He expected the merchant to scream at him when it was over. To grab him by his tunic and shake him until his teeth rattled. Instead, she shook her head and said, “You’re a fool.”
Mazen blinked. “I’ll admit I was lacking in foresight, maybe, but—”
“You think your brother would send you on this quest so he could stay behind and implement security measures?” She scoffed.
Mazen felt something inside of him fray. “What do you know about my brother?”
“I know he’s a murderer.”
“And? You don’t seem to mind the blood on Ahmed bin Walid’s hands.”
The merchant froze, eyes wide, body trembling. When she next spoke, her voice was a lethal whisper. “How dare you compare your brother to the wali of Dhyme. Ahmed did not give the order to kill a tribe of humans for a godsdamned relic.”
Mazen recoiled. Aisha had told him about this in the ruins; how had he forgotten? Because Omar is family, he thought. And with family, we always try to forget.
But how did Loulie know? Why would Imad tell her that story unless…？ He stared at her. She was breathing fast in that way a person did when they were holding back tears.
… Unless that had been her tribe.
He swallowed. “Loulie, I’m—”
“Sorry? Your apologies are meaningless to me, Prince. I have no reason to trust your sincerity when you have been lying to me this entire time.” She turned her glare on Aisha. “And you. I trust you even less, whoever the hell you are. A thief, the Resurrectionist—either way, you’re a cold-blooded killer.”
She rose and limped out of the cave.
“Leave her be,” Qadir said sharply when Mazen began to rise. “Or do you plan to tail her like a hound even now?” Something flickered in his eyes—something that may have been fire.
Mazen deflated. What else did he have to offer besides apologies, empty as they were to her? He could not even give her answers. He looked at Aisha, who shrugged beneath his gaze. “Don’t look at me. I don’t know Omar’s mind. But…” She raised a brow. “Your father sent us on a similarly perilous quest. Sometimes power requires sacrifice.”
Mazen glared at her. “It’s not worth it if that power requires others to be sacrificed.”
Aisha’s lips quirked into a sardonic smile. “You truly do not know how to think like a prince, do you?” She laughed, and her voice took on the softness he’d come to associate with the Queen of Dunes. “Our world isn’t built on morals. Humans, jinn—we’re all selfish creatures. Your brother sought power, so he put others’ necks on the line for it. It’s the way of the world.”
Mazen bristled. “And possessing an innocent man and killing his friends—that’s the way of the world too?”
Aisha scowled. “If by ‘innocent man and friends’ you mean murderers who slaughter jinn for no reason, then yes.” She never broke eye contact as she stood. “I would even go so far as to say that killing them is justice,” she said coldly, and then she walked away.
Qadir tilted his head. “You are very adept at digging yourself into holes, Prince.” He rose with a sigh. “I still do not trust you, but I trust your brother less. I do not know what he is plotting, but know this.” His eyes darkened with smoke. “If your family tries to harm Loulie, I will sink your city. And if you breathe a single word of my history to them…” He smiled. An unfeeling smile that sent a shudder down Mazen’s spine. “I will personally make you regret it.”
The deadly promise hung in the air, thick as the smoke clouding the ifrit’s eyes as he exited the cave. Mazen had to force himself to follow. He had chosen this, and he had no choice but to see this hellish journey through.
After that, it did not take them long to reach the road to Ghiban. Aisha banished the ghouls with a command as they stepped onto the dirt path, disintegrating them into sand with a snap of her fingers. Mazen was unsure whether he ought to be relieved or nervous that Aisha could so easily control the queen’s magic.
His anxiety dampened somewhat as they joined other journeyers on the main road. After days of isolated travel, it was a relief to see other people. Mazen felt more at ease amongst the crowds. The merchant, on the other hand, was forced to doff her starry layers. She looked smaller without them, reduced to a plain tunic, a pair of trousers, and shoes that were so dusty they looked more brown than gold.
They meandered through cliffs and up rocky inclines until they came to the city. Spires and domes made of stone stretched across a rocky plateau lush with vibrant gardens and crystal blue lakes. The city sat in the center of a small valley, surrounded on three sides by waterfalls that emptied into the settlement’s surrounding silver rivers, which glowed beneath the moonlight.