to her that Lalana made the better sultanah, by traditional standards anyway.

  “I’m happy for you, brother.” Auriya tilted her glass of iced lime water toward Kassim.

  “As am I,” said Kira stiffly. “But you do realize when your guests hear of Lalana’s return, they’ll all assume the same thing.”

  “Let them assume.” Kassim lounged back in his chair. “I’ll tell them the same thing I told you. I’m marrying Zadie tomorrow, and wild rocs couldn’t stop me.”

  Kassim’s elder sisters exchanged a knowing glance.

  I clenched my fists beneath the table, torn between pleasure at Kassim’s words and irritation that his sisters clearly still thought Lalana was the better match for the sultan.

  “Speaking of your guests,” Lalana said lightly, pushing her chair back from the table, “if you’ll excuse us, Zadie and I were planning on spending some time together this afternoon, before she needs to greet everyone this evening.”

  My tight muscles loosened as the prospect of escaping from our families for a few hours.

  Lalana gave me a reassuring smile. “Shall we, Zadie?”

  Gratefully, I rose from the table. “I’ll see you all this evening,” I said politely, following Lalana out of the room.

  Spirits, it would be good to escape everyone’s prying questions.

  Even if it was only until the rest of our guests arrived.

  Chapter Fifteen

  I stared into the gilded mirror, and two almost identical faces stared back at me, warmed by the soft light and pink-and-red drapes of the women’s pavilion. I tilted my head to one side, then examined the face next to mine.

  Much as I loathed to admit it, Kassim was right. Dressed in all our finery, Lalana and I were unmistakably sisters.

  Mehri and Jevera flitted around me, while some of Safiyya’s handmaids bustled around my sister, swathing us in fine fabrics, dusting shimmering gold powder over our shoulders and collarbones, and sweeping dark lines over our eyelids, ready for the ball welcoming our guests to Kisrabah. Behind us, Lisha prowled back and forth, clearly uncomfortable with all the fussing around our faces and clothes. She’d already flat-out refused to do my hair, growling that she was here as my guard, not my handmaid.

  She hadn’t liked that we’d come to get ready in the women’s pavilion, either, claiming the garden was more open to attack than my chambers, and that the thick layer of clouds threatened rain at any moment. But although I’d not set foot back in the women’s pavilion since Tarak and I had plotted over the princes vying for Safiyya’s hand, it was a nice space for Lalana and I to get ready together.

  I glanced up to where a too-perfect guard inched slowly closer to Lalana, his golden cloak flung cavalierly over one shoulder, a predatory expression on his face. Tarak had found a way to be here too in his male form, insisting he was here for the princesses’ safety. Not that he seemed all that concerned with my safety right now. He reached out and tucked a strand of dark hair behind my sister’s ear, his violet eyes never leaving her face.

  At least I had Lisha, even if she was only here at Aliyah’s command.

  I sighed and squinted back at the mirror. Now that I took in the way our lower lips jutted out from beneath wide mouths, the high slant of our cheekbones, the arch of our eyebrows… If you ignored my Khirideshi nose, I supposed there were some similarities in our faces. Kassim seemed to be able to see them, even if Tarak didn’t.

  A hand took mine, and I glanced sideways to see Lalana looking at me with a sad smile. “You know, I never thought I’d get to see your wedding day.” Her smile faltered. “I’m glad I’m here. Even if...I wish I’d come to Kisrabah under different circumstances…” Her eyes flicked briefly to the handmaids buzzing around us, keeping her words deliberately vague so they might think she was talking about her time in the vizier’s tower and not losing Ambar and leaving Yadina. She cleared her throat. “The sultan is a good man, Zadie. I’m grateful to him as well as you. For – for giving me another chance at this life.”

  My shoulders tightened. I understood her mixed feelings. Lalana might be glad to be at my wedding, but she was only here because her husband had died. And while I was glad to have my sister at my side for such an important day, I couldn’t help Kira’s words echoing in my mind.

  Now Lalana is back, I assume you’ll be reinstating the original betrothal. You know everyone else will assume the same thing.

  Shaking off my misgivings, I squeezed my sister’s hand tightly. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  A scoffing sound drew my attention back to Tarak, and my lips pressed together. “What?”

  “Oh nothing, nothing.” Tarak grabbed a piece of mango from the fruit platter on the table and tossed it high in the air before catching it between his shiny white teeth. He chewed slowly. “It’s just you were so worried about the sultan going back to his beautiful back-up bride Mak...aren’t you even the tiniest bit worried he’ll go back to big sis now she’s here?”

  My cheeks flushed, but before I could snipe back at Tarak, Lalana cut in with a glare. “Zadie looks beautiful. And anyway, Kassim loves her for more than just that.”

  Tarak sniggered. “Clearly.”

  I looked around. The handmaids had all stopped their fluttering, staring at the guard with looks of total horror on their faces.

  I resisted rolling my eyes. The handmaids would never believe an ordinary guard would be allowed to get away with such dismissive comments about his future sultanah.

  Following my gaze, Lalana seemed to realize the same thing I did. She got to her feet, flashing a warm smile around the pavilion. “Please, would all of you leave Princess Zadie and I for a moment? You’re all doing a wonderful job, but I’d like to speak to her alone before the reception this evening.”

  “We’re not finished yet, princess.” Jevera crossed her arms over her chest, hairpins still gleaming dangerously between her fingers. “And last I checked, we answer to Princess Zadie…in spite of what some others in here might seem to think.” She glared daggers at Tarak, her dark brows knitted together and her eyes flashing.

  I couldn't help the swell of pleasure in my chest. I shot my handmaid a grateful look.

  “Someone should teach your guard some better manners.” Lisha produced a knife and twirled it lazily between her fingers. But although her venom was directly at Tarak, her gaze ran lazily over my handmaid, a smile playing at the edge of her lips.

  I cleared my throat. “Thank you, both, but I would appreciate a moment alone with my sister.” I got to my feet beside Lalana, trying to imitate the way she cast her gaze around the pavilion, making everyone feel as though she was addressing them directly. “Please, take a quarter hour to rest, all of you.”

  Jevera’s lips thinned, but she spun on her heel and stalked out of the pavilion.

  Lisha stared after her then glanced back at me, and I waved my hand for her to follow. She pointed her knife at Tarak. “Don’t let anything happen to them.” She returned her gaze to me. “I’ll be right outside.” She turned on her heel and strode after Jevera.

  The rest of the handmaids scurried after her, the drapes drifting shut behind them.

  The moment they’d disappeared from the pavilion, Lalana turned to the djinni with her arms crossed. “Tarak, apologize to Zadie.”

  The djinni’s eyebrows shot up. “What did I–”

  “Tomorrow’s her wedding day. She doesn’t need you worrying her about Kassim, even if you’re just joking.” She dug an elbow into my ribs, shooting me a sly smile. “I wasn’t sure whether you or the sultan was more horrified when his sister suggested I m
arry him instead.”

  Heat prickled up my neck, burning my cheeks.

  Lalana let out a light laugh. “Can you imagine me marrying the sultan now? After everything that’s happened?”

  I couldn’t meet her gaze. Even after everything Kassim had assured me of, I too easily could imagine it, and I was sure all our other guests could too.

  The scent of frankincense told me Tarak had moved closer, and when I looked up again he was just inches from my sister, looking tenderly into her wide, honey-colored eyes. “Trust me, that sultan isn’t good enough for you.” He threw a glance back toward me. “He’s fine for you, though.”

  I rolled my eyes, sinking back down into my chair at the dresser. Tarak probably thinks he’s the only one good enough for Lalana. Tarak puffed his chest out, reaching for the floating lilac shawl around her shoulders and smoothing it out.

  I returned my attention to the golden shawl drifting around my own shoulders, readjusting the jeweled pin digging into my collarbone, glancing back up at the mirror.

  The djinni dropped his hands from Lalana’s shoulders, sidling closer to me. “So how can I make it up to you, ex-master?” He raised his eyebrows suggestively. “You can’t have any more wishes, but I will do you the honor of being your ring bearer. I’d be great, you know. I have an intimate knowledge of rings.”

  Tarak’s guard uniform disappeared, replaced by flowing white-and-gold robes, a glittering golden box studded with jewels held between his palms. He opened it to reveal a plush cushion with two shining rings on top, a strange light emanating from within.

  “Does that sound like an apology to you, Lalana?” I said crisply, reaching out to snap the lid of the box shut again.

  Lalana opened her mouth, looking exasperated, but the djinni cut her off before she could reply.

  “Or have you thought about your arrival?”